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Dance notation is the
symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
ic representation of human
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
movement and form, using methods such as graphic symbols and figures, path mapping, numerical systems, and letter and word
notations ''Notations'' is a book that was edited and compiled by American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912–1992) with Alison Knowles and first published in 1969 by Something Else Press. The book is made up of a large collection of graphical scores, ...
. Several dance notation systems have been invented, many of which are designed to document specific types of dance while others have been developed with capturing the broader spectrum of human movement potential. A ''dance score'' is a recorded dance notation that describes a particular dance.


Usage

The primary uses of dance notation are historical dance preservation through documentation and analysis (e.g., in
ethnochoreology Ethnochoreology (also dance ethnology, dance anthropology) is the study of dance through the application of a number of disciplines such as anthropology, musicology, ethnomusicology, and ethnography. The word itself is relatively recent and etym ...
) or reconstruction of
choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...
, dance forms, and technical exercises. Dance notation systems also allow for dance works to be documented and therefore potentially copyrighted. Two popular dance notation systems used in
Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
are
Labanotation Labanotation (the grammatically correct form "Labannotation" or "Laban notation" is uncommon) is a system for analyzing and recording human movement. The inventor was Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958), a central figure in European modern dance, who d ...
(also known as Kinetography Laban) and
Benesh Movement Notation Benesh Movement Notation (BMN), also known as Benesh notation or choreology, is a dance notation system used to document dance and other types of human movement. Invented by Joan and Rudolf Benesh in the late 1940s, the system uses abstract symbo ...
. Others include Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation and DanceWriting. Many dance notation systems are designed for specific types of dance. Examples of such systems include Shorthand Dance Notation for dances from
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, Morris Dance Notation for
Morris dance Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may ...
, and
Beauchamp–Feuillet Notation Beauchamp–Feuillet notation is a system of dance notation used in Baroque dance. The notation was commissioned by Louis XIV (who had founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661), and devised in the 1680s by Pierre Beauchamp. The notatio ...
for
Baroque dance Baroque dance is dance of the Baroque era (roughly 1600–1750), closely linked with Baroque music, theatre, and opera. English country dance The majority of surviving choreographies from the period are English country dances, such as those ...
. As a result, these systems usually cannot effectively describe other types of dance.


History

Dancewriting 001.jpg,
Valerie Sutton Valerie Sutton (born February 22, 1951) is an American developer of movement notation and a former dancer. Early life She was born in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City, the daughter of a physicist father and a poetry, poet/Model (perso ...
in a dance pose... Dancewriting.jpg, ...and its corresponding "Sutton DanceWriting" notation
In the 1680s,
Pierre Beauchamp Pierre Beauchamp or Beauchamps (; 30 October 1631 – February 1705) was a French choreographer, dancer and composer, and the probable inventor of Beauchamp–Feuillet notation. His grand-father was called Christophe (a musician) and his fa ...
invented a dance notation system for Baroque dance. His system, known as
Beauchamp–Feuillet notation Beauchamp–Feuillet notation is a system of dance notation used in Baroque dance. The notation was commissioned by Louis XIV (who had founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661), and devised in the 1680s by Pierre Beauchamp. The notatio ...
, was published in 1700 by
Raoul-Auger Feuillet Raoul Auger (or Anger) Feuillet (c.1660–1710) was a French dance notator, publisher and choreographer most well-known today for his ''Chorégraphie, ou l'art de décrire la danse'' (Paris, 1700) which described Beauchamp–Feuillet notation, ...
and used to record dances throughout the eighteenth century. A well-known collection of dance scores is the
Sergeyev Collection The Sergeyev Collection is a collection of choreographic notation, musical materials, designs for décor and costumes, theatre programs, photos and other items that document the repertory of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet (precursor of the K ...
, recorded using Vladimir Ivanovich Stepanov's notation method (1892). This collection documents the
Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...
's (today the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet) repertoire from the turn of the 20th century, including
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...
's original choreographic designs for '' The Sleeping Beauty'', ''
Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'', '' Le Corsaire'', and ''
Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'', as well as ''
Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Éti ...
'' and the original version of ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...
''. It was with this collection that many of these works were first staged outside Russia. In 1934, the composer
Joseph Schillinger Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger (Russian: Иосиф Моисеевич Шиллингер, (other sources: ) – 23 March 1943) was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher who originated the Schillinger System of Musical Composition ...
created a highly accurate notation system based on the 3D bone rotation and translation of a moving dancer. Unfortunately, with
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
technology half a century in the future, there was no way to effectively measure and record this information at the time. In 1948,
Hanya Holm Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; 3 March 1893 – 3 November 1992) is known as one of the "Big Four" founders of American modern dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and above all, a dance educator. Early life, connection with Mary Wigman Bo ...
became the first Broadway choreographer to have her dance scores copyrighted, for her work on ''
Kiss Me Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...
''. In 1951, Stanley D. Kahn published
Kahnotation Kahnotation is a tap dance Dance notation, notation developed by Stanley D. Kahn to document and communicate tap dancing steps and routines. History Kahnotation was developed from 1930-1950 by Stanley D. Kahn. A prominent figure of the Internation ...
, a dance notation system specific to
tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...
. In 1956, Rudolf and Joan Benesh first published
Benesh Movement Notation Benesh Movement Notation (BMN), also known as Benesh notation or choreology, is a dance notation system used to document dance and other types of human movement. Invented by Joan and Rudolf Benesh in the late 1940s, the system uses abstract symbo ...
, a written system for recording human movement. It is most widely used in the recording and restaging of dance works. In 1969, Romanian choreographer Theodor Vasilescu published a dance notation system for Romanian folk dances. In the 1970s,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n choreographer U Chang-sop developed a system of dance notation for
Korean dance Dance in Korea began with shamanistic early rituals five thousand years ago and now ranges from folk dance to newly created and adopted contemporary dance. Overview Korean traditional dance originated in ancient shamanistic rituals thousands ...
called the Chamo System of Dance Notation, which uses pictorially based symbols. In 1975,
Ann Hutchinson Guest Ann Hutchinson Guest ( Hutchinson; 3 November 1918 – 9 April 2022) was an American authority on dance notation and movement analysis, long based in the United Kingdom. She studied more than 80 dance notation systems and translated 20 to Laba ...
reconstructed choreographer
Arthur Saint-Léon Arthur Saint-Léon (17 September 1821, in Paris – 2 September 1870) was the '' Maître de Ballet'' of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet ''Coppélia''. Biography He was ...
's ''Pas de Six'' from his 1844 ballet ''
La Vivandière LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'', along with its original music by composer
Cesare Pugni Cesare Pugni (; russian: Цезарь Пуни, Cezar' Puni; 31 May 1802 in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. In his early career he composed operas, symphonies, and various other forms of orche ...
, for the
Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...
. The piece was reconstructed from Saint-Léon's work, which was documented using his own method of dance notation, known as '' La Sténochorégraphie''. In 1982, the first computerized notation system—the ''DOM'' dance notation system—was created by
Eddie Dombrower Eddie Dombrower (born 1957) is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known as the co-creator of the baseball games '' Earl Weaver Baseball'' and '' Intellivision World Series Baseball''. He is al ...
for the
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
. The system displayed an animated figure on the screen that performed dance moves specified by the choreographer. In 2017, Felipe Hsieh created Tango Notation, a dance notation system specific to Argentine tango.


See also

* Action stroke dance notation * Motif description, a subset of Labanotation


References


Further reading

* Cage, J. and Knowles, A. (1973) ''Notations''. Reprint Services Corp. * Drewes, Henner (2003) ''Transformationen – Bewegung in Notation und digitaler Verarbeitung'' in Fellsches, J (Ed) Folkwang-Texte Bd. 18. Verlag Die Blaue Eule, Essen. * Hutchinson Guest, A. (1989) ''Choreographics: a comparison of dance notation systems from the fifteenth century to the present''. Routledge * Kahn, Stanley D. (1951). "presenting Kahnotation: the K-Symbols for writing Tap Dancing" * Neagle, R.J. and Ng, K.C. (July 2003) ''Machine-representation and visualisation of a dance notation'' in Proceedings of electronic imaging and the visual arts. London * * Felipe Hsieh (May 2018) ''Initial Tango - INITIAL TANGO: the tango ideogam writing system''. * Felipe Hsieh (July 2020) ''TANGOBOOK: Dance Notation of The Classic Tango''.


External links

*
Sutton DanceWriting
{{Cultural Conservation-Restoration zh-yue:舞譜 Notation