The movement alerts the body that a change is wanted. BF uses movement to direct and activate the change from within. Bartenieff Fundamentals helps the body in its healing process by improving nutrition and hydration for the fascial network. It repatterns faulty ways of moving using sequences that support good patterns. The change occurs over time with regular practice; you can see and feel the difference if you pay attention.
Since the fascial network is all through the body and touches everything, every movement has an effect. The body is a living system that works in relationship with itself and the environment. So, movement that speaks to that wholeness of relationships is best. There are thousands of Bartenieff Fundamentals sequences and there are trillions of connections within the fascial matrix. The Basic Six are an introduction to the orderliness in the body. Every movement has an effect but BF offers a systematic approach to coverage and to maintenance, so that you move like a young person. You become comfortable in your responsive, resilient body.
We are each research projects of our own; only we ourselves know how we feel and can track the changes that come about by our movement practice. Use pre- and post-tests to check for change. Work with a partner and share how change feels and looks as you practice and observe each other. Practice in Bartenieff Fundamentals keeps us from being stuck in one biological place such as habitual patterns. It’s a system for full coverage and that can be varied in many ways to maintain the resilience of the body.
If I skip a day, I can feel the difference, especially in my back, where those postural muscles are working 24/7. It’s a mild stiffness but it reminds me that I took yesterday off.
I have been teaching Bartenieff Fundamentals for 35 years and made it the topic of my doctoral dissertation.
Through that experience I have come to understand the richness of Bartenieff’s legacy and have expanded it to encompass the latest research on body movement and its fascia. Fundamentals inspired the fitness program, 3-D Workout, sold worldwide on DVD. This course (14 hours) teaches you the basics of Fundamentals and helps you move better on two feet, improves your posture and leads you to explore new possibilities for a more active lifestyle. There are no prerequisites but you must actively participate. A course manual is included.
You will learn to:
• increase your body awareness and coordination
• improve your basic movement skills
• enjoy the benefits of a new way to warm-up and prepare yourself for activities.
Irmgard Bartenieff
(1900 – 1981)
A student of Rudolf Laban, was a brilliant physical therapist, dance therapist and teacher. She founded the Laban / Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS) in New York City where she trained hundreds of students to see and experience movement from a unique point of view. These fundamentals are her creation. This course may be used as a prerequisite to the various certificate programs offered by LIMS.
Other courses in Fundamentals are available for interested groups: Bartenieff Fundamentals Level II, Fundamentals in Rehabilitation and Teacher Training in Fundamentals.