CMA CMA Movement Notation & Labanotation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Labanotation is a system for:
- Scoring music for dance accompaniment
- Recording human movement in written symbols (Correct answer)
- Categorizing personality types by movement
- Documenting stage lighting designs
Correct answer: Recording human movement in written symbols
Labanotation is a comprehensive written notation system for recording human movement, developed by Rudolf Laban.
Question 2: In Labanotation, the staff is read:
- Left to right, horizontally
- Right to left, horizontally
- Bottom to top, vertically, representing time moving upward (Correct answer)
- Top to bottom, vertically
Correct answer: Bottom to top, vertically, representing time moving upward
Labanotation is read from bottom to top on a vertical staff, with time moving upward — earlier movements at the bottom, later ones at the top.
Question 3: In Labanotation, the center vertical line of the staff represents:
- The forward direction
- The body's center (spinal axis) (Correct answer)
- The floor level
- The breath rhythm
Correct answer: The body's center (spinal axis)
The center line of the Labanotation staff represents the central axis of the body, with columns on each side representing body parts symmetrically.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT a component recorded in Labanotation?
- Direction of movement
- Duration of movement
- Level of movement
- Costume color (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Costume color
Labanotation records movement parameters such as direction, level, duration, and body part — but not visual design elements like costume color.
Question 5: In Labanotation, direction symbols are read with their shading to indicate:
- The speed of the movement
- The spatial level: high, middle, or low (Correct answer)
- The Effort quality of the movement
- The relationship to another dancer
Correct answer: The spatial level: high, middle, or low
The shading pattern of Labanotation direction symbols indicates the spatial level — white for high, gray/dotted for middle, and black for low.
Question 6: The 'Motif Notation' (or Motif Writing) differs from full Labanotation in that it:
- Only records Effort qualities
- Captures movement themes and intentions without prescribing full anatomical detail (Correct answer)
- Is used exclusively for notation of sport
- Records only spatial pathways
Correct answer: Captures movement themes and intentions without prescribing full anatomical detail
Motif Notation captures the essential movement themes, qualities, and intentions using fewer symbols, allowing more interpretive freedom than full Labanotation.
CMA CMA Movement Notation & Labanotation 1
Labanotation is a system for: