Laban analyses; creating an online database for Laban movement studies

(c) 2006 Jeffrey Scott Longstaff
http://www.laban-analyses.org/jeffrey/

HTML version from:
Longstaff, J. S. (2006). Laban analyses; creating an online database for Laban movement studies. In M. Kovarova & R. Miranda (Eds.) Proceedings of Conference Laban & Performing Arts (pp. 74-87). Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Bratislava Slovakia: Bratislava in Movement Association. (ISBN: 80-85182-92-0)

Abstract
A common discussion considers challenges in encompassing the diversity of resources in Laban studies, plus questions arise whether a distinctive 'field' even exists, and if so, what are its contents and scope? This need is voiced for an overview of the Laban 'field', including concepts and practices from different times and countries and people world-wide, and overall designations appear such as "Laban-based systems of analysis", "Laban theories", "Laban formative concepts" and others. An online searchable database was created for an accumulation of sources towards overviewing the 'field' (http://www.laban-analyses.org). Two separate databases were deemed necessary, an annotated bibliography of works and another parallel database of organisations and practitioners. Data are collected from public sources and referenced according to several fields. There is no intention to provide conclusions but only to arrange resources in logical ways, a crucial aspect being identification of emerging keywords. Several search and browse functions are available and new or updated entries can be sent. The project is in early stages and available for public access.


Introduction.

A discussion often arises regarding how to encompass the diversity of resources and methods to be found in Laban studies. Recently this was a special seminar topic during conclusions to the conference of the International Council of Kinetography / Labanotation (ICKL, 2005) where it was clear that taking a global view, that the range of what might be considered ëLabaní is enormous, diverse, constantly evolving and expanding. For example, methods such as choreutics, space harmony, effort, eukinetics, shape qualities, modes of shape change, affinities,Ý Bartenieff Fundamentals, Body Mind Centering, developmental movement patterns, Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), Labananalysis, Effort-Shape, Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA), Action Profile, Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP), Martha Davis Personality Inventory, Choreometrics, Labanotation / Kinetography Laban, Motif writing, etc. would usually be considered to be ëLabaní, yet many of these concepts may overlap with others, or be expressions of concepts at a certain time and place historically, or indeed all of these have been developed considerably beyond the work of Rudolf Laban himself.Ý

Considering the diversity, the question asks whether a distinct ëfieldí exists and if so what are its contents and scope, and what is itís name?Ý Or, as practices evolved are they still considered to be ëLabaní or have they become something new?Ý These questions have been common in recent years, for example generating many contributions in the Dance Notation Bureau ìnames for what we doî discussion < http://www.dancenotation.org/theorybb/discussion24/24_01_Fox.html >.Ý

While the precise ënameí might not be vital to define, it is important to locate ones work practice within a larger context with links world-wide.Ý Phrases are normally used such as ìLabanís conceptsî, ìLaban theoriesî, ìLaban analysisî, or ìLaban studiesî, and these are usually sufficient to identify the larger field.Ý Sometimes the names for what we do can become more vague, considering the world-wide diversity of Laban work, for example considering ìLabanís concept of shapeî seems inadequate since many more people developed ìshapeî concepts than Rudolf Laban, and other inquiries sometimes asking for a ìLaban teacherî can leave questions as exactly what this implies.

In some cases this issue of an accurate overall name has led to proposals such as referring to ìLaban formative conceptsî, ìLaban basedî methods, or as ìLaban Systems of Movement Analysisî (Brennan, 1999, p. 286) .Ý For the projected developed here, the identification of an absolute name is not considered to be vital, since it is the enumeration of the actual contents of the field which will be the focus.Ý However, for the sake of having an easy term for reference, the briefest designation of ìLaban analysesî will be used in the plural to indicate the abundances of practices which can be included under this heading.

Laban analyses project.

This project began in January 2001 at the ìWhat is Laban Movement Analysisî conference, hosted by the Labanotation Institute at the University of Surrey, with a presentation proposing to consider these questions in the format of an online searchable database (Longstaff, 2001).Ý It was also discussed how a global perspective is essential in order to encompass the diversity of what might be considered ëLabaní as it evolves in different geographical areas and is adapted by practitioners to suit particular fields world-wide.

The intention of the project is to compile a survey of methods, concepts and practices of what might generally be considered as having been derived from, methods developed by Rudolf Laban, his many students & colleagues and other practitioners continuing to evolve these methods and concepts in many fields around the world.

Focus will be on identifying the range of practices that use Laban analysis methods. The goal is to gain an overall picture of the scope of the field today, and by reviewing the contents of that field to gain a sense of its structure and boundaries.

The approach will be to present the project as a ëwork in progressí with the intention to share the data as soon as possible (even when not complete) and also to encourage participation in an effort to develop the project as a wider cooperative inquiry. Because of this it must be continually reminded that the database is never ëfinishedí and contains many omissions which not a bias, but simply have not yet been entered.

There is not any intention to provide 'answers' about the nature of Laban studies or to assert any definitions of terms or concepts.Ý Rather, the method in the database will be only arrange data in logical ways and thus begin to view their overall structure.Ý A major part of this will be the identification of emerging key terms (see below) which will form a basis for indexing and searching within the breadth and details of the field.

Parallel databases; annotated bibliography and orientations & practitioners.

At the outset it became obvious that in order to encompass an entire field, two parallel databases were needed, one an annotated bibliography of published and presented works, and the other a database of organisations and practitioners who are working in particular applications.

The two databases will have some overlap (practitioners will also be authors), yet this separation into two databases is practical since they will be structured with different categories of fields for data entry and different sorts of key terms will apply.

Evolution of key terms.

A major part of the early phase of the project is to refine key terms used in both databases. An initial set of proposed key terms was defined at the beginning and these are allowed to adapt according to the data received in an attempt to represent the diversity of entries in both databases as fully as possible. Evolving the groups of key terms in both databases is intended to mature through an open work-in-progress and cooperative inquiry where users can promote particular key terms by selecting them from the online list or by proposing new key terms, either when updating an existing entry, or when sending a new entry for the database.Ý
To distinguish the two databases, they were designated ìkeywordsî in the annotated bibliography and ìkey practicesî for organisations & practitioners. Data can be sent for entry by using the check boxes provided in the ìupdate entryî and ìsend new entryî pages, and the development of all key terms and their current frequencies can be monitored in the ìkey conceptsî (annotated bibliography) or ìkey practicesî (organisations & practitioners) pages (see below).

Annotated bibliography database.

The annotated bibliography intends a broad survey of works making specific reference to, or specific utilisation of Laban analyses. These are found in a wide variety of fields, such as anthropology, kinesiology, movement psychotherapy, physical training, personality assessment, ergonomics / human factors, architecture, music, and others. Database fields were designed for data input and search capability. Overall, the principal database fields for the annotated bibliography include:

authors

indexed for all authors, editors, translators, notators, composers, choreographers, etc.

year

indexed year of publication or premiere

titles

titles - searches for both published titles, periodical titles, and unpublished titles, as well as titles of chapters, titles of unpublished papers etc.

periodicals

additional index for titles of periodicals

kind

indexed for kind of work; book, chapter, article, performance, notation, as well as type of media such as CD, DVD, Video, pdf file, etc.

publisher

publisher name and city

isbn

ISBN, ISSN, Library of Congress, or other publishing numbers

url

web address - (if available on line)

annotation

general description of the work, including links to other associated works.

keywords

indexed ëkeywordsí can be searched together or within four sub-indexes

The field ìannotationî includes account of the work and can be added or updated as frequently as desired by the editor or anyone wishing to send an assessment of a particular work. These make the bibliography most useful as they can provide much specific information not found in the regular bibliography listing. Annotations will be written in an open style, so will not be indexed for particular words, however the field can be generally searched for any word entered.

The abundance of terms generated for the ìkeywordsî field made it immediately necessary to subdivide these into smaller groups. Four categories of keywords have so far been distinguished for the annotated bibliography: analyses methods; notations & motif etc.; areas of application; and historical studies, each category of keywords can be reviewed on the ìkey conceptsî pages:

keywords

All annotated bibliography keywords in a single indexed list
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/index.htm

--- analyses

keywords of analytical methods from Laban analyses, or used together with these
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/analysis_methods.htm

--- notations

keywords indicating types and status of Labanotations, motif, and other visual graphic systems
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/notations_motifs.htm

--- areas

keywords for areas or fields where Laban analyses are applied
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/application_areas.htm

--- history

keywords specifically for historical worksÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/historical_works.htm

Keywords: analyses methods.

Initially this group of keywords was intended to include only analytical methods specifically from some type of Laban analysis. However as more database entries were given keywords this was cumbersome (requiring an extra keyword category) and it also appeared less necessary to distinguish between methods which are ëLabaní or not.Ý For example often Laban analyses from effort or shape etc. were used together with other methods such as Piaget or Myers-Briggs or with experimental, statistical, or other research methods, and so it did not seem useful to separate these ëmethodsí into different categories.

Therefore, a wider approach has been taken such that when Laban analysis methods are included, then all other methods used in that work can also be indexed in this ëmethodsí category of keywords. This is one of the larger keyword categories and might possibly benefit from further subdivision:

Space Harmony - Choreutics:

87

Harmony:

10

Lemniscate:

3

Effort:

69

Symmetry:

10

Octahedron:

3

Philosophy:

44

Cardinal Planes:

9

Proximics:

2

Action Profile:

42

Coding Sheet:

8

Inner Attitude:

2

Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA):

42

Connectivity:

7

Body Mind Centering (BMC):

2

Kinesphere:

32

Polyhedra:

6

Jungian Framework:

2

Shape:

24

Proportion - Golden:

5

Effort Factor Weight:

2

Rhythm:

23

Shape-flow - Bipolar | Unipolar:

5

Tetrahedron:

2

Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP):

22

Affinities:

5

Effort Actions:

1

Statistical Study:

22

Shape-flow Design:

5

Case Studies:

1

Reliability:

19

Shaping:

5

Eukinetics:

1

Phrasing:

16

Effort Precursors:

5

Myers-Briggs Inventory:

1

Observation:

16

Group Forms:

4

Piaget Framework:

1

Validity:

15

Body Attitude:

4

Movement Signature Analysis (MSA):

1

Choreutics Scales - Rings:

14

Movement Psychodiagnostic Inventory:

3

Trace Form:

1

Reflexes - Reactions:

13

General Space:

3

Davis NVC Analysis:

1

Dynamosphere:

13

Dodecahedron:

3

Nonverbal Interaction States Analysis:

1

Body Fundamentals:

12

Choreology:

3

Shadow Movement:

1

Icosahedron:

11

Cube:

3

Effort Scale:

1

ìAnalyses methodsî keywords (and frequencies) as of 1 Sept.í06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/analysis_methods.htm

Labanotation Kinetography:

95

Figure Drawings:

11

KMP Diagrams:

6

Labanotation Score Or Study:

27

Graphs:

9

Other Notation - Documentation:

4

Effort-Shape Notation:

13

Structural Analysis:

7

Floor Plans:

1

Motif:

11

Graphs - Linear:

7

Expressive Drawing:

1

ìNotationî keywords & frequencies, as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/notations_motifs.htm


Keywords: notations.

Notation is itself a method of analysis and so could be placed within the previous category of keywords, however since that category is so large a separate category was given to highlight methods which include movement notations. However, this is also given a wide scope to include all types of visual-spatial signs or graphic methods to represent or document movement in an intention to see this area in its fullest extent:

Keywords: application areas.

This category of keywords is intended to include fields, areas, or disciplines of study where Laban analyses methods are applied. Currently the list is large and might possibly be organised or grouped into sub-categories.

Education:

58

Dance Technique:

6

Depression:

1

Cultural Anthropology:

50

Brain Function - Development:

5

Physics:

1

Indicative Work:

47

Genetics:

5

Micronesia:

1

Nonverbal Communication:

44

Poland:

5

Olympics:

1

Cultural Arts:

37

Schizophrenia:

3

Canada:

1

Mathematics - Geometry:

27

Sport:

3

African:

1

Choreography:

22

Borderline Personality:

3

Japanese:

1

Dance Movement Therapy:

21

Psychiatry:

3

Ukraine:

1

Children:

18

Digital:

3

Balinesia:

1

Natural Structure:

18

Jooss - Leeder Technique:

3

Eshkol-Wachmann Notation:

1

Visual Art:

16

Art Criticism:

3

Aerobics:

1

Work Study:

15

Autism:

3

Humphrey Technique:

1

Language:

14

Gymnastics:

2

Politics:

1

Architecture:

14

Narcissism:

2

Finland:

1

Lessons - Syllabus:

11

Voice:

2

Norway:

1

Movement Choir - Recreational Dance:

10

Dementia:

2

Conducting:

1

Bibliography:

9

Ergonomics - Human Factors:

2

American Indian:

1

Personality:

9

Vision:

2

Imagery:

1

Music:

8

Vocational Guidance:

2

Bulgaria:

1

Space Perception - Cognition:

8

Physical Therapy:

2

Facial Expression:

1

Aesthetics:

8

Greece:

1

Reichian Therapy:

1

Therapy:

7

Gender:

1

Phenomenology:

1

Ballet:

7

Creativity:

1

Hermeneutics:

1

Chemistry:

7

Medicine:

1

Sculpture:

1

Theater:

6

Hungary:

1

Graham Technique:

1

Social Systems:

6

Attention Deficit Disorder:

1

Examinations:

1

ìAreas of applicationî keywords & frequencies, as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/application_areas.htm

History:

116

Bausch; Pina:

2

Perrottet; Suzanne:

1

Biography:

38

Wigman; Mary:

2

Delsarte:

1

Lange; Roderyk:

21

Graham; Martha:

2

Cunningham; Merce:

1

Laban; Rudolf:

11

Taylor; Paul:

2

Orff; Carl:

1

Jooss; Kurt:

7

Stravinsky; Igor:

1

Knust; Albrecht:

1

Humphrey; Doris:

6

Nijinsky; Vaslav:

1

Schlemmer; Oskar:

1

Bartenieff; Irmgard:

3

Wycichowska: Ewy:

1

Wagner; Richard:

1

ìHistoryî keywords & frequencies, as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/historical_works.htm

 

Keywords: history.

This category of keywords was designated because of the frequency of historical works in the bibliography. This category will provide names as ësubjectí (rather than author) such as when a work gives a biography of a personís life or an account
of their works.

 

Keywords: kind of work.

This field is not included in the overall ëkeywordsí since originally it was intended as a bibliographic classification (book, journal, unpublished, etc.). However with more variety of entries this ìkindî field has grown and shows itself to illuminate certain patterns within the database. Therefore it has been indexed in the search / browse pages and is included with its frequencies in the ìkey conceptsî pages:

Article (Periodical):

273

Presentation (Conference):

12

French Text:

3

Book:

129

German Text:

10

CD ROM:

2

Chapter (bk.):

94

Unpublished Document:

8

PDF File:

1

Paper (Proceed.):

26

Reviews - Reports:

6

Microform:

1

Proceedings:

25

Presentation:

6

Internet Site:

1

Polish Text:

21

Pamphlet - Flyer:

5

Film:

1

Doctoral Thesis - Diss.:

21

Video Tape:

3

Italian Text:

1

Masters Thesis - Diss.:

19

Dance Work:

3

 

 

ìKindî of bibliography entry & frequencies, as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_concepts_in_bibliography/kind_of_work.htm


Organisations & practitioners database.

The organisations & practitioners database intends a broad survey of organisations, institutions, academies, groups and individual people who teach, promote, practice, or otherwise utilise methods and concepts growing out of Laban analyses. Practitioners are found in a variety of fields (see below).

Data are collected both from publicly available information (internet) as well as being received as sent from contributors. Database fields were designed for data input and search capability. Overall, the principal database fields for the annotated bibliography include:

updated

date the entry was last updated

names

indexed for names of organisations as well as names of individual practitioners

location

index for city, country

address

post address if available

email

email addresses if available

phone

phone number if available

url

web site address if applicable

description

an open field for any general description; searchable from the advanced search page

key practices

indexed ëkey practicesí can be searched together or are or within four sub-indexes

The field ìdescriptionî includes a general account updated as often as desired and written in an open style.Ý Therefore, it will not be indexed for particular terms however the field can be generally searched for any word entered.

The abundance of data for the ìkey practicesî field made it necessary to subdivide into smaller groups. Four groups of key practices have so far been defined for the organisation & practitioner database: category of entry; offerings; methods used; fields of application, and each group (indexed by frequency) can be reviewed on the ìkey practicesî pages:

key practices

All Organisation & Practitioner key practices in a single indexed list
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/index.htm

-- category

key practice defining the kind of entry, an individual practitioner, or institute, or school etc.
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/category.htm

-- offerings

key practice of types of activities, events, courses, or certificates and degrees offered
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/offerings.htm

-- methods

key practices of methods specifically utilising a Laban analytical method
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/Laban_methods.htm

-- applications

key practices of other fields of study or application
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/fields_of_application.htm Ý

Key practices: category.

The field ìcategoryî is intended simply as an identification of the type of organisation or an individual person.

University Or College:

41

Library And/or Archives:

13

Independent Institution:

39

Web-based Resource:

5

Individual Practitioner Or Group:

37

 

 

ìCategoryî key practices & frequencies as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/category.htm

Workshops Or Master Classes:

57

Degrees; Doctorate (PhD):

4

Private Sessions:

25

Certificates; Others:

4

Publications:

24

Movement Choirs:

4

Performances:

23

Certification; Language Of Dance (LOD):

2

Degrees; Bachelors (BA):

22

Certification; Labanotation:

2

Conferences:

18

Certification; Movement Pattern Analysis Practitioner (MPA):

1

Choreographic Residencies:

14

Certification; Body Mind Centering (BMC)

1

Degrees; Masters (MA):

12

Certification Action Profile Practitioner:

1

Certification; Laban Movement Analysis (LMA):

6

Certificate Kestenberg movement profile (KMP):

1

Certification; Dance Movement Therapy (DMT):

6

 

 

ìOfferingsî key practices & frequencies as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/offerings.htm

 

Key practices: offerings.

ìOfferingsî are intended to encompass the activities of the organisations & practitioners, such as any certificates or degrees granted, and any other sorts of available programs:

 

 

Key practices: methods.

The ìmethodsî are intended to document the area of Laban analysis practices in which the organisations & practitioners specialise.

Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LMA):

65

Body Mind Centering (BMC):

6

Labanotation:

33

Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP):

6

Motif:

17

Action Profile:

4

Laban Studies - Other:

15

Language Of Dance (LOD):

2

Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA):

9

Greenotation:

1

ìMethodsî key practices & frequencies, as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/Laban_methods.htm

Key practices: applications.

ìApplicationsî are intended to document areas or fields or other types of practices where Laban analysis methods are applied:

Modern - Contemporary Dance:

34

Ballet:

8

Parkinsons Disease:

1

Creative Movement:

20

Ergonomics - Human Factors:

6

African Dance:

1

Theatre And Acting:

14

Music Training And Theory:

5

Occupational Therapy:

1

Computer And Digital:

14

Somatic Movement Therapy (ISMETA):

5

Cultural Arts:

1

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT):

13

History Studies:

4

Martial Arts:

1

Injury Treatment And Prevention:

13

Yoga:

4

Physical Therapy:

1

Psychotherapy:

13

Massage Therapy:

3

All Applications:

1

Children Movement And Education:

12

Contact Improvisation:

1

Pilates:

1

Sports And Athletics:

10

Choreography:

1

Film:

1

ìApplicationsî key practices & frequencies as of 9/06. Current list at:
http://www.laban-analyses.org/key_practices_in_organisations/fields_of_application.htm


Development of the indexes of key practices is part of the ongoing work-in-process of this project. Users can contribute in the inquiry by selecting existing key terms, or by entering new terms in the ìupdateî and the ìsend new entryî pages.

Structure and function of web site.

Home page. Quick search.

The home page to the website offers an easy ìquick searchî of either database, the annotated bibliography (to the left) and organisations & practitioners (on the right).

Figure XXX. Home page of project web-site, with header and ìquick searchî (http://www.laban-analyses.org Ý09/2006).

Header.

This parallel presentation of the two databases is mirrored in the header across the top of the page, with the annotated bibliography to the left, organisations & practitioners to the right, as well as contact pages in the center. The header appears in all the pages on the web site and so provides easy and ready navigation.

Browse pages.

Moving outwards right and left from the centre of the header, several pages can be selected under the ìBROWSEî menus which allow users to freely browse the databases according to various topics. These lists are automatically indexed and so represent the entire content of the databases. Clicking on any item will initiate search for all entries with this term.

The annotated bibliography can be browsed by several indexed fields:

BROWSE

Annotated Bibliography

authors

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/authors

periodicals (titles)

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/periodicals

year

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/year

kind

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/kind

keywords (all)

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/keywords

.

analyses

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/analyses

 

notations

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/notations

 

areas

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/areas

 

history

http://www.laban-analyses.org/bibliography/history

The organisations & practitioners database can also be browsed by several indexed fields:

BROWSE

Organisations & Practitioners

names

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/names

location

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/location

updated

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/updated

practices (all key practices)

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/practices

.

methods

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/methods

 

applications

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/applications

 

offerings

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/offerings

 

category

http://www.laban-analyses.org/organisations/category

Search pages.

Moving further to the right or left on the header, under the ìSEARCHî menus can be found options for searching in both databases.

SEARCH

annotated bibliography

organisations & practitioners

Quick search

http://www.laban-analyses.org

Basic search

http://www.laban-analyses.org/Laban_bibliography_key.html

http://www.laban-analyses.org/Laban_organisations_key.html

Advanced

http://www.laban-analyses.org/Laban_bibliography_adv.html

http://www.laban-analyses.org/Laban_organisations_adv.html

In either case the ìquick searchî is the home page which offers a simple search form for both databases.

The ìbasic searchî pages allow single-item searches, either by selecting a search term from indexed lists, or by entering any term and selecting a proposition for searching (includes, not includes, starts with, ends with, greater than, less than, is, is not, etc.).

ìAdvancedî search pages allow multi-item searches, both by selecting indexed search terms or entering any term, and selecting propositions for searching (includes, not includes, starts with, greater than, etc.).
Results pages.

The results of searches can be displayed in different formats. The format for viewing results can be switched at any time by clicking a link at the top or bottom of a results page (eg. ìthis in table formatî, ìthis is table formatî or ìthis in list formatî).

The ìlist formatî is the default for all searches, is the most abbreviated, and gives just prime identifying information in the smallest space.Ý In the organisations & practitioners database, requesting more detailed information will be displayed in the ìtable formatî. The annotated bibliography offers a choice of displaying full information about the entry in either ìtable formatî or also ìbibliographic formatî.

Also found in results are links to related works in the database (highlighted normally in blue).Ý For example when the entry of one work makes reference to another work in the database then these separate entries may be linked. Clicking on the blue highlighted links will take the user to the other entry.

ìUpdateî & ìsend-new-entryî pages.

Results of searches include a link in the display: ìUpdate this entryî Clicking on this button will take the user to a new page where it is possible to send updated or corrected information about this particular entry.Ý At either side of the header under the ìInfo.î menu, the user can select: ìSEND ENTRIESî to go to a page allowing data for new entries to be sent for either database.

Both the ìupdateî and the ìnew entryî pages offer text-entry for detailed information as well as several groups of check-boxes for selecting types of keywords. It is hoped that users can use these pages to participate in a cooperative inquiry for refining key terms used to index the variety of Laban analyses.

Contact and information pages.

In the header, at its center and both ends, can be found links for ìhomeî and ìcontactî and menus for ìInfo.î giving further details and explanation on how to use the web site

Current status of the project.

The project is in its early stages. It is available for open access with the intention that users will contribute to a cooperative inquiry by writing descriptions and annotations and participating in refinement of categories of key terms.

References.

Brennan, M. A. (1999). Every little movement has a meaning all its own. In S. H. Fraleigh & P. Hanstein (Eds.), Researching Dance; Evolving Modes of Inquiry (pp. 283-286). London: Dance Books.

Hoffman, P. (2001). Conference reports; What is Laban Movement Analysis. Action Recording, 89, 2-4.

ICKL (International Council of Kinetography / Labanotation). (2005). In Proceedings of the twenty-fourth biennial conference of the International Council of Kinetography Laban (ICKL), 29 July - 4 August. LABAN centre, London:ICKL. (in press)Ý

Longstaff, J. S. (2001). What are Laban Analyses? Symposium given at ìWhat is Laban Movement Analysis?î, Movement Analysis conference series; Labanotation Institute, University of Surrey; 6 January. (Invited) (Reviewed by Hoffman, 2001)