General Information
The Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies (LBMS) is an essential tool for any work with movement and dance in education, art or therapy. It allows conscious movement experience and increased expression.
Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958) was a dancer, choreographer, painter and movement researcher who also was involved with architecture, geometry, mathematics, and other sciences. Laban wanted to capture movement in its entirety. To do this he differentiated between the spatial, body-related and the dynamic aspects of a movement and examined their interaction.
What Laban developed early this century in Germany and England in the context of expressive dance continues to be developed worldwide by his students.
In the United States, Irmgard Bartenieff (1900-1981) laid the foundation for the upkeep and the development of his work.
She developed a corrective body-work, the Bartenieff Fundamentals, from Laban Movement Studies and her experience as a dancer and physical therapist.
From: "Bewegtes Wissen", Graphic: Elisabeth Howey
In order to describe precisely and clearly a movement, the Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies (LBMS) today uses the following categories:
Each movement contains these categories. The goal of the work with LBMS is to experience, observe, understand and create the different aspects of a movement.
An essential part of LBMS is the bodywork of Irmgard Bartenieff. The Bartenieff Fundamentals are basic sequences activating the body's connections and strengthening the expressiveness of the body. Movement principles and coordination patterns become consciously experienceable.
Our teaching methodology connects practical movement experience with theoretical knowledge. In this way the students will develop their movement competence and comprehension of movement.
"...movement is
living architecture..."
Rudolf von Laban
Introductory literature recommendation:
"Meaning in Motion – Introducing Laban Movement Analysis", by Carol-Lynne Moore,
published by MoveScape Center, Devner CO, USA.
On February 15, 2025 from 10 am - 6 pm (CET):
Free EUROLAB Open House Live-Online and in Berlin, Germany.
More information and program here.
