Biomechanical Characterization of Dance Movement

In the artistic field of dance, choreographic movement is often analyzed using a subjective method called MOA: Movement Observation-Analysis, inspired by the Laban method developed in the 1930s. This method was designed to describe and report observations on choreography and bodily movement in general. The MOA method comprises three domains: the haptic background, the expressive dynamic background, and the phoric background. These domains address three main themes: intention, engagement, and coordination. Over time, this method has been applied outside the context of dance, notably to observe surgeons' manipulations, children's gestures at different stages of development, and conductors' movements. Thus, MOA offers potential for a better understanding of movement characteristics that are not purely functional and could facilitate learning in certain trades and professions.

The main objective of this project is to develop biomechanical indicators for the kinematic modeling of movement (quaternion, segmental displacement) and for the dynamic modeling of movement (energy, force, joint moment, and momentum). This characterization will be carried out on three sequences recorded with the Xsens Awinda full-body motion capture system, based on inertial sensors.