Mastering Movement: Life and work of Rudolf Laban (John Hodgson, 2001)

Part 4 Clarifying Laban's Basic ideas

• P.167 We should remind ourselves of two caveats (警告) in Laban's wisdom: The first is to avoid formula. Life is movement, flux, change, and has many exceptions and contradictions...The second is not to expect a method, which he pointed out would only lead to a rigidity of approach.

The Universal Pattern -Underlying Beliefs

1. P.169 All the World's in Motion - 'The whole visible universe in Motion', Laban declared in an article published posthumously in LAMG Magazine in 1959.


2. P.170 Related and Recurring Movement Patterns - Laban's experience led him to distinguish between movement governed by external forces and movement generated from within...Man needs to understand his nature and its links with Nature. Then, by working with Nature, he can gain greater insight into his own nature. {Relationship between man and nature}


3. Quality of Life seen in Movement - P.171 The range of human movement is the greatest of all [among plants, animals and human] and the most complex.


4. Movement the Common Experience - Laban declares confidently that 'this denominator...is movement with all its spiritual implications.'


5. Movement the Unifying Experience - Laban tried to make sense of it [the mystery of man's movement] all in an attempt to gain greater insight into the riddle of existence.


6. P.172 Movement the Basic Experience - Existence is movement. Movement is a confirmation and an affirmation of life. When we move, we are part of the living universe.

The Human Pattern -Fundamental Theory

1. P.173 Tools for Discovery of Movement - Movement Observation, Movement Analysis, Movement Memory and Movement Imagination.


2. P.174 Thinking in Terms of Movement - It is rather a case of making sure that we see the wood when we look at the trees. Once we start 'thinking in terms of movement', we can observe the patterns and comprehend its nature and consequences more clearly.


3. P.175 The Power and Potential of Movement - In this hypnotic (催眠的) condition they [Dervishes] seemed able to resist pain and their muscle tissues showed no after-effect from needles and nails which pierced the skin. Movement, he realized, could have surprising effects on blood flow and circulation.


4. The Two-way Process of Movement - The body is not only an instrument of expression but also an instrument of impression: there is a two-way traffic of sending and receiving.


5. P.176 Imitation - Imitation is a strong element in the way we learn to stand, walk, sit and so on in childhood and in the ways in which we associate ourselves with desirable groups.


6. Adaptation: Factors Modifying Movement - Movement may be externally / internally motivated / modified. It may be seen in, or as an interaction of the physical / the psychological / the metabolic / the emotional.


7. P.177 Function of Movement - 'Man moves in order to satisfy a need,' {(Laban, 1980:1)} The needs can range from the very simple to the highly complex. Man moves to do /to understand / to express /to dance.


8. P.178 Levels of Response: Shadow Movements - 'shadow' movements are movements performed without conscious volition yet expressing inner attitudes or externalized drives.


9. Through the Body's Movement We Make Sense of the World - Through movement, we can come to terms with ourselves, as well as gaining insight into the nature of our being, our condition, relationships with others and our place in the universe.


10. The Body and its Basic Movement - P.179 Laban saw the body in 3 areas: the head - area of psychological activity, the truck - area of metabolic activity, the limbs - area of physical activity studied from the point of view of its function.


11. P.181 The Body in Space - direct / indirect


12. P.182 The Body and its Movement Flow - Elements of Flow - Free / bound


13. P.183 The Body and its Movement Dynamic - Elements of Weight - Strong / Weak (Light / Heavy)


14. The Body and its Rate of Movement - Elements of Time - Quick / Slow (Accelerating / Decelerating)


15. P.184 Tension - Tension is 'a drawing together, an alertness of all the senses, a tuning in to what is around, making a link, a connection within and without,' says Laban (The Dancer's World)


16. Human Effort - P.185 All our mental and physical exertion he saw as a combination, an interaction of: direction (space), rate (time) and dynamic (wight); in this interrelationship, each is influencing the others and being influenced by them in a variety of ways.


17. Economy in Human Effort - which means finding the best starting position, then applying the appropriate amount of strength, employing the best use of space and moving at the appropriate pace.


18. Classification of Human Efforts - Eight basic working actions, called efforts in English: P.186 floating, gliding, wringing, pressing, dabbing, flicking, punching, slashing.


19. Effort and Recovery - Relaxation is the art of reducing tension.


20. P.187 Rhythm - Rhythm, Laban defines as the 'alternation of opposite happenings' - organized tension and relaxation of tension - each with its own effort. Recognizing and establishing natural rhythms is a fundamental part of movement.


21. P.188 Balance - It is achieved when the fight between the two extremes is resolved and equilibrium is restored. A well-proportioned alternation of rhythmic functions (light and strong, fighting and yielding) restores balance. The same basic scheme runs throughout all living matter, so that movement can be seen as man's link with the universal.


22. Harmony - 'equilibrium between forces pulling in opposite ways', 'a bringing together of tension and relaxation so as to effect that perfect balance'.


23. P.189 Space Harmony


24. Scales


25. P.190 Geometric Shapes - P.191 In the orientation of the body in space, the Kinesphere was established. To enable more specific reference points to be drawn, this sphere becomes simplified by reference to a number of geometric shapes within it.


26. The Icosahedron ((幾何)二十面體) - When they [people] were expressing emotion or excitement it became most obvious that they were, in their movement patterns, stressing certain points in space around the body. 'In joining these points,' he says, 'I arrived at a regular crystal form.' (What has Led you to Study Movement) This form he later identified as the icosahedron.

Hodgson, John. Mastering Movement: the life and work of Rudolf Laban. New York: Routledge, 2001.