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Understanding and exploring the kinesphere

This is an excerpt from Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies-2nd Edition by Colleen Wahl.

Laban developed a word for describing personal Space: kinesphere (Laban 1974, 10). The kinesphere can be thought of as the movement ­bubble or ­spherical space that the body occupies without taking a step (see figures 6.3 and 6.4). It is “that part of space which can be reached with the extremities” (Laban 1974, 29). Laban often compared it to an aura; like an aura, the kinesphere is always with you. If you take a step, your kinesphere goes with you (Laban 1974, 10). As you move, the space your body takes up changes, and your kinesphere grows, shrinks, morphs, and adjusts.

As you move through the dif­fer­ent Spaces of your world, your kinesphere travels with you to each new place. Your kinesphere is affected by each new place, morph­ing its range of physical and psychological reach Space and activating specific regions and areas. Paying attention to your kinesphere (as the following distinct aspects of kinesphere ­will teach), illuminates the general movement patterns of an environment. Kinesphere also reveals personal and cultural preferences and makes it easier to notice, understand, and adapt to dif­fer­ent situations.

Kinesphere is the broadest heading for the sphere of movement around the body. The following ­will outline further distinctions ­under the umbrella of kinesphere that allow us to get specific about the Space immediately around the body, including size of the kinesphere, vari­ous locations within the kinesphere, and how the body approaches and reveals its kinesphere.

Reach Space, the Size of the Kinesphere

One aspect of kinesphere to consider is its size. If you pull your limbs in close to your body, you have decreased your reach Space; you could say you made your kinesphere smaller. If you then extend your limbs out, away from the torso, you have increased your reach Space and made your kinesphere larger. The size of the kinesphere is ­organized like nesting Matryoshka dolls or concentric spheres, and it reflects the extent of reach Space, the movement that occurs immediately around the body. The size of the kinesphere ranges from close to the body’s center to as far out as the limbs can possibly extend.

The sphere of movement can be very small, small, medium, large, and very large—­also known traditionally as very near, near, ­middle, far, and very far reach Space (see figure 6.5) (Hackney 2002, 223).

Very small: defined by the concentric sphere located at and just beyond the skin

Small: defined as the concentric sphere at the distance of the proximal joints

Medium: defined as the concentric sphere at the distance of mid-­limb (elbows and knees)

Large: defined as the concentric sphere at the distance of the distal limbs when outstretched

Very large: defined as the concentric sphere at the farthest edge of one’s reach Space

Imagine how the bodies in an environment like a crowded city subway may have to occupy a near (small) reach Space to accommodate both the cramped quarters and the other bodies sharing the train. The kinesphere may be very dif­fer­ent for someone who is alone on a mountain summit, whose far (large) reach Space would include taking in the expansive view with outstretched arms and legs. Also notice when movement is incongruent with ­these community norms. Are ­there times when a large kinesphere would be appropriate on a crowded subway?

Psychological Kinesphere

The psychological kinesphere is the Space a person pays attention to or identifies as their own, which they fill with their energy (Peggy Hackney, conversation with author, March 3, 2018). Like the physical kinesphere, the psychological kinesphere grows and shrinks based on how much Space a person recognizes and claims as theirs (figure 6.6). The psychological kinesphere lends itself to interpretation, and thus it is less concrete than other aspects of the Space category. However, it can be useful for coaching performers and describing your perceptions of a psychological attitude.

To connect to the experience of a large psychological kinesphere, imagine you are camping alone. You are in your tent and hear an unusual noise outside. It is likely a squirrel, but it could be something ­else! You begin to pay attention to ­every sound made in what seems like the entire woods, as though you could hear and sense every­thing that was happening all around you for miles. It is as though you have expanded your sense of the sphere around you to psychologically encompass a very large range. In the case of a small psychological kinesphere, now imagine you are on an airplane and want to keep to yourself and eventually doze off. To let the neighbors in the nearby seats know you are not ­there for conversation, you draw your sense of what is yours to be very small and inward ­toward yourself, as if to say, “This is my space, and only this. I am not interested in what is beyond my thoughts and sensations.”

Shared Kinesphere

Each individual has their own kinesphere, but you can share your kinesphere with another. Sharing a kinesphere happens when the movement Space of one person’s kinesphere entwines with one or more ­others’ kinespheres. For example, shared kinespheres are common in dance, in contact improvisation, and with close and intimate companions.

Reflect on where and with whom you share your kinesphere. What does it feel like to do so? What inner responses have you experienced when you shared your kinesphere with someone? Did you feel that they had equally shared theirs with you? Have you felt that someone shared or tried to share your kinesphere when you had not invited them to do so?

Levels, Zones, and Super Zones of the Kinesphere

L/BMA has ways to geo­graph­i­cally map where in a kinesphere movement occurs. ­These include the use of levels, zones, and super zones.

Levels

The kinesphere is divisible by level or altitude: high, ­middle, and low (see ­figures 6.7 and 6.8) (Laban 1974, 12–13).

High is associated with the area from the sternum up.

­Middle is associated with the level of the belly button.

Low (sometimes referred to as deep) is associated with the area below the pelvis.

Zones

Zones are the regions of the kinesphere easily accessed by the corresponding limbs. “The zones of the kinesphere become apparent and are felt at the moment when they are touched by the moving body” (Laban 1974, 29). For example, the zone of the right leg when standing would include the regions of right, low to ­middle, and front and back (Moore 2014, 102). The zones are defined by up–­down (sometimes referred to as high, ­middle, and low), right–­left, and forward–­back.

The zones provide information about places within the kinesphere that are frequently visited, and ­those that are less visited. Consider the zones you visit. For example, if you are a sous chef at a restaurant and chopping vegetables is part of your preparation, you likely spend a lot of time with your hands in the forward ­middle zone. Move to this place and ask yourself, What does it feel like to have your hands ­here? What comes to mind in this zone? What activities do you take part in that activate this zone of your kinesphere? ­Those other activities might include typing and text­ing or feeding your infant. How do you ­organize your inner body connectivity to feel supported in this familiar place?

Now go to an unfamiliar zone within your kinesphere—­perhaps the left back zone. What associations are connected to this zone of kinesphere? You might think of calling your dog to come and catch up or might reflect on a past friendship. What does it feel like to be ­here? How do you ­organize your inner body connectivity to feel supported in this unfamiliar place? Next, try moving between the familiar and unfamiliar zones.

Super Zones

The super zones describe an area like a zone except less frequently visited. Super zones happen when a limb goes beyond its “normal” or anatomical range. For example, say you are positioned in downward dog in a yoga class and the instructor cues you to lift the right leg up, which ­will move you into three-­legged dog. When your right leg is at that high level, it ­will be in a super zone (Groff 1990).

More Excerpts From Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies-2nd Edition

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