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):
Part of the body doing the movement 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 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 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==