The Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) is a comprehensive system used in understanding multiple aspects of the patterns of human movement. As a system of analysis, LBMS is unique, as it identifies and codifies both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of movement.
LBMS allows us to identify the parts of the complex whole of movement. LBMS looks at the “what”, the “where”, the “how” and the ”why” of action through an analysis of the components of movement: Body, Effort, Space and Shape (BESS). LBMS also addresses the rhythm and phrasing of movement within its situational context. This system is defined through relationships of its interwoven parts combining to form a dynamic whole.