Observing and Painting

Posted on by

I have found that the same observation sequence of relaxation, attunement, point of concentration, and recuperation can be applied when painting.

The preparatory phases of relaxation and attunement go together.  Whether the subject is a figure, a still life, or a landscape, you have to decide where to stand and how to position your easel for the most unobstructed view.  Then you have to attune to the subject, taking it in as a whole before choosing what specifically you may want to paint.… Read More

The Movement Observation Phrase

Posted on by

Rudolf Laban noted that movement occurs in patterned phrases of preparation, exertion, and recuperation.  When I was learning to analyze movement, I found applying this structure helped me see movement events more clearly.

We all have movement habits; that is, there is a pattern to each individual’s movement behavior in which certain facets of movement occur more frequently than others.  The pattern is real, but it takes time to see it.  And this is where phrasing is helpful.

Preparation in observing actually has two parts: relaxation and attunement. … Read More

Dancing and Painting in Laban’s Footsteps

Posted on by

In 1913 an obscure Eastern European painter named Rudolf Laban declared he was giving up painting to become a dancer.  I’m reversing Laban’s career path, yet I find the study of painting to be curiously similar to the study of movement.

Like the Impressionists, I’m interested in capturing the effect of light on colored objects – something almost as ephemeral as movement, especially when painting outdoors.

Just as you have to give up certain perceptual habits to really see movement, you have to break habits to really see color.… Read More

How Santa Uses Eukinetics

Posted on by

In this exclusive interview, Santa Claus has confessed he loves the work of Rudolf Laban and uses it daily to maintain agility of body and mind. In this final exchange, he encourages readers to practice exertion and recuperation as a mindful way to beat holiday stress.

MoveScape (MS): You mentioned you also practice Laban’s Eukinetics. How does this help you stay fit, Santa?

Santa Claus (SC): Eukinetics is about how we apply effort and energy in everyday tasks. The sequences Laban created support a balanced application of energy by focusing on exertion and also on recuperation.… Read More

Santa’s Body/Mind Exercises

Posted on by

MoveScape’s exclusive interview with Santa continues….

MoveScape (MS): Despite your age and (if you don’t mind my saying) your weight, you exude health and vitality. How do you do it, Santa?

Santa Claus (SC): I’m a closet Labanophile.

MS: A what????

SC: I study the work of Rudolf Laban and practice Choreutics and Eukinetics daily. Laban designed these sequences of movement to support a healthy range of motion and expression. For example, I use the Dimensional and Diagonal Scales to warm up, and then I cycle through the door, table, and wheel planes.… Read More

Up on the Housetop, Down through the Chimney

Posted on by

In the exclusive MoveScape Center interview, Santa discussed some of the physical challenges of his profession and his secret weapon for staying fit.

MoveScape (MS): How do you prepare for the huge job of worldwide gift delivery?

Santa Clause (SC): I train all year for Christmas Eve. I focus on level change in particular.

MS: Why is that?

SC: I’m up and down chimneys all night. So I do Bartenieff Fundamentals every day.

MS: How does the Bartenieff approach help?

SC: I appreciate the emphasis on level change in the Bartenieff’s Basic Six.… Read More

Santa Claus Confidential – A MoveScape Center Exclusive

Posted on by

Once again, MoveScape Center has obtained an exclusive interview with the Jolly Old Elf himself – Santa Claus. As usual, he has some terrific advice for keeping the holidays merry and bright!

Santa’s holiday hacks this year focus on ways to keep the aging body/mind lively and quick. If anyone knows about aging and maintaining corporeal and mental agility, it’s Santa. After all, he’s been on-the-job for centuries, and shows no signs of retiring!

Santa knows the importance of moving. That’s why he has targeted his holiday advice exclusively for Laban Movement Analysts.… Read More

The Grotesque in Dance

Posted on by

Writings on the grotesque seldom discuss dance.  Yet, during the 1700s, Italian dancers trained in a “grotesque” style were in demand all over Europe.  These grotteschi combined French ballet technique with a vigorous athleticism and pantomimic skills to portray comic and “foreign/non-European” characters.  This historical precedent provides a clue to the creative uses of the grotesque.

The grotesque, above all, represents the Other.  The Other may simply be someone of another nation, race, or creed.  Or, within a given situation, the grotesque may depict “Otherness” by transgressing social norms. … Read More

Body, Mind, and Harmony

Posted on by

As the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki noted, “The mind and the body are not one and not two.”  This is undoubtedly one of the most vexing paradoxes of human life.   But perhaps it would not be so vexing if we simply paid more attention to movement harmony, to those moments when mind and body meld seamlessly in the medium of physical action.

Movement harmony matters because it is so ubiquitous that we take it completely for granted.  Normal voluntary movement is miraculous because most of the time we manage to accomplish what we intend without excessive conscious effort, either physical or mental.… Read More

Harmony and Disharmony

Posted on by

While Laban was certainly concerned with how the different movement elements of body, space, effort, and shape cohere in meaningful human actions, he was also interested in exploring disharmony.  To widen his understanding of harmonic and disharmonic movement patterns, Laban reportedly visited a lunatic asylum in Paris in 1902, basing a later personal solo, “Marotte,” on his observations.

Notions of disharmony also served as Laban developed a repertoire for his chamber dance groups.  One type of dance was called a “grotesque.”… Read More