Writing Dance: Three Forms of Tap Notation
As long as people have been dancing, dancers and choreographers have struggled with how to record their work. Dances are traditionally passed down from one dancer to another in the studio. Nonetheless, dancers have always searched for a way that they could easily write down and save a dance. The invention of the video camera went a long way toward alleviating this concern. However, a video doesn’t always catch the nuances of every movement and leaves much up to interpretation. If you’ve never tried learning a dance from video, trust me, it’s an arduous and time-consuming process. What if there was a universal, written language for recording dance? Could that transform how we teach and learn choreography?
Tap dance, which is based on intricate footwork and uses the body to make musical rhythms, could be the ideal candidate for developing a written record. It is much more feasible to write down a tap dance than a ballet with its multiple patterns, arm movements and technique variations. Over the past 50 years, many tappers have made attempts to formulate a system for recording tap dance.
The existing methods of tap notation range from written shorthand using symbols to rhythmic structures to high-tech software programs. Each method shares an overriding goal to record tap dances so that they can be passed on and translated precisely. Tap notation is useful to anyone—dancers, choreographers and teachers—who wants to transcribe their combinations or dances so that they can be taught more easily. If mastered, tap notation is a valuable tool for teaching tap to beginners, saving existing dances and creating new ones. Although there is no universal style, a variety of notation options are available and dancers should be able to find a system that suits their particular needs. In this article, I will describe three different forms of tap notation, and give resources where you can learn more about how to use these styles.
Kahnotation
In the 1930s, Stanley Kahn developed Kahnotation, one of the oldest and most used forms of tap notation. An Oklahoma native, Kahn studied tap and danced in New York City before moving to San Francisco with his wife, Pat Mason. They opened the Mason-Kahn Dance Studio on Market Street in San Francisco, where they taught for more than 45 years.
Kahn had an analytical mind and loved science and mathematics. He was always devising new methods to help students learn the art of tap quickly and efficiently. Kahn developed a system for notating tap dance and in 1951 copyrighted Kahnotation. Kahn’s method consists of 55 symbols, each representing a step such as a shuffle or flap. Each symbol can be modified, like an exponent in math, to indicate a change in direction or weight shift. Once you’ve mastered the symbols, this shorthand system can be used to write down combinations or choreograph new dances.
Sam Weber, a renowned tapper and dance teacher, began studying Kahnotation when he moved to the Bay Area at 10 years old. Weber, who now teaches master classes and workshops in the United States and abroad, says, “Kahnotation helps my students to visualize steps and how they can be broken down.” With notation, students are able to “connect the step with the rhythm and be conscious of whether or not there is a weight shift.” Kahnotation can be useful in teaching new students. Weber says, “It allows beginners to conceptualize movement before they have the skills to perform it.”
Kahnotation is also a convenient system to use in rehearsing and creating new dances. Weber performs regularly with the Jazz Tap Ensemble and his knowledge of Kahnotation has made him their de-facto rehearsal director. “Using notation saves time and works better than video to record movement we learn in rehearsal,” says Weber.
Since Kahnotation is made up of flexible symbols that can be used to create new steps, Weber often uses it in devising new choreography. “I do get ideas when I start to write—composers would do the same thing. If you were to go into the studio to choreograph, you might fall into the same habitual step patterns. Kahnotation can provide a different pathway to the brain for choreography.” If you are an analytical person who memorizes symbols easily and likes to keep a notebook for making notes, Kahnotation is the system for you.
Footnotes
Since tap dance is a rhythmic art form based on making sounds with the feet, it is only logical that dancers could utilize music notation to record their choreography. Greg Varlotta, a musician and amateur tap dancer in Arizona, has developed a new system of tap notation based on sheet music. Varlotta’s format, which will be published in his book "Footnotes," prioritizes a dance’s rhythm over its steps. “Coming from a musical background, I believe the rhythm is the higher priority,” says Varlotta.
Varlotta spent 21 years working as a musician at Disneyland and touring with his band, the Side Street Strutters. Occasionally when his band played, Disney would employ tappers to join the musicians in an impromptu street show. Varlotta got interested in tap and asked the dancers to teach him a few basic steps.
“In order to remember the steps, I decided to write down the rhythms.” Using regular staff paper, Varlotta devised a system that records tap dance in basic music notation. In his format, each step is represented by a musical note and each sound goes on a different line. The top staff records the toe while the bottom represents the heel and a dot over a note indicates a weight change. A legend helps dancers remember what each note represents.
"Footnotes" will introduce each step and give students an overview on how to read music. “Tap really is a musical instrument,” says Varlotta, who believes that it is important for dancers to learn the language of music. “For a lot of tap dancers, rhythm is secondary. I wanted to devise a system that would help tappers to be rhythmically accurate.” He emphasizes, “I really see tap as a musical art form—it’s all about the sound.” For dancers who already know how to read music, or for those with an interest in tap’s rhythmic structure, "Footnotes" may offer the perfect notation system.
Tappinese
In the digital age when a laptop is more accessible for some than a sheet of paper, tap notation has ventured into the high tech realm. Tappinese, a system of notation recently developed by dance teacher Karen Buchheim and software engineer Caroline Petrulis, allows dancers to write and save tap “scores” using a software program. After teaching dance in Virginia for 22 years, Buchheim decided to create her own form of tap notation. She says, “I wanted to create a system that was visually intuitive and also appropriate in the computer age.”
Five years ago, she met Petrulis, who holds a degree in computer science and was a student in Buchheim’s tap class at Old Dominion University. When other computer programmers told Buchheim it couldn’t be done, she approached Petrulis about creating the software. After years of work, and several failed attempts, they were able to devise a system that is both sophisticated and user-friendly.
Tappinese can be used to record a dance’s steps and its rhythm structure. Because it is not dependent upon mastering a symbol language, Tappinese is easy to pick up. The software uses 49 symbols, each of which represents a tap step. Each symbol is assigned to a key on the keyboard, but it is not necessary to memorize all of the symbols. The software allows the user to view various “cheat sheets” or a scrolling list of symbols. A video window on the software even shows a demonstration of each step along with its symbol. Rhythmic variations are tracked in the “count mode,” ensuring that dancers don’t lose their musical accuracy.
As a seasoned teacher, Buchheim finds that Tappinese is “a real asset in teaching tap.” She has used the system when teaching elementary students, many of whom respond well to learning a symbol language. “My students can identify patterning and I use flash cards to teach the symbols. There are many layers to the way people learn and this really supports the visual learner and allows them to practice at home,” says Buchheim. The software retails for $130 and, although expensive, Tappinese is an enticing option for dancers who want multiple ways to remember and write down steps and like the accessibility of computer files.
Resources · For more information on Kahnotation, go to www.samweber.org where you can order the Kahnotation Master Key. · To learn more about Greg Varlotta’s "Footnotes," or to contact Varlotta directly, go to www.tapdancenotation.com. · To view a demonstration of the Tappinese Dance Workbook and order the software, handbook or flash cards, go to www.tap-tech.com.