The Harmonic Structure of Movement, Music, and Dance According to Rudolf Laban: An Examination of His Unpublished Writings and Drawings

329 Pages·2009·0.21 MB·English

by  Carol-Lynne Moore

Rudolf Laban’s
Theory of Movement Harmony
Dr. Carol-Lynne Moore
To my children,
Keita Carey Moore and Kiyomi Lynne Moore

CONTENTS
Original Artworks by Rudolf Laban................................................................ix
Preface.............................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................xv
Introduction....................................................................................................1
Tracing a Theory: Research Material and Methods.....................2
A Beautiful Theory – Movement Harmony...................................5
Chapter 1Laban’s Journey: Art, Dance, and Beyond..............................9
Art and Dance: A Study in Contrast..............................................9
Laban’s Early Years (1879-1899)................................................10
A Life for Art (1900-1907)..........................................................14
Transitional Years (1910-1912)...................................................16
Experimentation and Turmoil (1913-1919).................................18
A Life for Dance (1920-1937).....................................................22
Beyond Dance (1938-1958) ........................................................26
Laban as “Artist/Researcher” ......................................................29
Chapter 2The Artist/Researcher at Work ................................................37
Tracing a Research Career...........................................................37
Reconstructing a Research Methodology....................................39
Laban’s Artwork...........................................................................42
Making Art and Theorizing Dance..............................................55
Chapter 3Visual Representation of Movement:
Tradition and Innovation..........................................................61
Representing Movement..............................................................61
Proportional Theories and Figure Drawing.................................63
Use of the Traditional Canon in Laban’s Figure Drawings.........70
The Impact of Instantaneous Photography..................................73
From Photograph to Mental Image: Bergson’s
Philosophy of Movement.......................................................81
Bergsonian Reverberations in Laban’s Choreutic
Theory and Notation..............................................................84
vi
Space, Time, and Proportional Theory in Laban’s Combination
Drawings................................................................................86
Art Nouveau and the Modernization of Form.............................90
Empathy, Expression, and Abstraction........................................93
The Modernization of Form and Expression in Dance ...............96
Chapter 4Space: The Outer Domain of Human Movement................109
The Dancer Moves from Place to Place....................................109
Geographies of the Kinesphere..................................................110
Lines of Motion and Their Characteristics................................121
Why Laban Preferred the Icosahedron......................................126
From Line to Line Complex: Theorizing
Movement Sequences..........................................................131
Refining Laban’s Scheme ..........................................................135
Summary: Taxonomy of Space.................................................140
Chapter 5 Effort: The Inner Domain of Human Movement ................147
The Dancer Moves from Mood to Mood ..................................147
Evolving a Theory of Movement Dynamics..............................147
Elements of Effort: The Four Motion Factors..........................150
The “Dynamosphere”.................................................................155
Landscapes of the Dynamosphere.............................................159
Patterns of Effort Change ..........................................................169
Connecting Mood and Place......................................................171
The “Law of Proximity” ............................................................176
Summary: Taxonomy of Effort..................................................178
Chapter 6 On Harmony............................................................................187
Analysis, Synthesis, and the Essence of Movement..................187
Harmony as an Analogic Metaphor...........................................188
Ratio and Proportion..................................................................190
Balance.......................................................................................195
Symmetry...................................................................................197
Unity of Form.............................................................................201
Interrelationship of Elements.....................................................204
Individuality...............................................................................207
Hidden Harmonies: An Interlude..............................................207
A Working Definition of Movement Harmony..........................213
vii
Chapter 7 Tone, Scale, Interval, and Transposition ..............................219
Chronological Development......................................................219
Choreutic Forms in the Oral Tradition ......................................221
Balanced Symmetry and Order in Choreutic Forms..................222
The Standard Scale and the Chromatic Scale............................231
Empirical Correspondences: The Standard Scale and
Range of Motion..................................................................237
Harmonic Correspondences in the Standard Scale....................238
Mixed Seven-Rings and the Diatonic Scales.............................244
Transposition..............................................................................248
Harmony of Spatial Forms.........................................................255
Chapter 8 Modulation and Harmonic Phrasing....................................263
Musical Modulation and the Law of Proximity.........................263
Modeling Harmonic Phrasing for Other States and Drives.......271
Stability and Mobility in Effort Phrasing ..................................273
Exploring Other Models of the Dynamosphere.........................280
Laban’s Vision of Dynamic Space.............................................282
Chapter 9 The Harmonic Unity of Form and Energy............................287
Existing Theory of Effort/Space Affinities................................288
Steps in the Emergent Theoretical Process................................291
Mature Theory of Effort/Shape Affinities .................................293
A Shift in Perspective ................................................................296
Reconsidering the Theory of Movement Harmony...................302
Future Horizons .........................................................................305
Bibliography .............................................................................................311
Index ............................................................................................................321
Original Artworks by Rudolf Laban
[Note: Artworks are identified by the classification system used by the Rudolf
Laban Archive, © Rudolf Laban Archive, National Resource Centre for
Dance. Used with permission.]
Figures
Figures 2-1, 3-2. Anatomical study. L/C/3/14
Figures 2-2, 3-3. Figure study. L/C/3/20
Figures 2-3, 3-4. Figure study variation. L/C/3/18
Figures 2-4, 6-3. Icosahedron and octahedron. L/C/2/119
Figure 2-5. Truncated octahedron. L/C/2/128
Figures 2-6, 8-3. Effort pattern diagram. L/E/53/2
Figures 2-7, 7-31. Octahedron being stretched. L/E/17/16
Figures 2-8, 7-34. Twisted band in hypercube. L/E/12/26
Figure 2-9. Variations of pentagon. L/C/1/87
Figure 2-10. Pentagonal poses. L/C/1/88
Figure 2-11. Dancers in icosahedron. L/C/6/100
Figure 2-12. Architectural sketches. L/C/1/2
Figure 2-13. Caricature. L/C/9/114
Figure 4-15. Directions in kinesphere. L/E/14/54
Figure 4-16. Center, body and kinesphere. L/C/4/7
Figure 4-21. Polygonal trace-form. L/C/5/86
Figure 6-2. Trace-form and figure in dodecahedron. L/C/5/128
Figure 7-32, 9-7. Klein bottle and multi-dimensional forms. L/E/14/34
Figure 7-33. Trefoil knot in tetrahedron. L/E/15/36
Figure 8-2. Working notes, effort modulation. L/E/6/62
Figure 8-8. Proximity model, effort states and drives. L/E/17/48
Figure 9-8. Weight/space shape. L/E/18/62.