FREE AND BOUND FLOW
THE FLOW FACTOR
CHANGES IN THE QUALITY OF THE FLOW OF TENSION BECOMING EITHER FREE OR BOUND
The alive human body is always in a more or less “energized” state. Therefore, it is not really accurate to think of the polarities of motion as extreme “tension” and “relaxation” as in a dead flop. The rhythmic changes in breathing, the constant responding of the body to both inner and outer stimuli, provide a constant stream of urges to move. Thus, when we describe movement, we must look at it from the beginning as the natural state of the alive human body. This is particularly important in understanding the “opposite” or extremes in quality in the flow factor. As you watch a person moving, you may notice that he either holds back, restricts, binds the flow of his movement, or that he goes with the flow, his body moving freely and easily with the motion. The “going with” the flow of movement we call free; the restriction of the flow we call bound.
Free and bound are the elements or qualities of the flow factor. Bound flow is similar to what we very often call “tense;” free flow to “relaxed.” However, both free and bound flow require muscular tension; all movement requires tensing of muscles, and it is the relationship among the muscles tenses, rather than the presence of tension in the body, which determines the quality of the flow.It is a mistake to think that free flow is “better” than bound flow, even though the connotations of these terms may suggest such a value judgment. There are no good or bad movement qualities as such; there are appropriate and inappropriate uses of qualities.
The proverbial “bull in the china shop” is an example, at least in part, of an inappropriate use of free flow. Most people find that they must restrict the flow of their movement in such tasks as threading a needle or carrying a pot of hot coffee. Although the flow factor is sometimes viewed as the same “kind” of event on the same level with the factors of weight, space and time, it is more often seen in a slightly different light from the other effort factors. Changes in the quality of flow seem to be the most frequent kind of changes in movement of all the effort elements. They seem, in fact, to provide a kind of substrate in movement, out of which changes in the qualities of weight, time and space can “crystallize,” as highlights among the continuing flow changes.
For example, a boxer in the ring, in between punches, constantly moves his arms, legs and trunks to keep the flow “alive” or changing, and out of this he crystallizes a strong-direct-quick punch. Many conversational gestures are prepared and concluded with flow changes, while elements of the weight, space and time factors may emphasize the main statement. From this point of view, flow “feeds” the other factors in a sense, and can be subsumed by the other factors when other qualities crystallize.
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Exercise
Students were given time to review the free and bound flow movements by calling the flow quality out loud.
If the call was free flow, they moved their arms as if they were throwing a scarf in the air.
If the call was bound, they moved their arms as if they were holding a stick moving it as a spear in all directions, but in a controlled manner.
Then, the call would change form free to bound continuously, giving students a chance to experience the two different qualities of flow.
The more they did the exercise, the more expressive their arms became, and the more in control of their arms they were.
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