Labanotation, also known as Kinetography Laban, is a universal system of movement notation. Developed by Rudolph von Laban, its geometrically shaped symbols describe a movement's direction, level, and timing, while their placement on a vertical staff indicates the part of the body that moves. Prior to the age of computers, dance scores were written by hand.
NotationMan, our mirror-imaged SpacePlaceGuide, was born in LabanWriter and developed in HyperCard where he evolved into a unique, user-friendly teaching tool. Based on 16 stacks comprising ADVENTURES OF NOTATIONMAN, SpacePlaceGuide version 3.0 was developed in MetaCard. NotationMan's new multimedia introduction to Labanotation is available as a Windows or Mac application distributed via download or CD. The software features demonstrations by stick-figure "readers", spatial theories based on Laban Movement Analysis, NotationMan, native color and sound.
To learn about Labanotation scores available for restaging, as well as courses in Laban's system of movement notation, contact the Dance Notation Bureau. Download the LabanWriter Program, developed at the Ohio State University Dance Department, to record your own choreography. (PC users have produced scores using CALABAN digitizing software.) The 2005 conference of the International Council of Kinetography Laban (ICKL) was hosted by The Laban in London. Visit the ICKL site for more information.
While it is best if the choreographer is present to help polish a performance, dance scores have been accurately restaged from the notation without benefit of the choreographers' presence. When registered for copyright by the Library of Congress, dance scores offer choreographers protection from plagiarism. Usually, professional notators are employed to record major dance works but some choreographers have notated their own works. AND AFTER THE JOURNEY and SCHERZOFRENIA, originally published by the Dance Notation Bureau's Educational Dance Score Registry, are available from Danscores. THEMES AND VARIATIONS FROM THE FOOT-HOOK RAG has been republished and is available online at Amazon.com.
