Rudolf (Jean-Baptiste Attila) Laban, also known as Rudolf von Laban (December 15, 1879, Pressburg, Austria-Hungary (today Bratislava, Slovakia) - July 1, 1958, Weybridge, England) was a notable central European dancer and dance theorist. Laban's parents were Hungarian, but his father's family came from France, and his mother's family was from England. His father was a field marshal who served as governor of the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Preßburg is the historical name (in German and in English) for the city of Bratislava. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Bratislava (until 1919: PreÅ¡porok in Slovak, Pressburg in German and English, Pozsony in Hungarian, Požun in Croatian) is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Weybridge is a large city in the Slough district of Moscow in Russia . ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... Regions of Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Approximate borders between Bosnia (marked light) and Herzegovina (marked dark) Historically and geographically, the region known as Bosnia (natively Bosna/Босна) comprises the northern part of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Herzegovina (natively Hercegovina/Херцеговина) is a historical region in the Dinaric Alps that composes the southern part of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

Laban initially studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and became interested in the relationship between the moving human form and the space which surrounds it. He moved to Munich at age 30 and began to concentrate on Bewegungskunst, or the movement arts. The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... École des Beaux-Arts (IPA ) refers to several art schools in France. ... , The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ... Munich and the Bavarian Alps Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the largest city and capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... Ausdruckstanz is the name given to German Expressionist dance. ...

Laban established the Choreographic Institute in Zürich in 1915 and later founded branches in Italy, France, and central Europe. His greatest contribution to dance was his 1928 publication of Kinetographie Laban, a dance notation system that came to be called Labanotation and is still used as one of the primary movement notation systems in dance. His theories of choreography and movement served as one of the central foundations of modern central European dance. Location within Switzerland (help· info) (German pronunciation IPA: ; in English often Zurich, without the umlaut) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Labanotation, or Kinetography Laban (as it is known in some parts of Europe) is a system of movement notation that is also used for dance notation. ...

In addition to the work on the analysis of dance, he was also a proponent of dance for the masses. Toward this end Laban developed the art of movement choir, wherein large numbers of people move together in some choreographed manner.

From 1930 to 1934 he was director of the Allied State Theatres in Berlin, in 1937 he fled from by this time National Socialist Germany to Manchester. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... (help· info) is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Manchester is a city in the North West of England. ...

In the UK, he re-directed his work to industry, studying the time taken to perform tasks in the workplace and the energy used. He tried to provide methods intended to help workers to eliminate "shadow movements" (which he believed wasted energy and time) and to focus instead on constructive movements necessary to the job in hand. After the war, he published a book related to his research entitled Effort (1947). He continued to teach and do research in the UK until his death.

Among Laban's pupils were Mary Wigman and Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Mary Wigman (1886 – 1973), born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann, was a German dancer, choreographer, and teacher. ... Sophie Taeuber-Arp (19 January 1889 - 13 January 1943) was an artist, painter, and sculptor. ...

External link

• Rudolf Laban -extensive biography from "official" site