Bratislava – Laban’s “Home Town”

Bratislava sits alongside the Danube, between Budapest and Vienna. Though once the capital of Hungary, it is smaller and less magnificent than its sister cities. Still, the city center is picturesque and charming, with a cathedral and Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Its castle (shown here) overlooks the river, as did the house where Laban was born in 1879.

This fairytale setting and Laban’s imagination provided solace for what appears to have been a lonely childhood. Because there were no suitable schools in the distant border garrisons where his parents were stationed, Laban was left with extended family, where he often felt “my presence was rather superfluous.” … Read More

Splashing in Laban’s Footsteps

Our first port-of-call was Budapest, the home of Laban’s maternal grandparents. This magnificent city, often compared to Paris, straddles the Danube, with the imperial palaces in Buda and the iconic parliament building in Pest. Although severely damaged in the final days of World War II, the splendid architecture along the river has been reconstructed and must look now much as it did when Laban visited his grandparents in the late 19th century.

Laban’s father was a career officer in the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army.… Read More

Laban in Time and Space

No theory develops in a vacuum, and Rudolf Laban’s ideas are no exception. His thoughts about movement and dance were conditioned by the places and times in which he lived.

During a recent cruise on the Danube, I had the opportunity to visit the places where Laban grew up – Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna.  All three had been capital cities within the greater Austro-Hungarian Empire, which once linked Europe and the Middle East. This multi-ethnic empire, governed by the Habsburg dynasty for over 500 years, was in the twilight of its grandeur when Laban was growing up.… Read More

MoveScape Center Wins Denver Award

MoveScape Center recently received the 2018 Denver Award for excellence as a local Learning Center. MoveScape is the only winner selected by the Denver Award Program in this category!

Each year, the Denver Award Program identifies companies that have achieved success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community. These exceptional companies help make the Denver area a great place to live, work, and play.… Read More

How Santa Stays “Lively and Quick”

More tips in our exclusive interview with Santa….

MoveScape Center (MC):  You’ve mentioned the internet. Has technology affected your job in other ways?

Santa (S):  Yes, I used to have quite a struggle controlling the reindeer, especially if they had been sipping eggnog. Now, much of the time I can put the reins on autopilot. I still have to handle roof landings and takeoffs, of course.

MC:  Surely there’s lots of lifting, bending, and stooping when you unload gifts. How do you maintain your strength and flexibility?… Read More

Santa Isn’t a Couch Potato

Our interview with Santa continues…

MoveScape Center (MC):  So Clement Moore’s poem changed the way you do business. What else has changed over the years?

Santa (S):  Well, for one thing, I rely a lot more on the internet today. It’s a great way to find out who’s been naughty or nice. (Really, folks should be more careful about what they post on social media!) In addition, most children send their gift requests by email nowadays. So, like many others, I spend hours sitting in front of a computer.… Read More

Santa’s Holiday Hacks and Fitness Hints

Here are excerpts from our exclusive interview with Santa Claus….

MoveScape Center (MC):  You’ve been around for centuries, Santa. To what do you attribute your long life?

Santa (S):  Well, the public’s image of me keeps changing. In the early days, I delivered presents by riding on a horse and leaving the gifts in children’s shoes outside the house. And I used to have a muscular six-pack and buns of steel.

MC:  What changed?

S:  In 1823, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, “A Visit from St.… Read More

It’s Tough Being Santa

The American public expects a lot from Santa. Nowadays, he must cover the globe in one evening, driving a sleigh filled with gifts and pulled by eight reindeer. He is expected to be plump and jolly, yet slide up and down chimneys with a bag full of presents. Not only that, it’s considered impolite if he doesn’t at least sample the milk and cookies left out for him in every household.

In short, Santa must combine the girth, power, and agility of a sumo wrestler; the upper body strength of a chariot driver; the endurance of an Iron Man competitor; and the appetite of a giant python!… Read More

Holiday Challenge for Movement Analysts

In 1994 Warren Lamb wrote: “Twenty years ago I began to be aware of consistent differences between men and women in movement, and was intrigued also to find that these differences were cross-cultural; they appeared to transcend social, religious and economic considerations.”

This is a bold statement, but one that could shed light on some of the complexities troubling male and female interactions. Lamb claimed to have hard evidence for the flow patterns he observed, but sadly, his notations have been lost.… Read More

Battle of the Sexes in Movement Terms

Laban investigated matching and clashing relationships between effort qualities and shape qualities. Lamb dug deeper, examining relationships between effort and effort flow and shape and shape flow. He found that men and women tend to manifest different flow patterns.

According to Lamb, men tend to combine bound flow with fighting efforts and free flow with indulging efforts (matching patterns). Women do the opposite – combining free flow with fighting efforts and bound flow with indulging efforts (clashing patterns). Lamb provided a practical example based on watching male and female soccer teams.… Read More