How to describe a beautiful dance


171 Compliments for Dance Performance to Rock Someone's Day » Trending Us

Dance is an extremely passionate art performed to express one’s love for music. It is a form of art, a way to bring happiness, to express your feelings, be more fit or just feel about yourself within..

For instance, Bharatanatyam is often done by women to express Hindu religious stories and devotions. On the other hand, breakdance is an improvisation. People express energy, creativity, humor, etc. hence the name street dance.

Dance is also very good to invest our time and has health benefits. And if our family or friends are dancers, we must appreciate and compliment them.

1. Always compliment on something specific, in a form of dancing

2. Know your dancers

3. Never use sarcasm appreciation for dancers or teachers

4. Avoid over-complimenting

5. Give unique praises to dancers

Related posts:

Compliments for Traditional Indian Dance forms:

    1. Your posture was very good. I have never seen a better posture.
    2. What energy! I was mesmerized by your dance.
    3. I never knew you danced so beautifully.
    4. Your elegance ruled everything.
    5. Your devotion is out of the world.
    6. Attire suits you. And I never saw a better dance performance.
    7. The music, your dance, and the colors it all feels like I’m in heaven.
    8. I loved your performance. Outstanding!
    9. You were born to be a dancer. Your dancing and your energy are beyond the best.
    10. You are multitalented. And all of your hard work has paid off.
    11. That expression just wowed us.
    12. It looked so divine, an excellent performance.
    13. And the sad part of this dance is, It ends.
    14. Unbelievable and one of the best performances by you.
    15. You are born to perform.
    16. What a great way to tell a story. Mind-blowing.
    17. It was a beautiful and entertaining performance.
    18. We can feel your energy in this act. You are so inspiring.
    19. Perfect moves. Perfect expressions. Perfect music. Overall, it was a perfect performance.
    20. Glad to witness this live great performance. Special thanks to you.
    21. I’m completely speechless. I don’t have enough words to appreciate you. 

Compliments for a Western Dance Forms

    1. You matched the beat like a professional.
    2. Woah! That is so awesome. Where did you learn to dance like that?
    3. You have some amazing skills.
    4. I have never seen a great dance in real life.
    5. That is so inspirational. The beats were cool too.
    6. Are you a professional dancer? Because those were some best moves.
    7. I wish I could dance like you too. You looked so good while dancing.
    8. Your energy is on the next level. I couldn’t stare away.
    9. Everything was perfect.
    10. Your dance is beyond good. If I could, I would have watched you all day.
    11. Amazing! What a performance, very clean and perfect steps.
    12. This is what you called a great act.
    13. So clean and perfect.
    14. What a performance.
    15. You have used this stage greatly.
    16. There is so much to learn from your moves. Those are just perfect.
    17. This is far ahead of our expectations. Great one.
    18. Powerful choreography and great efforts.
    19. Awesome energy, it was a beautifully performed act.
    20. You look even more beautiful when you perform.
    21. For me, this is the greatest live performance I ever witnessed. Enjoyed a lot. 
    22. Feeling so glad that I’m here to watch this great performance. 
    23. You are such an outstanding performer, and I love your expressions. 
    24. I thoroughly enjoyed this dance number. The variation used looks beautiful.
    25. Wow, you bring new energy to every performance, I’m very impressed.

Read next: 100 Trending Things to Draw When Bored

Best Compliments for New Dancer

    1. You looked good. It is nice that you are putting in a lot of effort.
    2. Keep it up and in no time you will outshine others.
    3. Dance is a passion. It’s okay to make mistakes but it is not okay to dance without love. You have passion.
    4. I wish you all the best for your efforts. Soon you will see the results.
    5. That was pretty neat for a beginner. Are you sure you are just starting?
    6. You have great energy and you match well with the rhythms.
    7. It is amazing to see such huge potential in you.
    8. You got the drive and the skills. Keep practicing and soon you will be the best.
    9. Dancing is not easy. It is about precision and practice. You are building a great foundation. Soon your body will flow naturally.
    10. I wish to look at your practice every day. Love your dedication.
    11. Indeed, a well-choreographed dance performance.
    12. Your hard work paid off.
    13. You made us proud, keep it up.
    14. Thanks for being on the team. You’re learning very fast.
    15. I truly like the song selection, that perfectly matches your style.
    16. Overall, great energies and powerful performance.
    17. We can feel your passion for the dance.
    18. Your performance was too good, just hope to see the improvement in transition.
    19. I think you need to work upon facial expression, overall the entire act was nice.
    20. Not the best, But I can see you’re improving, that’s for sure.
    21. Hats Off for your hard work and dedication to creating this act. Magnificent.
    22. I can see you improve day by day! Keep it up!
    23. Everything about this dance number is great. 
    24. This is not perfect but your best performance, I’ve to say.

One Word Compliments for Dancing

    1. Perfect
    2. Mesmerizing
    3. Energetic
    4. Synchronized
    5. Gifted
    6. Creative
    7. Exciting
    8. Lively
    9. Exceptional
    10. Wonderful
    11. Talented
    12. Remarkable
    13. Neat
    14. Perfect
    15. Stunning
    16. Hit
    17. Spectacular
    18. Masterpiece
    19. Impressive
    20. Unbelievable
    21. Surprised

Read next: 29 Trending Business Ideas To Look For in 2021

Compliments for Ballet Dancers

    1. Wow! You are very flexible.
    2. I love your calm spirit while performing.
    3. I never knew you are so great. The performance was mesmerizing.
    4. That music and your moves were made for each other. It was like magic.
    5. Your movement was so precise and perfect. I couldn’t look away for even a second.
    6. All your hard work and practice are paying off.
    7. The dress, rhythm, dance, and performance is like the ninth symphony.
    8. I have never seen a better ballet performance in my life.
    9. Your level of stage confidence and dedication to it is over the moon.
    10. I can’t wait to see your next performance. I was so happy throughout.
    11. Your tourner was the best.
    12. Now I’m a fan of your flexibility and moves.
    13. We can feel the story, through your dance moves.
    14. What a graceful performance we have.
    15. So a controlled and sharp act, that was.
    16. The fantastic job there, keep it up.
    17. Again, a big round of applause for your great efforts.
    18. Fully fantastic performance.
    19. You are a gifted dancer.
    20. More like a contortionist. You amazed us with your flexibility.
    21. I think you just beat your past performances, with today’s one.
    22. I believe you have a special talent that makes the audience watch and adore.
    23. Your dance inspires me to put my best in what I do.
    24. When I said let’s skip to the good part this is what I meant.
    25. Your passion for dance is enough to inspire many people. 
    26. So well-choreographed and perfectly executed. Great performance.
    27. Every move is so on point. I can see your hard work.
    28. What a phenomenal dance number. I’m so impressed with you guys.

Compliments for Instagram, Youtube Dance Videos

    1. Cool moves. I still can’t believe it. You are such a great dancer.
    2. Sick beats. Love your energy and passion. You are a mood.
    3. Where did you learn to dance so nice?
    4. Killer Performance.
    5. Post more videos. They are so good.
    6. You have great charisma. Hats off to you.
    7. Your transitions were smooth.
    8. Proud to be your friends. You are outstanding.
    9. Woah! You make me want to dance. You are my spirit animal.
    10. Thanks for making my day. Your performance was good.
    11. This post made my day, truly.
    12. Be yourself. Just love it.
    13. It may look easy, but I know it’s not.
    14. Well done seems like you practiced a lot for this number.
    15. We can feel your passion for dance.
    16. Very impressive. Can’t describe how beautiful it looks.
    17. Great efforts there. Keep it up.
    18. Wow, your outfits… perfectly match the theme.
    19. You are a highly skilled dancer.
    20. I wish I could dance like you… as if no one is watching.
    21. How do you manage to show everyone’s lyrics so precisely? you are damn perfect.
    22. You perform beyond perfection, too good.
    23. Overall, it was an excellent performance. 
    24. We were stunned by your unique dance number.  
    25. This was a breathtaking performance senorita!
    26. How do you always manage to perform something out of the box?
    27. I can see the improvement in your dance moves. Keep it up. 
    28. You’re such a natural dancer and like your passion for it.
    29. You dance with your heart that is what makes your performance truly amazing. 
    30. What we expect from you, we get it. You’re exceptional with your performance.
    31. This performance was filled with energy and has the potential to lift anyone’s mood! 
    32. Truly a mesmerizing performance. Every move was executed with perfect synchronization and utmost care.
    33. I don’t think that anyone could perform this number so gracefully. 
    34. Performance over performance, you’re becoming a better dancer. 
    35. When you dance, you do it not for anyone… but yourself.

Read next: 8 Trending Dresses for Girls and Women

What are the best appreciation words for a dance performance?

  1. Just Awesome
  2. Superbbb
  3. Amazing
  4. Extraordinary
  5. Fantastic
  6. Magnificant
  7. Graceful
  8. Sensational
  9. Stupendous
  10. Marvelous
  11. Tremendous
  12. Mind-blowing
  13. The Best
  14. Unbelievable
  15. Phenomenal
  16. Skilled
  17. Outstanding

5 Tips for Complimenting A Girl or Boy for their Dancing Skills

1.

Always compliment on something specific, in a form of dancing

You must comment on something specific that you saw. A dance step, the energy, the presence of mind, the passion, etc. something that you observed specifically. And if you pay more attention to details, you can find out what they have improved.

Appreciating the improvement will make you genuine and they will feel very positive about it.

2. Know your dancers

Dancers come from different backgrounds, cultures, ages, races, etc. And knowing that is important as you should not say something that they may find offensive.

For instance, giving little detailed compliments for a kid would be understood as bad. Kids love simple compliments that they understand. And if suppose someone does not know good English, and they may feel awkward to speak with you.

3. Never use sarcasm appreciation for dancers or teachers

People do this all the time and it seems normal. But if you are on the other side, you may not feel good. They may hide their feelings with fake smiles. But it is often advised to not use sarcasm while complimenting especially if they are of a different age category or the opposite sex.

So let your compliments be with a smile and you sound serious. And by serious, they realize you are speaking honestly and not just saying it for being nice.

4. Avoid over-complimenting

When people over compliment someone, the natural instinct is to defend. They feel like this person is just making me feel nice, as he needs a favor. Compliments lose their value when used more.

A simple compliment is better than an over-complement.

5. Give unique praises to dancers

Imagine you are a dancer, and you are coming out. And everybody is looking at you and complimenting you. They compliment without a second thought and most of them end up saying the same words.

Words like Superb, Nice, Good, etc. Instead, it is recommended to compliment using a different vocabulary so your compliment will sound unique and genuine. Words like Fabulous, Lively, Creative, etc. will catch their attention, and they feel really good.

Also read: Compliments for Singers for Their Musical Performance 

Conclusion

Dance is great visual art. And whether you are a friend, family, or teacher of a dancer, it is highly appreciated to give nice compliments. And who doesn’t like compliments? It is encouraging and a great way to appreciate the long hard work and practice session.

Simple and nice compliments can make their hard day a little better. Complimenting is a great way to break the ice to make some new friends.  So we hope this article will be helpful in doing just that.

Quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

Search for creative inspiration

19,597 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,960 themes

Search entire site for dance

Descriptionari works better if you enable javascript in your browser settings.

See also

General

Dance was the speaking of my chi, how it communicated with my own soul and others.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February 19, 2021.

General

To dance is the art of my most happy soul.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February 19, 2021.

General

To dance is to heal, to speak in the language of emotion, a language that is so much more ancient than words.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February 19, 2021.

Romance / General

When Alisha flowed in dance it was as if it were the only way her body truly knew how to speak. Verbally she was guarded, physically she would shrink and fade into the background no matter where she was. On stage her personality, her sensuality burst through into the most vibrant picture of a beautiful soul. Troy watched her move to the music filling the gymnasium, crackling somewhat from the old cassette recorder. For the most part that ancient music machine was her only audience, watching her with those two dusty black eyes. As she turned her eyes caught him standing there, him less adept at hiding in the shadows than she. He dropped his eyes momentarily before looking, his head tilted to one side and a hopeful smile playing on his lips.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, October 8, 2015.

General

When Kory heard the music it was like liquid adrenaline being injected right into his blood stream - not so strong as to freak him out, but just enough to make him tingle and start to move his body. He'd never had a dance class, but he and his mates had jived to music since their early teens, competing in the friendly way boys do to "up" one another. Now, just turned twenty, he was a well oiled machine on the dance floor. He didn't dance to show off, to make the girls watch - but they did. Anyone that could move like their limbs were half liquid in perfect rhythm and still look strong were interesting to say the least. He was used to the attention and he liked it. Then one day a new girl was at the club, not a mover and shaker, kinda shy in the way she moved, but he couldn't help but imagine them together. She was black, her hair in tight braids and he looked at her like he'd never really seen a woman before. Then for the first time in years he felt like if he opened his mouth nothing witty or interesting would come out...

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February 24, 2015.

General

Jerome grew up in a household of women who danced. There was never a day that went by without his mother or an aunt taking him by the hands to waltz or boogie around the room. Music was on from first light to last. In a way it flowed through them and between them, creating bonds stronger than the walls of the temple. Every time he heard those old tunes in the years to come he was dancing again, dancing with those women who loved him more than the rising sun.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, October 8, 2015.

General

Polly never walked anywhere. Her legs extended like a prima ballerina and she glided from place to place, arms held in front, finger tips touching. For her a moment spent not dancing was a moment wasted. Others saw it as eccentricity, but to me it was perfection. Expression through movement was her genius and watching her hone it was more breathtaking than the new flowers of spring.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, October 8, 2015.

General

To dance was freedom, to dance was to become an opening flower or a bird aloft. To feel the movement was new breath for my body and nourishment for a soul so tired. I could dance until the sweat dripped to the polished wood and my reflection showed pink cheeks. After that sleep came easy and the dreams were of more twirls and leaps to the music that was part of my blood.

Read more

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, October 8, 2015.

%username%, %age%.

Beautiful phrases about dance - Catch phrases

Dancing, a person allows himself the luxury of being himself.

*****

Dance is the vertical expression of horizontal desire.

*****

When two dance, they dance - love ...

*****

Dance is the only art for which we ourselves are the material.

*****

Dancing always adds new colors to your life.

*****

Sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of dance you dance. .. It's much more important who you do it with!

*****

Dance is a poem, every movement in it is a word.

*****

Dance is a bridge between soul and body.

*****

Only dance makes music visible.

*****

Everything in the universe is rhythmic. Everyone is dancing.

*****

Only in silence can a word be heard. Only in complete darkness - to see the stars. And the great dance is always danced on the edge of the abyss, over the terrible abyss.

*****

Dance is a breath of something new. Something that is hidden deep inside of you. Dance is an opportunity to become different for a while.

*****

Dance like no one is watching!

*****

When we give ourselves entirely to the spirit of dance, it becomes prayer.

*****

Dance is a huge world, you need to have patience to conquer it.

*****

Make time for yourself. Dance. It is so uplifting, inspiring and captivating! When you dance, you live!

*****

Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.

*****

If a man does not like how his woman dances, then this woman is not his.

*****

When you dance, you express all your feelings.

*****

Dance is a huge energy that nourishes every cell of the body and gives strength to move on. It is a feeling of freedom and flight.

*****

To dance means to be outside of yourself, bigger, stronger, more beautiful. In the dance - power, in the dance - the greatness of the Earth, it is yours - take it entirely.

*****

Dance is the song of the body, its joy or pain.

*****

When you dance, you are who you want to be at that moment.

*****

Dance is the secret language of the soul.

*****

Dance is a conversation between two people: a man and a woman. The dance style determines the theme… The most eloquent conversation is the tango!

*****

Life in dance is harder, but much richer.

*****

People don't stop dancing because they get old, they get old because they stop dancing.

*****

Dance is an art that reflects the soul.

*****

A dance becomes perfect if it creates music.

*****

The dancer's body is simply a luminous manifestation of his soul.

*****

Dancing is not a drug, but oxygen!

*****

Dancing with your feet is one thing, dancing with your heart is another.

*****

Dance is a language that the whole world understands.

*****

Dance can reveal all the secrets that lie in music.

*****

Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breath. This is the rhythm of your life. It is an expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.

*****

To dance means to let your partner into your personal space, it means to trust one hundred percent. Life is the same dance.

*****

Dance not with your body, but with your soul. So your dance will take on a life of its own, it will be life itself.

*****

Dance for yourself. If someone understands - good, if not - it does not matter, continue to do what you love.

*****

I dance because I am happy. I dance because I am free.

*****

I'm not pretending. When I dance, I am who I am.

*****

Dance is the world's favorite metaphor.

*****

If you could explain something in words, there would be no point in dancing it.

*****

When I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only rejoice and be whole. That is why I dance.

*****

We must consider lost every day in which we did not dance at least once.

*****

We live means we dance. Dancing means living!

The Art of Hearing Dance: Practices of Foreign Schools of Audio Description / Un Certain Regard

Listen to Publication

Tiflocommentary: color photograph. The figure of a red-haired dancer frozen in a jump against the backdrop of the sea. She has lush red hair and a slender three-quarter body. The girl is wearing a short tight-fitting black top with a closed neck and bare shoulders, shorts and a long translucent black skirt fluttering in the wind. She lifts the edge of her skirt with straight outstretched arms. The dancer seems to be standing in the air on her left knee, her right leg is bent and raised high up. She tilted her head slightly and looked down.

"Dance is a poem, every movement in it is a word." This statement is attributed to the famous adventurer and dancer Margareta Gertrude Zella, whom the whole world knows under the name of Mata Hari. But the words of such a poem are not available to everyone. Already from the very definition of the word "dance" - the art of plastic and rhythmic movements of the body - it is obvious that vision plays a big role in its perception. What remains if you do not see the movements of the dancers? Music? Strained breathing? Rustle of clothes? The sound of footsteps? Can all this interest the viewer and give him pleasure?

Audio description (which in our country is called audio commentary) is a way to convey the beauty of dance to people who, for one reason or another, cannot see it. Joel Snyder, one of the leading experts in this field, calls audio description a form of literary work and likens it to a haiku. With just a few words, the audio descriptor creates a verbal copy of the visual image, translates the visible into the audible. Bright, figurative words draw vivid pictures before the mind's eye of the listener.

“Dance is not just movement,” says Iris Permuy Hercules de Solas, audio descriptor for dance TV shows on a Spanish TV channel. “Dance conveys feelings and moods. This is artistic art. The dancer draws pictures with his whole body, creates ephemeral masterpieces that the audio descriptor must have time to consider and describe.

“The entire visible universe is movement,” said dance teacher and theorist Rudolf von Laban. To describe this movement to someone who does not see it is not an easy task. However, it is quite doable.

Ann Hornsby, one of the UK's first audio descriptions, has described many theater productions, including the famous Mamma Mia! and Les Misérables, believes that special choreographic education is not required: “Only the usual skills of verbal description are needed. The ability to briefly, but figuratively express their thoughts; attentiveness and observation; the ability to convey the mood of the work; the ability to meet the allotted time - that's what really matters. At the same time, the soundscape and music cannot be drowned out – the viewer must hear their breathing.”

Do all dances need to be described

Tiflocommentary: a spacious hangar hall with brick walls, wooden ceilings, high windows and a ballet floor. In the back of the hall, a barefoot girl is dancing a contemporary dance. She wears knee-high athletic trousers and a loose gray T-shirt. She stands on a straight right leg, the left straight leg is raised to the level of the waist and laid aside, the body is tilted to the opposite side, the right arm bent at the elbow is raised up, the left is wound behind the back. The operator shoots the girl's dance on a video camera.

If we are not talking about an independent dance production, but about an episode of a play or a film, then, on the advice of the leading specialist in audio description of dance, the author of the Talking Dance manual, Louise Fryer, you need to ask yourself an important question: what role does this dance play? Is it necessary for the development of the plot? Perhaps he somehow reveals the character of the characters? Maybe he tells about the relationship between the heroes of the production? Do these relationships change after or even during the dance? Or does the dance simply fill in a pause in the play so that the actors can change for the next scene? Does dance contribute to creating a certain atmosphere? For example, it can immerse us in a historical era.

During the same performance or film, we can see different types of dance that serve completely different purposes. The audio descriptor must understand the intent of the scriptwriter and director and, depending on this, choose a way to describe this or that dance. “The choreographer and director can help a lot by sharing their vision,” says Louise Fryer. “It’s also good to be present at the rehearsal.”

Photo: Tim Gouw

Tiflocommentary: coastline, cloudy sky and bright orange rays of the setting sun. Five girls dance on the platform, they run one after another in a circle: the left hand is raised up, the hand is turned with the palm to the sky, the right hand is bent at the elbow and directed forward with the palm away from you. All of them are in white corsets tightened on the back with thin straps. Four girls are wearing light long light skirts with a fluttering frill at the bottom, while the fifth girl is wearing a more fluffy light skirt with rows of frills along the entire length. She rises high from quick movements, under the skirt of the dancer there are light tights with lace.

Audio description is a kind of translation (intersemiotic or intersemiotic, according to the classification of R.O. Jacobson). As Bruce Metzger wrote: “Translation is the art of choosing the right thing to lose.” These words fully apply to the description of the dance. Depending on its goals and the plot of the work, sometimes you need to focus on the technique of the dancers, sometimes on the costumes, sometimes on the behavior of the characters during the dance, and in some cases it is enough just to say that the characters are dancing without going into details, so how they can distract from the development of the plot.

The well-known film translator Aleksey Kozulyaev repeatedly emphasizes that the audio descriptor is part of the "collective author" of an audiovisual work, and each addresses the viewer in his own language: costume designers - in the language of costumes, composer - in the language of music, actors - in the language of words, facial expressions and gestures, the director - in the language of images, etc. All together they create a single work. The task of the audio descriptor is to merge into the structure of this collective author so that his “language” organically fits into the general choir.

It must be remembered that a person comes to a performance or a cinema to relax and enjoy. Therefore, you can not overload the viewer with an abundance of details. An overly detailed description can be accurate, but it also confuses viewers and distracts from the plot.

Word choice

The dancers themselves say that when you dance for real, you involuntarily discover that you don't have enough words, and there are no sufficient concepts in any language of the world to convey your feelings. Isadora Duncan, for example, said: "If you could explain something in words, there would be no point in dancing it." No wonder they say that dance is like love: this state can be felt, but it is very difficult to describe.

"You need to create verbal pictures of the dancers' movements," says Ann Hornsby, "but in a way that doesn't sound like a dry description of physical exercise. " Iris Permuy Hercules de Solas adds: "It takes a rich vocabulary to describe it colorfully, gracefully, energetically, sadly, just like the dance itself."

Tiflocommentary: color photograph. Scene. The dancer in a black suit stands with his back to the audience, his right leg is set aside on his toe, his left hand is extended to the dancer, who is flying back in a jump with her arms spread apart. She looks at the dancer and smiles broadly. She is wearing a white suit: a tutu with a flat skirt, a leotard with thin straps with golden embroidery in the center, white leggings and pointe shoes. The dancers are watched by performers dressed as villagers. In the depths of the stage, in the blue twilight, there are scenery with buildings and the silhouette of a tilted ship.

The choice of the right word is the most important moment in the description of the dance, according to all experts. “For people who are far from choreography, the most terrible thing is the special terminology,” says Louise Fryer. - Knowledge of professional terms will not hurt. Describing, say, architecture, we want to show the difference between the Norman arch from the Gothic or the Ionic order from the Corinthian. By the same logic, it is important for us to know whether this ballet rotation is a pirouette or not. Of course, not everyone may know what a pirouette is (although there may be experts in the auditorium), however, if we use a special term, we thereby emphasize that it is ballet on stage, and not ballroom dancing.

Anne Hornsby stresses that the meaning of the terms must be clarified. Sometimes, when describing a ballet, it is useful to make an introduction before it begins and explain there what the words “pirouette”, “arabesque”, “fuete”, etc. mean.

Ann Hornsby explains: “The meanings of some words are clear without explanation. However, if possible, brief explanations do not hurt. But what you should not do is just list professional terms and dance moves. The viewer simply does not have time to comprehend all this in a short time. In addition, such a technical description will not say anything about the quality of the movement, its speed, the plot of the dance, the emotions of the hero and his motives.

Laban's movement analysis

The well-known choreographer, dance theorist, teacher Rudolf von Laban developed a movement analysis system that is still used today. He discovered that any dance step exists in four dimensions, or factors: space, time, dynamics and flow. Therefore, the process of motion analysis begins with finding out the following main points: where the motion occurs; why the movement occurs; how the movement occurs; What are the traffic restrictions? All this will help the audio descriptor to find the right words.

It is relatively easy to describe a dance that has a story. However, as von Laban noted, “modern dance may lack a clear story. It is often impossible to convey the content of the dance in words, although the movements themselves can always be described.

He further explains: “An actress playing the part of Eve can pick the forbidden fruit in different ways, while her movements will express different emotions. She can seize the fruit greedily and quickly, or slowly and sensually. But when we describe movement as “greedy,” “sensual,” or “dispassionate,” we are not really talking about what we see. The viewer at this moment sees a fast and sharp or slow and sliding movement of the hand. And already the imagination interprets the actions of Eve as greedy or sensual.

Joel Snyder notes that von Laban is essentially referring to the fundamental principle of audio description: "Describe only what you see." “It's important to be precise,” Snyder explains, “but the description needs to be alive so that the listener paints the picture in their own mind. You need to be objective, using precise and figurative words, while avoiding interpretation. That is, our Eve “plucks an apple with a sharp, impetuous movement of her hand,” and not “with a mixed expression of greed and guilt on her face.”

Tiflocommentary: color photograph. Light walls, gray door, padlocked. To the left, a diagonal of a metal staircase with a railing rises up. Halfway up, a ballerina in a black leotard with lace-trimmed straps and a cutout at the chest. She stands on her right leg, with her right hand extended forward, holding on to the parapet, her left leg and left arm raised at an angle of 45 degrees and laid parallel back. The body is turned towards the viewer, the back is strongly concave. Her hair is pulled back into a bun, and on her feet are flesh-coloured pointe shoes.

Dance is the language of tradition

Description of traditional dances is a separate line of audio description. Dr. Doning Liang of the Hong Kong Audio Description Association has extensive experience in describing Chinese dances, in particular the famous Lion Dance. One of the difficulties is that completely different people will listen to the description: both those who are familiar with this dance and those who hear about it for the first time.

“I'm not just describing the dance,” says Doning, “I'm sort of acting as a teacher for blind people.


Learn more

.