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.
A lot of water has flowed down the Danube since Laban was a youth – two devastating world wars, the Holocaust, and the leaden falling of the Iron Curtain. Yet these cities retain part of their imperial and historical ambiance, and one can imagine what a boyhood in these places might have been like.
So join me as I follow Laban’s footsteps in the next blogs.