Methods Used - Laban Movement Analysis & Kestenberg Movement Profiling

In this section, the writer/researcher will look at how the works and research of Laban have influenced the field of dance movement therapy and how it is utilized today.

Rudolf von Laban or Rudolf Laban was born in Bratislava, Hungary. He is widely recognized as one of the most important movement theorists of all time. As a dancer, choreographer and philosopher, Laban is seen as one of the founders of modern dance in Europe. His work has developed into various methods used today in the world of dance. Workings such as Labanotation and Laban Movement Analysis have provided the base for different methods used in dance movement therapy and are themselves used as well. Labanotation or Kinetography Laban, is the system Rudolf Laban developed to notate movement in a form of shorthand. This was done to make recording movement easier. It's aim is to provide a language that can be learned, utilized and dictated by choreographers and dancers alike.

Laban Movement Analysis

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Laban Movement Analysis is a type of Laban Movement study that is a language used for visualizing, interpreting, documenting, and describing all aspects of human movement. Labanotation can and is used in Laban Movement Analysis. The concept and term effort/shape is used heavily in the field of dance movement therapy. It originates from Laban's work where he uses "effort" and the shape is from Warren Lamb's expanding of Laban's work. Warren Lamb was a protege of Rudolf Laban. Those dance therapists who do not use Lamb's system of shape, use only the term effort. Those who use the full theoretical framework of Laban's use the term of Laban Movement Analysis, or LMA or Labanalysis.

Effort

It describes the dynamics of movement in four factors of motion which are

Space

Weight

Time

Flow

These terms are not isolated but rather depend heavily upon on another. When a therapist uses effort, the characteristics of movement are discussed often in relation to attributes of personality.

Shape

The idea of shape is that whenever an individual makes a change in one the dynamics of effort, a shape change that corresponds occurs. Three types of shape changes are observed in LMA. These are

Directional Movement

Shape Flow

Shaping Movement

Laban Movement Analysis and its workings are the fundamental aspect of dance therapy in the United Kingdom. In the United States of America, Laban Movement Analysis is not exclusive in the field. It is used alongside with other methods such as the Kestenberg Movement Profiling. Laban Movement Analysis gave way to the Kestenberg Movement Profiling which is also used in Dance Movement Therapy.

Kestenberg Movement Profiling

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Dr. Judith Kestenberg, a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, developed the Kesternberg Movement Profile through concepts borrowed from the work of Laban and Lamb. Kestenberg expanded on Laban Movement Analysis by integrating the concepts of it with psychoanalytical theory.

The Kestenberg Movement Profile is a "complex series of graphs which chart several aspects of a child's movement repertoire using primarily the Effort/Shape movement descriptive vocabulary."
The use of the KMP in dance therapy provides dance therapists with terminology with which to interpret and define movement happenings during therapy while placing it in a developmental context.

The Kestenberg Movement Profile is popular with some, not all, dance movement therapists. The writer has not seen much findings about it outside of the context of dance therapy in the USA. It is also a method that is used mostly with children so the audience field is limited.

Methods Used - Authentic Movement & Body-Mind Centering

In this section, the writer/researcher will be looking at two methods used in the area of dance movement therapy. They are Authentic Movement and Body-Mind Centering. 

Authentic Movement

Authentic Movement is a practice that is deeply rooted in the principles and philosophy of Carl Jung's active imagination. It is a practice that involves the body and the relation to the unconscious. It is defined as "simple form of self-directed movement." The breakdown of the practice is that it usually done with the eyes closed and a witness present. It can be seen as improvisation but it much more than that, as the mover takes cues from "inner responses" that dictate spontaneous gestures and movements. The witness is present to take note of the mover's movements not with an intent to judge but to track self awareness. It is essentially the marriage of active imagination and modern dance improvisation.

Authentic Movement Workshop

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As stated previously in the history of dance therapy, one of the pioneers in the USA, Mary Whitehouse is a leader in the use of Authentic Movement. Joan Chodorow and Janet Adler are also leaders in the field of Authentic Movement. Helen Payne, one of the major pioneers in dance movement therapy in the UK, also uses Authentic Movement heavily in her practice. The term field is used for Authentic Movement as it can be practiced outside of the context of dance movement therapy. There are sole practitioners of it and certification is available if interested in the practice alone.

Authentic Movement practitioners see it 

-as a meditative, spiritual practice that integrates body and mind for increased access to consciousness.

-as part of psychotherapy process, for enhanced sense of self and and well-being; often bringing -unconscious thoughts to awareness.

-as artistic support, to connect with creativity and creative process, unblocking and opening to new ideas.

-as community outreach and development in community long circles, that address and solve community-wide problems.

Body-Mind Centering

Body-Mind Centering is a method developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Cohen is certified in Laban Movement Analysis and in the use of the Kestenberg Movement Profile. She holds a degree in occupational therapy and has extensive training in the fields of modern dance and yoga. Body-Mind Centering as defined by the official website as "an integrated and embodied approach to movement, the body and consciousness... it is an experiential study based on the embodiment and application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical  and developmental principles, utilizing movement, touch, voice and mind." 

Body-Mind Centering Exercise 

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There are many programs that fall under Body-Mind Centering and like Authentic Movement, it can be practiced outside of the realm of dance movement therapy. One can become certified through the various programs and courses offered. Body-Mind Centering is a method that is taught in universities around the United Kingdom that offer a program in dance movement therapy. One such institution for example is Edge Hill University.