Laban Movement

Laban Movement Analysis Method (LMA) is a teaching method that is used for describing, interpreting, visualizing, and documenting human movement. The descriptive nature of the Laban approach is multidisciplinary, and it uses terminology and language from psychology, anatomy, medicine, and the study of muscle movement. In the contemporary world, it is used as a tool for athletes, therapists, actors, dancers, even anthropology, sociology and health and wellness systems.

What analysis did Rudolf Laban make in regards to movement? Movement for Laban is usually divided into categories of analysis: The Body (how the body connects), Effort (dynamics and energy required for movement); Shape, Space, the Mobility and Stability of the movement, Inner and Outer functions and expressions, and the amount of exertion or recuperation. Overall, Laban's analysis describes both the structure and characteristics of human movement.

This analysis looks at the way each part of the body moves, which are connected, which are influenced by other parts, and how the body appears to be organized while moving. This analysis portion becomes even more complex when other bodies in motion (e.g. other athletes or artists) move together. Question 2 -- What historical references influenced the development of his work? Laban was a European dancer and choreographer.

He collaborated with several other dance professionals like Mary Wigman, Kurt Jooss, and Sigurd Leeder to form a more theoretical approach to dance. Historically, his time in Paris and Munich from 1900-1914 influenced his attitudes about movement along with much of the new philosophical issues surrounding egalitarianism and freedom of movement.

Laban was in his 20s during this period of the blossoming of the arts in major European capitals, and his ideas were influenced by the social and cultural influences of the time, particularly in the works of Picasso, Cezanne and Matisse. He became concerned with the manner in which dance could emulate the other arts and derive more freedom of movement by experimenting with what the body could do when challenged.

Question 3 -- How does this philosophy relate to dance? Above all, Laban wished to use his theoretical views of dance to heighten the artistic experience and to establish new and innovative ways of movement. By relating "rule breaking" and a less than traditional approach to what audiences had been used to in classical ballet, he instead looked at the meaning of dance in opera, ballet, cinema and even ways of movement that could be utilized to expand the repertoire of dance.

The philosophy relates to dance by describing the structural and physical characteristics of the human body while moving -- how movement is initiated, the connection of different bodies to each other, how bodies sequence and align, and even patterns of organization, which he called "Patterns of Total Body Square Connectivity" to provide more of a story and meaning that relates to effort and then either fighting of indulging polarity (e.g. direct vs. indirect, strong vs. light movement, or bound movement vs. free movement).

Question 4 -- How does Laban refer to Dance as an art form and scholarly discipline? Dance had always had a formal component as an art form. As an art form, Dance uses movement to form emotional expression, spiritual and performance settings, or non-verbal communication and the telling of a story. Laban expanded this so that the method used both a research and somatic approach (categorizing, analyzing, experimenting, etc.) so that the theory of movement can be used to exemplify and amplify art.

In a way, this is deconstruction: if we liken it to Bach, we know that Bach's compositions were from his heart and mind, but when analyzed we find basic theoretical concepts about the way chords and tones work in combination or singularly. In a similar manner, Laban's views of dance take overall movement and use theory to explain how different movements result in differing outcomes with different meanings and emotional / intellectual responses.