Dance Sign Research Articles

Танец и личность

The article is devoted to the problem of personal involvement in dance activity. The author applies an interdisciplinary research methodology: on the one hand, a semiotic analysis of the dance language is carried out and the features of the dance sign are considered, on the other hand, a psychological description of the dancer’s personality is given, a psychological portrait is created. According to the methodology of the cultural-historical approach, the sign is taken in its instrumental function and orientation. The author puts forward a hypothesis about the dual orientation of the dance movement as an expressive language: orientation on the viewer as a visual component of the sign and on the dancer himself through the kinesthetic component. The material of dance as a type of artistic activity is the body of the dancer, which undergoes reinterpretation and symbolization. Not only the body, but also the whole personality can become the material of dance, it can be included and transformed in the course of the dance activity. The bi-directionality of the dance sign can lead to a discrepancy, a rupture of the function of the dance movement, which is expressed in an object relation to one’s own body, in strict control of movements and the non-involvement of the emotional and sensual sphere of the individual in the dance activity. Stage forms of dance contribute more to this discrepancy, developing mainly motor technique in isolation from the semantic side of movement and focusing on the visual expressiveness of dance. On the other hand, ceremonial, sacred, ritual dances, many forms of modern free dance contribute to the integral inclusion of a person in the dance and are aimed at transforming the personality in plastic action. On the basis of biographical material, the destinies of outstanding dancers and dance teachers are analyzed. It is shown how an object attitude to one’s own body and one’s own personality can lead to an internal split and loss of subjectivity. A contradiction may arise between a person’s experience in dance and her/his behavior in real life. It is removed under the condition that a person carries out a transformative activity – work on himself/herself.

Embodying Relationality and Enacting Resistance: Celluloid Mobilities in the Silent Film The Daughter Of Dawn

Abstract: “Embodying Relationality and Enacting Resistance: Celluloid Mobilities in the Silent Film The Daughter Of Dawn ” discusses how Kiowa and Comanche actors embedded their respective material cultures in the 1920 silent film The Daughter of Dawn . Filmed in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge and featuring an all-Indigenous cast, this film is a unique entry in the canon of silent Westerns produced in Oklahoma during its nascent statehood. The author illustrates how the Kiowa and Comanche cast enacted what Michelle Raheja calls “visual sovereignty,” engaging in traditional cultural practices, both on and off camera, which were under attack by settler institutions. The performance and recording of these dynamic instances of buffalo culture, traditional dance, and Plains Indian Sign Language, which the author collectively refers to as “celluloid mobilities,” constituted an embodied refusal of settler-colonial interference in Indigenous cultural continuance.

Filariasis diagnosed by real-time ultrasound scanning as filarial dance sign - A case report.

IntroductionLymphatic filariasis (LF) is a vector-borne illness caused due to Wuchereria bancrofti. Genital abnormalities may result from chronic inflammation of the lymphatic vessels and obstruction of the afferent vessels in Bancroftian filariasis. Doxycycline, albendazole, diethylcarbamazine, and ivermectin are among the treatments available.CaseA 16-year male presented to our OPD with a complaint of left inguinal swelling for the past 6 Months. Examination of the swelling revealed a left-sided inguinal swelling of 5 × 4 cm with intact overlying skin. A provisional diagnosis of inguinal lymph varix was made, and real-time ultrasound scanning along with FNAC was performed. Swelling resolved after conservative management.DiscussionUltrasonography can easily observe adult worms due to their size and fast movements. Using pulsed-wave doppler mode, the characteristic movement profile of adult worms in pulsed-wave doppler mode can be distinguished from other movements (e.g., blood in venous vessels).ConclusionUltrasound is the imaging modality of choice to detect filarial worms/microfilaria in the lymphatic system, which produces the classic twirling of microfilaria in the lymphatic system, known as the "filarial dance sign".

About This Issue

In this issue’s first article, Mark Zaki interviews Hubert Howe, who has been an active composer of computer music for over half a century. As a graduate student at Princeton University in the 1960s, Howe co-developed the Music 4B program, an antecedent of Csound. The interview progresses from his early years in the field through to his current directorship of the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. Howe details some of his compositional techniques, including the use of pitch arrays in his electronic and acoustic pieces, as well as his approach to timbre in computer music.Curtis Roads, a former editor of this journal, is well known for his long career in microsound composition, including his creation of the first computer implementation of granular sound synthesis. In this issue, he and his co-authors describe their recent software for real-time interactive granular synthesis. As is typical in granular synthesis, the program operates on sound files rather than real-time audio input; but the user has real-time control of many synthesis parameters. Unlike much granular synthesis software, the system offers per-grain processing, which means that each grain can have a unique set of values—specifically, for envelope, waveform, amplitude, frequency, spatial position, and filtering. The authors also emphasize their design of the graphical user interface. By mapping synthesis parameters to MIDI controllers, the software can serve as a digital musical instrument (DMI).The article by Giacomo Lepri and Andrew McPherson presents their conclusions from a study in which beginning-to-expert users of the Pure Data graphical programming language created simple DMIs that incorporated basic sensors. Two expert users of the SuperCollider language also used SuperCollider for the task. Among other insights, the authors observed how the programming environment influenced the DMI designs. They suggest that rather than strive for an ideal neutrality in computer music technologies, one might “embrace the weirdness” of a tool’s idiosyncrasies, including the values and aesthetic implications that the tool passes on to it users (in this case, the instrument designers).Front cover. Two musicians play instruments that they designed or helped to design. Top photo: Doga Cavdir works with her Armtop DMI, which includes a tether controller that senses the position of the left arm with three degrees of freedom. Bottom photo: Rodney DuPlessis moves faders on a MIDI device to vary parameters of the granular synthesis software EmissionControl2.Continuing the theme of DMI design, the article by Doga Cavdir and Ge Wang considers ways in which DMIs can augment the usual vocabulary of musicians’ performance gestures by borrowing bodily movements from domains such as dance and sign language. The authors present three case studies of their DMIs, which respectively incorporate dance movements, conducting gestures, and sign language. The third case study, which uses sign language gestures in a metaphorical rather than literal manner, also incorporates loud, low-frequency sounds to offer a corporeal experience of the music to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.In this issue’s Reviews section, our frequent contributor Seth Rozanoff discusses an album by French composer Leo Magnien, and DJ Malinowski covers a festival of immersive music having a special focus on Afrofuturism. The Products of Interest section presents an array of recent hardware and software offerings, among them mixers, recorders, converters, synthesizers, and microphones, as well as an inexpensive theremin-like controller that uses a laser sensor instead of antenna capacitance.Starting with this issue, Jeff Morris of Texas A&M University edits the Announcements and News sections. We also welcome to our staff Brian Bemman of Aalborg University and Chuck-jee Chau of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who have jointly begun to oversee the peer review process. Ross Feller and Margaret Cahill continue to present the Reviews section and the Products of Interest, respectively; and Peter Castine continues to edit the articles (prior to copyediting) and to serve as managing editor. Brett Terry handles the editors’ website, computermusicjournal.org, which complements the publisher’s site for the Journal, direct.mit.edu/comj.Back cover. Top: A flowchart from the article by Roads, Kilgore, and DuPlessis, summarizing the granular synthesis engine of their EmissionControl2 software. Bottom: The software’s graphical user interface.

Borrowed Gestures: The Body as an Extension of the Musical Instrument

AbstractThis article presents design and performance practices for movement-based digital musical instruments. We develop the notion of borrowed gestures, which is a gesture-first approach that composes a gestural vocabulary of nonmusical body movements combined with nuanced instrumental gestures. These practices explore new affordances for physical interaction by transferring the expressive qualities and communicative aspects of body movements; these body movements and their qualities are borrowed from nonmusical domains. By merging musical and nonmusical domains through movement interaction, borrowed gestures offer shared performance spaces and cross-disciplinary practices.Our approach centers on use of the body and the design with body movement when developing digital musical instruments. The performer's body becomes an intermediate medium, physically connecting and uniting the performer and the instrument. This approach creates new ways of conceptualizing and designing movement-based musical interaction: (1) offering a design framework that transforms a broader range of expressive gestures (including nonmusical gestures) into sonic and musical interactions, and (2) creating a new dynamic between performer and instrument that reframes nonmusical gestures—such as dance movements or sign language gestures—into musical contexts. We aesthetically evaluate our design framework and performance practices based on three case studies: Bodyharp, Armtop, and Felt Sound. As part of this evaluation, we also present a set of design principles as a way of thinking about designing movement-based digital musical instruments.

A rare clinical presentation of human <i>Dirofilaria repens</i> infection as a pseudo-tumour of the epididymis – Case Report

Introduction. Epididymal dirofilariasis is one of the unusual manifestations of this zoonosis. In Slovakia, this is the third case out of 20 Dirofilaria repens infected patients in whom the worm (the parasite) was identified in the epididymis. The patient felt a painless tumour about 2 cm in size on the left testicle. During ultrasound examination, the radiologist observed a cyst containing a live worm within the epididymis. After mechanical stimulation, the movement characteristic for filarial worms (´filarial dance sign´) appeared. An orchiectomy was performed at the Department of Urology in the University Hospital in Kosice. Histopathology confirmed a parasitic cyst with a worm, and based on characteristic morphological features, the parasite was identified as Dirofilaria repens. Objective. The aim of case report is to alert physicians to the possibility dirofilarial infection of the epididymis, where tumors and cystic structures often occur and to present clinical signs of the disease.

Scrotal Filariasis, the Importance of Filarial Dance Sign in Scrotal Ultrasound

Objective: To study the value of the filarial dance sign as a diagnostic sign in scrotal ultrasonography in human Bancroftian filariasis. Methods: We studied 3 patients with scrotal pain, with high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) of scrotum including power and color Doppler study. All patients underwent peripheral blood smear. Results: Multiple cystic spaces containing motile echogenic twisted tubular structures were observed in the 3 patients. Peripheral blood smears in the 3 patients confirmed the presence of microfilaria. Mild hydrocele in two patients. Conclusions: HRUS is a useful technique for diagnosing scrotal filariasis in symptomatic patients and is very useful in the follow-up treatment.

Filariasis Diagnosed by Real Time Sonographic Imaging as Filarial Dance Sign: A Case Report

Lymphatic filariasis is a major public health problem. World Health Organization (WHO) has graded filariasis, as the second leading cause for permanent and long-term disability after leprosy. It is a chronic disabling parasitic disease prevalent in South Asia and Africa. A case of 26-year-old male resident of district Palpa presented with swelling of left inguinal region since 3-4 days and pain in inguinal region since a month. He had no history of trauma, fever or any other systemic symptoms. High frequency, high-resolution scrotal ultrasonography is a valuable technique for diagnosing scrotal filarial infection. This method revealed “Filarial Dance Sign” which is a distinctive and continuous pattern of movement of live microfilaria indicating active infection. It is a simple, rapid, sensitive and noninvasive technique. Noninvasive ultrasonography is preferable to the invasive FNAC.

Review of Dancing Parasites in Lymphatic Filariasis.

Lymphatic filariasis is an infection transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes with filarial nematodes of the species Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi und B. timori . It is prevalent in tropical countries throughout the world, with more than 60 million people infected and more than 1 billion living in areas with the risk of transmission. Worm larvae with a length of less than 1 mm are transmitted by mosquitoes, develop in human lymphatic tissue to adult worms with a length of 7–10 cm, live in the human body for up to 10 years and produce millions of microfilariae, which can be transmitted further by mosquitoes. The adult worms can be easily observed by ultrasonography because of their size and fast movements (the so-called “filarial dance sign”), which can be differentiated from other movements (e. g., blood in venous vessels) by their characteristic movement profile in pulsed-wave Doppler mode. Therapeutic options include (combinations of) ivermectin, albendazole, diethylcarbamazine and doxycycline. The latter depletes endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria from the worms and thus sterilizes and later kills the adult worms (macrofilaricidal or adulticidal effect).

Validation of ultrasound bioimaging to predict worm burden and treatment efficacy in preclinical filariasis drug screening models

Filariasis is a global health problem targeted for elimination. Curative drugs (macrofilaricides) are required to accelerate elimination. Candidate macrofilaricides require testing in preclinical models of filariasis. The incidence of infection failures and high intra-group variation means that large group sizes are required for drug testing. Further, a lack of accurate, quantitative adult biomarkers results in protracted timeframes or multiple groups for endpoint analyses. Here we evaluate intra-vital ultrasonography (USG) to identify B. malayi in the peritonea of gerbils and CB.17 SCID mice and assess prognostic value in determining drug efficacy. USG operators, blinded to infection status, could detect intra-peritoneal filarial dance sign (ipFDS) with 100% specificity and sensitivity, when >5 B. malayi worms were present in SCID mice. USG ipFDS was predictive of macrofilaricidal activity in randomized, blinded studies comparing flubendazole, albendazole and vehicle-treated SCID mice. Semi-quantification of ipFDS could predict worm burden >10 with 87–100% accuracy in SCID mice or gerbils. We estimate that pre-assessment of worm burden by USG could reduce intra-group variation, obviate the need for surgical implantations in gerbils, and reduce total SCID mouse use by 40%. Thus, implementation of USG may reduce animal use, refine endpoints and negate invasive techniques for assessing anti-filarial drug efficacy.

Efficacy and tolerability of treatment with single doses of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and DEC plus albendazole (ABZ) for three consecutive years in lymphatic filariasis: a field study in India.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) affects 73 countries, causes morbidity and impedes socioeconomic development. We had found no difference in safety and micro (Mf) and macro filarial action of single-dose diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and DEC + albendazole (ABZ) in an F01 study done in India (year 2000). There was a programmatic need to evaluate safety and efficacy of multiple annual treatments (F02). Subjects (155) from the F01 study, meeting inclusion-exclusion criteria, were enrolled in F02 and treated with further two annual doses of DEC or DEC + ABZ. Efficacy was evaluated for Mf positivity by peripheral smear (PS) and nucleopore (NP) filter, circulating filarial antigen (CFA) and filarial dance sign (FDS) positivity and Mf count at yearly follow-up. Safety was assessed for 5days after drug administration. Total of 139 subjects evaluated for efficacy (69 DEC and 70 DEC + ABZ group). Mf positivity prevalence declined progressively by 95% (PS), 66% (NP), and 95% (PS) and 86% (NP); CFA positivity prevalence declined by 15% and 9%; FDS by 100% each; Mf count declined by 75.5 and 76.9% with three annual treatment of DEC and DEC + ABZ, respectively. Addition of ABZ did not show any advantage over DEC given as three annual rounds for LF. DEC and DEC + ABZ were well tolerated. There was no correlation between result of CFA and FDS, (both claimed to be indicative of adult worm). Analysis of published studies and our data indicate that macrofilaricidal effect of DEC/DEC + ABZ may be seen in children and not adults, with three or more annual dosing.

Bailando el silencio: La SignoDanza

SignDance is a discipline Arymux company works with and it is a fusion between different dance styles and sign languages. Dancing the Silence is the name for this company signdance performance. The research is being done in the different creative, expresive and comunicative posibilities that Signdance offers, it is a part of the perspective that allows the dancers with or without disability, to integrate music and words through sign language in movement. This new concept of dance enables us to put together different styles, languages and audiences. Signdance is a way to dance the silence, a silence full of contents, emotions and words .

Rethinking Dance Theory Through Semiotics

Advancements on dance theory have often been linked to its association with other fields of inquiry. As one of the main interests of dance theory is the discussion of dance as a language, fields that are related to the study of languages present vast options for research. In this paper, linguistics is discussed to offer an understanding of the idea of language that allows for its consideration in the dance phenomenon, which is then taken further with the systematic approach of semiotics to its structures of representation. Through Peirce’s studies of how signs work, present themselves and articulate, it is possible to organise the different forms of access audiences have to the contents transmitted by dance, which, as it is demonstrated here, greatly prefer non-symbolic constructions, thus making the approach to the interpretation through the comparison to verbal languages harder and many times less fruitful then expected. Advancing dance theory through semiotics is an enterprise very little diffused at this point, but it is also one that has offered many good provocations such as the characterisation of the dance sign as an index through its corporal construction, the analysis of the multiple forms of presentation of the fundament in the dance sign and the understanding of the multiple forms of the communication of dance as a language. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.26.12426

A Rare Demonstration of the Filarial Dance Sign in the Upper Limb Lymphatic Vessels Mimicking Deep Venous Thrombosis

A Rare Demonstration of the Filarial Dance Sign in the Upper Limb Lymphatic Vessels Mimicking Deep Venous Thrombosis

The filarial dance sign in scrotal filarial infection: A case report

We describe a case of the filarial dance sign (FDS) in the epididymal region of a 22-year-old migrant worker from India who presented with a tender right scrotal swelling. Sonographic examination revealed multiple cystic lesions in the paratesticular region. The FDS was visualized within one of the cystic lesions. FDS is diagnostic of lymphatic filariasis in the appropriate clinical context.

Facial wrigglies: live extralymphatic filarial infestation in subcutaneous tissues of the head and neck

We report a rare case of a 32-year-old male with live extralymphatic filarial infestation presenting as a facial subcutaneous soft-tissue swelling. To the best of our knowledge these imaging findings have not been previously reported in the head and neck region in the existing English language literature. Real-time high-resolution ultrasonography revealed a solitary well-defined subcutaneous cystic lesion over the right zygomatic arch. It showed multiple linear, echogenic, undulating structures exhibiting a persistent twirling motion during the examination. This typical ultrasonographic appearance was consistent with the filarial dance sign (FDS) of live adult filarial worms. Subsequent MRI confirmed the cystic and solitary nature of the lesion. Complete excision of the cyst was performed, which revealed intracystic straw-coloured fluid and multiple white-coloured adult worms within the lesion. Histopathological examination confirmed multiple adult filarial worms with surrounding reactive inflammatory changes. In an endemic region, identification of the FDS in any normal anatomical structure or abnormal swelling, however remote or unusual the location within the body, should strongly suggest the diagnosis of live active filarial infestation. In view of the increasing migratory trends in the global population, it is imperative for radiologists in all countries to be aware of the typical imaging findings of this disease to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

Macrofilaricidal Activity in Wuchereria bancrofti after 2 Weeks Treatment with a Combination of Rifampicin plus Doxycycline.

Infection with the filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti can lead to lymphedema, hydrocele, and elephantiasis. Since adult worms cause pathology in lymphatic filariasis (LF), it is imperative to discover macrofilaricidal drugs for the treatment of the infection. Endosymbiotic Wolbachia in filariae have emerged as a new target for antibiotics which can lead to macrofilaricidal effects. In Ghana, a pilot study was carried out with 39 LF-infected men; 12 were treated with 200 mg doxycycline/day for 4 weeks, 16 were treated with a combination of 200 mg doxycycline/day + 10 mg/kg/day rifampicin for 2 weeks, and 11 patients received placebo. Patients were monitored for Wolbachia and microfilaria loads, antigenaemia, and filarial dance sign (FDS). Both 4-week doxycycline and the 2-week combination treatment reduced Wolbachia load significantly. At 18 months posttreatment, four-week doxycycline resulted in 100% adult worm loss, and the 2-week combination treatment resulted in a 50% adult worm loss. In conclusion, this pilot study with a combination of 2-week doxycycline and rifampicin demonstrates moderate macrofilaricidal activity against W. bancrofti.

The role of ultrasonography in the differentiation of the various types of filaricele due to bancroftian filariasis

Objective(i) To determine the frequencies of urogenital pathologies in men infected with bancroftian filariasis, and (ii) to evaluate the role of ultrasonography (USG) as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between diverse pathologies with different clinical implications. To date, all types of scrotal enlargement resulting from lymphatic filariasis (LF) have been summarized under one term: “filaricele”. Patients and methodsData were compiled from recruitment phases for field trials in an endemic area for LF in Ghana. 1453 men aged 18 years and above underwent ultrasound examinations of the scrotum. Observation parameters were: Filaria Dance Sign (FDS), dilation of supratesticular lymphatic vessels, thickness of scrotal skin, occurrence and amount of fluid accumulation, echogenicity of the fluid between the layers of the tunica vaginalis, as well as position and homogenicity of testis, epididymis and spermatic cord. In 1132 men, blood samples were taken for parasitological analysis. ResultsIn 56% of examined patients, fluid accumulation around the testis was detected (38% subclinical-, 18% clinical stages). Differentiation of the echogenicity of the fluid revealed echo-free hydrocele (EFH) in 47% and echo-dense hydrocele (EDH) in 9%. Patients without hydrocele and subclinical stages had a thinner scrotal skin than those in clinical stages or with lymphscrotum (P<0.001). In the EDH group the scrotal skin was thicker than in the EFH group (P<0.001). 1.4% had a lymphscrotum. FDS was detected in 24% of all 1453 volunteers who underwent USG. The number of worm nests correlated with microfilarial load and levels of circulating filarial antigen (P<0.001; 20% microfilaremic, 48% antigen positive). ConclusionIn an unexpected high number of men (56%) fluid accumulation around the testis was detected by USG of which more than one third (38%) presented with subclinical stages. The study showed that echo-dense and echo-free fluid could be differentiated and that a considerable number of cases had EDH (9%) posing a risk to develop necrotic testis and infertility and therefore requiring immediate surgical intervention.USG thus turned out to be a useful diagnostic technique to differentiate between those cases requiring immediate surgical intervention from those that can be treated with (anti-wolbachial and hyperpermeability reducing) drugs that ameliorate or halt progression of the disease.

Lymph scrotum: an unusual urological presentation of lymphatic filariasis. A case series study

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) causes a wide range of clinical signs and symptoms, including urogenital manifestations. Transmission control and disability/morbidity management/control are the two pillars of the overall elimination strategy for LF. Lymph scrotum is an unusual urological clinical presentation of LF with important medical, psychological, social and economic repercussions. A retrospective case series study was conducted on outpatients attended at the National Reference Service for Filariasis, in an endemic area for filariasis (Recife, Brazil), between 2000 and 2007. Over this period, 6,361 patients were attended and seven cases with lymph scrotum were identified. Mean patient age was 45 years (range, 26 to 64 years). Mean disease duration was 8.5 years (range, two to 15 years). All patients had evidence of filarial infection from at least one laboratory test (parasitological, antigen investigation or 'filarial dance sign' on ultrasound). Six patients presented histories of urological surgery. The authors highlight the importance of the association between filarial infection and the inadequate surgical and clinical management of hydrocele in an endemic area, as risk factors for lymph scrotum. Thus, filarial infection should be routinely investigated in all individuals presenting urological morbidity within endemic areas, in order to identify likely links in the transmission chain.

Antifilarial drugs, in the doses employed in mass drug administrations by the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, reverse lymphatic pathology in children withBrugia malayiinfection

Lymphatic filariasis is increasingly viewed as the result of an infection that is often acquired in childhood. The lymphatic pathology that occurs in the disease is generally believed to be irreversible. In a recent study in India, Doppler ultrasonography and lymphoscintigraphy were used to explore subclinical pathology in 100 children from an area endemic for Brugia malayi infection. All the children investigated showed some evidence of current or previous filarial infection. Some were microfilaraemic but asymptomatic, some were amicrofilaraemic but had filarial disease or a past history of microfilaraemia and/or filarial disease, and the rest, though amicrofilaraemic, asymptomatic and without any history of microfilaraemia or filarial disease, were seropositive for antifilarial IgG(4) antibodies. All the children were treated every 6 months, with a single combined dose of diethylcarbamazine (6 mg/kg) and albendazole (400 mg), and followed up for 24 months. By the end of this period all but one of the children were amicrofilaraemic and the 'filarial dance sign' could not be detected in any of the 14 children who had initially been found positive for this sign. Although lymphoscintigraphy revealed lymph-node and lymph-vessel damage in 82% of the children at enrolment, in about 67% of the children this pathology was markedly reduced by the 24-month follow-up. These results indicate that the drug regimens used in the mass drug administrations run by the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis are capable of reversing subclinical lymphatic damage and can provide benefits other than interruption of transmission in endemic areas. The implications of these findings are presented and discussed.