Irmgard Bartenieff entered university as a young adult just as Germany entered a new period. As she recalled, “Germany had experienced a disastrous defeat.  The monarchy was abolished. The radical groups of socialism and communism came in, and it was really all these very factors that attracted everybody in the arts”… including Rudolf Laban.

Irmgard did not encounter Laban’s work until 1922, when, quite by accident, she began studying dance with one of his students.  As Irmgard’s interest deepened, the teacher encouraged her to work directly with Laban.… Read More

Irmgard Bartenieff (1900-1981) has come to personify the far-ranging applicability of Laban-based movement analysis.  Her 60-year career spanned two continents, two languages, and multiple disciplines.  Her work continues to inspire the growing community of professionals who must grapple with understanding the ephemeral phenomenon of human movement.

In preparation for the upcoming MoveScape Center seminar, “Irmgard Bartenieff: In Her Own Words,” my July blogs survey the life and times of this remarkable woman.

Let’s begin at the beginning.

During Irmgard’s childhood, Germany was a peaceful monarchy. … Read More

In addition to 50 years as a movement analyst, I have been directing MoveScape Center for a dozen years.  The time has come for a sabbatical.

Consequently, MoveScape Center will be quiet for a few months while I pursue various writing projects.

Blogs and email announcements will resume in July.

And two courses will be back by popular demand – “Irmgard Bartenieff:  In Her Own Words” in September and “Mostly about Shape (and a little bit about Effort)” in October.

 … Read More

Fifty years ago, I was lucky to study “effort/shape” with Irmgard Bartenieff, to assist in her classes at the Dance Notation Bureau, and to join the faculty and staff of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute when it was founded in 1978.

Irmgard managed to publish her magnus opus Body Movement in 1980 with the help of co-author Dori Lewis.  The book is a wonderful resource that would not have been finished without Dori’s assistance.

But I never hear Irmgard’s voice when I read the book.… Read More

I completed my year of movement analysis training at the Dance Notation Bureau in New York City in 1976.  Fifty years later, it is safe to say that this training changed my life.

I began movement analysis training as a young dancer interested in a choreographic career.  My certificate project, a solo dance centered around the Spell Drive, unexpectedly  led me away from performance and toward a deeper interest in what the study of movement can reveal about human behavior.  This led to almost four decades of work with Warren Lamb, multiple writing and research projects, and many years of teaching.… Read More

I am grateful that Irmgard Bartenieff did not retire at 70.  If she had, I would not have had the gift of studying and working with her.

Irmgard was 75 when I began my movement analysis studies.  Certainly, all her younger students regarded her respectfully, even with awe – her multiple careers demonstrating the many possible applications of movement study.

What we absorbed less obviously was Irmgard’s worldview, her understanding of the interrelationships of the different disciplines that deal with body/mind function and expression. … Read More

It seems that Laban’s work is always being rebranded, for nowadays Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) is becoming known as “Laban Bartenieff Movement Studies” (LBMS). This is appropriate, for Bartenieff was responsible for the development of movement analysis in the U.S.

Bartenieff has achieved named recognition for the somatic practice, Bartenieff Fundamentals. Yet her intellectual and practical contributions are much broader ranging.

Find out more in the MoveScape course starting in April, “Irmgard Bartenieff: In Her Own Words.”… Read More

On June 1, 1981, LIMS became the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in recognition of Bartenieff’s contributions to the field of movement study.

The press release for this name change noted the following:

Bartenieff, “has continually pioneered the application of movement theory in her work as a physical therapist, dance therapist, and anthropological researcher.”

In addition, “her creative applications of Laban concepts, grounded in the demands of these disciplines, have clarified and enriched the system of Laban Movement Analysis itself.”

Find out more about Bartenieff’s creative applications in the upcoming MoveScape course, “Irmgard Bartenieff: In Her Own Words.”… Read More

By the mid-1970s, the Effort/Shape program was recruiting lots of students and had become the “cash cow,” supporting the Labanotation Department at the Dance Notation Bureau.  This led the Effort/Shape faculty to break away and start a new organization, the Laban Institute of Movement Studies.

By 1978, we had premises, a Board, and a non-profit organization dedicated to the vision of Irmgard Bartenieff – the first person in the U.S. to recognize the potential of Laban’s movement analysis as a means of studying human behavior.… Read More

In addition to Labanotation classes and dance documentation services, the Dance Notation Bureau added the Effort/Shape Department in 1965, under the direction of Irmgard Bartenieff.

Initially, training in Effort/Shape took the form of a series of different classes, mostly taught by Bartenieff.

By 1975, when I started training, Effort/Shape classes had become a year-long Certification Program, with a trained faculty in addition to Bartenieff.  The program proved so popular that it was attracting more students than the notation programs.

This popularity led to a rebellion. … Read More