Dancing What You Can t See

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1 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount DancingWhatYouCan tsee InthecourtyardoftheRoyalAcademyofDance,pianomusicfaintlysingsfromthewindowsofa second storystudio.theenigmaticmelodylingers,andcoaxescuriousglancesfromthecobblestoned walkwaytowardsthefrostedglasspanesthatveilvariationsofbunsandarabesqueslikestreaky,mutedlines ofblondewatercolors.upstairs,thestudiodoorsareclosed,lockedandbarricadedbyavelvetrope.the dancersmustnotbedisturbed examinationsareinprogress.theyareperformingsolostheirteachers havetaughtthem,orallyandthroughmovements.theirteachers teachersusedthesamemethods.for10 years,ilearnedballetthisway.i veneverreadaballetscore.iwouldn tbeableto. IhavecometotheRoyalAcademyofDancetolookatballetsscoredinBeneshMovementNotation, one of the three primary notation systems that record historic and new ballets onto paper. Ballets are not notated using a Latin based language; they are instead recorded as dance notation: written, semiotic translations of ballet s dynamic visual, moving language (Hutchinson Guest, 1984: XIV). The concept of writingdancedownonpaperhasbeeninpracticeforcenturies, i butsystemsdesignedtodocumentclassical balletasameansofpreservation,researchandrestaginghavedevelopedonlyinthepast65years.although Laban Movement Analysis and Eshkol Wachman Movement Notation are other popular contemporary notation systems, Benesh Movement Notation is based on a five line stave and looks the most like music notation. Considering my background, ii I determine that it might be the most accessible way into reading danceonpaper. Inside the academy s library, shelves bulge with ballets notated in the 64 year old movement notationsystem.theseareafractionoftheinstitute sscores.therest,i mtold,areinaccessibletothepublic. IopenascoringofGiselle.Itmaybepubliclyavailable,butIcannotreadthisdance.Dots,curves,circlesand squaresscatterpageslikehaphazardshorthand.thestaveandbarlinesaretheonlysharedtraitsbetweena sheetofmusicandthisballetscore. Morepianomusichumsthroughthewalls.Theballetlibraryisempty,butinsidetheacademy sfull studiosthedancersarelearning.asifumblethroughpagesofanalienalphabet,iwonderifthedancerscould read their movements as documented in this score. Probably not. What can these hundreds of unreadable 1

2 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount scores communicate to the discipline they document? For dancers, how does established ballet notation impact the accurate revival of classics iii like Giselle? Further, how does a supposedly functional notation systemrepresentorhinderthetranslationofexpressioninballet?ilooktowardsromeoandjuliettofindout. INTERPRETINGTHESOURCE AsmyfirstdayattheRoyalAcademyofDancenearsitsend,IexamineProkofiev sorchestralscore, RomeoandJuliet.Eveningenvelopesasunnyafternoonlikestretchedtightsoverpaleskin.Iimaginethetwo star crossedlovers MontagueandCapulet.Withoutreadingaword,Iknow andhear howtheirstory ends. Anyone who can read music can read Prokofiev s score. High school students learn Shakespeare s classicworkforthestage.theballetscore,however,isreadableonlybytheselectfewwhoaretrainedinthe particulardancenotationsysteminwhichithasbeentranscribed.iamamemberofthepublic,butiamalso aballetomaneandformerballetdancer.still,iamnotincludedwithinthesphereofnotationallyliterate. Forthemostpart,dancenotationsystemsarehighlyfunctional. iv Thesymbol basedvisualwritingof aballetispreciseandexactingforthosewhocanreadandtranslatetheparts.butlearningadancenotation systemcantakeyears,andaballerina sprofessionallifespanislimited.shemustrelyonafluentmediator.or watchthemovie. Inamomentofweakness,Ifindthefilm.Thefilm.Intheballetworldtheproductionchoreographed bykennethmacmillanisjustasiconicastheplayitself.thedancers NureyevandFonteyn infusethe balcony scene s kiss with a brilliant balance of youthful fumbling and immortal love. Though I attempt to followtheballetscore,icannotseeorreadhowtheexpression thepassion isnotated. Ididn twanttoresorttothefilm.nodancerdoes.lizcunliffe,thedirectorofthebeneshinstitute,is giving me a whirlwind tour of another ballet score when I mention my cinematic apprehension. It s like showingolivier shamlettoanactorjustlearningthepart, sheexplains. Youwouldneverwanttoshowa filmtoadancerinthebeginning. When it comes to learning a ballet, Liz suggests starting with the source: the score. There is clear evidence that notation systems used to revive classic ballets provide more information and interpretive 2

3 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount inspirationthanballetsdocumentedonfilm,atleastforthosewhoareliterate.inastudythatcomparedthe effectivenessoflearningwithfilmornotation,dancerswhowereliterateinnotationpreferredlearningand realizingrolesbyreferencingthedancescoreratherthanvideosofpastperformances. v Theeditingofafilm andthecaliberofdancingmightgiveayoungballerinafalsehopesorunrealisticexpectations.additionally, ballet films are often poorly lit and focus on the upper body, leaving many technical subtleties lost in translation. SamplesofnotatedRomeoandJulietscoresreveallittleintermsofartisticexpression,butdifferent notation systems and even different dance notators can and should convey vital information in the languageofthenotationsystemaswellasbriefnotesonwhatamovementcouldmean.ifthechoreographer or director s visual voice were stronger within the score, perhaps dance notation would become a more valuableprimarysource. vi However,spaceandtimeconstraintsdonotneccesarilyallowfortheseextras.In Design Issues, Ellen Lupton writes that Otto Neurath s Isotype writing suggests two central rules for generating the vocabulary of international pictures: reduction and consistency. The same argument can be applied to contemporary dance notation approaches. However, in the case of international language and danceliteracy, Reductiondoesnotactuallystrengthentherelationshipbetweenthepictureandtheobjectit represents;itcanevenweakenthatrelationshipbymakingpicturesthataretoogeometrictobeeasilyread (Lupton,1986:52 53).Afinebalanceofinformationandinterpretiveopportunitymustbeachievedwithin theconstructsofdancenotationsystemsforballetscorestofulfilltheirpotentialasresourcesandlearning toolswithinthedancecommunity. Initscurrentform,thescoretoRomeoandJulietmaybeoflittleusetotheilliteratedancerwhois tryingtolearnjuliet spart.however,asatoolofdocumentation,thescoreholdsweight.usingroland Barthes swritingon TheThirdMeaning asastartingpoint,thereadingofballetscorescanbedeepenedand extendedtoanilliterateaudiencebyseeingnotationasaseriesofpictographicscenes orstills rather thantherecordofstepafterconsecutivestep. vii Scores as pictographic stillsdonothavetofunctionsolelyas thewrittenrecordofballetsforthepurposeoffuturerevival.notationcaninsteadfunctionasabriefvisual representationthatcapturesmomentsofaballet shistoryandlivingoraltradition.thescorecanalso providevaluablepost performanceself critiqueforadancer.althoughherreadingofnotationwouldbe 3

4 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount limited,onthemostbasiclevel,thedancerwouldhaveabetterchanceofrecognizingscenesaftershehas performedthem.inthisway,thescorefunctionslikeamap.theroutetakenismorerelatableand decipherableafterthejourney. DOOMEDWRITINGS In ballet years, Romeo and Juliet is a relatively new production, viii and the notation has survived nearly as long as the ballet itself. In terms of production accuracy and interpretation, what about classic ballets that have been orally passed down longer than they have been officially scored in a dance notation system? InJanuary,TheRoyalBalletperformedGiselle170yearsafteritwasfirststagedinParis.Fromplot, todocumentation,toperformance,giselleisaclassicsteepedindrama,mysteryandmisunderstanding. In the ballet, Giselle is a beautiful peasant girl in love with dancing. She longs for a loving partner. Loys,amysteriousvillager,istheperfectmatch.Butthisloveistoogoodtobetrue.Loysisnotwhoheclaims to be. He is Count Albrecht, a man of the court. Despite professing his adoration for Giselle, marriage is impossible.soonitisdiscoveredthatalbrechtisbetrothedtoprincessbathilde.giselleisheartbroken her hopesforafuturewiththemanshelovesaredashed.inamomentofhysteria,shedanceswildlywithcount Albrecht sswordandimpulsivelykillsherselfbyitsblade. Ifyousawtheballet onfilmorlive youcouldprobablypiecethisstorytogether.butwhatifyou wentbacktothewrittensource?whereisgiselleinthenotation? Somewhere, in the delicate dashes, arches, circles and lines, the doomed maiden lives. Her movementsareaccountedforandrecorded.fragmentedphrasesleavehintsofherfuryandpassion.butcan youseegiselle sdespair?probablynot.andmostlikely,neithercanthedancerwhoplaysher. ix But Liz Cunliffe can see it. All of the markings are the set of keys that unlock and revive a classic ballet.thescoreis therecipe, shesays Alloftheingredientsarethere.Ifyoucanreadandtranslatethe notation,youwillhaveyourballet. 4

5 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount What about the expression? I blurt, with Giselle like impetuosity. But dance notators must be pragmatic. Ballet is a series of deliberate yet fleeting movements. There isn t time to take a theoretical or expressive approach to notating choreography that is already losing its form. The more than century old balletmustbereadforacenturymore.inagrowingbutstilllimitedrangeofspecificsymbols,notatorsmust documentgiselleinawaythatpreservesthemovementandleavesroomtoreadbetweenthefootsteps. In a Royal Ballet rehearsal of Giselle, Artistic Director Dame Monica Mason coaches Principal Artist FrancescaFilpiwhowillreviveascenefromtheballet.NooneinthequietCloreStudioislookingatascore. ThetechnicalandexpressivedirectioncomesfromMasonandthemusic.Therehearsalisrunningsmoothly, butwait thereareissueswithaccuracy,especiallyinfilpi smimescene. Since its first performance in 1841, Giselle has more or less survived the oral traditions of ballet companies. x Intheearliestscoredversionsoftheballet,mostofthelegworkwasdocumentedusingStepanov notation. To save time, the upper body was left out of the Stepanov score. Repetiteurs or artistic directors wereexpectedtoknowthearmandheadplacements. Giselle likeeveryothernineteenth centuryballet and many more recent ones is a pastiche of things handed down and newly reproduced, things rememberedandgapsrepaired,adaptationstomoderntheatrepracticeanddancersandaudiences, writes MarciaB.Siegel(Siegel,2010:54).Atpresent,countlessmeaningscanbedrawnfromasinglesymbol:Inthe Clore studio rehearsal, Mason waves her hand above her head in whimsical circles. The small movement couldmeanthatthecharacterisharebrained,orthathewearsasillyhat,orthatheisaveryrichman.the notationandperformanceofthecurrentversionisonlyasaccurateasthememoryofthemediatorallows. This puts ballet dancers at a disadvantage to members of other performing arts disciplines. A violinist in the ballet pit orchestra of Giselle would not be expected to learn a part by listening to the conductorsingitsmelody.thescoreisreadableandreadilyavailabletohim(hutchinsonguest,1984:2).not onlycanheinterpretthenotes;hecanalsocommunicatethatscoretohisaudience.incontrast,theliteracy rateforreadingandcommunicatingaballetscoreislow. Theworldofartdependsupon[communication], writesrudolphbenesh,founderofbeneshmovementnotation. Indeed,whatisartifitisnotcommunication and what is its use if it is not communicated! (Benesh, 1977: 17). Benesh thought of his dance notation system as a creative process an art as much as a technique. However, the ability for this artform to 5

6 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount communicateisseverelylimited.itisnotonlyraretofindadancerwhoreliesprimarilyonnotationtolearn choreography; it is rare to find a dancer the ultimate communicator who conveys meaning through movementforthepayingaudience whocanreaddancenotationatall. UsingBarthes contractof theteacherandthetaught, wecanseehoweasilydancersmaybecome vulnerablestudentsontheendsofpotentiallynonreciprocalrelationships(barthes,1977;196).relyingon the teacher to mediate or translate can give an impressionable dancer a skewed perception of her role. Withoutaccesstoascore,shecannotobjectivelyresearchhersolo.Althoughshephysicallyrealizesthepart inperformance,thecreativeandinterpretiverightisinthehandsofthetranslator. Forthosewhoareliterateindancenotationsystems,awelldevelopedclassicballetscorecannot onlypreserve therecipe butalsoprovideusefuloptionsandsuggestionsforartisticdirection.still,notators cannotignorethebrutalfactthatsomeballetsarenownotated100yearsaftertheirfirstperformance.itis possibletofindadefinitivemusicscore,butthedefinitivedancemanuscripttoswanlake?itwasn teven misplaced itneverhappened. BEYONDMOVEMENT Besides concerns with preservation and literacy, discrepancies in classic ballets illuminate other contemporaryconcernswithindancenotation:improvisationandspace.oneadlibwrittenintogiselle smad scenesignifiesthatthedancershouldmoveinacircle anycircleshelikes untilshepicksupthesword thatsendshertoherdeath.however,thenotateddirectionsmustbecontextuallyconsidered:whereisthe dancinghappening?howcannotationanticipatethestage? Documenting how dancers interact with performance space is one example of how dance notation canenhanceaballet srevival:toconveygiselle sfranticdemise,adancermightneedtorunalongercircle onthe80 foot widelondoncoliseumstage,andnarrower,butdeeperonesontheflooroftheroyalopera House. Sixtyswanselegantlydriftacrossavaststageandeffortlesslyformthreeidenticallines.Their choreographyisnotatedinthedancescore,butwhenalargecorpsdeballetisinvolved,notatorsmight 6

7 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount extendthepotentialofdancenotationsystems.detailedfloorplansbasedonthestageinquestionmight appearnexttothetraditionalballetscore.multiplefloorplansmightbeincludedtoanticipatestagingissues atothervenues.thebirds eyeviewprovidedbythenotatorisawayofvisuallywritingtheballetforthose whoreaddancenotation,andalsodirectors,stagemanagersandthe60ballerinaswhomustflytogether. CODIFYORDIE Beforewepartways,Lizshowsmeonelastpieceofnotation asolofromswanlake.unlikethe others, this score is not in pencil. The delicate marks are made by new computer software. Now that the Benesh Institute is equipped with the technology, a ballet score is not complete until it has been notated digitally.however,anotatormustwriteeverythingbyhandbeforedigitizingthescore.lizinsiststhisscoreis beautiful.istruggletofindthebeautyinascorethatcommunicatessupposedlyvital,technicalinformationto onlyafewmembersofitstargetcommunity. Twenty fiveyearsagoannhutchinsonguest xi calledforaunifieddancenotationlanguage,butthere has been no move towards a universal visually written dance vocabulary. Notation methods are still developing. More people are becoming increasingly literate in one type of language. However, because notationisanexpensiveandtime consumingprofession, xii balletcompaniescanonlyaffordtoemployone typeofnotator.assoonasonenotationsystemgainsprevalence,othertechniquesofvisuallyscoringaballet willbecomeobsolete.scoresthathavebarelylivedwilldieandlosenotonlyanyremnantsofexpression,but alsotheirfunctionalityandpurpose. Asitisimpossibletorelysolelyonfilm,itisalsoimpracticaltodependonrevivingandexpressinga ballet through its score. Still, ballets should not only be notated to preserve choreography, but also to documenthowwechoosetorememberworksasmomentsinballet shistory. Ballet will always be disseminated tête à tête. It is a dancer s teacher, who takes her through the steps,whotellsherhowtomove.yearsbefore,thisteacherprobablylearnedthesamepartthesameway. Although creative control can be thrown into question, ballet s continuing reliance on its oral tradition is neithergoodnorbad.whenaclassicballetispassedonthroughmovingvisuallanguage,soareitsspiritand essence. Ballet is an art form designed to convey meaning in fleeting moments. Scores or even film cannot 7

8 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount replacetheexperienceofaperformance.ratherthanserveasanofficialsourceforaballet srevival,thescore isatimestamp atangiblemarker withintheimmortallifeofadance. TheSwanLakescoreinfrontofmeisvisuallystunning.Likethewatercolorpaletteofdancersinthe studiodownthehall,thenotationisafrostedwindowtoaninaccessibleworld.ican tletlizleavewithout askingherwhythepageissobeautiful. Thereissomuchinformation, shetellsme. It sallthere. ButI wonderhowanyonewilleverknow. idancenotationtrulyblossomedinthe18thcenturywhenitwasusedbywealthy,educatedsociety,particularlyinthe CourtofKingLouisXIV.However,aftertheFrenchRevolution,dancersexistedinthelowerrungsofsociety. Thestigma whichtheeducatedclassesattachedtodance discouragedtheemergenceofliteratelyincludeddancersandhence impededthedevelopmentanduseofanotationwhichwouldfunctioninthesamewayasmusicnotation (Hutchinson Guest,1984:10). iimyknowledgeofballetisthree dimensional Asthedancer,IhaveperformedFokine schoreographyforlessylphides; Ihaveplayedthemusic,scoredbyChopin,asthecellist;Ihavewatchedtheballetasanaudiencemember. iiitoday,balletsincludinggisellebutalsolessylphidesandswanlake,areidentifiedasclassicsbecauseoftheirhistory, whichisrootedinthe19thcentury,andtheirwellknownnarratives.intheclassicballet,lincolnkirsteinwrites, Today, inthedevelopedclassicballet,elementsofritualsurvive.dancersareordainedbyimpulseandphysicalendowmentinto arigorousregimen,finallycomingofageasmembersofaprofessionaltribeuponthegreatplatformofanopera house,in layceremonieswhoseonlysurpriseisinindividualperformancesongivenevenings.allelse plot,music, choreography,decoration isequallyfamiliar (Stuart,1953:3). ivbecausedancenotationsystemsthriveonprecision,itisdifficultfornotatorstofindthesemioticwordtodescribe certainimprovisedorad libbedaction.forbeneshnotators, runandjump isadifficultactiontodocument.thereare countlessrestrictionsthatfactorintoany runandjump fromtheleftortheright?landwhere,andononelegortwo? Howfar?Howhigh?Whatkind?Despiteitssimplicity, runandjump isnearlyimpossibletorecordwithoutincluding excessive,writtendirections,whichdefeatsthepurposeofthesuccinctdancenotationsystemsinplacetoday. v AComparativeStudyofVideoTapeandLabanotationasLearningToolsforModernDance, byc.brookandrews. 8

9 Footnotesnotincludedinwordcount vi WhileLabaninsistednotatorsthat Writemorethanseemsnecessary;bettertohavetoomuchdetailthannotenough, Beneshwishedtoeliminateexcess: Keepitsimple!Don tclutterwithunnecessarydetails! (HutchinsonGuest:1984, 119). vii [Thestill]isnotaspecimenchemicallyextractedfromthesubstanceofthefilm,butratherthetraceofasuperior distributionoftraitsofwhichthefilmasexperiencedinitsanimatedflowwouldgivenomorethanonetextamong others (Barthes,1977:67). viiiprokofievwascommissionedbythekirovballettowritethescore,andtheballetwasfirstperformedin1935. ixmusicianslearnmusicwithandthroughthewrittenscore;itisanintegralpartoftheirstudyandtheirsubsequent work.theyknowhowtohandlenotation;itisnotaremote,colourless foreignlanguage tothem.thepercentageof dancerseducatedtobeliterateindanceisstillsosmallwecantakeasabasicpremisethatmostarenot (Hutchinson Guest:1984,144). xfromtheballetcalledgiselle: Thesceneofmadnessnowresemblesaphraseofmimesettomusicandvariedwitha littledancing,insteadofbeinglargelydancedasitwaswhenfirstproduced,tojudgebycontemporarynotices.ialsohave veryvividmemoriesofpavlovainthisepisode,whosedancingexpresseddeliriumandculminatedinaseriesoffrenzied petitstoursendingwithhercollapseanddeath (Beaumont,1944:131). xi Acomprehensivesystemofmovementnotationwhichcanserveuniversalneedsmustbetheproductofmanypeople experiencedinavarietyofmovementbackgrounds. (HutchinsonGuest,1984:7) xii 1minuteofchoreographyrequires:Twohoursofrehearsaltime,sixhoursforwritingupnotesoutsideofrehearsal. Thusoneminuteofchoreographyrequireseighthoursofworktoproducethedancescore.Aballetlastingthirtyminutes wouldthereforetakeabout240hourstonotate (HutchinsonGuest:1984,125). 9