Irmgard Bartenieff

Irmgard Bartenieff
Irmgard Bartenieff
Born	(1900-02-24)February 24, 1900 Berlin, Germany
Died	August 27, 1981(1981-08-27) New York City, United States
Occupation	physical therapist, movement analyst, researcher, dance therapist, writer
Notable works	Body movement - Coping with the environment (1980)

Irmgard Bartenieff (1900 Berlin - 1981 New York City) was a dance theorist, dancer, choreographer, physical therapist, and a leading pioneer of dance therapy. A student of Rudolf Laban, she pursued cross-cultural dance analysis, and generated a new vision of possibilities for human movement and movement training. From her experiences applying Laban’s concepts of dynamism, three-dimensional movement and mobilization to the rehabilitation of people affected by polio in the 1940s, she went on to develop her own set of movement methods and exercises, known as Bartenieff Fundamentals.

Bartenieff incorporated Laban's spatial concepts into the mechanical anatomical activity of physical therapy, in order to enhance maximal functioning. In physical therapy, that meant thinking in terms of movement in space, rather than by strengthening muscle groups alone. The introduction of spatial concepts required an awareness of intent on the part of the patient as well, that activated the patient's will and thus connected the patient's independent participation to his or her own recovery. "There is no such thing as pure “physical therapy” or pure “mental” therapy. They are continuously interrelated."

Bartenieff’s presentation of herself was quiet and, according to herself, she did not feel comfortable marketing her skills and knowledge. Not until June 1981, a few months before she died, did her name appear in the institute’s title: Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS), a change initiated by the Board of Directors in her honor.

Irmgard Bartenieff (born February 24, 1900 in Berlin, Germany, d. August 27, 1981 in New York City) completed her university studies in Art and Biology and later, studies with Rudolf Laban in Berlin in 1925.

In her two-year program with Laban and his colleagues, Bartenieff studied Choreutics (Space Harmony) with Gertrude Loeser, Eukinetics (Effort) with Dussia Bereska, dance technique with Herman Robst and notation and composition with Laban.