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If you can listen to the wisdom of your body, loving this flesh and bone, dedicate yourself to its mystery, you may one day find yourself smiling from your mirror.
(from "Coming Home to Myself" by Marion Woodman and Jill Mellick, Conari
Press, 2001)
The Body Speaks
An individual’s movement patterns and the way they
inhabit their body reflects their psychological resources, history, and capacities. I use Laban's
and Bartenieff's Movement framework in assessment, setting treatment goals, and crafting interventions - helping
clients to expand their movement choices as they deepen their lived connection with their bodies within their unique environment.
Some areas that can be addressed through Laban's
and Bartenieff's movement work include the following. Note the large area of overlap between body and psyche.
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Balancing inner connectivity and outer
expressivity (how can I feel my connection to myself and find the internal support to bring who I am out into the
world?)
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Balancing stability and mobility (how
can I feel my own security but not get stuck there? - how can I best activate and motivate myself?)
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Encouraging full three-dimensional
access to one's personal kinesphere (how can I effectively inhabit my own personal space?),
relationships with others (how do I support myself as I reach out to others, receive from them, and modulate what happens in
between us?), and the environment (how can I move through the world in a way that works for me?)
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Enhancing rhythm and effective phrasing
in life (can I pace myself in a way that provides for both effective exertion and recuperation?)
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Promoting creative, healthful, regenerative ways of moving that honor
the body's needs, prevent injuries, and increase kinesthetic satisfaction and longevity (how can I practice good-enough self
care on all levels?)
Laban Movement
Analysis is named for its creator, Rudolf Laban, who was an influential dancer and
movement teacher born in Hungary in 1879. He was trained initially as an architect and a painter, but found
his vocation in the exploration and innovation of practices related to the study of the spiritual and practical
aspects of human movement. For more information about Laban's life and work, follow the link at the bottom of this page.
Laban created a system of
working with movement that can facilitate an individual's access to, understanding of, and expansion of their movement
possibilities through the four lenses of Body, Effort, Shape, and Space.
Laban's body of work has been applied to a multitude of disciplines, including dance-movement therapy, the
performing arts (training of actors, musicians and dancers), business management and team building, political
candidate movement coaching, sports, dance education, cultural studies, fitness, anthropology, and law.
Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement are a series of body
practices developed by physical therapist Irmgard Bartenieff within the framework of Laban’s movement theories. Bartenieff
was born in Germany in 1890 and studied biology, art, and dance. She met Laban in Berlin in 1925 and studied with
him intensely and also toured with her own dance company before fleeing Germany in 1936. In the USA she obtained
a degree in physical therapy from NYU and worked for many years in this capacity. For more information about
her life and work, follow the link at the bottom of this page.
Rooted in the progression of human development, this subtle and concentrated practice
encourages the perception of the body’s connections and of the individual’s numerous relationships with his/her
internal and external environment.
Some of the basic somatic building
blocks that Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement addresses include:
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Dynamic Alignment
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Developmental Patterning
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Breath Support
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Core Support
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Center
of Weight
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Weight
Shift
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Initiation
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Sequencing
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Spatial Intent
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Effort
Intent
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Rotary
Factors
Bartenieff Fundamentals
of Movement supports those practicing it to develop ways of moving that are internally nourishing and
connected, while encouraging adaptability to the often stressful and varied situations of daily life.
Further biographical information on these
two movement pioneers can be found on Leslie Bishko's excellent website Laban for Animators...
Rudolf Laban's Biography
Irmgard Bartenieff's Biography
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