SESSIONS - PAPER


The hard work for disseminating Labanotation in China
Luo Bing-Yu and Tang Yi, CHINA

Briefly introduced the evolution of Labanotation education in China, which is the fruit of decades of struggling and hardworking. We are pleased to see the gradual mature of a new generation of Labanotation scholars.
The fact that Labanotation is accepted by higher education institution as a research subject indicates Labanotation is slowly but steadily out of earlier predicament in China. Now, it finally has its own educational platform and won itself a position in the Chinese higher education system.

Following our formula

First: Theory and Practice
Laban’s theory is the best ‘compass’ for us, his idea is filled with historical materialism and dialectic. The whole learning experience will be based on short Laban’s quotations. For example, use a discussion laban’s fundamental views of movement as dynamic process on a continuum between polarities as a guide, performing Stroke (mobility) and Stillness (stability), Sustain and Sudden, Contraction and Extension, Balance and lose Balance and so on. Use Laban’s spatial theory to understand connection between body and space, shape and path trace, peripheral and centre etc.

Second: Body awareness and Space awareness
 Laban also said: "Space is a hidden feature of movement and movement is a visible aspect of space". Our training around in terms of awareness of our body itself related the space closely. When we practice our body must recognize our build in anatomical analysis and this special structures are applied in space resulting good deal with deferent effects.

Third: Reading materials
Our reading materials are divided into three parts
• A- Analytic notation: All examples are separated small pieces to distinguish the different between motion and position, contraction or extension and large distance or small, rotation of step and gesture etc. Demonstrating these theory and experience of the movement can help us to comprehend how to use the symbol describing the movement and which movement can be described by certain symbols
• B- Fork dance notation: A part of this in the classes put an emphasis on the motion description. Especially in Chinese folk dance we found a lots of movement phenomena which must be written as in terms of motion.
• C- Ballet notation: Description of ballet mostly shown by it is the position to position

Fourth: Spatial theory of Laban is a gigantic and relatively independent theoretic system. Laban views spatial direction as the most significant element of bodily movement. The whole complexity of movement and dance can be deduced to basic directions which derive from our basic orientation in space related to the vertical and the horizontals of the three dimensions (height, width and depth). Thus "three axis three plane" and the three standard of Axis is our principal training method.

back to list