For this assignment, the class was tasked to translate the first image on the left, a score of a non-dance related activity into a motif score, pictured on the right. Through this task, I was able to explore the similarities and differences between my two scores while seeing how much my knowledge of dance analysis has grown throughout this semester. 

  In my original motif score, I focused on spatial paths and directions. I drew very specific objects and arrows to indicate the direction they were moving. My first score is very literal and describes each part of each action the professor takes. While translating my original motif score, I also noticed that I focused on drawing the teacher’s hand gestures and what objects she came in contact with, instead of the general action.

            Contrastingly, throughout the process of creating my second motif score, I had to generalize the actions as opposed to drawing every part. I was forced to determine which parts I wanted to put an emphasis on, and which movements were less important to include. As a result, I decided to focus on the spatial pathways and what they were motioning towards, as well as contact with certain items to include the gestures from the original score.

            Motif scores create a common language, which dance analysists can understand and translate. Although these scores tend to be more general, analysts are still able to get an overall idea of the space, direction, time and time an action has. Motif scores also can give a general description of an action such as a rotation or spring. More specifically, motif scores can tell the reader the proximity and contact to another object or person. Motif scores are very general, so not everyone gets the same interpretations of the movement. Whereas my self-developed motif score allowed me to specifically describe each movement as detailed as I wanted it. Rationally, this system would not be logical because only the person that would understand the score is the person that created it. However, with Laban’s system for motif score, more people are able to get a general understanding of movement.