Notes on how to work with Laban movement analysis

I had the privilege of working with Pat Jon Gregory and Hafiz Hosni at the Sing'Theatre Studios in late July, for a workshop called Dance Storytelling. Dancing to A Million Dreams was loads of fun, as was learning some new Broadway Jazz techniques. But what really caught my attention was our crash course in Laban movement analysis. I have been dying to find out more about what this is, having heard so much from theatre practitioners and acting resources everywhere, and at last my wish was granted when I stepped into the studio on that bright Sunday afternoon.

As a result, after the class I developed a sustained interest in Laban and how it can be applied to acting, singing and dancing. I was interested in exploring it as a system for intentional movement and to create a natural response in my body and voice to make my performance more energy-efficient. My first stop was the performing arts library at the Esplanade, where I borrowed a book called Laban for Actors and Dancers by Jean Newlove. It's sneakily hidden between the creative moment books on the dance shelf, which has its own little village separate from the other larger sections of the library.

This write-up aims to summarize my learning in the last few days, and to provide a fresh perspective on this century-old method from a young theatre apprentice.

What is Laban?

Laban on its own does not necessarily tie in to the performing arts. It is simply a way to describe movement. How does a bird fly? How do lumberjacks saw trees? How does a ballerina's jete differ from an athlete's hurdle? The Laban system of movement helps us to record and document the way different muscular tensions (efforts) are being used in order to create a variety of artistic or physical intentions. 

What I personally found interesting about Laban was how simple it is. You don't have to spend hours fighting the urge to retract your tongue or to navigate through your passagio. It's an intuitive way to know the imagery, to use your muscles in that exact form, and to instantaneously get the results you need for any performance or motion in daily life. It helps me to physicalize character and to take my acting from just text to complete immersion in body and voice.

Laban states that there are four main components of human movement. They are:

• Direction
• Weight
• Speed (Time)
• Flow

Direction can be either direct or indirect. Weight can be either heavy or light. Speed can be quick or sustained, and flow is either bound or free.

In general, any movement that is heavy is bound. Any movement that is light is free. However, it is possible to play and experiment with those variables to create paradoxical effort subclasses that is tailored to the character.

The idea is that when we put those qualities together, we will have 8 main combinations. They are: Punch, Press, Slash, Wring, Dab, Glide, Flick and Float.

The Eight Laban Efforts

There's really only one way to experience the eight Laban efforts, and that is to use your body and try those actions out.

Strong and Bound

PUNCH - Throw a punch. You'll notice that it is a very direct, strong, quick and bound force. The energy is gathered in the knuckles to exert maximum force on the unfortunate recipient.

PRESS - Imagine you're using your hands to push a wall away. Again, it's direct, strong and bound. The only difference between a press and a punch is that a press takes longer to execute. We call that being sustained.

In both the punch and press, the end point of the movement is clear, hence it is direct. 

The movements both require intense and strong movement, hence they are bound and heavy.

SLASH - Imagine that you're swinging a heavy broadsword. This is an indirect force that is strong and bound, but quick.

WRING - Squeeze water out of a wet towel by twisting it in opposite directions. This is an indirect force that is strong and bound, but sustained.

Light and Free

DAB - Dab makeup, press lift buttons, tap on your phone screen. It's a direct, but light and free force that is quick.

GLIDE - Imagine you're ice skating. Slide across the floor. It's a direct, light and free force that is sustained, unlike a dab.

FLICK - There's dirt in your fingernails. You pick at it and flick it on the floor (Fine: $500). It's indirect, light, free and quick. 

FLOAT - You're floating like a cloud. You rise on tiptoes and your body feels like air that can be thrown around by the slightest gust of wind. The force in your body is indirect, light, free and sustained.

Now try to combine some of those efforts together, two at a time, then three at a time. If it gets too confusing, try to design a story around each movement. While we have just eight words here, when they are combined and initiated with various body parts we get the whole spectrum of movement: Kick, lift, nudge, stare, pirouette, Charleston step.

Applications and Reflection

The awesome thing about Laban is that I can integrate it into nearly every performance. In ballet, tap, contemporary and jazz, each dance style favors a different vocabulary from Laban. In acting, Laban helps to bring forth the physical intention by informing the muscle exactly how to move for the best display of the performance. In singing, it's functional: Laban coaches the body to modulate the voice in various ways, from anchoring the spine and neck to expanding the ribcage for greater breath support.

Being involved in musical theatre acting, Laban has become a firm favorite in my process as a performer. It helps me to become aware of how I move, and to remove the lifeless rigidity that sometimes plagues my acting, especially when I am too fixated on the text. There is a lot of focus on aesthetic and perfectionism in theatre and its adjacent forms, which necessitates a system that helps with artistic control, so I will be exploring Laban in my practice sessions more often in the next few weeks.

[This is not a school essay, but my own research and practice over the summer of 2022. As such, it will not be filed under NUS.]