Laban for Actors and Dancers: Putting Laban's Movement Theory Into Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide [Paperback]

Jean Newlove (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0878300449 | ISBN-13: 978-0878300440 | Edition: 1

This handbook, complete with graded exercises, is for teachers and students of both drama and dance, who want to use the Laban system of movement.

Although almost every professional actor and dancer in North America and Europe is familiar with the work of German-born movement teacher, Rudolf Laban (d. 1988), his system of analyzing and recording movement has the misleading reputation of being a "difficult" and "complex" technique.

Author Jean Newlove, a renowned movement teacher, takes the reader step-by-step through the basic principles of movement, with graded exercises at the end of each chapter. She also provides practical examples of how movement training can be used in the development of characters in specific plays.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878300449
• ISBN-13: 978-0878300440
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent LMA text, November 1, 2000

By 

Sharon Unrau Meade, C.M.A., Ph.D. (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laban for Actors and Dancers: Putting Laban's Movement Theory Into Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

I use this book as one of the cornerstones of my Space and Effort units at school. The chapters are concise and well organized. The Laban material is presented clearly and with visual diagrams. I did find some of the language challenging (UK English) as opposed to American English... for the students...i.e. thrust as opposed to punch in the Effort chapters...an excellent text for all levels beginner (excellent introduction to Laban's theory and work) through advanced movement analyst (good reference and teaching text).

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OnStage, June 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Laban for Actors and Dancers: Putting Laban's Movement Theory Into Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

This book is very practical and offers plenty of ideas for anybody working with actors or preparing an acting part themselves. I have used the exercises with a variety of ages and it has worked well with all. They have enjoyed trying the suggested techniques to explore and develop their characters for performance purposes.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Father's Laban, October 6, 2010

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laban for Actors and Dancers (Paperback)

This is a poor rehash of the more valuable original works by Rulolf Laban. The impression given is that Newlove's father's work seemd to stand stagnant, but there is nothing new here. There are even forays into areas that Laban would never have agreed with. For example, the instruction concerning the use of illusionary weight by the stage artist is highly flawed and mistaken. Laban's work never advocated such a technique. The crafted performer will learn more useful information from the master's original writings.