Axial vs Locomotor

Movement in Dance
Axial Movement

 Axial movement refers to an element of dance in which dancers stay anchored to one place by a
single body part while using available space in any direction. Axial movements involve bending,
stretching, twisting, swinging, gesturing, rising, rotating and spinning.
 Axial movements tend to involve the spine as the focal point. Rather than moving from one place to
another on stage, dancers rely on the space given to them to perform movements. Spinning is a prime
example of axial motion, since the dancer is planted in the floor while moving in place. The body part
connected to the floor can be a foot, leg, knee, hand, elbow, back or head. Movements involve arms,
hips, knees, the head and the neck.
 Sometimes, axial motion is done between two dancers, as the point of movement is on another person
rather than the floor. One dancer can use an arm or the hand of another person as an anchor point and
perform movements in place. Axial movements can even be performed on apparatuses such as poles,
bars, steps and ladders. Any stationary base works for axial motion as a dance element.
Examples of Axial Movements:

Example Dance Steps Include:

Pivot turn
Pirouette
Coupe Turn
Shoulder Roll
Penche
Arabesque or Attitude Turn
Rond de Jambe
Tilt
Illusion
Layout
Locomotor Movement

 Locomotor movements are defined as movements that travel through space or carry weight from one
location to another. The act of using movement to shift weight from one place to another is called
locomotion.
 There are several locomotor movements that will successfully transfer weight from one location to
another:
 Walking
 Running
 Leaping
 Jumping
 Hopping
 Galloping
 Sliding
 Skipping
Examples of Locomotor Movements:

Examples Include:
Chasse
Jazz Walk
Jete
Saute Chat
Straddle Leap
Barrel Leap
Chaine Turn
Pas de Chat
Lindy Step
Pas de Bourree
Triplets
Project Outline:
 Create a group of 4 – 6 people
 Put together a list of 10 axial dance steps and 10 locomotor dance steps
 Choose 5 steps from each list to use in your choreography
 Choreograph a dance combination that includes those 10 steps and shows how they are different. Your combination must have:
 A beginning pose
 A formation
 Follow an A – L - A – L pattern for all 10 steps
 May have connecting or in between steps that are not axial or locomotor
 An ending pose
 Must be counted in counts of 8, and must be at least 8 counts of 8
 Grade: You will receive a group grade out of 65 possible points
 Working well in group: 15 pts
 Following directions: 10 pts
 List of 20 steps: 20 pts
 Choreography: 10
 Presentation: 10