Bartenieff Fundamentals
Irmgard Bartenieff developed body re-education – Bartenieff Fundamentals – based on Rudolf von Laban’s movement analysis and her experience as a dancer, dance therapist and physiotherapist. The focus of this work is the interplay of functional and expressive movement, i.e. inner connectivity and outer expressivity.
Irmgard Bartenieff’s Fundamentals focus on the body aspect of movement. It is a form of body education that is based on neurophysiological and anatomical knowledge, developmental movement and Laban’s movement studies. Its goal is to find ways of moving that are most effective in terms of energy and use the best possible connections within the body.
Important aspects of Bartenieff Fundamentals are the sensing of body connections and allowing the movement to flow within those connections. This process is supported by the integration of breath, spatial clarity and the use of effort by consciously changing one’s posture (shape). Once the fundamental patterns of movement are firmly anchored in the neurophysiological system, the connections can grow from the inside out. This way refined body awareness can be developed, which also helps with everyday movement.
