Let's Talk Dance
Recently, there have been quite a few articles written about the historical practice of lateral bias in the dance class. The concern is the overuse of one side of the body due to a) exercises and combinations always being first given on the right, and b) the mental process of approaching and performing the same movements from the same side first creating a processing imbalance as well. With the advancing integration of kinesthetic integrity into the dance curriculum as well as heightened attention to brain development patterning, this topic should be at the forefront of every teacher's daily practice. There are actually several additional reasons to be wary of lateral bias besides the two I have cited here. I think that teachers might want to engage their students in a discussion and discovery of what the disadvantages, imbalances and even potential hazards of lateral bias in dance studies might be. The students should also be charged with the responsibility of monitoring their own lateral bias in stretching, warm up, practice and rehearsal.
Lateral bias refers to the teaching of new material and the initiating of movement patterns on one predominant side; in most cases, the right side. One side-effect of this practice is that this makes the left side of the body the supporting side for the "learning process" which is the time when the body is the least stable. Most teachers then ask the dancer to make a lateral transference to the combination initiated on the other side. This is not the same process as having the material introduced on the opposing side, in most cases the left. The mental and physical process is unbalanced and this will effect the proper execution of the movements, the strength and confidence of the dancer with the movements, and the mental ability to properly initiate and control the movements when begun from the opposing side. The issue of lateral bias must be addressed by teachers without overly disturbing the continuity of the class curriculum or in the case of ballet, hundreds of years of tradition.
A further disadvantage is that the material is demonstrated, practiced and performed in greater repetition on the initiating side and the opposing side may then be just a passing "exercise." The dancers should be given equal repetitions of the movement to make it feel natural to them on the opposing side. How many times do you hear a student say, "I can't turn left" or "This is my bad side" or "I do that on my right"? Additionally since the bias is almost always to the right side, it is the right-handed dancers that suffer most. They are already natural movers on the right and thus a lateral bias in teaching or performance only enhances the difference in the two sides, whereas the left-handed dancer is learning first on the weaker side and then is able to make the lateral transference with greater ease and ownership of the movement.
The most obvious way to circumvent this is at the hands of the teacher. The teacher must offset his or her own lateral bias by designing class material to alternate or at least embrace the idea of left-led combinations or having phrases executed from the right side of the room, moving left first. This will take a conscious effort and some discipline on the teacher's part. A teacher may not want to demonstrate a combination with his or her "weaker" side, the effect of decades of laterally biased training. The teacher will have to be willing to join in the learning process with the students. It could be fun and will offer many benefits to everyone.
Long before I read my first article on lateral bias I was integrating left-led training for my students. I always call for lateral transference, rarely allowing a class to end with a combination not being performed from the other side. But where we are less-likely to be able to do this is in choreography. Of course, our choreography would be less interesting if everything was repeated starting from the left. Many of us employ this technique for festival performance choreography or recital work where the point is to show a level of proficiency to the parents, but it is not considered "artistic." It could be fun to try a lateral transference of the entire dance just for "kicks and giggles" and all the other mental and physical benefits of processing the information this way. Try it. You might like it better from the other side.
Why might you like it better? For years I have harbored an intense pet peeve for self-centered choreography that disregards the comfortable aesthetic of the audience member. Here is some reverse thinking on lateral bias. The audience members are predominantly right-hand dominant and unless from another culture, they all read left to right. If a dance is choreographed from the choreographer/dancer perspective and his or her own lateral bias to the right, then the audiences' visual comfort has been completely disregarded. Even the non-dancer has a sense of space, spatial design and balance, symmetrical and asymmetrical balance, and weightedness. Lateral bias in choreography may affect your audiences response to the piece based on their inability to connect with the patterning of the movement. Think about this as you design your concert and recital pieces this season.
My challenge to you as teachers is to strive to balance your own lateral bias and the inherent lateral bias of the material you are teaching. Indulge yourself in the process and experiment with the students. If nothing else, you will have taught them what the terms lateral bias and lateral transference mean! Let me know how it works!
Kathryn Austin, R.D.E. can be reached at kaustin2@cfl.rr.com or by snail mail at PO BOX 771518, Winter Garden, FL 34777.