Rudolf Laban is closely identified with modern dance. Surprisingly, his book, Mastery of Movement, focuses on mime rather than dance. Laban’s notion of mime, however, does not relate to the highly stylized illusions of contemporary mime. Instead, Laban conceives mime broadly as all physical movement on stage, including speaking and singing.
As Laban notes, “A mime often transmits to the spectator what kind of an inner struggle his character is going through,” introducing the spectator to “the realities of of the inner life and unseen world of values.”
Laban goes on to link the “unseen world of values” with effort qualities and combinations, providing a practical tool, not only for mimes, but also for actors and dancers.
Awaken your inner mime in “Mastering Laban’s Mastery of Movement,” an online exploration of this significant book starting May 16.