The first movement class Laban always taught, according to Irmgard Bartenieff, began with everyone walking and running, until a state of total flow was induced. Then Laban introduced shape.
Laban would have students mime picking something up and throwing it away.
Through improvisation, these actions were developed into a more dancelike motions of gathering (movement originating on the periphery of the kinesphere and moving toward center) and scattering (movement originating near the body center and extending outwards).
How we shape our movements allows us to adapt to the environment. Laban saw gathering and scattering as fundamental adaptive shapes, relating to the urge to possess (with gathering) or to repulse (with scattering). Laban went on to draw a relationship between these fundamental shapes and the arabesque and attitude of ballet. Find out more in the MoveScape seminar “Mostly about Shape (and a Little Bit about Effort),” which starts in October.