What is consider the fundamental (sub)set of components of Urban Kiz?

[snregales]

To start the discussion on this topic, let us first break this question down.

Fundamental (sub)set

Fundamental: so basic as to be hard to alter, resolve, or overcome. (oxford)
(sub)set: refers to a finite set in set theory - a finite set is a set that has a finite number of elements.

What does it mean to be a fundamental (sub)set?

• Every element in the group is unique
• If any element is omitted from the group we no longer speak of the same concept
• A state change on any element in the (sub)set, correlates to a unique state alteration of the concept

Components

component: a part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle. (oxford)
The idea of breaking the dance into components can be viewed from two different perspectives, a high and low level.

High (not part of this discussion)

On a high level, the concept of a component can be thought of as building block moves. Such as marca, woman's exit, man's exit, and sacada right. To be clear, even though this is important, some might even debate fundamental to the dance, it is not part of this disscussion.

Low

This is where the meat of this question resides, so I know that I know nothing and thus I will question everything, and assume nothing.

What does it mean to be a low-level component?

• An aspect of the dance that cannot be broken down any further
• This aspect of the dance can be built upon to establish a higher-level concepts

Keep in mind

When discussing this topic keep the following in mind to hold you on track:

• Solution is and will be a set or subset of components?
• Is the core component I have in mind integral to the (sub)set of components? meaning if it's omitted are we still talking about the same concept.
• Beware of bloating. If a component is vital to a style, but not the core of Urban Kiz. So it agrees with the above statement when it comes to the style, but disagrees with the core. Then this component should be established as a subset and branch into its own discussion thread
• When to stop?

[snregales]

When I think of the fundamental components of urban kiz, I think of molecules and atoms. Molecules can be thought of as the dance moves that can be chained together to build more complex structures; in our case choreography. And atoms are the most abstract concept that can be assembled together with other concepts to create a move.

Thus I consider weight transfer and chess control the most abstract concepts that conform to the question.

Weight transfer

Unique Concept

The manipulation of self and/or other's center of mass. In short, think of walking or when you are pushed. both change your center of mass and your body adjusts with some action to recover. In the case of walking you step forward to catch your weight. and as for pushing, you step in the direction of the push to catch your weight. As you can see both prompted the body into action, the only difference being one was self-induced and the other was inflicted upon you. for more on the topic check out joy of dance

State adjustment

You can have multiple weight positions, while still holding the "similar" dance posture. (same concept, different state)
Let's look at the most basic, left step forward:

• weight in the middle (of both feet), most stable, where I can follow up with fast isolated movements.
• weight stays in the back (foot), resulting in a touch
• weight goes to the front (foot), resulting in a full weight transfer

Chess control

Unique Concept

Control your intent to your partner with your chess. While weight transfer can be considered an abstract action, chess control is the interface to enact such a concept. One can use the arms, hands, legs, and feet to do so too. But that should be an addon to the chess movement, as to augment the dance with styling or your intent to the follower.

State adjustment

Looking at the chess in isolation you are able to have the follower in a different position.
Let's have the leader be on marca, now think of three lanes, one to the left and right of the leader, and lastly the lane where he stands

• keeping the chess aligned with the hips will result in both leader and follower in the same (center) lane.
• rotating the chess to the right of the hips will result in both leader and follower in two different lanes, the leader in the center lane, and the follower in the right lane
• rotating the chess to the left of the hips will result in both leader and follower in two different lanes, the leader in the center lane, and the follower in the left lane

In closing

Even though, these two concepts, weight transfer and chess control, can be used together to accomplish urban kiz dance moves without the need for physical connection. I am aware, that these two concepts are not enough, they can easily be taken for another dance such as tango. So what else can one consider a fundamental concept of the dance?

[KelvinKramp]

Notes of our latest meeting

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[snregales]

Notes of our latest meeting!

This will be moved to three separate Q/A in order to better elaborate on each topic.

[snregales]

On the 16th of April

@KelvinKramp, Danielo, and @snregales

talked and discuss the preliminary points of the project.

• What is the goal of the project?
  • Danielo's version of the project
  • Sharlon's version of the project
• How do we want to represent aspects of the dance?
• When to stop with the abstraction of the dance?
• What is and isn't part of the core aspect of urban kiz?

What is the goal of the project?

Simply put, this project is meant to aid/augment a dancer with his/her creative freedom. And as a by-product, it will double as a dance practice tool.

Danielo's version of the project

Danielo talked about the aspects of the position, speed, and acceleration combined with the lane/grid system.

Lane or grid is a matter of perspective, If we are talking from the perspective of the dancers then we will think of the system as a lane.
For instance, for each individual let there be three infinitely long and parallel imaginary lanes. One at each side of the hip, facing the same direction as the axis of the hip, with the third squeezed between the two. Then if you would move the lady into a woman's exit she would be in your right lane and you in her left lane

Now let's change our perspective on the floor, And our ideology to the grid system. Let it be that all moves around the floor are done in modulo 90 degrees. Then we are safe to predict that at any point the leader will be facing one of 4 ways. Connect and extend these points through the center of the dance we get a "+" shape. multiplying these perpendicular lines, parallel to one another on the surface of the floor we get a grid. Yet again let's take the woman's exit then the follower will be standing in a different gird column than the leader

Position, movement, and acceleration are derivatives of motion. So motion together with the lane/grid allows, this project, to guide and/or control the pace and direction of the leader on the floor. But still allowing him to make decisions on the moves he/she wishes to do in order to reach that position.

Sharlon's version of the project

Unlike Danielo, Sharlon looked at the dance moves and how we can traverse through them. He spoke of creating a directional graph of dance moves that can be used to navigate from move A to B. He also emphasizes that this graph can only be constructed once the dance has been abstracted to the core fundamentals of the dance.

Combination

Since both topics fall under different scopes, they can be merged into one objective without enduring many conflicts. While still complimenting each other.

How do we want to represent aspects of the dance?

There was no further discussion on how to move forward with Danielo's plan, but we did integrate his ideas and will introduce more in the future.
We decided to break down the dance as @snregales suggested. As we were abstracting the core fundamentals of the dance we came up with a hierarchical system to categorize each aspect of the dance. These are Core Mechanics, Basic Concepts, and Basic Fundamentals.

Core Mechanics would represent 10 000 km high view of what it means to engage in the dance. In other words, at the most simplest what is happening with the two bodies.

Basic Concepts can be thought of as lego blocks that can be stacked to create something greater

This is where the meat of this question resides, so I know that I know nothing and thus I will question everything, and assume nothing.

What does it mean to be a low-level component?

• An aspect of the dance that cannot be broken down any further
• This aspect of the dance can be built upon to establish a higher-level concepts

Basic Fundamentals are the ideas thought to us through the years in normal kiz dance course/class.

Most of our time will be spent with the basic concepts section. And to wrap this in a neat bow A node in the directional graph will consist of a subset of basic concepts.

[KelvinKramp]

24-4 conversation:
Sharlo argues that there is an extra basic concepts: connection. You should look for body contact to create a change in time and space of the body mass as a leader. I would say that this would fall under human mechanics next to the point of 2 centres of body masses.

I argued that next to the 2 centres of body mass there are also 2 centres of emotional mass. These two also have multiple axes. Instead of x,y,z this would be something axes like happiness-sad, aroused-calm.

The above would result in 2 vectors that change over time.(bm = bodymass, em = emotion)
Leader-vector: [X-bm ,Y-bm ,Z-bm, A-em, B-em, C-em]
Follower-vector: [X-bm ,Y-bm ,Z-bm, A-em, B-em, C-em]

We also thought that X,Y and Z would be influenced by A,B and C and vice versa. So the vectors are correlated. They are however separate. A center of body mass that changes over time is just a moving object. Dance becomes dance because the change of body mass is correlated with an emotional state. It is the combination of these two that leads to the experience of dance as we know it.

[snregales]

I argued that next to the 2 centres of body mass there are also 2 centres of emotional mass. These two also have multiple axes. Instead of x,y,z this would be something axes like happiness-sad, aroused-calm.

I was watching a video on design transformation from the 70s to the 80s the other day. And this section of the video made me think of how to go about implementing this abstract topic of emotion. We might not have this answer at this point, but we might be able to look to the past to understand and rethink the integration of the emotional center into the system.