Updating Laban’s Map of Space: further development of the LBMS Space Component
Expanding human knowledge and understanding is based in the process of analysis/synthesis. Analysis is based on a process of differentiation leading to development. This occurs at both macro and micro levels of understanding. And is illustrated in the “zooming out”, expanding awareness of the cosmos, as well “zooming in”, discovering infinitesimal subatomic particles.
This developmental process also can be seen in our understanding of human movement, including as identified through the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS). The System too continues to develop and evolve its understanding of human movement through explication of the parts of movement.
In identifying the parts of human movement, patterns of thematic dualities, are recognized as foundational to how we perceive, categorize and make sense of the phenomenon of the world, whether this be in actions of stopping/starting, beginning/ending, action/stillness, or the directions of up/down, here/there or our perceptions of day/night, hot/cold etc. Thematic Duality is a foundation pattern based in oppositional parings of 2 parts creating a whole. We humans as pattern makers and patter perceivers, experience, name and create these patterns in support of understanding the world. Beginning with our concrete experience – – edible/inedible to then the abstractions we create – – heaven/hell, we conceptualize the phenomenon of the world of which we are a part.
The part/whole duality construct is seen throughout the entirety of LBMS. Duality is both an overarching pattern of human movement from a macro perspective, but also is present from a more micro perspective in each of the Body, Space, Shape and Effort Movement Components identified in LBMS as comprising the parts of our movement. And as a “system”, its parts – which can be identified in isolation, are understood to exist in synergistic relationship. The concept of this part /whole synergy is found in what LBMS identifies as the theory of Space Harmony.
Space Harmony as a cornerstone of LBMS theory and practice is rich with patterns of duality including the “duals” in the Geometry of the Platonic Solids that are used in LBMS as models of the Kinesphere. These are the 3-D polyhedral forms Laban used in mapping the directions of the patterns of our actions. In Geometry it is recognized that these forms exist in dualist relations to each other – the Octahedron/Cube, the Icosahedron/Dodecahedron and the Tetrahedron to itself.
My purpose here is to propose that in moving using these Kinesphere models, we need to include not only the Cube, Octahedron and Icosahedron, as LBMS training has historically focused on, but also to understand the nature of the relation between the dual forms of these models which requires explicating the Dodecahedron. The forms need to be studied not just as individual Kinespheric models but also as 2 parts of a greater whole in representing and experiencing the space of the Kinesphere . This opens the door to an even more rich understanding and perhaps even the creation and codification of new “Scales” in which the directions of both duals are incorporated as a more holistic perspective of the whole! This would include Cube and Octahedron as duals, and the Icosahedron and the Dodecahedron as duals. In addition, this also suggests, when studying the Cube, we incorporate understanding how the Dual Tetrahedrons create the form of the Cubic model. I have been actively exploring these aspects of Space Harmony and WholeMovement is already exploring these in its Movement Analysis Training Programs.
Thus I believe further development in the explication of Space requires adding to and updating the map of the Kinesphere created by Laban with its 26 directions. This further differentiation needs to include adding the Spatial Directions of the Dodecahedron making the map a map of 38 defined Directions. The Dodecahedron, although already explored by many, has never been fully explicated particularly in its relationship to the Icosahedron. This missing space of Laban’s map has no Motif Symbols to identify its Planal Directions. In exploring this Space, it is essential to experience that the primary and secondary Spatial Pulls of the Dodecahedral Planes are reversed. But also, that the ratio of these 2 pulls are not the Golden Proportion, as they are in the Icosahedral Planal infrastructure, but rather have a different proportional relationship creating their nature.
I believe that it is evident, that the Directions of the Dodecahedron (I am referring specifically in its Planal vertices here) are just as alive in the map of human movement as the other 26 Directions. The Dodecahedron’s Directions, apart from the Diagonals whose directions are shared with the forms of both then Cube as well as the Dual Tetrahedrons, are not yet named/identified in the LBMS map. However, we can observe and experience the space of the Dodecahedral directions in movement patterns for seen in the spatial intent expressed in yoga and in Bharatnatyam and other movement forms. This Space is also clearly expressed as well as in everyday actions. For example, the Dodecahedral Space can also be recognized through the human form in the actions such as, for movers familiar with LBMS sequences the “heel rock”. It is also evident in the bipedal human walking pattern.
Laban mapped the Kinespheric Space . He did not explicate the Space within the Body rather the Space around the Body . However, Bartenieff’s contribution advanced the Body Component of LBMS opening the way to explore the Space within. In LBMS training it is a standard practice to explore this through Dimensional Breathing. Using the Expanding and Condensing actions of our inner volume in relationship to the dimensions of our length width and breadth. The Body/Space relationship subsequently developed into identifying the Shape Component. Many more clarifications about the nature of space and spatial patterns arise as we regarding affining and dis-affining of the Spatial Continuum of our Innerspheric and Kinespheric Space. As an example we may retreat through our core (Innerspheric Space ) while reaching forward ( Kinespheric Space) creating what is often described as a kind of pleading action.
In another example, we can observe the Innerspheric/Kinespheric Duality of Octahedral Space and Cubic Space in Classical Ballet in which the Octahedral Space dominates the Kinespheric expression, but is richly supported from the Cubic Innerspheric Space from the subtilties of, for example épaulement (coming from the rotational positioning of the upper core, giving a sculpted, three-dimensional quality to the dancer’s positions).
This continuing development of LBMS is something of a passion for me but also seems an inevitable aspect of making it relevant in the world.
Karen A Studd. 2024.
