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

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

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

Laban recognized that movement is a psychophysical phenomenon involving both body and mind.  Understanding Laban’s notions of space harmony also requires both physical and mental effort.

In the upcoming MoveScape Center workshop, “Harmonics of Space,” we approach Laban’s space harmony scales using both body and mind.  We explore how Laban created a comprehensible geography of movement space, and then employed consistent design principles to create elegant, “harmonic” sequences of directional change.

To support our mental efforts, I recommend working with visual, three-dimensional models. … Read More

Laban developed spatial sequences known as “scales” using both the octahedron and cube. His major harmonic scales, however, unfold within an icosahedron.  There are many reasons why Laban preferred this three-dimensional form as a virtual geography of the kinesphere.

The icosahedron is more spherical than either the octahedron or cube.  The oblique lines of motion defined by the edges and transverse rays of the icosahedron are “those which we most easily distinguish when seeing and experiencing movement,” according to Laban.  Moreover, there is a strong correlation between “the angles of the icosahedron and the angles occurring in the movements of the body in normal everyday use.”… Read More

Proportion plays a key role in both musical harmony and Laban’s harmonic spatial sequences.  As Laban notes, “the octave in music has the relation of 1:2 which means that the vibrations of the high octave are twice as many as the lower octave.”  Laban was intrigued by the “possibility of discovering similar relations” in the spatial pathways traced by the mover’s body.

In order to map these pathways, or “trace-forms,” Laban established geographical landmarks in the empty space surrounding the body using three Platonic Solids – the octahedron, cube, and icosahedron.… Read More

Dancers move through space as fish move through water.  In the seemingly vacant sea of space, Laban identified central lines of motion that extend through the dancer’s body outwards into the surrounding area, making what appears to be empty tangible.

Angiola Sartorio, one of Laban’s early dance students, explains it this way:

“Try to visualize that the directions in space are everywhere, and when you activate a pathway, you align with a network that already is there for you to find. … Read More

An analogy can be drawn between Laban’s maps of the kinesphere and the geometrical grid cartographers employed to create state boundaries in the western United States.

If the boundaries of the western states followed the natural watersheds, the states would be rounded and irregular in shape rather than having the squared off and block-like shapes they have today.

Similarly, while Laban knew that most bodily movements follow curved trajectories, he chose to stylize these as straight lines and angles.  By imposing a regular geometrical structure on the globe of the kinesphere, Laban identified spatial pulls and their directional vectors.… Read More

North American Indians are said to have marvelous “topographical” memories. According to Lucien Levy-Bruhl, “it is quite enough for them to have been in a place only once for them to have an exact image of it in their minds.”

The natural landscapes of North America have many memorable landmarks.  On the other hand, there are no visual landmarks in the very personal territory of the kinesphere.

Fortunately, pioneering movement analyst Rudolf Laban created maps of space to enable the mover visit new places and enjoy fresh kinesthetic experiences. … Read More