Dancing Hands
IT IS not only the rhythmic movements of the feet and legs that constitute a dancer. Every stage dancer employs as well her face, hands and arms in giving expression to grace, beauty, and the many interpretations of her pantomimic art. Watch the next dancer or group of dancers you see at a show, and it may surprise you to discover how much the hands and arms have to do in adding to the effectiveness of the presentation. It is a compliment to the dancer’s artistry that you have been absorbedly pleased by the complete effect, with no thought on your part of analyzing the structure in detail.
But let her put her hands and arms out of the picture and note the disastrous result. You then realize emphatically how much the motions of the entire person, of the limbs and the torso and head, are interdependent to create the grace and rhythm that complete the perfect dance.
The various functions of the hand as detailed are:
1, to define or indicate; 2, to affirm or deny; 3, to mold or detect; 4, to conceal or reveal; 5, to surrender or hold; 6, to accept or reject; 7, to inquire or acquire; 8, to support or protect; 9, to caress or assail.
How these several functions are naturally evolved from the various movements of the hand will be readily understood when one reads the definitions:
1. (a) To define: first finger prominent; hand moves up and down, side to earth; (b) to indicate: first finger prominent; hand points to object to be indicated.
2. (a) To affirm: hand, palm down, makes movement of affirmation up and down; (b) to deny: hand, palm down, makes movement of negation from side to side.
3. (a) To mold: hand makes a movement as if molding a soft substance, as clay; (b) to detect: rub the thumb across the fingers as if feeling a texture held between them. (A movement often made when following a train of thought.)
4. (a) To conceal: bring the palm of the hand toward you, the fingers at the same time gently closing on palm; (b) to reveal: reverse the above movement, exposing palm.
5. (a) To surrender: closed hand opens, palm down, action as if dropping something on the ground; (b) to hold: the hand closes as if to retain something.
6. (a) To accept: fingers close on upturned palm as if receiving something; (b) to reject: fingers unclose from down-turned palm as if throwing something away.
7. (a) To inquire: a tremulous movement of the outstretched fingers as in the blind; palm down; (b) to acquire; hand drawn toward you, fingers curved toward down-turned palm.
8. (a) To support: palm up, making a flat surface as if supporting a weight; (b) to protect: palm down; a movement of fingers as if covering what you protect.
9. (a) To caress: a movement of stroking up and down, or sideways. If sideways, one caresses the animal nature; (b) to assail: palm down; the fingers make a convulsive movement of clutching.
In other words, the hands give expression or emphasis to the thought that it is desired to convey, both in speaking and in the pantomime of the dance and the screen.
Learn, therefore, to use your hands correctly in every dance. There is an idea to be put across in every step from your entrance—your first greeting to your audience—through the measured cadence of your dance steps, to the final exit—your appeal for approval. While you acquire the necessary dance steps to make you a perfect dancer, also learn the hand and arm movements that complement your steps and perfect the picture into its most pleasing possibilities, movements that shall develop the idea of the dance you are portraying and carry it across the footlights.
As soon as you get command of your foot work and master the technical steps of your routine, put your hands and arms into action and develop their connection with your dancing steps so that both shall coördinate as one, and thus your dance will grow into a complete and perfect expression in the easiest way.
Do not neglect your hand-action. It is a positive necessity to successful dancing, and the time to give it attention is while you are learning the rudiments of your art. This work is taught in the Ned Wayburn Modern Americanized Ballet Technique.
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