Rudolf Laban; the famed dancer-choreographer and founding father of modern dance; also had experience as a painter; sculptor; and architect; and allowed those skills to influence his innovative choreographic techniques. His important works and his creation of one of the most significant forms of dance notation make him an essential component of dance history. Rudolf Laban: The Dancer of the Crystal examines Labans training; his teaching experiences; and the discovery and development of his principles of form and movement; paying special attention to his choreographic and philosophical work. Author Evelyn Doerr presents intriguing tidbits of the artists experience; such as Labans ambivalent position as the dance organizer of the Nazi party in Germany; embedded in a historical and philosophical context; offering insights to his choreographic processes and the events that shaped his life.The book presents the different stages and elements of Labans choreography discussing; for example; Labans "dance-sound-word" instructional approach; his concept of the "movement choir" and examples of its realization; the concepts of eukinetics and choreutics; and a description of how these subjects were taught in Labans school. Doerr also analyzes important elements in Labans theories of spatial harmony and of effort; and she investigates his various early systems of dance notation; leading to a detailed explanation of kinetography; Labans final notational system. A complete bibliography and an appendix of works choreographed between 1897 and 1936 help make this book an important contribution to Laban scholarship and to the dance; theater; and cultural history of Europe in the first half of the 20th century.
#545286 in eBooks 2013-10-17 2013-10-17File Name: B00C1N96NQ
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerMy grand-daughter uses it in music class (6th grade) and said it was very helpful.20 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Great Teaching ToolBy A CustomerThis book will provide a music teacher with a tremendous amount of examples for the student to work through. Although it explains how to read rhythms; I would not recommend it for someone who knows nothing about reading rhythmic notation. Rather; the working through of this book should be supervised by a music teacher who has extensive experience reading music. I use it with almost all my guitar students and they develop a tremendously precocious understanding of rhythm which helps them learn everything else at a much faster pace than the average student.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. EncyclopediaBy Cliente de I refer to this a lot. This text book is one of my most valuable purchases as a musician. Highly recommended.