Description:

Today we have been introduced to a new concept, Laban’s Movement Analysis. Laban movement analysis was created by Rudolph Laban and is a method of describing and documenting human movement.  We looked at the four key components of movement: direction, weight, speed and flow.  Also, we discussed the eight efforts and we each thought of an example of a movement that would fall under each effort (Bernardet et al., 2019). We were then asked to apply the theory to a basic one-minute routine as a baseline, and we were asked to highlight and inject at least two of the eight efforts into the piece.

Feelings:

Previously, I had no understanding of any of the theory behind dance. It’s been interesting to learn about Laban and his techniques and to begin to have a vocabulary to use in dance.

Evaluation:

When we watched each other’s routines, it was intriguing to observe the variations of each one and how incorporating some of the eight efforts within our pieces led to individual, creative performances.

Conclusion:

It has highlighted to me to the benefits of having a theory baseline and a vocabulary to draw from around dance and movement. This is an area I would like to continue to work on developing.

Actions:

Research Rudolph Laban further, including his biography and the eight efforts.

Start considering how I can use the eight efforts within my solo piece.