Integrated Movement Therapies (IMT)®

Integrated Movement Therapies (IMT)® combines complementary approaches to movement education, rehabilitation and physical fitness based on the work of Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff, with influences from yoga, dance, tai chi and diverse studies in functional and expressive movement. Created by Danielle Bélec from over 20 years of experience as a dance artist, academic and practitioner, IMT offers a framework for the study of conscious movement as the basis for self-knowledge and intentional living.

IMT Influences

Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) was an Austro-Hungarian dancer, choreographer, movement educator and early pioneer of European modern dance. Best known for his movement notation system called Labanotation, he dedicated his life to investigating the basic components of movement as they relate to function, personal expression, and human nature. In the 1920s and '30s, Laban's teaching flourished, leading to the opening of schools across Europe.

Laban's protégé, Irmgard Bartenieff brought Laban Movement Analysis to America when she immigrated in the 1930s. By 1966, with an extensive background in physical and occupational therapy, Bartenieff began the first graduate studies certification program in Laban Movement Analysis, and by 1978 opened the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York where Laban's movement research and training continues today.