Longstaff, Jeffrey Scott (2005) Page of

5. 
   DYNAMICS; EFFORT
   

Each movement has a primary-stream (basic-direction, basic-form). In addition there appear secondary-streams, which... give the movement the temporal, dynamic and spatial-metric nuance. (Laban, 1926, p. 74)

And this concept of “secondary” is continued into later English writings:

When we move... a kind of secondary tendency appears in the body, namely a dynamic quality which is not always clearly definable by the spectator but is very real to the mover... ... They create “secondary” trace-forms... indicated by using the directional signs... (Laban, 1966, pp. 30-33)

There are four regulators-of-intensity...                The extreme contrasts... are:

taking-of-force... leads downwards (heavy).

If the body stretches upwards... there appears a condition of non-tension, of weakness...

Wide and narrow are influenced by sideways out-turning or in-turning...

Every quick movement will be... characterised by a jerk of the body center backwards.

Slow movements are allied with bulgings and expansions... forwards...

... dimensional directions are supporters of stability, ... while the diagonals ensure the labile flow.
(Laban, 1926, p. 74-75)

Laban (1926, pp. 75-76) describes dynamic phrasing: beginning, middle & conclusion, during which time there is a continuous process of increasing and decreasing intensity. These dynamic intensity fluctuations are highlighted as part of “harmonious liveliness” and to reveal this in the script it is asserted that “notation of intensity-nuances arising from secondary-streams can thus only be given by increasing-signs”. Accordingly, the intensity-nuances (efforts) are shown with their spatial affinities (d, h, b, f, in, out) as contrasting along a range of increasing or decreasing (Fig. 58).

d h [deep] [high] strong half-strong half-weak weak

b f [back] [fore] fast half-fast half-slow slow

out in (r or l) (r or l) far half-far half-narrow narrow

labile stable diagonal, fleeting half-fleeting half-rigid rigid

Figure 58. “Intensity-nuances” given with “increasing signs” (Laban, 1926, pp. 76-77; original text contains only one increase / decrease sign between deep and high, for illustration the increase / decrease sign is shown in all four efforts here).

This scheme of intensity-nuances (Fig. 58) has obvious similarities with present-day ‘effort’ but also shows variations. Using an increasing / decreasing sign along the continuum implies how one extreme has ‘more’ of something, while the opposite extreme has ‘less’. This seems to suggest how these opposing effort extremes were later characterised as either “fighting”, or “indulging” (Bartenieff & Lewis, 1980, p 51):

These dynamic traits have different degrees of intensity, leading to two contrasting elements within each. Rapidity is a higher degree of speed than slowness. Strength is a higher degree of force than weakness. Straightness is a higher degree of directional flux than roundaboutness. (Laban, 1966, p. 55)

These accounts particularly reveal the different ideas about ‘space’ effort which has developed considerably from early concepts of “degree-of-size” (Weitegrad); “near” or “narrow” (nah, eng) to “far” or “wide” (weit) (Laban, 1926, pp. 4, 74-79) with the fighting/indulging polarity reversed compared to later works (see Fig. 58) to later ideas of “directional flux”; “straightness” or “roundabountness” (Laban, 1966, p. 55) to recent ideas of “space effort” ranging from “flexibility” to “directness” (North, 1972, p. 233).

Also notable is how secondary-streams of stable and labile (Figs. 58, 59) do not occur in preferences for the A-scale (Fig. 60). In Choreographie the effort ‘flow’ was already standing out as more of a base for the other three efforts of space, force and time, and this role of flow effort continues such that it is not included with the scheme of affinities but acts as an additional modifying factor (Laban, 1966, p. 31; North, 1972, p. 260).

“The secondary-stream-signs are written directly in the column of writing, because they affect the direction of the movement line...
	= slow = quick = strong = weak = wide = narrow = stable = labile
“Then as intensity-signs we have also used:
	= increasing = decreasing
Figure 59. Secondary stream signs written with spatial direction signs (Laban, 1926, p. 102).

This same practice of using spatial signs for notation of effort dynamics was continued in Choreutics where qualities of the “dynamosphere” are considered to be “‘secondary’ trace-forms which can be indicated by using the directional signs of the kinesphere and adding the letter ‘S’” (Laban, 1966, p. 33) and notated parallel to space (Fig. 61).

“

S

(pressing) consists of

S

(slow)

S

(strong)

S

(straight)

S

(wringing) consists of

S

(slow)

S

(strong)

S

(roundabout)”

space:

effort:

S

S

S S

S

S S

S

S S

Figure 61. Dynamosphere (effort) notation with modified direction signs, with an example of a kinespheric (spatial) dimensional sequence written with a secondary dynamospheric (effort) sequence (Laban, 1966, p. 65).

“with expressive-tension        purely formal” Plate 19. “Inclination 7 (lbd) A-Scale”

Figure 62. Transferring a ‘form’ across effort & space (Laban, 1926, pp. 80-81).

This possibility of transferring across effort and space leads to the idea of an “effort scale” which is so to speak, ‘parallel’ with its spatial counterpart (Bodmer 1979b, p. 12). This might also be seen as analogous to the physical transformation between matter and energy, in this case the identity of the ‘form’ remaining but as a metamorphosis.

A review of ‘script’ methods in Laban’s (1926) Choreographie highlights four principal features of movement analysis or studies of ‘harmony’ which had been embedded in the early “trial-scripts” at that time:

1. Directional signs were used in two ways, for indicating the orientation of body positions (points) or as orientations of lines of motion (vectors);

2. A system of motion analysis was presented based on the two contrasting tendencies of stability (3 dimensions) and mobility (8 diagonals) in interaction and yielding deflecting lines of motion in actual movement practice (24 inclinations).

3. Path signs revealed a conception of space as a continuity ranging from small gestures of the hand, to full body movement, to travelling across the floor. Direction and path signs apply indiscriminately throughout this spatial extent.

4. A theory for the affinities or “preferences” between space and dynamics is outlined providing the rationale for representing both of these with a shared set of direction signs and for the practice of space / effort transference.

1. No obvious explanation is given for the ‘c’, and while it translates nicely into English, none of the German concepts used to describe arm positions begin with the letter ‘c’. Laban (1926) frequently uses the prefix “gegen-” (against) usually translated here as “counter-” in concepts such as “counterdirection” (Gegenrichtung), “counterweight” (Gegengewicht), “counter-swing” (Gegenschwung), and others. The prefix “kontra-” appears less often and could be translated identically with gegen, however the difference is maintained here such as in “contradirection” (Kontrarichtung), or “contraposition” (Kontraposition).

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