Body · Movement · Laban · Psychology · Dance

Movement Analysis

How you move is who you are — more reliably than what you say, more honestly than what you wear, more deeply than how you present yourself consciously. Rudolf Laban's movement analysis system provides a rigorous language for observing, describing and understanding the patterns encoded in human movement.

Section 01

Rudolf Laban and Movement Notation

Rudolf Laban (1879–1958) was a Hungarian dancer, choreographer and movement theorist who spent his life developing a comprehensive system for observing, notating and understanding human movement. His work produced two lasting contributions: Labanotation (a system for recording movement on paper, still used to notate dance works) and Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) — a framework for observing and describing the qualitative aspects of movement.

Laban's insight was that movement has two dimensions: what the body does (the shapes and patterns of physical action) and how it does it (the quality and texture of the movement). The same action — raising an arm — can be performed with infinite variations in quality: quickly or slowly, forcefully or gently, directly or indirectly, with bound or free flow. These qualitative variations are not decorative; they carry specific psychological and expressive meanings.

Laban Movement Analysis was developed further by his student and collaborator Rudolf Bartenieff (who added the somatic dimension — how movement originates in the body's core), and by Warren Lamb, who developed Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA) for use in organisational and leadership contexts. LMA practitioners work in dance, physical therapy, acting training, sport psychology and — increasingly — in leadership development and conflict resolution.

Section 02

Effort — The Quality of Movement

The Effort component of LMA describes the dynamic qualities of movement — how the mover relates to four fundamental motion factors. Each motion factor has two poles, and every movement can be placed on a continuum between them.

Weight — Strong vs Light
How the mover relates to gravity and physical impact. Strong weight — firm, grounded, impactful. Light weight — delicate, buoyant, minimal impact. Weight effort reflects the mover's relationship to their own physicality and their capacity to make an impact in the world.
Space — Direct vs Indirect
How the mover relates to the spatial environment. Direct movement — focused, single-pointed, going straight to the target. Indirect movement — multi-focused, meandering, taking in the whole environment. Space effort reflects attentional style and relationship to focus.
Time — Sudden vs Sustained
How the mover relates to time. Sudden movement — urgent, decisive, quick. Sustained movement — lingering, patient, ongoing. Time effort reflects the mover's relationship to urgency, decision-making and their sense of available time.
Flow — Bound vs Free
How the mover relates to the ongoing stream of movement. Free flow — movement that pours out easily, hard to stop. Bound flow — controlled, contained, stoppable at any moment. Flow effort reflects the mover's relationship to control, spontaneity and emotional expression.
Section 03

Shape — How the Body Relates to Space

The Shape component of LMA describes how the body's form changes in relation to the surrounding space and to other people. Shape Qualities — the basic modes of shape change — describe fundamental patterns of relating.

Rising & Sinking
Movement that increases or decreases the vertical extent of the body. Rising is associated with aspiration, elevation, transcendence; sinking with grounding, surrender, heaviness. The habitual vertical position of a person in space — whether they typically present as rising, neutral or sinking — is among the most immediately readable movement characteristics.
Spreading & Enclosing
Movement that increases or decreases the horizontal extent of the body. Spreading — opening, including, welcoming. Enclosing — gathering, protecting, self-containing. Habitual spreaders tend to be inclusive, expansive and comfortable with exposure; habitual enclosers tend to be self-contained, protective and more comfortable with intimacy than with openness.
Advancing & Retreating
Movement toward or away from the environment — the sagittal dimension. Advancing — engaging, pursuing, approaching. Retreating — withdrawing, avoiding, pulling back. The habitual balance between advancing and retreating reflects the mover's fundamental stance toward engagement with the world.
Shape Flow
The most basic shape change — the body expanding and condensing in response to internal states, like breathing. Shape flow reflects the most fundamental level of self-regulation and responsiveness to internal experience. Its presence or absence in a person's movement indicates the degree to which they are in touch with their own somatic experience.
Section 04

Applications and Practice

LMA has been applied in a remarkable range of contexts: dance and performance, physical therapy and rehabilitation, acting training (Anne Bogart's Viewpoints incorporate LMA principles), sport psychology, infant development assessment, psychiatric diagnosis (movement changes in schizophrenia and depression are observable through LMA), and — more recently — leadership development and organisational psychology.

Warren Lamb's Movement Pattern Analysis, derived from LMA, has been used by major corporations for leadership selection and development — based on the observation that different movement patterns predict different leadership styles with considerable reliability. The research on these applications is genuinely interesting, though the commercial context in which it is often applied adds complexity to evaluation.

For the individual practitioner, LMA offers a vocabulary for self-observation that most people lack entirely. Most people have never consciously observed their own movement patterns — the habitual ways they enter a room, sit in a chair, use their hands when speaking. Developing this observation, with or without formal LMA training, reveals patterns of habitual self-presentation that are often surprisingly consistent and revealing.

Starting practice: Observe your own movement in two contrasting contexts — one in which you feel comfortable and at ease, one in which you feel stressed or on guard. Notice the changes in weight, flow, spatial orientation and shape. The contrast between these two states will reveal your habitual movement responses to ease and stress more clearly than any amount of introspection.

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