Mastering Expressive Gesture and Body Communication

The Significance of Expressive Gesture

The most important aspect of movement becoming an expressive gesture is its charge and significance, though it is not directly translatable into words. Significance in gesture is intentional; it is the transmission of sensations and moods, representing the identification between action and expression through emotional weight. When movement becomes significant, it transforms into a gesture. The language of movement is comparable to oral language, as gestures, like words, are formed by a series of specific elements.

Core Elements of the Gesture

• Intensity: This depends on muscular antagonism and can range from soft to hard, encompassing many shades of gray. It also depends on the dynamics of momentum or the continuity of the pulse.
• Spatial Design: This refers to the direction, shape, and the extent or narrowness of the movement.
• Duration: This is the essential time element of the movement.
• Intent or Content: This is the emotional charge arising from the interaction of the above elements with the subjectivity of the performer or the intended message.

Thus, a movement phrase is a sequence of gestures that seek internal coherence to express a specific meaning.

The Body as a Medium for Communication

The living body is always inhabited by the psyche. There is no movement, gesture, or attitude—not even the slightest muscle tension—that does not respond to a mental state. Every movement and attitude is an expression of the whole being, supported by the result of conscious or unconscious thought. The body is the most authentic and deepest means of communication.

Types of Expressive Needs

The desires of individuals are expressed unconsciously through actions, which can be categorized into two kinds:

1. Wishes associated with affection: These include emotional tensions and conflicts expressed through behavior.
2. Rational wishes: These involve structure, organization, and building, emerging from intellectual motivations.

To meet these needs, there are two types of objectives:

• Psychological: These tend toward personality development.
• Rational: These tend toward the cognitive and the acquisition of knowledge.

The Role of Breathing in Expression

Breathing is a spontaneous natural function normally performed without active participation of the will, yet it can also respond to conscious and voluntary control. Proper adequacy of breathing during motion avoids undue hardship; however, this adaptation should avoid mismatches in the rhythmic flow of breath.

The Connection Between Movement and Breath

The relationship between movement and breathing can be categorized into three distinct cases:

• The adaptation of the respiratory flow to the process of motion without being hampered.
• The use of breath to promote relaxation.
• The use of breath for noise emission during movement, where the active phase corresponds to expiration and the passive phase to inspiration.