How Santa Stays Lively and Quick

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Once again, Movescape Center has obtained an exclusive interview with that icon of the holidays — Santa Claus.  This year he reveals the secrets of his longevity and vitality.

MoveScape Center (MSC):  I’m sure you have heard that “sitting is the new smoking” – how do you manage to stay fit?

Santa Clause (SC):  It is true that reading all those “Dear Santa” letters and checking the Naughty and Nice list keeps me at my desk more than I like.  I embed some short bits of exercise across the day.… Read More

Experience Three Ways of Seeing

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Mid-July 2025 marks the historic gathering of the dance notation and movement analysis communities at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

The 34th Biennial Conference of the International Council of Kinetography Laban/Labanotation kicks off this event, with sessions running Monday, July 14 – Friday, July 18, 2025.

The inaugural Conference on Laban Bartenieff Movement Studies, organized by the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS) follows, beginning on Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20.  The first day of the conference will incorporate some joint program sessions with ICKL, including a keynote address by the celebrated American choreographer Bebe Miller and a shared social event.… Read More

Seeing Movement Dynamics

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Bartenieff has written that movement dynamics are a critical component in understanding movement behavior.  As she notes, “We see not only the design of movement (its direction and timing) but by its specific dynamics we catch its meaning, its impact and expressiveness.”

Notation captures which part of the body moves, where it goes, and how long the action takes.  Space Harmony/Choreutics approaches bodily movement in space from a more theoretical position by prescribing spatial paths and sequences of whole body action.  … Read More

Seeing Spatial Patterns

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Laban’s notation merely describes the spatial path of bodily actions.  In contrast, Space Harmony prescribes sequences of directional change, which Laban called “scales.”

Laban’s Choreutic scales are patterns based upon joint structure, bodily proportion, range of motion and the necessity of maintaining bipedal balance as we move through the gravitational field of our environment.

At the most basic level, Laban’s scales address orientation to space through three body axes – vertical, horizontal, and sagittal – and the motions used in attack and defense. … Read More

Looking at Movement with Labanotation/Kinetography

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Laban’s initial work focused on creating a way to record dances in symbols – Labanotation/Kinetography was the result.  Analogous to musical notation, this way of looking at movement serves to make a record of the visible structure of movement that can be read and reproduced.

To do so, the notation indicates the parts of the body that are used, the directions and spatial paths they follow, and the duration of these actions. It differentiates among weight-bearing and non-weight bearing actions, with close attention to where a movement is initiated.… Read More

Looking at Movement in Three Ways

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Irmgard Bartenieff notes that there are three crystallizations of Laban’s ways of looking at, describing, and notating movement: “(1) space harmony (choreutics), (2) Labanotation/Kinetography, and (3) Effort/Effort notation.”

In addition, Bartenieff explains that the existence of these three systems enables Laban’s “colleagues and students to study and work with some extremely elusive phenomena in tangible ways.”

The “elusive phenomena” to which Bartenieff refers are human movements.  In everyday life, the actions of our bodies disappear even as they are occurring.  That is, movement exists at a perpetual vanishing point. … Read More

Principles of Space Harmony

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Laban never defined harmonic movement in a succinct statement.  From various writings, however, the following elements can be discerned—proportion, balance, symmetry, and unity of form.

In the upcoming MoveScape Center workshop, “Harmonics of Space,” we explore these elements in the classic space harmony “scales” Laban designed – the Axis, Girdle, Primary, and A Scales.  These sequences challenge range of motion and balance and support the discovery of fundamental relationships between body and space.

Laban’s harmonic sequences can also be hard to remember, demanding mental effort. … Read More

Other Aids for Modeling Movement Space

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Besides having a skeletal icosahedron (or two!), other materials can be used to represent space harmony scales.  Many of these can be purchased at any hobby store.

For example, colored trim tape for detailing model cars and planes can be used to highlight peripheral sequences, marking the edges the scale follows.  I have mapped one of the Girdles on this ico I found in a pet store.

For transverse scales, colored yarn or ribbon can be strung through the icosahedral model to show the shape and location of the sequences.… Read More

Ready Made Icosahedra

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While educational toy geometry kits are fine, it is also possible to find affordable ready-made icosahedra – sometimes in unusual places.

For example, I found a rubbery icosahedron at a pet store.  It was a dog toy with a soft ball in the center.  I just removed the ball and bingo – a light and durable ico model!

I have also found several different skeletal icosahedra in hobby stores that sell inexpensive decorative items, such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s.  The gold model in the illustration is one example. … Read More

Polyhedral Models for Movement Study

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Laban primarily used the octahedron, cube, and icosahedron as movement models.  However, geometrical models are usually sold in sets that feature all five Platonic Solids, including the tetrahedron and dodecahedron.

For movement study purposes, you need “skeletal” models; that is, models without solid faces.   Skeletal models consist only of edges and corners, such as the Platonic Solids shown in the accompanying illustration. These models make it possible to see into the interior space of these regular three-dimensional forms.

You can find kits for building skeletal polyhedral among educational children’s toys, such as Zometool. … Read More