Day Seven: Embodied Communication

Kinesthetic/Kinetic Communication, Somatics, and Affect

• Kinetic versus Kinesthetic - what is the difference?
• Kinesthetic = a learning process based on embodied, tactile stimuli
• Kinetic = relating to motion
• Embodied communication is a process that combines the two, creating a systemic feedback loop where the tactile stimuli we receive shapes the way that we move through the world.

• Interviews with the dancers:
• Casey: "[It was] so interesting to communicate with another body in that way. I would see Danny's body moving because I would see the lights changing shape, but I wouldn't have any eye contact. To have that connection without being able to really see him was fascinating."
• Danny: "At times, I couldn't tell where I ended and where she began...I forgot that the other person was controlling my light, which made me react [in that area of my body], which was a really interesting perception."
• Casey: "It felt like someone else's body, which was very strange...I did not feel like myself."
• What do you notice about the "sense of self" that is different between cognitive communication versus embodied communication?
• Somatics
• Somatic Studies: the field of movement studies which emphasize internal physical perception.
• Soma: The "body felt from within"
• ** What do you think is the relationship between emotional states and body language/facial expressions?
• Inside-out versus outside-in

Body Language/Posture/Gesture Assignment (in-class)

Please watch the video of your Cut-Up performance on mute 2-3 times and write a 500 word reflection covering: 

1.) subjective reactions to viewing the video; 

2.) analysis of body language, posture and gesture as it reflects the emotional state of the performer

3.) the aesthetic interpretation of the performance;

4.) opportunities for growth (you may combine this part with some reflection from the peer critique exercise);

5.) any differences you observed between the subjective perception of being in your body and the "objective" observation of your body from the outside. Which of these two versions of you feels like your true self?