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| 25th Biennial Conference of ICKL | |
| Escuela
Nacional de Danza Clásica y Contemporánea, Mexico July 29 (Arrival Day) - August 5 (Departure Day) 2007 |
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SESSIONS Paper Laban’s Glide and Dab Symbolize the Dynamic Image of Ballet LEPCZYK, Billie - USA In the late eighteenth century Jean Georges Noverre codified the seven basic movements of dancing. This classification of movement is part of the ballet curriculum today. The seven movements in dancing are plier (to bend), étendre (to stretch), relever (to rise), sauter (to jump), tourner (to turn), glisser (to glide or to slide), and élancer (to dart). Viewing the seven movements of dancing though Laban Movement Analysis, five of the categories identify forms or structures, and two identify effort qualities. The five movements that address forms are basic to human movement and appear in most dance styles. These are plier, étendre, relever, sauter, and tourner. Glisser and élancer are movement qualities composed of three effort qualities, full effort actions. Glisser (to glide or slide) is composed of direct /sustained/light effort (Laban’s glide) and élancer (to dart) is composed of direct/quick/light effort (Laban’s dab). The difference between glisser and élancer is in the time factor, sustained effort and quick effort. Glisser and élancer are qualities embedded in ballet technique. Starting with the barre, the feet are trained to slide into and out of closed positions in a direct/light effort quality in varying tempi. This sliding technique is the impetus for the arc-like leg gestures in terre à terre, adagio, allegro, and grand allegro movements of ballet. The darting quality is inherent in allegro and grand allegro movement, and the gliding quality is inherent in adagio movement. Gliding and darting qualities symbolize the dynamic image of ballet. In summary, plier, étendre, relever, sauter, and tourner identify forms and are common to basic human movement and most dance styles; whereas, glisser and élancer are effort qualities and are specific to ballet style. Billie Lepczyk is an Associate Professor at Virginia Tech, U.S.A. She holds a doctorate from Columbia University where she was a Teachers College Fellow and Dance Notation Bureau Certifications as Professional Notator, Laban Movement Analyst, and Labanotation Teacher. Billie is a Fellow of the International Council of Kinetography Laban and the AAHPERD Research Consortium. She is the recipient of the 1998 National Dance Association Scholar/Artist Award. Her research in movement analysis has appeared in journals and in the conference proceedings of CORD, ICKL, NDEO, and AAHPERD Abstracts. She is co-editor of Dance: Current Selected Research, Vol. 5 and Vol. 6.
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