April 2004 Archives

1st arabesque - benesh notation, laban notation and xdsn

not that you would [probably] want to use xdsn for this but to show that it can be done, and how it could look. it's also a good test of what information a notation can show. here is the written markup [it is given from a standing position arms at side]

curve
ul_r -90 0 0 45
ul_l 0 0 -45 0
foot_l 0 0 -45 0
ua_r 90 0 0 135
ua_l 110 0 0 0
align extremities with limbs

Some notes in response to questions: [& personal perspectives]

if you wish to make detailed notations to describe a specific event, the body at rest [start and end] must be defined. transitions should be described in nested tags detailing all relevant aspects of the movement [impulse, cog, path, effort etc]. this is particular relevant if you wish to use your notation with avatars. many animation packages use a standing avatar as a starting default and end with your last instructions leading to some 'interesting' results.

the impulse tag is not confined by the degrees of freedom [dof]available in given joints according to human motion studies. the reasoning is that that in human motion we adapt the position of related joints or whole body alignment to allow full rotations. this can be observed clearly in salsa style dancing and contact improvisation. dof should be used to described how the body behaves not how it moves.

gesture is not movement, gesture can be made up of discreet movements. gestures are observer dependant. discreet, disparate movements can appear as a single global movement, xdsn can handle both observations.

xdsn can be used for animation. in any notation for animation system equal attention should be paid to the notation and mapping. it is this mapping that becomes part of the artificial body intelligence and aids realistic movement. present suppositions about ik/fk fd/id and simulated physics should be re examined in the context of human movement simulation. there is another way.

xdsn is bar oriented as opposed to part oriented, this is to ease human reading by presenting elements that occur in the same time frame together.

before i post the machine readable dance notation file i will explain some aspects of the file format, the xdsn file format uses xml and svg:

xml [eXtensible Markup Language] is used to define the score and written content
svg [Scalable Vector Graphics] is used to describe drawings and scribbles
if you only want to use the hand written notation stop reading now, if you are interested in the machine readable format or my decisions for using these technologies read on.

xml has been designed to describe data. using this format the xdsn files will be searchable, hardware / software independent and be able to share and exchange data with multiple systems the advantages are:

the ability to search the notation for dance analysis and research
no restriction on operating systems [ mac, windows, nix etc compatible]
a file format that can be created with existing / free tools
a file format that encourages new software development
a file format that music, lighting, video, and emergent technology artists can utilise
i'm not the first to suggest xml dance notation, there are two existing examples, the Country Dance animation project in which xml and java are used to show overhead views of dance patterns. and the sign writing system markup language [swml] which also uses svg. sign writing is a subset of dance writing [sutton notation] although it only notates sign launguge not movement.

edit Signing Gesture Markup Language [SiGML] and xml interpretation of HamNoSys [the Hamburg Notation System for sign language] and XSTEP an xml based markup language for embodied agents /edit

other dance markup languages have been proposed but have recived limited devlopment[2001, 2002], other suggestions for xml based notations have only reached the proposal stage [2000, 1998]. there have been efforts towards notating human thought, emotion, gestures, attitude, intent etc. they are however overly complex for the needs of notation and unsuitable in terms of thier limited gesture description [humanml, vhml]

royce neagles machine readable format for benesh notation has been designed to run visualisation software rather than notate dances. rather than use an xml based file format neagle design his own ascii text file format. i do not entirely agree with neagle's virtual dancer propositions but he has written two papers which are of particular relevance to xdsn;

A survey on application for editing and animating dance notations, 2003 pdf
Developing a Virtual Ballet Dancer to Visualise Choreography, 2004 pdf
however i must also recommend

Choreographics: A Comparison of Dance Notation Systems from the Fifteenth Century to the Present, 1989, ann hutchinson guest [ISBN: 9057000032]

choreographics is a well researched and considered work, of particular significance of the book is the listing of each systems pros and cons in a very even handed manner.

the xml markup for xdsn is resonably simple to read by eye. this speeds up the creation and comprehension of machine readble scores [or conversion of existing documented dance works] and should encourage experiemntation. the machine readable format is essentially the handwritten / visual score with 'tags' encapsulating the data.

the most challenging element of the xdsn id the scribble tag which deals with drawings and scribbles on the timeline. the scribble tag references the svg by name [and location] and details the svg data. the tag and svg will look like this:

which looks like this:

sheila pointed out that the svg code looks 'kinda scary', well the good new is that even though you can write svg data by hand you don't need to. you can use a vector graphics apllication to draw then in the computuer or you can scan you hand drawings and convert them to svg file. then all you need to do is cut and paste the svg data inside the scribble tags. nice and easy.. scan - convert, cut and paste.

why use svg?

svg is scalable without loss of quailty, this makes it suitable for printing scores in various sizes and formats from a single xdsn file because svg is text based the image information can placed inside the file format itself rather than depending on additional information the svg data can be generated by random, fractal, algorithmic, evolutionary, geometric and other methods, allowing work to be devised according to the principles used the svg can be data mined by human or machine to create movement [e.g impulse, path, shape] as xdsn notation.

although not all systems have svg readers installed they are available for most platforms. to create the examples i used webdraw, adobe SVG viewer, autotrace, emeditor and ie6 to edit and view svg / xml files [all are free or trialware]. it is possible to combine an svg / xml - editor, viwer and converter into one xdsn aplication that is openware / inexpensive and paltform idependent [java based] i hope that this will happen soon. until then there are many 3rd party options available for all systems.

finally a sample of the xdsn file itself, just the basic structure. the xml file should look somthing like this in your browser:

xdsn-example.xml

try collapsing and expading the document tree using the - and + signs. the markup looks like this:

you can copy and paste this into a text file and rename the extension to .xml and see how it works. notice that the bars are defined before the staves this is to help human reading of the file format.

lastly as a kind of proof of concept with what can be achived have a look at musicxml with examples of scores and software.

thanks for your time

Example of handwritten xdsn score

a large view [1500 x 1500 pixels - 56kb gif in a popup window]

here: xdsn score example

[try printing it out if too large for your screen]

example is two bars long and has two staves [each stave has one staff]
machine readable format of this score to follow.

When Sandra Aberkalns notated Artifact II by William Forsythe she used colour to define:

• structured improvisations [tasks]
• choreography [consistent directives]
• choreographic directives open to dancer choice

and referenced a multimedia cd-rom via an adaptation of the laban notation score [read more here]. xdsn notation can handle these functions natively and remain clear to interpret.

the article gives a good indication of laban notation in use, and is worth considering when deciding on how to document your work.

i shall present a sample visual and machine readable score in xdsn shortly and provide documentation of how to use the system

extensible dance script notation [xdsn]

xdsn is a dance notation system designed for

• speed of notation
• ease of use
• notation of impulse, scripts, comments and concepts
• planning and development of dance works
• documenting choreographers working practice
• archival of dances for reconstruction
• simple transfer to machine readable format
• searchable dance archives for research and analysis
• integration with existing and future software
• integration of supporting materials such as video, photographs, sound, text etc

What

xdsn is not a traditional form of dance notation. rather than recording what happed, it suggests what may happen. the notation uses words, numbers and abstract symbols with an emphasis on retaining the choreographers unique approach, it has:

a small, familiar lexis, with a well formed syntax mean that xdsn is simple to write and read yet retains the ability to define new terms according to specific needs. defined terms include: body parts effort / dynamics notes, comments, tasks , scripts, and properties [sfx, lfx, props]

a numerical system defines direction of movement impulse

the ability to include drawings, scribbles or any abstract symbol the choreographer uses whilst retaining the notations machine readable capabilities.

xdsn informs, not instructs.

Why

existing dance notation (such as benesh and laban) are unsuitable for dance works where the intention behind the movement is of greater importance than the observable movement. because they record observations they struggle with improvised, task and goal orientated, complex and emergent dance works (think of william forsythe). traditionally dance notations work with a single kinesphere and 'whole body' approach. xdsn deconstructs the body into multiple autonomous kinespheres, although body locations are defined the system allows any point to be defined by the choreographer according to need (bmc based works could define the liver).

existing notations can be slow to write, and or complex to learn. xdsn can be used with a simple set of principles and general dance knowledge. xdsn's absence of specialised symbols or re appropriation of existing symbols help to speed ease of learning. potentially, the most complex aspect of the notation system to learn is the impulse form, however it is possible to learn the principles of xdsn in a day and have a basic working knowledge of the written form in two days.

xdsn can be used to plan dances, develop choreographic techniques, notate dance exercises and record dance / movement traces. the format of the score in both the hand written and machine readable forms encourages cross arts collaboration and dance production. xdsn scores can be useful in dance and technology, dance for camera, dance and music technology, lighting design, music composition, cueing and stage management. xdsn can be used throughout the choreograph process and is therefore also of particular use to rehearsal directors (is is possible to notate both the choreography and the composition).

existing notation systems are difficult to transfer into machine readable formats, this is especially true of abstract symbol based notations. in cases where machine readable formats have been created they can prove difficult for human interpretation. this situation is acceptable if the form is only for software use. if we wish to create searchable digital archives it becomes problematic. the machine readable format of xdsn can be read by both machines and humans due to it's xml based syntax.

additions

xdsn software

a notation program that allows fast creation of visual (handwritten) and machine readable scores at the same time. this software does not currently exist but the machine readable format has been design to facilitate cross platform development and uses w3c standard file formats. in the meantime machine readable formats can be hand coded in notepad and viewed with a web browser. for more advanced features a range of free, cross platform software can be utilized.

extensible dance scripting

extensible dance scripting (xds) uses the principle and score of xdsn without the requirements of the notation. the scripting approach can be used to document existing work for the purposes of research or to provide and open format for dance planning and development. xds can provide a comparative framework of difference artists choreographic methods whist retaining the uniqueness of their approach. it can organise a wealth of choreographic material in a searchable format suitable for analysis and research.

if you would like to learn or learn more about xdsn please e-mail me at matt-gough at SAFe-mail dot net [replace 'at' with '@' and 'dot' with '.' and remove spaces and plain text only please] i will be running a series of courses starting in summer 2004

if you need specific, points in space style notation that is quick to write try motif or action stroke notation. if you want to accurately document what happens and reconstruct it with a high level of fidelity try benesh, sutton, or laban.

a full bibliography and suggested reading list, and web links to papers / software etc will be given soon, in the meantime

laban, kandinsky, longstaff, zhao, bernstein, cohen, kestenburg, jeannerod, cage, w3c, hutchinson guest, neagle.

thanks for your time.

this is a list of proposed tags, not a final version.

what's not listed;

toes and fingers [numbered attributes of the hand and foot elements; eg m1, m2 etc]

syntax for hand written scores / notation, syntax rules for both forms.

remember that this defines common elements to enable software development and a ease of reading. the format is extensible so individuals can form their own tags as needed.

there is presently no defined syntax for floor plans, floor plans and location can be drawn directly onto the score. a code for describing location and floor plans is currently in development.

I am still working on an example score and detailing how to:

write the loose format
convert a loose format score to machine readable format
syntax rules and document type

dance-script-tags.pdf 30kb

{this file is presented under the same open licence as this blog see below}

comments welcome..

lets break it down;

we have the scripting and the scripting notation [with hand written and machine readable formats of both]. the implementation of the score is the scripting, the xml based syntax the notation.

scripting:
michael klein proposed that multiple choreographers random scribbles could be examined to develop a common scripting language to develop and plan dance works. although written on paper in a left to right format the intention was to get away from linear scores that potentially prevented the scripting of complex / emergent works.

my personal belief is that complexity is in the eye of the beholder. as much as it is possible to illustrate complex systems the act itself renders them simple. the more simple 'looking' the system the greater the potential complexity.

in order to create emergent or non linear works we must be able to define multiple systems in the single work, both open and closed. however it is only in the reading / performance of the score that the emergent / non linear properties may be revealed. interpretation can be everything, at some level there must be open instruction in reading of these scores in general. the dancers should be as capable and confident as a musician or actors sight reading new scores and scripts. remaining true to the 'intention' of the work yet bringing their unique interpretation and innovation as and where required.

notation:
I make no claims to be the first to suggest an xml based dance notation system. as far I am aware the only existing system in [limited] use is for morris / country dancing and is used drive a basic java visualisation of set dances. systems for concert dance have be proposed but not developed.

this particular project differs from other proposals in two areas. firstly a clearly defined intention / need rather than just being a technical exercise. secondly the system is being designed for both human and software implementation to encourage usage.

from hand to machine:
professional notators are expensive, documenting a work for archival can be a involved process. apart from the new form being simple to notate by hand [and create hand written archives], it should also be convertable to machine readable format with a minimum of knowledge and equipment. ideally a crib sheet of the document format and syntax, a basic text editor and a web browser to view the document tree.

the absence of dedicated software for doing 'something' with these files may put some artists off from creating machine readable scores. however with most dance and technology artists making their own software for performances i envisage software becoming quickly available. in addition to this the advantages of this system to smooth dance and technology collaborations cannot be under estimated.

some thoughts:
it has always been my belief that the system should be free to use and well documented. rather than being the property of a particular group it should be of benefit to the dance community as a whole. that said the project should be lead with vision, insight and clarity and i think that michael is the person to do that.

it has alway been a struggle to get dancers / choreographers to embrace new methodologies. although this notation is less complex than laban or benish we should remember that both these forms have a low take up. if our approach is based on solid theory and practical knowledge with a simple, capable implementation i think that those who take the time to experiment with the system will use it on a regular basis.

matt

i'm away from my usual terminal at the moment so please excuse the double posting

goto http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QRIO/ choose the flash option, skip the intro and to see the dancing choose the 'qrio the capabilities' option- 'qirio the genisis' also shows the robot moving- i'll comment on this all later

don't forget to look at the rest of the site if you have time..

[i think they need to work on the running but it has great turnout!]

dynamics is the force, kinematics is the motion - I have already discussed motion description in 'pitch, roll, yaw, angle of axis' with the impulse attribute [1], the dynamics / force is described using laban's effort terms with the dynamics attribute.

here we place the dynamics attribute 'd' inside the effort tag so we can examine it in isolation . there are eight values [two for each of the four main groups]listed they are

direct / indirect [direction]
strong / light [weight]
sudden / sustained [duration]
bound / free [flow]

if we wanted to notate a punching action in dynamic terms we write , you can have from one to four values but can only use one value from each pair so d="bound" is correct but d="bound, free" is not allowed. the dynamics attribute can be used alongside the the impulse attribute;

in short form [2]

dynamics can also be described using the text attribute 'txt' this usage should be confined to situations when a more descriptive approach is needed; t="coiled spring releasing" I think this speaks for itself. the text attribute can be used in most of the elements and facilitates descriptive notation when no other solution can be found [3].

lets go back to motion for a moment. we have looked at impulse which can be used to imply movement direction but what about transformations? [translations, reflections and rotations], in terms of a movement context think about notating a stereotyped mime act. rather than use a separate element I propose to embed translations under the paths attribute 'path' and alongside the impulse 'i' attribute. this decision is based on making best use of existing elements for speed of notation.

the xyz and rotation values from the impulse attribute are used to infer the type and direction of transformation. although a single value could suffice three values are given for speed of reading. trans [translation], refl [refelection, rota [rotation] for example;

- followed by
- followed by
and repeating the 2nd and 3rd lines

is a hand waving from the wrist in a right to left motion [remember that these tags are open to interpretation, they imply not instruct]

at this time there are about 100 elements, attributes and values in total. most of these words are familiar vocabulary in shortened form and are therefore easy to pick up. consider for a moment that osu's laban writer has 700+ symbols so i don't think that 100 is a great deal.

two short notes; thanks to article 19 for the 'heads up' and my next post on the notation will be about weight, and weight transference.

[1] the term attribute is used in the development stage. as it is envisaged that this form of dance notation will be xml based they well may become elements. I believe that an xml based schema would allow the complexity of choreographic and movement notation to be more simply 'read' by software. although is suggest a specific type of xml implementation for the 'new' notation it should also be possible to devise an xml based approach for laban notation.

[2] the short form of the dynamics values have not been defined at this time, so an example is given.

[3] the effort words used are designed to fit into the emote model and software. while it is possible that shape words may become path attributes i do not agree with the emote approach to gesture or the layering of directable motion texture on existing movement. this new notation should work with a system capable of generating autonomus movemnent in real time - without the aid of a motion capture library, somthing these aproachs are unable to do.

rather like google's gmail the date of my posting seems to have left many a little bemused. however in my own odd way i was actually being serious. you may well have been thrown off by how it works in action, elisabeth anne replied;

I'm a little confused: in the wrist impulse is 90 degrees pitch, the arm rises to the shoulder level in front of you. What would stop me from thinking that it means that my arm is at elbow hight in front of me, with my elbow bent?

sheila had a similar response, did you? the fact is that there is nothing preventing you from having your elbow bent - the discription i gave was simply a learning aid. the variation in interpritaion is intentional and the very reason why i use the system - it allows for greating reading / perfoming potential whilst retaining an element of direction.

i'm going to be posting more on this subject and the new notation system, so bear with me, and perhaps you may find something of use

You've probaly noticed my eccentric posting by now, so i'll just get on with it.

with a view to developing a score for the new type of notation / scripting i have been immersing myself in music notation, examples of music scores by avant garde composers [such as cage, stockhausen et al] and examining whatever choreographers notes & scribbles i could get my hands on.

i set out to create a formalised score that would allow a maximum flexibility for development, interpretation and use whilst remaining simple to implement. the constraints were a right to left timeline [to work alongside western reading patterns, music scores and timline based software (visually)] bar lines and double bar lines [to give a visual representation of time] and an ability to script / document emergent or complex works.

it was looking at stockhausen's kontakte that really opened my mind to the options available, the mix of formal and visually descriptive notation layered across the stave identifiable by the elements rather than the context. it became clear that as long as you can 'read' symbols in thier own right the context becomes less important.

because i had already intended to have tags to discribe the specific elements i only needed to throw out my preconceived notion of each group of elements having a stave to themselves [like laban notation]. that was simple enough but left me wondering how to facilitate choreographys who like to separate out the diffrent elements of their work [dynamics, movement, concepts e.t.c], and those who feel constrained by a linear system.

for a moment i thought, it's going to have to be all computer based then i saw my daughter playing with one of the test scores i had been working on, i say playing i mean ripping and folding, but then it all came to me; a hand written score that can exist in 2, 3 and [almost] 1 dimensions.

the 2D score is the standard implementation, left to right like a music or benesh score. the [almost] 1D score is a single continuous stave with bar lines but no double barline to signify the end. this stave is cut ribbon style, twisted and attached to itself to form a mobius ring, a single [exculding the edges] surface that can be continually read. you can also cut along the single staff [see example below] to disrupt the reading even more.

the 3d score uses staves attacted, or bisecting each other to make a multi dimensional form [of any type]. you are probaly asking yourself why would anyone want to do this... well some people do, it's tied up in post structuralism the 'death of the author' the intention is that you find your own way to read the score and perform the choreography thereby adding to the works emergent and complex properties. with a range of approaches it should be possible to document, plan of script your working in your own unique style and retain the 'essense' of your work.

{i feel i should point out here that this style of 'notation' is designed for contemporary dance practice where the choreographer is interested in 'more' than the steps, and instance where the dancers are give the score to perform from, rather than being taught the work in the 'traditional' sense}

the stave is very simple, it has one staff, barlines to indicate the passage of time and a double barline and the end. the duration of time is defined by tags in the score and / or time signatures as suitable.

oddities: the single staff can be at any point on the stave, the defult is the middle. the moveable staff can be used to define junctions for 3D scores or cuts for the 1D score. it is upto the individual how the use this facility. in a linear 2D score when multiple staves occur at the same time the bar lines run across the staves. the staff always ends at the first line of the double barline. the below above shows two staves that occur concurrently, the staff for the staves is slightly off centre.

[ image removed ]

the above score is empty, i am currenty documenting one of my own works and will post it here with instructions for use when finished. it will give you one option of how it can be used in pratcice [note: the barlines are show in bold for clarity they are normally lighter than shown]

why am i doing this? read my first entry, i want to help develop a tool for choreographer for whom traditional notation does not serve thier needs and are frustrated with random scribbles. i intend to document more of my thoughts and proposals on this and comments are more than welcome. developments in dance practice can be cloaked in some much secrecy at times that it prevents the greater community benifiting. i desire something different, something open to all.

with thanks to michael klien, elisabeth anne and sheila

i've been thinking about impulse (movement conception / motor imaging), laban and kandinsky both published texts on impulse based notation in 1926 yet their work receives little attention today. the problem with impulse based notation is that you are unable to identify body positions, which means that it's easy to get lost when reconstructing.

why? because recording the sense of moving does not record where or how the movement occurred. but that's what attracts me to impulse based notations, the openness in which the work can be interpreted.

over the past few day I have been trying to work this approach into a new form of notation. rather than using drawn symbols I am trying to implement an impulse based notation numerically, this should allow the detailed recording of movement concepts and facilitate future computer integration.

I have a solution which although a little technical seems to work. the impulse is defined as an attribute of a body part. lets use the right wrist as an example. the tag for the right wrist is and the impulse attribute is 'i', they fit together thus: . the "" will hold the value or directions of the impulse attribute.

the values are pitch(y axis), yaw(z axis), roll (x axis) and axis-rotation (around the z-axis) and are set out as four sets of three digit numbers from 000 to 359 (a full circle being 360 degrees) if we place the empty values in their place we get the angles a calculated clockwise and upward for positive numbers and the reverse with negative numbers.

stand up with you palm facing your thigh this is the start position for each tag

the wrist impulse is 90 degrees pitch, the arm rises to shoulder level in from of you. you palm is facing the left.

90' pitch 90' yaw, the arm comes to shoulder level and out to the side in one continuous motion. you palm is facing the front

90' pitch 90' yaw 90' rotation. same as above except now the palm is facing the ceiling.

90' pitch 45' yaw 90' rotation, 45' angle of axis. same as above, the angle of axis means that this impulse starts at 45' angle from the start point

still with me?

lastly you can discribe the path as well using a path attribute so we have paths attributes can be anything inculding curve, angle, line, spiral, twist, zigzag, release, random i think you get the idea.

it doesn't take long to get hold of the concept. each time you start over from where ever the limb is. so followed by would bring the arm above the head. to save time you can write it down as

the idea is that you can note down your impulses and input them into a computer that will dance them out, or allow another dancer to perform you dance, and as a development tool to help choreographers working on new dances.

thanks for your time.