thumb|Rudolf Laban presenting his notation system, circa 1929
thumb|Dance workshop based on Laban's notation system, circa 1929
Labanotation (grammatically correct form "Labannotation" or "Laban notation" is uncommon) is a system for analyzing and recording human movement (notation system), invented by Austro-Hungarian choreographer and dancer Rudolf von Laban (1879–1958, a central figure in European modern dance), who developed his notation on movements in the 1920s.
History
Laban's first book on the subject was published in German in 1928 called Schrifttanz (Written Dance); a similar version in French and English appeared in 1930.
The International Council of Kinetography Laban was created in 1959 to clarify, standardize and eliminate differences between Labanotation and Kinetography Laban. As a result, one or both are currently used throughout the world almost interchangeably, and are readable to practitioners of either system.
Main concepts
Labanotation uses abstract symbols to define the:
- Direction and level of the movement
- Part of the body doing the movement
- Duration of the movement
- Dynamic quality of the movement
Direction and level of the movement
The shapes of the direction symbols indicate nine different directions in space and the shading of the symbol specifies the level of the movement.
Each "direction symbol" indicates the orientation of a line between the proximal and distal points of a body part or a limb. That is, "the direction signs indicate the direction towards which the limbs must incline".
The direction symbols are organized as three levels: high, middle, and low (or deep):
{| style="width: 80%" border="1" class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="8" | Labanotation direction symbols
|- align="center" style="height: 10px;"
| colspan="8" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;" | (Hover mouse over symbols to see their names)
|- align="center"
| rowspan="3" width="100pt" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;"| High Level
| width="50pt" | forward-left-high
| width="50pt" | forward-high
| width="50pt" | forward-right-high
| rowspan="11" width="20pt" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;"|
| width="90pt" | left-forward-high
| width="90pt" | forward-high
| width="90pt" | right-forward-high
|- align="center"
| left-high
| place-high
| right-high
| left-high
| place-high
| right-high
|- align="center"
| backward-left-high
| backward-high
| backward-right-high
| left-back-high
| back-high
| right-back-high
|- align="center" style="height: 10px;"
| colspan="8" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;" |
|- align="center"
| rowspan="3" width="100pt" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;"| Middle Level
| width="50pt" | left-forward-middle
| width="50pt" | forward-middle
| width="50pt" | right-forward-middle
| width="90pt" | left-forward-middle
| width="90pt" | forward-middle
| width="90pt" | right-forward-middle
|- align="center"
| left-middle
| place-middle
| right-middle
| left-middle
| place-middle
| right-middle
|- align="center"
| left-back-middle
| back-middle
| right-back-middle
| left-back-middle
| back-middle
| right-back-middle
|- align="center" style="height: 10px;"
| colspan="8" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;" |
|- align="center"
| rowspan="3" width="100pt" style="border: 0px solid darkgray;"| Low Level
| width="50pt" | forward-left-deep
| width="50pt" | forward-low
| width="50pt" | forward-right-deep
| width="90pt" | left-forward-Low
| width="90pt" | forward-Low
| width="90pt" | right-forward-Low
|- align="center"
| left-deep
| place-low
| right-deep
| left-Low
| place-Low
| right-Low
|- align="center"
| backward-left-deep
| backward-deep
| backward-right-deep
| left-back-Low
| back-Low
| right-back-Low
|}
Part of the body doing the movement
250px|right|thumb|Signs for parts of the body
Labanotation is a record of a factual framework of movement, so that it can be reproduced.
The symbols are placed on a vertical staff, the horizontal dimension of the staff represents the symmetry of the body, and the vertical dimension represents time passing by.
The location of a symbol on the staff defines the body part it represents. The centre line of the staff represents the centre line of the body, symbols on the right represent the right side of the body, symbols on the left, the left side.
Duration of the movement
250px|right|thumb|Simultaneous movement and sequence of motions
The staff is read from bottom to top and the length of a symbol defines the duration of the movement. Drawing on western music notation, Labanotation uses bar lines to mark the measures and double bar lines at the start and end of the movement score. The starting position of the dancer can be given before the double bar lines at the start of the score.
Movement is indicated as "the transition from one point to the next", that is as one "directional destination" to the next.
Spatial distance, spatial relationships, transference of weight, centre of weight, turns, body parts, paths, and floor plans can all be notated by specific symbols. Jumps are indicated by an absence of any symbol in the support column, indicating that no part of the body is touching the floor.
Dynamic quality of the movement
right|thumb|200px|Laban effort graph
The dynamic quality is often indicated through the use of effort signs (see Laban Movement Analysis).
The four effort categories are
- Space: Direct / Indirect
- Weight: Strong / Light
- Time: Sudden / Sustained
- Flow: Bound / Free
Dynamics in Labanotation are also indicated through a set of symbols indicating a rise or lowering of energy resulting from physical or emotional motive, e.g. physically forceful versus an intense emotional state.
Motif notation
Motif description, or the preferred term 'Motif notation', is closely related to Labanotation in its use of the same family of symbols and terminology. Labanotation is used for a literal, detailed description of movement so it can be reproduced as it was created or performed. In contrast, Motif Notation highlights core elements and leitmotifs depicting the overall structure or essential elements of a movement sequence. It can be used to set a structure for dance improvisation or for an educational exploration of movement concepts. Not limited to dance, Motif Notation can be used to direct one's focus when learning to swing a golf club, the primary features of a character in a play, or the intent of a person's movement in a therapy session.
References
Further reading
- Hutchinson-Guest, Ann. (1983). Your Move: A New Approach to the Study of Movement and Dance. New York: Gordon and Breach.
- Hutchinson-Guest, Ann. (1989). Choreo-Graphics; A Comparison of Dance Notation Systems from the Fifteenth Century to the Present. New York: Gordon and Breach.
- Knust, Albrecht. (1948a). The development of the Laban kinetography (part I). Movement. 1 (1): 28–29.
- Knust, Albrecht. (1948b). The development of the Laban kinetography (part II). Movement. 1 (2): 27–28.
- Knust, Albrecht. (1979a). Dictionary of Kinetography Laban (Labanotation); Volume I: Text. Translated by A. Knust, D. Baddeley-Lang, S. Archbutt, and I. Wachtel. Plymouth: MacDonald and Evans.
- Knust, Albrecht. (1979b). Dictionary of Kinetography Laban (Labanotation); Volume II: Examples. Translated by A. Knust, D. Baddeley-Lang, S. Archbutt, and I. Wachtel. Plymouth: MacDonald and Evans.
- Laban, Rudolf (1975). Laban’s Principles of Dance and Movement Notation. 2nd ed. edited and annotated by Roderyk Lange. London: MacDonald and Evans. (First published 1956.)
- Laban, Rudoph. (1928). Schrifttanz. Wein: Universal.
- Preston-Dunlop, V. (1969). Practical Kinetography Laban. London: MacDonald and Evans.
External links
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- Dance Notation Bureau website
- International Council of Kinetography Laban website
- Laban Lab (learn the basics of Labanotation)
- Albrecht Knust's Dictionary (dictionary of Kinetography Laban)