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

Movement is not simply physical – thoughts and feelings move too!  We cannot observe another person’s thoughts and feelings directly, but we can infer what they are thinking and feeling from how they move.

For example, imagine a student bursts into the classroom and slams their book bag on the desk.  In contrast, another student slumps into the classroom and drops their books casually.  No observer would assume both students are feeling the same way.

Effort is the term Rudolf Laban coined to capture the dynamic variations in how physical movements are performed. … Read More

Both Laban and Maslow agree that many intangible needs also motivate human behavior.  For both theorists, these intangible motivators include both psychological and spiritual needs.

Laban theorized the efforts involved in satisfying both psychological and spiritual needs as being different in nature from those used when working with things and tools.  He conceived these effort combinations as both “incomplete efforts” and “transformation drives.”

Find out more about these dynamic motivators in the upcoming MoveScape workshops, “Incomplete Efforts (Mostly)” and “The Transformation Drives” scheduled for late summer and autumn.… Read More

According to Maslow, sleep, food, water, and shelter are necessary to sustain personal existence.  Since humankind was cast out of the Garden of Eden, we have had to labor to obtain these tangible necessities.  In other words, work requires effort.

Laban conceived the dynamic energies utilized in working as combinations of three motion factors – Space, Weight, and Time.  Based on his studies of work movement during the Second World War, he identified 8 Basic Actions.

These combinations of Space, Weight, and Time can be designated with action verbs – Floating, Punching, Gliding, Slashing, etc. … Read More

“Man moves to satisfy a need,” Rudolf Laban wrote. “It is easy to perceive the aim of a person’s movement if it is directed to some tangible object. Yet there also exist intangible values that inspire movement.”

Laban’s comments remind me of the motivational theory of psychologist Abraham Maslow. Maslow proposed a Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy has two parts. First there are the things we must have to sustain personal existence. These needs include food, water, sleep, and shelter – what Laban would call tangible needs.… Read More

“Transitions from one effort quality to another are either easy or difficult,” Laban observed.  He then created harmonic effort scales or sequences in which changes in quality are easy.

Laban modeled these sequences using the eight “Basic Actions.”  For example, he modeled a natural effort change in which a Pressing Action can change to its contrast, a Flicking action, one quality at a time.

Laban’s modeling of harmonious effort changes goes beyond the Action Drive.  Find out more in the upcoming MoveScape workshops, “Incomplete Efforts (Mostly)” and “The Transformation Drives.”… Read More

Laban based his effort theory on the eight “Basic Actions” (aka Action Drive combos).  Then he positioned each Basic Action at a corner the cube, making a nifty model of effort/space affinities and creating the Diagonal Scale that every Laban student has practiced.

Most study of the Action Drive stops there, however, leading to some very stereotyped ways of embodying the basic actions.

In the workshop that I will be teaching during the LIMS Conference in July, participants can join me in liberating the Basic 8 – freeing them from the diagonals, finding new ways to Float and Punch and Glide, and practicing some little-known “effort scales” that Laban designed.… Read More