Abstract:
Music and motion are generally assumed to be closely related. An attempt was made to analyze such relations with regard to the stopping of running and the termination of a piece of music. Velocity, step frequency, and step length of four professional dancers were measured while they were stopping from running. Six choreographers rated the esthetic quality of the decelerations from video recordings. The data curves from highly rated decelerations were more regular and smooth as compared to those decelerations rated lower. It was found that the average instant velocity of the runners corresponded well with the average of instant tempo in final ritards. A model of the ritard shape with varying curvature, including the observed deceleration shape, was applied to three music examples in a listening experiment. The observed deceleration shape was found to be within the range of the subjects' preferences.