"Action mime shows us that everything a person does in their life can be reduced to two essential actions: ‘to pull’ and ‘to push’. We do nothing else! These actions include the passive ‘I am pulled’ and ‘I am pushed’ and the reflexive ‘I pull myself’ and ‘I push myself’ and can go in many different directions: forwards, to one side or the other, backwards, diagonally etc. I call this the effort rose.
It comprises a multi-directional space which can be adapted to all human movements, whether physical or psychological, whther a simple movement of the arm or an all-consuming passion, a movement of the head or a profound desire, everything brings us back to pull/push. …
Three main directions are contained within the effort rose: verticals, horizontals, diagonals. … These three movements refer to three different dramatic worlds. Horizontal 'pull/push' corresponds to 'you and me'. This is dialogue as found in commedia dell'arte or the clown routine. Vertical movement situates man between heaven and earth, between zenith and nadir, in a tragic event. Tragedy is always vertical: the gods are on Mount Olympus. Bouffons are also vertical, but in the other direction: their gods are underground. As for the diagonal, it is sentimental, lyrical, it flies off an we cannot tel where it will come down. This is the terrain of the broad emotions of melodrama."
