UNIT I - Introduction to Terminology and Anatomical Terms

  
 

General Terms 

Anatomy – the study of the structure and function of the human body; it is one of the oldest basic medical sciences, dating back to ancient Egypt

Kinesiology  - the study of the body in motion 

Physiology – the medical science that studies the chemical and physical processes of body function

Dance Science – anatomical and kinesiological principles and concepts as applied to the study of dance; this also includes understanding some physiological processes as it relates to the health of the dancer

Dance Somatics – the integration of mind and body; the study of how neuromuscular coordination affects movement quality on a fundamental level.

 
   
 

Body Systems

 

Musculoskeletal System:

The dancer works each day with the interplay between the bones and the muscles  that collectively make up the musculoskeletal system. 

        Skeletal System - The mobile framework of bones that provides rigid support for  the body
 

Bones provide joints or levers for motion potential but can only move via muscles acting on the bones and joints The skeleton has 2 parts:

  • Axial – skull, vertebral column, sternum & ribs  

  • Appendicular – shoulder, arms, pelvis, & legs

 

 
     Muscular System -     Collective muscle fibers that contract to move body parts, including organs     

  There are 3 types of muscles:

  •   Skeletal – moves bones and other structures
  •  Cardiac – heart movement   
  •  Smooth – internal organ and vessels

 The dancer is primarily concerned with skeletal muscle because it provides the movement of the body through space and provides muscle contraction for postural stability.

 

 

Neuromuscular System :

This is the interplay of the muscular system and the nervous system that is needed for dancer to have controlled motion. The nervous system must provide conscious and unconscious control to the muscle so that the dancer can intend to move and then accomplish that motion with control.

 

Nervous System -      The complex nerve systems of the body that enable the body  to react to continuous changes in  its internal and external environments. The nervous system controls and integrates the various body activities.

            The structure of the nervous system has 2 parts:  

  
 

1)      Central Nervous System  (CNS)– brain & spinal cord.  

2)      Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) – nerves in the limbs & trunk that carry information in/out of the brain.

 

 
 

          The nervous system has 2 functional components: 

                               1) Somatic - composed of somatic parts of the CNS & PNS and provides sensory and motor innervations (connections) to all parts of the body except some internal organs.

The somatic nervous system transmits touch, pain, temperature & position.

The somatic nervous system permits voluntary and reflexive body  movements from contraction of skeletal muscles.

                               2) Autonomic – Fibers that innervate (connect) smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands. There are 2 parts to the autonomic nervous system:

  •   Sympathetic – enables body to deal with stress: "fight or flight response”     

  •   Parasympathetic - provides homeostasis or balance to the body processes

 

 
 

Developmental Patterns           :

The body systems, though intact at birth, must develop into systems that can accomplish complex tasks. As a child grows the body becomes more able to perform complex movements. When an adult experiences new movement patterns the interplay of bone, muscle, and nerve must occur and the adult must explore and learn how to efficiently contract muscles and move joints to accomplish the desired movements.  

  
 

 

  

(illustration credit; Making Connections)

 

The brain and nerves provide control to the muscles as they contract to move the joints.

When an individual thinks about moving the nervous system is activated to prepare the body for the desired response.

Other components are important for movement and must be developed or learned:

Control, Balance, Timing, Effort

Some basic body motions become reflex-like because we do them so often. We may not consciously think about performing the activity. These could be things like: brushing your teeth, walking, standing up from a chair.

 These activities may be challenging for a young child or an adult who has suffered a stroke. They may have to learn these activities from practice.

New or more complex movements like a dancer might be asked to perform can require careful integration between the bones, muscles, and nerves, as well as the intention of thought and vision to accomplish the movement pattern successfully. Practice will be needed to “teach” the body to combine all aspects of the movement correctly to get the desired motions. 

Good technique, adequate practice, and a healthy body can all help to speed up the process of learning new movement patterns. Even an adult dancer that has completed adolescent development can still continue to refine coordination and abilities for complex movement patterns. 

 

 
 

Anatomical Position

 
Description of Anatomical Position:

The science of anatomy describes all aspects of motion from the frame of reference of the anatomical position.  The anatomical position is described as:

  • Body upright in the vertical axis

  • Legs and feet parallel

  • Arms hanging by sides

  • Palms and face are directed forward

 

 

Body Alignment:

 A general term describing the position of the body in space and the relationship between the joints.

 
 

 

  
 

Plumb Line:

An imaginary line that follows nature's law of gravity and enables one to measure variable and relative positions.

 
 

 

 

Plumb line as it falls through the body's center line in a standing position

 
 

Anatomical Terms: Description of Direction & Location of Movements in the Body

 
 

Anatomical Planes:

Anatomical descriptions are based on 3 imaginary planes that pass through the body when it is in the anatomical position.

 
 

 

1) Sagittal Plane- this is the plane (front to back) that passes through the body dividing it in right and left halves from top to bottom (black plane in picture to left) 

2) Coronal Plane - this is the vertical plane (up & down) that passes through the body dividing it into front and back halves from top to bottom This is also called the Frontal Plane. (gray plane in picture to left)  

3) Horizontal Plane - this is the horizontal plane (side to side) that divides the body into upper and lower halves. This is also called the Transverse Plane. (Pink plane in picture to left)

 

 

Terms of Relationship & Comparison

These terms are used to describe the relationships of parts of the body in the anatomical position or to compare the relative position of two structures with each other.

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Superior  (nearer to the head)

Inferior (nearer to the feet)

 Ex. - The shoulder is superior to the knee.

Anterior  (nearer to the front)

Posterior (nearer to the back)

 Ex. - The toes are anterior to the heels.

Medial(nearer to the middle)

Lateral (away from the middle)

Ex. - The big toe is on the medial side of the foot.   

 

Proximal (nearer to the trunk)

Distal (farther from the trunk)                   Ex. - The elbow is proximal to the wrist.

 

Superficial (nearer to or on the surface)

Deep (farther from the surface)             Ex. - The muscles of the upper leg are superficial to its bone (the femur).

 

Other Important Terminology:

Ipsilateral - on the same side of the body

 Ex. - The left elbow and left knee are ipsilateral.

Contralateral - on the opposite side of the body

 Ex. - The right hand and the left knee are contralateral.

Combined Terms - two terms can be combined to indicate a direction.

 Ex. - inferiomedial  means toward the feet and toward the middle, in a diagonal direction.

 

 

Connection to Dance

 Center of Gravity (COG) - that point about which all parts exactly balance each other.  The COG is the point of integration between the upper and lower halves of the body; in the pelvis just in front of the upper part of the sacrum at about 55% of the height of the individual. (Sweigard, Human Movement Potential)

Dancers are constantly developing and refining their orientation to gravity, the space around them, and sense of body alignment when learning movement.  Movement is an interplay between gravity, muscle action, body alignment, and one's COG.

  
 

Range of Motion (ROM) - the degree of flexibility in a joint which varies among individuals depending upon degree of tightness in surrounding structures  

Picture to left illustrates extremes of ROM often normal for dancers in the ballet style of dance.
 

Core Support - the integration of postural muscles in the torso that support the movement and weight of the limbs.

Effectively using one’s core support minimizes a dancer’s dependence on superficial muscles.

 

  
 

Body Types:

There are three general body types that and are present at birth and persist with you throughout your lifetime. They are genetic and form the basis for one's adult body structure. They are:

 
1) Ectomorph - thin body build, the limbs tend to predominate over the trunk

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2) Mesomorph - muscular or sturdy body build, the limbs and the trunk are more in balance
3) Endomorph - heavier body build, the trunk tends to predominates over the limbs
   

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Relevance to Dance:

Even though body type determines an affinity for certain types of movement; increasing one's movement capacity need not be restricted by body type. Body type offers an individual access to unique movement qualities, as well as forming a basis from which to develop additional movement skills as a dancer. Bodies that train for dance develop a strength, flexibility, and fitness level that are above and beyond these very basic body types.
   This completes Unit I. Return to Blackboard to proceed to Unit II.