Modern Dance Foundations: Laban's Choreutics

 

  

Rudolf von Laban, also known as Rudolf Laban, was an Austro-Hungarian dance artist and theorist. He is considered as one of the pioneers of modern dance in Europe and as the "Founding Father of the Expressionist Dance" in Germany. 

Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) was was a dancer, a choreographer and a dance / movement theoretician. Being one of the founders of European Modern Dance, his work was extended through his most celebrated collaborators, Mary Wigman, Kurt Jooss and Sigurd Leeder.  

Laban was a visionary, humanist, teacher and theoretician, whose revolutionary ideas bridged the gap between the performing arts and science.

Laban's Choreutics


Laban links his modern studies of movement to Pythagorean mathematics, notably musical scales and the “harmonic relations” of geometrical forms such as the right triangle and circle.

Laban appears to have coined the term Choreutics from two Greek root words: “khoreia” (dancing in unison) and “eu” (beautiful, harmonious).

Laban goes on to define Choreutics as “the practical study of harmonized movement.”

Latter day colleagues of Laban’s, such as Valerie Preston-Dunlop and Vera Maletic, have delineated Choreutics respectively as the “spatial organization for dance” and “the theory and practice of ordering movement in space.”

Choreutics, then, deals with the spatial aspects of movement, with its organization and order.

QUESTION 1

I. Explain the meaning of choreutics in your own words. Online students, please post your answer on Discussion Board.

-----------------------------------------

As an analytical study, choreutics delineates the natural paths that the limbs of the body trace on the space around the body. Laban calls these paths “trace-forms.”

However, in keeping with its Pythagorean roots, Laban’s Choreutic theory goes beyond mere descriptions of natural movement to designate harmonic spatial sequences analogous to musical scales.


ACTIVITY 1

II. After learning about the music scales, create an equivalent set of 8 movements. Online students, please record your set of 8 moves and post it on Discussion Board.

----------------------------------------------------

In creating these harmonic designs, Laban utilizes his artistic understanding of human anatomy, proportion, and range of motion. Moreover, he draws on his Art Nouveau background to generate spatial patterns that are highly symmetrical.




Art Nouveau designers stylized the curves of natural forms such as butterflies, flowers, and leaves to create beautiful two-dimensional patterns.

ACTIVITY 2


III.  Give your previous set of 8 movements an Art- Noveau style, whatever that means to you, based on the video above. Dance it to the music in the first video or any music of your choice. Online Students, please record your set of 8 moves and post it Discussion Board.

--------------------------------------------

HARMONIC THREE DIMENSIONAL SCALES


Laban’s space harmony scales are similar to the music scales in concept. Laban has taken the curves of natural movements and geometricized them, creating “harmonic” three-dimensional patterns.


 QUESTION 2

 IV. The video shows an example of a “harmonic” three-dimensional pattern. Compare and contrast this one with your own. What did you experience? Online students, please post your answer on Discussion Board.

POST YOUR ANSWERS ON BLACKBOARD'S DISCUSSION BOARD.



Source: In Praise of Whole Body Movement.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Doris Humphrey's Technique

Image
    Doris Batcheller Humphrey (October 17, 1895 – December 29, 1958) was an American  dancer and  choreographer of the early twentieth century. Humphrey was one of the second generation  modern dance pioneers who followed their forerunners in exploring the use of breath and developing techniques still taught today. As many of her works were annotated Humphrey continues to be taught, studied and performed.    Charles Weidman was a renowned choreographer, modern dancer and teacher. He is well known as one of the pioneers of modern dance in America. He wanted to break free from the traditional movements of dance forms popular at the time to create a uniquely American style of movement. ----------------------------- Summary of Humphrey's and Weidman's Ideas Develop a form of dance indigenous of America   Develop a form of dance different from ballet   Develop dances that resemble the world around them    Develop dances that do not defy gravity   Question
Read more

Laban's Cube, 4 Components and 8 Efforts

Image
      Apace and Relationship  T he kinesphere is also the container of a cube (containing all diagonal directions and dimensions) and of an icosahedron made by three bi-dimensional planes: it contains angular geometry inside a round geometry.  Question 1 Explain in your own words the meaning of the kinesphere within the Laban's cube?   ---------------   Laban’s Four Components of Human Movement with their Respective Elements : •Direction – direct/indirect •Weight – heavy/light •Speed – quick/sustained •Flow – bound / free Activity 1   Create an 8 movements phrase in which each move has:    One direction (direct)  One direction ( indirect)  One weight (light)  One weight (heavy)  One speed (quick)   One speed (sustained)    One flow (bound)  One flow (free).  ---------------------------- Laban’s Eight Effort Actions :     The Eight Effort Actions help clients both physically and emotionally to embody and understand internal impulse while developing an
Read more

Laban's Patterns of Body Connections

Image
  I. Body The body category describes structural and physical characteristics of the human body while moving.  This category is responsible for describing which body parts are moving, which parts are connected, which parts are influenced by others, and general statements about body organization.  Breath Connectivity Athletes breathing versus diaphragmatic breathing. Walk around the room (Use directions, levels and focus) Now connect with your breath ass you walk. Now move on the inhale and pause on the exhale. Then, move on the exhale and pause on the exhale. Combine the inhales and exhales as you move. Question 1 Write a reflection on your experience with breath and movement. ----------------------------------- II. Several subcategories of body are: Initiation of movement starting from specific bodies Connection of different bodies to each other Sequencing of movement between parts of the body   Patterns of body organization and connectivity ----------------
Read more