Subtlety
subtle (adj.)
not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way.
small but important.
achieved in a quiet way that does not attract attention to itself and is therefore good or clever.
Source: Cambridge Dictionary
Sometimes in dance, we use the word “subtle” if something appears to be undefined or unclear, or if we have difficulty perceiving it with our senses, when in reality its meaning is entirely the opposite. Colors, sounds and textures, among others, can escape our perception in the moment, leading us to believe that they are imperceptible, of no significance or even impossible, without taking into account that our gauge is based solely on our experiences or perceptiveness at that moment. If I only had a nickel for every time I was teaching a class and a student said, “This is very subtle”.
Our perceptiveness changes over time and that which was once imperceptible becomes perceptible to our senses through practice and a heightened state of awareness. In all the years that I’ve been dancing, the following are some of the questions that have drawn my attention the most:
- How much force do I need to use to execute a move and for my partner to understand it?
- How much muscle does this move require?
- Is it normal for my torso to hurt this much after dancing?
Our theory (if we go on our experience, which is all we have) is that we have grown accustomed to using more force than we need to in many areas of our lives. And although we have been able to perceive more details and patterns and to increase our subtlety little by little through exercises and body awareness, what makes us think we’ve reached our peak? That there is no one more perceptive than we are? That we are using the right amount of force at all times?
Let’s examine what typically happens when two people dance together:
1) We tend to respond to stimuli by mirroring.
2) When our partner uses more force than we are using, either we increase ours or we feel theirs restricts our movement and makes us tense.
For example, let us suppose that on a scale of zero to ten, zero being completely relaxed (not to be confused with lack of force) and ten being maximum tension, that one of the dancers has level-three tension and the other level five. In this case, the range of tension from levels three to four disappears to the dancer with level-five tension, and every move therefore requires level five or higher. What’s more, the zero-to-two range is completely out of reach for both dancers.
In our opinion, it’s not that you can’t use more force. The problem is not being able to perceive lower levels of force because that means missing out on a great deal of the information. If we yelled every time we opened our mouths, how could we know that it’s possible to say the same thing without raising our voices? If someone is yelling at us, how can we tell them what we think if they can’t even hear us? Sometimes the impact of our words doesn’t depend on the volume at which we speak them. Sometimes just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. Sometimes we shouldn’t underestimate the power of a subtle caress to shake the world—or our world.
May the (subtle) force be with you!