In the beginning of her 1962 lecture, Irmgard Bartenieff explains: “My work in rehabilitation has been almost from the start research into the nature of physical disability (distorted functional movement) and of mental illness (disturbed emotional or expressive movement).”

She goes on to note that “thinking in terms of EFFORT eliminates the arbitrary separation of the physical and the psychological.”

She closes by recommending that the Dance Notation Bureau promote effort notation and observation in addition to Labanotation.  “The existence of both systems, supplementary to each other, opens up new possibilities for research in all areas of human movement, whether it be dance, science or industry.”… Read More

After explaining that effort notation captures the essence of movement – its quality and dynamics, Bartenieff describes how effort assessment can be of value to the physical therapist.  She notes that many patients have vague complaints that cannot be tracked down to any organic source but do relate to an imbalance of dynamic energy (Effort) and how that energy is formed (Shape).

Bartenieff affirms that “Movement expression alwas comprises functional and emotional components which may weaken or reinforce one another; in looking at a physically distorted movement, one is often viewing emotional expression.”… Read More

In 1962, Irmgard Bartenieff was expected to lecture on “Notation in Physical Therapy” for a national conference hosted by the Dance Notation Bureau in New York City.  Instead, she lectured on “Effort Observation and Assessment in Rehabilitation.”

In this historic lecture, Bartenieff clearly differentiates how the structural notation, developed by Rudolf Laban, and the effort/shape notation, developed by Warren Lamb, provide complementary information for those involved in physical and psychological therapies.

Her paper provides much food for thought.  Since November is the month of the Thanksgiving feast, Bartenieff’s observations are the subject for my November blogs.… Read More

October is the month of Halloween, and so it seems appropriate that my blogs this month focus on the transformation drive Laban named the “Spell Drive.”

In these effort combinations, Flow replaces Time, melding with the stabilizing qualities of Weight and Space.  Spell is the timeless drive that conjures up an inescapable intensity of concentration or fascination.  As Bartenieff describes, “It is comparable to ‘a witch’s spell,’ or the power of an irresistible seduction.”

Spell always seems to me to be the effort drive least suited to contemporary life, in which time is always foreground because everything happens so quickly, or not quickly enough. … Read More

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 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