The Dance on Paper: The effect of notation-use on learning and development in dance

This paper investigates the effect of movement notation on learning and development in dance. Specifically, if children read dance notation, as they would read a musical score, in what ways do their thinking in and about dance change, if at all? The study involves 96 children ages 8-9 who participated in an 8-week dance programme based on Labanotation. A control group was exposed to the new dance programme but not the extra notational intervention. The Assessment of Prime Actions in Creative Movement (APACM) was used to collect pre- and post-test data. Results indicate that putting the dance on paper helps young children learn how to recognize and understand dance when they see it. Dance instruction based on notation-use produced greater gains in recognition abilities, good integration of the recognition skills needed for development in dance, and early skill in performing movement.