Issue No.

71 April 1993

CONTENTS

1. The Handling of Objects 1

2. Representation of the Objects 1
3. Placement on the Staff 2
4. Contact, Hold; Carry, Carrying Hold 2
5. Directions for Objects 3
6. Pins - When Black, When Tack, When Track? 4
7. Pins for All-Fours Situations 6

1. THE HANDLING OF OBJECTS

1.1 In the last issue of the Labanotator a brief introduction to the handling of props
(properties) was given. As Maria Szentpdl has gone into this material in greater depth
in Chapter XIX of her textbook, it seems appropriate to give here the examples and
explanations she has provided. In presenting her work there will be some repetition,
but it seemed best to keep her progressions intact.

1.2 As an introduction, certain of the terms will be clarified.

'CONTACT' (touch) 'HOLD' (contact with grasp)

'CARRY' (support) 'CARRYING HOLD' (carry with grasp)

1.3 Maria writes: "In this lesson 'objects' refer to those elements which belong to the
clothing of the performer(s), objects which play a decorative or functional part in the
dance. A decorative element may be a skirt, as when the skirt is held; a handkerchief,
as when making waving movements with it, and so on. Functional elements may be
diverse kinds of sticks, bottles, swords, etc."

2. Representation of the Objects

2.1 Objects are represented by stylized drawings; usually their meaning is explained in a
pre-staff indication. Fig. 1-6 represent typical examples: a skirt, a headband with
ribbons, a bottle, a hat, a handkerchief, a pillow.

5.
n 6.
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

3. Placement on the Staff

3.1 In the starting position the object may be drawn below the starting position, as in Figs.
7 and 8; in most cases their placement is the farthest outside the staff on the right or
left, Figs. 9 and 10 (see below).

3.2 In case the object plays a 'role' in the dance (this may be a position as well as
movements), one has to keep one or more columns consistent alongside the staff for the
object. It must be stressed that their columns must be outside all instructions (symbols)
relating to the person.

4. Contact, Hold; Carry, Carrying Hold

4.1 Contacting and holding an object is indicated when the weight of the object is not
carried (supported) by the contacting/holding body part. For example, in holding the
skirt, the skirt is carried (supported) by the body, not by the holding hand; when
contacting the barre, the barre is supported by the wall.

4.2 Carrying or a carrying hold of an object means that its weight is carried (supported) by
the body part indicated. From here on 'carrying' and 'carrying hold' will just be called
'carried'.

4.3 In contacting and holding as well as in carrying an

object, the usual contact bows and rules apply; the bows
connect the body part symbol with that of the object and
are placed adjacent to that part of the stylized drawing of
the object where it is contacted/held. In Fig. 7 the skirt
is held from both sides about the middle of its length.

4.4 Fig. 8 shows holding the ribbons of the wreath (very

typical in Russian folk dances) about the middle of their
length. The ribbons are held by the thumb and index
fingers. Note how this is written: for each finger a part
of the contact bow is shown, these run into one bow
where the 'x' is placed for the hold and then separate
again to the object, thus showing that the two fingers
grasp from opposite sides for the hold.

4.5 In Fig. 9 the belt (girdle) is grasped in such a way that the thumb grasps from the back
and the index finger from the front, at the same time the thumb contacts the right side
of the waistline which indicates the exact location for the grasp.

4.6 The direction of the contact can be shown by the appropriate pin or by the particular
surface or edge of the body part. In Fig. 10 the hand rests on the barre from above; in
Fig. 11 the hat is on the head, (the top of the head carries the hat). Fig. 12 shows
carrying a handkerchief in the hand. In Fig. 13 the pillow is carried by both hands.
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

Q
belt
44.
9.
4.7 Fig. 14 shows carrying a stick: in a) it is grasped
at the center; in b) at its upper section, and in c)
at its lower section.

5. Directions for Objects

5.1 The drawing of the object does not take care of its direction, thus in general its
direction has to be stated. Few objects have a front or back; (Ed.: Some have a natural
up and down, such as a walking stick, the handle of which is usually 'up'. Such built-
in orientation can be helpful and taken into consideration.)

5.2 For objects which have no front, direction for an object is always judged from the front
of the person who contacts/holds the object. In Fig. 15 the pillow is held on both sides
.so that one of its edges points up.

5.3 In Fig. 16 the stick which is held with the arm side low, has its upper end in the
direction right side high.

46.
5.4 Because in Hungarian folk dances sticks play an important part, their handling needs to
be explained in more detail. Stick-like objects are a shepherd-stick, a broom, an axe, a
sword, a swine-herd's stick, etc. For the majority of these objects one can distinguish
the two ends in their stylized drawings and hence determine their direction, i.e. for
which end the notated direction should be understood. As these objects are rigid, the
direction of the other end is self evident. In Fig. 17, for a) the hooked end of the
shepherd's crook is place high. For b) the broom handle is down, thus the brush end is
up. In c) the axe head is left side horizontal, thus the handle is right side middle.
(Ed.: Many notators would probably indicate lib by drawing the broom upside down,
and also the axe horizontal rather than vertical. Care must be taken that such visual
placements are clear and consistent.) The tip of the sword (here it is a Turkish sword)
in d) is place high, but here one has also to show whether its edge or flat side faces
forward, and, if it is the flat side, which of the two sides faces right. In Fig. 17e the
cleaning end of the broom points right side high.
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

5.5 The same directional indications cannot be applied to the swine- A 0 0

Ml
herd stick, an ordinary stick, though one end is often slightly
narrower than the other - a difference not easily indicated in a
stylized drawing. For this reason one end is named 'A' and the
other 'B', Fig. 18. When the direction is indicated the letter is 6
written as a pre-sign for the direction, as in Fig. 19 in which end
A is pointing right side middle. In Fig. 20 the B end is up. ft 20.

6. PINS - WHEN BLACK, WHEN TRACK, WHEN TACK?

6.1 Since the advent of Track Pins, which came into existence because in certain
circumstances the track could not be shown in any other way, people have been
uncertain about which pin to use for which need. Notators such as Maria Szentpal had
successfully and logically used black pins where now track pins would probably be
used. To understand her longstanding usage we need to start from the beginning to see
where usages overlap and where one usage has an advantage over another.

6.2 In 6a the right foot will automatically close at the side of the left foot. This sideward
relationship is specifically stated (i.e. attention drawn to it) in 6b through use of the
black relationship pin. In 6c the step sideward with the right foot will be in line with
the left foot. This sideward relationship can be specifically stated as in 6d. Here the
pin has the same meaning as in 6b, although it is an open step, the side-by-side
relationship still exists. We are familiar with 6e in which the forward step for the right
foot is on the line in front of the left foot. It is important to realize that the black pins
used in these contexts refer to a relationship; their meaning is not one of indicating
tracks even if, in application, a track message emerges.

1•

• •i

6a 6b 6c 6d 6e
6.3 Following this logic, 6f has been used to indicate traveling sideward with the same foot
in front all the time and without the natural gradual moving forward which would result
if the 'behind' pin for the right foot were not there. The right foot starts in the 5th
behind relationship to the left. As each step is taken the foot travels sideward on line
with this same relationship, thus the 'in front', 'behind' relationships are maintained,
illustrated in 6f. Note that in simple DNB notations this lateral path has been taken for
granted and has not always been specifically 'spelled out' with pins.

6.4 Ex. 6g shows the same thing using track pins. Because of awkwardness in drawing
track pins pointing to the side (see 6h and 6i) it was decided not to use sideward or
diagonal track pins for the sideward and diagonal tracks, but to apply the basic forward
pins to these directions. This means that the reader has mentally to 'turn' the stated
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993 5

forward track pins so that they relate to the side tracks. Ex. 6g' shows the lateral tracks
indicated by the track pins of 6g.

)t
6f
X LplVi'i'i VOi'j'a'i lr»

•r.r'-^r.T -fc-1 rv.T.T -U-

• ? • ••••••».*;• • • • . • .* ..'
I/- -i J.*l _•*.•! j^t*i l*i

6f 6g 6g'
6.5 Ex. 6j shows the track pins for the sagittal
(forward, backward) direction for the legs. For
lateral steps the track pins should logically be as 61
in 6k. For practical reasons these pins are
'rotated' 1/4 to be the same as the sagittal pins,
as illustrated in 61. Hence the meaning of 6g' in
which the feet do not step on the center sideward
line but behind or in front of it. In this diagram
the center track is shown with an arrow, the
tracks on either side of it are shaded. If
6.6 In using track pins it must be remembered that
the width of the tracks for the feet depends on
the rotation of the legs: when the feet are parallel the tracks for sagittal steps are
narrower; when turned out they are wider. However this difference does not change the
idea or placement of the tracks.

6.7 When a 'grapevine' pattern is used (alternating crossing front and back), as in 6m, an
overall traveling on a straight path occurs, thus there is no need to write a pin for the
open step.

6.8 A 'tack' (flat pin) indicates a displacement from the indicated position. In 6n the feet
are slightly apart; in 60 the arms are slightly away from the body. Slight diagonal
displacement is shown in 6p, the feet being slightly apart on a diagonal line, while 6q
indicates feet together but the right more forward than the left.

s
/

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}
6m
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

6.9 Ex. 6r shows an ordinary walk, the feet being

placed on the natural track forward of the hips.
The normal sideward tracks are specifically stated
in 6s which shows each foot walking in its own
sagittal track - the normal placement of the feet
for sagittal walking. As this is the usual,
expected way of walking the track pins need not
normally be used.
6r

6.10 In 6t a slightly wide, 'straddle' walk is shown,

the feet being displaced slightly sideward from
their normal track. Placement of a tack within
the step symbol, as in 6u, indicates an
intermediate direction, the feet step 1/3 toward
the diagonal on each step. This will produce a
wider 'straddle' walk than 6t. 6t 6u
6.11 Before we leave simple walking steps the
following comparison may be helpful. Ex. 6v is
the tight-rope walk, each foot being placed in
front of the other, even though there is some
distance between. In 6w the same is written with
track pins, each step being placed on the center
line of the body.

6.12 When backward steps are taken in tightrope 6v 6w

walking, each step is behind the other foot, hence
backward black pins are used, as in 6x. The
same walk is shown with track pins in 6y. Here
the backward sagittal track pin is used. This is
logical, but some feel that the more familiar
center-line track pins of 6z should be used.

7. PINS FOR ALL-FOURS SITUATIONS 6x 6y

7.1 When on 'all fours' (hands and feet, or hands and

knees), as a rule the meanings of track pins and JL
black pins no longer coincide. A simple example
is given here. In the position of 7a the knees are
together and the hands are placed the normal
1| o
shoulder width apart. Note that when supporting 4
1p^ H
on the arms 'place' is under the shoulders. If the
track for the hands were to be added it would be tr 7o'
that of 7a'. Ex. 7b illustrates the position seen 7a 7b
from above, the right limbs are shaded in black,
the circles represent the knees.
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

7.2 Ex. 7c illustrates the seven tracks for the arms,

the five main tracks and the two most used
intermediate tracks: i) the 'shoulder' track (or
'side' track); ii) the intermediate (or 'diagonal')
track; iii) the center track; iv) the track next to
the center line.

7.3 In 7d the hands are either side of the center line,

illustrated in 7e. Hands on the center line with
the left hand in front of the right is shown in 7f,
illustrated in 7g.

Normal placement for-,

the hands in the %
o tracks beneath the shoulders

i o
7d 7e

11
11 11
^

£f
7f

7.4 In 7h the left hand is in its own track and the right hand is in the same track (the left
shoulder track) but in front of the left hand. This is illustrated in 7i. Here can be seen
clearly that the black pin refers to the relationship of the two hands and not to any
track. In more complex situations the need for such distinctions is not unusual and
very necessary. The black pin for 'in front' could be enough as it is understood to refer
to the other hand, 7j. However, the extra information given by the track pin, or by use
of a DBF direction makes for clarity and hence faster reading.

I I
]1
^
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1
7h 7i
 The Labanotator, No. 71, April 1993

Editor: Ann Hutchinson Guest

Associate Editor: Jane Dulieu
Production: Zoe Hill, Jean Johnson Jones

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Discussions in the Labanotator represent the thinking of experienced practitioners on choices in

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