Motion Bank by William Forsythe: Development of a new system of notation for dance and a library of digital dance scores

[Marlon Barrios Solano]

The use of notation is ubiquitous in music, but not so for
dance. There is still no standardized system of notation for sequences
of movement and choreography. Several years ago the choreographer
William Forsythe created a new and very promising system of notation
with which one can study or reconstruct an entire choreography without
actually having seen it. William Forsythe and his company plan to
continue the development of this new system of notation for dance from
2010 to 2013 and make it available to artists, dance scholars and the
professional public.

The method, which Forsythe developed together with the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design at Ohio State University, utilizes complex CG and animation technology. The piece or choreography
is first recorded on film from various perspectives and then converted
into a written score with the aid of computer software. In an additional
step, the choreographer inserts directions and defines pauses,
transitions and impulses to complete the score. The prototype, which
Forsythe created for his piece “One Flat Thing, Reproduced” (see
synchronousobjects.osu.edu), will be further developed to increase the
simplicity, user-friendliness and affordability of the software, so that
every choreographer will be able to use the system of notation to
record their own dance pieces in the future.

In order to demonstrate that this method functions with all dance pieces, the “Motion Bank” project, funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation, will apply it to works by other renowned choreographers with
widely differing artistic styles.

If the process proves successful in this trial phase, it will be offered to all choreographers so that they may make a digital score of their own pieces with the aid of free, user-friendly software. In
return, the choreographers must agree to include their scores into the
Motion Bank for public use. Over time, the Motion Bank will evolve into a
library of digital dance scores that documents the complex construction
of the choreographies, enables them to be performed again at a later
time and preserves them for future generations.

The steps of development – from choreography to written score to the reconstructed performance – will be presented to future users and dance enthusiasts in a series of public “lecture performances”. Students and
young artists will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and
master classes which introduce the new method.

The Federal Cultural Foundation has allocated 1.4 million euros to fund the Motion Bank by William Forsythe from 2010 to 2013.


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