Dance Interactive - Research into Laban's..

While the Tertiary directions were symmetrically placed in the spaces equidistant from all three planes.

Laban developed a whole system of Dance Notation around these directions, which is still in use today all over the world. Problems in learning the new notation led to various attempts at creating spatial aids for students. These were a series of 3D forms.

The various sets of directions taken separately were found to be represented by certain polyhedra...

The Primaries turned out to be the vertices of an OCTAHEDRON,

While

The Tertiaries were those of a CUBE.

The Secondaries were more difficult, and Laban began to look for a single polyhedron which could indicate ALL 26 of these directions at the same time. He settled on the ICOSAHEDRON – a figure of twenty identical triangular faces. This figure has since been used all over the world as an aid in teaching Laban’s notation system.

Recent research (by Jim Schofield of Bedford Interactive) has revealed another polyhedron which could be very useful in a variety of ways.

This figure which delivers the 26 directions via only its vertices, (whereas the icosahedron could not do this), has 24 faces which are identical kites (though current research is in the process of establishing a different alternative form). It also features the appropriate symmetries around all the various directions, which are either 2-fold, 3-fold or 4-fold symmetry.
Another aspect of this new (to Dance) figure is that it can, and will, incorporate many appropriate technological advances that have been developed since the early use of the icosahedron. These changes are to do with construction, lighting, and computer enhancement of the teaching processes involved.

The initial plans are to produce a series of versions of the figure, with different purposes in mind.
The first will be a desk-top version with highlighting, coloured illumination, of the various sets of vertices and the figures that they form in space. In addition the vertices will be spherical nodes which will bear the correct Laban direction letters (e.g. H, HF, HFR etc.) and appropriate Laban symbols. Schemes have already been developed to differentially focus on the various sets of vertices by a simple set of press-buttons.
Such a model will be used at the desk during composing or notating as an aide memoire.

The second version will have quite different functions.
It will be a large, dancer-sized version of the figure, big enough indeed for a dancer to step inside, to try out, or invent sequences of dancer-centred moves. Obviously, in this version all the directional indicators will be on the inside, and in addition quite complex moves could be indicated by a series of leading lights, appearing in sequences and controlled by a hidden microcomputer.
All sorts of facilities for noting down newly created moves would also be built into the system. Such an enclosure would also be transparent, so that fellow students could see moves from an audience viewpoint and communicate suggestions to the performer inside.

Finally, it has been suggested that the figure form the overall structure for an even larger Dance Rehearsal Space, in which a group of students (and perhaps a teacher) could rehearse, or even compose, dance pieces. Once more a transparent construction method would allow observers outside to watch the dance moves without disturbing the work of the students.

A group has been assembled which includes the partners of Bedford Interactive, and various interested academics from Leeds University to develop these enclosures.
As work progresses we will present regular updates on the Site, if interest is sufficient.
Please let us know if you require more detailed information as it becomes available. A web –site is has too many demands on its space to deliver everything we develop. Up to now we have 100 pages of notes, many diagrams and a series of models of various sizes, and we have only just widened out into a group, rather than the one-man show that began the project.

Click HERE to be added to
information list

Bedford Interactive have recently released a Dance Performance resource on CD, which synchronises Labanotation with the corresponding video, under full finger-tip control

Click here to see appropriate details


*Did you find this page on a search-engine? If so, click here to continue browsing....*
*Labanotation & Polyhedra* Over 70 years ago Rudolf Laban developed a system of dancer-centred directions as a means of recording Dance. He could have used the scientists’ rectangular co-ordinate system, which can define any point in space with reference to an origin and coordinates from three mutually perpendicular axes – BUT HE DIDN’T! Quite correctly, he wanted a much more intuitive, system based on directions around the dancer. He settled on 26 directions which were Primary Directions H(high), D(deep), F(front), B(back), R(right), and L(left) Secondary Directions HF HB HL HR DF DB DL DR FR RB BL LF Tertiary Directions HFR HRB HBL HLF DFR DRB DBL DLF
		The primaries were given by the six basic directions, and could be drawn as:	The secondaries were positioned exactly half-way between the primaries on the planes through primary directions as:
	While the Tertiary directions were symmetrically placed in the spaces equidistant from all three planes. Laban developed a whole system of Dance Notation around these directions, which is still in use today all over the world. Problems in learning the new notation led to various attempts at creating spatial aids for students. These were a series of 3D forms. The various sets of directions taken separately were found to be represented by certain polyhedra... The Primaries turned out to be the vertices of an OCTAHEDRON, While The Tertiaries were those of a CUBE. The Secondaries were more difficult, and Laban began to look for a single polyhedron which could indicate ALL 26 of these directions at the same time. He settled on the ICOSAHEDRON – a figure of twenty identical triangular faces. This figure has since been used all over the world as an aid in teaching Laban’s notation system. Recent research (by Jim Schofield of Bedford Interactive) has revealed another polyhedron which could be very useful in a variety of ways. This figure which delivers the 26 directions via only its vertices, (whereas the icosahedron could not do this), has 24 faces which are identical kites (though current research is in the process of establishing a different alternative form). It also features the appropriate symmetries around all the various directions, which are either 2-fold, 3-fold or 4-fold symmetry. Another aspect of this new (to Dance) figure is that it can, and will, incorporate many appropriate technological advances that have been developed since the early use of the icosahedron. These changes are to do with construction, lighting, and computer enhancement of the teaching processes involved. The initial plans are to produce a series of versions of the figure, with different purposes in mind. The first will be a desk-top version with highlighting, coloured illumination, of the various sets of vertices and the figures that they form in space. In addition the vertices will be spherical nodes which will bear the correct Laban direction letters (e.g. H, HF, HFR etc.) and appropriate Laban symbols. Schemes have already been developed to differentially focus on the various sets of vertices by a simple set of press-buttons. Such a model will be used at the desk during composing or notating as an aide memoire. The second version will have quite different functions. It will be a large, dancer-sized version of the figure, big enough indeed for a dancer to step inside, to try out, or invent sequences of dancer-centred moves. Obviously, in this version all the directional indicators will be on the inside, and in addition quite complex moves could be indicated by a series of leading lights, appearing in sequences and controlled by a hidden microcomputer. All sorts of facilities for noting down newly created moves would also be built into the system. Such an enclosure would also be transparent, so that fellow students could see moves from an audience viewpoint and communicate suggestions to the performer inside. Finally, it has been suggested that the figure form the overall structure for an even larger Dance Rehearsal Space, in which a group of students (and perhaps a teacher) could rehearse, or even compose, dance pieces. Once more a transparent construction method would allow observers outside to watch the dance moves without disturbing the work of the students. A group has been assembled which includes the partners of Bedford Interactive, and various interested academics from Leeds University to develop these enclosures. As work progresses we will present regular updates on the Site, if interest is sufficient. Please let us know if you require more detailed information as it becomes available. A web –site is has too many demands on its space to deliver everything we develop. Up to now we have 100 pages of notes, many diagrams and a series of models of various sizes, and we have only just widened out into a group, rather than the one-man show that began the project. Click HERE to be added to information list Bedford Interactive have recently released a Dance Performance resource on CD, which synchronises Labanotation with the corresponding video, under full finger-tip control Click here to see appropriate details

Did you find this page on a search-engine? If so, click here to continue browsing....