Moving, Drawing, Writing: Exploring Different Forms of Literacy.

Moving, Drawing, Writing:

Exploring Different Forms of Literacy

Verbal & Nonverbal Communication

Verbal communication - involves spoken & written words

Nonverbal communication -involves movement, gestures, pictures, drawings & different types of sounds other than language

Picture Languages

Humans have used a number of picture languages such as . . .

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics Aztec glyphs Petroglyphs of the Chacoan &

other ancient indigenous people of the Americas

Sign Language

Sign language is another form on nonverbal communication. For example . . .

When a signer positions the hands diagonally with the palms facing, touches the finger tips & then moves both hands diagonally downward, the word house is communicated.

And to communicate shoes, the signer holds both hands in fists with the palms facing downward, and then moves the fists horizontally towards & away from each other.

The written word & movement in terms of . . .

Phrases

Phonology

Morphemes

Syntactics

Semantics

Connecting Movement & Word Phrases . . .

A dance is made up of many movement phrases just as a sentence or paragraph is made up of word phrases.

It is also possible to capture the rhythm of a series of phrases in movement by using longer movements for phrases that are emphasized and shorter movements for less stressed phrases.

For example in the sentence “I had a red hat” you can stress the phrase “ a red hat” to create a movement rhythm consisting of short & long actions.

This rhythm could be diagrammed as: __ _____.

Connecting Movement & Phonology . . .

Phonology refers to the small units of sound that make up a language such as b, ph or g.

It is possible to create movements that copy such sounds.

For example - A slow, sustained action copies the sound of “st” while a dabbing action is like the “g” sound.

Connecting Movement & Morphemes . . .

Morphemes are the smallest unit of meaning in a language.

A simple word such as dog is a morpheme.

Single movements or gestures also communicate meanings.

For example - Gestures such as beckoning or waving have a meaning.

Connecting Movement & Syntactics . . .

Syntactics refers to the rules of grammar.

One rule in English is proper word order. In English we say red hat, but in French chapeau rouge is the proper word order.

Movement order is also important.

For example - A mime can pretend to open a drawer & take out an object, followed by removing his hand & closing the drawer. But if the mime fails to remove his hand before closing the drawer, a different meaning is communicated.

Connecting Movement & Semantics . . .

Semantics refers to shades of meaning conveyed by language.

The words “mashing potatoes” have a different meaning from the words “slicing potatoes.”

Similarly, the movements performed in a Romantic Ballet send a different message than the movements of hip hop dancing.

What is movement literacy?

It is . . .

Being sensitive to variations in your body or kinesthetic feelings when performing different movements.

Understanding that different movements communicate different messages.

Exploring Movement Literacy

Perform the following actions as you concentrate on the body feelings you experience.

Pierce the space around your body with one arm.

Bring both hands next to your shoulders & very slowly press them away from your body.

Walk as if you are walking on very sticky mud.

Walk as if you are surrounded by a dense fog.

Following the movement exploration . . .

Write down as many words as you can think of that describe the body feelings you experienced in each exploration experience in the previous slide.

Were the words you wrote down different when you were describing your body feelings for the different exploration experiences?

Now let’s carry this exercise a bit farther.

Draw two visual symbols that you think represent two of the body feelings you experienced in the movement explorations you just completed.

Examples of two such visual symbols are shown on the right.

Another way to connect movement & drawing . . .

It also possible todraw a diagramthat represents thepathway or floor pattern followed

by two dancers in a dance. An example is shown at the right.

Yet another way to connect movement & drawing . . .

In addition, it is possible to draw a diagram that represents the changes in energy quality performed by one dancer in a dance as seen at the right.

Visual artists & visual literacy

Being sensitive to the use of color, line, texture, shapes & other components of a visual work of art is called visual literacy.

Students of the visual arts study in order to develop their visual literacy just as dancers perfect their movement or kinesthetic literacy.

More work with movement literacy . . .

In dance education we use specific words to describe our movements.

These words include the following movement components: direction, level, size, timing, duration, rhythm, quality, shape, pathway & position.

A final exercise in movement literacy . . .

Perform a simple series of movements such as . . .

Walk over to a chair; sit down on it; and then stand & walk away from the chair.

Then, describe your movement sequence using the movement components listed on the previous slide.

For example you may walk in specific directions to move towards & away from the chair. When you sit on the chair & stand, you change levels.