ABSTRACT

General, rudimentary and unsophisticated forms of notation have existed for centuries. Hutchinson (1970) cited evidence that, for at least five centuries, attempts had been made to devise and develop a system of movement notation. Further, the Egyptians, thousands of years ago, made use ofheiroglyphs to read dance, and the Romans employed a primitive method of notation for recording salutatory gestures. Historical texts give substantial evidence of a crude form of dance notation much later, in about the fifteenth century. Thornton ( 1971) stated that the early attempts at movement notation may well have 'kept step' with the development of dance in society, and as a consequence the early systems were designed to record particular movement patterns as opposed to movement in general.