Tempo n. the speed of interaction. Tempo is noteworthy because the term is regularly treated as a single truth, when in actuality it is highly relative to the participant and easily malleable. Tempo requires a standard to compare to. Does the waterfall pour 1 gallon per second or 4 quarts per second? The volume of… Continue reading Tempo
Author: Stephen Neely
Syncopation
Syncopation n. the experience of weight (or emphasis) where it is unexpected. Syncopation requires a predictive, metered event, where there are groupings and expectations of moments to come. Syncopation is the defiance of these expectations. Comedians, storytellers, and rollercoaster engineers all utilize this technique to create novelty in time. see In Time, Meter, Beat
Soma Literacy
Soma Literacy n. An awareness of the bodied content present in experience. nervousness: for instance, my hands are shaking, I am feeling thirsty, a pressure on my chest makes me want to escape from this situation, et cetera. My familiarity with these patterns makes me jump directly to use this label of being nervous, without… Continue reading Soma Literacy
Shift of Weight
Shift of Weight n. the base action and proof of any embodied gesture manifest as felt motion and requiring a lifting and transferring of weight from one point to another. The embodied actor comes to know an event has happened through the shift of weight experienced in the sentient body. This can be in an… Continue reading Shift of Weight
Rhythm
Rhythm n. a succession of moments of varying lengths. In music, there is a succession of notes, and rhythm is created when some of them are long and some are short. The rhythm can be predictable, falling into patterns, or quite random. Beat is foundational. Meter is structural. Rhythm is layered over and is relative… Continue reading Rhythm
Range–Vision
Range–Vision n. the conceivable list of options available expressed as breadth and depth respectively. Range speaks to the vocabulary the actor possesses. It is not necessarily a list of words, but rather the known or believed current options of an unfolding situation. If you are asked to “stretch” physically, the average Joe will know that… Continue reading Range–Vision
Poise
Poise n. the ability to adjust one’s bearing to meet forthcoming demands. Poise is the entrainment of self with self. It requires an idealized vision/ anticipation of the near future and a skillfulness to self-nudge the performative body into the preferred state. The person who cannot coordinate his actions, and is awkward, spends most of… Continue reading Poise
Phrase
Phrase n. a completed crusic gesture. A phrase is the successful crusic gesture (anacrusis–crusis–metacrusis). It proceeds with momentum, yearning-toward equilibrium. It is what Dewey describes as a “circuit of energy” that “moves toward a close” (Dewey, 1934, p. 42).
Nudging/nudges/nudgable
Nudging/nudges/nudgable adj. the inclination to go with the flow. A foundational assumption of Soma Literacy is that we yearn for harmony with our world. We aspire to entrain to our surroundings: self to self, self to others, self to things, self to environment. This yearning for harmony or entrainment begets nudging. Here I mean nudging… Continue reading Nudging/nudges/nudgable
Meter
Meter n. beat patterned. Meter describes the hierarchical patterns into which beats fall. In music, the meter may be described as being “in 4” or “in 5” etc., meaning that the beats fall into regular groupings of 4 or 5 beats per set respectively. In somatic experience, the term is more general, pointing to any… Continue reading Meter