Artistic Anatomy: Utilizing Dancer\u27s Individual Physicality within the Choreographic Process

Abstract

As curious people, we find ourselves asking “how?” My research investigates the “how” of dance by exploring the individual and natural abilities of a dancer’s anatomy and utilizing them through movement. Challenging the individual limits of the human body is a vital aspect of what makes a dancer a thinking artist. For example, recognizing the uniqueness of the hip socket as it relates to a dancer’s turn out and flexibility can help in understanding its effect on movement from one dancer to the next. This provides insight into the challenges each dancer can face when working with a specific area of the body. An exploration of how the body works gives a dancer the knowledge needed to tailor the movement to her body within her natural abilities. I researched the methods used by professional choreographers to discover various ways of approaching movement and worked with dancers on my own choreography. A better awareness of the unique anatomy of a dancer is crucial to prevent injury and safely challenge our bodies’ limits, in hopes of extending a dancer’s career. It is also important for dancers and choreographers to better understand these differences in movement in order to work in a way more beneficial for the body