Attending the 34^th Biennial Conference of the International Council of Kinetography Laban highlighted the critical role that dance notation plays in the preservation of theatrical choreographies and folk dance traditions.

Truly international in focus, conference presenters and attendees hailed from the Americas, Europe, and Asia.  Lectures and workshops demonstrated the value of recording dance in symbols and its many uses in dance pedagogy, dance history, and the preservation and restaging of significant dance works for the stage, as well as the conservation of sacred and secular cultural movement forms.… Read More

During the week of July 14-20 the Laban Movement Analysis and Labanotation communities shared workshops, lectures, panels, and performances at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and nearby Kenyon College.

The overlapping conferences were organized respectively by the Laban/Bartenieff Institute (LIMS) and the International Council of Kinetography Laban (ICKL).  The gatherings marked an historic moment of reconnection and a re-envisioning of dialogue and mutual enrichment between the dance notation and movement analysis fields.

Get an eye-witness view of both conferences in the next blogs.… Read More

Combining the motion factors of Space and Weight yields what Laban called the “Stable” state.

Laban relates this effort combination to an inner attitude of “steadfastness.” He characterizes variations of this state as” resolute, sensitively receptive, solid and powerful or delicately pinpointing.”

Laban named the contrasting combination of Time and Flow the “Mobile” state.  He relates this to an inner attitude of “adaptability,” which may be fluent or cautious, slowly forthcoming or abruptly changing.

Obviously, the effort states provide a rich palette of subtle shades for movement expression. … Read More

Combining the motion factors of Space and Flow yields what Laban called the “Remote” state.  Laban relates this to an inner attitude of “detachment,” which may be restrained or relaxed, self-absorbed or more universal in focus.

He called the contrasting combination of the motion factors of Weight and Time the “Near” state. Laban relates this to an inner attitude of “presence,” which may express strong attachment or superficial touch having immediate or more lingering impact.

Why take Laban’s word for this? … Read More

Combining the motion factors of Space and Time yields what Laban called the “Awake” state.  Laban relates this to an inner attitude of “awareness.”  He goes on to note that this awareness may be certain or uncertain, arising suddenly or gradually, in a concentrated or embracing focus.

He called the contrasting combination of the motion factors of Weight and Flow a “Dreamlike” inner attitude, one of “unawareness.”  He characterizes variations of this state as “diffused or bold, and gloomy or exalted.”… Read More

In attempting to describe the six effort states, Laban noted that “It is difficult to attach names to these variations of the incomplete efforts as they are concerned with pure movement experience and expression.”  Nevertheless, he came up with six names in contrasting pairs: awake – dreamlike, remote – near, stable – mobile.

To capture these subtle qualities, Laban drew the following relationships between motion factors.  For example, Space gives information about Where; that is, our capacity to focus our movements helps us stay oriented in our surroundings. … Read More

When he gave his unfinished manuscript on movement psychology to Yat Malmgren, Laban had already conceptualized effort states as attitudinal and characterized these six effort combinations in contrasting pairs. According to Malmgren, Laban did not arrive at these characterizations of inner attitudes through mere reasoning.

Instead, Laban collected from his dancing colleagues their “movement experiences” – comments on the feelings and sensations they had experienced when dancing.  Laban then sorted these comments into six different categories, each displayed on a separate table in his room.… Read More

Laban understood that the efforts we employ to move reflect the inner landscapes of what we are thinking and feeling.  Consequently, he was working on a book about movement psychology and effort with a colleague, William Carpenter.

When Carpenter died unexpectedly, Laban handed the manuscript to Yat Malmgren, a former Jooss dancer who had become a movement-for-actors teacher.  Malmgren devoted the latter half of his life to expanding Laban’s effort theories into a practical method for actors to develop realistic characters for stage and screen.… Read More

Incomplete efforts (aka effort states) are combinations of two motion factors.  Rather than the three effort factors of Space, Weight, and Time employed in practical actions, Laban initially observed these “incomplete efforts” as “transitions between essential actions.”

Laban identified six of these effort states, delineating them in contrasting pairs:  awake – dream, remote – near, and stable – mobile.  When Laban first discerned these less intense effort combinations, he felt they played a role in the working rhythm of exertion and recuperation, serving a recovery function.… Read More

Laban wrote two books in English presenting his concepts of movement dynamics.  The first, Effort, focuses on practical actions involving material objects – concepts that crystallized during his studies of repetitive physical labor in British industry.

The second book, Mastery of Movement for the Stage, focuses on movement and the depiction of characters and dramatic situations. This exploration of expressive movement introduces Laban’s expanded notions of effort states and drives, albeit in a cursory fashion.

Delve more deeply into the theory and practice of effort expression in MoveScape Center’s upcoming workshops, “Incomplete Efforts (Mostly)” and “The Transformation Drives.”… Read More