The Flow of bodily effort unfolds in space, and the space we live in has only three dimensions.  This three-dimensionality posed a problem for Laban as he looked for relationships between the four motion factors and their intrinsic spatial tendencies.

Laban found affinities between the three motion factors of Weight, Space, and Time and the Vertical, Horizontal, and Sagittal dimensions respectively.  Then he ran out of places for Flow in the outer space surrounding the body.

Flow may not be naturally affined to the space outside the body, but rather to the psychological inner world in which our thoughts and feelings fluctuate continuously. … Read More

Laban’s inclusion of Flow as one of the four key elements of movement dynamics was influenced by Henri Bergson’s notion of flux.  According to this popular French philosopher, reality is a constant, dynamic flow of change, unlike the static and discrete objects we perceive.

Laban’s work reflects his conceptual debt to Bergson.  While objects seem to stand still, Laban writes, “this illusion of a standstill is based on the snapshot-like perception of the mind,” analogous to cutting a film into pieces. … Read More

Laban characterized movement dynamics as “the Flow of Weight in Time and Space.”  The three latter factors – Weight, Time, and Space – have always seemed commonsensical elements of motion that can be easily explained to a layman.  But Flow, as a perceivable movement element, can be harder to get across.

Laban’s own delineation of Flow seems clear enough.  He describes Flow as the variation between actions that are difficult to stop (free Flow) and motions that can be stopped and held without difficulty (bound Flow).… Read More

This year my work has focused the dynamics of human movement, or what Rudolf Laban called “effort.”

In July, at the Ohio State University, I presented a paper on effort notation at the International Council of Kinetography Laban, followed by a workshop on organic patterns of effort change at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute conference.

In August, through MoveScape Center, I ran a course on “Incomplete Effforts” (the six effort states).  “The Transformation Drives” workshop exploring the Passion, Spell, and Vision Drives came later in November.… Read More

In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving in November, feasting with friends and family.

While the day is often focused on material blessings, I would like to acknowledge other blessings from my life in movement.

First, I am grateful that Rudolf Laban studied visual art before he became involved in dance. If this seems strange, let me explain.

Laban had the rudiments of a late nineteenth century academic art education, which drew on centuries of theory and practice, as well as the study of classic and renaissance masterpieces. … Read More

Laban had a fertile imagination.  To enrich his parsimonious effort theory, he envisioned characters to represent different proportions of indulging and contending qualities among effort combinations.  He illustrates this with the combinations of the Action Drive.

For example, Laban associates Floating (all indulging qualities) with the soft loving movements of a goddess or angel, while Punching characterizes the violent and hateful movements of a demon.

Laban goes on to write:  “The characterization of a mere mortal will be more difficult, because imagination credits gods, goddesses, and demons with plain and uncomplicated effort habits whereas those of mortals are seen to be much more intricate.”… Read More

For each motion factor, Laban identified two contrasting qualities – one more “indulging” and the other more “contending.”  Consequently, for each drive consisting of three motion factors, there are eight different effort combinations.

This is a very parsimonious scheme for conceiving the enormous range of dynamic expression in human movement behavior.  Nevertheless, Laban’s scheme captures not only obvious movement moods, but also more subtle ones.   This is because the indulging and contending effort qualities are combined in differing proportions.

Find out more about this aspect of effort chemistry in the next blog.… Read More

The combinations of Space, Weight, and Time in the Action Drive were the first examples of effort chemistry that Laban identified.  Flow is the missing, or latent, motion factor.  When Flow replaces either Space, Weight, or Time, it changes the movement mood from one of practical action to an entirely different way of being in the world.

For example, when Flow replaces Weight, a whole new movement mood results.  It is not simply that the combinations of Space and Time are performed with greater or lesser control.… Read More

Effort chemistry depends on adding and subtracting kinetic ingredients.  For example, Laban delineated four effort “drives” – each of these is a combination of three of the four motion factors.

For example, the Action Drive is a combination of the motion factors of Space, Weight, and Time.  Laban observed these effort combinations in work with material objects, in which the appropriate focus, application of pressure, and speed of the action were critical to getting the job done right.

We can look at the Action Drive in terms of what is combined. … Read More