# How do they document ballet choreography?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 25, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408 "2004-03-25T19:43:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408/1 "2004-03-25T19:43:07Z")

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How do they write down the movements for ballet dancers to perform?

How do the Enchanted Mice know when to twirly-twirly and not bump into the Queen of the Chickens or the Prince of Tractors?

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**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408/2 "2004-03-25T20:16:48Z")

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There are various systems that have been developed over the years. There are even [archives specifically for choreography](http://www.dancenotation.org/DNB/). One that I remember from college was Laban Notation aka [Labanotation](http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~griesbec/LABANE.HTML).

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408/3 "2004-03-25T20:21:45Z")

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[Cecil Speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_389a.html)

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**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408/4 "2004-03-25T21:12:52Z")

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There was also a [Slate article](http://slate.msn.com/id/2096578) about this a while back.

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**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-document-ballet-choreography/236408/5 "2004-03-25T23:58:38Z")

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> [@Marine\_One](#):
>
> How do the Enchanted Mice know when to twirly-twirly and not bump into the Queen of the Chickens or the Prince of Tractors?

Actually, they know because their choreographer/dance director tells them what the choreography is. AFAIK, nobody ever gives the dancers a photocopy of the written Laban notation, and says, “Here, learn these steps!” The dance director would read it, and then teach it to them.