Criteria for Alignment

1. Hand/Wrist
Lateral bias, external rotation in the wrist during weight-bearing situations (lifted arch)

• static situations – focal point for weight, the metacarpal center, a point just above the base of the 3rd and 4th carpal bones.
  
• dynamic situations  – first contact will be the forward lateral hand (little finger side), progressing to the lateral heel. Pivoting will be centered on the lateral heel of the hand, hyper-flexion in the wrist will be avoided (see Chronological Architecture :).

2. Ankle/Foot
lateral bias, external rotation in the ankle during weight bearing situations (lifted arch).

• static situations – focal point for weight, the Metatarsal-center (see: The Axis Reader pg. 46)
  
• slow forward step
  passage of weight through 3 stations, heel, lateral mid-foot, little toe, and each toe one after the other towards the big toe, head of 1st metatarsal.
  
• slow backwards step
  Where there is a spatial displacement after the step, first contact on lateral fore-foot is followed by a ¾ transfer of weight before pivot. If there is no spatial displacement, initial contact in the lateral fore-foot is followed by loading in this order: lateral Fore-foot, sesamoids (3rd station), lateral mid-foot (2nd station), lateral heel (1st station).
  
  

3. Knee - (with the foot on the floor)
Flexion will describe an arc that sends the knees laterally towards the pinky. Extension will return the knee to a more medial relationship to the foot.

4. Hip
Flexion will include external rotation of the thigh, describing a laterally oriented arc (from in to outside).

Extension will include internal rotation of the thigh describing a laterally oriented arc.

5. Spine
The neutrality of the three curves will be maintained for practically every weight-bearing situation.

Torsion in the upper Thoracic spine will be minimal.

Lateral flexion will include minimal torsion in the area between the 8th Thoracic and 3rd Lumbar Vertebrae (Torsion Column), as well as in the cervical spine.

6. Shoulder
The arms will generally work in a cone that describes an area forward of the rib-cage, extending to about 40 degrees laterally from the center of the torso.

Above a 40 degree elevation, the upper arm will start to rotate externally, avoiding the ridge of the Acromion (Axis Reader pg.38). This upwards motion will describe a medially progressing arc (towards the head).

Below a 40 degree elevation, the upper arm will start to rotate internally, describing a laterally progressing arc (outwards) as the arm moves into full extension.

In weight-bearing situations, the scapula (shoulder-blade) will be stabilized by being pulled to the ribcage.

Centralized Support

The issue of support can be divided into roughly four areas with separate requirements. Standing, Crouching, Sitting and Lying Down. The standing and crouching spheres use the plantar surfaces and bony struts of the hands and feet and require that these elements be placed on an inwards diagonal from the shoulders and hips for static situations. Dynamic situations require a reduction of the surfaces used to the lateral forefoot or lateral heel of the hand to allow pivot and balance correction. These points will be placed on the track that the body mass is taking as it progresses through space.

The sitting and lying down spheres divide the task of support with more centrally located areas on the body core:

the outer calf and thigh
the buttocks
the back
the belly
the superior medial fore-arm
the outer upper arm
the cranial rim

The dorsal surfaces near the wrist and lateral ankle of the hands and feet will usually be used for transitions to and from the lying down sphere.

Harnessing/Creating Kinetic Energy

Spatial Management Internal/External

The ability to calculate and respond effectively to the time-to-collision of incoming surfaces is the measure of the practical integration of alignment and support parameters. The dancer who has acquired this skill can convert potentially dangerous situations into opportunities for movement. This capacity implies elevated powers of depth perception and orientation (knowing where you and other are in space and time).

If you are the one lifting, your strength and comfort will be optimized if you can apply the following principles.

In most lifting situations, your partner’s body will be coming into your support structure from the side. Your most advantageous response will be to extend the area on which you propose to catch your partner towards the relative center of their mass. This means that your weight will be loaded more on the leg nearest to your partner as they approach. As your partner enters your support structure, you will transfer more weight to the far leg. The lever point is usually found below your partner’s trocanter line. The situation is inverted as your partner descends, requiring you to support their descent by loading into the near leg again. You will push your partner slightly away from you, returning them to their feet and balance. Throughout the entire process, the maintenance of Hip-flex arcs, knee to foot alignment, the neutral spinal curves and appropriate side-bending mechanics will make your offer of support a concrete reality, at the same time creating available surfaces over which your partner can re-distribute their mass. If your partner remains on you and moves around your body, the higher they are the more it will be to your advantage to bring yourself upright, while the lower they are the more flexed you will want to be (barring hyper-flexion of course).

If you are one climbing, your security and comfort will be aided by integrating these few tips.

• Use your hands to make primary contact. Guide yourself to your partner’s support structure; being lifted is an active decision in response to an opportunity that is mutually created.
  
• Allow your partner to lower their lever-point under yours, in other words do not expect to be lifted if you drop your lever point below your partner’s.
  
• Recognize and distribute the center of your mass on the offered area of support. Usually the center of your mass is located in your lower abdomen.
  
• Usually you will have one leg that is closer to your partner’s body, and one leg that is further away. If you maintain this relationship in a relatively static lift, the near leg provides stability, the far leg permits balance. When descending, this structure creates a ramp that will allow you to gracefully step into your own balance. If you stay on your partner and move around their body, the near leg provides a ledge from which you can negotiate the placement of the far leg, which then becomes the near leg and so on.
  
• When you remain on and move around your partner’s body, it is my observation that it is easier to move towards your feet.
  

The following points will help make your weight manageable and agreeable for your partner: