Effort, as Laban conceived it, is the driving force of human movement. The need to move and its manifestation in dynamic action comes not only from the conscious mind but also from the most remote and inward recesses of consciousness. In this sense, effort is deeply personal.
At the same time, bodily movements share certain features, regardless of the unique personal circumstances of the individual. In this sense, human efforts are universal.
The kinetic dynamics of effort are both personal and universal. This is not a contradiction.
As the painter Ben Shahn suggests, “The universal experience is that private experience which illuminates the private and personal world in which each of us lives the major part of his life.”
The study of effort is illuminating. Find out more in the upcoming MoveScape Center excursions.