72 Hours in NYC

As part of my summer research adventures, I spent the weekend in NYC attending the 40th Anniversary Conference of Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS). Many of the people attending this conference were dance legends, students of Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff, two key dance theorists. Additionally, among the 200 participants, many were Certified Movement Analysts (CMA) and graduates of the LIMS program. I am neither a dance legend nor a CMA, but I can always dream, and this weekend was an amazing introduction to a history of dance notation, dance therapy, and dance application.

Day 1:
After getting in early Thursday morning (about 1am), I was nearly rejected from the hotel because I am not yet 21. Luckily, another attendant was sharing my hotel room, so I was able to check in. After a few hours of sleep, I spent the morning exploring Times Square and Bryant Park. It rained the whole time, but was rather nice because there were far less people.

          

Since I was staying at the Bryant Park Hotel, the little bakery Le Pain Quotidien was a lifesaver for tea and quick breakfasts. I ate lunch at a nearby Whole Foods, watching the rain with minestrone soup in hand. The conference began on Thursday afternoon at Hunter College, and after a short subway ride and some door searching, I came upon a room with walls like this:

These symbols are part of motif notation, a system created by Ann Hutchinson Guest to simplify the complex system of Labanotation. The walls at Hunter College were covered in motif, and I was in awe (that's when the title photo for this blog was taken). During the opening speeches and dances, I was surprised to be welcomed with open arms by these people who I am related to only through movement tradition. After the events, I went out to dinner with my roommate (the lovely Beth Megill - professor at Moorpark College in California) and Teresa Heiland (my beloved Laban Movement Analysis professor from LMU).

Day 2:

On Friday morning, I attended a panel discussion about Global Water Dances, an initiative to bring ecological awareness through community site specific performances. I fell in love with the project and am already planning to participate next year (June 15, 2019). Look out!

I then ran to a workshop with Peggy Hackney, student of Irmgard Bartenieff. She has made incredible contributions to the world of Laban Movement Analysis and achieved a lifetime award this weekend. Her class involved using touch for repatterning and creating healthy movement. My random partner and I really found this minute exercise to be incredibly beneficial.

I grabbed a quick lunch at Chipotle and ate in Bryant Park. This time, it was packed and I could barely find a chair to eat. About halfway through my burrito bowl, a woman offered me a spot at her table, which was so kind.

Post-food, I attended a workshop with Ann Hutchinson Guest, Beth Megill, Teresa Heiland, and Tina Curran. We explored the integrative and fun aspects of using Motif Notation as a teaching device and a tool for exploration. I got to meet Ann, who is 100, and in the middle of the session, she grabbed my hand and said, "I know you now." It was so amazing to meet the woman who created the notation I am researching this summer, the notation I have fallen in love with.

Lastly, I listened to a presentation on paper on why Laban Movement Analysis and the work of CMAs is both valid and reliable statistically. The presentation was way out of my mathematical skill range, but I could understand the main points (LMA is both valid and reliable!).

A dance notator invited me to her house for dinner that night with Ann, Beth, and Teresa. It felt strange to be suddenly included in this group of intelligent thinkers and movers, but they welcomed me with open arms. The humid air was perfect as the sun set on our rooftop dinner - definitely one of my highlights of the trip (pictures to come later!).

Day 3:
After that 16 hour day, I did something my past self would not have done - I took the morning off, slept in  (just til 8:30), and ate a nice breakfast, sitting down. Pictured below: the best bowl of oatmeal I have ever had.

After that rejuvenating breakfast, I began with a panel on the current issues facing those writing, teaching, and using Labanotation and Motif Notation. Notably, as LMA spreads, communities are faced with language difficulties that are both solved and hindered by the symbol system. Also, the rise of technology and the lack of arts funding has left dance notation in the dust, so we need to create computer programs to notate dance and to communicate about this notation.

Nearly everyone for the conference crowded into the panel with direct students of Irmgard Bartenieff, and after we all filed into a room to hear Carol-Lynne Moore discuss Laban's ethereal theories about space harmony.

I couldn't leave NYC without doing some sightseeing of my own, so I trekked to Gibney Dance at 280 Broadway for a brief look at the studio space of the up-and-coming dance giant. I wandered to the 9/11 Memorial, and spent a few quiet moments honoring the past before heading back to a closing dinner.

     

I saw a quote on the wall at Gibney, and I thought it was the perfect summary of my NYC adventure:

"If words were adequate to describe fully what the dance can do, there would be no reason for all the mighty muscular effort, the discomfort, the sweat and the splendors of that art." 

Jose Limon

There is so much to love about NYC and the artistic community there. Although I do not know what the future holds, I hope that I will continue to cultivate the lessons I dipped into here in the city.