Rudolf (Jean-Baptiste Attila) Laban, also known as Rudolf von Laban (December 15, 1879, Preßburg/Poszony, 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 the 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 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... German name for capital of Slovakia - Bratislava ... Bratislava (Pozsony in Hungarian; until 1919 PreÅ¡porok in Slovak and Pressburg in German (previously also the usual name in English)) is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 430,000. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Bratislava (Pozsony in Hungarian; until 1919 PreÅ¡porok in Slovak and Pressburg in German (previously also the usual name in English)) is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 430,000. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Weybridge is a town in the administrative county and Lieutenancy area of Surrey, England, and in the district of Elmbridge. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Historical lands and provinces in Central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... 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 Ècoles 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. Architecture (in Greek αρχή = first and τέχνη = craftsmanship) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German state of Bavaria. ...

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. Zürich (in English often Zurich, IPA ) 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 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... 1928 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 1930, he became the director of the Allied State Theatres in Berlin, but he soon ran afoul of the Nazi regime and had to leave for the United Kingdom in 1938. 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...   Berlin? (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,426,000 inhabitants (as of January 2005); down from 4. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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 publisehd a book related to his research entitled Effort (1947). He continued to teach and do research in the UK until his death.

The most complete biography of Rudolf Laban is by Evelyn Doerr

See also

• Labanotation
• Laban Movement Analysis
• Choreography
• Expressionist dance
• Laban Dance Centre

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. ... Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) is a system and language for observing, describing and notating all forms of movement. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Expressionist dance is a European dance form related to the German expressionist movement. ... The Laban Dance Centre in Deptford, south-east London opened in February 2003. ...

External links

• Rudolf Laban - "The Complete Choreographic Works"

• Laban webring

• Laban Lab (learn the basics of Labanotation)
• Introduction to Labanotation

• The Dance Notation Bureau
• International Council of Kinetography Laban
• Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies