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Space Harmony or Choreutics is a movement theory and practice created by Rudolf Laban.
Laban, who layed the foundation for Laban Movement Analysis – a method that is used to objectively observe, analyze, record and understand movement, on both body-level, as well as in dynamics and in relation to the environment – was very much interested in space. He had a mathematic mind and saw form in everything. Laban saw universal patterns in human movement and understood that there were cultural and individual patterns, but in the end he was more inclined toward clarifying the universal of human movement.
From this he developed a theory and movement practice, called Space Harmony. Laban used the Platonic Solids to illuminate and clarify the Spatial patterns that he observed in human movement. Linking the points within the different forms, following the natural 'spatial pulls' to connect the one point to the other, he came to specific movement Scales that became movement exercises in which one moves through a Platonic Solid in a predefined way.
Moving these Scales opens up the body in space, enlarges spatial awareness and at the same time balances the body spatially. This is why his space theory is called Space Harmony.
History
[edit]See Rudolf Laban
Use and meaning
[edit]The use of Space Harmony is that of clarification of the movement as well as giving it meaning.
Laban wanted dance to be an art form that had value of its own. He developed his theories and language to observe, analyze and record movement to give dance a more mature status next to other art forms like painting and music. But first of all dance was an expressive art to him and in all his theories he included the expressive value of the work.
So Space Harmony does not only give great exercises to warm-up spatially through the scales, it can also help to, for example, crystalyze characters in a play through thinking out how they would move in space. Also it can help becoming more aware of one's own use of space (e.g. being a 'doing' person, moving mainly in the saggital plane) and even give access to more choices for the same thing (e.g. experiencing the more 'being' quality in the vertical plane).
Note that Laban always saw the use of space as part of the movement as a whole, together with the use of Effort and Body. The different elements do not only complement each other to result in a certain movement quality, they inspire and influence each other, which he layed out in his theory on Affinities.
Related terms
[edit]General Space
[edit]General space is the space in which we move. It is the actual space or environment, like the room we are in or the street.
Kinesphere
[edit]The personal space or Kinesphere is the space around us within reaching possibilities of the limbs without changing one's place.[1] We can use a large area around us (far reach kinesphere) when we use big movements, especially with our limbs. Or we can use a small area (near reach kinesphere) when we move only within near reach of ourselves. In between is called mid reach kinesphere.
Levels
[edit]Laban believed there were three 'types' of dancers (or movers generally). Those who enjoy moving in the High Level, such as leaping and springing off the ground. Those who enjoy moving in the Central (Middle) Level, their bodies leading with more sensuous movement. And those who enjoy moving in the Deep (Low) Level [...], who prefer more earth-bound movements.[2]
Pathways
[edit]Within the Kinesphere, different approaches to the pathways of the movement are defined:[1]
- Central Pathway - Movement which is initiated from or passes through the center of the body.
- Peripheral Pathway - Movement along the outer limits of the Kinesphere.
- Transverse Pathway - Movement passing between the center of the body and the periphery of the Kinesphere.
Directions
[edit]Laban has found a system to define the directions we can move in. This system includes 3 different levels as well as 1, 2 and 3 dimensional directions. The 27 directions that are in the system (including Place Middle), are derived from the corners of the Octahedron, the Icosahedron and the Cube.
Laban has created symbols for all the directions that he defined in this system. These symbols can be used as a notation system, like in Labanotation, to describe where a person is moving (to) in space.
One Dimensional space
[edit]The Dimensions are defined as single spatial pulls with two polar ends.[3] They are the 3 perpendicular axes crossing in the middle. The 3 different Dimensions are:
- Vertical Dimension (up-down)
- Horizontal Dimension (side-side)
- Saggital Dimension (front-back)
The crossing point is in the center of gravity of the body (Place Middle). The Platonic solid that is defined by the dimensional cross is the Octahedron.
Laban devised a movement scale that follows these three dimensions, called the Dimensional Scale.
Two Dimensional Space
[edit]The spatial pulls combine to produce Planes in space. The combination of the horizontal and vertical dimensions result in what is called the vertical, or door plane. This plane is also called the plane of presentation.
The combination of the horizontal and the saggital dimensions result in the horizontal, or table plane. It is also known as the plane of communication.
The third plane is the combination of the vertical and the saggital dimensions and is called the saggital, or wheel plane. It is also called the plane of operations.[3]
The Diameters are the lines that connect the opposite corners of the planes. Each plane has 2 diameters, crossing in the middle. The diameters of the planes each consist of 2 unequal spatial pulls.
When putting the planes together, all diameters cross again in the center of gravity of the body. Connecting the corners of the planes with each other leads to the Icosahedron.
Three Dimensional Space
[edit]Combinations of three dimensions, or spatial pulls, become diagonals; extremes of far reach space that crisscross the body's center from one corner of an imaginary Cube to the opposite corner. Laban devised the Diagonal Scale to explore these extremes of personal space.[3]
Dynamics in Space
[edit]Laban developed many scales within the Icosahedron, some of them with Transverse Movement, others with Peripheral Movement and some with a combination of the two.
Especially in the scales with Transverse Movement, the underlying idea is that one moves from a Direction in one plane through the second plane towards a Direction in the third plane, following the natural Spatial Pull of the missing Dimension.
For example: when one starts a movement scale in the Right High Direction, one is in the Vertical Plane. This plane exists of the combination of the Vertial Dimension and the Horizontal Dimension. When reaching to the Right High Direction, the natural way to balance the body is to move towards the 'missing' Saggital Dimension, so in this case going forward or backward.
To accomplish the task of going from the one plane (in this case Vertical) through another plane towards the third, one can only cross the Horizontal Plane and thus move towards either the Front Low or the Back Low Direction in the Saggital Plane.
Note that the pathway of the movement in this example is a Transverse Pathway, because it passes between the center of the body and the periphery of the Kinesphere. Movements that follow the specific definition as described above, Laban called Transversals.
So although moving from the one plane to the other, planes being two dimensional, one moves through all planes and thus through all dimensions during the scale as a whole, following an organic body-organisation to stay balanced. Especially the sensation of being lead by and leading oneself to all these different spatial points, adding dimensions and leaving them out again, can give the feeling one flies through space, being pulled back and taking off again.
Laban thought of many ways to order the movements through the Icosahedron, each with its own character and dynamics. Examples of these scales are: Primary Scale, Axis Scales, Girdle Scales, A and B Scales.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Dell, Cecily (1966, 1977). Space Harmony. New York: Dance Notation Bureau, Inc. ISBN 978-0-932582-12-6
- ^ Newlove & Dalby (2004, 2009). Laban for all. London: Nick Hern Books Limited ISBN 978-1-85-459-725-0
- ^ a b c Bradley, Karen K. (2009). Rudolf Laban. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-37525-2
Further reading
[edit]- Bartenieff, Irmgard (1980, 2002). Body movement - Coping with the environment. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-677-05500-5
- Laban, Rudolf (1966, 2011). Choreutics. Dance Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85273-148-9