Issue No.

74 January 1994

CONTENTS

1. The Practice of Specific Timing 1 3. Motif: Centre of Weight 4

2. Forms of Relating - A Generic Sign 4 4. A Menu of Movements 7

1. THE PRACTICE OF SPECIFIC TIMING

1.1 For those who know the movement and how it should be performed, details do not have to be spelled
out; a general description will suffice. But some of these general descriptions do not state the basic
truth regarding timing. How aware are we of this as we go ahead writing our scores? In writing
English, sloppy grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. do not normally matter, we get the message. We
may know we are being careless, we may know the correct way but do not want to bother; our reader
is on our wavelength, they are 'clued in', so what does it matter? Not so easy for a foreigner, for them
we have to be more careful. And as for important documents for the future? One may not need to get
so totally specific as in legal documents, but the performance details should, indeed must, be clear.

1.2 The following examples are ones that I have met in Labanotation scores; some are drawn from my
own experience, others have come up at ICKL discussions or in preparation for advanced text
materials. It is not that we must always be 'letter perfect' in indicating timing, but we should be aware
of how the true timing for that movement should be indicated.

1.3 Oppositional Arms in Walking; Indication of Arrival

Ex. la shows the usual way of writing arms in opposition during an ordinary walk. In fact it should
be written as Ib if we are concerned with exactly how the arms and leg coordinate. The arm gestures
arrive at their destination at the moment the foot contacts the ground, as indicated by the arrows in Ic.
There is a fleeting pause before the arms change to swing the other way. The arm gesture symbols
should not follow one another without any break; this would be as though on arrival they immediately
reversed as though pushed back by an unseen force. A moment of 'linger' is natural. In a simple
reversal movement pattern it is quite difficult to eliminate the slight breath pause after the arms arrive.

1a !
•
r 1d

1.4 If instead of a walk there is a march with knees lifted, the arm coordination is quite different, Id.
While the step is on the right foot, it is the right arm which swings forward as the left knee is raised.
This right arm/left knee coordination gives the opposition to the movement. Here the arms are in
transit as the foot contacts the floor to take the next step, so the timing of Id is correct.
 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

1.5 In circular movements it may be rare that there is a break between the directional points through which
the limbs (usually the arms) pass, but in many movements which are destinational in type and often a
simple reversal in kind, as in la, there should be enough of a pause to
establish the destination - as we saw already in Exs. la and Ib.

1.6 In le unit timing is used. We know that the heel should touch the floor
on count 1; presumably the torso should arrive at the same moment to
make a more unified statement. But the impression of le is of a blurred
"W-on-e". The performance desired is more definite. Not only does the
notation of If indicate the true timing for the first movement, it also
indicates the slight pause before the start of the next movement which
concludes on count 2. If we are educated only to unit timing, the
spelling of If may seem very foreign even though it represents what we
are actually performing.

1.7 A Slow Closing Step in Place

The closing into 1st position on count 2 in Ex. le brings up the question of
indication of arrival for slow steps in place. In Ig the speed decrees that for the
step forward and the step in place the foot contacts the floor at the start of the
support symbol (indicated by the arrow) and the rest of the sign indicates the
time available to complete the transference of weight; in this case, rather little. 19.

H-

Z,

1h 1i 1k

1.8 In Ih a very slow closing into place occurs, the leg moving from a backward touching gesture. Accor-
ding to our theory, the start of the place symbol should be the moment the foot touches in place, the
rest of the symbol shows the time taken to place weight on that leg. Such timing would require a very
swift gesture to place before the foot contact. What does the length of that place middle sign mean?
There is no directional change for the center of weight, a direction into which the weight can take time
to transfer.

1.9 If the duration of the place sign should mean the time taken for the leg to move to place, this could be
specifically stated as in li. If sliding is to take place, then it would be written as Ij.

1.10 The fact of sliding makes it possible to write the simpler statement of Ik. One cannot slide if the leg
is already in place, thus the duration of the symbol indicates the time taken to slide the foot in. A
swift bringing the leg into place can be written as 11 in which the movement occurs as an upbeat. In
this example the four counts are taken up with the transference of all the weight to the left foot.

1.11 Jumps with Beats

In various springing steps the leg gestures and beats are not always accurately indicated. It is true that
we 'get the message', but are we aware of what really happens? Below are some familiar examples.
 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

1.12 In 1m a jump in 2nd position takes place with the legs touching (beating) while in the air. The timing
appears to be: plie on ct. 1, spring up and beat the legs on ct. 2, land on ct. 3. Written this way it
looks as though the legs beat on the & of ct. 2, and that rising into the air does not happen until ct. 2.

1.13 Ex. In allows more time in the air and the beat is clearly seen to occur right on ct. 2. If leg gestures
need to be written in, the notation of lo is often met. The legs cannot contact until they have come to
place, therefore the 'spelling' of Ip is more accurate.

1.14 Just before ct. 3 the legs will automatically be separating to land feet apart, therefore the notation of lo
is incorrect in that respect as well. There is usually no reason to write this automatic movement, but if
attention needs to be drawn to it, the notation would be as in Iq. Note use of the zed caret to connect
the sideward leg gestures with the landing (support) symbols.

1.15 Cabriole Steps

Cabrioles are another step where, if one is to learn to perform them accurately, it would help to
provide the correct spelling in the notation. For our example here a simple mazurka step has been
chosen. This step is often picked up without much thought, but differences in style of performance
exist. The differences lie in the timing and spatial placement of the gestures and the beat. The
constants are the preparatory step on ct. 3, and the step to the side on the right foot on count 2 before
the repeat takes place. It is what happens on ct. 1 that can vary.

1r 1s

1.16 Ex. Ir shows a simple version in which the legs beat on ct. 1 and the landing from the hop occurs on
the & of the same count. In Is the legs beat to the side on ct. 1. This requires an earlier preparation
so that the legs are already out to the side when the beat occurs.

1.17 In my experience, when people think they are doing Is they are actually performing It. This is not
wrong and is often seen on stage. The right leg comes in to beat the left leg as it lands on ct. 1. Less
time is spent in the air, the right leg has registered its sideward gesture, and the beat comes on ct. 1.
The feeling of having beaten the legs to the side when performing It is increased when sideward
travelling occurs on the hop, lu. Here the place gesture has not been written on ct. 1; to be landing
and beating the leg together, the right leg must come in.
 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

2. FORMS OF RELATING - A GENERIC SIGN

2.1 Qiarlotte Wile has been grappling with the need for a general sign which expresses the idea of a
relationship of some kind. What form should the sign take? She has experimented with combining the
curved bow for touching with the angular bow for supporting as in 2a. This version suggests that an
addressing sign is incorporated rather than a contact bow. A little experimenting produced the
following possibilities, some of which are obviously not the answer:

2a 2b 2c 2d 2e

2.2 Another idea is to go from the least state of relating - awareness, to the greater - supporting. This
involves the dotted 'addressing' sign, which is not so easy to draw. Here are some possibilities:

2f 2h 2i 2j 2k

2.3 The simplest solution would be to take the addressing sign and combine it with the ad lib. sign as in
2k. To accept this we have to agree that the ad lib. sign will take away the specific form, the meaning
of addressing, and allow it to mean the general idea of a 'connection' of some kind. It also is the
simplest to write; one needs only to make the mental transition in the meaning. If one disregards the
'awareness' sign, addressing is the first stage of relating; thus for this usage it makes sense.

2.4 To check on the meanings of the ad lib. sign combined

with the addressing sign: 21 means addressing anything. 21 2m
In 2m anyone, any part of the body is addressing person
R. In 2k the ad lib. must be centered on the horizontal
2k
line of the addressing sign.

3. MOTIF DESCRIPTION: CENTRE OF WEIGHT

3.1 Falling, loss of balance and the state of being in balance seem to need some further investigation. Is
the indication of the duration of falling clear? Are cancellation indications understood? These
questions came up concerning centre of weight (C of W) indications at the January 1994 intensive
LOD Foundation Course.

3.2 Duration of Falling

In Ex. 3a loss of balance occurs rapidly. 0, n
No indication is given for when balance
is regained. In 3b balance is lost only
gradually. In 3c sudden loss of balance is
followed by gradually regaining balance. L-t>
I
In 3d balance is regained very quickly;
the caret indicates reference is to the C of
W. However, some people prefer to see 3a
fl 3b 3c
fl 3d 3e
the repeat of the C of W sign, as in 3e.
 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

3.3. Cancellation of Falling

If falling is the only action indicated there is no question
that the falling continues during the space which follows
the symbol for falling. But what if another activity is
occurring at the same time as in 3f? Will the falling,
which occurs rather quickly at the start of travelling
forward, continue during the rest of the travelling? In 3g
a retention sign has been added, is it needed? Such b
retention signs were used in the book YOUR MOVE. 3f_d=. 3g-=L
Now to be considered is whether their use is an
unnecessary reminder. The reader should be trained to
look for the cancellation indication and automatically
continue with falling travelling until then. In both 3f and T
3g the loss of balance is maintained for the duration of
the travelling. In 3h falling continues during the
Q
lowering and is cancelled only with lying on the floor. 3h

3.4 Duration of Being in Balance

The indication of being in balance is used when focus
should be specifically on that activity. In 3i focus is on
balance at the beginning of a slow rising movement.
This is a statement of general balance; focus on the C of
W being specifically centered is expressed in 3j. In both
these examples the balance indication is valid for the 3j.
duration of the activity next to which it is placed.

3.5 Ex. 3k indicates awareness of balance at the start of the rising movement but it disappears half way
through. In 31 awareness, focus on balance starts only in the middle of the activity. In 3m the
awareness of balance is not continued when the sideward low movement occurs. In Motif Description
a new activity means automatic cancellation of a previous indication. Thus retention of in-balance
focus must be stated, as in 3n, if it is to be continued during the new movement. The retention sign is
placed immediately after the in-balance sign; it would be 'floating' if it were placed later, next to the
sideward low sign, and hence less easy to read. The retention sign must be cancelled, as it is here
when travelling to the left begins. Exs. 3o-3q show other contexts for this same question of duration.
In 3o, because the main action continues, focus on balance is still in effect until near the end where it
is specifically cancelled. In 3p turning is a new action thus awareness of balance is finished. In 3q
awareness of balance is shown to continue during the turning but to disappear with the contraction.

x
A
r

B
&
3m
n 3n 3o -J-
D 15
6 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

3.6 Loss of Balance; C of W Leading

fl
When is the description "C of W leading" applicable and
when should true falling be stated? In 3r a forward path
ends with falling forward to support on the whole torso.
This is a major fall and needs to be so stated. In 3s
rising in balance is followed by stillness after which the
C of W leads into a low forward step. (Note that C of
tD
W leading is also sometimes termed "C of W in
motion".) The leading action of the C of W is finished
(terminated) at the end of the vertical bow, i.e. there is 3r
automatic cancellation. How does this differ from 3t in
which actual falling is indicated? In 3s the falling action is less, it is gender, more under control. The
falling in 3t is not controlled, but more as in a stumble in which there has been no planning ahead to
lose balance. Note that in 3r the support on the whole torso automatically cancels the falling - there is
nowhere further to fall. But in 3t the step will not automatically cancel falling as it is possible still to
be falling forward after a low step, hence the need for the cancellation sign. In Motif Description,
because balance is a usual state of being, awareness of being in balance, of being centered, need not
continue when another movement occurs, as illustrated earlier in 3m and 3p.

3.7 Parts of Body Falling

When weight is on the whole torso, no further falling is possible
for the body-as-a-whole. However, if weight is on the knees or
hips it is possible for the torso to 'fall' to the ground. It might
be argued that such a falling action might be termed the result of
total relaxation. But while relaxing will allow the pull of gravity
to come into effect, the intention of a 'falling action' versus a
state of relaxation is quite different. By using the 'C of W in
motion' sign applied to a specific part of the body, the sense of
'falling' for that part can be described. In 3u, from sitting, the
whole torso falls to the floor. This action could be described as
relaxation plus free flow into that direction, but the direct
statement of 'falling', of the centre of weight of that part of the
body being in motion, is more direct and so more serviceable.
In 3v the right arm 'falls' down after having been held up.

3.8 Falling Straight Down - A Fall in Place

Usually falling occurs into a direction, but such falling can occur
on the spot, i.e. straight down. In 3 w the step forward which ends
in the middle of a well (combined symbols for near relationship
and 'in the center of, 3x), is followed by a path straight down for
the body as a whole, hence a falling motion. As written, the
performer is in the middle of a well as she/he makes a straight
path downward. No falling indication as such has been written,
but a path straight down without any other means of support is
clearly falling. Is it possible on an ordinary floor to fall 'in
place', i.e. not into any direction? Initially I had not thought
this possible, but Albrecht Knust demonstrated to me how this
could happen. It results from an absence of support, not as in a
spring, but a kind of collapse. The supporting leg relaxes and 3x
 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

hence ceases to act as a support, or it may be 'knocked away' in some manner so that balance is lost
and one falls straight down. This manner of falling is now common in release-based modern dance
techniques. In Motif it is written as 3y; from a high support one falls into a low support in place.

4. A MENU OF MOVEMENTS;

4.1 When outlining ideas, one may want to stipulate that certain kinds of movements are to be used but
that no indication is being given as to in which order they are to be used nor any durations for them.
I came up with the idea of the statement of a movement menu, expressed as in 4a. Such a menu can
include only a few, or many basic movement possibilities.

V V

4a Ab /N I
4.2 Charlotte Wile (CW) had a similar idea but wanted to state that, not only are these particular
movements to be featured but that other movements may also happen, usually as accompanying or
'supporting' actions. This was a possibility which the 'menu' statement did not include, although, after
discussing this with her I realised that it could very easily do so by including the indication of 'any
action' as in 4b.

4.3 In addition, CW wanted to indicate blocks of time during which

these selected actions would take place. The 'menu' idea did not
include any specification of time. For her indication CW
invented the vertical bracket of 4c. It is important to note that
4c
this is not to be confused with the addition bracket, 4d; nothing
is being added. Nor does it function as an inclusion bow, 4e, 1
which indicates that the material placed within it is to be
included at least once during the time span of that bow. The
ft
'menu block' (I will call it) has a different function. The blocks
of time may vary in length and the contents may change, as in
4f. Here flexion and stillness occur during the first time span,
then direction and travelling.

4.4 Charlotte Wile has, for a number of years, been compiling

materials for a book on Motif Writing. This is nearing
1
J
4f
completion. In it she explains the signs, their meanings and
the rules for usage, cancellations, etc. This book will be
very valuable to all. Charlotte has submitted it to Ray Cook
and myself among others for our comments. It is good to be
able to discuss the minor points that arise and achieve clarification before the book is finalized.

THE NEED FOR A MOTIF WRITING ICKL

Not all our colleagues use Motif Writing and there has long been a feeling at our biennial notation
conference that our concern is with the structured description of movement. In general the name
'Labanotation' refers to the full, detailed description of movement. Two points come up here. The Laban
System incorporates The Motif Description, the Structured Description and Effort-Shape. Each of these is a
particular specialization within the whole of the Laban system. They are not separate systems; when needed
8 The Labanotator, No. 74, January 1994

they can be combined. Labanotators have 99% of the time no need for Motif Description. In the main they
have also not specialized in Effort-Shape. We now see a greater concern with use of notation in education. In
several instances this is use of Labanotation, but more and more the emphasis is being placed on starting
young and bringing the benefit of use of the movement awareness and notation symbols to young children
through introduction of the Motif symbols. Because several readers of this periodical use Motif Writing, it
seems a good thing to be able to discuss with them findings that have come up in the practical application of
the symbols. Ideas need to be shared, concerns about meaning and specific usages need to be aired. I believe
that we have made a good start here. Please let us know your thoughts. And PLEASE CONTRIBUTE
DISCUSSION MATERIALS, EXAMPLES, etc. Slim as this periodical is, it takes a considerable amount of
time to produce four times a year.
Ann Hutchinson Guest

Editor: Ann Hutchinson Guest

Associate Editor: Jane Dulieu

Production: Heidi Marshall, Jean Johnson Jones

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