LABANWRITER
Introduction
This is an informational article about LabanWriter, a new age software that documents movement, specifically dance, by utulizing Rudolf Laban's Labanotation.
Explanation of Labanotation and LabanWriter
LabanWriter was created to make writing, editing, and storing pages of Labanotation simpler, easier, and more efficient. Labanotation is a system of symbols used to write movements and actions so they can be remembered and repeated later. It is frequently used for dance notation, Laban Movement Analysis, human movement simulation and synthesis, and robotics. The symbols utilized in this notation indicate floor plans and paths, spatial relationships, spatial distance, weight transference, center of weight, body parts, turns, and jumps. More specifically, the symbols themselves indicate direction, and the shading indicates movement level. Rudolf Laban also created more abstract symbols to represent forms of effort used in movement such as direct and indirect spatial movement, sudden and sustained time, bound and free flow, and strong and light weight. The symbols are written on a vertical staff with the vertical dimension representing time and the horizontal dimension representing body symmetry. The center line represents the vertical midline of the body. The staff is read from bottom to top, and the length of the the symbol represents the duration of the movement. Symbols placed to the right of this line represent the right side of the body, and symbols on the left of the line represent the left side of the body. The overall structure of the dance score reflects that of musical scores. The starting position of the dancer is placed below the vertical staff. The beginning of the score is marked by double bar lines. Time measures are separated by single bar lines, and the score is ended by double bar lines.
History of Labanotation and Rudolf Laban
Rudolf Laban was born in 1879 into a political family of English and French heritage. His inital artistic interest was architecture, but he soon found himself intrigued by human movement. As a result, he moved from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris to Munich. There he studied movement arts under the direction of Heidi Dzinkowska, a seminal dancer and choreographer. At about age 35, he founded the Choreographic Institute in Zurich then established branches in central Europe, Italy and France. In 1928, Labanotation was born when Rudolf Laban published Kinetographie Laban which is a system of notation for movement, specifically dance. His system of notation and choreographic theories had major influence in modern European dance as well as related fields in communication, leadership, and cultural studies.
Origin and creation of LabanWriter
LabanWriter was developed by the Dance Department of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The program was developed to provide an easier way to write, edit, and store Labanotation. The software works with Macintosh computers with system 8.6 or higher, and older versions of the program work with system 6.01 to 8.5. It is continually being updated, new features are being added, and old problems are being fixed.
Description of LabanWriter software
LabanWriter is a fairly new software program that allows dance and other movement forms to be documented and edited on computers. It utilizes the well-established Labanotation developed by Rudolf Laban in the 1920s. Over seven hundred symbols are used in this software, and they indicate direction of the movement, level of the movement, the part of the body doing the movement, and the duration of the movement.
Conclusion
Essentially, this software can revolutionize that ways choreographers and other movement artists document their work. Generally movement is passed down from teacher to student simply physically, by video, or by handwritten Labanotation scores. This software can save movement artists time and ensure he preservation of their work.
Bibliography and Other Resources
*Informational Site on the newest version of Labanwriter from the Ohio State University Dance Department, the creators of the software:
*Introduction and Explanation of Labanotation
*Wikipedia Article on Labanotation
*Instructions on how to work an older version of LabanWriter
*An introduction to Labanotation
*A text describing the evolution of Labanotation from its origins to its development into Labanotation
*Informational Video about Labanotation
Created by Alysha Perrin
