An analogy can be drawn between Laban’s maps of the kinesphere and the geometrical grid cartographers employed to create state boundaries in the western United States.
If the boundaries of the western states followed the natural watersheds, the states would be rounded and irregular in shape rather than having the squared off and block-like shapes they have today.
Similarly, while Laban knew that most bodily movements follow curved trajectories, he chose to stylize these as straight lines and angles. By imposing a regular geometrical structure on the globe of the kinesphere, Laban identified spatial pulls and their directional vectors.
These straight lines radiate from the mover’s center, linking body, kinesphere, and general space. More significantly, these central lines of motion support the mover in unexpected ways.
Find out how in “Exploring your Kinesphere: A Personal Journey.”