Contemporary Dance Technique
Movement Alchemy
Movement Alchemy: Space Harmony and the SACRED Geometry of the Moving Body.
In Movement Alchemy: Exploration of the Spatial Field of the Body through Improvised Movement, we enter the study of Space Harmony as both an artistic and alchemical practice—a way of perceiving and moving within the universal geometries that shape all life.
Rudolf Laban’s theory of Space Harmony, or Choreutics, reveals that movement is not random but patterned according to universal spatial laws—the same laws that order crystalline structures, planetary orbits, and the growth of natural forms. Laban recognized that human motion follows inherent pathways that reflect Platonic geometry—that within the body’s kinesphere exist the same harmonies of proportion and relationship that underlie the cosmos itself.
He saw the body as a living polyhedron, moving through invisible crystalline forms such as the Cube, Octahedron, and Icosahedron. These structures offered dancers not fixed shapes, but spatial maps—fields of potential motion defined by pathways, levels, and dynamic pulls. By tracing the directions and diagonals of these polyhedra through movement, Laban devised scales of space—harmonic sequences of motion that, like musical scales, tune the body to resonance, symmetry, and equilibrium.
In Movement Alchemy, we explore these scales not as rigid forms, but as portals to improvisation and awareness. Moving through the cube’s groundedness, the octahedron’s dimensional balance, or the icosahedron’s flowing planes, we begin to sense how geometry lives inside the body. The kinesphere—our personal space—becomes a living constellation: a sphere of influence that expands, contracts, and reshapes itself through breath, intention, and attention.
Laban’s pathways—central, peripheral, and transverse—offer a language for how we navigate this field. Movement arises from the center of gravity, radiates toward the periphery, or passes fluidly between them. The levels—high, middle, and low—reflect our dialogue with gravity: leaping skyward, hovering in suspension, or sinking into the earth’s weight. These dimensions—vertical, horizontal, and sagittal—cross within the body’s center, forming the octahedral matrix that Laban described as the heart of spatial harmony.
As we improvise within this framework, movement becomes both a geometric exploration and an energetic transformation. The body tunes itself to the same organizing principles that guide the formation of galaxies, shells, and crystals. Through repetition and discovery, dancers cultivate spatial intelligence—an embodied knowing of how energy, intention, and alignment move through structure and void.
In this process, space is no longer empty—it becomes an active participant, a resonant field. Each gesture traces a relationship within the larger web of universal design. As we follow these invisible patterns, movement becomes alchemical: it transforms perception into presence, structure into flow, and geometry into living art.
Through the practice of Space Harmony, Movement Alchemy becomes an inquiry into how the body mirrors the cosmos—how every turn, extension, and spiral echoes the harmonic order of creation itself. The dancer thus moves not through space, but as space—embodying the universal choreography that links matter, motion, and meaning.Movement Alchemy Contemporary Dance Class.
Current Exploration: HARMONICS & ALCHEMY SERIES
The Ancestral Scale — Movement as Memory and Transmission
The current cycle of Movement Alchemy delves into Harmonics & Alchemy, a series dedicated to exploring how geometry, rhythm, and ancestry meet within the moving body.
Our present module, The Ancestral Scale, investigates the deep harmonic connection between form and lineage — how every gesture carries memory, and how motion becomes a vessel for remembrance.
Inspired by Rudolf Laban’s Standard Scale, The Ancestral Scale approaches his geometric principles not as technical drills, but as ritual pathways — movements that harmonize the inner and outer worlds. Within this framework, we explore spatial harmony as both a physical discipline and a spiritual transmission, tracing the invisible scaffolding of the kinesphere to rediscover balance, structure, and flow.
Through repetition and improvisation, dancers awaken the ancestral harmonics that live in muscle, breath, and imagination. Each pathway through space becomes both invocation and offering — a way of bridging geometry and soul.
🕰️ Class Details
Mondays | 5:30 – 6:30 PM
📍 The Elm Grove Church, Redland, Bristol
💰 Payment Options:
£14 drop-in
Concessions: £12 / £10 / £8 (choose what feels right for you)
10-Class Pack: £90 (6-month expiry)
5-Class Pack: £50 (3-month expiry)
Please consider paying directly via the website when possible, though all methods are welcome.
If you need clarification or wish to arrange an alternative payment, feel free to message me.
✨ One free class each month is available for anyone who would love to dance but cannot spare the funds — a gesture of inclusion and community care.
🌸 A Note from Fay
Movement Alchemy is a living system, and I hope it will one day become a space that welcomes family and community in fuller ways.
As a single mother, I envision a practice where my son, Leo, can share the studio — perhaps alongside other children — with guardians or volunteers helping to hold the space. This dream honours the idea that movement is life itself: that dance, care, and family can co-exist as part of the same sacred rhythm.
✨ Step into a calm, light-filled space to reconnect body, breath, and rhythm through improvised movement.
🌀 All levels welcome — bring curiosity, water, and an open heart.
Movement Alchemy: Space Harmony Series
Celestial Geometry — The Elemental Body-Maps
In Movement Alchemy, the Elemental Body-Maps invite dancers to explore how universal geometries live within the moving body. Drawing from Plato’s vision of the five elements and Rudolf Laban’s theory of Space Harmony, this series transforms abstract geometry into embodied experience. Each Platonic solid becomes a somatic pathway—an energetic architecture through which we explore our physical, emotional, and spatial intelligence.
Cube (Earth) — The Body-Map of Grounded Architecture
The Cube, element of Earth, holds the wisdom of structure, gravity, and support. Its six faces mirror the balanced orientation of the human form in space—standing, resting, and aligning with the forces that hold us upright.
In this exploration, dancers work with planes, edges, and axes, grounding into the stability of clear geometry. Through somatic attention, we embody the cube’s calm strength and learn to build from foundation: how rootedness nourishes freedom, and how containment allows energy to rise.
The Earth body-map anchors us in presence—reminding us that the ground is not an obstacle to movement, but the partner that makes flight possible.
Icosahedron (Water) — The Body-Map of Fluid Continuum
The Icosahedron, the form of Water, is composed of twenty curving planes that flow seamlessly into one another. Its geometry embodies continuity, adaptability, and transformation—movement that yields yet never collapses.
In this exploration, dancers enter the fluid intelligence of the body, tracing circular pathways and spirals that dissolve boundaries. Through improvisation, the body learns to move as water moves—responding rather than resisting, flowing rather than forcing.
The Water body-map teaches resilience through surrender, guiding movers toward emotional presence and adaptability. Here, we find healing in the currents of continuity—the dance that carries us back to flow.
Tetrahedron (Fire) — The Body-Map of Radiant Expansion
The Tetrahedron, symbol of Fire, embodies transformation, ignition, and radiance. With its four triangular faces converging to a single point, it represents movement that arises from the core and radiates outward—direct, decisive, and catalytic.
Through improvised movement, dancers explore sharpness, precision, and acceleration. The body becomes a flame—alive, directional, and dynamic—expressing the essence of will and clarity. As we move through the fire form, we investigate how intensity can emerge from centered stillness, and how energy refines itself through focus.
The Fire body-map awakens the dancer’s inner light, teaching that true expansion comes not from chaos, but from the disciplined geometry of intention.
Octahedron (Air) — The Body-Map of Balance and Breath
The Octahedron, aligned with Air, offers a geometry of levity and equilibrium. With its eight triangular faces, it expands equally in all directions, embodying the balance between ascent and descent, inhalation and exhalation.
Through movement, dancers explore the lightness of suspension, the pause between effort and release. Air invites us to move with the rhythm of breath—to open, float, and glide within the multidimensional field. The body becomes a vessel of wind: responsive, buoyant, and continually shifting between opposites.
The Air body-map cultivates a feeling of spacious neutrality—a reminder that balance is not stillness, but perpetual motion harmonized through awareness.
Dodecahedron (Ether) — The Body-Map of Integration and Expansion
The Dodecahedron, associated with Ether or Aether, is the element of the unseen—the unifying field that connects all others. With twelve pentagonal faces, it represents the harmony of the cosmos, the spacious intelligence that encompasses form, motion, and stillness.
In this final body-map, dancers explore the space between planes of movements—the invisible geometry that holds everything together. Through guided improvisation, the body becomes a constellation, tracing unseen lines of resonance and relationship. Movement dissolves into awareness; form becomes vibration.
The Ether body-map is an experience of integration—the synthesis of all elements. Here, the dancer moves not through space, but as space itself: a living expression of the geometry of being.
This method is inspired by Release technique is focused on the principles of “ease of movement” and “fluidity”. Dancers learn to minimise tension in the body to create freedom of movement. The release of body weight into the floor and the use of breath to instigate movement is part of the learning process.
This technique was developed in the 1980s by Joan Skinner and others. It emphasised the use of breath and the release of tension in movement. The dancer must use their body to explore the different possibilities of movement in space, such as levels, directions, and shapes. Release technique focuses on breathing, muscle relaxation, anatomical considerations, and the use of gravity and momentum to facilitate efficient movement.
REVIEWS FROM fELLOW DANCERS
“Attending Fay's contemporary dance classes has become one of the highlights of my week. It's a time when I can truly focus on myself, my body, and how it needs to move. I learn new movements and ways to express myself, while also having time to practice the beautiful sequences Fay teaches. The space itself is absolutely stunning, with perfect lighting that creates a dream-like atmosphere for letting go of anything within and simply expressing. Fay is such a kind and inspiring teacher, and the music she selects is always so immersive. The class is an uplifting, peaceful experience that allows me to rediscover the joy of movement without pressure or competition, only a genuine intention to explore.”
“I absolutely love the class. It’s become a regular self care embodied creative practice that sorts me out from niggles and keeps me feeling alive and connected. This particular style of dancing is also my favourite thing. Fay is such a gorgeous curator of offerings. Her style is inspiring, she always plays great music and the class flys by. I'd love more!”
“I love your class because of the freedom it’s given me to express myself through movement in a way that feels so authentic and elemental. I love the invitations, themes and limitations you offer us so that we have boundaries and container to create from. I didn’t expect this from them, but I have found your class to be a very supportive place for processing and re-visioning events and scenarios playing out in my life. I always leave feeling calm, connected, joyful and full of life. Thank you”
