What is proprioception? Thank
heavens for Wikipedia! It provides a great definition!
Proprioception is the
sense of self-movement and body position. It is sometimes described as the
"sixth sense". Proprioception is mediated by mechanically-sensitive proprioceptor
neurons distributed throughout an animal's body. Most vertebrates possess
three basic types of proprioceptors: muscle spindles, which are embedded in skeletal
muscle fibers, Golgi tendon organs, which lie at the interface of muscles and
tendons, and joint receptors, which are low-threshold mechanoreceptors embedded
in joint capsules. Many invertebrates, such as insects, also possess three
basic proprioceptor types with analogous functional properties: chordotonal
neurons, campaniform sensilla, and hair plates.
The central nervous system integrates information from proprioception
and other sensory systems, such as vision and the vestibular system, to create
an overall representation of body position, movement, and acceleration.
The sense of proprioception is ubiquitous across mobile animals and is
essential for the motor coordination of the body.
Proprioception is from Latin proprius,
meaning "one's own", "individual", and capio, capere, to take or grasp. Thus, to grasp one's own position in
space, including the position of the limbs in relation to each other and the
body as a whole.
The word kinesthesia
or kinæsthesia (kinesthetic sense) refers to movement
sense but has been used inconsistently to refer either to proprioception alone
or to the brain's integration of proprioceptive and vestibular inputs.
Kinesthesia is a modern medical term composed of elements from Greek; kinein "to set in motion; to
move" (from PIE root *keie- "to set in motion") + aisthesis "perception,
feeling" (from PIE root *au- "to perceive") + Greek abstract
noun ending -ia (corresponds to
English -hood e.g. motherhood).
(care of Wikipedia)
So why is this important for
movement in actors? For me knowing where my partner is, where my props /
weapons are and of course I am in space is the basic answer. However, if I dig around a little deeper into my curiosity and ask why! That is to say why is it extremely important in my studies and practice to hone this skill. My curiosity leads me to focus on the words force and touch.What I’m referring to here is my grip, my energy exerted, my ability
at the very moment of contact with a fellow actor, audience member or prop know
what I am dealing with on a neurological, muscular and skeletal level. Why I
hear you ask! It strikes me that a large part of successful proprioception is
about knowing where your joints are in space and thus know how to make the next
move.
Let’s take a piece of fight
choreography for example. So, choreographically I am to grab another actor and
stage a certain amount of perceived resistance in that choreography (ie a ‘struggle’)
and then push them across the space. The moment I grab another actor I am
making so many decisions based on that sense of touch. I am using my nervous
system, to analyse where my partner is at in space but also many other questions. Are they balanced? Where is their
weight loaded? Are they giving up their centre? Are they working too hard? Have
they got too much energy? Are they too ‘floppy’? I would even go so far as to
say I could even read how they are going emotionally. Once I weigh up all these
questions and more – I can start to then move to my muscular and skeletal systems
to work out how best to move through the choreography. So, based on how my
joints are calibrated will inform how I begin to move into the choreography and
with how much force. The synchronised and effective use of hinge and socket
joints will be the key to smooth movement.
to be continued...
proprioception
in motion...
