Eight Basic Efforts
EIGHT BASIC EFFORT ACTIONS:
LABAN’S MOVEMENT THEORY
Terms:
1. Kinesphere: space within our reach, or our personal space. It moves with you as you travel.
2. Dimensions: a. Up-down (high, middle, deep) b. Left-right c. Forward-backward d. Diagonal
3. Flow of Movement: a. Bound flow – can be stopped at any time (pause). b. Free Flow – difficult to stop suddenly.
4. Space: Movement can be linear (direct) or curved (flexible).
5. Time: Time can be very personal or cultural. Modern transport allows us to travel faster and further than in the past. Time zones can be crossed. Life used to be governed by the seasons. Spring was the awakening and planting time, summer was the ripening time. With autumn came the harvesting time, and winter was the resting time. Today we have an inbuilt clock and a 24 hour clock. Speed is still a flexible term, depending upon the influences and circumstances.
6. Weight: Our ability to stand upright depends on the tension between the upward force of our bodies and the downward pull of gravity. Weight must be distributed or we may “lose balance”. Moving the body anywhere in space requires energy along a light to strong continuum. A small bounce requires only light force, whereas a pole-vaulter needs a stronger force to leave the ground.
|# |EFFORT |TIME |SPACE |FORCE |
|1 |PRESS |Sustained |Direct |Strong |
|2 |FLICK |Sudden |Indirect (flexible) |Light |
|3 |WRING |Sustained |Indirect |Light |
|4 |DAB |Sudden |Direct
LABAN’S MOVEMENT THEORY
Terms:
1. Kinesphere: space within our reach, or our personal space. It moves with you as you travel.
2. Dimensions: a. Up-down (high, middle, deep) b. Left-right c. Forward-backward d. Diagonal
3. Flow of Movement: a. Bound flow – can be stopped at any time (pause). b. Free Flow – difficult to stop suddenly.
4. Space: Movement can be linear (direct) or curved (flexible).
5. Time: Time can be very personal or cultural. Modern transport allows us to travel faster and further than in the past. Time zones can be crossed. Life used to be governed by the seasons. Spring was the awakening and planting time, summer was the ripening time. With autumn came the harvesting time, and winter was the resting time. Today we have an inbuilt clock and a 24 hour clock. Speed is still a flexible term, depending upon the influences and circumstances.
6. Weight: Our ability to stand upright depends on the tension between the upward force of our bodies and the downward pull of gravity. Weight must be distributed or we may “lose balance”. Moving the body anywhere in space requires energy along a light to strong continuum. A small bounce requires only light force, whereas a pole-vaulter needs a stronger force to leave the ground.
|# |EFFORT |TIME |SPACE |FORCE |
|1 |PRESS |Sustained |Direct |Strong |
|2 |FLICK |Sudden |Indirect (flexible) |Light |
|3 |WRING |Sustained |Indirect |Light |
|4 |DAB |Sudden |Direct