“To understand the concepts of balance and counterbalance through posture and placement, it is helpful to identify (1) each of the three body planes, which link two of the three dimensions of height, width, and depth, (2) the center of gravity, (3) the central vertical axis, and (4) the base of support.” - Rory Foster, Ballet Pedagogy: The Art of Teaching
Peggy Hackney provides a nice succinct summary of the Laban Movement Analysis definition of the dimensions and planes of space in her book, Making Connections:
“Our world has three cardinal dimensions. Each dimension contains two directions which are opposite poles: Vertical--Up/Down; Sagittal--Forward/Backward; Horizontal--Left/Right or sideward open/sideward closed. Each direction is one spatial pull. For instance, the vertical dimension has ‘up’ as one pull and ‘down’ as another; the sagittal has ‘forward’ as one pull and ‘backward’ as another; the horizontal has ‘right’ as one pull and ‘left’ as the other...Dimensions form the internal structure of the Octahedron. Planes--Movement in the three cardinal planes is movement which invests in two spatial pulls at the same time; for instance up and left in the vertical plane. Each plane is like a flat cycle, or rectangle. These planes form the internal structure of the Icosahedron. Vertical Plane--combines Up/Down and Right/Left; Sagittal Plane--combines Forward/Backward and Up/Down; Horizontal Plane--combines Right/Left and Forward/Backward.”
Related Podcasts:003: Finding an Oriented State of Being, & 013: Electric Flow in Dance, Yoga, & Life
As I mentioned last week, the topic of establishing physical integrity and alignment is also related to integrity in our actions. As an ontological coach, I learned through Accomplishment Coaching that “Resolving issues with one’s sense of integrity is a daily practice. We begin to have a low tolerance for being out of integrity. We practice and grow greater awareness of our integrity. Making choices based on a context that victimizes us becomes unacceptable. Our lives take on a new power when we are in process to restore our integrity.”
In the future, I’ll cover related topics about the crystalline structure of the performance space in ballet and dance, how different schools of classical ballet classify the walls and corners of the stage differently, the way in which Laban Movement Analysis identifies affinities between moving in the spatial dimensions with qualities and moods, all of this as choreographic inspiration, and more!
I invite you to become aware of your posture as it relates to these spatial ideas, and start practicing physical integration for your dancing and your life. For more, please visit me at ablythecoach.com
