Early in my LMA Certification Program, I was stretching before class when Irmgard Bartenieff approached me. “You must understand,” she said rather fiercely, “that the greatest muscular tension does not equal the greatest movement!”
The crystal-clear logic of the statement forever altered the way I view exercise. As a young dancer, I somehow came to believe that pain was part of good practice. Slowly, under Bartenieff’s tutelage, I began to understand that good practice does not necessitate tense gripping and sore muscles.
As a trained physical therapist, Bartenieff certainly understood the musculature of the body and the need for strength and flexibility. Yet, she could also see what was lacking in a muscle-centered approach. This critical thinking allowed her to integrate Laban concepts such as spatial trace-forms and effort prompts into her rehabilitative work.
Find out more about this remarkable woman in the upcoming MoveScape course, “Irmgard Bartenieff: In Her Own Words.”