Introduction

Folding and curling are gestures that rely on creating a specific angle at a given joint. Folding is simpler than curling, and involves bending only the single joint that should produce the desired angle. Curling is more complex, and involves bending a series of joints in a smooth way, in order to produce the single desired angle. Curling is particularly interesting, because the exact bending of each joint is just whatever is required in order to achieve the final position. This is vague and it'll be cleared up shortly; but the point is that it would be very difficult to use any other Labanotation technique to mimic the action of a curling gesture.

This chapter explains first of all what is meant by 'producing an angle' at a given joint; then describes the variations that may or may not be possible, depending on the joint or joints in question. The various symbols are explained, that give you the ability to notate the full range of folding and curling gestures. Finally the chapter goes into the remaining nuances and exceptional situations that influence how these symbols should be used and read in any given score.

If you're already familiar with Ann Hutchinson's works, you'll see that the angle measurements I give in this text are different from the ones she gives in her texts. Actually we're both talking about the same angles, but we just use different landmarks to measure them.

Fig. 1

As you can see, the two diagrams are identical, it's only the method of measurement that is different. Ann Hutchinson's method relies on the dashed, imaginary line, extending out from the rest of the diagram. My method avoids that added complexity.

The Basics Of Folding And Curling

How The Body Forms An Angle For Folding

Consider the body segment connected to one side of the elbow joint - the upper arm - and the body segment connected to the other side of the elbow joint - the forearm. Whenever the elbow joint flexes or extends, those two body segments change position relative to each other, altering the angle at the elbow joint. That angle can be measured in degrees, like any other angle in geometry. The measurement of that angle is what we're interested in when it comes to folding.

Fig. 2

Some subtleties and exceptions are explained at the bottom of this chapter, but in the general case, the above diagram holds true for all joints in the body.

How The Body Forms An Angle For Curling

In curling, we're still producing an angle at a single joint, but instead of measuring that angle as being between to two body segments connected to that joint, a curl measures the angle between one body segment and another point on the body that we'll call the 'extremity', although it doesn't always correspond to an actual extremity in the biological sense. Consider the case of the hand.

Fig. 3

In the above diagram depicting a curling gesture, some elements are the same as in the case of folding. We still have a single joint - the base knuckle - where we measure the angle we're trying to achieve. We also still have a single body segment - the palm - connected to that single joint.

But instead of relying on a second body segment connected to the joint, we've identified an extremity - the finger tip. The dashed, imaginary line in the above diagram connects that extremity to the joint we're interested in - the base knuckle. That imaginary line is what we use instead of a second body segment, to measure our angle of curling.

Of course, that dashed, imaginary line won't be seen by the audience. Its only value is as a reference for the performer. The whole purpose of the gesture itself lies in the effect is has on the rest of the limb doing the curl. In the diagram above, notice that none of the angles created at the base knuckle, the middle knuckle, or the final knuckle are the same as the angle we want to achieve with our dashed, imaginary line. To do the performance of a curl, all of those joints must combine their action, to bring the finger tip to intersect with that dashed, imaginary line.

So, if none of the joints bend to form the angle that uses the dashed, imaginary line, how much do each of those joints actually bend? The answer is that they should each bend just enough to bring the extremity to that dashed, imaginary line of the diagram. This is the whole point of curling in Labanotation. When the curl is performed correctly, the body segments involved in it should produce a smooth curve. If a smooth curve is not possible, the performer should just do their best to get as close as they can to a smooth curve.

This is why curling is such an elegant and useful part of Labanotation. It allows us to specify just a single angle, and achieve a graceful curvature in a given limb. It would be very difficult for the notator to calculate and specify the precise actions of each separate joint in order to produce that desired curvature. But by using the simple notation of a curling gesture, Labanotation makes it very straightforward for us.

In some cases, the 'extremity' used in a curling gesture does not correspond to an actual biological extremity. If you create a custom limb symbol via the rectangular formation, any joint in the body can be designated an 'extremity' for the purpose of a curl.

Fig. 4

The above symbol describes a limb that has the wrist as its base, and the final knuckle of the forefinger as its extremity. Consider how such a limb would curl.

Fig. 5

In the above diagram, the same rules of curling apply, but in this case, the extremity is no longer at the finger tip, but at the final knuckle of the finger. Notice in the diagram how the dashed, imaginary line passes through that final knuckle instead of through the finger tip. That is the line you should use to measure the angle of this curl.

The part of the body beyond the extremity - in this case the finger tip - does not participate in the curl, nor is it included in any landmarks used to measure the angle of the curl. Instead it is just carried passively along in a relaxed manner. The final knuckle does not fold in any particular way. If you want the finger tip to move in some specific way during this curl, you'd need to notate the movement of that body part separately.

Which Joint Defines The Angle Of A Fold Or Curl?

When folding, you always specify the single joint to fold, and so the angle is always measured at that joint.

When curling, there are always several joints involved in the curl. But we're only concerned about the angle created at one of those joints. How do we know which joint to measure?

The answer is that it is the next joint farther from the torso than the start of the limb. Consider a couple of examples. In the limb of the whole arm, the start of the limb is the shoulder joint; and the next joint farther from the torso is the elbow joint. Therefore the elbow joint is where we measure the angle of an arm curl. Likewise, consider the hand. The start of the hand is the wrist joint; and the next joint farther from the torso is the base knuckle of the fingers. Therefore the base knuckle is where we measure the angle of a hand curl. And again, the specialized limb from fig. 4 also starts at the wrist joint; therefore the base knuckle is again where we measure the angle of a curl on that custom limb.

But what if the limb is the torso itself? How could any part of that limb be 'farther out' from the torso in that case? Or what if the limb included just a part of the torso, or included the whole torso as just a part of a yet larger limb?

The answer is that all of those cases rely on the rectangular formation to define the limb in question; in which case the lower of the two symbols is considered 'closer in', while the upper of the two symbols is considered the extremity. So to figure out which joint would define the angle of a curl for one of those custom limbs, you would simply start from the 'closer in' joint, move one joint out towards the extremity, and that's the joint that you'll use to define the angle of the curl.

Which Joints Bend To Produce A Fold Or Curl?

When folding, again, you specify the single joint, and that's the one that bends to produce the fold.

When curling, all the joints between - but not including - the two endpoints of the limb, will bend in order to produce the desired curl. So, if you curl the limb of the arm, that limb starts at the shoulder joint and ends at the finger tips; so every joint between those will participate. In the case of the arm, those would be the elbow, wrist, base knuckles, middle knuckles, and final knuckles.

Likewise, if you curl the hand, that limb starts at the wrist, and ends at the finger tips; so in that case the participating joints would be the base knuckle, the middle knuckle, and the final knuckle.

If you curl the custom limb from fig. 4, that limb starts at the wrist, and ends at the final knuckle; so in that case the participating joints would be the base knuckle and the middle knuckle. As stated above, the final knuckle, or any other joints that are beyond the extremity of a custom limb, don't explicitly bend in order to help produce the curl; instead they simply follow along passively, neither violating the curve of the gesture, nor seeking to augment it. Of course, as is also stated above, you can notate specific movements for those body parts if you don't want to leave their action so vaguely defined.

When curling custom limbs that involve the torso or any of its parts, Labanotation doesn't provide a way to distinguish individual vertebrae. Any part of the spine that's part of your custom limb should therefore participate in the curl. But if the chest or pelvis is the lower of the two body parts included in the rectangular formation for your custom limb symbol, then whichever of them it is should avoid tilting as part of the curling gesture.

Can The Other Parts Move?

If the joints that bend to produce a curl are the ones between but not including the endpoints of the specified limb, do those endpoints have to remain still during a curling gesture? For example, when curling the limb of the arm, as stated above, the shoulder joint doesn't bend to help produce the curl. Does the shoulder have to remain fixed in place during the curl, or can it participate in other gestures while the curl is performed?

The answer is that if you notate a simultaneous gesture for the shoulder, it will perform that gesture. The movement of the shoulder doesn't affect how the arm curl is performed. As explained above, a curl is achieved by producing a particular angle at a particular joint; and no movement of the shoulder can affect your ability to produce an angle at the elbow. To test this, produce a 90^o angle at your elbow; then bend and rotate your shoulder. It's easy to keep the angle at your elbow constant. The shoulder gesture has no influence over it.

The only exception to this is if the movement of the joint at the endpoint of a limb you intend to curl, would move the rest of that limb so as to pass through parts of the body, or other objects, when attempting to perform the curl. But this is not really a problem. If you want to notate a movement that can be performed, then don't notate limbs passing through other limbs or objects. It's up to you to remain aware of the action you're notating, and to understand what is physically possible and what is not. You are perfectly free to notate impossible movements; and there may be performers - perhaps animated ones - that could perform those movements.

You May Specify A Range Of Degrees To Fold Or Curl

As you'll see when we come to the actual symbols, the particular angle produced at the joint of a fold or curl can be clearly specified, but the range of choices is not unlimited. Here are some examples of available angles.

Fig. 6

The full set of available angles is given in the section on the symbols themselves.

You May Specify The Direction Of A Fold Or Curl

A fold or curl may be done frontwards, backwards, sideways, or to an in-between direction.

Fig. 7

Again, the full set of available directions are given further down, in the section on the symbols themselves.

Folding Or Curling A Body Part That Supports Weight

If some or all of your weight rests on a given body part, and you attempt to fold or curl that body part so that it rises up off the ground, there are a variety of ramifications that are different from the ordinary case of folding and curling a limb that is already able to gesture. Because the whole concept of support in Labanotation is treated very differently from gesture, the question of folding or curling a part of the body that supports weight is TBD.

The Character Of A Folding Or Curling Movement

As you'll see throughout this text, there are many ways to modify how any given gesture should be performed. In the case of folding and curling, if no modifications are given, the gesture should always be performed at a steady speed and with a smooth motion that proceeds naturally from the movements that led up to it, and leads naturally into the movement that follows it.

The Folding And Curling Symbols

The Basic Symbol

The basic symbol for folding a single joint, and the symbol for curling a sequence of joints, is the same.

Fig. 8

By adding detail and rotating this symbol, the amount and direction of the fold or curl can be indicated, as shown in the sections to follow.

But if the symbol is used for both folding and curling, how can the notator specify which is intended? And how can the performer understand which gesture to perform?

The answer is that the notator always applies the folding or curling symbol to a specific body part. If that body part is a single joint, such as the ankle or wrist, then a fold is intended. But if that body part has at least two joints between its endpoints, then a curl is intended. Thus, the following examples are straightforward to interpret.

Fig. 9

In the above diagram, the ankle joint is used with the folding and curling symbol. Since the ankle is just a single joint, it means a fold should be performed.

Also in the above diagram, the whole arm is used with the folding and curling symbol. Since there are more than two joints in between the endpoints (the shoulder and finger tips) of that body part, it means a curl should be performed.

It's worth noting that the hand symbol, traditionally called a joint and grouped with other joint symbols, is in fact a limb that includes all the joints of the hand. Using the hand symbol with the folding or curling symbol will always produce a curl.

Fig. 10

It's also worth reiterating that limb symbols defined by only a single body segment between two joints (or a joint and a biological extremity) can neither fold nor curl, because there are no joints between their endpoints.

Fig. 11

The above limbs have joints only at their two extremities; which as we've seen earlier in this chapter, are never bent as part of curling gestures.

It's possible to construct custom limb symbols that have just a single limb between their two endpoints. Since there is only one joint available to fold or curl, these custom limbs will always produce a fold when used with the folding or curling symbol.

Fig. 12

A simpler way to express the identical movement would be to simply identify the joint directly, rather than a limb that includes that single joint.

Fig. 13

How Much Folding Or Curling To Perform

Labanotation derives two distinct sets of symbols from the basic symbol, to indicate the amount that a joint should fold, or to indicate the overall angle achieved in curling. The first is the six degree scale, so named because it shows six increments of 30^o each.

Fig. 14

The second is the eight degree scale, so named because it shows eight increments of 22.5^o each.

Fig. 15

At the top of this chapter, I called attention to the fact that my angle measurements use different landmarks than the ones Ann Hutchinson uses in her texts. This means that the angles given above are different from the ones she uses, even though the actual degree of folding and curling is the same. So, a 2nd degree fold in the eight degree scale is the same in my text and in hers. For this reason, and for the sake of communication between people who've read various texts, when you talk about the degrees of folding and curling, you should always refer to "1st degree", "2nd degree", and so on, rather than "150^o ", "120^o ", and so on.

The symbols from both the six degree and the eight degree scale may be used together in a given score, giving a total of twelve possible angles to choose from. Notice that even though there are fourteen symbols in total, two of each scale are duplicates:

Fig. 16

Why do these symbols have the same meanings? The answer is that even though you are free to use both scales together, it's possible that your score may only need symbols from one. In that case, it would be cleaner and less confusing to express 90^o and 0^o folds and curls using the same scale as you use for other folds and curls.

There is also a thirteenth distinct angle to choose from - the sign for a 180^o angle, otherwise known as the 'unfolding' sign.

Fig. 17

When used with any joint, that joint will move to a straightened, relaxed position. When used with any limb, all the joints in that limb will move to a straightened, relaxed position. As with the other folding and curling symbols, the base side of the joint or limb will not be involved in the movement; the extremity side will move relative to the base, in order to straighten out. In other words, the 'unfolding' symbol follows the same geometric behavior as all the other folding symbols do.

The symbols in both scales, as well as the unfolding symbol, each represent the angle that should exist at a key joint after the folding or curling gesture has been performed. If a given joint or limb has already been folded or curled to some other angle, and you then indicate another fold or curl to be performed, the end result of the new gesture will be for the new angle to match the value of the new symbol. The previous position of the joint or limb will have no impact on the final position of any fold or curl.

Fig. 18

In the above diagram, the base knuckle of the right forefinger folds first to the 1st degree position of the six degree scale (150^o), then to the 3rd degree position of the six degree scale (90^o), and then to the 2nd degree position of the six degree scale (120^o). In each case, the previous angle is abandoned in favor of the new one.

Fig. 19

The Direction Of The Fold Or Curl

The symbols given in the previous section all represent a forward fold or curl, i.e. a fold or curl over the front of the joint or limb in question. But that's not always what you want to do. You might want to fold the wrist backwards, or arch the torso to the side, or something similar.

The fold and curl symbols presented so far wouldn't be able to handle that; but by rotating the symbols in any of eight different ways, you can specify a desired direction to do the fold or curl.

Fig. 20

This rotation can be applied to any degree of folding or curling, with the identical meaning.

Fig. 21

When interpreting these symbols, all directions are relative to the joints and limbs themselves; the front of the arm itself; the left of the knee itself; and so on. For an explanation of how to identify directions relative to body parts, see the section on up/down, front/back, left/right for body parts.

Fig. 22

In the diagram above, the right wrist folds to the 2nd degree position of the eight degree scale (135^o), over the right side of the joint.

Fig. 23

Notice that in the above diagram, to the reader it appears the hand is folding to the left. This is because left and right for folding and curling are taken from the directions relative to the body parts themselves, as explained above.

When notating, it's also possible that the direction of folding or curling - over the front, back, side, or any intermediate direction - would not be important in the performance. To indicate that, the ad lib line is incorporated into the symbol. This indicates that the performer is free to choose the direction of the fold or curl.

Fig. 24

For more information about the ad lib line and it's various uses, see the ad lib chapter.

Amount Of Time Taken To Perform A Fold Or Curl

There are two ways to indicate the amount of time it takes to perform a folding or curling gesture. The first way uses just the folding symbol, with or without an accompanying body part symbol. In the second way, an action line is added.

Folding Symbol With Or Without A Body Part Symbol

In the first way to express timing, you present the body part and folding symbol together without an action line; or if there's a default body part for that column of the staff, you can present the folding symbol alone.

Fig. 25

In the above diagram, the whole arm curls to the 1st degree position of the six degree scale, over the front of the arm; and the knee folds to the first degree position of the six degree scale, at the back of the knee. The diagram constructions for both of those movements each have a certain height and position along the staff. In the case of the knee gesture, the bottom of the construction reaches down to the bottom of the part of the staff allocated for beat one; and the top of the construction reaches halfway up to the tick mark indicating the start of beat two. This means that the movement should begin right on the beat of beat one, and should continue for half of the duration of that beat. At that point, the knee should have reached the 1st degree position at the back of the joint.

For the arm curl, the bottom of its construction also reaches down to the bottom of the area allocated for beat one; but the top of its construction only reaches to a bit less than a quarter of the way up toward the tick mark for beat two. This means that the movement should also begin right on the beat of beat one, but in this case it should continue for only slightly less than a quarter of a beat. At that time, the curl of the arm should be at the 1st degree position over the front of the arm.

Expressing Time With The Action Line

The drawback of the above method is that you don't have much control over the amount of time the gesture will take; the timing is based almost entirely on the amount of space you need to draw the symbols. If you want to express a more controlled amount of time that a folding or curling gesture should take, there is a second method of indicating time that can accomplish this.

To indicate a specific amount of time to take for a fold or curl, you can include an action line as part of the construction.

Fig. 26

In the above diagram, the same two gestures occur; but this time both the knee fold and the arm curl start on the beat of the first beat, and are completed at the middle of the first beat.

If you want a given construction to be performed in less time, but don't want to cram the symbols into too small a space, you can choose a greater distance between the tick marks dividing each beat.

Fig. 27

In the diagram above, the same two gestures occur, but their constructions only take up a quarter of the distance between the beat marks, instead of half. The gestures therefore start on the beat of the first beat, and are completed one quarter of the way through that beat.

If you want the gesture to start in the middle of the beat instead of at the start of the beat, raise the construction up to where you'd like it to begin.

Fig. 28

In the above diagram, the same two gestures occur, and both still take up half a beat of time to perform; but in this case, the arm curl starts on the beat of the first beat, is completed at the mid-point of the first beat, and only then does the knee fold begin. The knee fold then takes half a beat to complete, and is completed at the end of the first beat.

The action line can also be extended as far as you like, so that a given gesture takes more than a single beat to perform.

Fig. 29

In the above diagram, the same two gestures occur. The arm curl takes a beat and a half, and starts on the beat of the first beat; while the knee fold takes a full beat, starting in the middle of the first beat, and ending in the middle of the second beat.

See the chapter on the action line for more information on how it can be used in other contexts.

Beyond Geometry: Folding And Curling Real Body Parts

When dealing with geometric measurements, it's easy enough to calculate angles and positions; when dealing with the human body, some amount of compromise has to be made.

The general rule is that you should notate the movements you want the performer to achieve, and the performer should try their best to achieve those movements.

Some joints are more flexible than others, and can participate more in a curl than other joints. It's up to the performer to make their best estimation of how much each joint should fold in order to produce a desired curl.

For example, consider curling the whole arm to the 6th degree position of the six degree scale.

Fig. 30

In theory, each joint should produce an equal angle; but in the above diagram, the elbow is bent much more then the wrist. This is because that was the only way to reach the 6th degree position. In curling, the behavior of a single joint is not as important as achieving the final overall angle.

Additionally, pure geometry simply doesn't translate cleanly to the human body. Which exact parts of the body are measured, in order to find out if a desired angle has been achieved? It's hard to imagine an answer that would apply easily to all the various parts of the body. Once again, the real answer is that the performer should simply do their best; make the best estimation of how the geometry translates into the body's movement and position, and then try to achieve that position.

Special Considerations For Particular Body Parts

Hands

When curling the hand, the four fingers curl towards the palm, and the base knuckle is used to measure the angle of the curl. That's all in keeping with the general rule. But what happens to the thumb during a hand curl?

The answer is that the thumb movement is up to the performer. The thumb may or may not curl up with the fingers. If you want the curl to be read as involving the thumb or as excluding the thumb, you'll need to write additional notation to achieve that.

Shoulders

TBD - what does it mean to fold the shoulder joint? Where is the angle measured?

Hips

Folding the hips presents a unique situation. Should the leg fold upwards, or should the torso fold downwards? Which is the base, and which is the extremity? When using the person staff, the answer depends upon which column you use. When using the generic staff, the answer is TBD.

Using The Person Staff: The Leg Column

Placing a hip fold in the leg column means the leg should fold towards the torso, while the torso remains uninvolved in the movement.

Fig. 31

An important point that will be covered in the chapters on locomotion is that you can't gesture with any part of the body that currently supports your weight. If you want to fold the leg up towards the torso, you'll have to make sure to notate the fact that the leg isn't holding any weight at the time, as explained in those chapters.

Using The Person Staff: The Body Column

Placing a hip fold in the body column means the torso should fold towards the leg, while the leg remains uninvolved in the movement.

Fig. 32

In this case, it doesn't matter whether the leg bears any weight. However, the same general rule still applies. If you want to fold the torso towards the leg, you must make sure that the torso isn't bearing any weight at the time.

Using The Generic Staff

When notating a hip fold in the generic staff, where none of the columns have any significance by default; if neither the leg nor the torso is currently carrying any weight, then the notation is ambiguous. You'll need to give some other indication of whether the leg or the torso is to move.

For examples of those additional indications, see TBD.

Legs

The front of the knee has virtually no forward flexibility, so trying to curl the leg forward is probably impossible. Likewise the ankle doesn't have much backward flexibility, so trying to curl the leg backwards would probably not be very productive. The leg doesn't bend much sideways either, so leg curls of any kind are going to be very uncommon in notated scores.

Because curling presents these problems on the legs, folding gestures should be used instead, on a joint-by-joint basis.

Custom Limbs From Body Part Pairing

The Rectangular Formation In General

Using the rectangular formation to create custom limbs makes it possible to perform curling on a very targeted series of joints. Consider, for example, the limb extending from the right shoulder to the right wrist.

Fig. 33

In the above diagram, the segment from the shoulder to the elbow doesn't participate in the gesture; it acts as the base, from which to measure the angle. Then the elbow and wrist both bend in order to produce a 90^o angle from the elbow to the tips of the fingers. Notice that the hand doesn't curl, but stays straight. That's because the custom limb doesn't include the hand, so the hand isn't involved in the curl, except as a means of measuring the desired angle.

Fig. 34

Torso

First of all, the torso never folds; if it did, it would involve folding a single vertebra, which might cause injury. The torso can only curl, and each vertebra should participate equally in the curl.

When the arms and legs fold or curl, the part of the body that is more closely connected to the torso is the part that doesn't participate in the gesture, while the part farther towards the extremity is the part that does the movement. But when the torso curls, does the top curl down towards the bottom, or does the bottom curl up towards the top, or do the two ends curl equally towards each other?

The answer is that it depends on how you construct the torso symbol. The ways of constructing the torso symbol are covered in the section called Body Part Pairing With Head, Chest, Waist, And Pelvis. That section explains how to indicate which is the fixed end of the torso, and which is the free end.

If the pelvis is the fixed end, then a torso curl involves the spine curling down towards the pelvis; while the pelvis doesn't tilt at all.

If the chest is the fixed end, then a torso curl involves the spine curling up towards the chest; while the uppermost part of the spine doesn't curl at all.

Combining Folding And Curling With Other Symbols

This chapter has shown how to use the folding and curling symbols just on their own, applied to a particular body part. There are also ways to combine the folding and curling symbols with other symbols to create a modified meaning.

• TBD: link to all places that show modified folding and curling usage

Labanotation also has many general-purpose modifiers that produce a specific affect on folding and curling symbols.

• TBD: link to all places that show a general modifier and how it affects folding and curling