Gliding, Floating, and Slashing – Oh My!

In his studies of repetitive physical labor in British factories, Rudolf Laban identified eight basic effort actions: floating, punching, gliding, slashing, dabbing, wringing, flicking, and pressing. Almost anyone who has ever had an introduction to Laban’s work will have practiced these combinations of space, weight, and time factors. This is usually where the exploration of the Action Drive ends.

The upcoming MoveScape Center course explores the Action Drive more deeply through embodied phrases, video observations, and self-observation and reflection.

If you think the Action Drive is boring – think again. This drive is part of daily life and plays critical role in both exertion (think work!) and recuperation (these basic actions can be surprising calming). Find out more in the next blogs.