diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/actions/elements.js b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/actions/elements.js
index be157d9d8085b..3c5142b0a9460 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/actions/elements.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/actions/elements.js
@@ -46,10 +46,8 @@ function getBareElement(el, includeId = false) {
 
 export const elementLayer = createAction('elementLayer');
 
-export const setPosition = createAction('setPosition', (elementId, pageId, position) => ({
-  pageId,
-  elementId,
-  position,
+export const setMultiplePositions = createAction('setMultiplePosition', repositionedElements => ({
+  repositionedElements,
 }));
 
 export const flushContext = createAction('flushContext');
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/middleware/aeroelastic.js b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/middleware/aeroelastic.js
index f2ddac33feff5..21eab34ea35a6 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/middleware/aeroelastic.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/middleware/aeroelastic.js
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@
 import { shallowEqual } from 'recompose';
 import { aeroelastic as aero } from '../../lib/aeroelastic_kibana';
 import { matrixToAngle } from '../../lib/aeroelastic/matrix';
+import { identity } from '../../lib/aeroelastic/functional';
 import {
   addElement,
   removeElements,
   duplicateElement,
   elementLayer,
-  setPosition,
+  setMultiplePositions,
   fetchAllRenderables,
 } from '../actions/elements';
 import { restoreHistory } from '../actions/history';
@@ -65,40 +66,44 @@ const elementToShape = (element, i) => {
   };
 };
 
-const updateGlobalPositions = (setPosition, { shapes, gestureEnd }, elems) => {
-  shapes.forEach((shape, i) => {
-    const elemPos = elems[i] && elems[i].position;
-    if (elemPos && gestureEnd) {
-      // get existing position information from element
-      const oldProps = {
-        left: elemPos.left,
-        top: elemPos.top,
-        width: elemPos.width,
-        height: elemPos.height,
-        angle: Math.round(elemPos.angle),
-      };
-
-      // cast shape into element-like object to compare
-      const newProps = {
-        left: shape.transformMatrix[12] - shape.a,
-        top: shape.transformMatrix[13] - shape.b,
-        width: shape.a * 2,
-        height: shape.b * 2,
-        angle: Math.round(matrixToAngle(shape.transformMatrix)),
-      };
-
-      if (1 / newProps.angle === -Infinity) newProps.angle = 0; // recompose.shallowEqual discerns between 0 and -0
-
-      if (!shallowEqual(oldProps, newProps)) setPosition(shape.id, newProps);
-    }
-  });
+const updateGlobalPositions = (setMultiplePositions, { shapes, gestureEnd }, elems) => {
+  const repositionings = shapes
+    .map((shape, i) => {
+      const elemPos = elems[i] && elems[i].position;
+      if (elemPos && gestureEnd) {
+        // get existing position information from element
+        const oldProps = {
+          left: elemPos.left,
+          top: elemPos.top,
+          width: elemPos.width,
+          height: elemPos.height,
+          angle: Math.round(elemPos.angle),
+        };
+
+        // cast shape into element-like object to compare
+        const newProps = {
+          left: shape.transformMatrix[12] - shape.a,
+          top: shape.transformMatrix[13] - shape.b,
+          width: shape.a * 2,
+          height: shape.b * 2,
+          angle: Math.round(matrixToAngle(shape.transformMatrix)),
+        };
+
+        if (1 / newProps.angle === -Infinity) newProps.angle = 0; // recompose.shallowEqual discerns between 0 and -0
+
+        return shallowEqual(oldProps, newProps)
+          ? null
+          : { position: newProps, elementId: shape.id };
+      }
+    })
+    .filter(identity);
+  if (repositionings.length) setMultiplePositions(repositionings);
 };
 
 const id = element => element.id;
 
 export const aeroelastic = ({ dispatch, getState }) => {
   // When aeroelastic updates an element, we need to dispatch actions to notify redux of the changes
-  // dispatch(setPosition({ ... }));
 
   const onChangeCallback = ({ state }) => {
     const nextScene = state.currentScene;
@@ -111,7 +116,7 @@ export const aeroelastic = ({ dispatch, getState }) => {
     const selectedElement = getSelectedElement(getState());
 
     updateGlobalPositions(
-      (elementId, position) => dispatch(setPosition(elementId, page, position)),
+      positions => dispatch(setMultiplePositions(positions.map(p => ({ ...p, pageId: page })))),
       nextScene,
       elements
     );
@@ -223,7 +228,7 @@ export const aeroelastic = ({ dispatch, getState }) => {
       case addElement.toString():
       case duplicateElement.toString():
       case elementLayer.toString():
-      case setPosition.toString():
+      case setMultiplePositions.toString():
         const page = getSelectedPage(getState());
         const elements = getElements(getState(), page);
 
@@ -232,7 +237,7 @@ export const aeroelastic = ({ dispatch, getState }) => {
           prevPage !== page || !shallowEqual(prevElements.map(id), elements.map(id));
         if (shouldResetState) populateWithElements(page);
 
-        if (action.type !== setPosition.toString()) unselectShape(prevPage);
+        if (action.type !== setMultiplePositions.toString()) unselectShape(prevPage);
 
         break;
     }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/reducers/elements.js b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/reducers/elements.js
index de063965cfacb..e17c09639e2e9 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/reducers/elements.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/canvas/public/state/reducers/elements.js
@@ -66,10 +66,12 @@ export const elementsReducer = handleActions(
       const { filter, pageId, elementId } = payload;
       return assignElementProperties(workpadState, pageId, elementId, { filter });
     },
-    [actions.setPosition]: (workpadState, { payload }) => {
-      const { position, pageId, elementId } = payload;
-      return assignElementProperties(workpadState, pageId, elementId, { position });
-    },
+    [actions.setMultiplePositions]: (workpadState, { payload }) =>
+      payload.repositionedElements.reduce(
+        (previousWorkpadState, { position, pageId, elementId }) =>
+          assignElementProperties(previousWorkpadState, pageId, elementId, { position }),
+        workpadState
+      ),
     [actions.elementLayer]: (workpadState, { payload: { pageId, elementId, movement } }) => {
       return moveElementLayer(workpadState, pageId, elementId, movement);
     },