CLM: I’ve read that Leonardo da Vinci was interested in “the second form of the human body” – that is, the lines traced by moving limbs on the space around the body. He visualized these forms as circles. Were you aware of that?
R. Laban: Not exactly. But again, circles have been used in figure drawing to help with capturing the figure in motion.
CLM: But your circles are “rhythmic.” What exactly does that mean?
RL: A circle lends itself to continuous motion. … Read More
CLM: I can see that you’re sketching. Your biographers claim you gave up painting to pursue dance…
R. Laban: I gave up art as a profession, but I’ve always enjoyed drawing. So when I’m on holiday, I like to sketch, especially landscapes.
CLM: From digging in your archives, I know that you did lots of drawings related to dance and movement. These mainly figure drawings and geometrical forms. Some are quite lovely.
RL: Thank you. The drawings you are talking about weren’t meant for public display. … Read More
In the animated film, Isle of Dogs, the director has created a fictional Japan where all the humans speak Japanese, and all the dogs speak English. If Wes Anderson can visualize Japanese dogs who converse in English, why can’t I have an imaginary conversation with Rudolf Laban on some fantastic island?
So in the next series of blogs, I am going to visit the “Isle of Laban.” It’s a mysterious spot, somewhere in the Mediterranean. Some days it’s visible, and some days it is not – a bit like Brigadoon. … Read More
Guest blog by Juliet Chambers-Coe
Laban characterized the dynamic yet ephemeral world of movement as “a jungle of sudden appearances and disappearances, a glistening and colorful wonder-world which awaits exploration.”
The www.Labanarium.com is a part of this ‘jungle’ and ‘wonder-world’ of which Laban speaks. Members from across the globe meet through the network to share practice, ideas, research and inspirations from the world of movement, and it awaits your exploration!
In the spirit of movement and dance theorist Rudolf Laban, the Labanarium seeks to foster an exchange between members of the movement community and is open to the breadth and diversity of practices that explore all human movement.… Read More
Guest blog by Juliet Chambers-Coe.
In A Life for Dance, Laban recounts how he set about developing an artistic community of shared practice and ideals:
“To participate creatively in this great community idea and in the festive spirit which should be the goal and supreme aspiration of every culture…the daily building up of the communal culture which should culminate in festivities and celebrations and be intimately bound up with the development of the self…I asked all those who were sympathetic with my views to come and help realize this dreamed of way of life somewhere in the open country” (Laban, 1975).… Read More
In 1991, Kaoru Yamamoto, Charlotte Honda and I founded Motus Humanus – a professional organization dedicated to supporting the development of Laban-based movement study.
Over the next 25 years, Motus Humanus provided networking opportunities and continuing education for movement analysts, supported research and publication, honored professional achievement, and created a community for Laban-based movement specialists.
Now Juliet Chambers-Coe has created the Labanarium – a 21st century vehicle for the movement community. New technology opens up exciting avenues of communication and new possibilities for interaction and collaboration.… Read More
With two million speakers worldwide, Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed (rather than naturally evolving) language. Created by a Polish doctor in the late 1800s, Esperanto was meant to be an international language “to unite nations in common brotherhood.”
Movement is often characterized as a pan-human means of communication, a kind of international language that, like Esperanto, can foster mutual understanding among different peoples. In his more utopian musings, Laban subscribed to this idea – with a slight variation.… Read More
Once upon a time, dance was a local phenomenon. Because dance was rooted in the community, Rudolf Laban hypothesized that “an observer of tribal and national dances can gain information about the states of mind or traits of character cherished and desired within the particular community.” This is because “these dances show the effort range cultivated by social groups living in a definite milieu.”
Globalization is changing this. Popular dance forms in particular move across borders with remarkable speed. Tango, salsa, competitive ballroom dance, and hip-hop – to name just a few – are now performed around the world, often by social groups different in class, race, and temperament from the milieu in which the dance originated.… Read More
Michael Murphy theorizes that “flesh and consciousness tend to coevolve” through the practice of movement and somatic disciplines. Thus virtuosity – effort economy or the technical perfection of “effortless-ness” – may indeed have a higher function.
“Cutting Up an Ox,” by the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, mirrors this idea.
In this parable, a Chinese prince observes the virtuosity of his cook butchering an ox. The cleaver “murmured like a gentle wind” and the ox “fell apart with a whisper.” The prince exclaims, “Your method is faultless.” … Read More
The physical capabilities of human beings are increasing, and this was quite evident at the Winter Olympics. For example, snowboarders were doing feats in the qualifying runs that would have won medals at previous Olympics. Michael Murphy, co-founder of the Esalen Institute, has been fascinated by the expanding horizon of human potential represented by such exceptional athletes.
In The Future of the Body, Murphy claims that “no culture has ever possessed as much publicly available knowledge as we do today regarding the transformation capacities of human nature.”… Read More