Matt Gough Blog [closed]: intelligent notation software
Sunday, Mar 28 2004, 02:26
Ohio State University [osu] and the Dance Notation Bureau [dnb] have announced a conference / workshop investigating "An Intelligent Software Program for Dance Notation ... a program that contains information about the symbols placed on the page would allow for the development of programs to further dance research and education."
it sounds like and interesting project, even if only applicable to research and education. I hope that the funding is for an entire project rather than just a short term evaluation period [unlike the equally promising Software for dancers project].
If by any miracle it actually appears i'm hoping that it will be multi platform rather than just for mac [as osu's laban writer and reader are], whatever your thoughts on windows you can pick up a usable secondhand laptop for about £150, affordable for most dancers to have in the studio and notate their work as they go.
whatever the platform, it needs to be usable, so few dancers know any type of formal notation let alone are able to use it on a day to day basis. perhaps what we need is a minimal symbol, loose function, notation system that represents 'impulse' rather than 'points in space' [I don't think that motif notation fits the bill it's too infused with laban notation concepts], it would be;
michael klien believes that 'strict' [my term] notation systems are great for documentation but interrupt the "creative process". I agree with michael, so don't think i'm rubbishing laban, benish, eshkol-wachman et-al but I think it is time for a fresh approach for a specific need. we need a tool designed to help us create work simply and effectively rather than a tool that try's to tell us how we should work [e.g. life forms dance, although it seems to suit merce cunningham].
but that's me for now, and i'll get to myself later on. so lastly a big thank you to Article19 for setting up this blog when they have a big site update going on.
Filed by Article19 at 2:26 PM | 
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