Movement and Body Language

Movement in the Sesame Approach

Laban placed human movement into four qualities and observed the unique workings of each of these in human beings. He worked from the premise that the way a person moved represented what was going on unconsciously in their inner world. Like Jung, he proposed that when you extend or balance the vocabulary of one, the other likewise shifted and transformed so expanding and enriching the experience of the individual. Laban identified the four movement qualities as being: Flow, Weight, Space, and Time. He observed the outer use of these four elements and used them as tools to work with the inner world.

Flow is linked to feeling - it can be free or bound. Free flow moves endlessly on and on and can be difficult to end. Bound flow starts and stops, it has a pizzicato feel to it and is much less spontaneous and more rigid.

Weight is linked to intention - it can be firm or fine. The energy or force which is used to do things may relate to firm or fine purpose.

Space is linked to thinking or attention - it can be direct or indirect and relates to the way a person inhabits and learns about the world.

Time is linked to decision-making - it can be sudden or sustained and relates to the speed at which choices are made.