Customer Reviews

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

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2 star:		(1)
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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).

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.

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.