Fast Food Laban
Where are we?
Description
This is a Game. It is in the following categories:
How it Works
Laban was a movement theorist, and this exercise is based on (a simplified form of some of) his ideas. Take 3 categories:
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Timing: Sudden or Sustained
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Weight: Heavy or Light
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Space: Direct or Indirect
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punching : sudden / heavy / direct
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slashing : sudden / heavy / indirect
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wringing : sustained / heavy / indirect
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stroking : sustained / light / indirect
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dabbing : sudden / light / direct
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smoothing : sustained / light / direct
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pushing : sustained / heavy / direct
Notes
The attributes go with the characters, not necessarily with the actual performer's body. A heavyset person may move about delicately.
Variations
You can introduce this in a fairly simple way, by asking the players to move about the room, according to directions or orientations:
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be a 'horizontal' or 'vertical' person
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be downward, or upward
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be light or heavy
Then experiment with these: be suddenly light (bird taking off from a tree) or continuously light (be a cloud).
You can do this using different kinds of music. What direction / weight / movement does a certain song or theme inspire?
Then try to experiment with characters: who or what would be vertical person be (a general?). What/how would be continuously light person be (stoned?). Suddenly light (flirty?). See also Fast Food Stanislawski .
Origin
Attributed to Keith Johnstone . See Impro for Storytellers .