Physical Education BODY EXPRESSION 3 ESO.

INDEX

1.- INTRODUCTION

1.1.- TYPES OF NON-DISCURSIVE COMMUNICATION MOVEMENTS

1.2.- THE ELEMENTS OF BODY LANGUAGE

2.- EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENTS AND COMMUNICATION

2.1.- TYPES OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION

2.2.- BODY LANGUAGE
2.3.- GESTURES
2.4.- HAND SHAKES
2.5.- POSITIONS, POSTURE AND ATTITUDE

3.- INTERPRETIVE MOVEMENTS AND ARTS

3.1.- DRAMA and MIME

3.2.- RYTHYM and MOVEMENT… DANCE

REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY

 HARROW, AJ. (1972). A Taxonomy of the Psychomotor Domain: A Guide for Developing Behavioral Objectives. USA: D.
McKay Co.

 LABAN, R. (1948) in NEWLOVE, J (1993). Laban for Actors and Dancers: Putting Laban's Movement Theory into
Practice. London: Nick Hern Books.

 TARAKANOV, S. (2016). Study Body Language. Non-verbal communication. Israel: study-body-language.com. Retrieved
from: http://www.study-body-language.com/#sthash.t9rE2ebt.dpbs
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From the beginnings of the human race, before the evolution of language, human
beings communicated through gestures and signals, that is, with body language or
gestures. Then, we may say that the corporal expression is as old as the human being.

Corporal or body expression was, for many centuries, the only form of
communication among the members of a community. Over time, and as a
consequence of the evolution of the most primitive societies, the word arises,
appearing the verbal language. Written language would not be used until much later.

Corporal expression is a form of communication based on the body and its ability to
perform gestures. Therefore, we can say that the corporal expression is a form of
non-verbal communication that uses gestures, meaning the body language.

It is necessary to gain awareness of the body movement, since it accompanies,

complements and even replaces oral language.

Body language is a type of non-verbal communication in which physical behavior,

as opposed to words, is used to express or convey information. Such behavior
includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use
of space. These actions can be either intentional or unintentional.

TYPES or MANIFESTATIONS OF NON-DISCURSIVE COMMUNICATION MOVEMENTS (Harrow, AJ., 1972)

These manifestations of communication comprise a wide range of communicative movements that range from facial
expressions, from attitudes and gestures, to the most refined choreography of the current dance. Body language is
composed by two main types of communication movements:

 The expressive movement comprises the communicative movements that are used in
daily life. It is composed mainly of three factors: the bearing and attitude of the body,
gestures, and facial expressions. These movements are corporal manifestations that
externalize the internal emotions and accompany the oral expressions to give more
strength to the words.

 The interpretative movement comprises the creative movement and

the aesthetic as expressive manifestations of the sensations of people.
The interpreter uses it to express feelings and emotions, by means of
an objective symbol: the projection of his body in space through the
realization of a movement.
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THE ELEMENTS OF BODY LANGUAGE

According to Laban, R. (1948), the expressive human movement involves the human being himself, who moves in a
space, during a period of time, using a certain amount of energy, and in a certain way, as the author indicates: “Any
movement always involves a certain amount of tension and a quantity of weight; it takes time and travels in or
occupies a certain amount of space”. Therefore Laban identifies five components of the expressive movement: body,
space, energy, time and the interrelation between them.

In order to completely analyze expressive movements, this list of issues which define body language should be
comprised by the following elements (with examples):
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TYPES OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION:

 Verbal communication: about 7% of all information submitted.

 Para-verbal communication: 38% (voice volume, tone, speed).
 Non-verbal communication: 55% (body posture, facial mimics, gestures, attitudes).

BODY LANGUAGE:

GESTURES:

Some gestures belong to you, because you’ve become so identifiable by them. Some gestures are displacement
gestures: you do them for no reason other than to displace some energy. Some gestures are specific to local customs,
and some are universal gestures that everyone does.
To interpret gestures we must consider in which context we analyze the person. Gestures have different meanings
in different situations. If a person is scratching his eyelid it could mean that it’s hiding something, but also it could
mean that it can have an eye irritation.
When we say the right verbal words and enhance them with the right gestures, or use them at the right time - we
reinforce our message and consequently appear more honest, confident, friendly, authoritative, seductive or
whatever we try to convey. You can convince, show support, negotiate, converse, command and even seduce with
your body, if you know where and when to use the right gestures.
And of course, gestures can be a great substitute for words, deaf people use sign language with great efficiency, and
non-deaf also utilize gestures instead of words when the need arise (I personally learned many of them during my
army service). In fact we have gestures that express things we can hardly describe with words.
First of all, gestures are divided between those you're born knowing - like smiling, for example; and those you learn
through culture and habit - like making the "thumbs up".
Humans have a long experience with nonverbal
communication, before we had words we needed to rely on
groaning and gesturing just like our distant relatives - the
apes. But of course, since we grow in different cultures and
have different experiences we might have different notions
about what certain actions mean, so we must be careful in
gesturing when we are in a different culture. An example:
The sign 'V' with 2 fingers can mean victory, peace, the
number 2 or "up yours" in Britain.
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HEAD GESTURES: -1-

The head gestures are a great way to understand the mood of someone and his\her points of
interests.
Head Thrust - When we're extremely angry we thrust our head forward, ready for battle. (-1-)
Head Retreat - Just think of a turtle retreating back into the safety of his house. We do that when
we're afraid and defensive, obviously, but also when we feel negatively towards what's happening
showing disbelief and incredulity. (-2-)
Head Tilt - What it can tell us is when our listener is intrigued and engaged with our words, when
we have his\her attention. Just like a dog would look at you when you make a funny sound - the -2-
"what's up?" look. It also means that this person is quite comfortable with us because this is a
display of a laidback attitude. (-3-)
-3-
The head nod & Head shake - The nod means almost universally - “yes, I agree” or
“I understand”. But what about the small details? can they tell us something more?
How often you nod, how do you nod and where do you look when you nod can tell a
lot more than just that it's a sign for agreement or comprehension. Head shake: To
state the obvious - when I talk about head shaking I talk about the rotation of the
head from side to side to mean (almost) universally - NO. (-4-)

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND FAKES:

Facial expressions are the most easier to read, for two reasons: It’s
where you look when you talk to someone. During a dialogue your
hand should not touch your face. Any gesture with your hand touching
your face signifies something. Our face is like a projector – It shows
the world what's going on inside. You're happy - the face -4-
automatically wears the smile, you're sad – and your face "melts"
down. I know it's kind of obvious, but think about it – nobody taught
you how to smile or cry, and you don't think about doing it either, it
just happens… This makes facial expressions a sort of a double-edge
sword when trying to read body language: it's easy to spot and
understand it, but since we can mask our emotions and hide our true
intentions, it's not the best indicator of truth.

Happiness - When we fake happiness we just use a smile with our lips, but a true happy face also
includes the upper part of the face, especially the muscles around the eyes (the orbicularis oculi) -
Difference between a true and fake smile. By the way, a fake or social smile doesn't mean it's a bad
sign or deceitful expression. It's a courtesy gesture that sends a friendly message nonetheless, just
a less "joyful" one.
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Sadness - When we fake sadness we tend to overdo it (like kids) - -1- -2-
we stick out the lower lip and wear make a "sad smile". Real
sadness however is hard to fake. (-1-)
Surprise - Open mouth. If it's a good surprise then it will shapes
into an open smile, if it's bad it'll probably turn into an anger or
fear face expression. Raised eyebrows - all the way. It's a very
quick expression. (-2-)
Anger - The keyword here is tension - tension in the eyebrows, jaws, lips and -3- -4-
around the eyes. Our brows gets closer and in downwards V shape when
we're truly angry. There is a lot of tension in the central point between the
brows and a fixation with the eyes on the target. (-3-)
Fear - When we're afraid are eyes fly wide open. It's part of our survival
mechanism (the three F's - Freeze, Flight or Fight) - we automatically expand
our visual field to find escape routes or put our body on full alert. This is the
opposite to the bored\disdain face expression - when our eyelids are almost
halfway down - we're trying to block what's going on in front of us. (-4-)
Disgust - Just think about something disgusting and tense your neck and lips. (-5-) -5-

If 55% of the message sent between two people comes from

nonverbal communication and 87% of the message comes
from the visual channel imagine how much is lost if we use
only hearing and voice communication.

ARMS & HANDS GESTURES:

Arms and hands gestures are only second to the face in terms of their
expressiveness. Their flexibility and dynamic nature makes them a very special
and unique tool of communication for humans. Examples: victory sign, thumbs up,
the "OK" signal.
Pointing - Pointing in general is a tool we use to direct, to lead, to show the way or
to inform others of danger or point of interest. It's an arrow we use to control the
attention of others. But as such, it's often interpreted as condescending, aggressive,
and even rude, mainly because we don't really like when others order us around!.
(-6-)
Taking it to Heart - Another common gesture is to a take a palm (or both) closer
to the chest. We touch the area associated with feelings- the heart, to show that
we’re truthful and caring. It’s also a way to show we take full responsibility: "I'm
serious; I take this matter close to my heart". (-7-)
Rolling up Sleeves - Emotion: Confidence, Readiness to action. Another readiness
gesture is pulling up the sleeves, universally it's an action that prepares the hands
for some work - be it a fight, some manual labor or even for non-physical activities
such as making a presentation. Rolling up the sleeves, in its true purpose, keeps the
sleeves from getting dirty and allows the hands move more freely. But, it’s also a
assertive and high self-confidence signal. (-8-)
Talk to the hand - When you raise your hand with the palm towards someone
you're either asking for patience (as in the next example) or create a wall between
you and someone else. It is the "Talk to the hand" gesture.
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Palms down - Palms down is the way to say “keep calm, shut
up" or "I'm in control, listen to me now". It can be a great way
to prevent others from interrupting you while you speak.
Honesty - When we want others to trust and believe us we
need to show that we have nothing to hide.

By exposing the ventral side and removing physical

objects in front of us we remove the physical block -
what leads to a more open communication channel.
One of the popular ways to show sincerity is to expose
the palms - the ventral side of our hands. It says: "hey, I
have nothing to hide, just look at my hands!". No wonder
that the open arms gesture became a universal signal
for acceptance and peace and freedom.
So, if you come with palms up you show that you're
trustworthy, honest and have nothing to hide. It’s a very
strong sign of sincerity that we subconsciously accept as
credible. That's why people who hide their palms while
conversing seem a little suspicious sometimes.

The Fist - Closing your hand into a fist is considered a power move; a lot of
intensity and force are shown when you use it. It can be sign of anger –
subconsciously getting ready to strike. On the other side it can be performed as a
power grip – waving the fist in the air while speaking is used to emphasize words
and show conviction.

HAND SHAKES:
The handshake is one of the most popular yet
overlooked gestures. We all know it's a signal of
greetings and agreement but it convey a lot of other
subtle information. A handshake is a short ritual in
which two people grasp one of each other's like hands,
in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down
movement of the grasped hands. Using the right hand is
generally considered proper etiquette. Customs
surrounding handshakes are specific to cultures. The
handshake is thought to have originated as a symbol of
peace by demonstrating that neither “shaker” had a
weapon in their hand. If two men met and displayed
empty right hands, this presumably meant a basic level
of trust existed and that neither would stab the other.
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The limp "dead fish" hand - Usually it's interpreted as weakness of character
and indecisiveness..

Normally you would never shake hands this way with

strangers – it involves a lot of touch and you invade their
personal space. That's why you may antagonize strangers with
this gesture, making them wonder about your true intentions.

POSITIONS, POSTURE AND ATTITUDE:

The way our body is held is a reflection of our inner world and the way we treat our body. Find out how to use
postures to help your confidence and your health.

HEAD POSITION & MENTAL STATE

The position of the head is one of the quickest giveaways to mood or attitude in body language. There's a direct
correlation between how we feel and how we hold our head. That's why happy or confident people will keep their
head high in contrast to depressed individuals who will succumb and won't put effort in holding it.
Head in the Skies - Keeping the head high and looking upwards is usually associated with “feel-good” and positive
introspective, a kind of relaxation or daydreaming.
Neutral or Basic Position - When you hold your head this way you establish an equal baseline with whomever you
speak, you don’t feel superior or submissive towards them. So most interaction between equals are made more or
less from this point.
Head Tilt Down - The head down position has many interpretation, most of them revolve around negative feelings
and\or low self-esteem. It can be a defensive position. Problem solving, worries and general sadness are often
associated with the head tilted down. Tilting the head down can be a sign of respect and submission.
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POSTURE
First of all, having a straight and relaxed posture has many health
benefits which are beyond the scope of this article. I always imagine
that if I sit or stand in a natural relaxed position then the blood flows
freely through my body and therefore it operates in optimal
condition.
Because body language affects the way we feel, standing or sitting in
straight posture is a great way to raise your mood and give you more
energy because you imitate a confident and alert stance. When
interacting with others you give the impression of an active and
confident person, one who knows how to hold his body.
Poor posture, on the other hand, reflects poor self-image and negative
feelings, it can be temporary state when we feel down, or it can the
result of bad habits accumulated over years.
Our posture is a matter of habit, and it takes time to change it, but
with enough dedication you will ultimately succeed, and it's totally
worth the effort. When you catch yourself slumping and feeling down,
adopt a straight posture and see that after a few moments you might
start to feel a lot better.

Hiding and shielding

postures - The most
known and common
gesture for self-comfort
is to fold the arms.
Hugging yourself
protects the vulnerable
area of the chest, which
contains the heart and
lungs. This helps us to
feel in control and
protected. Other forms
of defensive body
language appear in the
legs or ankles. Crossing
the legs is a subtler and
milder way to hide
insecurity.

Submissive posture - Submissive body language involves "caving

in" gestures and postures. It reflects defensive, reclusive or
indecisive behavior. Submissive characters prefer to relinquish their
power to others and avoid being in control. This means they will try
to appear as small as possible and avoid making "a lot of noise". The
reasons behind this behavior are plentiful: fear of command,
complete admiration of the other party, low self-esteem, insecurity
or simply lack of motivation to act. The body will cringe to appear
smaller and less threatening. The head bows slightly. Chest caves in.
Hunched shoulders - show passiveness and even sadness. Crossed
and defensive postures can also be considered submissive and
indecisive. When you cross your body you hinder your ability to
move, and therefore you become more passive.
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Dominant postures - Taking Space and Growing Bigger: Dominant

and powerful figures take more space than submissive and insecure
ones. By the way, this is why we get so mad when someone who's in
lower social status than ours make such dominant gestures,
especially when it's in OUR territory.
By adopting a dominant posture
even a short and small person can
have an aura of command
(Napoleon, anyone?)– it's all in the
way he's using body language and
holds himself, some examples:
Standing tall with open chest and
head high. Taking space –
spreading the arms, legs wide
apart. Exposing vulnerable areas.
"Hit me if you dare" – fearless
attitude. Leaning back with hands
behind the back – the "know it all"
posture. Hands on Hips, or on the
back. Hands tucked in the belt or in
the pockets with thumbs out.

Open and positive postures…

Avoiding barriers - In order to establish trust with anyone we need to show them that
we're not a threat to them, and we don't fear them either. Avoid barriers such as
crossed body position and the legs barrier, and start to reveal the palms, leaning and
pointing with the body towards others.
Leaning Forward - When you like someone you want to get closer to him\her, it's that
simple. The closer you get, the more interested you are. Hence, leaning forward,
especially when combined with nodding and smiling, it's the most distinct way to say
nonverbally: "yes, I like what you're saying, keep going".
Hands Rest to the Sides - This is the most "basic" and natural position you can picture:
the hands rest to the sides of the body with ease. When combined with the chest held
up, shoulders rest in straight line and the head kept in natural position - it’s sends a
confident and powerful message - simply because it lacks any negative and nervous
signals. This posture appeals to us because we like to see things symmetrical. It's pure
and simple for "I feel good and secure in my position".
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DRAMA and MIME

CONCEPTS
The word Drama comes from the Greek meaning “to act, do or
perform”. Some diverse arts were performed in festivals of
entertainment held in honor of the Greek gods. The three elements
which contributed to the concept of Drama in its origins were: Role
playing and imitation, Magic Rituals, and Oral Tradition or Storytelling.
The Ancient Greeks took their entertainment very seriously and used
drama as a way of investigating the world they lived in, and what it
meant to be human. The two main genres of drama were Comedy:
mainly satirical and mocked men in power for their vanity and
foolishness. And Tragedy: dealing with the big themes of love, loss,
pride, the abuse of power and the fraught relationships between men
and gods. Drama tells a story, by means of action and speech, giving the
audience amusement and excitement.
Mime is the use of movements and gestures in order to express
something or tell a story without using speech. It includes working in
silence, or with few sounds or words, to show: activities (painting a wall,
opening a door,…); emotions (fear, courage, happiness, sadness, …), and
to communicate ideas to the audience (holding the back of the hand to the
forehead to indicate that you are upset, or clasping your hands up
towards someone to beg indulgence), etc. Then, mime is when you use
your body movements and gestures, without speech, to communicate
emotions and actions or to tell a story. Three of the most known mimics
are Charles Chaplin (-1-), Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean)(-2-), and Marcel
Marceau (-3-).

-2- -3-

-1-

The keys for a good performance:

 How to use the body to communicate and express yourself. (See
preceding section)
 How to use the available space to a maximum.
 How to tell a story.
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USING THE SPACE: The acting area is

generally called a stage, and might be a
proper stage or just an area of a hall or a
room. How this area is used will affect how
your drama will look. Using all the
available space will allow you to work in
levels representing different locations, or
may just allow the audience to see
particular bits of the action more clearly,
and communicate different actions.

TELLING A STORY. A story must consist of three fundamental parts:

1.- Beginning / Introduction - The characters and the setting is revealed.
2.- Main part / Action – The events become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed. The audience
wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
3.- Solving / Falling action - The complications begin to resolve themselves. The audience knows what has
happened and if the conflict was resolved or not. This is the final outcome of the story.

SETS, PROPS & COSTUMES

You may use very resources and aids to help you on stage through the story,
They can be simple or very detailed sets, props and costumes.
Sets help create the background to a drama, but it's usually best to keep them
simple. Shakespeare's stage used little in the way of set, and the modern trend
is also to keep things low-key.
Props are the items that are held or used by an actor in a scene to make it
more realistic. These are also best kept to the minimum. A briefcase might be
enough to portray a businessman, without using a phone as well, or a hat
might signify one character when it's on and a different character when it's off.
Costumes refer to a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a
character or type of character at a performance on the stage. They help the
audience to understand and distinguish the characters, their personality, the
context, etc.

ATMOSPHERE
Lights, sound and music obviously play a crucial part in mime, but they can
also be used in other performances to add atmosphere, emphasize action
happening on stage, help set the scene, indicate a change of time or location,
focus attention on to a character, …

RYTHYM and MOVEMENT… DANCE

From the earliest moments of known human history, dance accompanied ancient rituals, spiritual gatherings and
social events. Therefore, dance has always been with us, even before the arrival of written language and modern
history, when our earliest cultures evolved utilizing oral and performance methods to pass the stories from one
generation to the next. Many historians believe that social, celebratory and ritual dances are one of the essential
factors of the development of human civilizations, from the earliest moments of our existence - from the moment
when first African tribes covered themselves in war-paint to the to the spreading of music and dance across all four
corners of the world. The earliest findings have pinpointed the origins of ancient dances in 9000-year-old India or
5300-year-old Egypt, performing movements which pretend significant events in the story of a god, or imitate
cosmic patterns such as the rhythm of night and day. But the records into a modern culture can be found from
Ancient Greece, China, and India. All these old dances evolved, eventually morphing into a wide variety of Roman
and European medieval dances, traditional Chinese dances, Hindi and other traditional dances, respectively.
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This kind of entertainment continued to be refined, until medieval times

and the start of the Renaissance when ballet became integral part of the
wealthy class. Ballet is a formal dance technique combined with costumes,
scenery, and music (-1-). Ballet integrated dance, music, stage design and
poetry to make a dramatic storyline. It developed under the aristocratic
influence as a formalized form of dance. At first its roll was a virtually
component of the opera. In a time, it was formalized and codified, and
there were founded popular ballet stages all over the world.
After the arrival of European Renaissance, the history of music and dance
exploded with the new additions to song and dance. Ease of travel and
immigration to the new world brought these dances into the mix with
many native cultures of the New World, forging countless new dance
types that are still popular to this day.
Renaissance dances from Spain, France and Italy were soon surpassed by
Baroque dances which became widely popular in French and English
courts. After the end of French Revolution, many new types of dances
emerged with focused on less restrictive woman clothing, and tendency
for skipping and jumping. These dances soon became even more energetic
in 1844 with the beginning of so called "international polka craze" (-2-)
which also brought us the first appearance of famous waltz (-3-).
“Modern dance“ appeared ending 19th Century, these terms were referred
to the movement of new dancers who did not want to follow strict classical
ballet and lyrical dance forms, but instead wanted to explore the area of
revolutionary unconventional movements that were gathered from all
dance styles of the world. Modern dances therefore do not use fixed moves
and instead try to develop totally new forms and dynamics, such as quick
oppositional moves, shifting alignments, expressions of raw emotions,
systematic breathing, dancing moves preformed in non-standing positions
(for example lying on the floor), and in general trying to find the absolute
limits of our human form and physique. The origins of this popular dance
movement can be traced to several influential dance masters such as
Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. They all wanted Isadora Duncan (1878-1927)
to show to the world that contemporary dancers should embrace freedom, Known as "The Mother of Dance"
ignore old dance conventions and explore the limits of the human body and Exercises based on free and natural
visual expression of feelings. movements: Spins, Jumps & Ripples
Contemporary dance emerged in the 1950s as the dance
form that is combining the modern dance elements and
the classical ballet elements. Contemporary dance has
evolved with each subsequent generation of
participating artists. Artistic content has morphed and
shifted from one choreographer to another, as have
styles and techniques.
Nowadays, there are numerous dances all around the
world (ballroom, breakdance, country, fad, flamenco,
hip-hop, jazz and Latin dance, salsa, swing, tango,
western), and many others are arising in the current
society.

 Without a doubt, dancing remains one of the most expressive forms of communications that we know.