dance notation - Notation and Computers, Further reading

The recording of dance movement through symbols. More than 100 systems have been created, using letter abbreviations (15th-c), track drawings (18th-c), stick figure and music note systems (19th-c), and abstract symbol systems. Three are in current use; Benesh, Eshkol, and Labanotation. Labanotation is the most widely used system outside the UK; Benesh is used chiefly by the Royal Ballet (London). They are used in dance education, the documentation of choreography, movement behaviour in work and therapy, and anthropology. Recently, systems have been developed to computerize notation.

Dance notation is the symbolic representation of dance movement, it is analogous to Movement notation but can be limited to representing human movement and specific forms of dance such as Tap dance. Various methods have been to used to visually represent dance movements including:

Abstract symbols Figurative representation Track or path mapping Numerical systems Music notation Graphic notation Letter and word notations

The primary use of dance notation is the documentation, analysis and reconstruction of choreography and dance forms or technical exercises. Dance notation systems developed for the description of European dance are often not applicable and not appropriate for the description of dances from other cultures, e.g. 47-48.)

Several notation systems are used only for specific dance forms, for example, Shorthand Dance Notation (dances from Israel), Morris Dance Notation (Morris dance), and Beauchamp-Feuillet notation (Baroque dance).

Notation and Computers

In the field of Dance technology there are four areas of dance notation research and development:

notation editing software for the creation of printed notation scores machine-readable versions of existing dance notation handwritten and / or machine readable dance notation for computer animation and Human use machine specific movement notation such as Motion capture data

Further reading

Cage, J.

Dance notation systems

Laban Lab (learn the basics of Labanotation) The Dance Notation Bureau (Labanotation) International Council of Kinetography Laban Motif Description the Benesh Institute Sutton DanceWriting Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation Action Stroke Dance Notation from web archive Conte Movement Notation (from web archive) Shorthand Dance Notation Morris Dance Notation Dance Graphical Notation System

Dance notation software

LabanWriter - Labanotation editor for Apple Macintosh OS 8.6 + LED - a UNIX and X Window System mini-editor for Labanotation Calaban - AutoCAD Labanotation editor for Microsoft Windows The Benesh Notation Editor - Benesh notation editor for Microsoft Windows Macbenesh - Benesh notation editor for Apple Macintosh (pre-Mac OS X) (from web archive) EW Notator - Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation editor for Microsoft Windows DANCE - Ballroom dance pattern editor for Microsoft Windows

Dance Technology / dance notation applications

DanceForms - dance animation software for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows Expressive Character Animation - Expressive Ballet animation using Benesh Notation LINTER - a UNIX and X windows for LED that generates animation via the NUDES animation system BALLONES - 'Ballet Animation Language Linked Over Nudes Ellipsoid System' a lexical computer interpreter of Classical Ballet terminology Country Dance animation project - Java and XML animation Computer Choreography / Choreology Project - using Labanotation (development on hold) Morris Dance Notation uses the abc musical notation language and related software for UNIX, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and MIDI applications.