The CabdHOtator

Issue No. 26 L.O.D.C. January, 197JR

Dear Reader*

The Labanotator was started in 1957 when the old Dance Notation Record,
which used to feature discussions of notation matters, became a magazine with im-
portant topical articles, Tht notation discussion continued, but in a separate
pamphlet. Publication of the Labanotator continued until 1965 when work was fo-
cussed on preparation of the revised and expanded Labanotation textbook, published
in 1970.
Now a new, younger generation have discovered copies of the old Labanotator
in the various libraries and are requesting that it be revived. Not only are they
finding many of the old topics of discussion interesting, but many current ques-
tions need open discussion. With the wider spread in the use of Labanotation
around the world, it is more important than ever that we share questions, ideas
and experiences—we have much to learn from each other!
This revival of the Labanotator, picking up numerically where it left off
(despite 13 years of silence), is to be the voice of ALL OF ?OU, in spite of the
fact that our London contingent will assume the responsibility of getting the is-
sues out: So please do write in your ideas, your requests for materials to be
discussed, and, better yet, do contribute topics for a whole issue. This should
be YOUR magazine, your outlet to voice your ideas, needs, opinions.
There is still much room for growth, there are many small usages which have
not made their way into any textbook, and also many points that can use greater
clarification.
We are looking forward to hearing from you'.

Ann Hutchinson, Editor

Lisa Lower, Assistant Editor

— IN THIS ISSUE—
Does |J Exist? 2 Hold or Carry Your Skirt? 5
Relationship Pins 3 Change of Level While Swivelling 5
What Do These Mean? 3 See Floor Plan 6
Starting Position Gaposis? 4 Slanting Support Lines 6
Verb or Adjective? 4 Intermediate Directions 7
Helpful Bits 4 Starting Position Off-Stage 8
Aerial Turns 5 Answers to Quiz 8
(2) The Ldbanotator, Issue No, 263 1978

DOES EXIST?
We all agree that f l means the tip of the fingers (thumb excluded) but what
does l^ meari? Yes, the base of the hand, the other extremity, but, alas, unless
the hand is cut off, the base is attached to the lower arm, so it can't literally
mean that part of the hand. However, the sign is in use in a way comparable
with | or | , the generalization of the wrist. We usually meet LJ in con-
necting with part leading and find that it gives no more specific information
than | or | leading. What advantage does V have, then? Just that it is
easier (usually) to draw? One still has to specify which surface, for it could
be !«l or y , though we can guess that usually the latter is intended.
Difference between 111 and ty
What is the difference between tl and
Do we all agree that Id is the pad of the "heel" of
the hand?. This is used most frequently for touching,
for weight bearing (usually partial rather than f u l l ) ,
for leading. Ifl Is in fact the inside of the wrist,
a more compact.sign than Efc Leading with ty gives
a greater stress on the wrist and causes the hand to
flex backward to a greater degree.
Palm Facing — Arm Rotation
In many instances indication of palm facing alone
does not suffice, an additional indication needs to
be given, be it placement of the hand, or degree of
rotation. Ex. 1 a) is incomplete if exactness is
required, the hand might be up, as in b) or sideward,
or anywhere inbetween, depending on the arm rotation. b)
If we say that the standard rotational state of
the arm in Ex. 1 c) is with the palm facing left, then
the rotational state of d) will mean palm facing
down, and e) will result in the palm facing right.
But with the arm in these situations and the wrist R Fl
flexed, the palm will face other directions. In d)
general notators have avoided writing rotation of
the arm since the final destination is less secure,
we have not been drilled in notation, in dance or in
other disciplines to know at once what fc. for the
right or left arm will mean in spatial ^ destina- r Fl
tional terms when the arm is in different situations e)
around the body, i.e. up, side, back, diagonal, etc.
etc. Knust always preferred to state palm facing and avoided statements of arm
rotation as much as possible. Then came the day when we became aware that not
every arm rotation had the intention of producing a particular facing direction
for the palm, and we became more selective in using rotations when that was the
movement idea, and palm facing when that was indeed the expression and intention
of the action.
Wrist Facing
We have not used the description of wrist facing.
What are the possibilities? Are there any advantages?
Wrist facing is the same as palm facing when the hand is
in line with the lower arm. When the wrist flexes, for-
ward or backward, the palm faces into a different direc-
tion. As Ex. b) illustrates, we need an additional
piece of information to get the full picture of the re-
quired end result. In Ex. b) the direction for the hand
is stated. In f) the thumb facing indication produces
the same result. (Do people think in thumb-facing terms
 The Ldbanotator, Issue No, 26 _, 197S (3)

Wrist Facing (continued)

when making such a gesture?) The statement of wrist facing, as in g) has the
advantage that it gives the placement, the facing concept which would be appli-
cable were there no wrist flexion, and then adds the palm facing which is the
chief expressional factor. Note that in moving to that destination from else-
where it is probable that the performer will be conscious of moving the wrist to
face downward as part of the total picture, even though the palm facing may be
the strongest, most important part of the action. In watching Asian dance at
the ADG/CORD Conference in Hawaii I was very aware of the stress of the facing
direction for the lower arm. It is often felt as the lower arm, though in fact
it may only be the wrist (this will depend on the elbow rotation).

RELATIONSHIP PINS - PLACEMENT

Pins, pins'. So useful, but tricky
little crittersl Where should they be
placed? Let us just check out one ex- JL,'
ample for the moment. What is the dif-
ference between Ex. 2 a ) , b) and c)?
Ex. a) shows the left hand to be near a) b)
the top of the chair, and the pin states
the relationship, the hand is to be in J.--^^ ,. ^1
front of the chair. Note that this "in /• *"\" %
front" is from the performer's point of £ _/ | j-(
view. (If you ever get confused, re- .
member what Knust used to teach: "The c' d)
pin indicates from where you come in re-
lating to an object, etc." In the case Ju ^ ., ^
of —o— you come from above; for \— (^ ^\^ ^
you come from the right, and so on.) In ^ ri "| r(
b) the pin is placed after the hand sign e) f \d so indicates a sm
the hand, (note the difference between a
pin next to a hand sign, or any part,
and a pin written after a sign for a body part, the latter is movement, not re-
lationship. In the case of Ex. b) it is a slight movement forward middle.
In c) the pin is placed within the bow for near, so there is no question that
it refers to the relationship. c) is, in fact, the same as a ) . Depending on
what else is written near by, a) or c) might be the preferred version to make
the message quite clear. It is wrong to place the pin closer to the object,
since the hand is the active part (unless, of course, there is a poltergeist
moving the chair to the h a n d l l ) . There is always the possibility of swinging
the bow outward so that there is room for the pin closer to the active hand, as
in e) and f ) . Knust used this method often, and though more space consuming,
it is very clear.

WHAT DO THESE MEAN?

Time for a quiz'. Just a small one. What do these signs mean at the start
of a score? (Answers on the back page.)

T
M

1
c) d)
(4) The Ldbanotator, Issue No. 26, 1978

STARTING POSITION GAPOSIS?

Since nowadays it is fashionable to be sloppily
dressed, talking about "gaposis" is probably very
out of date'. Open seams and missing buttons on
dresses may not matter as it once did. However, ffl
ei
the term came to mind in connection with the pre- o
ference some people have of leaving a space after
a starting position before the start of action, as
illustrated in Ex. 4 a). Ex. b) shows the same
thing without the gap. Do you find a) easier to a)
read? What arguments would you put forward in its favor?
That it provides visually the full beat of which the up-
beat step uses only a half? This, I believe, is often
the reason. Is b) equally clear as to the time value of
this preparatory step? If a) is desirable, then we come
to the question as to where the double horizontal line
for start of action comes, as in a) or before the hold
sign, as in c)? Is holding the start of action? Arti-
stically, yes. Theoretically, no I

VERB OR ADJECTIVE?
Long years ago Labanotators were given the choice
of using signs which in themselves are verbs, as ad-
jectives. Ex. 5 a) states that the hand spreads.
In b) the statement is changed to: "the spread hand", \__y
following which was the indication of what the spread b
hand did. And all subsequent, careted indications a) S
for that pre-sign would have been for the "spread hand".
It had the advantage of telling the reader that this
state of a part of the body was to be maintained for a
while. N
Knust never adopted such an idea, and gradually the b) ^, c) >Jj/
idea fell into disuse, though it still may be found in
some old scores. We are not advocating its adoption
now, but merely discussing it so that you will recognize it as intentional and
not a mistake in old scores, and also give you something to think about when ri-
ding the subway and planning a Christmas card all written in Labanotation des-
cription'.

HELPFUL BITS
Where can we simplify? Say less •
and make it easier to read? Here's •*
one place. In this score B & C are
to do the same as the group AGHK.
This is clearly stated in Ex. 6 a).
But as A,G,H, and K are all alike, it
is enough to instruct B and C to be
the same as A. This simplifies both a) AGHK BC
writing and reading and "lightens"
the score,
 The Labanotator-j Issue No. 26, 1978 (5)

AERIAL TURNS - VISUAL IMPACT OR LOGIC?

Does Ex. 7 a) look as though something is miss-
ing? Is your pencil itching to put in an air
line for the right leg gesture next to the turn
sign? I think that a lot of us would do so au-
tomatically as a matter of habit, though, if you
follow the logic, it is not needed since the leg
is already in the air. But the eye misses hav-
ing some indication, an air line or a leg ges-
ture next to the turn sign, as in b) and c). a) b)
What about d)? As there is no weight on the
right leg, it is gesturing (though nowhere in
particular), there should be no need to write in
an air line, if we follow the logic of a). How
many of us really are able to follow the move-
ment logic through a sequence of movement, and
how many find their eye jumps to key points, to
clusters, or destinations, and so we read by
glossing over bits inbetween? After a l l , we
are taught that this is the way to read language,
so it is an expected habit! c)

HOLD OR CARRY YOUR SKIRT?

In national dances (or any other) when
the skirt is to be "held", what sign do
you use? Ex. 8 a) or b)? When you
hold one side of the skirt, are you sup-
porting it? Is b) more correct? The a)
local consensus is that the girl's waist
is supporting the skirt, that is what
prevents the skirt from f a l l i n g to the
floor. The hand can grasp the edge of
the skirt without carrying it, as in the
illustration of c). If the grasp is
held and the arm raised, the skirt will
l i f t with the arm, as a result—Ex. d).
Does this mean that the type of contact
relationship would change as the arm
lifts?
Can we go by the words we would use?
In Ex. e) you are carrying a skirt. The
intention and actuality of this action is
different from grasping (holding) one
part of the skirt, as in a).

CHANGE OF LEVEL WHILE SWIVELLING

Any problem with Ex. 9a)? Does it show clearly
that for a short time the turning is with both legs
bent, then the right leg straightens? It is not
necessary to state the final position reached, but
it certainly helps the reader, particularly in veri-
fying his interpretation.
(6) The Laba.notato?,, Issue No. 26, 1978

"SEE FLOOR PLAN"

All written wording in Labanotation
scores slows up the reading process
and may limit its international value. A
From practical necessity we began to
include the instructions "See floor
plans" when it was too complex and al-
so undesirable to spell out for each
dancer the exact path, a path which c
CO
was carefully shown on the floor plans,
and from which the message was quite
u u LJ
clear. In the old days, following o
o
Knust's meticulous example, we used to
work out the slight turns, degrees of OJ
circling, etc. for each dancer so that O)
oo
it would work out right in getting
them on the correct path into their
new places. Experience has taught us
i) FHMPQ b)
that this is usually not important in
a ballet, and that another set of dan-
cers may find slightly different ways U
of getting into place. Precious time
is wasted both on the analysis needed
to figure out the maneuver for each
dancer as well as to put it all toge-
ther again later. Thus the "See U
floor plans" came to be adopted.
Then someone (no one has yet step-
ped forward to take credit, to my c)
knowledge) came out with Ex. b) which
we have latched onto as a splendid idea. The indication can be seen at a glance,
the head does not have to turn to read words. The nature of the path—straight,
curved, any, etc.—can be indicated, and it can be shown that the paths are shown
in the floor plan, (Ex. b) or that the destination is shown, as in c), or even
both, as in d). We would like to see this officially adopted. It is great!

SLANTING SUPPORT LINES

Here's a quickie. How the carrying
weight bow is drawn can give the mess-
age much more rapidly. We Labancta-
tors have tended to stick to Ex. 11 a),
the standard form of that "bow". But
in fact b) is much better for writing
supporting on the floor, and c) for an
object being carried, though this one
is perhaps less important a difference.
What, you will say, about timing?
We say that the ends of the bow give
the moment in time where that relation-
ship takes effect, in a) both ends of
the "bow" show the same moment, the
same "time dot", as our colleague, Maria
Szentpal would say. How do we under-
stand timing in b) and c)? By the end
of the sign next to the active part.
And if you ever need to show which is q
the active part, remember you thicken
that side, as in d). e). f) and q).
 The Labanotator., Issue No. 26,, 19?8 (7)

INTERMEDIATE DIRECTIONS
Sequence in Stating 1/2 way Directions
When writing halfway points, the order in which
the two symbols are placed should follow the logic
of the movement. For example, the sequence given
in Ex. 12a) provides a more direct message and hence
is more logical than b). Because b is closer to the
previous point, 0 , one moves through ^ on the way
to [) . In b) the reader's eye jumps to [•> , and then
has to back-track to the half way point. b)

Practicality of 1/3 Way Directions

Whenever possible it is advantageous to use third-way points for two reasons.
First, only one direction symbol need be written, thus entailing both less notating
and easier reading. Secondly, the writer can put down the main direction which im-
mediately springs to mind, adding the modification (the pin inside) later. If black
symbols are filled in only lightly at the initial writing, it is easy subsequently
to make the pin placed inside dark enough to be easily legible. If it is essential
that exactly the half-way point be stated, then it must be so written. However, in
many cases the difference between 1/3 way and 1/2 way is too little to matter.
T h e half- A I A I I m a y equally /
way point well be des- W or:
of: cribed as:

I?
e) I
Choice in Shading 1/3 Way Signs

How does one leave room inside the direction sign for the pin? For middle level
signs there is no problem, the pin replaces the dot. For high and low signs a couple
of devices have been tried and are considered
acceptable. For high signs some people feel
that drawing lines within the symbol, as in g)
might make it appear to be two separate sym-
bols. Therefore h) or i) is preferable. As
much room as possible should be left for the g)
pin, without detracting from the impact of
the basic symbol. Ex. 1) has too much white space, m) is better.
Placement of Pin Inside Direction Symbol
Is the pin allowed to stick out of the
direction symbol? Y e s , as with turn signs,
the pin often does protrude slightly with-
out interfering with other neighboring indications. n) o)

X or* M Used with Half-Way Point

Because the tow direction signs are considered to be one unit,

when preceded by a modifier such as X , H , V , etc. the modifier
need only be written once. Therefore Ex. p) can be simplified to
q), there is no need to repeat the pre-sign. b
X
b
p) q)
(8) The Labanotator, Issue No. 26, 1978

STARTING POSITION OFF-STAGE

Do you write a starting position for a performer about to make an entrance?
That is, do you show the position taken while waiting in the wings? If so, then
when are off-stage starting positions to be written and what position do you
choose?
I must confess that this was a new idea for me which I have met only recently
in DNB scores. In my experience an off-stage starting position was needed when,
let us say, a girl is to be carried on in a lift and the position had to be ta-
ken before entering. Or any specific body position or carrying of a prop which
had to be established before entering. But the
idea of Ex. 13a) was new to me. As a performer
about to enter with an ordinary walk or run, I
would want to feel free to organize myself in my
own way to get into the feel and character of
the walk or run. There are several ways that
this might be done, but would you agree that this
should be left up to the individual performer?
i!
In one of her Raympnda Variations Rochelle Zide
gave a starting position off stage because she
felt that the placement of the limbs, the pose,
helped to establish the style and mood of the E-
entrance step. Ex. b). That seemed a logical
reason, and I am sure you would agree with such a) b)
a decision. But should there be an automatic
requirement that every entrance, regardless of
style of movement, must have an off-stage starting position?

ANSWERS (What Do These Mean?, page 3): a) All steps are to be long, b) Con-
stant circling anticlockwise throughout the piece, o) Begin near one
of the walls of the room, d) Circling clochoise or anticlockwise oc-
curs only for sideward steps (i.e. when you are facing the focal point,
the center of the circle).

—THE LABANOTATOR—

EDITORIAL: Ann Hutchinson, Lisa Lawer PRODUCTION: Renee Caplan, Nancy Earlock

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