the technical session

I’m at the International Council of Kinetography Laban conference in Budapest. This conference, instated after World War II to form consensus about technical variations in Laban dance notation as it had developed in isolation on both sides of the atlantic, now still has some sessions geared towards discussion of technical problems in the system–though less so than it did at first. I have attended three of these technical sessions at the conference.

The meeting has a kind of liturgical process – the paper is introduced, protocol for questions is read, and then the floor opens for questions. There is always a scribe, as well as a skype connection with Dance Notation Bureau  in New York. Each person must wait for the microphone and for the scribe to be ready to ask their question. Then they have a really intense discussion about things like “what is the definition of a unit?” Heated arguments ensue.

Fascinating.

As I often write about in different ways on this blog, I feel that I have some philosophical meta-criticism or self-reflection to offer to these technical discussions. Today, I had worked out my contribution in my mind, but the session ran out of time and I coudn’t comment. Save it for the dissertation, I guess. . .

At the same time as seeming to lack a sense of reflexivity about their core discussions, the people here are also very knowledgeable and experienced in fascinating ways. They are incredibly adept at thinking in specific terms about movement, and many are very passionate. I am glad I got to come and feel invigorated at the idea of joining, and also changing, this discussion about dance notation as my work unfolds over time.

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