MDPE.Application:5.4.1 - Start from the continuation the participants want

Choose a concrete relation that the passage must produce. For example, both participants should continue a small shared trajectory, perceive when a weight transfer permits the next direction, and respond to a quieter musical phrase without increasing travel. Say which contribution is required and which is optional. An optional flourish can be omitted; a required offbeat cannot be silently removed to make a difficult task appear solved.

Identify the musical material actually used: the pulse or phrase boundary, a selected voice, a change of accent or texture, and the movement relation wanted in response. A change of track or a label such as tango leaves these choices unresolved. If the musical relation is unclear, listen to a short passage and mark the event to which the movement should respond. When the purpose permits selecting music, choose or prepare material that makes the intended relation available; MDPE.Application:4 develops rhythmic construction. When the music is given, develop the movement against that material.

Begin from what both participants can presently do together. Agree on an attainable range of movement and a recognizable request to continue, change or pause. That agreement can use sight, touch or speech during preparation; bodily contact is not a prerequisite for every form of partnering. Consider the space actually available around the pair. A trajectory usable in an empty studio may need a smaller extent or another direction among other participants.