DanceScript: Visualizing Horizontal Motion is a dance notation initiative and technique for documenting a choreographer’s use of space on the stage. The scripting process may be applied to the pre-visualization of spatial aspects for future works or implemented to record the pathways, entrances, exits, and placement of dancers in existing dances. The resulting product is a visual roadmap of weight shifts and locomotion that compliments and clarifies the information that may be captured on video and other motion media. It provides specific staging details that are often vaguely indiscernible in video documentation due to the lack of depth perception.
Dances that will benefit from DanceScript notation are selected through an invitation or nomination process, or scripting may be requested by a choreographer or professional company. The timeline is dependent on the available funding and the logistics of scheduling. The valuation of each DanceScript project is based on the duration and complexity of the choreography and the number of dancers.
The significance of DanceScript is evident as dance is inherently ephemeral—it exists in the moment of performance and often leaves no tangible product behind. This initiative supports research in the field of dance and results in presentations and workshops, which are supported by many resources including established organizations and scholarly literature.
Florida State University Professor Tim Glenn serves as the primary investigator and notator for DanceScript. His ability to script dance is supported by his experiences in dance documentation, media technologies, movement analysis, choreography, and performance. Glenn is passionate about creating cultural artifacts by researching and documenting dance. In 2024, he produced the DanceScript pilot project in collaboration with the José Limón Dance Company by scripting Limón’s 1954 dance, The Traitor. Glenn developed this DanceScript technique while creating and archiving his choreographies over the past three decades. For more information about Glenn, visit timglenn.dance.
Dances that will benefit from DanceScript notation are selected through an invitation or nomination process, or scripting may be requested by a choreographer or professional company. The timeline is dependent on the available funding and the logistics of scheduling. The valuation of each DanceScript project is based on the duration and complexity of the choreography and the number of dancers.
The significance of DanceScript is evident as dance is inherently ephemeral—it exists in the moment of performance and often leaves no tangible product behind. This initiative supports research in the field of dance and results in presentations and workshops, which are supported by many resources including established organizations and scholarly literature.
Florida State University Professor Tim Glenn serves as the primary investigator and notator for DanceScript. His ability to script dance is supported by his experiences in dance documentation, media technologies, movement analysis, choreography, and performance. Glenn is passionate about creating cultural artifacts by researching and documenting dance. In 2024, he produced the DanceScript pilot project in collaboration with the José Limón Dance Company by scripting Limón’s 1954 dance, The Traitor. Glenn developed this DanceScript technique while creating and archiving his choreographies over the past three decades. For more information about Glenn, visit timglenn.dance.