Journal of

Laban Movement Studies

Inside this Issue

Applications of Laban Movement Analysis:
An Integrated Approach to Voice, Speech, and
Movement Training for Actors.
Laban Movement Analysis for Conductors:
Revealing the Equivalence Between Movement
and the Sounds of Music.
Inter-relationships Between Laban Movement
Analysis and Psychoanalysis: A Qualitative
Research Project.

Spring 2009 Volume 1 Number 1, Edited by Elin Lobel, Ph.D.

Official Publication of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS)

Journal of
Laban Movement Studies
Official Publication of the
Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies-LIMS

Editor
Elin Lobel, Ph.D., CMA
Department of Kinesiology
Towson University, Towson, MD
Assistant Editors
Linda Almar Caldwell, Ph.D., CMA
Department of Dance
Texas Women s University, Denton, TX
Kate Jobe, M.A., CMA, Dipl. P.O. Psych., RSMT/E
Process Work Institute
Portland, OR
Editorial Board
Thomas Casciero, Ph.D., CMA
Karen Studd, MS, CMA, RSMT & RSME
Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb, MFA, CMA, ADTR, MAMFT
Ann Axtman, Ph.D., CMA
Martie Barylick, CMA
External Review
Karen Bradley, M.A. CMA
Julie A. Brodie, MFA

Volume 1, Number 1, 2009 Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies-LIMS, New York, New York

Call For Papers

Laban Movement Studies in the World of Theatre (second
issue)

Bartenieff Fundamentals (third

issue)

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies (JLMS) is requesting submissions in the area of Laban Movement Studies (Laban Movement
Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals) and its relationship to the
discipline of Theatre. Particular areas of interest at this time
include, but are not limited to, research, historical perspective,
applications to theatre practices, and the development and execution of pedagogy or training methodology.

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

(JLMS) is requesting submissions in the
area of Bartenieff Fundamentals.

There is great potential for Laban Movement Studies (LMS) in a

field as diverse and expressive as Theatre. The Guest Editor envisions and encourages a wide range of possible topics the role of
LMS in acting and actor training, alignment, clown, Commedia,
cirque training, directing, devised theatre, historical contexts,
mask work, physical characterization, set design, stage combat,
tension release, voice pedagogy (general or specific), Viewpoints
training, and more.
Direct all manuscripts and inquiries for the Theatre issue to:
Tom Casciero, Ph.D., Guest Editor, JLMS
Theatre Department
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
Tel: 410-704-3503, Fax: 410-704-3914
Email: tcasciero@towson.edu

Direct all manuscripts and inquiries for

the Theatre issue to:
Elin Lobel, Ph.D., Editor, Journal of
Laban Movement Studies,
Department of Kinesiology,
Towson University,
8000 York Road,
Towson, MD 21252-0001,
Fax: 410-704-3912 ,
elobel@townson.edu.

Deadline: June 9, 2009 is the

deadline for inclusion in this
second and third issue of JLMS.
For complete submission guidelines
please refer to www.limsonline.org

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies (JLMS) is a publication of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS). It publishes scholarly articles, book reviews, and reports of scholarly conferences,
archives, and other projects of interest to the field. We accept submissions for publication consideration from
both members and nonmembers of LIMS. Scholarly articles are peer reviewed.
The Journal of Laban Movement Studies (JLMS) considers for publication original manuscripts on topics related
to the theoretical, methodological, historical, and practical aspects of Rudolf Laban s movement studies and
their applications. Articles may present current research, scholarly reviews, or an application to a practice,
research, or teaching methodology. All manuscript submissions should follow the JLMS author guidelines.
The Journal of Laban Movement Studies (JLIMS) is a refereed publication, using a blind review process. The
Editor and at least one outside reader independently review all articles before an editorial decision is made.
Authors are advised of the editorial decision as soon as it is available.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all who participated in making this journal possible by donating technical, personal and editorial
skills. Some of those people are: Ann Axtman, Karen Bradley, Martie Barylick, Linda Almar Caldwell,
Thomas Casciero, Kate Jobe, Elin E. Lobel, Alyson Nehren, Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb, and Karen Studd.
Journal and cover design: Kate Jobe
Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, LIMS - Board of Directors: Executive Committee, Virginia
Reed, President of LIMS. Regina Miranda, LIMS Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Karen Bradley, LIMS Vice-Chair and Director of Research. Board Members: Bob Bejan, Jane Bonbright, Nanette Burstein, Luis Cancel, Marcia Feuerstein, Marjorie Hamilton, Lucinda Lavelli, Bala Sarasvati, Keith Sedlacek, Jan
Whitener.
The Journal of Laban Movement Studies is published semi annually by the Laban/Bartenieff Institute, LIMS.
520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 304. New York, NY 10018. Tel: 1.212.643.8888; Fax: 1.212.643.8388. LIMS website:
www.limsonline.org. Contact LIMS at: info@limsonline.org
Copyright 2009,Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies (LIMS). No part of this publication
may be reproduced (except brief excerpts for the purpose of review or citation and except where otherwise
noted) by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher. The opinions
expressed in The Journal of Laban Movement Analysis are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by
the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS).
All correspondance regarding the current issue should be directed to: Elin Lobel, Ph.D., Editor, Journal of
Laban Movement Studies, Department of Kinesiology, Towson University, 8000 York Road,

Journal of

Laban
Movement
Studies
Volume 1, Number 1, 2009

Editorial
Documenting Laban Movement Analysis in the 21st Century: The First
Issue of the Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Elin E. Lobel, PhD, CMA

Feature Articles
Applications of Laban Movement Analysis: An Integrated Approach to
Voice, Speech, and Movement Training for Actors

Barbara Adrian, MFA, CMA

Laban Movement Analysis for Conductors: Revealing the Equivalence

Between Movement and Music

21

Charles Gambetta, DMA

Interrelationships Between Movement Analysis and Psychoanalysis: A

Qualitative Research Project
Katya Bloom, PhD, CMA

35

Laban Movement Analysis for

Conductors: Revealing the Equivalence
Between Movement and Music
Charles Gambetta, DMA
Abstract

of their performance. Such adjustments

Most modes of live musical performance require the synchronized participation of mind and body. Some certainly
require greater physical activity than others,

might include fingering changes, embouchure adjustments, adding or ceasing a

vibrato, postural shifts and changing the
qualities of bow strokes or tonguings.

and all traditional instrumental and vocal

Conductors, unlike their collaborators

music performance endeavors share the

in the orchestra or choir who wed move-

same direct link between the movements

ment to sound through the context of an

required to generate sounds and the sounds

instrument, have no direct physical contact

themselves. Upon producing sounds, musi-

with an instrument that produces musical

cians receive simultaneous aural feedback

sounds. Yet highly skilled conductors know

that informs them of the level of congru-

the precise musical effects their movements

ency between their imagined interior per-

will produce before they execute them in

formance

aurally

spite of this apparent absence of such physi-

Continuous

cal contact. Therefore conductors, more

comparison of that external flow of musical

than all other musical performers, must cul-

events with the interior flow of audiation or

tivate within themselves the confluence of

experienced

and

the

external,

performance.

enables performers to

musical and physical expression to such a

make adjustments to their movements

degree that they are able to audiate sound

(including the breath) and to the physical

and movement together as a single gestalt.

relationships with their instruments in

The resulting condition of mind and body

order to maintain control over all elements

suggests a consciously induced state of Syn-

music thinking

20

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

esthesia wherein an individual seems to hear

movements and touch sounds. Conductors
who have so merged their kinesthetic and
musical abilities have found the genuine
equivalence between music and movement.
The application of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) presented in this essay introduces
an approach to conducting that augments
traditional emphasis on beating in repetitive
patterns with Effort/Shape instruction.
Exposure to and experience with these transformative qualities of movement present
conductors with the opportunity to discover
the single common source of their musical
interpretations and expressive movements.
The Problem

Conducting technique is a highly specialized, extremely rich form of nonverbal

communication through gesture. Conductor Hermann Scherchen (1891-1966) identifies gesture as the conductor s one and only
medium during performance. He further
maintains that conducting gesture must
indicate perfectly clearly the metrical course
of the work; and at the same time, it must
convey in unequivocal fashion the varying
expression and general shape of the work. 1
In other words, the conductor s gestures
should convey tempo, rhythm, articulation,
dynamics, character, style, breath and
shape every nuance the orchestra needs to
complete a mutually satisfying musical performance.2 Consummation of this marriage
of music to movement comes only when the
conductor has established a deep and
21

Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 1

unbreakable physical connection between

his gestures and his fully formed abstract
representation of the sounds of music. To
effectively communicate musical intentions
to an ensemble, conducting gestures must
demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental equivalence between movement and
music. Laban described this relationship on
several occasions including his 1958 address
to the Annual Conference of the Laban Art
of Movement Guild.
Many people will associate this world,
in their minds, with the realm of
music. This is quite right so far as one
considers the branch of the art of
human movement resulting in the production of works which become audible to the ear. Few people realize that
all music, vocal or instrumental, is produced by movements of the body.3
The means to experience and fully
exploit this equivalence continues to elude
many conductors (save those fortunate few
blessed with a natural inner kinesthetic
sense) because they lack the direct physical
connection to the sounds of music that contact with an instrument provides. Yet effective conductors, like the musicians under
their direction, know the precise musical
effects their movements will produce before
they execute them. My study of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) led me to develop an
approach to conducting gesture that supplies every conductor with the tools and terminology he needs to discover and traverse
his own personal path towards the conver-

Charles Gambetta, DMA

gence of music thinking (audiation) and

movement thinking that is the essence of
the art of conducting.4
Related Research

Thirty years ago, Neale King Bartee

(1977) introduced conductors to Laban s
theoretical framework with his groundbreaking thesis, citing the limited familiarity that
conductors have with the possibilities of
movement as the most significant motivation for his investigation. 5 Foremost among
Bartee s proposals was his assertion that
thorough grounding in the practice of
Effort/Shape sequences can help conductors create gestures that better convey the
mood and feelings reflected in their interpretations of the music. Paraphrasing
Laban, Bartee maintains:
[The] performance of sequences of
Effort and Shape structures can produce moods and feelings which correspond to [these sequences]. This
concept implies that certain movements express certain effects and that
the conductor can learn which patterns better express the mood he is trying to achieve in the music.6
While he stops short of describing a
specific method for using LMA to unite gesture with musical intent, Bartee extends this
theoretical application from moods to
expression, observing that Laban s link
between movement and inner feeling patterns gives the conductor a basis for developing expressive movements corresponding to
his conception of the expressive line of the

music.

After adding a lengthy list of specific implications to support these two overarching themes, Bartee sums up his
exploratory thesis by concluding that the
conductor can improve his ability to use
expressive gesture by studying movement as
it is practiced in the movement arts. 8
7

Interest in LMA training for conductors has since waxed and waned in cycles
that seem to follow the publication of new
research studies and the introduction of
LMA workshops and seminars at academic
and professional conferences. Researchers
Hibbard (1994) and Benge (1996) arranged
for Certified Movement Analysts to observe
experienced conductors in rehearsal and/or
performance. Results from their analyses
revealed a number of possible connections
between the conductors gestures and the
expressive qualities of the music they were
conducting.9 Several additional studies used
various research models some experimental
and some descriptive to investigate the
effects of LMA training on conductors or
ensemble members.
Billingham (2001) used the eight Basic
Effort Actions (BEAs) as the basis for a
vocabulary of conducting gestures that
proved to be partially successful.10 After preparing one choir with LMA training and the
other with traditional rehearsal technique,
choral conductor Holt (1992) found that the
LMA-trained choir performed better than
the traditionally prepared choir.11 Miller
(1988) split two populations of conducting
22

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 1

the control groups received only traditional

ally all investigations of LMA training for

conductors have thus far been limited to
narrow applications of the eight Basic Effort
Actions within the confines of traditional
conducting patterns.

training (beat patterns, expressive gestures,

Looking for Answers

preparations, releases, fermatas, dynamics,

In 1994 I realized my conducting had

reached a plateau that I was unable to surpass. My teachers were not able to help me
break through this barrier because they were
also products of the same pedagogical model
that had served me for nearly twenty years:
the organization of conducting gesture
according to metrically based beat patterns.
Adherents to the beat pattern school of
conducting argue that these repetitive movements are the best means to convey the
meter or number of rhythmic pulses in a
measure of music (i.e. two, three, four or
more to a bar). I also agree that certain conditions may favor strict adherence to these
metrical representations extremely complex or intricate rhythmic figures, for example. However, maintaining the integrity of
any beat pattern for the sake of metric clarity
frequently leads to uninspired, pedestrian
performances since the shape and progression of the music often supersedes or contradicts the regularity of meter. Simply put,
it is sometimes impossible to concurrently
represent the Effort or inner impulse behind
the sounds of music in the context of prescriptive movement patterns.

students into two treatment groups and two

control groups respectively. The treatment
groups were given a combination of LMA
training and traditional instruction while

etc.). The results showed that the treatment

groups scores were consistently higher than
those of the control groups.12 Yontz s (2001)
repeat of Miller s study added some important refinements and produced results that
clarified and confirmed Miller s findings.13
Neidlinger (2003) combined pedagogical
and observational approaches to study the
effects of LMA training on young conductors ability to perceive expressiveness in
movement. Although her findings were
somewhat inconsistent, she was still able to
conclude that LMA training for young conductors did help them improve their observational skills.14
Currently, a growing but still surprisingly small cadre of conductors and teachers
integrate the principles of LMA into their
performance and teaching activities, but the
discipline has yet to gain widespread acceptance. Some resistance may stem from continuing mistaken perceptions of LMA as a
specialized field for dancers only. Additional
skepticism flows from confusion created by
flawed research and from the belief that the
validity of Laban s theoretical framework
has yet to be confirmed outside, as well as
inside, the field of music. In any case, virtu23

I was introduced to Laban Movement

Analysis quite by chance at a two-hour work-

Charles Gambetta, DMA

shop presented in conjunction with the

Conductors Guild Annual Conference in
January, 1995 at Columbia University. I was
immediately attracted to Laban s theories
and specific language because I recognized
their potential as the means to help me to
evolve from beating the music to moving it.
I wasn t sure how to make use of the knowledge as I had no teacher at the time, but as
the saying goes: When the student is ready,
the teacher will appear. While registering
that fall for classes at Teachers College, I was
excited to find an Introduction to Laban
Movement Analysis course taught by Jackie
Hand in the schedule. By semester s end, I
was entirely convinced that LMA would give
me the answers I had been searching for
even though I was still unsure how to integrate this new knowledge into my conducting practice. My final project for that class,
an LMA novice s analysis of his personal
conducting practice, ignited eight years of
experimentation and investigation that
would eventually serve as the basis for my
doctoral thesis. The product of that continued research led to a fresh approach to the
practice and physicality of conducting gesture based on the principles of Laban Movement Analysis.

uses the concept of bi-polar opposites to elabo-

An Introduction to Effort for Conductors

paired qualities while a large extended work

The common thread that unites a con-

might include a much broader range of expres-

ductor s body and mind with his musical and

artistic intentions should be an awareness of
the paired oppositional forces or qualities that
permeate both movement and music. Laban

sion. Borrowing from Laban and Lamb, I have

rate his Effort theory. He identifies eight

Effort elements that arise from inner attitudes
of indulging/accepting or condensing/resisting the four Motion Factors: Space, Weight,
Time and Flow.15 Conductors who have
honed their capacities to experience and
observe Effort can make conscious use of
these oppositional forces to create gestures
that accurately reflect the audiated inner attitudes

towards

corresponding

pairs

of

opposed musical qualities (i.e. loud/soft,

high/low, etc.). These elements of musical expression coalesce with equivalent qualities of movement to produce the desired gestural
representation of the composer s notation in
the score.16 A list of these paired musical elements is easy to begin but difficult to complete because the various qualities are

so

numerous, and because they will differ from

one piece to the next and from one individual
to the next. A generic list might include:
loud/soft, fast/slow, long/short, high/low,
sound/silence, thick/thin, firm/gentle, rhythmic/melodic, connected/detached, heavy/
light, small/large, agitated/calm, consonant/
dissonant, tension/resolution, complex/simple, expressive/plain, tender/brutal, etc. A
short character piece may exhibit only a few

assembled and organized an introductory set

of affinities between the Efforts and elements
of musical expression (see Table 1).
24

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 1

Table 1: The Effort/Conducting Affinities

Efforts

Elements of Musical Expression

Tempo

Dynamics

Articulations

Character

Precision

Phrasing

Light Weight

Increase

Decrease

Less Intensity

Light

Neutral

Neutral

Strong Weight

Decrease

Increase

More Intensity

Forceful

Neutral

Neutral

Flexible Space

Neutral

Neutral

Longer

Broad

Less

Pliant

Direct Space

Neutral

Neutral

Shorter

Focused

More

Strict

Sustained Time

Decrease

Neutral

Less Accented

Calm

Neutral

Stretched

Quick Time

Increase

Neutral

More Accented

Hurried

Neutral

Condensed

Free Flow

Neutral

Increase

Neutral

Carefree

Less

Fluent

Bound Flow

Neutral

Decrease

Neutral

Restrained

More

Controlled

The table is self-explanatory, but a brief

description of its organization scheme will
enable readers to establish and understand
connections more quickly. The Efforts are
listed in pairs in the first column, and six
among the many elements of musical expression
extend across the top of the table.
Tendencies for each Effort are listed
across its corresponding row underneath
each musical term so readers can choose to
consider the affinities in relation to any given
Effort or musical characteristic. For example,
Light Weight tends to increase tempo and
decrease dynamic intensity, but Strong
Weight tends to decrease tempo and increase
dynamic intensity. For the purposes of this
demonstration, the table is limited to six elements of music that can be expressed as contrasting pairs. Cues, holds, releases and
processes that occur over an extended period
of time such as crescendos, diminuendos,
accelerandos, ritardandos, etc. were purpose25

fully left off the list. These types of events

cannot be considered or properly represented
in the context of a single Effort because, by
definition, they normally appear together
with one or more additional elements of
musical expression. Since nearly all musical
events require at least two Efforts, these more
complex events are beyond the scope of this
introductory presentation. The resulting list,
although far from complete, helps conductors establish rudimentary connections
between their powers of audiation and movement thinking.17 With practice and continued study these connections can ultimately
lead to a genuine experience of the equivalence between movement and music.
Examining the Efforts and their relationships with the six categories across the
top of the table, a curious yet logical pattern
emerges. Each Motion Factor is active in
four of the six categories and neutral for
the remaining two. This neutrality applies

Charles Gambetta, DMA

only when the Motion Factors are consid-

that lightness favors upward movement

ered singly. Its explanation helps illustrate

while strong movements correlate to down-

how the Efforts combine to emphasize spe-

ward directions. Movements across the body

cific qualities of musical expression.18 The

exhibit an affinity with the quality of direct-

tendency for any single Motion Factor to

ness or narrow focus, and roundabout, indi-

affect any of the six categories of musical

rect movements favor flexible directions that

expression is neutral if: 1) it exerts little or

open outward. Quick or sudden movements

no obvious influence upon the considered

relate to backwards directions while sus-

musical quality, or 2) it is equally capable of

tained movements tend to favor reaching

communicating the effects at either end of

forward. Further experimentation with

the spectrum. For example, because Flow by

these six Effort/Space affinities in groups of

itself suggests little or no sense of pulse, it is

three and the continued refinement of his

difficult to imagine the representation of

Effort theory eventually helped Laban

tempo with Flow alone. Simply put, Free or

develop the eight Basic Effort Actions and

Bound Flow may be applied to slow or fast

the Effort Cube.20 Lamb validated Laban s

tempos. Once Flow combines with Time or

discovery of the connections between the

Weight (or both) the pulse emerges and

Effort elements and specific spatial tenden-

tempo can be established. Space Effort is

cies and adopted them as the basis for his

also neutral when considering tempo

more detailed system of Effort/Shape affini-

because one s attitude towards space alone

ties. After pointing out the correspondence

does not affect tempo. Conversely, even

between Space and the horizontal dimen-

though it may be difficult to conceive a

sion, Weight and the vertical and Time and

tempo with Time Effort alone, it is equally

the sagittal dimension, he used these three

obvious that accelerating or quick move-

Effort/Space affinities as the organizing

ments favor faster tempos while sustained,

principle for his Effort/Shape affinities

drawn out movements favor slower tempos.

[Table 2].21

The affinities are justified because the tendency for each Time Effort is clear.
Effort/Space and Effort/Shape Affinities

These relationships provide conductors

with the bond that joins the qualities of
their gestures (their Effort choices) to the

As Laban developed his Effort theory,

shapes their limbs and bodies create as they

he also noticed that the body and its limbs

carve pathways through space Affinities fre-

are able to execute certain dynamic nuances

quently reinforce musical events like the

in movements towards certain areas in space

downward stroke that may accompany a

better than towards others.

19

He observed

strong, direct, quick accent. Disaffinities

26

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 1

Table 2: The Effort/Shape Affinities

Motion Factor

Accepting
Effort
Element

Shape Affinity

Resisting
Effort
Element

ShapeAffinity

Space

Flexible

Spreading

Direct

Enclosing

Weight

Light

Rising

Strong

Sinking

Time

Sustained

Advancing

Quick

Retreatin

movements that contradict natural tendencies) often support some kind of musical
tension, and they can appear simultaneously
with additional affinities or disaffinities.

expression. I provided movement instruc-

An extended diminuendo, for example,

might require a light, direct, sustained gesture with the left arm that sinks (a disaffinity), encloses (an affinity) and retreats (a
second disaffinity).

the course material to the study repertoire

Confirmation through Research

class participatory exercises as the means to

LMA had clearly produced positive

results for me, but I needed to know if my
approach would help others as well. To find
out I conducted a study of four student conductors at the University of North Carolina
at Greensboro School of Music. Following a
pretest conducting performance of the opening 154 measures of Beethoven s (1770-1827)
Overture to Coriolanus, Op. 62 (1808), the
four participating conductors completed five
hours of introductory LMA training based
on my ten years of study and experimentation. This mini-course included a brief

incorporate newly acquired skills into their

exploration of BESS but focused on the

material presented in this article Effort, the
Effort/Space and Effort/Shape Affinities
and their specific application to musical

pants pretest and posttest performances,

27

tion, some of which was related to conducting, but I did not teach the course as a
conducting class. No specific applications of
were prescribed, and the student conductors
received no counsel from instructors outside
the limits of the study. Participants were
asked to use homework assignments and in-

conducting. Upon completion of the course,

the student conductors performed the same
repertoire with the same community orchestra in a posttest. Both the pretest and posttest performances were documented with a
Samsung model SD23 MiniDV camcorder
and single-point stereo microphone placed
in front of the orchestra. The resulting video
recordings were edited without any change
in content and transferred to DVD. Expert
panels of two conductors and two Certified
Movement Analysts analyzed the particiand a third channel of data was collected
through post-study interviews with each participant.

Charles Gambetta, DMA

The LMA panel was able to confirm

significant changes in movement choices
and an expanded range of movement possibilities for all four participants that could be
attributed to LMA training. Focusing on the
participants overall presentation, one of the
CMA panelists noticed: In general the participants were more grounded (i.e. connected to their own bodies and aware of
their potential power to communicate
through movement) in the post-tests than
they were in the pre-tests. Further elaborating on these changes, she continued:
Each participant in the beginning of
his/her posttest, standing in preparation to begin the music, had an awareness of his/her ability to communicate
through the choices (s)he made in his/
her inner attitude toward Space,
Weight, Time and Flow Effort. This
awareness of how those choices would
affect the music produced by the
orchestra was not as apparent . . . in
the pretest.22
The other CMA observed: All conductors in the study seemed to be able to use
shape change affinities to help crystallize
Efforts better in the posttest than the pretest. She explained:

concur that the changes they observed constituted a positive development for all participants. One found that overall, all four
participants general performance improved
significantly in the posttest compared to the
pretest. All four used a wider range of
motion and involved different gestural solutions to inherent problems in the score. He
also reported that the participants were
more relaxed in the posttest. As a result,
the ensemble was more relaxed and
responded with overall better execution of
the piece.
noted:

24

The second expert conductor

In general, the four conductors

exhibited greater control of body language

in their posttest performances as compared
to the pretests. They seemed more poised
and relaxed physically and more self-confident both physically and mentally. Zeroing
in on changes in the participants gestures,
he added:
Their gestures were more focused and
more purposeful with fewer extraneous
motions in their arms or bodies. Contrasts of dynamics were more vividly
delineated, as were certain, but not all,
changes of character. Shaping of
phrases also benefited from the greater
physical focus, and, in some cases, eye
contact with the players improved.25

In the pretest many were working in a

different plane of motin, which often
seemed to counteract the chosen
Effort: e.g. sinking with quickness or
advancing with strength in the pretest
versus retreating or advancing with
quickness, and sinking with strength
in the posttest. 23

expressed unanimous approval regarding the

The conductor panel was also able to

leagues and peers. Participant 1 reported: I

Lastly, the participants themselves

quality of the course content and instruction, and all agreed that they would eagerly
recommend LMA training to their col-

28

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 1

find that I am much more confident with

training had provided him with some very

my movement choices, and he recognized

useful terminology to describe movements [he

that musicians react a lot more to a conduc-

is] already using. He reported that since the

tor s gestures than most of us realize.

The

course, he is definitely watching conductors

course has helped participant 2 develop a

more closely to try to see if their Effort choices

better understanding of the connection

match their musical intentions. When asked

between what I do and the sound I get and

whether or not he would encourage friends

exactly how to describe that connection.

and colleagues to add LMA to their studies he

She plans to continue to use the skills she

answered: I m convinced that LMA training

acquired during the course because LMA

should almost be a requirement for conduc-

has, for her, become a very useful frame-

tors.

26

29

work to analyze [her] movements, analyze

The expert panels evaluations, the par-

what other people are doing and what works

ticipants observations and my personal

versus what doesn t.

Before taking the

experience combine to provide convincing

course, participant 3 didn t think of con-

evidence that conductors who choose to

ducting in terms of gesture. Through the

master the principles of Laban Movement

LMA training she has developed much

Analysis have at their disposal a comprehen-

more appreciation for the art and the diffi-

sive set of tools for conceiving and executing

culty of conducting as well as the ability to

potent, persuasive gestures that display genu-

convey a lot of things that, previously, I just

ine equivalence with the sounds of music.

couldn t figure out. When asked how the

The Motion Factors, Effort elements and

course had improved the connection

Effort/Shape affinities are the raw ingredi-

between her gestures and elements of musi-

ents conductors combine to create recipes

cal expression, she replied:

for gestures that perfectly reflect both the

27

At the most basic level, I now have

choices to make. Before the class I felt
like I was lost in the music with no
tools or system to help me connect my
gestures to the music. After the course
I am able to look at a score and know
that I can quickly find a solution to
almost any problem or challenge I
encounter. 28

conductor s own personal movement style

and the musical and technical demands
present in the score. Such a conductor s
movements illumine the music and inspire
the performers under his direction because
he has firmly, irrevocably fused his musical
intentions with his force of will and body by
grounding himself at the point of conver-

After the study, participant 4 realized:

gence between his powers of audiation and

many of the things I already believed have

movement thinking. Lamb describes Effort

been reinforced, and he added that the LMA

and Shape as the two processes from which

29

Charles Gambetta, DMA

movement is created. 30 From the evidence

presented in this essay, it also seems abundantly clear that Effort and Shape together
with audiation are the three processes from
which music and, most specifically, effective,
compelling conducting gestures are created.
Bibliography
Bartee, Neale King. 1977. The development of a theoretical position on conducting using principles of body movement as explicated by Rudolf
Laban. Ph.D. diss., University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
Benge, Timothy John. 1996. Movements utilized by
conductors in the stimulation of expression
and musicianship. D.M.A. diss., University of
Southern California.
Billingham, Lisa Adalade. 2001. The development of
a gestural vocabulary for choral conductors
based on the movement theory of Rudolf
Laban. D.M.A. diss., University of Arizona.
Gambetta, Charles. 2005. Creating a fresh approach
to conducting gesture through the principles
of Laban Movement Analysis. D.M.A. diss.,
University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Gordon, Edwin E. 1980. Learning sequences in music:
Skill, content and patterns. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.
Hibbard, Therees Tkach. 1994. The use of movement as an instructional technique in choral
rehearsals. D.M.A. diss., University of Oregon.
Holt, Michele Menard. 1992. The application to
conducting and choral rehearsal pedagogy of
Laban Effort/Shape and its comparative effect
upon style in choral performance. D.M.A
diss., University of Hartford.
Laban, Rudolf. 1988. The mastery of movement, 4th ed.
Revised by Lisa Ullmann. Plymouth: Northcote House. Original edition, London: Macdonald and Evans, 1980.
_____. 1974. The language of movement: A guidebook to
choreutics. Edited by Lisa Ullman. Boston:

Plays, Inc.
_____. 1971. Rudolf Laban speaks about movement and
dance. Edited by Lisa Ullmann. Addlestone,
Surrey: Laban Art of Movement Centre.
Lamb, Warren. 1965. Posture and gesture. London:
Gerald Duckworth and Company.
Lamb, Warren and Elizabeth Watson. 1979. Body
code: The meaning in movement. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Maletic, Vera. 1987. Body - space - expression: The development of Rudolf Laban's movement and dance
concepts. Approaches to Semiotics 75. Berlin
and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Maletic, Vera. 2004. Dance dynamics effort and phrasing workbook. Columbus: Grade A Notes.
Miller Stephen W. 1988. The effect of Laban movement training on the ability of student conductors to communicate musical interpretation
through gesture. Ph.D. diss., University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Neidlinger, Erica Jean. 2003. The effect of Laban
effort-shape instruction on young conductors'
perception of expressiveness across arts disciplines. Ph.D. diss., University of Minnesota.
Preston-Dunlop, Valerie and Charlotte Purkis. 1989.
Rudolf Laban The making of modern dance:
The seminal years in Munich 1910-1914. Dance
Theatre Journal 7, no. 3 (winter): 10-13.
Scherchen, Hermann. 1966. Handbook of conducting,
10th ed. Translated by M. D. Calvocoressi.
London:
Oxford University Press.
Yontz, Timothy Gene. 2001. The effectiveness of
Laban-based principles of movement and previous musical training on undergraduate
beginning conducting students ability to convey intended musical content. Ph.D. diss.,
University of Nebraska.

Endnotes
1. Hermann Scherchen, Handbook of Conducting, 10th
ed., trans. M. D. Calvocoressi (London: Oxford
University Press, 1966), 14.

30

The Journal of Laban Movement Studies

Fall 2008 Volume 1, Number 1

2. The term gesture as used by Hermann Scherchen and the present author refers to a broad range of conducting movement possibilities that, in Laban terminology, may include gestures, postures and posture-gesture
mergers. Because the primary audience for this research consisted of conductors and musicians, distinctions between these categories were not made.
3. Rudolf Laban, Rudolf Laban Speaks about Movement and Dance, ed. Lisa Ullmann (Addlestone: Laban Art of
Movement Centre, 1971), 40.
4. Charles Gambetta, Creating a Fresh Approach to Conducting Gesture Through the Principles of Laban
Movement Analysis (D.M.A. diss., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005), 100-23.
5. Bartee, The Development of a Theoretical Position on Conducting Using Principles of Body Movement as
Explicated By Rudolf Laban (Ph.D. diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1977), 2, 17-8.
6. Ibid., 160.
7. Ibid., 161.
8. Ibid., 192-200.
9. Therees Tkach Hibbard, The Use of Movement as an Instructional Technique in Choral Rehearsals
(D.M.A. diss., University of Oregon, 1994), 226-37. Timothy John Benge, Movements Utilized by Conductors in the Stimulation of Expression and Musicianship (D.M.A. diss., University of Southern California, 1996), 59-61.
10. Lisa Adalade Billingham, The Development of a Gestural Vocabulary for Choral Conductors Based on
the Movement Theory of Rudolf Laban (D.M.A. diss., University of Arizona, 2001), 65-72.
11. Michele Menard Holt, The Application to Conducting and Choral Rehearsal Pedagogy of Laban Effort/
Shape and its Comparative Effect upon Style in Choral Performance (D.M.A diss., University of Hartford, 1992), 9, 64.
12. Stephen W Miller, The Effect of Laban Movement Training on the Ability of Student Conductors to
Communicate Musical Interpretation Through Gesture (Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison,
1988), 105-6.
13. Timothy Gene Yontz, The Effectiveness of Laban-based Principles of Movement and Previous Musical
Training on Undergraduate Beginning Conducting Students Ability to Convey Intended Musical Content (Ph.D. diss., University of Nebraska, 2001), 102-3.
14. Erica Jean Neidlinger, The Effect of Laban Effort-Shape Instruction on Young Conductors' Perception of
Expressiveness across Arts Disciplines (Ph.D. diss., University of Minnesota, 2003), 126-32.
15. Though far beyond the limits of the present article, a more thorough examination of Laban s theories
would lead to an understanding of his fundamental views of movement as a dynamic process on a continuum between polarities. Maletic, Body - Space - Expression, 52. Apart from Effort, for example, Laban organized his concept of bodily rhythms . . . in terms of polarities. Preston-Dunlop and Perkins explain: He
had developed two sources, Ionian opposites (hot/cold, right/left, big/small, etc.) and the colour contrast
theory described in Kandinsky s work. Valerie Preston-Dunlop and Charlotte Perkins, Rudolf Laban
The Making of Modern Dance: The Seminal Years in Munich 1910-1914 Dance Theatre Journal 7, no. 3
(winter 1989): 10-13.
16. Music educator Edwin Gordon defines audiation as a cognitive process by which the brain gives meaning to music. Edwin E. Gordon, Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content and Patterns (Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 1980), 4-5. It is the convergence of this inward hearing that Gordon refers to as audiation
and Laban s concept of thinking in terms of movement allows me to find genuine equivalence between my
gestures and the sounds of music.
17. The author has been experimenting and refining this approach for nearly ten years and has expanded the
list of affinities to include combinations of two and three Efforts as well as Effort/Shape and Effort/Space
affinities.

31

Charles Gambetta, DMA

18. While all four Motion Factors are not visible in States and Drives, the absent Efforts in such cases result
from conscious or unconscious choices made by the mover. In contrast, the neutrality associated with
Effort/Conducting affinities is not the result of choice. Just as an Effort/Shape affinity exists between
lightness and rising but not lightness and retreating, an Effort/Conducting affinity exists between Weight
and dynamics but not Weight and precision.
19. Rudolf Laban, The Language of Movement: A Guidebook to Choreutics, ed. Lisa Ullman (Boston: Plays, Inc.,
1974), 30-2.
20. Vera Maletic, Dance Dynamics Effort and Phrasing Workbook, 37.
21. Warren Lamb, Posture and Gesture, (London: Gerald Duckworth and Company, 1965), 63-4.
22. Gambetta, 269-70.
23. Ibid., 280.
24. Ibid., 306.
25. Gambetta, 332.
26. Ibid., 336-7.
27. Ibid., 341-2.
28. Gambetta., 346.
29. Ibid., 351-3.
30. Warren Lamb and Elizabeth Watson, Body Code: The Meaning in Movement (London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul, 1979), 81.
Conductor/composer Charles Gambetta holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro. He is currently on the music faculties of Greensboro College, Guilford College and WinstonSalem State University in North Carolina. A student of LMA since 1995 when he studied for a semester with Jackie Hand
at Teachers College, Columbia University, Charles addressed the 2006 Laban and the Performing Arts conference in Bratislava, and he will speak at the 2008 Laban International Conference in London. Maestro Gambetta has served as Music
Director of the Young American Symphony Orchestra, the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra and Assistant Conductor
of the Greensboro Symphony, the Fayetteville Symphony and the Philharmonia of Greensboro. In 2008 he accepted an
appointment to the faculty of the prestigious International Institute for Conductors.

32