Rudolf von Laban

**Rudolf** (**von**) **Laban**, also known as **Rudolph von Laban** (; 15 December 1879 – 1 July 1958), was an Austro-Hungarian, German and British dance artist, choreographer and dance theorist.  He is very important to modern dance. He is called the "founding father of expressionist dance", He helped create Laban movement analysis and Labanotation (a movement notation system, or way of writing down movement). These helped other changes in dance notation and movement analysis. He helped in dance therapy. He also helped in theatrical movement. He tried to put his ideas in other fields, like architecture, education, industry, and management.

When he was preparing for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the Nazi party targeted Laban. He went to England in 1937. In 1945 and 1946, he and Lisa Ullmann started the Laban Art of Movement Guild in London, and The Art of Movement Studio in Manchester.

## Works and publications

- (Undated). _Harmonie Lehre Der Bewegung_ (German). (Handwritten copy by Sylvia Bodmer of a book by Rudolf Laban) London: Laban Collection S. B. 48.
- (1920). _Die Welt des Taenzers_ [The world of Dancers] (German). Stuttgart: Walter Seifert. (3rd edition, 1926)
- (1926). _Choreographie: Erstes Heft_ (German). Jena: Eugen Diederichs.
- (1926). _Gymnastik und Tanz_ (German). Oldenburg: Stalling.
- (1926). _Des Kindes Gymnastik und Tanz_ (German). Oldenburg: Stalling.
- (1928). _Schrifttanz: Methodik, Orthographie, Erlaeuterungen_ (German). Vienna: Universal Edition.
- (1929). "Das Choreographische Institut Laban" in _Monographien der Ausbildungen fuer Tanz und Taenzerische Koeperbildung_ (German). Edited by Liesel Freund. Berlin-Charlottenburg: L. Alterthum.
- (1947). with F. C. Lawrence. _Effort: Economy of Human Movement_ London: MacDonald and Evans. (4th reprint 1967)
- (1948). _Modern Educational Dance_. London: MacDonald and Evans. (2nd Edition 1963, revised by Lisa Ullmann)
- (1948). "President's address at the annual general meeting of the Laban art of movement guild". _Laban Art of Movement Guild News Sheet_. 1 (April): 5–8.
- (1950). _The Mastery of Movement on the Stage_. London: MacDonald and Evans.
- (1951). "What has led you to study movement? Answered by R. Laban". _Laban Art of Movement Guild News Sheet_. 7 (Sept.): 8–11.
- (1952). "The art of movement in the school". _Laban Art of Movement Guild News Sheet_. 8 (March): 10–16.
- (1956). _Laban's Principles of Dance and Movement Notation_. London: MacDonald and Evans. (2nd edition 1975, annotated and edited by Roderyk Lange)
- (1960). _The Mastery of Movement_. (2nd Edition of _The Mastery of Movement on the Stage_), revised and enlarged by Lisa Ullmann. London: MacDonald and Evans. (3rd Edition, 1971. London: MacDonald and Evans) (1st American Edition, 1971. Boston: Plays) (4th Edition, 1980. Plymouth, UK: Northcote House)
- (1966). _Choreutics_. Annotated and edited by Lisa Ullmann. London: MacDonald and Evans.
- (1974). _The Language of Movement; A Guide Book to Choreutics_. Annotated and edited by Lisa Ullmann. Boston: Plays. (American publication of _Choreutics_)
- (1975). _A Life For Dance; Reminiscencs_. Translated and annotated by Lisa Ullmann. London: MacDonald & Evans. (Original German published 1935.)
- (1984). _A Vision of Dynamic Space_. Compiled by Lisa Ullmann. London: The Falmer Press.

## Other websites

- Guide to the Rudolf Laban Icosahedron. Special Collections and Archives, The University of California Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California
- Rudolf Laban - biography from Trinity Laban site
- Limsonline Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies - LIMS NYC
- Short biographies of Laban and some leading Laban practitioners - website of Laban Project
- EUROLAB - European Association of Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies
- EUROLAB Certificate Programs in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies

## Infobox (artist)

- **birth date**: 15 December 1879
- **birth place**: Pressburg (today Bratislava), Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary
- **death place**: Weybridge, England
- **partner**: Lisa Ullman
- **field**: Choreography, dance theory, Labanotation
- **movement**: Expressionist dance
- **works**: Labanotation (a movement notation system)