I’ve read the first part of Laban masterpiece, Choreutics (also known as The Language of Movement) many times. And I’ve even developed a correspondence course designed to help other readers with this rich but difficult text.
However, I have to admit that reading Part 2 is a real challenge. Lisa Ullmann edited Laban’s manuscript, which makes up the first part of the book, several years after Laban’s death. She added Part 2, which is based entirely on a compilation of “basic movement scales and configurations” made by Gertrud Snell Friedburg and presented to Laban for his fiftieth birthday in 1929.
So, once upon a time, these “scales and configurations” were taught. Unfortunately, when Friedburg compiled them, she used an arcane coding system of letters and numbers.
So my next challenge is to break the code and resurrect these very interesting Choreutic forms. Stay tuned for “Decoding Choreutics: Part 2” – beginning this October.