The Language(s) of Dance

For many dancers, movement is their primary language. For as Isadora Duncan, one of the founding figures in modern dance, stated - "If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it". Dance, and specifically the raw emotion of modern dance, is wielded to make an argument, express a view, convey nuanced opinions - all of the features of a traditional language. However, the weakness of modern dance lies in its lack of a written language. Without a universal means of annotating modern dance, there has been an immeasurable cultural loss, especially of early modern dance. In this project, I explore the difficulties in creating a language for modern dance, and how I believe modern dance can be best preserved for the future.