The drawings and notations of choreographers rarely come before the public eye; and yet they are far more than simple memory aids. Graphic translations of dance open up visual and conceptual horizons of singular force. Midway between choreographic tool and work of art, they offer a privileged focus of inquiry for an entire range of critical approaches linked to the question of sight – which, at this century’s turn, seems increasingly to bear on the limits of the imaginary.

Several types of speech and writing have been called upon to lead the viewer’s perception through the traces that the dancing body lays down. While these texts are not all concerned with the specific practices of dance, they all deal with the most profound contribution that a knowledge of the moving body brings to our culture, to our lives. Thus, this book is devoted not only to the notation of movement, but also to a process of reflection that enlarges upon and displaces the elements within its field.

A wealth of visual documentation, a chronological table, and extensive bibliographical references also make this volume an invitation to further research.

With: G.Appaix, L.G Pécour, B.Wilson, D.Bagouet, T.Brown, L. Childs, R.Chopinot, M. Cunningham, Ph.Decouflé, Feuillet,  Raoul-Auger, R.Huilmand, Isaac, A.T de Keersmaeker, R.Laban, D.Larrieu, J.M Matos, D. Reitz, H. Robbe, K.Tomlinson, M.Wigman, A. Lorin, V. Nijinski, P. Rameau.