Two popular dance notation systems used in Western culture are Labanotation (also known as Kinetography Laban) and Benesh Movement Notation. Others include Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation and DanceWriting. Many dance notation systems are designed for specific types of dance. In dance, notation is the translation of four-dimensional movement (time being the fourth dimension) into signs written on two-dimensional paper. A fifth "dimension"—dynamics, or the quality, texture, and phrasing of movement—should also be considered an integral part of notation, although in most systems it is not.
Dance notation Labanotation, Benesh Movement Notation, EshkolWachman Movement Notation
dance notation system An example of the dance notation system devised in the 1950s by Rudolf and Joan Benesh. Choreology, developed by Joan and Rudolf Benesh in 1955, is based on a more clearly visual rather than symbolic form of notation. It is written on a five-line stave, recording the dancer's position as viewed from behind. labanotation, system of recording human movement, originated by the Hungarian-born dance theorist Rudolf Laban. Labanotation grew from Laban's interest in movement, which stemmed from his early travels. He studied architecture and philosophy in Paris and worked as an illustrator before becoming involved in the performing arts. Powers Dance Notation Dance notation systems of the past attempted to be as thorough as possible, capable of notating even the smallest gestures, made with any part of the body. As a result, the accumulation of hundreds of symbols made these systems extremely difficult to master. Labanotation, Benesh Notation and others require years of study. dance notation Table of Contents Home Geography & Travel Languages Conclusion Although good, workable systems have been around for centuries, the use of dance notation has never been an integral part of dance study and practice, as musical notation is in the study of music.
Tufte, E. (2001). Dance Notation Commotion and Order. In Envisioning Information (p. 114
Benesh notation example. Benesh Movement Notation (BMN), also known as Benesh notation or choreology, is the literacy of body language, it is a dance and movement 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 symbols based on figurative representations of the human body. This system used a vertical staff and simple signs to record four categories of movement: Emotion, Direction, Degree, and Special. It was used to record Loring's signature ballet, Billy the Kid (1938). An example of the dance notation system developed by Noa Eshkol and Abraham Wachmann. In comparison to most dance notation systems, Eshkol-Wachman movement notation was intended to notate any manner of movement, not only dance. As such, it is not limited to particular dance styles or even to the human form. It has been used to analyze animal behaviour as well as dance (Golani 1976). Stick figure Laban's notation system is used as a type of dance notation in other applications including Laban Movement Analysis, robotics and human movement simulation. With Labanotation, any form of human movement can be recorded: The basis is natural human movement, every change must be noted.
Tufte, E. (2001). Dance Notation Commotion and Order. In Envisioning Information (p. 117
Now widely referred to as Labanotation this system uses a vertical staff to represent the body and has symbols that indicate not only the position but also the direction, duration, and the quality of any movement. described his movement notation system. Initially known asKinetography Laban, the system was then renamedLabanotation in the Un ited States, and has undergone no substantial changes since. Laban's purpose in creating this system was to give artistic dignity back to dance, and to finally fulfil the dream of making dance reproducible and therefore
The high number of systems emphasizes the fact that dance lacks the achievement of European music, where one system of notation has been used since the sixteenth century. Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, notation was used primarily to record the formalized movements of theatrical dance, mainly ballet, and to a certain extent. Choreo-Graphics: A Comparison of Dance Notation Systems from the Fifteenth Century to the Present, by Ann Hutchinson Guest. New York: Gordon and Breach, 1989. xvi + 194 pp., illustrations, photographs, dance notation. $59. - Volume 23 Issue 1
An example of the dance notation system developed by Noa Eshkol and Abraham Wachmann
There are several dance notation systems that are used today around the world: Laban, Benesh, Conté, and other ones that are less known. As far as I know, it is the system developed by Rudolph Laban, known as Labanotation or Kinetography Laban, which has spread the most. The dance notation system that ultimately attained precedence, Beauchamp-Feuillet notation, was commissioned by Louis XIV, apparently intended as another element of cultural achievement to augment the glory of the Sun King's reign.
