Is LBMS a T.O.E.?

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Carol-Lynne Moore

For Rudolf Laban, movement became the lens through which he could intuitively grasp the unity of all existence. This realization, however, was not enough.

He wanted to study and practice movement more closely, and this necessitated developing an objective and analytical tool known today as LBMS (Laban Bartenieff Movement Studies). Studying movement with LBMS can have profound implications.

Irmgard Bartenieff – dancer, physical therapist, dance therapist, and movement researcher – is a case in point.  Her career, in fact, her whole being was a testament to the power of movement study to unify one’s worldview.… Read More

Change in Any Part…

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Carol-Lynne Moore

“Change in any part changes the whole.”  This was Irmgard Bartenieff’s view.

As a physical and later dance therapist, Bartenieff (1900-1981) was responsible for catalyzing changes in the movement and behavioral patterns of her clients.   But, as her statement suggests, it was not always necessary to address physical and psychological issues directly.

Movement involves the whole person – not just the physical parts but the mental and emotional parts as well.  Similarly, the body itself is a system of interrelated systems. … Read More

The Dance World in 1900

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Carol-Lynne Moore

As Laban’s desire to become a dancer grew, he realized that he had set his heart “on the most despised profession in the world.”  Compared to the visual arts, dance was a discipline defined more by what it lacked than by what it offered.

By the beginning of the 20^th century, the visual arts had a long history, surviving masterpieces, institutions devoted to preservation and development, evolving venues for innovation, and most importantly, theories and writings by artists themselves that illuminated practices, styles, and innovations.… Read More

Modern Art and Modern Dance

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Carol-Lynne Moore

Of all the iconoclastic art movements of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Art Nouveau (literally “new art”) was the most self-consciously modern.  It broke with the long-standing European tradition of realistic painting that conveyed a lifelike three-dimensionality.  Instead, Art Nouveau artists opted for a two-dimensional stylization of natural forms, with an emphasis on pattern.

Likewise, the early modern dancers abandoned long-standing European dance traditions, breaking out of the set vocabulary and spatial geography of classical ballet.

As he emerged as a leading figure of modern dance in Europe, Laban’s familiarity with Art Nouveau not only inspired his search for new forms, but also provided him with a deep understanding of how to create beautiful patterns.… Read More

Films of Irmgard Bartenieff

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Carol-Lynne Moore

One of the opening events of the Laban Institute’s 40th Anniversary Conference included a couple of films of Irmgard Bartenieff leading a movement session with a young dancer. The rough footage probably dates from the 1960s. Several movement analysts who worked with Irmgard in the early days were asked to comment on the films.  An excerpt of my comments are posted below.

“Irmgard had very expressive hands. For such a slender and fragile looking woman, Irmgard’s hands always gave an impression of being larger than one would have expected. … Read More

Bartenieff Symposium – Many Happy Connections

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Carol-Lynne Moore

On November 10th close to 65 Labanites gathered at the Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, to celebrate the opening of the Irmgard Bartenieff Archive.

 

Susan Wiesner, a digital humanist, had organized the event. Here is birds’ eye view of the happy gathering.

 

– Forrestine Paulay and Martha Davis in conversation about their respective studies and research with Irmgard

 

– Carol-Lynne Moore – Bartenieff: Icon of Possibilities

 

– Ann Hutchinson Guest and others –  sharing memories of Irmgard

 

– Movement sessions led by Peggy Hackney, Tara Francia Stepenberg, and Karen Studd

 

-Robin Neveu Brown (and husband) – comedic performance piece on giving birth through Laban lenses

 

-Catherine Eliot – Bartenieff’s Legacy and Occupational Therapy

 

-Rachell Palnick Tsachor – Movement and Trauma

 

-Susan Wiesner – film showing of “Schrifftanz Zwei” – a reimagining of Bartenieff’s “Chinese Ballad” choreography, based on archival notes and floor plans

 

The event closed with a movement choir led by Catherine McCoubrey

 

This was one of the most satisfying events I’ve been to – a wonderful reconnecting with old friends and new.… Read More

Irmgard Bartenieff Archive – A Miracle

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Carol-Lynne Moore

For years after Bartenieff’s death in 1981, the Laban Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies carefully stored her papers but lacked the funds for full preservation and cataloging. The papers remained, untouched and unseen, in a warehouse in Brooklyn. And then there was a fire in the warehouse.

 

A cry for help went out to the Laban community, and through crowdfunding, enough money was raised to allow Vincent Novarra, Curator of Special Collections from the University of Maryland Performing Arts Library, to rent a truck, drive to Brooklyn, and see if Bartenieff’s papers had survived.… Read More

On Irmgard Bartenieff

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Carol-Lynne Moore

In the summer of 1975, I left the Nikolai-Louis Studio, walked across Union Square to the Dance Notation Bureau, and declared I was interested in the Effort/Shape Program.

I was ushered in to see Irmgard Bartenieff, a delicate elderly German lady who had worked directly with Rudolf Laban. She was guiding spirit of the Effort/Shape program. I don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but Irmgard was open and encouraging. I became her student, then her assistant, and eventually a fellow faculty member.… Read More

Advancing Laban’s Ideas

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Carol-Lynne Moore

I am dedicated to advancing Laban’s thinking – on the printed page, in the real space of the movement studio, and in the virtual space of the internet. I’ll be working in all three areas this autumn.

Irmgard Bartenieff observed that Laban’s life was “one great unfinished symphony.” She wanted her students to understand that Laban’s notation and movement analysis systems did not come about all at once. According to Irmgard, Laban was counting on future generations to carry the study of movement forward.… Read More

Body or Soma?

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Carol-Lynne Moore

Laban Movement Analysis allows one to approach the body both objectively and subjectively. Labanotation and motif writing provide means to analyze body actions objectively, while the somatic practice of Bartenieff Fundamentals is focused more on internal self-awareness.

Both bodily perspectives are presented in Meaning in Motion. The first section provides a terse illustration of how bodily actions are analyzed and recorded. The second section places the work of Laban and Bartenieff in the broader context of the somatics movement. A third section discusses principles and exercises of Bartenieff Fundamentals.… Read More