Making Meaning with Machines: Somatic Strategies, Choreographic Technologies, and Notational Abstractions through a Laban/Bartenieff Lens

Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Electronic Resources
Prelude: Opening with Embodied Perspectives
Introduction: Inviting Engineers into Movement Studies
	Delving into Somatics, Choreography, Notation, and Machines
	A Growing Community at the Intersection of Robotics and Dance (Whom This Book Is For)
	Meaning-Making with Machines (What This Book Is About)
	“Dancing, Happy Robots” (What This Book Is Not About)
	An Introduction to the Bodies That Wrote This Book
	The Value of Personal, Bodily Experience
I. Making Meaning through Movement
	1. Noticing Movement: Meaning, Measurement, and Experience
		1.1 Meaning-making
		1.2 Movement as Quantitative, Objective Events
		1.3 Movement as a Qualitative, Subjective Experience
		1.4 Kinesthetic Attunement through the Act of Recording
		Chapter Summary
	2. Studying Movement: Somatics, Choreography, and Notation
		2.1 Strategies from Somatics
		2.2 Tools (Technologies) from Choreography
		2.3 Abstractions from Notational Systems
		Chapter Summary
	3. Constructing Movement: Somatic Strategies, Choreographic Technologies, and Notational Abstractions through a Laban/Bartenieff Lens
		3.1 Historical Overview
		3.2 Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies: The BESST System
		3.3 Using Embodiment as a Process of Inquiry
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
II. Describing Movement with an Embodied Taxonomy: The BESST System
	4. What Is Moving? The Interconnection of Body Parts and Action (Body)
		4.1 The Body as a Container
		Embodied Exercises
		4.2 Finding a Neutral Baseline
		Embodied Exercises
		4.3 Basic Body Actions
		Embodied Exercises
		4.4 Body Fundamentals
		Embodied Exercises
		4.5 Application to Machines: Generating Artificial Gait
		Embodied Exercises
		4.6 Exploring the Themes: Body through the Lens of Stability/Mobility
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
	5. Where Is the Movement? Spatial Fiducials for Movement (Space)
		5.1 Approach to the Kinesphere
		Embodied Exercises
		5.2 Spatial Pulls and Platonic Solids
		Embodied Exercises
		5.3 Movement Scales
		Embodied Exercises
		5.4 Application to Machines: Generating Humanlike Telepresence
		Embodied Exercises
		5.5 Exploring the Themes: Space through the Lens of Function/Expression
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
	6. When Is the Movement Happening? The Temporal Perception of Movement (Time)
		6.1 Sequencing
		Embodied Exercises
		6.2 Duration, Tempo, and Rhythm
		Embodied Exercises
		6.3 Phrasing
		Embodied Exercises
		6.4 Application to Machines: Perceived versus Actual Safety
		Embodied Exercises
		6.5 Exploring the Themes: Time through the Lens of Exertion/Recuperation
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
	7. For Whom Is the Movement? The Relationship between Mover and Environment (Shape)
		7.1 Foundational Arrangements of the Body in Space
		Embodied Exercises
		7.2 Modes of Shape Change
		Embodied Exercises
		7.3 Shape Qualities
		Embodied Exercises
		7.4 Application to Machines: Expressivity in Natural and Artificial Systems
		Embodied Exercises
		7.5 Exploring the Themes: Shape through the Lens of Self/Other
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
	8. How Is the Movement Executed? Movement Quality Enables Shading of Motion (Effort)
		8.1 Basic Effort Actions
		Embodied Exercises
		8.2 Effort (or Motion) Factors
		Embodied Exercises
		8.3 States and Drives
		Embodied Exercises
		8.4 Affinities between Components
		Embodied Exercises
		8.5 Application to Machines: Simulating Effort for Advertisement of Internal State
		Embodied Exercises
		8.6 Exploring the Themes: Effort through the Lens of Inner/Outer
		Embodied Exercises
		Chapter Summary
III. Translating Movement to Machines
	9. Deconstructing Movement: Case Studies in Expression (Answering “Why?”)
		9.1 The Duality between Embodiment and Intelligence
		9.2 Expressive Moving Bodies
		9.3 Expressive Sensing and Perceiving Bodies
		9.4 Expression in the Environment
		9.5 A Model for Expression and Meaning-making
		Chapter Summary
	10. Notating Movement: Advanced Analysis through Symbolic Representation
		10.1 Types of Movement Recording and Systematic Notation
		10.2 Introduction to Motif
		10.3 What Is Up with Imitation?
		10.4 Suggesting Stricter Conventions for Motif with Machines
		10.5 Exercises in Recording and Notating Movement
		Chapter Summary
	Conclusion: Understanding Movement
		Creating Harmony between Humans and Machines
		Remaining Questions
		A Crucial Body of Expertise
	Outro: Returning to Embodied Perspectives
Appendix A: Symbols in the BESST System
Appendix B: Movement Scales
	Embodied Exercises
Appendix C: Effort Configurations
	Embodied Exercises
Appendix D: Rationale for the Time Component
Appendix E: Pedagogy and Group Work
	E.1 University Courses at the Intersection of Movement Studies and Technology Design
	E.2 Movement Workshops on the BESST System
	Embodied Exercises
Glossary
Notes
	Introduction
	Chapter 1
	Chapter 2
	Chapter 3
	Chapter 4
	Chapter 5
	Chapter 6
	Chapter 7
	Chapter 8
	Chapter 9
	Chapter 10
	Appendix B
References
Index