Effort Dialogue: A Question-and-Answer Duet

Two people talk using only movement: one asks with an effort action and the other answers with an opposite or complementary one. It builds listening, contrast and duet-making skills.

How to play

1. Pairs face each other three meters apart. A does a short Laban action and freezes; B answers with another action and freezes (5 min).
2. Answer rules: the teacher asks first for the opposite (punch-float), then for copy-and-exaggerate, then for ignore-and-change-topic (6 min).
3. Each pair picks its four best exchanges and sets them as a 30-second duet with a clear start and finish (8 min).
4. Share in groups of three pairs: the audience says what story or relationship they see in each duet (6 min).

Rules

• No physical contact: the dialogue happens at a distance.
• No talking during the exchange.
• Strong actions end in the air, more than an arm's length from your partner.

Variations

Adaptations

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: the mechanic needs no change; agree on a visual start and stop signal with the partner.
• Blind or low-vision students: run the dialogue at close range with light hand contact that carries weight and timing.
• Students with social anxiety: they can share with just one trusted pair.

Learning goals

• Listen and respond to another person's movement.
• Use contrast as an expressive tool.
• Set a short, structured duet.

Equipment for a class of 25

• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Line pairs up in two parallel rows so everyone faces the same way and pairs don't distract each other. Students tend to answer the same way every time: push for answers that surprise.

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