Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies

Colleen Wahl received her Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA) certification in 2006 through Integrated Movement Studies (IMS). She has been a core faculty member at IMS since 2013. Wahl has taught many graduate and undergraduate courses in Laban/Bartenieff movement analysis, including at State University of New York at Brockport, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and most recently at Alfred University, where she is a visiting assistant professor of dance. She also served as a guest Laban faculty member for Bill Evans Dance Intensive in 2011, 2017, and 2018. Wahl has written articles about Laban/Bartenieff movement analysis (L/BMA), including a series of fitness columns for Epoch Times, a section of Karen Schupp's text Studying Dance: A Guide to Campus and Beyond, and a chapter in Inhabiting the Meta-Visual: Contemporary Performance Theories. She also coauthors the monthly IMS newsletter with Janice Meaden. Since graduating from IMS, Wahl has focused on applying the Laban/Bartenieff material in many areas. In 2007, she founded her own L/BMA-based somatic fitness business, Move Into Greatness, which has allowed her to apply Laban/Bartenieff concepts in various contexts. In addition to her fitness focus, she has applied L/BMA in sports, business, and performing arts in diverse settings, including Cornell University (with their football team and the graduate school of management) and the Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technology Institute for the Deaf. Wahl holds a master's degree in fine arts in dance from State University of New York at Brockport, a master's degree in liberal studies from State University of New York Empire State College, and a bachelor's degree in dance and arts education from William Smith College. In addition to her certification through IMS, she is a registered somatic movement educator through the International Somatic Movement Educators and Therapists Association and a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

"In Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies: Contemporary Applications, Colleen Wahl offers readers a text that is richly informative as well as readily accessible. Theory and practice are woven together in ways that can speak to a wide array of people, ranging from established and emerging movement educators and dancers to choreographers and bodywork practitioners. As a result, the possibilities for effectively and creatively engaging in the study of the theories and practices of Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff (L/BMS) become illuminated." -Sherrie Barr,Journal of Dance Education, doi:10.1080/15290824.2019.1627690