Choreology

Benesh Movement Notation (BMN), or choreology, is a dance notation system used to document dance and other types of human movement. 

Invented by the Czech mathematician and musician Rudolf Benesh and his wife Joan Benesh in the late 1940s in England, the system uses abstract symbols based on figurative representations of the human body. This system allows ballets to be written down efficiently. It is one of the most common dance notations and is used today in physiotherapy, choreography and as a teaching tool for the Royal Academy of Dance.

Benesh notation is recorded on a five line staff from left to right, with vertical bar lines to mark the passage of time. Because of its similarity to modern staff music notation, Benesh notation can be displayed alongside (typically below) and in synchronization with musical accompaniment.

Ballets have to be recorded accurately so that they can be passed on from generation to generation. Written descriptions are complicated and easy to misinterpret. Video recordings can be very useful, but even video can only show a dance in two dimensions and is not completely reliable. In addition, video gives a particular interpretation rather than a record of the choreographer’s intent. Dance notation is a tool that can be used to help dancers learn the choreographic piece more quickly and accurately. 

Many famous theatres, such as Stuttgarter Ballet, Royal Ballet in London, Staatsballett Berlin, Ballet Prejocaj in France and many more, use this complex notation technique.