Nowadays the Laban/Bartenieff canon is a quaternity of four elements of motion: Body, Effort, Space, and Shape – or BESS for short.
Thus it seems that over the decades since I was certificated, Shape has emerged as a category of movement distinct from Body, Effort, and Space.
To be honest, Shape was always lurking backstage, as “modes of shape change” and gerunds like “rising, descending.” But it’s emergence as a principal performer is new. And when Shape takes centerstage, the audience responds not only with bravos, but also with cat calls.
Find out more in “Mostly about Shape (and a Bit about Effort)” – the new MoveScape Center course starting in April.