Have you encountered our work before as a student, colleague, collaborator, researcher?
It doesn’t matter how long ago or how recently!
WholeMovement would be grateful for your feedback about our work.
As a thank you, we will email you the latest updated LBMS Taxonomy.
By submitting your information, you’re giving us permission to use your Testimonial on our website, in social media and any other communications, and to email you through our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time. You will receive an updated LBMS Taxonomy.
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.
The Laban/Bartenieff Movement System & Why LBMS is a “System”
by K. Studd (Updated December 2019)
To begin, let’s start with what is a “system”?
A system is defined as:
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 of the system. NB this definition has been gleaned from several sources.
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.
My own definition: A system is a representation of a complex whole. A system is defined through relationships of interwoven parts combining to form a dynamic whole. Systems want to ensure their success, so they adapt and evolve to survive and thrive, i.e. remain relevant – or they risk becoming extinct.
The above definitions make it clear that this body of knowledge, i.e. the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS), as it is presented in theory and practice is a system. Anyone who has studied the Laban/Bartenieff material cannot deny that the above definitions of “system” clearly apply to how we identify the BESS Components in relationship. And that this is in fact, the heart, core and essence of the material. Therefore, any problem with using the term “system”, from my perspective as a longtime teacher and practitioner of the work, is a misguided perspective and one that should be re-examined.
I have been told that Bartenieff did not like the term, and I have also encountered others who told me exactly the same thing about what Laban reportedly said. However, no one has offered further clarification or evidence of these supposed views of either Bartenieff or Laban. Such hearsay does little to advance and promote the work! 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 and its significance. In our work process is done systematically.
Please let us give Bartenieff her due – and not address what we are teaching or framing as only “Laban” !
Anyone who has read Bartenieff’s text, Body Movement: Coping with the Environment, knows that in this text she integrates Laban’s work of Space Harmony and the Dynamics 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. It is of course quite possible to study Laban’s work without the contributions of Bartenieff, but this is not the work that CMA’s 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 Bartenieff to be given short shrift in the way that so many women have been over the course of history.
In continuing to move forward, I am pleased to report that
after adopting the title/acronym LBMS in all the programs in which I teach and coordinate (both national and international) starting many years ago and continuing through today, and in addition 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 has become very widely used. However, I must add here that many still resist the “S” as referring to “system” and rather opt to identify this acronym as referring to Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies as noted at the start
of this document. I do not use this, as Labanotation could fall under this rubric and “studies” seems to me to be an incomplete idea or at best a more theoretical notion and not clearly owning the experiential practice and applications and more importantly the nature of the Laban/Bartenieff framework.
A Quote that I have found useful in discussing a system as a
way of modeling complexity:
“ 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
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.
A brief history of my case for assigning the designation of LBMS – the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System.
When I first proposed using the designation of “system” in
the label of LBMS, now over a decade ago, I encountered much resistance (and
still do now multiple years later as a recent discussion on the cma listserve reveals), both to my insisting that Bartenieff be equally noted in the development of Laban’s work as well as for using the term “system”. I would frequently come across persons referring to what I was teaching or what they were teaching simply as “Laban” – for example saying – “in your Laban class…” or “when I teach Laban…”
I found this (and still do) a problematic way of referring to the work we are engaged in.
Many who negatively responded to the use of the LBMS acronym wanted to retain LMA and BF as separate terms/labels (I found this to be often an inaccurate his-work/her-work approach to labeling). I believe the resistance in both respects – combining Laban with Bartenieff (“Laban/Bartenieff”) as well as using the term “system” – is unwarranted and represents a resistance to change and a no longer useful habitual pattern of thinking.
I believe that re-patterning thinking about the work we are
engaged in is much needed and in fact is key to promoting and furthering the
work. 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 much resisted! I also note again here that “LBMS” is now at this point in time quite frequently used – However this designation is, by many using it, referring to Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies.
I firmly believe that with time this too will change and evolve. I will continue to make my case for “system” rather than “studies”. The wholeness of the duality of Change/Constant is what we teach and what we should continue to Shape!
