Playing with Laban

Exploring emotions through Laban’s Efforts of Movement is a wonderful way to connect with your feelings on a deeper level. Rudolf Laban came up with these four main components of movement—Weight, Time, Space, and Flow—and their various combinations create unique “efforts” that can help you understand your emotional landscape.

1. Get to Know the Efforts and Their Emotional Vibes

Learn about these efforts and how they relate to emotions:

Weight (Light or Heavy): This is about how much power or force you put into your movements. Light movements might make you feel gentle or sensitive, while heavy ones could give you a sense of power or resolve.
Time (Fast or Slow): This is about speed. Quick movements might remind you of something exciting or impulsive, while slower movements might feel calmer or more thoughtful.
Space (Direct or Indirect): This is about where you aim your movements. Direct movements can make you feel clear and focused, while indirect ones might feel more like you’re exploring or wandering.
Flow (Controlled or Uncontrolled): This one’s about how you manage your movements. Controlled (bound) movements could make you feel tense or held back, while uncontrolled (free) movements might give you a sense of letting go.

2. Pick an Emotion to Play With

Think of an emotion, like happiness, anger, sadness, or curiosity, and consider how it feels in your body. Does it make you want to move fast or slow? Directly or all over the place? With power or lightness?

Anger might make you feel like doing strong, quick, and straight-to-the-point movements.
Joy could be light, fast, and all over the place.

3. Play Around with Each Movement Element

Start by working with one element at a time:

Weight: Give heavy (like stomping) and light (like tickling) movements a shot.
Time: Check out slow, lingering movements (like a slow dance) and fast, snappy ones (like jumping jacks).
Space: Try pointing or reaching directly (like throwing a dart) and moving in wider, more wavy paths (like swimming in a pool).
Flow: Feel the difference between tight, controlled moves (like holding a pose) and loose, flowing ones (like waving your arms as you run).

See which one feels most like your chosen emotion.

4. Mix and Match to Find Your Emotional Movement Style

Now, blend these elements to create your own emotional dance moves. For instance:

Determined (Heavy, Slow, Direct): Like pushing through a tough task.
Free-Spirited (Light, Slow, Indirect): Like floating through a dreamy meadow.
Intense (Heavy, Fast, Indirect): Like when you’re really into something and feeling fired up.
Graceful (Light, Slow, Direct): Like gliding across the floor.

Just mess around and see how it feels.

5. Reflect and Write It Down

After you’ve moved around a bit, take a moment to think:

What feelings came up during your little dance?
Did any specific movement feel just right for that emotion?
What did you learn about how you express that feeling in your body?

6. Make a Movement Story

Create a short sequence of movements that tells the story of your emotion. Maybe:

Begin with floating to show curiosity or wonder.
Move into pressing to express pushing through a challenge.
End with gliding as a way to show things are getting easier or more peaceful.

7. Add Some Tunes

Music can really take your emotional movement session to the next level. Choose songs that match the mood you’re going for. The rhythm and melody can make you feel the emotion even more.

8. Mix It Up with Different Emotions

The more you explore, the better you’ll get at connecting movements with feelings. So, try this out with a bunch of different emotions and see what happens.

By playing with Laban’s Efforts of Movement, you’ll get to know yourself better and become more comfortable expressing your emotions through your body.