Response to "A Question About Hold Signs"
Submitted by Charlotte Wile - October 18, 2000
Re: Hold signs in Motif Description.
Hold signs are used in Motif Description to specify retention. This idea is illustrated in 1a-d below.
Unless stated otherwise, the result of a movement is irrelevant in the subsequent movement. For instance, in 1a the forward position attained by the arms in unit 1 is no longer important during the step in unit 2. Whether the arms remain forward or go in another direction is inconsequential. In other words, in unit 2 the reader should focus on the step and not be concerned with the arms. The hold sign in 1b shows that the arms remain forward during the step.
Similarly, in 1c the flexion of the arm that occurs in unit 1 is inconsequential in unit 2; the flexion may be retained or cancelled (disappear). The hold signs in 1d shows that the arm flexion remains when the arm turns.
I should point out that some people might disagree with my interpretation of 1a and 1c. In Guest, Your Move, p. 295, it says that " automatic cancellation is the rule in Motif Description -- do not retain the results of a previous activity." According to this rule, in 1a the arms' forward position would be cancelled during the step, and in 1c the arm flexion would be cancelled when the arm turns. I feel this "automatic cancellation" rule creates problems, and would prefer the rule to be as I've stated above. I plan to discuss my ideas on this topic in a future posting.
Re: Hold signs in horizontal Effort Phrase Writing.
I must admit that I've not had much experience using horizontal Effort Phrasing Writing, and therefore am uncertain about its rules of usage. As I understand it, a hold sign by itself, as in 2a, indicates a pause in the movement. A hold sign placed over an Effort action stroke indicates an Effort quality that occurs during stillness. For instance, at the end of 2b the mover is motionless while he expresses Light-Direct Effort. A hold sign may also be placed on an Effort Element sign to indicate that an Element is maintained. For instance, in 2c the Lightness in the first State is carried over to the second State. In other words, the Lightness in the Light-Indirect State is not recreated, while the Lightness in the Light-Sustained-Free Drive is recreated (Jan Pforsich, Notating Movement, 1985, pp. 1,10).
Re: A Blank Space in Motif Description
A blank space across all the columns indicates a pause, as in 3a; stillness is indicated with the stillness sign, as in 3b. (See Ann Hutchinson Guest's March 22, 1999 posting in this thread.) In 3b the attitude expressed during the stillness is left open to interpretation. The attitude can be specified with an intention bow, as in 3c. (See my March 22, 1999 posting in this thread.)
Perhaps Effort during stillness could be indicated with a hold sign on the Effort action stroke, as in 3d. However, I like the idea of using an intention bow better because then other attitudes can be indicated, as in 3e.
A Question About Hold Signs
Submitted by Yoshiko Makita - October 19, 2000
Today I have a question about hold signs. In Labanotation we use the "o" to indicate a pause, and when we want to write a meaningful pause, we use the "o" sign with a "v" above it. However, when we write a vertical Motif score, we use a blank space instead of an "o". And I sometimes have seen the "o" in Effort phrase writing.
I would like to know when I should use the "o" and the blank space in vertical motif notation.
And what is the meaning of the "o" in Effort phrasing? Does it the mean "no Effort"?
An Idea for Specifying the Content of "Stillness"
Submitted by Charlotte Wile - March 22, 1999
This is a follow-up to the "stillness" comments by Ann Hutchinson Guest and Shawn Koppenhoefer.
As I understand it, during stillness the mover is motionless, but remains energized and expressive. The intent expressed during stillness could be a quality, a direction, an action, etc. It might be a continuation of the intent of previous movement, a preview of subsequent movement, or an attitude that only occurs during the stillness.
Stillness is indicated with the sign for stillness, as in Ex. a. Unless indicated otherwise, the content of the stillness is unspecified, as in Ex. a.
For many scores it may be preferable to leave the content of the stillness open to interpretation. When it is important to know the content, it can sometimes be surmised from the context of the movement. However, in some cases it may be necessary to specify the content. How can one do this?
I have one possible solution. Perhaps one could use the curved bow shown in Ex. b, which is sometimes called the "intent bow." A symbol that specifies the intent of the stillness could be placed inside the intent bow, as in Ex. c-d. The bow can also be used to specify attitudes or images that occur during movement, as in Ex. e.
I find the intent bow is very useful in my creative dance classes for 5-6 year olds (Motif Description is an integral part of my curriculum). For instance, the theme of a recent class was "emotions" (angry, sad, happy, etc.). The children explored the theme through movement, song, and dramatic play. For the culminating activity they interpreted Ex. f, in which "face drawings" are used to indicate emotions. Then the children were each given a score with blank intent bows in which they drew faces or their own made-up symbols for feelings. (Ex. g)
It would be great to hear other people's thoughts on this topic.
"STILLNESS AND EXPECTATION"
Submitted by Shawn Koppenhoefer - March 21, 1999
[Originally posted Jan 25, 1999 on LabanTalk]
Most of my interest in notation is with respect to my work in teaching and notating Argentine Tango... In this dance (as I'm sure in many others) the notion of "stillness" is embodied by so many different possibilities! Reading Ann's text, I was left wondering how to show difference between stillness "like a statue" and stillness "like in expectation".
What is the difference between a ball sitting "still" on the floor, and that same ball sitting "still" at the apex of its upward/downward trajectory when thrown? What is the difference between the stillness of a person looking up,.. and that same person waiting for that ball to come back down? What is "stillness" if I am being carried by my partner? What is "stillness" if I am"accompanying" my partner with my movements but not leading her steps (my "creativity" is silent for a moment).
Generally, in argentine-tango, the man guides the steps and energy of the woman... but he can also "offer" her (by reducing his own energy) the opportunity to temporarily "take-over". He then retakes control (by increasing his energy over that of the woman). In between these two moments he accompanies the woman's movements, listening to*her* guiding... he is "still" in mind if not in body. Visually, this cannot be seen (or shouldn't be seeable!) but inside the couple the"contract" of energy (who guides whom and when) is a very live and important element of the dance... something so far missing in the notations that I've seen.
I think that having a symbol for "stillness" is wonderful... maybe we also need ways of annotating the symbol to specify what kind of stillness it is? If we accept the usefulness of a stillness symbol... what about "hesitation"-ness?? "firmness" "fearful."
... I find it difficult to delineate what "qualities" should be left out of motif writing and what qualities left in.
Shawn
"MOTIF WRITING - ORIGINAL IDEAS"
Submitted by Ann Hutchinson Guest - March 21, 1999
[Originally posted Jan 4, 1999 on LabanTalk]
Dear Friends,
What a wonderful opportunity it was at the end of the C.O.R.D. conference to meet and talk about Motif Writing and share ideas for possible future developments!
After I returned home it occurred to me that it could be valuable to share with all of you my early thoughts at the time of my contribution to the development of the Motif symbols and their meanings. By making these thoughts available it may help in establishing a common understanding on small points where different ideas exist.
STILLNESS
In Labanotation a gap between movement symbols means no change, no movement. If the gap is small, it produces a short pause; a longer gap and the pause, the cessation of movement is longer. A short pause might be just a `breath pause', a minor form of punctuation in the movement `sentence'; a tiny stop in the flow of the movement. A pause in speech may be just a moment of thought, a pause to decide what to say next. In such instances the speaker often drops the eyes, looking slightly down for a second. Or the pause may be an intentional suspension of speech for a dramatic effect. The speaker then continues to look outward toward the audience, holding them with his/her intensity, an aliveness which is not there when one is just thinking about what to say next.
We have similar situations in dance. A pause may not be expressive, a stillness IS. This is why I invented a special sign for stillness. The gap itself is the pause. Too short a pause will not be a stillness, a stillness requires some suspension, a moment or so of energized non-movement.
I gave prominence to the idea of stillness as I wanted children to understand the difference between stopping and becoming statues (a game which has its own particular value) and enjoying the duration of a stillness. A statue freezes, energy is held within. The person no longer exists, being captured within the shape of the statue. Stillness is alive, it is suspended. It emanates the same kind of vibrations which travel the soundwaves after a music note has been struck. Through imagery children can learn the difference between`stop' and `stillness'.
In Labanotation the small circle is called "the hold sign". Something is retained, held, maintained (whichever is the appropriate word). In Motif Writing the result of a previous movement may be retained, for instance, a lowering which should remain while another movement takes place, perhaps a gesture of some kind, perhaps traveling. This retention must be cancelled at the appropriate time.
SIGN FOR STILLNESS
Stillness does not have this idea of retention, of holding,therefore I modified the basic sign by adding the V SIGN for an OUTWARD SUCCESSION. This sign represents an OUTWARD FLOW of movement. It was not derived from the longer V sign for `toward', which came from the 'increase' sign in music.
It may be amusing but I feel it defeats the purpose when the stillness sign is called "a tomato", or "the hold sign with rabbit ears". The child or student is not being keyed in to the origin and meaning of the sign, the underlying sense and intent.
I would like to hear the term 'pause' used where it is appropriate and `stillness' used when that state is what is really wanted.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this particular topic and, indeed on any related use of signs or terms in Motif Description (Motif Writing).
Yours sincerely,
Ann
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