Character Movement Work

8 movement efforts for detailed movement signatures

Hey.

You’re ready to take your character movement work to the next level, yes?

Awesome!

What I’ve got for you in this post is more movement tools to give your characters that extra boost.

And, to feel great about the work you’re doing. 

Because, honestly, that’s a huge chunk of movement work, for me, at least. 

Constructing a character that is physically different from myself just adds to the joy of acting. 

Now, the movement work I’ve got for ya is via the movement work of Rudolf Laban, a choreographer, dancer, teacher, and developer of the dance notation called Labanotation. 

I’d recommend checking out my post covering the broader strokes of Labanotation to give you a strong foundation of his key building blocks before moving ahead here.

Ready to continue?

Brilliant!

Welcome to the next layer. 

What are Laban’s 8 efforts?

As we move, we move with different qualities. We walk heavily or lightly, move quickly or slowly.

To help build a character movement signature (a way that a character moves as their default), we need to break down these different qualities. 

These 8 efforts, or as Laban also called them the ‘Efforts of Action Drive,’ are ways movement is expressed when we, well, move. 

These efforts are called: trusting, slashing, gliding, floating, wringing, pressing, dabbing and flicking. 

As explained in my previous Labanotation post, these 8 efforts work alongside his bigger building blocks of flow, weight, time, and space. 

The 8 efforts, focus on switching up direct vs indirect movements.

With me so far? Great!

Then get ready to try some stuff! To do the movement thing and give the examples/exercises a try (because that’s the best way to learn movement is to leap on in and give it a go.)

Let’s keep diving in!

Laban effort opposites: thrusting/slashing

Right, so a thrusting movement is described as being, sudden, strong and direct. 

Imagine this: say you’re eating a meal and you’re done with your plate. You want to clear the space in front of you by using a thrusting action, to get the plate out of your way. Move that plate in a way that is sudden, strong, and DIRECT.

How does that feel to move in such a way?

Take note of it, log away how you feel and what kind of character may employ this kind of movement. 

Now, the opposite of thrusting is slashing.

Slashing is sudden, strong and indirect movement.

Back to the plate idea. You’ve eaten again and done with your plate. This time, get the plate out of your way with a slashing movement. Sudden, strong and INDIRECT.

How does that feel different from thrusting?

Could you use both of these for the same character depending on the moment? 

Or, does one or the other fit well into a character’s movement signature, whose baseline is more sustained and light? Either of these movements would have a greater impact, right?

Laban effort opposites: gliding/floating

Onto gliding and floating.

Gliding is a sustained movement that is light and direct. I like to think of an airplane or a skater because the movements have a goal, there’s a desination. 

So, you’re walking down the street, rather, you’re gliding down the street. Sustained, light, and DIRECT. You have a purpose, somewhere to get. But keep your movement sustained and light.

Take note of how this feels. 

Now, floating is also sustained and light, but it is indirect instead of direct. I like to think of examples like boats and balloons.

Again, you’re walking down the street, floating this time. Sustained, light and INDIRECT. You’ll get to where you’re going eventually. 

Feel any different from gliding? 

How could you use this in a character movement signature?

Laban effort opposites: wringing/pressing

Firstly, I have to say that wringing is an intense character movement choice. 

You can always choose the scale you want these movements to be at, but just a heads up, this one can take a lot out of you and takes a lot to sustain. Use caution, and remember to take care of yourself!

Wringing is a sustained movement that’s strong and indirect. 

Think of a knot in your stomach. Even if it’s a small knot, it can radically alter the rest of your movements. Wringing basically is initiating a knot and then having that sensation spread. 

So, again, with caution, give this a try: imagine there is a knot of pain somewhere in your body. It’s twisting up inside you, and it’s migrating. It’s radiating, sustained, strong and INDIRECT.

Let that go and take a deep breath. I’d recommend doing a quick body scan to check how your body reacts to a wringing quality.

Like wringing, pressing can be a little taxing, though I’d say less than writing, in my experience. 

Pressing is a sustained movement that is strong and direct. It’s really all about resistance. Resistance from one part of your body to another or an external force. 

Basically, put simply, pressing is a resistance to gravity.

So, I want you to find a chair, piece of wall, floor, or a desk and press your hands against it. You’re pressing away from your body into space. 

Now, this object starts pressing back. The energy is sustained, strong and DIRECT. Press and see what happens. 

How could you employ either of these (again keeping an eye on  sustainability and without injury) for a character? 

A character that immediately comes to mind with these is Vikings, Ivar the Boneless from the History channel. No idea if Alex Høgh Anderson used Labanotation, but seriously, it’s an absolutely incredible movement performance! 

Laban effort opposites: dabbing/flicking

Alright, last duo!

Dabbing and flicking. These are fun.

Dabbing is a sudden, light and direct movement. 

It’s kinda like a poke. Like poking water with your toes to check the temp.

I often associate hesitancy with this one and is great to use for more animal type characters.

A few things you can try: dab your fingers into pudding, dab your feet into mud, dab paint on your arm. Dab poke a friend. Sudden, light, and DIRECT.

Now, flicking is sudden, light and indirect movement. 

There’s a springing to action feeling here. 

Imagine there’s a bug on you and well, you did not consent for this bug to be on you. Flick it off! 

So, there we have it, Laban’s 8 efforts!

Take a moment to reflect on how these 8 elements felt and worked for you. 

It’s always important to take stock of how your body works best and, therefore, ways you can add them to your acting toolbox!

I will say, these 8 elements can be used independently of Laban’s basic bigger building blocks of low, weight, time, and space, but I often find they work beautifully when applied together. 

Happy moving! 🙂

Hey actors.

Know you need to add movement work to your craft, but you’re struggling to figure out which movement method is best?

You’re not alone.

There are many different movement methods for actors out there. It’s honestly overwhelming. It seems like a serious commitment, often with people swearing one method is the “only method”. Kinda similar to what you may hear about different acting methods. 

So, I’ll state here and now, to be absolutely crystal clear, you DON’T need to choose only one movement method. 

Or you can. 

It’s 1,000% YOUR CHOICE.

My philosophy is to look into what piques your interest first. This way you can add it to your toolbox and then see what another one can teach you.

Seriously, keep adding to that toolbox, you never know when something may come in handy.

As for me, I love to mix and match, as I’ve found each role tends to require something different. I do, however, tend to come back to my tried and true favorites most of the time.

Alright, all this being said, you need a place to start. With many options out there and even more teachers, (because every teacher will bring their own spin to things), this can lead to potential paralysis, right? Which is the ‘right’ one for me?

So, here’s a brief, tip of the iceberg poke (in no particular order) of some of the more popular movement methods for actors out there. 

See if any sparks your interest!

Alexander Technique

“You can’t do something you don’t know, if you keep on doing what you know.” F.M. Alexander

Developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander in the late 1800s, this technique focuses on body-mind awareness and helping you become conscious of your unconscious habits. 

By becoming aware of your unconscious habits, you’re better equipped to unlearn them, which helps your body function to the best of its ability. Both for yourself and your life, but also as an actor.

A great example of an unconscious habit in our world these days is any kind of chronic tension. Think neck and back pain, bad posture, and the buildup of tense muscles in your body. This technique address all of that.

Something to note is it’s not just used in acting spaces, but also in more general health and wellness arenas too. I will say that the more I dived into movement work as an actor, the more I began to realize how many tools I’d learned were really useful in my life as a human. 

It may go without saying that this is a movement method many actors swear by. Including many greats like Julie Andrews, William Hurt, Dame Maggie Smith, James Earl Jones, and Alan Rickman. They’ve gotta be onto something, right?

Viewpoints

“You cannot create results. You can only create conditions in which something might happen.” Anne Bogart

Viewpoints is an investigation through improvisation of the creation of art.

This method was developed originally by choreographer Mary Overlie with six viewpoints, which was eventually expanded upon by acting teachers Anne Bogart and Tina Landau who have nine viewpoints, and it’s used by actors and directors all over the world. 

Its focus is on the exploration of human emotions, no matter how large or small. The nine viewpoint system by Bogart and Landau are shape, gesture, repetition, architecture, tempo, duration, topography, kinesthetic response, and spatial relationship.

Something that’s interesting about this technique is that it’s not intended to be seen as a part of the finished product, but rather to be used during the rehearsal process to discover new moments. 

I was involved in a production of The Glass Menagerie a few years ago and our director incorporated viewpoints into our first rehearsals. It was such a wonderful way to explore the relationships between us as an ensemble of four as well as our individual relationship with the environment around us. I remember us taking what we learned during those exercises and carried them through the entire process of the show. 

Szuki Method

“There are two impulses in theatre: to be frivolous or to make rules.” Tadashi Szuki

The Szuki method, created by Japanese director, Tadashi Suzuki, is an incredibly intense movement method.

It pulls from traditional Japanese styles such as Kabuki and Noh, as well as martial arts. If you have a background in martial arts this may be a great fit for you., though, I will add that it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Since the primary focus is on core work and discipline it requires a great deal of dedication. Lots of repetition, squatting, and stomping required here. 

My experience with Szuki is that it isn’t only exhausting, but it’ll get your legs in incredible shape. Like, seriously good shape. I will say, for actors who tend to get caught up and stuck in their heads this challenging but liberating style may be worth a try.

Jacques Lecoq

“The body knows things about which the mind is ignorant.” Jacques Lecoq

Jacques was a French actor, director and movement coach. His teachings draw on historical styles such as Commedia Dell’arte, greek chorus, mime, mask and clown work.

He founded a school in the mid-1950s called L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, which is still open today in Paris and considered one of the best physical training centers. It only accepts a handful of students a year and the program is conducted in French. 

In addiction to mime and mask work a great deal of other physical forms are incorporated including stage combat, juggling and some acrobatics, depending on the teacher. 

I have to say that studying mask work was definitely one of the most freeing experiences I’ve ever had while in acting conservatory. There’s an honesty that comes from it, almost a ritual nature about it that for the stage actor specifically, feels like a coming home to the Greek chorus.

Labanotation

“Existence is movement. Action is movement. Existence is defined by the rhythm and forces in natural balance.” Rudolf von Laban

Labannotation was developed by Rudolf Laban who was a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and theoretician in the early to mid-1900s.

This is the main method that I employ both as an actor and teacher and I have a whole post that goes into more details about him if you wanna take a look.

Laban had more of a scientific approach to movement, by creating a vocabulary and identifying the basic building blocks that fall into the four categories of flow, weight, time, and space.

This is a great movement method for actors to create different character movement signatures to help each one physically differ from the others. I’ve also found it’s a great technique to use in the audition space when a casting director says, “Great, now show me something different.” This allows you to show them something physically different too, no matter how subtle.

Alright, there you have it!

So, which movement method sounds intriguing to you?

As I said, really, truly, there is no “right” or “wrong” choice. We’re all unique snowflakes and what may work for you may not for others.

Who knows what you may discover about your craft and yourself by checking out these movement methods for yourself! 

Unique performances are memorable, right? That’s the ultimate goal for many actors, to be memorable in a positive way.

That is to say, by making each character you play different from the others, chances are you’re going to stand out. And this is something essential for actors, because, let’s be honest, there’s a lot of us running about. 

Incorporating movement work into your craft is a fantastic way to do just that. 

So, if you’ve spent any time studying the craft of acting you’ve most likely seen that there are many different approaches. There’s a lot of different methods out there such as Stanislavski, Meisner, Stella Adler, Method, Chekhov, and Uta Hagen to name only a few. 

Now, different methods speak to different people, you may find one right off the bat that clicks for you, and then you run with it. That’s great!

However, in my opinion, it’s beneficial to learn an array of methods, because there’s always something to learn. Even if it’s learning that the method isn’t for you, that’s still valuable info.

I’ve found that keeping multiple methods in my toolbox only makes me more adaptable. One approach may work great for one role but not for the next. 

Methods and movement

I use this approach for movement work.

Just as there are many varying approaches to acting, there are just as many paths to choose for movement work.

From Alexander technique to Suzuki and Viewpoints, all of these techniques are incredibly valuable to get your feet wet with. Doesn’t hurt to give ‘em a try.

However, for me, there is one method of movement analysis that has become a cornerstone of my craft. That’s what we’re gonna dive into in this post.

The work of Rudolf von Laban.

So, ready to start? Brilliant!

Enter Rudolf von Laban

Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958) was born into a military family in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (in what is now Slovakia). Therefore, because of his family history, a military path was paved for him, but, he decided to pursue dance instead.

His career was incredibly expansive. He was a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and theoretician among wearing countless other hats. 

Visionary really feels like the most appropriate label to me personally.

He created a dance notation called Labanotation or Kinetography Laban, which is “a clear and concise language for describing human movement.”

“Laban was the first person to develop community dance and he has set out to reform the role of dance education, emphasizing his belief that dance should be made available to everyone.”

By creating a vocabulary of movement and identifying these basic building blocks, Laban, for many movement students and actors is the key to create unique characters.

But, he was a dance guy, how can this Rudolf Laban help actors?

For the record, even if you have no desire whatsoever in dance in the classical sense, Laban’s work can still be of incredible benefit to you.

Seriously, I can’t emphasize enough, you don’t have to be a dancer to do this kind of work. 

For the record, in my mind, dance and movement are two very different things. Well, more of a Venn diagram, really.

Laban’s notation system can help actors in one critical way: it gives us building blocks to create movement signatures. 

A movement signature is simply an individual’s unique way of moving. We as humans each have our own movement signature, just like we all have unique fingerprints and one-of-a-kind DNA.

The characters we play therefore, also have their own movement signatures that are special to them.

So, what are these building blocks anyway?

Rudolf Laban’s basic building blocks

“Through observing and analyzing individual movement, Laban discovered most people have energetic qualities that are a result of an internal dynamic.” Barbara Sellers-Young: Breathing, Movement, Exploration (As a note, this is not an affiliate link, I won’t get anything if you get her book.)

There are four main categories: flow, weight, time and space. Each of the four categories contain opposites.

Something to keep in mind as you dive into these categories is to remember the scale of subtle to extreme. I like to think of movement as operating through a number of different dials. Dials you can keep at 0 or dial it up to 11.

One dial being subtle to extreme, another being one part of your body to your entire body. 

You can choose to incorporate these building blocks any way you like. Honestly, experimentation is key here, have fun with it! Give it a shot and see what feels right for the character you’re building. 

Alright, now let’s break down each category and get these Laban building blocks working for you. 

Flow

Flow is the symphony of movements we carry out in our everyday lives. Basically, it’s our muscles moving together to perform any given task. Broken down into the extremes of free and bound.

Free is a movement that is difficult to stop; running water is a great example.

Bound is the stopping of a movement, inhibiting it somehow. Water that you pour into a glass has a flow to it that is free until it hits the confines of the glass. 

I’ve found bound in particular to be incredibly helpful for characters who have an injury or carry a lot of tension in a particular part of their body. 

A practical example is when I played Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. If you’re not familiar, the really short version is: Laura suffered a childhood illness that left one leg slightly shorter than the other. Depending on the production, Laura’s often wear a leg or foot brace or depict her disability in another way.

Bound became the core of my movement signature for portraying Laura. I chose to bind my left knee, to lock it and therefore, was unable to bend it. This then informed the rest of my body and how I/she then had to adapt to her environment.

Weight

Weight is our relationship to gravity. Do we get along with it? Resist it? This relationship may shift depending on our circumstances. 

Weight breaks down into heavy/strong and light. Heavy/strong is a forceful action, a strong gesture, or standing your ground against gravity. Heavy/strong can be either internal or external or both.

Light then refers to a movement that doesn’t require much force and/or has very little tension.

Let’s say you’re on a hike on a windy day. Suddenly there’s a great gust of wind and you ground yourself so you don’t get knocked over. You resist the wind (heavy/strong) but you allow your arms to be carried by it (light).

Time

Time is all about duration and it breaks down into sudden and sustained. Sudden is a movement that is a short duration, usually on the faster side, not to mention there’s then some acceleration involved.

Sustained is a longer duration, longer acceleration, and deceleration.

So, a sustained movement lingers where as sudden one is gone in a flash.

Sudden is a great building block for more assertive and aggressive characters. Or ones who are quick to respond to things, and even type-A personalities.

Sustained I’ve found to be fun to use for carefree characters, those who are more calm, relaxed, and comfortable. It also pairs really well with flow’s free block. Put those two together and you’ve got the beginnings of a movement signature!

Space

Space is how we exist in the physical environment that constantly surrounds us. How we negotiate space is another great way to frame it.

Space breaks down into direct and indirect. This is a fun one and gives you a chance to play with other elements outside of your character and their relationship with the world around them. Direct can be an unwavering path you’ve set yourself on, getting to the point, or having blinders on.

Indirect is more of a meandering energy, even avoidance or spontaneous.

We constantly navigate through space. Think of your environment and social situations. Say you’re at a gathering and someone you don’t want to talk to begins to approach you from across the room. You may find a way to conveniently meander to somewhere else so that they never quite reach you (indirect). But, at the same gathering, you see a dear friend and you make a b-line for them (direct).

Rudolf Laban: an incredible tool for your toolbox

Whew! We made it! That’s a lot of info I just tossed your way.

So, long story short, Rudolf Laban’s building blocks are great places to start in creating a movement signature. 

As a quick example, from the core categories above, let’s say you decided to work with the blocks of bound, sudden, and direct. What kind of character comes to mind? Would they be different from someone who used bound, sudden, and indirect?

There are no right or wrong answers. Acting is about creating and creating takes trying things out. You may find that a given character’s movement signature may shift as their story develops, they evolve, as we all do. 

If you find Rudolf Laban’s work intriguing, inspiring, or simply awesome, I would highly recommend poking around the internet for more details about his life.  He was truly innovative and continues to inspire creatives all over the world with his groundbreaking dance notation.

So, I’ll leave you with a quote from him:

“Existence is movement. Action is movement. Existence is defined by the rhythm and forces in natural balance.” Rudolf von Laban