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Labanotation:An AlternativeSystem of Analyzing andRecording Movements

by Sal Murgiyanto

The preservation of the tradi-tional performing arts is necessarynot only for the economic develop-ment of a country but also for up-holding its cultural identity. Buthow can the traditional performingarts, such as the dance which usesmovement as its basic medium, beconseryed?

Many believe that keeping tradi-tion alive is one way of preservingthe dance. This is true. However,the dance partakes of the qualityof a living tradition; it is dynamic inthe sense that it undergoes adap-tations as it is handed down by onegeneration to the next. Traditionalarts continually grows and deve-lops. Sometimes, it does not onlygradually change but also vanishesand is forgotten, to be substi-tuted by another tradition.1

The situation is true not only inAsia but also in Europe and theUnited States of America a fewdecades ago:

A paper presented during the SPAFA Technical Work-shop to Work Out a System of Documentation for the Tradi-tional Dance and Dance Drama held in Jakarta Indone-sia, on 18-28 July 1983.

The author is a lecturer at the Jakarta Institute of Arts in Jakarta.

The history of dance is tradition. Thereis virtually no written record or exactknowledge of what dance has been in thepast. . .

In music, we have access throughprinted scores to the accumulated wealthof nearly every period from early coun-terpoint to present day atonality. Inpainting, thousands of galleries andmuseums provide store house for originalworks and good reproductions. Butdance knows its past only from occa-sional sketches, painting and photo-graphs, statically showing one posturefrom a composition that originally con-sisted of hundreds, and from word pic-tures which are appreciative rather thantechnically precise. Each performa dance is a swan song, unrecorded andlost to posterity except in the undepen-dable memory of those who participatedor attended.2

The dance is distinguished fromthe other arts by its transitoryquality as it vanishes by the end ofits performance. Consequentlywithout a proper system of docu-mentation and notation, the pre-servation, reconstruction and thestudy of the dance of the past isalmost impossible. For example, in1975, the court of Yogyakarta triedto reconstruct the sacred BedayaSemang dance which was createdby Sultan Hamengku Buwana II atthe end of the 18th century. Theyhad the music score, but not thedance notation, hence despite threeyears of work, they were unable toreconstruct some parts.3

In recent years, film and videoequipment have often been used asa means to record dance. The advan-

tages of a film or video are obvious,but advocating that through the useof movies, one can dispense withnotation and that it is both easierto record and to reconstruct dancethrough motion picture is "obstruc-tive in the highest degree".4

Sufficient distinction must bemade between the film or video asan instrument and as an art form.As an instrument, these recordingdevices should be in the hands ofstraightforward technical camera-men, not of a cinematogiapher,who will just record the dance.

The majority of dances are pro-duced like an art f i lm: the dancersare seen 'from the front, the sideand above; a dance phrase is editedfor a few feet of picturesquefloating drapery, another for a viewof a shapely calf.

"To call any such film a record is absurd,it cannot even be called a dance, sincedance is a formal entity, or it is nothing".

The camera inevitably recordsperformance rather than the com-position. The situation is clearlycomparable to the"' record of a symphonic work and the printedscore of the same piece. To studyeach individual part, the musiciansneed the written score. To obtainan idea of the finished work andhow it should sound they turn tothe recorded performance. In thesame manner, the movie cannottake the place of the dance score,nor vice versa.6

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Therefore, dance notation — theuse of signs and symbols to repre-sent ideas which are expressed bymovement—is necessary to preservethe tradit ional dance movementand composit ion.

Labanotation and Benesh Notat ion7

During the last five centuries, a good many dance notation systemshave been invented. With fewexceptions, no system has beenused for a suff iciently long t ime orby a good number of people toleave proof of its value in the formof completed dance score.8 Eachsystem of dance notation has its ad-vantages and disadvantages. If it issimple, it wi l l not be able to notatethe details but if it becomes toocomplicated, wri t ing and recon-structing the movements take mucht ime and energy.9

Only two systems of dancenotations have gained populari tyand have been used for a long t ime:Benesh Notat ion and Labanotation.Benesh Notat ion was invented in1956 and was developed in Englandby Rudolph and Joan Benesh. Ithas gained a wor ld reputationbecause of its usefulness and therelative ease w i th which it can beexecuted and read, especially in theballet word.

Benesh Notat ion was first usedby the Royal Ballet. It was thenadopted by another British Com-pany, the Ballet Rambert, and byballet companies of other countries : the Turkish National Ballet, theNational Ballet of Canada, theZurich Opera Ballet, the Ill inoisCivic Ballet, the Wurtenberg StateBallet (Stuttgart), the AustralianBallet, the Royal Danish Ballet andthe National Ballet of the Nether-lands.10

The other universally accepteddance notat ion system is theLabanotation or Kinetography La-ban, invented by Rudolf Laban in1928. Before creating his dancenotat ion, Laban founded a schoolin Munich to develop his theoriesof form of movement in space(choreutics) and of the qualities ofmovement- (eukenetics). It was inhis book Schrifttanz , first pub-

lished in 1928, that he formulatedhis notation system, KinetographyLaban. His analysis of movement,based on spatial, anatomical, anddynamic principles, is flexible andcan be applied to all forms ofmovement.11

Since Laban's original text waspublished, tremendous strides havebeen made in the development ofLabanotation. In 1940, the head-quarters of the Dance NotationBureau Inc. was founded in NewYork. It was dedicated to fur-thering the art of dance through theuse of the Labanotation system.Other branches in Ohio, Philadel-phia, London and Israel were soonopened. A Kinetographische Insti-tute was then founded in Germany;the Labe" Art of Movement Centre

wi l l

Dance notation is necessary

to preserve the tradition dance-

movement and composition.

as well Language of Dance, inEngland. In 1959, an internationalcouncil of Kinetography Laban washeld.

in cooperation w i th similar cen-ters in other countries, the DanceNotat ion Bureau in New Yorkworks for un i formi ty in the usageand practice of the system. AnnHutchison, an expert in Labanota-t ion f rom the Bureau, succesfullyrevised and expanded this system inher book Labanotation or Kine-tography Laban (the new edi t ion,1970). Last year the Koln OperaBallet managed to reconstruct thechoreography of Kurt Jooss' The Green Table f rom the dance scorenotated in Labanotation in 1938.

The compet i t ion between thesetwo systems of notat ion is stil lgoing on today. While the Beneshsystem has made its great gains inballet, Labanotation has developed

closer tie* wi th the modern dance.It is taught and used in many ofthe American and European institu-tions of higher learning wheredance is a major field Proponentsof Benesh Notation maintain thattheir system is relatively easy, com-plete and accurate. The Labanota-t ion practitioners, on the otherhand, argue that a system that em-phasizes speed must, by def in i t ion,lose accuracy and that the formerassumes that the reader has a thorough knowledge of ballex Tech-niques.13

Why Labanotation?

To f ind the right system of nota-t ion to be used for Indonesiandances, the Directorate of Arts ofthe Ministry of Education andCulture sponsored a National Semi-nar cn Dance Notation in 1978.The seminar participants askedwhether they ought to developtheir own system of notation or touse a universal dance notation suit-able to all styles of dancing andtypes of movement.

They agreed that it would notbe di f f icul t to invent a system ofmovement notat ion, but to createone which can eff iciently be usedas the alphabet and music notat ionis a different matter. Three fundamental problems should first beconsidered, they stated: how torecord complicated movement accu-rately, how to record it in econo-mical and legible fo rm, and how tokeep up w i th the continual inno-vations in movement.

After a thorough discussion, theseminar participants recommendedthat a universal notation system beused. This way, a dance score wr i t -ten in Jakarta can be read by a student not only in Bali or IrianJaya but also in Bangkok and Mani-la. The participants agreed to adoptthe Labanotation system for thefol lowing reasons:16

1 . There is no need to invent a sys-tem of notat ion as this wi l l takea long process and serious study.Moreover, a universally usedsystem can facil itate the spreadof the Indonesian dances outsidethe country.

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2. Labanotation is comparable towriting longhand. Simple as wellas complicated movements suchas those of the Javanese andBalinese dance can be notatedusing this system. On the otherhand, Benesh Notation is compar-able to writing short-hand. It issimpler than Labanotation bothin its symbols and its staves, butit cannot be used to notate Indo-nesia's complicated dance move-ments.

3. The difficulties encountered inpractising Labanotation are com-parable with those undergone inusing the Latin alphabet. As withany kind of reading and writingstudies, practice is required toattain fluency. Just as a firstattempt at reading words resultsin disconnected syllables, so thefirst steps in reading dance nota-tion are equally mechanical andunrelated to real movement. Thedisjointed steps and gestures ofbeginners are soon translatedinto flowing patterns, correcxlyphrased, when the relationshipbetween the symbols oh paperand the movement they repre-sent becomes automatically un-derstood.

4. Labanotation is an abstraction ofidea of movement which is ex-pressed in pictorial and direct-ional signs and symbols, so read-ing it needs interpretation.

5. Some difficulties will be encoun-tered in using any kind of dancenotation, since dance is a complexactivity. It exists in space as wellas in time and the body, its basicinstrument, is capable of somany simultaneous modes ofaction.

The seminar participants also ac-cepted the suggestion of Dr. Soe-darsono to use f i lm, alongside withLabanotation, in recording thedance. He also recommended that,for certain dances, uniform-keys ofmovement notation must be agreedupon.

The education of the dance nota-tor or kinetographer then must alsobe started soon, they said. A dancenotator who is an expert in bothwriting and reading the dance

score must have the experience ofa dancer. In the future along withdancers and choreographers, a dance notator will become a respected professional in the fieldof dance, the participants claimed.

At present, Labanotation istaught to the students of higherdance schools such as the Indone-sian Dance Academy (ASTI) inYogyakarta, Denpasar, Bandungand the Dance Department of theJakarta Institute of Arts.

Fundamentals of Labanotation

Labanotation offers two im-portant features. First, the use ofvertical staff to represent the bodyallows continuity as well as correctrepresentation of the right and leftsides of the body. Second, the useof elongated movement indicatesthe exact duration of any action.

Some basic principles of Labano-tation are:1. Signs and symbols which are

used represent the direction andlevel of the part of the bodybeing moved.

2. Movement notations emphasizethe direction or the destinationof the movement: forward, back-ward, left, right, diagonal for-ward left, diagonal forward right,upper, middle, lower, rotate tothe left, rotate to the right etc.

3. The human body is dividedinto two parts: left and right;each side is divided further intothe limbs and other parts of thebody: head, shoulders, arms,hands, fingers, upper torso, hips,upper legs, lower legs, foot etc.

4. Labanotation is written and readfrom the dancer's (stage's) side.

5. Labanotation is written and readfrom the bottom of the page up,if the book is held horizontally,in the forward direction, andcontinued to the right side.

The Action StrokeA vertical stroke, called "action

stroke", represents the occurenceof a movement of some kind. Itsinterpretation depends upon theperformer. If the writer wishes tobe more specific he must add thenecessary details.

A double horizontal line — indicates the start, the beginningof a movement, and also the endof a movement or a dance.

A single horizontal lineindicates the beginning or the endof a movement phrase.

When two aciton strokes arewritten one after the other on thepage, they occur one after the otherin time. When they are written sideby side, they occur at the sametime. (Fig 1)

The Center LineAn action may occur on either

side of the body. To show this, wedraw a vertical line to representthe vertical center line in the bodyand place action strokes on eitherside of this center line. The verti-cal center line is centered on andconnected to the double startingline.(Fig 2)

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This vertical center line formsthe basis of the vertical three-linestaff on which structured descrip-tion is written.

The Staff and Columns

Fig 3

Labanotation uses vertical three-line staff. This staff represents thebody, the centre line being thecentre of the body which is dividedinto the right and the left. Verticalcolumns on each side of the centreline are used to indicate theposition of the main ports of thebody. The movements of the legsand feet are written within thethree-line staff while the move-ments of the torso, arms, andhead are written outside. Within thestaff there exist four major verticalcolumns (two on either side ofthe centre line because of theimaginary lines in between thecentre line and the two lines ateach side). In and outside the three-line staff imaginary vertical lines,parallel to the main staff lines, pro-vide additional vertical columns asneeded. Placing the movement in-dication in one of the verticalcolumns of the staff, shows theaction of one of the main partsof the body .(Fig 3 )

The Head Column.The head column is written on

the right side, slightly apart fromthe center. Where complex handmovements require additionalcolumns, the head is placed fartherout. The specific sign for the headis always used to identify thecolumn.

First Column : SupportsDirection symbols placed in

these columns indicate progressionsof the whole body. The weight ofthe body normally rests on the feet,but it can also be supported by theknees, hips, hands, and even thehead. In such cases, a sign for thespecific active part of the body isplaced in one or the other of thesupport columns.

Second Column: Leg gesturesThe term"gesture" is used for

the movement of a limb whichdoes not carry weighi. A directionsymbol here descrihes a gesture ofthe whole leg moving in one piece.These columns are also used for theindividual part of the leg: thigh,lower leg and foot as indicated byspecific signs for those parts.Third Column: Body

Direction symbols placed in thethird column without a specificpre-sign describe movement of the"upper part of the body," thatis, superior spinal movements used

freely as an accompaniment toarm gestures. Movements of thewhole torso, the chest, pelvis,shoulder girdle, etc. are writtenwith the specific sign for thoseparts.

Fourth Column: ArmsA direction symbol in this

column describes a gesture of thewhole arm moving in one piece.The column is also used for indivi-dual parts of the arm, the upperlower arm, as indicated by specificsigns for those parts.

Columns beyond the fourthBeyond the fourth column the

pre-sign for a specific part must begiven. The fifth column may beused for the lower arm, but morefrequently it is used for the hand.When complex hand gestures occurrequiring a description for fingersand palm facing as well as for thehand itself, additional space outsidothe staff is used, and the appropriatepre-signs are given.

Additional ColumnSupplementary columns can be

added as needed. These are placedoutside the staff, as in the case ofcolumns which indicate the hand-ling of props, or within the staff ifmore room is needed for leg andbody movements(Fig 4 )

Fig 4

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Direction Symbols

The directions in space emanatefrom a central point-the spatial"center." This point is called ' "place" and is represented by a

rectangle. Directions arefrom this point.(Fig 5.)

Symbols for directions are modi-fications of the shape of this basicsign, and shapes are pictorial inpointing to the direction theydescribe. (Fig 6.)

judged The Three Levels

The Eight Main Directions

The level of movement - upward,downward, or horizontal-is indicat-ed by the shading of a symbol. A movement into any direction canbe horizontal, low, or high. Straightup is "high" (place high). Straightdown is " low" (place low). Downmoves toward gravity, with thegravitational force; up, away fromit. The horizontal plane lines atright angles to both. (Fig 7and Fig 8)

Fig 7 a. High (straight up)

b. Middle (at center, place)

c. Low straight down)

d. Forward high (slanting up)

e. Forward middle (horizontal)

f. Forward low (slanting down)

g. Left forward high

Left forward middle

i. Left forward low

j . Right high (slanting up)

k. Right middle (horizontal)

I. Right low (slanting down)

The Twenty-Seven Principal Directions

Timing

The center line of the staff isalso the time line. When read fromthe bottom up, it indicates visuallythe flow of time. Movement indi-cations placed side by side occur atthe same time and may be compar-ed to the notes of a musical chord.Indications placed one after the

.other occur sequentially. The sign" o " means hold.

Fig 9

The longed'the action stroke orthe movement symbol, the longerit takes to complete the givenaction, i.e. the slower the move-ment. The shorter the stroke or themovement symbol, the sooner it iscompleted, i.e. the faster the move-ments/7/^ 9)

The metered (measured)time, therecurrence of a regular basic beat(pulse) and the grouping of suchbeats into measures (bars) as inmusic are indicated by the smallticks placed at regular interval inthe centre time line. Each tickmarks the beginning of a newbeat. The space between theticks represents the duration of thebeat. Because the amount of timeoccupied by each beat is regular,the distance allowed for each onpaper must a'so be regular. A basicunit is taken for each beat. (Fig 10)

2

1

2

/

2

/

24 I

.?

2

1

4

3

2

4~4

3

2

1

3

II

2

1

5

4

3

2

154

1I2

1

5

4

3

2

154

2

1

5

4

3

2

154

2

1

5

4

3

2

154

Fig 10

The Body Signs

In writing simple movements a simple staff is used, but to writecomplicated movement, one mustuse the expanded staff with someadditional columns. In this casepre-signs are needed to representspecific parts of the body.

Some examples of the bodysigns are shown in Fig 11.

in

Body Areas

o•

Whole torso

oChest (rib cage)

•Pelvis

XWaist

Parts of Head

A

I

Head

tFace

tEyes

\~/

tMouth

Nose

Kinds of Steps

When the weight is on one foot,the other is free, just clear of theground, as in ordinary walking. Theweight should be transferred com-pletely from one foot to the other.In middle and high levels, the kneesare not stiff: the natural pliancy instepping is understood.

Forward and Backward steps

A direction symbol in the sup-port column indicates that thecenter of gravity of the body hasmoved away from its previous stan-cing position (stance) into the stat-ed direction by means of a step onwhich the weight of the whole bodyis transferred until it is verticallyabove the new point of support.(Fig I2a,b,c,d,) Step in any direction should be a normal-sized step, that is, theusual stride of the performer.Longer and shorter steps use speci-fic symbols. All directions relateto the front of the performer, thatis, to the side or corner of the roomwhich the performer is facing. (Fig 13a,b,c,d)

a. Slow stepIn a slow step, the transferenceof weight must be spread through-out the time allowed forthe step,in this case three counts. Toooften it is performed too quicklyand then a pause ensues. A longstep symbol indicates a sus-tained and continuous action intransferring the weight (Fig 14 a).

b. Quick StepsIn quick step, the action of con-tacting the floor with the footand transferring the weight tothe new support occurs almostsimultaneously (Fig 14 b).

c. Legato StepsLegato means "tied together;"legato movements follow oneanother smoothly without break(Fig 14 c).

d. e.f. Staccato StepsStaccato means "separated", a break between movements, asshown in the following figures(Fig 14d,e,f).

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A part of "sembahan" Gatutkacha Gandrung (Javanese Dance) notation by Sal Murgiyanto.

1. Soedarsono, "Notasi Laban:Satu Kemungkinan Notasi TariBagi I ndonesia" (Labanotation:An Alternative of Dance Nota-tion for Indonesia), a workingpaper submitted to the Nation-al Seminar on Dance Notationheld by the Directorate of Arts,Bandung, 22-26 February1978, p.2.

2. Alwin Nikolais,"A New Met-hod of Dance Notation in"77?eDance Experience, edited byMyron Howard Nadel andConstance Gwen Nadel (NewYork: Praeger Publisher, 1970),p. 145.

3. Soedarsono, op. cit., p.24.

4. John Martin, 'Danceon Film,"in The Dance Has Many Faces, edited by Walter Sorell (NewYork: Columbia UniversityPress, 1966), p.168.

5. Ibid., p. 165-66.

6. Ann Hutchinson, "The Preser-vation of the Dance Scorethrough Notation, in "The Dance Has Many Faces, p. 159.

7. Based on the pagSjraiSjS byDr. Soedarsono "Norasi Laban:Satu Kemungkinan Notasi TariBagi Indonesia" during theNational Seminar on DanceNotation.

8. Ann Hutchinson, "The Preser-vation of the Dance Scorethrough Notation,"p. 151.

9. Soedarsono, op. cit., p. 1.

10. Fernau Hall , op. cit, p. 141.

11. Ann Hutchinson, Labanota-tion, p.3.

12. Myron Howard Nadel andConstance Gwen Nadel, "TheAnalysis and Preservation ofMovement: Benesh Notation",editors' preface to Fernau Hall,"Benesh Notation and Choreo-logy"in The Dance Experience, p. 135.

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