Laban’s notions of effort crystallized during the 1940s, through his observations of workers using tools and manipulating materials. While his perspective was that of the third person, objective observer, Laban remained aware of the other side of movement – the somatic, first person perspective.
He also saw a relation between functional and expressive actions and was convinced that the four motion factors and the eight effort qualities were always at play, regardless of the type of activity.
Yet he perceived a difference, writing “while in functional actions the movement sensation is an accompanying factor only, this becomes more prominent in expressive situations where the psychosomatic experience is of utmost importance.”
How does effort mutate when “the psychosomatic experience is of utmost importance?” Find out in the “Effort Mutation” workshop beginning in October.