During my recent drive to Grand Rapids, I was talking to Tim and a strange question arose:
How does one transcribe ballet?
In music, you use staff paper and notations for chords, melodies, and dynamics… but how do you write down the choreography for a ballet? These days there are videos and the like, but back in the days of yore… how’d they do it? Is it just a dictation of the action?
Dancer 1: pirouette, jump left, pirouette, stand on toes for 3 counts while moving arms in windmill like air guitar motion.
Or perhaps there is a shorthand?
Dancer 1: P, Jleft, P, toes3 + Airguitar
Or maybe it’s just a story with the moves left up to the dancer’s interpretation? (I would find this weak)
Plot: Janice expertly avoids the laser blasts and then suddenly finds a guitar upon which she proceeds to shred with angst and passion.
Well, I’m happy to report that my research has led me to a fascinating answer. Apparently there exists something called Dance Notation (wikipedia article here.) Wikipedia reports that the primary languages used are Labanotation, a notation method based off of Rudolf Laban’s “Laban movement analysis” and Benesh Movement Notation curiously designed by another Rudolf: Rudolf Benesh.
I’d love to interview someone who can read these notations. Anyone have any contacts that they would be willing to pass over to me?
That is fascinating! I’m on the hunt for a translator.
UPDATE: I am in communication with a dancer.