Dance Notation Bureau Inc

Education: the dnb offers correspondence courses in both elementary and intermediate labanotation, and online courses in movement observation and motif notation. Intensive one to two-week workshops in elementary labanotation, intermediate labanotation, and motif notation have been developed in chinese and have been conducted, pre-covid, in china by a dnb staff member who is fluent in mandarin. We have also offered in the us and in china a one-week intensive teacher certification course (tcc) in elementary labanotation. As there is sufficient demand and enrollment, intensive workshops in elementary, intermediate, and advanced labanotation are now offered via zoom based instruction. All labanotation and motif workshops are comparable to a 3-credit college offering in the subject. Students from around the world, including the us, china, mexico, and thailand have enrolled in the dnb's zoom-based, elementary, intermediate and advanced labanotation courses. The dnb conducted via zoom and in person the following course offerings during the fiscal 2024 year:1) summer 2023 elementary labanotation workshop via zoom for students in mexico. The dnb offered and taught the course to 10 students in cooperation with the organization espacio laban.2) dnb organized and taught an advanced reading session at the international council kinetography laban (ickl) conference in summer 2024 in seoul, south korea. 3) students continue to enroll in the dnb's correspondence courses in elementary and intermediate labanotation. During fy 2024, 10 students passed the dnb's elementary labanotation examination and earned certificates. The dnb also began working on preparation of an elementary labanotation teacher certification course (tcc) to be offered in columbus, oh during summer 2025, one week prior the 2025 ickl conference. Dnb is working with labanotation students in china to publish a chinese edition of the elementary labanotation study guide, a dnb copyrighted book. Dnb also designed and published during fy 2024 a brochure featuring the dnb's education programs. The brochure was distributed to several hundred college and university dance departments, as well as to professional dance companies. The dnb's director of education, diana byer, will use the brochure as a marketing tool on visits with colleges and dance companies to introduce the benefits of dance literacy --- the ability to read and learn dance movement from a printed score.

Labanotation: the dnb preserves dance legacies and promotes dance literacy through the teaching and use of labanotation to record and stage choreographed theatrical dances. Our principal mission is to ensure that theatrical dances will continue to be performed in versions true to the choreographer's artistic vision. To fully capture the details of the artist's intentions, the dnb uses labanotation, a symbol system for recording human movement, to document dances on both paper and digital media. Introduced in 1928, labanotation is considered the most effective and comprehensive system to objectively analyze and describe human movement in space and time. The dnb typically receives funding from government agencies, private foundations and individuals to record theatrical dances using the labanotation system. The dnb is also hired by choreographers to complete a labanotation score of a dance work, or of selected dance movements from a work. On occasion, notators will complete scores for the dnb on a volunteer no fee basis. The following labanotation projects were completed or in progress during the year ending june 30, 2023:1) "romeo and juliet" (kenneth macmillan, choreographer, 1965). The dnb has received a generous contribution from an individual to notate this evening-length work. During fy2024 the following sections of the ballet were recorded in labanotation: from act i, scene 4:- dance of the knights- after knights and knights reprise- juliet and paris- knights reprise 2- juliet's friends- juliet- mercutio and benvoliofrom act i, scene 3:- masksin progress: madrigal 2) "las desenamoradas" (eleo pomare, choreographer, 1967). A labanotation score of the dance will be completed as funding is received. Completion is tbd.3) "the table of silence" (jacqulyn buglisi, choreographer, 2011). Project is partially complete. The labanotation score will be completed as funding is secured. Completion is tbd.4) "wind von west" (pina bausch, choreographer, 1975). The movement capture phase of this project was completed. A labanotation score will be completed as funding is secured. Completion is tbd.

The dnb licenses labanotation scores in its archive for performance (stagings) by professional dance companies and college / university dance departments. The licensing terms are governed by agreements in place between the choreographer / heir / rightsholder and the dnb. Licenses are typically one year in duration. The dnb collects an administrative fee for this service. It also collects and distributes license and royalty fees on behalf of the rightsholder. During fiscal year 2024, the following staging contracts were executed for performances:1) "spirituals" (helen tamiris, choreographer): a. Score licensed to valerie parker henry (vhdance) for performances in pennsylvania beginning in november 2023.b. Score licensed to repertory dance theatre rdt for performances during their 2023-2024 season. 2) "water study" (doris humphrey, choreographer): score licensed to eastern michigan university for performances in january 2024. 3) "the shakers" (doris humphrey, choreographer): score licensed to agnes scott college in decatur, georgia for performances in october 2023 and april 2024. 4) "two ecstatic themes" (doris humphrey, choreographer): score licensed to the jose limon company in ny, ny for performances to take place during their 2024-2025 season. Stagings that did not require a contract from the dnb:1) "bounces" (lotte goslar): the dnb rented the labanotation score to cabrillo college in california for a staging in spring 2024. 2) "missa brevis" (jose limon): dnb rented the labanotation score for a collaborative project between the ohio state university and kenyon college for a staging of the dance in november 2023. The doris humphrey foundation for dance (dhfd), housed at goucher college, which administered the rights to many of humphrey's dances, was dissolved in fall 2023. Charles woodford, the rightsholder to the dances, formally transferred the administrative rights to manage their licensing from goucher college to the dance notation bureau in december 2023. The dnb now manages the licensing of 23 works in labanotation of doris humphrey's theatrical choreography. A listing of the dances available for licensing is on the dnb's website page titled doris humphrey dances.