Submitted by Mei-Chen Lu -- August 13, 2026
We are pleased to share, with permission from Enid Lynn, a set of four Hartford Ballet School Workbooks, created for young ballet students beginning their study of dance.
The workbooks are particularly notable for incorporating Labanotation into the process of learning ballet. Rather than introducing notation only to advanced dancers, the Hartford Ballet School used it as part of the education of children, approximately 8 to 12 years old. The project was initiated by Enid Lynn, Director of the School of the Hartford Ballet. After studying at the Sigurd Leeder School in Germany in 1970, Lynn became intrigued by the concept of literacy through Labanotation. Working with Jill Beck, Judy Coopersmith, and her colleague Diane Fleming, Lynn developed four ballet workbooks incorporating Labanotation in the 1980s. Teachers used the workbooks alongside their ballet classes as students learned new steps and dances.
The project reflects an important idea: dance notation can be part of learning to dance, not simply a method for recording choreography after the fact. By connecting the written notation with the child's physical experience, the Hartford Ballet School introduced young dancers to the possibility of reading and understanding movement.
These workbooks provide a fascinating example of an early effort to develop dance literacy through Labanotation.
For more background and history on these workbooks, Ambre Emory-Maier wrote a fascinating article about the project.
Acknowledgements
Our sincere thanks to Enid Lynn for granting permission to share these historic workbooks; Ambre Emory-Maier for arranging access and permission; and Valarie Williams for scanning Workbook 2, Part 2.
The materials are shared for personal study and research.
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