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Rachel Marie Kimball

Kate Monson
DANCE 363
3 December 2015
Observation Research Paper: Lifting
Back injuries often occur when people lift improperly, especially when lifting items from
a low level (well below the waist) to a high level (above the head). Aside from the back, poor
posture while lifting can also create tension in various regions of the body, causing inefficient
movement. During a typical day, people will lift light and sometimes heavy objects several
times from a low level. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on the various
connections through the body when lifting objects, and use this information to discuss the
implications it has for dancers. I will also apply a deep analysis of how Bartenieff Fundamentals
apply to the activities of lifting and dancing, focusing specifically on two of the Patterns of Total
Body Connectivity (PTBCs), Breath and Core-Distal.
BREATH
Breath is the most basic of the PTBCs, and is often represented by an amoeba because of its
nature of constant motion through its being. Breath gives life to all living creatures. One sign of
lifelessness is the absence of breath; thus breath becomes a sign of life. When a living organism
ceases to breathe, they are unable to carry oxygen to the rest of the bodyprecious oxygen
needed for the proper function of organs and systems of the body. Although it can be a unifying
factor between individuals when used in harmony, breath is about oneness and taking care of
oneself. It is no wonder, then, why the use of breath will help care for an individual who is
exerting a form of physical force, as found with lifting and dancing.

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Physical activities are made easier when utilizing breath appropriately, as with running,
jumping, dancing, giving birth, lifting, etc. This includes the use of inspiration (the intake of
oxygen) and expiration (the outtake of CO2). When lifting objects, particularly heavy objects,
the use breath can ease the process of lifting as well as release unnecessary tension. It can also
increase mobility and stability, give energy to the body, and create bodily awareness to help
avoid injury. Unfortunately, some people feel that if they hold their breath while lifting then they
can increase the stability throughout their body. This is an inaccurate assumption. Without
breath, movement becomes stifled and the likelihood of becoming injured increases.
According to research done on natural breath control during lifting tasks, more patterns of
breath holding occur when an individual is lifting and carrying heavier object. Interestingly
enough, the point where an individual is most likely to hold their breath is not during the loading
period (when picking up the object), but rather during the placement period (when setting the
object down). In conclusion though, the research stated that coordination exists between the
respiratory and motor systems during lifting tasks (Hagins and Lamberg). This statement
agrees with the Principles of Bartenieff Fundaments, particularly with complexity. The principle
of complexity teaches that all movement is multilayered, and that every movement event is a
whole system, highly orchestrated with interactive elements (Hackney 39-40)
Lifting Example. While gathering information about how breath applies to efficient lifting, I
observed several individuals who were performing the task of lifting objects from a low level to
a high level. One of the individuals I observed was a man in his late 20s. He was in the process
of moving out of an apartment which eventually led him to lifting boxes from inside the
apartment out to his car. The way that this man carried his body when lifting and carrying the
boxes appeared to be healthy and well supported by his core. He maintained proper alignment

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through the upper body and used the legs when lifting. Despite the fact that he is a small man,
about 56, he displayed the muscular strength to lift and carry the heavier loads.
Although his posture when lifting and carrying boxes was ideal and he clearly had the
muscle power to move heavier boxes, I found that he would hold his breath, particularly during
the moments of initiation with lifting the boxes as well as during the placement period. This
finding corresponded to the research previously mentioned. Ironically, one of the benefits of
using breath is that it can be the initiator of movement, thus making it interesting to find that the
man held his breath during the loading period. The disconnect between the respiratory and
muscular systems created more stress and tension in the body of this man than was necessary.
When looking at what is fundamental, Bartenieff Fundamentals stresses the importance of
relationships (Hackney 17). So when this man disconnected his breath from the physical
movement, he lost one of the fundamental principles that ought to accompany all movement.
Application to Dance. Although not all dances involve the lifting of props or other dancers, it is
vitally important that dancers develop the strength and capacity to lift at least their own weight!
Some genres of dance are more inclined to use floor work in the choreography, meaning that
dancers need to be able to move efficiently into and out of the floor (or in other words, lower
themselves to the floor, and return again to an upright position). Thus, with or without props, the
use of breath is crucially important if dancers want to exert efficient movement and avoid the
possibility of injuring themselves. As related to lifting, dancers who appropriately use breath
will increase mobility and stability, give energy to the body, find the initiation of movement, and
create bodily awareness to help avoid injury.
During an observation I made of a senior project rehearsal, I found that many of the
dancers had a natural flow of breath and knew how to use it to their advantage. I could see the

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ease it provided these dancers when doing complex floor work, and especially when they would
go into and out of the floor. There was one particular dancer I closely observed as she made her
way from upstage to downstage in a diagonal line while doing syncopated percussive movement
that required many falls and rises in relation to the floor. Although I wasnt close enough to hear
her breath, I could see that she was using it to inform her movement and to assist her with the
many level changes. This practice gave her stability while working with complex motion that
would otherwise throw her off balance.
Careful assessment of the anatomy and kinesiology related to breath shows that breathing
is not a simple upper-body activity as many would think. Because of the way that the diaphragm
influences the lungs, lower ribs, the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae, and even the psoas, it becomes
apparent that the motion of breath travels far beyond its central origin (Hackney 62). For
dancers, this information is invaluable for understanding the way they choose to organize their
muscles and skeletal features while dancing. This imagery can also move into cellular breathing
and bring all of the movement to life with full artistry and expressivity, including energy
qualities and phrasing. Breath brings life.
CORE-DISTAL
Breath and Core-Distal have a harmonious relationship of making connections between the core
and the rest of the body, especially in relation to providing the body nourishment on a cellular
level. Whereas breath is focused on oneness throughout an individuals body, core-distal takes
movement to the level of twoness. This twoness refers to the connection of the core and the six
distal edges of the bodyboth hands, both feet, the head, and the tail (anatomically referred to as
the sacrum or the coccyx). For this reason core-distal is often represented by a starfish, because
of the powerful connection it has between its core and distal edges. The kinesthetic awareness

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that breath supplies allows people to check in with their own core and distal edges. This
information is helpful when working toward efficient lifting with any objectlight or heavyas
well as with dance.
Individuals sometimes feel as though lifting and weighted activities are purely matters of
the core. This is an understandable belief seeing as how the core tends to work very hard to
maintain correct alignment during such activities. However, the energy ought to extend beyond
the core to each of the six distal edges. Research has shown that even the posture of the cervical
spine has an influence on dorsal muscle activity in the neck when lifting (Peolsson). Although
the neck may not be a popular body part to consider, it is known to play a part in lifting and other
weighted activities. Improper posture of the neck can create tension and even deformation of the
dorsal muscles if used inefficiently over time. With this information we can deduce that the
concept of core-distal is just as valid when lifting as it is with dancing. Energy has the capacity
to flow from the core, up through the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine regions, and out
through the head, releasing tension along the way. This is one example of how the core is able to
connect to one of the distal edges.
Lifting Examples. Another subject I observed while engaged in a lifting activity was an older
man in his 60s. As he was helping a female family member move into their new home, he took
it upon himself to lift the heavier boxes. The man appeared to have more upper-body strength
than the woman, giving the stereotypical expectation that he could lift better. However, after
observing this man lift a few boxes, it became apparent that he was weak in his spinal and core
support when lifting. Rather than bend at the knees to lift objects, his tendency was to bend at
the waist, causing strain on the back muscles and the spine. With this positioning he struggled to
breathe efficiently, creating even more tension throughout the body and hindering any efficient

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core-distal connections. Fortunately, he didnt sustain any major injuries during this particular
experience, but I can imagine he experienced some spinal discomfort the following day.
A number of anatomical features were being neglected as this man lifted. Because he
was bending over from the hip joint to pick up the boxes, his core musclespsoas, transverse
abdominis, internal obliques, external obliques, and rectus abdominiscould not function at
their fullest potential, causing more stress on the back muscles. This type of strain on the body
can cause damage to the spine itself. Had this man used is knees more when lifting, he would
have experienced easier access to his core muscles, creating a greater sense of connection with
his breath and the core-distal connections throughout his body while lifting. With his core
engaged, he would be able to attain a better lifting position with the sacrum supported, and with
the muscles through the back more at ease.
The last subject I observed lifting was a young adult woman, nearly 19 years old. When I
observed this young woman, she was engaged in a sewing activity, and she was using the floor as
a work space for measuring and cutting fabric, as well as surface for placing other necessary
resources. With the sewing machine at a table, she often needed to bounce back and forth from
the table to the floor, and then from the floor back to the table. Although she wasnt lifting any
heavy objects, she was often carrying objects to and from the floor.
As I observed the young woman, I noticed that she maintained ideal support in the upper
body. She took care of the alignment of her spine while lifting from a low level, and kept her
arms close to the body so as not to cause unnecessary stress on the body. On the flipside,
however, the posture in her lower body caused great concern. When the young woman would
lower herself to the floor, she would bend at the knees and hips in order to reach a deep squatting
position; and although this position would have been acceptable, she allowed her legs to knock

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inward (or medially), creating stress in the knee and ankle joints. The way she squatted caused
extreme pronation in the feet, and stress on the medial collateral ligaments.
Taking a deeper anatomical look at this girls posture gives valuable insight to the risks
she was placing her body in when squatting to lift. If she were to incorporate the concept of
core-distal while doing this sewing activity with the floor, she would be able to sense the energy
traveling from her spine and pelvic area, down through the legs, and into the floor through the
feet. This type of pathway is known as a kinetic chain, which refers to the neuromuscular
pathways that assist with mobility and stability. With the kinetic chains of her upper body
already in appropriate placement and motion, she ought to focus on the kinetic chains of her
lower body. The lower body kinetic chain that may be of the most use to her would travel
through the inner foot, inner thighs, lesser trochanters, and into the core. This image of the
relationship between the core and the distal edges of the feet would hopefully help her correct the
torsion happening in her knees and ankles and prevent injury.
Application to Dance. Imagery is a very powerful tool when working toward efficient movement
and with expressivity in dance. Often times dancers refer to what is known as the kinesphere.
The word kinesphere refers to distance and space that an individual can reach without taking a
step. Although this perimeter is often found with the distal edges, imagery can push energy
beyond the kinesphere and out into a larger space that isnt physically reached by the body. On
the flipside, a kinesphere can be made very small. Even though someone may have the capacity
of reaching their limbs out to push the edges of their furthest boundaries, they can also pull all of
the distal edges in closer to the core in order to create the image of a small space or kinesphere.
The core plays a critical role in both large and small kinesphers as it provides stability and
mobility in movement, and can often be the source that initiates movement throughout the body.

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With the marriage between the core and the distal edges, dancers can gain more efficiency,
virtuosity, and artistry in their dancing. Having the inner connections in place allows for greater
expression on the outside.
When watching the dancers in rehearsal, I found it very satisfying when a dancer would
have a clear awareness of her distal edges with energy radiating from her core. Sometimes this
movement was emphasized with the dancers focus pinpointing these distal edges, but often this
core-distal connection was prevalent in the way that the dancers would move with clarity and
with stability in the core. The dancers who lacked this relation between the core and distal edges
appeared to lack true stability, and they were unable to reach the full potential of the movement.
One particular dancer exhibited this quality clearly as she performed a solo. Although
her movement was very gestural and involved mostly her hands, I could see how her supportive
core allowed her to stand firmly in place while performing intricate movement with her arms,
hands and fingers, all the while with her head lifted and supported (free of any dorsal neck
tension, and related to the research). Here we can see the correlation between her kinetic chains
in the upper and lower body and the kinetic chains of the young woman I observed. This
example reminded me of the concept from Bartenieff Fundamentals related to the lively interplay
between inner connectivity and outer expressivity (Hackney 214). For this dancer, her clear
connections through the body had virtuosity and allowed for the expressivity and artistry on the
outside for the audience to see. She achieved a successful interplay of the inner and outer while
maintaining a clear relationship with her core and distal edges.
CONCLUSION
Although the act of lifting objects may seem unrelated to the movement found within dancing,
Bartenieff Fundamentals teach us that all actions motion have common grounds. Through the

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findings and observations described in this paper, we can see that breath and core-distal are
integral parts of motion for both lifting objects and dancing. As mentioned previously, dancers
dont need to work with props or weight bearing in order to experience the same bodily
connections that are found during the act of lifting. Both activities happen more efficiently when
the movement is informed and supported by breath, and as the core and distal edges are able to
connect and have a playful relationship of sharing energy.
As for differences, though, lifting objects is a short movement phrase that can be repeated
over and over again, without much capacity for shaping with expression and artistry. Dance, on
the other hand, has numberless open doors and windows to exploring new ways of achieving
honest virtuosity in movement. So while the bodily connections are similar between the two
activities, their purposes in creating dynamic movement vary.
Total Body Connectivity is the number one principle taught through Bartenieff
Fundamentals, and it teaches that the whole body is connected, all parts are in relationship
bring[ing] the possibility for both differentiation of the parts and integration of the whole
(Hackney 39). In all acts of motion, whether they be related to lifting objects or dancing, breath
and core-distal connections are fundamental parts to achieving efficiently movement with total
body connectivity.

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Works Cited
Hagins, Marshall, and Eric M. Lamberg. "Natural Breath Control during Lifting Tasks: Effect of
Load." Springer Link. European Journal of Applied Psychology, 1 Mar. 2006. Web. 3
Dec. 2015. <http://link.springer.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/article/10.1007/s00421-005-00971/fulltext.html>.
Peolsson, Anneli, Eivind Marstein, Timothy McNamara, Damien Nolan, Espen Sjaaberg,
Michael Peolsson, Gwendolen Jull, and Shaun O'Leary. "Does Posture of the Cervical
Spine Influence Dorsal Neck Muscle Activity When Lifting?" ScienceDirect. Elsevier
B.V., 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/
science/article/pii/S1356689X13001161>.
Hackney, Peggy. Making Connections Total Body Integration through Bartenieff Fundamentals.
New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.