Inscribing Work and Process: The Ontological Implications of Virtual Scoring Practices for Dance

Abstract

In dance, unlike music and theatre, there is no universal mode of inscription. Although formal movement-notation systems such as Benesh and Labanotation are occasionally used to record movement, more often choreographers draw upon non-codified, idiosyncratic methods to document their work. Furthermore, the advent of video recording had a substantial impact on the documentation of dance, inspiring a wealth of literature concerning the philosophical and practical questions posed by the method.¹ Despite their differences, documentation, through both notation systems and video recording, has tended to focus on movement-based performance outputs. This seems a logical response to dance’s ontological status; after all, it is through performance that we are able to see the work in physical form. Such is the significance of performances that Graham McFee (2011) and David Carr (1987) both claim that it is only through performance, as opposed to through recordings and scores, that we are able to access dance works. However, this chapter introduces an emerging form of dance scoring which is not focused on the documentation of specific movements or performances, but rather is concerned with disseminating choreographic process, and revealing features of the work not present in performance. I consider some of the philosophical repercussions of this method, asking how it impacts on the perception, identity and existence of dance works.