A New Key - 'Normal, Natural' Movement

A New Key - 'Normal, Natural' Movement
Submitted by Ann Hutchinson Guest - February 10, 2000

Ray Cook's Aug.17, '99 discussion points out a definite need. I read his suggestions and his further thoughts with interest. But first I must go to Sandra Aberkaln's Oct. 5, '99 discussion on what is `normal', `natural' movement. It seems to me that she is talking about inherent style in a technique or in choreography, such as ballet. I would say that, like ballet, none of the choreographer's movement styles which she mention is natural or normal. As I understand it, Ray is after the untrained, natural style of the village folk dancer; for example, his word `pedestrian' (used in his Nov. 10, '99 letter) is quite useful, it gives an un-dancey image. An argument in favor of an indication based on the `back to normal' sign is that it is used to indicate the standard state or placement of a body part, and this is not based on any style.

To continue with Ray's Nov. 10 letter. The basic sign for back to normal, A1, (which I invented) is an indication of the movement, just as an X represents that movement. Each can be given time value with a duration line, A2. Note, this duration line is not an isolated action stroke, it is in context. To please the KIN people, we should tie it to the symbol it follows, such linking would make sense, A3. Note that in Motif Notation the duration line is attached to the flexion or extension signs, A4. Body part signs are nouns and cannot be compared with verbs, the signs for movement.

The question of how quick the return to normal should be, if there is no duration line added, is another discussion on which Ray and I do not agree. I remember a discussion with Knust where he advocated that movement indications not lengthened and not given a duration line should occur at the moment indicated, but not be interpreted as sharp, sudden, i.e. any active quickness featured, rather a passive brief event. It has seemed to me that this is a functional idea; the intention of suddenness can be added by an accent sign (slight or marked) or by an Effort sign. I see it as a briefer version of Ray's Ex. RCj). I would not encourage use of his Ex. RCi).

To go back to Ray's Aug. 17th paper: Ex. RC1a) from there looks like a system of reference key; this is not a solution as we are not dealing with how directions are to be interpreted. Ex. RC1f) ties the idea to directions, the place symbol has its own in-built meaning of the vertical line, hence not open enough. Re his Further Thoughts (same date?), Ex. RC1a states the duration of a return to normal. I had the same idea as Charlotte, Aug. 16, '99, Ex. CW here, but have since come up with what I think is a better one, a statement placed between double horizontal lines at the start of a score to indicate what features are to be applied to the whole score, an established usage, my Ex. A5 here.