The CabaHotator

Issue No. 28 L.O.D.C. June, 1979"

IN THIS ISSUE
Comments on Issue No. 27 1 Statement of Unit 5

Contributions from Maria Szentpal 1 Unfolding ....6

Counts, Beats, Terminology 4 Sequential Movement 6

Accelerardo, Ritardo 5 Tap Dictionary in Preparation 7

COMMENTS ON ISSUE No. 27.

"I get so excited about reading the Labanotator. I guess I find it comforting
that some of the things I have wondered about seem to be concerns of others too.
But I also find that many tiny details are getting cleared up."
This is Judy van Zile's reaction, and the Labanotator staff hope others feel
the same. Many comments on the last issue went into greater depth than before and
so will be topics for future issues. Contributions by Maria Szentpal and Sheila
Marion are featured in this issue. Please feel free to contribute - all levels of
comments are welcome. Brief reactions:
"Bow Not Needed": Judy van Zile asks if Ex.Sc) could be Bt^ BS
read "Look at B, then at your elbow." She suggests Ex.
la) here, as a possible solution. Ray Cook uses b) or c). la ) (£| b ) l&

"Vertical Bows": Ray Cook agrees that Ex.5d) is least

likely to be read incorrectly. He adds "if you wanted
something else you would have to write it as in d) here
(wrist displaced forward and leading)."
c) fa d) I
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MARIA SZENTPAL

Maria Poses the Problem:

1 The Effect of Side-of-Body Inclusion on Arm Directions
Does the inclusion of the whole right side of
the body, as in Ex.2a) carry the arm along so that
the direction of the arms (where the "?" are in a)
becomes performed as b)?
But what if the arms actually move at the same
time as the inclusion, as in c)? Would the "inde-
pendency" of the arms from the effect of the in-
clusion be understood? Or would the arms be car-
ried more to forw/backw in relation to the step
direction despite the simultaneously written dir-
ections? (I would not think so, but who knows?)
(2) The labanotatov, Issue No. 28'., 1979

Maria cont.
And what if the arms move quickly, as
in d)? Would d) then be performed as e)?
Or would there be less change of arm direc-
tion? Or no change at all? What do you
think?
Ann Has a Shot at Answering
Here are my thoughts. In LN we expect the arms
to be carried with a hip-shoulder inclusion. KIN
would use hold signs as in Ex. 2 f ) , which for us
would mean a rigid holding in the shoulder joint.
If the arms should passively accompany the body
inclusion, I would write it as g). In reading c) I
would understand the arm directions to be taken from
the shoulder line, as is our usual rule. If they
should refer to the forward of the stepping direction
then, of course, the Stance Key should be used, as in
h), with the appropriate direction symbols (diagonal
or forward/backward).
I would read your Ex. d) as your e), if e) has the
Stance Key. Ex. e) stresses the curved path of the
arm movement.

II Space Hold While Circling

It is a common occurrence in circle dances that
the arm does a "fouette" (retention of the spatial
direction) while the dancer changes the focal front
relationship, as in Ex.3 a). But O means space
hold, retention of a room direction, and as the cir-
cling is continued, this indication is just not true.
It gets even worse in Ex. b) with change of level!
We have the need to express a fouette-like action
not bound to retention of a room direction. I have
no answer for this. It is an open question, but a
big need. You may ask how I solved this question ;
in the past and how I solved it at present. Just '
with the wrong way -- writing a space hold! 3a)

Ann's Contribution
It is interesting that you brought this up, for
Sigurd Leeder pointed out just this problem when I
was working with him in Herisau this past December. -0
In his case the example was more like Ex. c) here. tf
The larger arm movement made the problem more obvious.
My first thought to solve this problem is to tie
an indication for the arms to the path sign, as in
Ex. d). Then the version of e) came to mind. Would
this be better to express clearly that the spatial
direction being held is tied to (relates to, is de- 0
pendent on) the path? IT
-fil
 The Labanotator, Issue No. 28^ 1979 (2)

Maria cont.
III "Sorry, you have to figure i_t out backwards"
Our system is constructed in such a way that one
reads the score fluently going forward on the paper,
'step by step 1 . But for travelling jumps
while turning and for a step preceded by a non-swivel
turn you are in a 'spot' (is that the expression? Or
did I mix it with something else?). As the problem
is exactly the same for jumps as for non-swivel turns 4a)
I will show the problem with the latter.
In Ex.4 a) the side step is preceded by a non-swivel J turn to the right. In
preparing to take the step it is understood that the leg travels to x this direction
on a direct, i.e. straight path,x thus performing a "constant fouette'" (MSz term)
as in b). This constant fouette also needs to be figured out, but at least it
shows that direction into which one starts to move the leg, judged from the star-
ting front. However, there is neither room to show these directions all the time
and it could also be misinterpreted as a definite leg gesture and not just an ap-
propriate gesture leading into the step.
The best advice for the reader is to show the room direction for the leg ges-
ture. Just seeing a) the reader first has to read the step direction plus the ar-
riving front, find out from the context toward which room direction the step is
taken, then go back and start the whole thing with the turn while leading the leg
toward JS . A to-and-fro figuring out. Believe me that also the most trained
reader has to do it. If they miss doing it they may easily take a wrong direction
for the step.
Such non-swivel turns usually are quick, upbeat
turns, so there is only a small space available for a
helpful aid. Just an idea for such a possible aid
could be my Ex. c) where the 'head' of the left-back-
ward-diagonal line is a caret-like shape. (My origi-
nal idea was to write a plain arrow, but as this ar-
row now has the meaning of motion one cannot use it
with a different meaning.)
In case the front is not known or the dancers have different fronts doing the
same steps, one has to show the direction from the starting point, as in b). May-
be the sign in d) could serve this need (it is not a monopin, the head is rather a
half circle - the circle for 'from the body' cut in half). Of course these sug-
gested signs are not fixed signs in my mind, any more suitable sign showing room
or standard direction would serve as well'.
Maybe this problem is only that of ballroom and folk dance. It arose from my
struggling along with pupils when teaching such turns, and also struggling with
myself to find out quickly the needed straight path leading to the step (or jump).
Anyway the fact remains - you have to figure it out backwards.

Ill Ann Supplies Further Thoughts

I know this one! I met this several times in notating the Bournonville
material, but there it was a full leg gesture preparation before a step.
I don't like Ex.4 b), though it is correct. I am not happy with Maria's
suggested solutions since they look too much like Monopins, and though Monopins
have not yet officially been adopted, I believe that people will find they need
them and will use them.
My first thought is to use a full room direction symbol, as in Ex. e),
followed by an action stroke to indicate a movement (an appropriate movement).
(4) The LabanotatoFj Issue No. 283 1979

Ann cont.
At the end of the action stroke is a double caret: £
indicating that the gesture is connected (leads into)
the step, it is "the same". You, and others, w i l l
say it is wrong to use a front sign as a direction
symbol - quite right - so the indication should be as
P
Ex. f), a direction symbol with a Constant Cross Key.
But how space consuming!! How can such a room direc-
tion be abbreviated? The most obvious answer is just 4e) f)
what you used.
In looking into this material the following ideas came up which would be applic-
able when some indication is needed for the leg gesture, perhaps timing. I think
we all agree that when the action is very quick one really h a s n ' t time to bother
with exact paths, one takes the direct, easy way.
In g) I have tried to express the idea of a space
hold connected to the following step. Sheila Marion
preferred h), though it has no indication of dura-
tion, which may or may not matter. Gi
Another idea, when this directly serves the pur-
pose, is to connect a straight path sign to the fol-
lowing step, as in i) to indicate that the leg should
go directly to where the step is taken. In j) a cur- ^
ved preparatory gesture is stated, again l i n k e d to
the following step. The sign: "p represents a curved
path, no particular curved ^ path is specified.
This comes from the set of general signs used in Motif
Writing where a general movement idea has to be ex-
pressed without being specific. E
These examples do not l i n k with any idea of room
direction, so they are not a direct answer to Maria's
i n i t i a l problem. I am not sure to what extent we can r
really avoid some reading forward. i)

COUNTS, BEATS, TERMINOLOGY

In a recent discussion Rickey Holden put forward
that "count" and "beat" are interchangeable, and
that folk dance people are accustomed to the term 13
"count". We question whether the terms are inter- 03 v

changeable. Would you agree with the concept that

"beat" and "pulse" are linked? That the pulse or 4 u

beat is the steady rhythmic structure on which the 4 5a) 8

melody, phrases, rhythms are based? This is usual-
ly the denominator in simple metres, but not usual-
ly in compound metres (compound time).
In our experience counts need not coincide with
the basic beat, though they often do. The counts
established may be based on a unit other than the
beat, e.g. counting by the measures (bars), or
counting only 2 in a meas. of 4/4. Or counting
according to the movement phrase. Thus the ques-
tion "How many counts are there?" may not be the
same as "How many beats are there?". And "Step on
count 3" may not be the same as "Step on the 3rd 4
beat". Where does your opinion/experience differ? Sb) 4 possible counts
 The Ldbanotator, Issue No. 28. 1979 (5)

ACCELERANDO, RITARDANDO
In Readings in Modern Dance, Vol. 1 , on page 19
we came across an arm movement which was difficult k % K v
to read. It is given here as 6 a ) . It did not hit A( \ V \
us at once as meaning the movement should get slow- & \ A
er because the repeat of the x confused the eye. Av

\L> vis
7
In our view there is no need to repeat the x , it
could have been written as Ex. 6b) here. Of course K K
<^ <*-
we now have the signs for Time and so the movements IV fr \\t
could now be written as in c), or d). 6a) b) c) d)

STATEMENT OF UNIT
Many scores, classroom exercises, etc.
start with the statements of Ex. 7 a). The
metre of 2/4 is stated and also the indica-
tion of the unit of length used for J .
Did you know that our Hungarian colleague, 2
I-J
Maria Szentpal, uses b) for this statement? 4
This is logical since T could be said to 7a) b)
represent a length on the centre line,
the length between the ticks. However,
the similarity of this sign to a straight
path sign bothers some people, How do you
feel about it?
Do we need these statements? Can the
2
D-J
start of a score be simplified? Yes, if 4
the metre is given and tick marks clearly
in evidence. In Ex. c) the length of the c) d)
starting position plus the distance between
the ticks indicate clearly what the length
of j is. Therefore, generally speaking,
the indication of b) or d) is redundant.
What about 6/8 metre you will ask. The
unit, mathematically, is l/8th. However,
in understanding the nature of compound me-
tres we know that 6/8 is understood and
felt to be a stretched 2/4. In drafting
6/8 the standard practice is to have two
divisions in each measure, that is, only 6 f)
one tick, instead of the possible 5. The 8 9)
starting position in 6/8 is also usually e)
drafted as half a measure, i.e. 3 eighths.
This being the case, the unit used for 6/8
can also be clearly seen. Ex. f) illustrates ticks indicated for each l/8th
beat, which at times are needed, and also a starting position of only l/8th beat
length, rather stingy looking-. If spacing on a page does not allow for the
starting position length of e), writers will use the length of 2/8th, as in
Ex. g), to make the starting position less crowded. What has been your habit on
this?

PLEASE REMEMBER that these are open unofficial discussions. Any special non-
standard usages should still be placed in a glossary at the start of a score.
(6) The Labanotator, Issue No. 28, 1979

UNFOLDING
Here's an interesting question. Can you "unfold"
if the leg isjnot already flexed? Ex. 8a) was met in
a score. A developpe type of movement was intended.
In this instance the flexion which must preceed the un-
folding is taken for granted. A full statement of
what happens could be as b), c) or d), each of which
provides a slightly different movement and movement
emphasis.
How does the unfolding description of 8 a) compare
with Ex. 8e) where a simple outward sequence is sta-
ted? Does this not take care of what a) intended
to describe? And does it not provide the general
statement without needing to go into the kind of de-
tail of b), c) and d)?
Speaking of unfolding, compare the different mes-
sages of f) and g). In f) there is placement in the
high retire (passe') position followed by the movement
of the whole leg to I> In g) the performer is told
specifically to be aware of an unfolding action as the
leg moves to the destination t> . Mechanically the un-
folding indication is not needed, expressively it is. f)

SEQUENTIAL MOVEMENT
Can the leg perform a sequential movement in the
forward direction while turned out? Is Ex. 9a) phy-
sically possible? Should not the leg have to be pa-
rallel, as in b) in order for a succession to occur?
This question has puzzled several notators to the
point where Ex. 9a) was deemed impossible. Is it?
Try the difference between performing Ex. 9c)
where the placement of the leg in a low retire (a di-
rect action) is followed by taking the leg forward to
the L destination. (I wanted to use the express-
ion 'by extending the leg forward' but did not want
to get into suggesting extend in the sense of M.)
Make a note that we need a word which describes the
action of extending, lengthening, etc. without sta-
ting that M must happen. I ran into this problem
in the textbook, Ex. 327 in the description "the foot
is carried along as an extension of the lower leg"
and was hauled into court by a folk dance specialist
who objected to the suggestion of balletic foot ex-
tension, when, of course what I meant was that the
foot is in the same line as the lower leg, and need
not necessarily itself be extendedl)
Now try performing Ex.9 a). The outward rotation of the leg results in the
sequential movement being led by the inside of the thigh, then the inside of the
knee, lower leg, ankle and finally the inside of the foot. The action of suc-
cession will be slight, but both observable and felt. A much bigger sequential
movement is possible in the parallel position of Ex. b) where the action will be
led by the front surface of the leg, the knee flexing in its natural direction,
therefore the preferred rotational state for a full performance of such a suc-
cession. Ex. 9d) illustrates a very common instance of such a forward sequential
leg gesture in ballet.
 The LdbanotatoVj Issue No. 283 1979 (7)

TAP DICTIONARY IN PREPARATION

In preparing the many entries for her tap dictionary, SHEILA MARION has come
across needs and ideas for solutions which she is sharing with us here.

A Method of Writing Brushes for Tap

Double hooks for gestures, Ex. 10 a), are
used to distinguish glancing sounds (sounds
produced by the briefest brushing possible)
from hitting sounds, Ex. b), or c). In
Ex. d), the brush occurs as quickly as pos-
sible so that there is no scraping sound.
Brushes are also indicated in this way in
the Tap Dances by Billy Fagley in the Knust
collection.
Both Ex. a) and b) should therefore be c)
given the same time value, and the difference
between the two is a more fluent movement for
the former.
Most dancers I spoke to felt that to describe a brush as Ex. b) would break
the fluidity of the movement and make it jerky, with a feeling of stopping midway.
It has been suggested that a brief sliding action produces a curved pattern of
motion \ ^ , while a hitting action produces an angular deflection ^^ •
The time spent at the bottom of the curve needn't be long. The brush should have
the same feeling as flicking a bit of lint from your arm, as opposed to swatting
a gnat. It is a brief, light, sharp action, not a prolonged rubbing.

Using Different Parts of the lap

In attempting to write Tap steps, I found a need to indi-
cate different areas of the ball of the foot tap (the metal
plate).
For most movements, the ball of the foot hook ^ works
perfectly well. However, when a tap occurs to the back, it
is important, in my experience, to keep the tap flat, and not
hit the side edge of the tap. A slight eversion of the foot
and flexion of the ankle will accomplish this, example Ha),
but it does not state the idea directly.
There were also instances where I wished to distinguish
between the center of the tap, example b), the back center A
edge of the tap, example c), or the front center edge of the b) c) d)
tap (as distinguished from the toe tip), example d). These
differences occur chiefly in the Riff and Dig which I feel
hit closer to c), and in the Slap, in which I feel the final
tap hits closer to d) than to the center of the tap. e)
In some cases, particularly the Wing, the outside edge of
the tap is used for the first sound, example e).
To simplify the actual writing of the steps, I used: ^ = & to mean
example b), the center area of the tap: j. = & to mean example c), the
back center area of the tap; and -? = & to mean example d), the front cen-
ter area of the tap.
For wings, there is no obvious simple existing notation symbol which can be
used to state the idea accurately. Rather than use the detailed sign for that
part of the foot I used instead a slight eversion of the foot to get the correct
first sound.
 A FORUM FOR ALL

The Labanotator was started in 1957 to feature discussions of notation mat-

terss and continued until 1965.
Many current questions 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 is to be the voice of ALL OF YOU* so please
do write in your ideas* your requests for materials to be discussed* or contri-
bute 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 rmde their way into any textbook* and also many points that can use greater
clarification.

THE LABANOTATOR

EDITORIAL: Ann Eutchinson* Sheila Marion PRODUCTION: Renee Caplan* Nancy Harlock

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