Dance Travel: Understanding Locomotor Patterns, Forms, and Biomechanics

What Are the Examples of Travel in Dance?

In dance, "travel" refers to any movement that displaces the dancer's body through space, encompassing all forms of locomotion from subtle glides to powerful leaps, and is fundamental to choreography, storytelling, and stage presence.

Understanding "Travel" in Dance

At its core, "travel" in dance denotes movement across the floor or through the air, as opposed to movements executed in a stationary position (non-locomotor movements). It is the act of moving from one point in space to another, whether forward, backward, sideways, diagonally, or vertically. This spatial displacement is crucial for conveying narrative, building dynamic tension, creating visual patterns, and engaging an audience by utilizing the full dimensions of a performance area. Effective travel demands a sophisticated interplay of strength, balance, coordination, and spatial awareness, rooted in fundamental biomechanical principles.

Fundamental Locomotor Patterns

The building blocks of all dance travel are derived from basic human locomotor patterns, adapted and refined for artistic expression:

• Walk: A rhythmic transfer of weight from one foot to the other, maintaining contact with the ground at all times. In dance, walks are highly stylized, varying in tempo, force, and direction (e.g., a graceful ballet walk, a powerful modern walk).
• Run: Similar to a walk but with a brief moment where both feet are off the ground (the flight phase). Runs in dance can be quick, light, heavy, or propulsive.
• Leap: A sustained jump from one foot, landing on the other, characterized by a significant flight phase. Leaps are often used to cover large distances or convey a sense of soaring.
• Hop: A spring from one foot, landing back on the same foot. Hops can be small and percussive or large and expansive.
• Jump: A spring from two feet, landing on two feet; or from one foot, landing on two; or from two feet, landing on one. Jumps vary widely in height and effort.
• Gallop: An uneven rhythmic locomotor pattern where one foot leads and the other follows quickly, with a distinct up-and-down motion. Often seen in children's play, it's stylized in dance for specific effects.
• Slide: A sideways gallop, where the lead foot steps to the side and the other foot closes to it, maintaining an uneven rhythm. Slides are excellent for lateral movement.
• Skip: A combination of a step and a hop on the same foot, alternating feet. Skips are generally light, buoyant, and rhythmic.

Examples of Travel in Specific Dance Forms

While the fundamental patterns are universal, their application and stylization vary greatly across dance genres:

• Ballet:
  • Glissade: A gliding step that prepares for another step or jump, involving brushing one foot out and closing the other to it.
  • Chassé: A "chasing" step where one foot literally "chases" the other, often used as a transitional travelling step.
  • Sautés (Jumps): Including assemblé (bringing feet together in the air), sissonne (jumping from two feet and landing on one), échappé sauté (jumping from a closed to an open position).
  • Grand Jeté: A large, expansive leap that covers significant distance across the stage.
  • Fouetté Turns: While primarily rotational, these turns can be executed en pointe to progressively travel across the stage.
• Modern/Contemporary Dance:
  • Falls and Rolls: Utilizing gravity and momentum to move along the floor, covering space in a fluid, non-linear fashion.
  • Swings and Spirals: Generating momentum through the torso and limbs to propel the body through space, often leading to large, gestural travel.
  • Weight Shifts and Slides: Dynamic shifts of weight that initiate movement, leading to slides, drags, and glides across the floor.
  • Improvisational Pathways: Exploring unpredictable and organic routes through space, often driven by internal impulses and breath.
• Jazz/Hip-Hop Dance:
  • Slides and Glides: Including iconic movements like the "moonwalk" or power slides, creating illusions of effortless travel.
  • Runs and Leaps: Dynamic, often powerful runs and leaps used to cross the stage or create impactful entrances/exits.
  • Shuffles and Steps: Rhythmic, percussive footwork that inherently moves the dancer through space, such as various shuffles, turns, and step-touches.
  • Chained Turns (Chaînés): Rapid, continuous turns that travel in a straight line or a circle, covering ground quickly.
• Ballroom/Latin Dance:
  • Basic Steps and Figures: Most ballroom dances are defined by specific patterns of travel, such as the box step in Waltz, the promenade in Foxtrot, or the basic step in Cha-Cha that involves forward/backward and lateral travel.
  • Chasses: Common in Latin dances like Cha-Cha and Rumba, involving a series of quick, closing steps that propel the couple forward, backward, or sideways.
  • Cross-Body Leads: A fundamental figure in Salsa and Bachata where the partners change positions, requiring precise spatial negotiation and travel.
  • Progressive Steps: Movements designed to systematically move the couple across the dance floor.
• Tap Dance:
  • Shuffle Steps and Wings: While focused on sound, these steps inherently move the dancer through space, creating rhythmic travel.
  • Drawbacks and Cramp Rolls: Complex footwork patterns that propel the dancer backward or forward.
  • Hoofing: A more grounded, percussive style of tap that often involves robust, traveling rhythms and steps.

Biomechanical Considerations of Travel

Effective travel in dance relies on a sophisticated understanding and application of biomechanics:

• Force Production: Dancers must generate significant ground reaction forces through their lower extremities (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves) to propel themselves off the floor for jumps and leaps, or to push off for slides and glides.
• Balance and Stability: Dynamic balance is paramount. As the center of gravity shifts during movement, dancers must constantly adjust their base of support and engage core musculature to maintain equilibrium, especially during turns or rapid changes in direction.
• Coordination: Inter-limb coordination (e.g., arm-leg synchronization during a run or leap) and intra-limb coordination (e.g., sequential muscle activation within a single leg during a plié and relevé) are critical for smooth, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing travel.
• Energy Efficiency: Dancers strive for efficient movement to conserve energy, particularly during long performances. This involves optimizing movement pathways, minimizing extraneous movements, and utilizing momentum effectively.
• Proprioception and Spatial Awareness: The body's ability to sense its position and movement in space (proprioception) is vital for navigating the stage, avoiding collisions, and executing precise travel patterns, especially when moving at high speeds or in complex group formations.

Training for Effective Travel in Dance

To excel in dance travel, dancers engage in comprehensive training that addresses the underlying physical demands:

• Strength Training: Focusing on the major muscle groups of the lower body (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves) and core for power generation and stability.
• Plyometrics: Exercises like box jumps, depth jumps, and bounding improve explosive power, crucial for higher, longer leaps and jumps.
• Agility Drills: Incorporating ladder drills, cone drills, and shuttle runs enhances quick changes of direction, acceleration, and deceleration.
• Flexibility and Mobility: Adequate range of motion in the hips, knees, and ankles allows for larger, more expressive steps and smoother transitions between movements.
• Proprioceptive Training: Balance exercises, single-leg stands, and complex movement patterns with eyes closed can refine spatial awareness and dynamic stability.

Mastering the art of travel is what transforms static poses into dynamic narratives, making dance a truly moving art form.