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Making the case for designation of the Laban/Bartenieff Movement SYSTEM
When I first proposed using the designation of “system” in the label and resulting acronym of LBMS over a decade ago, I encountered an amazing amount of resistance. To a certain extent this came from my arguing that Bartenieff be equally represented, rather than viewed separately, in identifying the movement analysis educational training. The original framework identified Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) as one specific thing and Bartenieff Fundamentals (BF) as another. This is a perspective which places an emphasis on parts rather than on the whole. Focusing on differentiation and an emphasis on analysis over synthesis rather than as the whole of Analysis/Synthesis.
I was also met with a considerable amount of pushback for using the term “system”. The expression “old habits die hard” comes to mind… I believe that this resistance is unwarranted and represents a pattern of avoidance of change and linked to habitual ways of thinking. I also believe that re-patterning in thinking about the way this work is identified is much needed and will continue to be needed – inevitably and unavoidably. I am always intrigued that in a community of movers, in which transformation is valued and that identifies movement as the process of change, that change is so very hard to address!
I must also note here that currently the acronym “LBMS” is now quite frequently used rather than the LMA/BF dichotomy. However, this rendering , by many refers to Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies. This is, I believe, inaccurate and even a bit disingenuous. Labanotation, Kestenberg’s work, the Language of Dance and Movement Pattern Analysis can all be reasonably identified as falling under an educational label of Laban Studies. The term “Studies” refers to something else entirely. It is generally a large umbrella term. For example, used to identify Women’s Studies or Cultural Studies etc. What is taught in movement analysis training programs based in the Laban/Bartenieff Movement SYSTEM does not train students in these applications.
So what is a “system” ?
A system may be defined as: (the definition that follows below is an amalgam gleaned from several sources)
An organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent parts. These component parts continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity and the existence of the whole system, and to achieve the goal(s) of the system.
A system is a set of interacting and interdependent component parts forming a complex/intricate whole. Every system is delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, surrounded and influenced by its environment, described by its structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.
Systems are described as synergistic. Andthat this is inherent to the nature of being a system. Systems, as conceptual models, are built upon the premise that the relationship(s) among the parts is essential to the meaning, expression, intent and purpose of the whole. In LBMS thematic duality thinking this resonates with the idea of Content/Container, the system as a model is the container of the parts that it holds as well as is shaped by.
Recognition of systems thinking, and systems theory has become more and more essential as bodies of knowledge have continued to be more and more differentiated into parts. But in order to be useful the parts are recognized in the context of the whole.
The definition that I use when introducing LBMS is: A system is a representation of a complex whole. A system is defined through relationships of interwoven parts combing to form a dynamic whole. Systems, even as only representations of organic entitles, want to ensure their success, so they adapt and evolve to survive and thrive (i.e. remain relevant – or they become extinct).
A quote that I have found useful:
“ Models are never true: but there is truth in models… We can understand the real phenomenon only by simplifying it.”
Dani Rodrik from Economic Rules*
Anyone who has studied the Laban/Bartenieff material cannot deny that the above definitions of “system” clearly apply to how we identify the B Sp Sh and E Components in relationship to each other in the explication of the phenomenon of movement. This is in fact the heart of the material. Therefore, any problem with using the term “system”, from my perspective as a longtime teacher and practitioner of the work, is at best misguided.
I have been repeatedly told that Bartenieff did not like the term, and others have said that Laban too was disdainful of this. However, there is scarce clarification or evidence supporting these views. And perhaps even more significantly is that the work of these legendary individuals continues to evolve – as it should. Movement is, after all change. Clearly movement is a complex phenomenon that in analyzing we parse into parts that we then identify in relation to the whole of the context of the movement event. As I like to remind my students – – when I was in school Pluto was a planet and quarks had not been identified. The nature of knowledge is its expansion and development and continuing explication. However just as this is a process of more and more differentiation at the same time it needs to be woven into the whole.
Giving Bartenieff her due
Anyone who has read Bartenieff’s text, Body Movement: Coping with the Environment, knows that in her text she integrates Laban’s work of Space Harmony and the Dynamic of Effort Expression with her Body explication. There is no LMA and BF presented as separate independent bodies of knowledge. These parts are one whole construct in the process of deciphering the complex phenomenon of human movement for understanding the duality and wholeness of Function and Expression. I also want to encourage all of us to not fall into the trap/pattern of saying “Laban” when what we mean is: Laban/Bartenieff. Of course, it is quite possible to study Laban’s work without the contributions of Bartenieff, but this is not the work that CMA’s and other equivalent movement analysts are certified in! There is a part of me which also identifies this as a necessary feminist, or if one prefers womanist, stance and that we must not allow Barteneiff to be given short shrift in the way that so many women have been over the course of history.
I am happy to report that after adopting the title /acronym LBMS, now well over a decade ago in all the movement analysis programs I am associated with (in addition to workshops and continuing education classes ) as well as using this term in the text EverBody is a Body (coauthored with my colleague Laura Cox and now in its 2nd edition), the acronym LBMS is becoming widely used with the “S” referring to SYSTEM . I am confident that this more accurate label that identifies it as a system and not studies will eventually be adopted.
*Dani Rodrik is a Turkish economist and Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
KStudd (initial doc first written in 2012 last updated 2019 and again 2024)
Amy LaViers and Cat Maguire (WholeMovement) are published with MIT Press!
The book is supported by digital resources at makingmeaningwithmachines.com as well as being open source at mitpress.mit.edu under Making Meaning with Machines. MIT Press describes the book:
A rigorous primer in movement studies for designers, engineers, and scientists that draws on the fields of dance and robotics.
How should a gestural interface react to a “flick” versus a “dab”? Versus a “punch”? Should robots reach out to a human counterpart with a direct, telescoping action or through a circuitous arc in space? Just as different movements express the different internal states of human movers, so too can the engineered systems behind robots.
In Making Meaning with Machines, Amy LaViers and Catherine Maguire offer a refreshingly embodied approach to machine design that supports the growing need to make meaning with machines by using the field of movement studies, including choreography, somatics, and notation, to engage in the process of designing expressive robots.
Drawing upon the Laban/Bartenieff tradition, LaViers and Maguire sharpen the movement analysis methodology, expanding the material through their work with machines and putting forward new conventions, such as capitalization, naming, and notation schemes, that make the embodied work more legible for academic contexts.
The book includes an overview of movement studies, exercises that define the presented taxonomy and principles of movement, case studies in movement analysis of both humans and robots, and state-of-the-art research at the intersection of robotics and dance.
Making Meaning with Machines is a much-needed primer for observing, describing, and creating a wide array of movement patterns, which ultimately can help facilitate broader and better design choices for roboticists, technologists, and designers.
“Dance artists LaViers and Maguire take readers on a fascinating scholarly tour of human movement and offer a compelling program for roboticists, technologists, and designers seeking fresh perspectives on human-machine interaction.”
Naomi Ehrich Leonard, Edwin S. Wilsey Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University
“By capturing both the appearance of movement and its meaning through novel notation, LaViers and Maguire ask us to actually move and use that movement to innovate computational movement analysis and robotic design.”
Thanassis Rikakis, Dean and Professor, Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, University of Southern California
“LaViers and Maguire bring their deep choreographic knowledge of dance to those who want to ‘make robots dance.’ By moving towards fundamental felt meaning-making processes, better robot interactions can be designed.”
Kristina Höök, Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology; author of Designing with the Body: Somaesthetic Interaction Design (MIT Press)
Convex/Concave Shape pattern of rippled wavy lines: up and over, down and under, this way and that way
Shape defined – In LBMS Shape is defined as the Body’s changing form in relationship to itself and the environment. The Shape Movement Component is the bridge connecting our Body to the Space. This development can be linked to the development of recognition of Self and Other, as our Body is the basis of Self, and all that is not Self is thus the Other of our world in the LBMS context.
Developmental Progression – Developmental progression builds from simpler to more complex through the process of differentiation. That is, from a process of discerning the parts of the whole. Developmental Progression involves a succession of stages increasing in specificity and complexity and in which later stages are dependent on preceding stages.
In this
article I will be addressing two foundational aspects of the Shape BESS
Component – Concave/Convex and Gather/Scatter.
The
foundations of the Shape Movement Component begins with the duality of the
Convex/Concave form. This aspect of Shape is built into the design and development
of our moving form. An example of how this is explicitly expressed is in our
Spinal development and the actions of the spine allowing us to Condense inward
or Expand outward.
The
Spine with its curvilinear progressive development and as the axis of our
length and linked to our bilaterality is foundational in so many, many ways but
I will not address this here as the focus of this blog is on Shape not Body. What is essential to understand is that the
Body’s form and function are the foundation of this discussion.
The Concave/Convex form as it relates to the Body/Space duality foregrounds the Body (- BODY/space -) and this aspect of the body form’s gives rise to identifying actions toward self and away from self. This next level of understanding becomes the basis of the actions of “give and take” and a further differentiation in the Body/Space relationship resulting in the Shape actions of Gathering and/or Scattering as the Space becomes more clarified. All subsequent aspects of the Shape Component, including the Still Forms, Modes of Shape Change and Shape Qualities are supported by these foundational aspects of Shape (Concave/Convex and Gather/Scatter).
I. To start – Concave/Convex ) ( & ( )
Wholeness and simultaneous Duality is
inherent in this form – – a Convex shape is already
also Concave, the perspective is the
determining factor. For example, if I cup my hand to hold water to sip, the
palm surface is Concave while the back of the hand convex in this relationship
creating a container for content. Likewise, the inside of the skull is a
concave shape supporting the content of the brain and the convex outer surface of
the skull is the container to protect the brain contained within the shape.
The Concave /Convex experience through our
form allows for the experience of Duality and Wholeness of continuum and the paradox
of oppositional duality creating wholeness. This foundational Shape duality
gives rise to the many ways we come to understand the world and ourselves in
it. It supports the idea of content and container. Containers support Content.
This Shape relationship in turn allows discernment of Mobility and Stability –
– Containers are often Stable in support of Mobile Content. It also supports
the understanding of Inner and Outer.
More about the Concave/Convex foundational
aspect of Shape
Think about all the patterns of space harmony in the natural world and all the images and metaphoric associations associated with this Shape form including: waves, crests, hills and valleys, under curves and over curves, arches, domes , umbrellas!
Next think about and move to experience the Shape of CONCAVE –
Explore simple actions of the arms, the
spine and how our experience of the creating Concave Shapes gives rise to associations
including:
surrounding
enclosing
containing
protecting
condensing
Now explore the Experience of the Shape
of CONVEX including perceptions of:
defending or shielding
keeping out
expanding
Think about how the Convex focus can be used
to attack or to express vulnerability.
Think how both aspects of the Concave/Convex shape creates boundaries and relationships.
II. Next foundational level – Actions of Gather/Scatter
Gathering and Scattering builds from the
Body’s design in its form but this now can become a more differentiated aspect
of the Body/Space relationship. A
Gathering action does not have to include the opposite of Scattering and vice
versa (unlike the less differentiated Concave/Convex aspect of Shape which has
both built in to the whole). This relates to how FUNCTION (and the Expression
of our intent) has become more
significant in the process of development and how the SPACE now is also more significant-
body/SPACE – linked to the recognition of “towards” and “away” which is a spatial
understanding.
Clarity in how we relate to the environment
through volitional actions of the Body continues to develop at a new more refined
level. This is the relationship of towards self and away from self. From the
Space towards the Body and from the Body into the Space in expressing capacity and
intent of giving and taking. These
actions build on the Body’s Changing Convex/Concave capacity but now allow the
Space to coexist with the Body in this relationship going beyond the foundation
of form into how it functions to serve us.
A more nuanced Inner/Outer relationship is
developed relating to motivations and intents of the mover in response to their
needs. Actions become interactions. We
experience how these Gathering and Scattering actions allow us to interact in
the world.
To start to explore this capacity linked to
our intent (but grounded in the Body as basis) try:
Breathing as Gathering and
Scattering,
Hearing and Seeing as Gathering
to “take” in information, as well as using eye gaze to “give” out information
through eye contact with another
Vocalizing as Scattering (giving
action)
All Basic Body actions explored
as ways to either Give or Take – what is the Gathering in the action of touch?
What is the Scattering of Touch (in the Basic Body action of Connecting)? When
is Traveling underscored by Scattering? When is it in support of
Gathering?
The Space Harmony of Form and Function
are expressed through the Shape Component of our movement in our actions
and interactions. Building on the foundations of Concave/Convex and Gathering/Scattering,
the subsequent development of this Component follows in the Modes of Shape
Change. The Modes further clarify the Self/Other relationship (Shape Flow,
Directional Movement and Shaping). The development of the Shape Component is
also built on the Inner/Outer, Body/Space relationship of our Innersphere
(linked to the Core Shape Change of the Shape Qualities) and access to our
Kinespheric Space as we cope with and master our environments in
the world we inhabit* .
This is why we value, in LBMS Somatic
Education, exploring our movement capacity through experiential anatomy to
deepen our self-awareness. And this is how and why we integrate Bartenieff Fundamental
awareness and the practice of Space Harmony Scale work. This is why BF and Space Harmony are in fact
an interwoven Whole of the Body/Space relationship.
*This is a reference to the titles of
Bartenieff’s and Laban’s texts addressing the Body/Space interaction.
Body Movement: Coping with the
Environment by Irmgard Bartenieff
The Phases of the Moon are perceived as Phrases in the moon’s cycle
Phrasing is key to movement – All movement is change. From simple to complex, changes in body position, location in space, muscle tension, focus (etcetera) create the patterns of our actions. Understanding movement is through the process of recognising and interpreting the patterns. Phrases are containers . They hold the content of intention. They allow a large whole to be organised into smaller increments (or units of change ) as illustrated in the above photo of the cycle of the moon. Unlike another Foundational Pattern – the pattern of Thematic Duality, Phrasing is temporal as it is a sequence through time. Phrasing is one of the ways that the phenomenon of Time is part of Movement Analysis and LBMS.
A series of linked actions, connected through sequences of time, create the phrases of our human movement. Phrases may be seen at different “levels”, from a more macro to a more micro perspective. For example: seasons of the year, to months, weeks, days, hours, is starting from a more macro way of phrasing time and becoming increasingly more micro in how we parse sequences of time.
Aspects of phrasing include duration or length of phrases as well as if the phrases are discrete or overlapping, where one phrase blends into another. In addition, if there is an emphasis in a part of the phrase, for example at the beginning or ending, this too can create a pattern or type of phrasing linked to its meaningfulness.
A phrase is often described as a “complete thought” in language. In this way a phrase , is both a whole in itself, as well as a part of a greater whole (Part/Whole theme).
Phrasing creates and supports meaning. Below are some language examples of this idea. * The words below, in example “A”, are somehow meaningless until the phrasing creates the containers for the content and intent in example “B”.
(A) That that is is that that is not is not
(B) That that is, is; that that is not, is not.
When we change the Phrasing, we change the meaning as illustrated in using the same sentence with 2 different phrasings (below)
Woman without her man, is a savage. – -or – – Woman: without her, man is a savage.
Examples
of phrasing can be found in phenomena of all kinds. Phrasing can be seen in
everything from functional structural designs (architecture and engineering
come to mind) to the expressive compositional phrasing of music, poetry and
dance. Language as it is sounded, spoken and written is phrased in its patterns.
Learning movement, teaching movement, re-patterning movement all are dependent
on the phrasing of movement.
Body Phrasing – In looking at the phrasing of human movement we can start from identifying the functional phrasing of body organisation. For example, kinetic chains, or the neuromuscular initiation and sequencing of actions are examples of Body level Phrasing. Does a sequence progress from the upper unit and sequence to the lower unit, for example? Or from the distal end of a limb to its proximal end, or vice versa?
Unsupported
or “disconnected” movement often is the result of breaks or interruptions in
the sequence of a body phrase and may be a key, both in identifying a
problematic pattern as well as finding a solution through re-patterning the
phrasing of the movement.
More BESS Phrasing – In addition to Body aspects of Phrasing, we can also look at spatial (Space Component) and dynamic (Effort Component) aspects of movement phrasing (Space Phrasing and Effort Phrasing) . Understanding the spatial and dynamic aspects of a phrase may assist in clarifying the intent of the mover.
A spatial phrase creates a pathway – or several pathways – through the mover’s space (the Kinesphere). Such a phrase might be seen in a linear progression in the Vertical Dimension from high to low, or a sweeping Planal arc, or in a more complex spiraling sequence through the 3 Dimensions of Space.
The dynamic Effort changes in action support both functional as well as expressive aspects of the phrasing of movement. Looking at the dynamics of a phrase we can see what changes, what is emphasized, or if there are accented moments. These Effort Dynamics including their phrasing reflect the mover’s attitude and intent underlying a sequence of actions.
Emphasis in some part of a phrase at the beginning, or in the middle, or at the end – creates an identifiable type of phrasing pattern. Emphasis may be observed in Space or Dynamics/Effort or Body or Shape Phrasing. In other words Phrasing can be observed and experienced in all the BESS Movement Components.
Rhythm and Phrasing are interconnected concepts. Patterns of duration, holding and emphasis create rhythm , thus rhythm is linked to the concept of phrasing. Rhythms are linked to repetition and patterns emerge from repetition.
Rhythmic patterns can be seen in space through movement ( as well as the rhythms seen in art and architecture of line, design proportion) . Rhythm divides or breaks up the ongoingness of Flow (here addressing Flow as baseline from which all patterns emerge). The rhythms of our flow become the phrasing patterns of our movement sequences.
Fundamental Rhythms – The nature and feeling of duple and triple ( 2’s and 3’s )
TWO (2) is a statement of a line, an ongoing progression. But also creates the simple clarity, of beginning and ending. And in this way it describes opposites. Two ends of a continuum creating an either/or polarity. This duality can describe a harmony of balance and symmetry.
Examples of duality in the LBMS organisation of perception and experience of the patterns of movement can be found in:
LBMS Themes – Inner/Outer, Exertion/Recuperation, Function/Expression Mobility/Stability as well as other themes often addressed including: Simple/Complex, Self/ Other, Beginning/End, Part/Whole, Macro/Micro
Effort – Condensing/Indulging creating the 2 Elements of each Factor ie. Light/Strong, Direct/Broad, Free/Bound, Quick/Sustained. Effort Phrasing which emphasises either the beginning (Impulsive) or the end ( Impactive) of a phrase
Space – the phrase of the progression of space which connects the two ends of each Dimension, the two ends of each Diagonal, the two ends of each Diameter.
Body – our bilateral symmetry and our organisation relative to our form for example in the rhythm and phrasing of our walking. And in a more macro phrase sense beginning (our birth)/ end (our death) And all the many duple rhythms of our biological existence – inhale/exhale, heartbeat, ingestion/excretion etc. etc.
Shape – The Concave/Convex Relationship, the Gathering/Scattering actions and in Shape Flow linked to the 3 dimensional of our form through lengthening /shortening, bulging/hollowing and widening /narrowing, The Spoke-like Directional mode in actions towards and away from self, which in turn is based in Self/Other duality. Other examples in the Shape category are the oppositional polarities of the Core Shape Qualities – Spreading/Enclosing, Advancing/Retreating, Rising/Sinking
THREE (3) is often curvilinear in its nature but can also create the form of a triangle Which in turn can create a loop or cyclic progression around the closed triangle. In a 3 rhythm there is more differentiation as the idea of the middle emerges. This suggests more complexity and a shift in emphasis to what happens between the beginning and the end. The process becomes even more important – the life between the birth and the death – the dash between the dates on a tomb stone depicting the date of birth and date of death which has always seemed such a reductionist way of recording the phrase of one’s life!
Rhythms
of 3 can also create Stable Triangular patterns and can be linked to aspects of
our Dynamic Alignment (Body Component ) through our bony architecture but also
to all the BESS components such as what we identify as a 3 ring as a Spatial
sequence.
Examples
of a tri-partite rhythmic patterns in the LBMS system of organization of
perception experience of the patterns of movement can be found in:
Body – our experience of the volume our 3D form, true spirals in gradated rotation of the whole body kinetic chains connecting flexion/extension, abduction/adduction & inward/outward rotation as well as in the progression from 1D to 2D to 3D.
Effort – Effort is constantly fluctuating as we move between and among the constellations of the States and Drives and the link to 3 can be seen in how each Drive combines 3 of the 4 Effort Factors and in addition how each Drive is supported by 3 “Cluster States” linked to the Drive.
Space – A phrase of 3 directions linked as 2 pathways in theTransversal progression of: Flat, Steep, Suspended in Icosahedral Scales including the Axis and A or B Scales. (These are Space Harmony Scales practices in LBMS Movement Analysis training programs)
Space Harmony – In the Harmonic structure of the rhythms of Space, in the Transverse A & B Scales of the Icosahedron, Rudolph Laban identifies the Steeple type phrasing as a “bipartite rhythm of diagonal directions” (The Language of Movement: A Guidebook to Choreutics p 154). He goes on to identify the Flat, Steep, Suspended phrasing as a type of tri-partite rhythm through which to experience the space harmony of patterns of human movement.
More about Phrasing and phrasing types
Please
read this. I see what you mean.
Please read this. I see what
you mean. or I see what you mean
Please
read this. I see what you mean. or I see what you mean
Please
read this. I see what you mean.
Try
clapping a simple 3 rhythm accenting the 1 over and over. Switch to the 2nd
beat. Switch the accent to the last beat. What is the nature, feeling or mood
in each case?
Impulsive Phrasing – the emphasis is at the
beginning of the phrase. It may be abrupt – as when happens when someone
interrupts. It may be aggressive or intrusive. It may also be excited – the
initiation of a big new idea – “I’ve
got it!”. Or
being impressed “Way to go!”. Impulsive Phrasing can
also be found in duple rhythms such the double pulsing often used in jump
rope.
Swing Phrasing – the emphasis is in the middle
of the phrase. It builds to a climax
then recedes. An example may be cracking a whip (preparation – snap – withdrawal). A wave
breaking on the shore, skipping rhythm. Although a Swing type phrase requires 3
parts – a beginning, middle and end – you will frequently find rhythms of 2’s
and 3’s layered. As in the common 6/8 meter which can also be experienced as
duple feel with emphasis on 1
2 3 4 5 6. In LBMS the interconnectedness of 2’s and 3’s
can be seen in the States associated with a Drive or the nature transverse
movement and more specifically the pathways of Transversals in space. Where the
2D nature of each individual plane is interwoven through a cycle (pattern) of
moving through all 3 Planes. In addition, the relationship of the (2 D) Planal
Diameters experienced as deflections of the 3D Diagonal
Impactive Phrasing – the emphasis is the conclusion.
This can be about being definite it builds up to a conclusion. It may be authoritative,
or absolutist used to show determination or resolve. “That’s It!”
Phrasing style is an important aspect of one’s baseline Personal Movement Signature.
So
far so good – but what exactly is a
Phrase? A phrase is often (to use a word
I heard CMA Carol Lynne Moore apply to the concept of the Dynamosphere) a
“fuzzy” concept in LBMS. It is fuzzy in that the edges are unclear. Although
perhaps unclear is a poor word choice as it is clear to the individual
observer. According to CMA and non-verbal communication researcher Martha
Davis, observers each seemed “to have an individually consistent approach to
delineating phrases. However, the observer’s recording very often differed from
each other. They do not appear to share concepts of phrase boundaries.” This
would seem to resonate with the idea that Phrasing can be viewed from both a
Macro as well as Micro perspective – something we do all the time as we shift
our attention to the phrasing of a day morning, noon and night, to seasons of a
year, or patterns of time into epochs. We do this as well in LBMS, looking both
at the BIG movement picture as perhaps revealed through the larger lens of a
particular theme, or in a small movement unit of a single action. Like fractals
larger patterns are composed of smaller patterns which, when magnified, become the larger pattern. Theme
of Part/Whole
*Thanks to my WM colleague Esther Geiger (CMA) and her husband Joel for reminding me about these examples from language
Post by KStudd – Updated Summer 2022 from earlier document of 2015
This post is in response to questions I
often encounter about where Time fits into the LBMS structure. And also, to what I have recently been
thinking about and exploring in relation to this inquiry with several classes.
Flow – Breath – Time:
The Action ofBreath – a foundational experience that is linked to our developing a concept of time
The action of our breath and the ongoing
process of breathing is a life definer. Indeed, we generally demarcate our
lives starting from the first breath at our birth and ending with the last
breath when we die. We see this demarcation through the dates carved on tombstones
with the dash in the middle representing the entire life lived in between these
dates! I have remarked about this image in
many classes and how this reveals the significance of the beginnings and
endings as phrase boundaries. In addressing this tombstone motif, I have also
joked about how the “main action” of this life phrase is denigrated to a minus
sign in the middle! However, this horizontal dash line, separating the
beginning and ending, can also be viewed as the flowline – the
flowline/timeline of the life of an individual. (Remember that in LBMS Motif,
Flow is represented as a horizontal line).
In the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System
flow is considered as the foundational basis of movement. This baseline flow is
the successive and fluctuating “ongoingness” of life energy. In this way the
flow construct is aligned with (or perhaps even synonymous with?) the
experience of our perception of time i.e. as a continuous streaming of
life. This flow base is the universal
flow of all life. However, although we
as individuals are part of this universal life flow, we also have our own
personal flow, and this is the basis of how we experience the action of control
through the withholding or releasing the flow of our actions. This control action
includes breathing as an experience of life’s ongoing energy.
Our breathing itself is a duality
expressing states of both “being” as well as “doing”. These states, in turn can
be associated with the Body/Mind and Mind/Body duality/wholeness of the human
condition. We breath as a part of being alive (linked to our “being”) and this
does not require any attention, agency or choice. But we can also actively
choose to intervene in our personal breath process (by doing). We can hold our
breath (at least for a while). We can take a deep breath; we can slow down our
breathing or forcefully breathe out.
(NB I am addressing breath in a context of
relatively stable health and well-being, not in cases of disease or physical
impairment that are experienced for example in chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease – COPD or asthma).
SpaceTime
Our personal flow as expressed in the breath
process is a part of the greater universal flow. This personal/universal
duality can be linked also to the LBMS Duality Theme of the Inner/Outer
relationship. We experience this
continuum as we breath, taking in oxygen from the air of the outer environment
and then giving out carbon dioxide back to the outer environment. Through the
breath process we experience ourselves as connecting Inner/Outer. Many classes
in the LBMS practice start from this place of awareness of breath (Body) and
Space. In these classes we experience the Body as a container of Space and the
action of breathing being the foundation of finding the continuum from the
inner space (what we now identify as Innersphere) to the outer space, the space
of our Kinesphere and beyond into the shared General Space of the environment.
I believe that as part of our functional
experience of breath and our personal expression through the breath process,
we come to identify/create the concept of time. Humans are both pattern makers
as well as pattern perceivers. The parts of the time concept can be found in
the actions – in the phrasing and rhythm – of our breathing including: tempo,
duration, emphasis. (NB Remember that Function/Expression is one of the four
major Duality Themes recognized as foundational patterns in LBMS)
Experience
To explore the idea of time linked to
breath, try this – – simply breathe and become aware of the Phrasing of the
actions of your breathing. Start by sensing the breath phrase as having two
parts – the inhale, the exhale. Next also become aware of the transitions
between these two actions, in the active stillness at the end of the inhale
before the exhale, and then also at the end of the exhale before the next
inhale. Note the relative duration of all these parts. Are they all the same or do they take
different amounts of time?
What about the tempo of your breath rhythm
– is it moderate or slow or fast?
Is there an emphasis at the beginning or
middle or end of the phrase of a breath? Or is it even? If there is an emphasis,
is it linked to acceleration or deceleration?
Now explore making specific changes in
these aspects of time through altering the breath phrase. Explore changing duration of the different
parts. Change the tempo by breathing faster or slower. Explore places of emphasis
in the phrase of a breath – at the beginning of the inhale or at the transition
between the inhale and exhale or at the end of the exhale. What happens when you intervene by altering
the duration, tempo or emphasis of the parts of the breath phrase? What feels
natural, familiar or weird? What memories or images or associations occur?
Time has a universal aspect. This is the
time recognized in our conceptualizations of the Physics of SpaceTime. In addition,
we functionally identify and create constructs of time that we use to measure
and capture the ephemeral phenomena of time. We identify seconds, minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months, years and eras, measuring from the micro to macro shorter
and longer increments of duration.
But we also have our own personal relation
to time and how we relate to this streaming. We identify our past, and our
future as well as the moment-to-moment experience linked to what in LBMS we
identify as the Time Effort Factor. Time Effort is an expression of how we feel
about the flow of time as we accelerate and decelerate. As we hurry up or linger,
as we perceive time’s passing and our need or desire to expand or condense time.
Different cultures view time in different
ways . This could be material for a
whole other blog post! But this is not my intent in this post so I will save
this topic for a later time!
But it is interesting to note that there is
well-known a phenomenon identifying two distinct perceptions of the movement
of time: one is the experience of time from what is called an ego-moving
perspective of time and the other is the time-moving perception of time. For a user-friendly
explanation of this take a look at:
In the ego-moving perspective you perceive
yourself as moving forward through time. In the time-moving perspective your
perception is more that you are stable and time is flowing through you. ( Ask yourself – “Is the end of the week coming?” or “are you moving
towards the weekend?”) These two perspectives
have a connection to the Mobile/Stable Theme used in LBMS. And I connect the idea of these two
perspectives to questions I often ask of those I have engaging in a breath
awareness experience (not attempting to change but simply experiencing the way they
are breathing) – “when you breath in, are you pulling in air (you doing)? Or is
the air rushing in filling a vacuum or empty space?” “And when you exhale are
you sending the air out or is it flowing out in the same way that water runs
downhill?” This is also a returning to the theme of being/doing that I
addressed earlier
As we well know breath and flow are vital
somatic experiences and offer endless opportunities for connecting to oneself
and to the world. They are at the heart of somatic practices.
You might want to ask yourself as you connect
to yourself through breathing- How do you feel about time’s passing? – To the
flowline/timeline of your life?
Space
– Space
can most simply be described as the environment, the totality of what surrounds
us – the medium we exist within.
Harmony – in understanding harmony looking at synonyms can enlighten us. Some examples of these include: balance, coherence, concinnity, consonance, orchestration, proportion, symmetry, symphony, unity.
Space
Harmony – thus,
I would define Space Harmony as patterns expressing concinnity of the universe.
These patterns explicate part/whole relationships which support
growth, life, continuity, development, life’s progression. These patterns are
frequently fractal in nature and often self-replicating or cyclic but also allow
for change (evolution). The image of the
spiraled nautilus shell is frequently used as an example of Space Harmony and
Sacred Geometry is rife with Space Harmony patterns and images.
Patterns
of Space Harmony also express dualistic patterns of universal balance in change
and constant, symmetry/asymmetry, building and destroying, development and decay.
All of which are expressions of order/chaos and the patterns of life and death
– whether it be of an individual organism or of a star.
Much
of Laban’s work is based in the Space Harmony expressed through the patterns of
human movement. His writings, both the
theoretical, more technical text, as
well as the more philosophical words confirm this. And Laban, as something of a
crystallographer, used the models of the spatially harmonic Platonic Solids in
his mapping the patterns of human movement of the mover’s personal space (or
what we define as the Kinesphere). Therefore, Space Harmony is a foundational
idea of the theory, practice and one could even say, philosophy of the
Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) as based in Laban’s work.
In LBMS we can identify the essential Self/Other Theme with two foundational components of movement: Body (Self) and Space (Other). Juxtaposed with this Body/Space framing of Self/Other, is the Inner/Outer Theme, as we identify Space as existing on a continuum from inner to outer. We experience that we are containers of Space – perhaps most easily sensed in how our inner volume expands and condenses as we breathe (but also experienced in other inner body spaces). WholeMovement identifies/names the space contained within the Body as the Innersphere. In addition to experiencing the space within, we can also experience that we are contained by space i.e., that we exist within Space. In the system we identify the containers of this space outside, and which surrounds us, as our personal space of the Kinesphere, the General Space of our localized environment and continuing outward to the totality of the cosmic/universal space. I frequently use a picture in a class “handout” that illustrates this idea of the containers of space, in which the image of a series of Russian Nesting dolls represent the spatial continuum. It starts with the smallest doll representing the Innersphere, then the next in size representing the Kinesphere , and then the next representing the General Space and finally the largest doll representing the Universal Space.
I also use a handout that illustrates a modified model of the BESS frame that shows the Components in a slightly different relationship. Rather than a simple horizontal progression of 4 letters (B – E – S – S) I use a vertical progression that starts at at the top with Body/Space and under this is the Shape Component and under this is the Effort Component. Remember, systems and models, as well as all bodies of knowledge, are ways we use to conceptualize parts in relationship. In other words, how we organize our perceptions and frame the ideas that arise from the part/whole relationships of our lived experience. Remember too, that we humans are both pattern discerners as well as pattern makers in the experience and creation of our reality.
The Theme of Inner Outer Inner/Outer can also be linked to the ways in which we engage with the phenomenon of human movement in the theory and practice of LBMS. We do this primarily in two contexts: 1) from what we observe (outside ourselves) and 2) what we experience (part of our inner self). We should, of course, acknowledge that these 2 perspectives overlap in human experience but are also differentiated. In other words, LBMS attempts to understand human movement from the perspective of the mover and also from the perspective of the observer.
We
use these perspectives in describing, interpretating and finding the meaning in
our patterns of action, reaction and interaction. In other words, the analysis
and synthesis (part/whole relationship) in the practice of movement analysis.
The System (LBMS) itself continues to evolve due to practitioners’ applications, other bodies of knowledge and other systems for identifying and codifying human movement which overlap with LBMS.
NB –
this post is meant as a macro perspective and does not in any way
explicate the highly developed practice of Space Harmony as a movement
technique that explores the directions, pathways, forms, body support and
dynamospheric relationships of the Spatial Scale sequences developed and
codified by Laban.
image of Salvador Dali’s Persistence of Memory from Wikipedia
In the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) the phenomenon
of time is not explicated and is not identified as a discrete component of
movement in the system.
Time is addressed implicitly, but it is not identified
(generally speaking) as a separate entity. Tangentially, it is interesting to
note that in the models of contemporary Physics the concepts of time and three-dimensional
space are regarded as fused in a four-dimensional continuum identified as “spacetime”.
Aspects of time are present however in several parts of the Laban/Bartenieff
system. Time is concretely and specifically addressed in phrasing patterns. In
a phrase time is expressed as sequence. So, in a phrase the order of actions through
time is indicated. There are multiple examples of this temporal aspect of
movement expressed through sequence and identified as “phrasing” in the theory
and practice of LBMS.
From the perspective of the Body Component for example, we
might identify a phrase in which the
progression of action through the body is initiated in the core and progresses
to the limbs. Or in an Effort Component example, we might see a phrase
which begins with a Strong/Free/Quick
action and then changes as it resolves into an action that is Bound/Direct , i.e.
Passion Drive becoming Remote State. Or from the Space Component we can look to
the practice of Steeple and Volute Phrasing in the transverse A and B movement scales.
These two patterns of spatial phrasing are practiced as a technique to gain insight into larger
patterns of Space Harmony, where change over
time is experienced as either abrupt or gradual. And for an example coming from
the Shape Component, we can identify the Modes of Shape Change in their developmental
progression (over a much longer duration of time and a more macro perspective
than the previous examples). Starting from
the infant’s Shape Flow actions and continuing to the child’s developing Directional
Movement capacity and then finally to being able to articulate the action of Shaping.
This is an example of a sequence of time
seen through the progression of psycho-motor development starting in infancy.
Time is also addressed in LBMS through relative duration. This
allows us to identify how long an action is – i.e. how much time an action takes. Time duration can also link to rhythm (although it should be noted that rhythms can
be focused on emphasis and/or proportion separate from the consideration of time).
There is, of course, one aspect of time that the system does
explicate. This is time as a qualitative part of the dynamics of movement. This
is addressed in the system as the Time Effort
Factor which identifies the experience of time and expressed through the
process of acceleration or deceleration in action. In the Time Effort Factor, Time
is characterized as either being indulging – as expressed in the lingering affect
of deceleration, or condensing by the intent of actions revealing the intention
of acceleration process. Thus, Time Effort addresses the process, observed or
experienced, in moments of slowing down or speeding up.
Tempos of time are not specifically addressed in LBMS, and
this is a point that could bear more consideration because clearly how fast or
how slow change occurs can be a significant aspect of revealing the meaning and
intent of the movement process and also tempo can impact the functional
efficiency of action and can also be significant in the expressive aspect of
movement. Remember, movement is the
process of change and how long and how fast or slow is the process clearly is a
part of what is discernable in movement.
Time as an aspect of Space Harmony
Space Harmony, which is a foundational concept of LBMS views
the Space Harmony of human movement as part of the larger Space Harmony of the
patterns of nature, of the world or even of the universe . This after all was
why Laban used the Platonic Solids as the models to map the movement of the
human Kinesphere. In looking to the
Space Harmony patterns of space and time of the natural world, we can gain
insight about our own movement. For
example, in looking at the pattern of a river’s meandering pathway we see both
the ongoing change in the present through the tempo of the flow of the river’s
water, but we see as well, in the shape of the banks of the river, the change that occurs at a much slower pace and
over a much longer time period that creates the river’s patterns of its lateral
meanders. So perhaps this needs to be viewed as Spacetime Harmony!
The duration and tempo of time’s passing are revealed through the structures of the
world including the structures of our bodies. We see and experience growth,
development, healing and aging through the process and tempos of the time of
our bodies. We see the passage of time
over the structures we humans create – – our cities, our architecture. We see the passage of time too in the layers
of rocks and this geologic time has a different tempo than the tempo of our
daily experience.
Our bodies too express multiple rhythms and many tempos of
time – building muscle, healing the tissues of a wound, the flow of blood or
lymph or cerebral spinal fluid – all of these have their own tempos. The Rhythms
and tempo of breathing and of digestion are each a unique part of what we
experience in our body time . Likewise, the tempos of moving from the bones vs
moving from a sense of the body’s fluids can change the tempo and experience of
time for the mover.
Perhaps the time has come (pun intended) we should consider in the ongoing evolution of LBMS continues, to adding the Component of Time to the taxonomy allowing for such concepts as:
sequencing
duration (relative)
rhythm and emphasis
cycles
So, BESS could be BESST perhaps!
Undeniably time contributes to patterns that we observe and
experience and making the aspect of Time more explicit could further assist
with the process of analysis and synthesis.
I believe also that time (not Time Effort) is often important
when we identify the Dynamosphere of the environment. In this regard time can
be a significant and linking the micro of the present to a more macro
perspective connecting to the past. For example, when we see in the natural
environment geologic forms expressed in the layers of rock formations, part of our appreciation is connected to space/time
harmony as we connect to the dynamics of change in the environment through the
passage of time . And our Dynamospheric experience is linked to our perspective
of time that extends beyond our personal present time. Likewise, when we enter a space such as the Parthenon,
we connect energetically to the passage of time) that is not limited to the
time of present day of our own Kinesphere but in the sense of time/space of
past movers i.e. Dynamospheric space/time.
I believe that Space Harmony illuminates the Part/Whole
duality and connection through time as a crucial part of the process of change
through time.
My favorite thing about LBMS is that it helps me look for patterns, in myself, my interactions, my environment, and my life. Finding the pattern makes it possible to choose what, if any, change(s) to make.
Patterns
of Movement / Changing to Heal
Years ago,
when I first immersed myself in LBMS studies, I developed a knee injury that
sidelined me from dancing, performing, even walking. Physical therapy exercises
to strengthen the surrounding muscles helped only temporarily; the injury kept
recurring. Finally, I realized that the LBMS
training was changing an old pattern of mine.
Decades of dance technique – mostly Graham and other early Modern forms
– had strengthened me through Binding.
Now the multifaceted world of LBMS exploration was encouraging me to let
go. Which I did, into Passive Weight,
dropping all the holding and dumping the stress into my knees. Once I noticed that pattern, I could begin to
think in terms of “what else is possible” rather than just “either/or”. I discovered that, instead of releasing from
holding into collapse, I could release into activation. As I practiced this new movement pattern, my
injury gradually healed.
Patterns
in Interaction/Changing to Get Along
While
administrator at a large yoga center, I heard complaints from two employees in
conflict. “She’s pressuring me, she’s
pressuring me! If she would just slow down!” cried T, a careful, methodical worker. “She won’t get moving; she’s not getting
anything done! She needs to hurry up!” declared B, whose Quick Impulses kept
her flying through her day.
I spoke to
each of them:
“T, I’ll bet, when you are cooking, you read the recipe, then line up all the
ingredients, then read the recipe again before you follow the steps one by
one.” “Yes! How did you know?!”
“B, when you
cook, I imagine you might have glanced at a recipe for ideas, and are
assembling and chopping stuff while you’re throwing things in the pot, and
keeping it stirred, right?” “Of course!”
she exclaimed.
“Well, here,
you are both cooking the same stew; you just have different ways of going at
it. Let’s see how you can get the thing
done together.”
We looked at
what changes to choose: which tasks were best assigned to whom; how to sequence
their assignments, align their goals and adapt their expectations. Perhaps B should swoop in to open and unpack
all the boxes and get the props on the shelves, then have T focus time on comparing
the inventory to the packing slip and logging everything in to the online
system. The idea was to allow each to
use their own preferred patterns in support of each other and the job at hand.
Patterns
in the Environment/Changing its Functioning
“Why are they
all just running in circles and yelling? There are plenty of things for them to
play with. They’re going to crash into each other!”The day care director and I were watching
as the children emerged from their small classrooms into a large open gym,
strewn with a few small climbers, some tricycles, jump ropes, balls and
miscellaneous building toys. Clearly,
they experienced that Phrase – from enclosed space to open area, from quiet activities
to recess, from stillness to motion – as a Becoming: now I can get big
and go fast and be loud.
Given the pattern inherent in the space, the timing and the children’s
bodies, the director needed to choose an intent for their gym time. Running in circles might be just right for
that moment in the day’s rhythm. But, if
she saw it as dangerous, or “unproductive” (that’s a different article), she
could reorganize the space for a different result.
We talked
about setting up “landing” areas around the periphery, with a section for
building, one for jump rope games, etc.
Still leaving running space, but perhaps taping lanes or a large circle
on the floor for the trikes, to safely separate the riders from the runners. The next time I visited, there was still lots
of high energy, but a little less scary chaos.
Pattern
as Metaphor/Change as a Choice
In the
middle of downward facing dog pose, C exclaimed “It’s my life! Dog pose is my life and it’s staring me in
the face!” The class paused and he
explained. “I want to get strong, so I
decided to practice holding dog pose for five minutes. I built up gradually, minute by minute. One day, I held the pose for five
minutes! I’m so pleased with myself, the
next day I took off and didn’t practice at all.
It’s my life – staring me in the face!
I have a girlfriend, we work on our relationship, it gets pretty
solid. Then I leave. Dog pose is my life, staring me in the face!”
C had
discovered a Phrasing pattern that he’d applied unconsciously, in yoga
practice, in life. Now that he sees the pattern, he has options for changing –
or not.
What I love
most about LBMS is that, by helping me find patterns, it gives me choices about
change.
Our human bodies are designed for our alignment to be
dynamic. This means when we move a part the whole adjusts and/or when the whole of us moves, the relationships among the parts adjust
accordingly. We are designed synergistically to optimize our efficiency. This
is fundamental to the harmony of human movement. Of course, due to behavioral
patterns, such as sitting for long durations at a computer or in a car, this dynamic capacity is frequently
diminished. But reconnecting to our
inherent embodied dynamism is possible and can support self-care and well-being.
The Laban/Bartenieff Movement System facilitates this process.
In the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) a large part of the explication of the body’s actions is from the perspective and framework of Bartenieff Fundamentals (BF), named for Irmgard Bartenieff. This perspective promotes awareness of movement to optimize function and expression. Bartenieff Fundamental Principles (BFPs) are specific concepts that support awareness to enhance and enrich our movement. BFPs are not movement themselves but rather motifs to focus attention on the process of moving or to explore the experience of moving in order to gain and deepen awareness of movements possibilities. What follows is an explanation of the Bartenieff Fundamental Principle of Dynamic Alignment
Defining the terms:
What is a Principle?
A principle is a foundational idea that serves as the foundation for a system (in this case the BF part of LBMS)
A principle is a concept that is a guide for action
What is Dynamic ?
characterized by constant change, activity, or progress
relating to forces producing motion
What is Alignment ?
arrangement in appropriate relative positions
a position of agreement or alliance
In LBMS the BFP of Dynamic Alignment focuses on the synergy
of the part/whole relationship of the form and function of our body. Dynamic Alignment supports fulfilling the
intent of our action. This principle recognizes that a change in a part creates a
change in the whole.
All the BFPs support movement awareness, and through awareness expanded movement
possibility.
The science of human physiology reveals how the body is an
interconnected system. And like the body itself, the Laban/Bartenieff system for
movement analysis is also structed around the interconnectedness of its parts. Therefore,
the BF Principle of Dynamic Alignment links to many other parts of the whole of
LBMS including the Theme of Mobility/Stability. And in turn this major
movement theme can be linked to other BF Principles such as Active Weight
Support and Shift and this implies how in different Patterns of Body
Organization the neuromuscular patterns of kinetic chains involved in our Body
Level Phrasing occur. Links can be
made also to the BF Rhythms and to activation through BF Connections.
All these other aspects of BF – Connections,
Rhythms and Patterns of Body Organization, are all more specific concepts linked to
specificity of action. These other parts
of the BF framework can also be addressed individually – perhaps in a later
blog post!
Dynamic Alignment recognizes the Space Harmony of
human design. This is primary addressed in looking to the skeletal structure of
our bony architecture. From this perspective it is often useful to look at the
triangles and arches in understanding the Mobile/Stable relationships of parts.
Some examples that illustrate the relationships of the architecture
of our bony landmarks to explore in movement:
The diamond that can be envisioned from the bony
landmarks of pubic symphysis, coccyx and greater trochanters of the femurs.
The triangle created from the landmarks of the calcaneus
(heel bone) and 1st and 5th
meta-tarsal bones of the foot on medial and lateral (big toe/little toe ) sides
The connection between sternum and occipital
portion of skull (back of head to breastbone ) – – as an oblique line useful in accessing the depth
of the Center of Levity of our upper body core and experiencing the head/upper spine
as a limb and also linked to the Spinal Pattern of Body Organization.
Accessing our body parts and envisioning them as we move supports
awareness of the Inner/Outer connection we
have as movers in our environment. And this Theme of Inner/Outer is
another major movement theme recognized in the system. This awareness of the
Inner/Outer continuum provides a way to map the body experience. And as we know
maps create a context to situate our experience by providing references. In LBMS Rudolf Laban famously mapped the
personal space of our movement. Likewise, his protégé Irmgard Bartenieff
provided ways to map the body’s organization. Together their work provides
movers access to a comprehensive reference map for the observation and
experience of human movement. This is the basis of the Laban/Bartenieff
Movement System.
There are countless examples that can be used to explore the
dynamism of our body’s part/whole synergy to awaken sensations and gain new
awareness of our movement potential through the content and container of our
moving form. It should also be noted
that while the focus in this post is on the Body Component of LBMS, the other movement components – Effort,
Space and Shape also
contribute to the experience of our human dynamism – – this perhaps can be food for a future blog
post…