It has taken me years to realize that Laban’s movement analysis system is abstract. The descriptive terms are quite general. Take effort – there are only four motion factors and eight effort qualities for describing any movement a human being can do. This means that the same effort quality can be in movements that look nothing alike, occur in different contexts, and are performed for different reasons.
A student can do strong movements in the studio and concretely experience the physical sensation of increasing pressure. But to transfer that “felt sense” and reliably identify the effort quality of strength in a variety of movements is quite another thing. The student really needs to build a bank of images – strength used in shoveling, strength in a stamping dance, strength in a hand gesture, strength with sustainment, etc. And this is where video can be enormously helpful when used wisely.
Using video wisely involves two things: finding clear examples and giving students an appropriate point of concentration. It doesn’t do much good to bring in a video clip and ask a group of 15 students, “What did you see?” The instructor will get 15 different answers, simultaneously raising the observation anxiety level by 200%. (I know because I have been there and done that!)
In contrast, students can be directed to look at how the weight effort is used in a video clip that has clear examples. This approach allows students to look for what is there. When they see it and identify it, the instructor can confirm their analysis. This procedure not only builds students’ confidence, it also builds an inner bank of images to which each student can refer later when observing solo.
Tip #3 – Prescreen video to find clear examples of an effort or space element, then direct students to watch for that element.
