Energy, Eukinetics, and Effort. Rudolf Laban’s Vision of Work and Dance

Franco, Susanne

This essay presents Rudolf Laban’s understanding of movement and dance as an example of how there cannot be a history of modern dance without both a cultural history of energy as a social construction, as well as a cultural his- tory of work. Dance, like science, participates in a large web of ethical, social, and political entanglements, while also constructing models of the moving body. Only by taking account of the reciprocal influences of scientific theories and artistsʼ discourses and practices can we write a history of bodily movement, both onstage and in everyday life.

This essay presents Rudolf Laban’s understanding of movement and dance as an example of how there cannot be a history of modern dance without both a cultural history of energy as a social construction, as well as a cultural his- tory of work. Dance, like science, participates in a large web of ethical, social and political entanglements, while also constructing models of the moving body. Only by taking account of the reciprocal influences of scientific theories and artistsʼ discourses and practices can we write a history of bodily movement, both onstage and in everyday life.