Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis

Transcription

1 Chapter 5 Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis A conceptual approach to ballet provides you with varying options for perceiving and exploring balletic movement. Did you experience that in the last chapter? As demonstrated in that chapter, a good movement concept should do the following: 1 Apply to different steps and exercises. 2 Reveal fundamental movement principles essential for good technique and performance. 3 Support the development of your technical and artistic skills. The movement concepts from Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis (L/BMA) achieve each of these criteria. The remaining chapters use L/BMA movement concepts prescriptively to enhance your body awareness, inner intent, and personal expression. As you progress through this book, ask yourself: How does the use of L/BMA movement concepts deepen my exploration of ballet technique and enhance my artistic and technical skills? What is Laban Movement Analysis? Rudolf von Laban ( ) and his many collaborators developed a comprehensive system for analyzing and notating the functional and expressive landscape of human movement. These systems are known generally as Laban Movement Analysis and Labanotation. 1 Irmgard Bartenieff ( ), a physical therapist and one of Laban s many collaborators, applied the LMA theories to somatic and rehabilitative practices, developing as a result the Bartenieff Fundamentals. 2 The Bartenieff Fundamentals are a body training practice that focuses on total body coordination, mind body integration, and personal expression. Even today, L/BMA practitioners continue to develop Laban s and Bartenieff s theories; it is an evolving system that is used in multiple disciplines and areas of application. 3 Laban Movement Analysts use four categories to analyze human movement: Body, Effort, Shape, and Space (BESS). 4 You use different Body actions

2 Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis 39 and patterns of Body connectivity throughout a ballet class as you move from one sequence to another. Different ballet sequences require you to Shape, or form, your body in unique ways in order to produce coordinated and artistically rich. You also engage in each class exercise energetically, using specific combinations of Efforts to add dynamic and expressive variety to the. Finally, your intent and pathways in Space impact your alignment, artistry, and the overall efficiency of your ( Table 5.1 ). Just as there are multiple routes on a road map for reaching the same destination, it is also possible to use multiple perspectives to approach the same movement. This is the value of the L/BMA to classical ballet teaching and learning: it provides a multi-faceted and comprehensive map for analyzing ballet technique. Let s explore this! Table 5.1 L/BMA categories of Body, Effort, Shape, and Space BODY How is movement organized and sequenced in the body? SHAPE How does the form of the body (the constellation of the body parts) change in relationship to internal or external environmental stimuli? EFFORT What is the overall energy, emotionality, and dynamic quality of the movement? SPACE What spatial pulls, pathways, and tensions does the person reveal as s/he moves in space? **************************** Exploring BESS Perform a battement degagé devant from fi fth position into a temps lié en avant ending with the back leg in degagé derrière. BODY category Focus on how your lower body sequence from the toes to the pelvis during the transition from degagé to temps lié. Fluidly coordinate movement of the feet, ankles, knees, and hip joints. Integrate an exhale (breath connectivity) during the movement phrase in order to depress the rib cage, lower your center of gravity, and accentuate the plié during the temps lié.

3 40 Creative Ballet companion website material EFFORT category Embody a powerful and outpouring (Strong and Free Flowing) movement energy during both. The Free Flow facilitates greater ease and fluidity in your. The powerful use of force (Strong Weight) enhances your lower body push into and out of the floor during the temps lié. This is a great preparation for jumps. SHAPE category Emphasize the Advancing of your pelvis when transitioning into and out of the temps lié and the Spreading of your thighs during the plié. This mobilizes your pelvis in space and helps you achieve a deep plié during the temps lié. SPACE category Focus on a spot about feet from where you are standing as you initiate the degagé. Then, ride the Forward Spatial Pull in both your upper and lower body as you propel through space toward that spot. This forward intent is especially helpful if you tend to hold back during en avant traveling. Reflect : Did one category assist your performance of the movement phrase better than another? How did your body awareness shift as you approached the movement phrase from different perspectives? **************************** Similar to the lessons learned in the last chapter, approaching the same movement in different ways helps you broaden your self-coaching strategies. When one approach is not working, simply choose a different approach until you find one that works best. BESS concepts presented in Parts II and III The categories of BESS house numerous movement concepts applicable to ballet technique. Many, but not all of them, are explored in this manual. Part II: Balance and Motion explores L/BMA Body, Shape, and Space concepts as a way to strengthen your coordination, balance, and locomotion skills. Part III: Deepening Dynamism explores L/BMA Effort concepts as a method for expanding your dynamic range as a technician and artist (see Table 5.2 ).

4 Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis 41 Table 5.2 may seem like a lot, but rest assured the following chapters lead you through the concepts easefully. As you learn to apply the L/BMA movement concepts to your dancing, you will develop greater body knowledge and learn how to make a multitude of artistic choices when performing balletic phrases. Table 5.2 L/BMA Movement categories and concepts explored in Parts II and III Movement category BODY (Parts II and III) SHAPE (Part II) SPACE (Part II) EFFORT (Part III) Movement concept Body Connectivity Stability and Mobility Shape Flow Support and Shape Qualities (Chapters 7 and 8) Countertensions (Chapter 9) Kinesphere (Chapter 10) Flow (Chapter 12) Weight (Chapter 13) Time (Chapter 14) Space (Chapter 15) Skills explored Identify distal, mid-limb, and proximal joints Explore how regions of the body coordinate Practice locomotive through space Learn about placement, alignment, and balance. Explore how the body forms three-dimensionally in space Clarify the body s intent in space Learn how oppositional spatial tensions enhance balance and alignment Explore spatial pathways of the limbs Move in different spatial levels and directions Explore Bound or Free Explore Strong or Light Explore Sudden and Sustained Explore Direct or Indirect

5 42 Creative Ballet companion website material Notes 1 For more information about Rudolf Laban, read Rudolf Laban (2009) by Karen Bradley. 2 For more information about Irmgard Bartenieff and the Bartenieff Fundamentals, read Making Connections (2002) by Peggy Hackney. 3 Other areas of study and somatic disciplines have influenced the development of the L/ BMA theories (i.e. neuroscience, behavioral psychology, phenomenology, human development, Body Mind Centering, Feldenkrais Method, Alexander Technique, and so on). 4 The Bartenieff Fundamentals are located in the Body category.