The Art of Movement:

Laban’s Legacy in Dance-Music-Drama

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15-19 April 2026 Trinity Laban, London

 

A celebration of past, present and future:

This anniversary event, commemorating eighty years of the Laban Guild, is planned as a celebration of people inspired by Rudolf Laban’s work, a consolidation of history, aiming to provide future generations with a renewed energy to keep the legacy alive through events and publications. In recent years, the work of the Guild has continued through Laban Guild International with self-managed Hubs, and these diverse areas
will be represented at the event, to encourage further networking and sharing of ideas. The international nature of the work means that organisations from several countries are being encouraged to attend or submit video material for inclusion. The event will allow us to work alongside many groups and institutions in the UK and around the world promoting the legacy of Laban. ​

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During the first three days of the event, participants will alternate between the following three distinct approaches of dance, music and drama (Tanz /Ton /Wort) while understanding that there are many places where the boundaries between these three performing arts disciplines blur, gaining experience of projects with a link to the Laban legacy. In addition, students may also select masterclasses led by practitioners who have developed Laban’s approach in very particular performance contexts (see artistic director Kelly Wilson in Masterclasses below).

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Historical Laban: The Tanz-Ton-Wort sessions

TANZ [Die Nacht project]:

These practical dance sessions will be led by Alison Curtis-Jones. Ali is an internationally recognised dance artist and leading exponent in realising Laban’s dance theatre works, and these practical sessions will refer to Drumstick and Die Nacht. She is Artistic Director of Summit Dance Theatre and faculty member of the Trinity Laban, and her work has pioneered contemporary developments of Laban’s principles and practice, including in the areas of choreological studies and contemporary dance technique. Through practical dance sessions, students will explore spatial and dynamic elements of the art of movement.

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TON [Orfeo meets Don Juan project]:

Music will be explored using the art of movement under the direction of Darren Royston. Darren works regularly as a director and choreographer in opera and is a specialist in historical dance. In both areas, the musical score is a vital part of the inspiration for dramatic staging, and these sessions will take inspiration from musical works that Laban choreographed, in particular Gluck’s ballet and opera Don Juan and Orfeo. Laban gave analysis of historical dance material in the 1926 publication Choreographie and these sessions will consider how music can generate dance drama.

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WORT [Fall of Lucifer project]:

Recently, Cecilia Dorland was involved in the Laban Guild International Kaleidoscope event, which initiated an exploration of text to generate movement and staging. She works as a stage director, being artistic director of Scena Mundi Theatre, and an international lecturer in Drama and Acting with a focus on Medieval and Renaissance Literature. She trained at the Sorbonne University, Paris, and as an actress at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. These practical acting sessions will use medieval drama texts such as The Fall of Lucifer from the York Cycle of Mystery Plays as staged by Geraldine Stephenson using a Laban approach.​

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Masterclasses: Moving Actor Hub / Space Harmony Hub
Masterclasses will be offered on various topics which demonstrate how Laban’s concepts and theories can generate new ideas in professional practice. Dick McCaw will share Effort Study sequences taught by Geraldine Stephenson for Actor Movement training.

 

Workshops relating to classical theatre will be offered by Kelly Wilson and Olga Blagodatskikh, who will consider how directors can use the Laban approach in rehearsal and how actors can prepare for a role with essential acting tools.

 

Contemporary choreography will be explored by Vicky Spanovangelis and Monica Koch. Vicky trained as an architect and uses Laban’s concept of living architecture in her choreographic approach, having frequently shared these ideas at the Laban Guild International Space Harmony Hub, along with Olu Taiwo, whose work will be honoured at this event. Koch has developed the use of the term “ausdrucktanz” from the idea of “free dance” used by Laban and those producing dance theatre, so her workshops will focus on the expressive content of dance, considering rhythm, poetry of space and dramaturgy of the body.​

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