THE LANGUAGE OF MOVEMENT 4

We began today with a quick survey of some of the recent, popular books that tell us how to read body language so that we can better succeed in life. It was noted (by a student) that the advice was for the middle class society in our country- for those who wanted to "get ahead", have better relationships, even find happiness. It was also noted (by a student) that specialists in reading body language are employed by lawyers to aid them in their selection of jurors.

We then moved on to the language of movements of the inner city Chicago African Americans whose body movements were used deliberately to communicate. Many people in the Black communities resent the fact that the white population has adopted much of their culture (music/dance/language/art) and seek to preserve it for themselves. Thus they not only maintain, but often exaggerate their movements in order to keep them uniquely "theirs".

Movement, in general, is highly valued by the groups that were studied, as revealed by their language. Words indicating rapid movements, or having the potential for movement, present positive images. For example, being "hip", "bopping," "swinging" are valued, where as "slouching" is not. The placement of the legs, the arms, and the shoulders communicate intentions deliberately, as do the movements of the hips, shoulders, head, eyes and lips. Handshakes (giving skin) vary and each style communicates meaning that is shared in the community.

Finally, we looked into the broader area of cultural differences, comparing some values and movements of the Native Americans and the

Japanese with those of our own culture. Hall has said that to feel comfortable in a different culture we need to learn to move to the rhythms of that culture.

Next week we'll finish looking at cultural differences in everyday movement and move on to look at differences in dance movements, which are deliberately choreographed.

Many of you have studied dance at one time or another, and/or have followed dance group performances for many years. We'd like to hear your experiences and impressions.