Towards semiotically driven empirical studies of ballet as a communicative form

The paper addresses the growing need for a clearer understanding of dance as a form of communication, acknowledging the limitations of existing research. While dance is widely considered a universal communicative form, its precise nature remains elusive. This study proposes a method to apply techniques from verbal communication research to dance, offering benefits in teaching, digital archiving, and choreography learning. The authors aim to develop a detailed methodology for characterizing dance communication and investigating its possibilities empirically, bridging raw movement data with discourse and narrative interpretations. This approach draws upon linguistics, semiotics, and multimodality, acknowledging the dual aspects of dance communication: embodiment (iconicity) and convention (symbolism). Classical ballet is chosen as a case study due to its high degree of conventionality and global recognition.

The paper reviews two relevant research areas: multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) and formal models of communication applied to dance. It highlights the contributions of Bateman et al. (2017) and Maiorani (2021) in applying MDA, drawing from systemic-functional linguistic and social semiotic traditions. Challenges in MDA, such as limitations in scale and underdeveloped treatments of iconic components, are noted. The authors also discuss the work of Patel-Grosz et al. (2019) in characterizing a classical South Indian dance form using discourse representation theory, and the work of Napoli and Kraus (2017) and Charnavel (2019) in proposing a phonetic-like approach to characterizing dance's physical possibilities. Existing dance notation systems (Labanotation and Benesh movement notation) are acknowledged but critiqued for their failure to capture discursively significant dancer choices and the materiality of dance.

The core methodology is based on the formally defined notion of 'semiotic mode' proposed in Bateman et al. (2017), which offers three levels of description: material regularities, formal-material structures, and discourse relations. The authors apply this framework to classical ballet, using Maiorani's (2021) 'functional grammar of dance' (FGD) to group measurable behaviors into qualitative equivalence classes primed for discourse interpretation. The FGD posits two dimensions: trajectories of movement through spatial displacements and 'projections' – the interactive connection between body parts in movement and space. Projections are formally defined by articulators (body parts) and their movements, categorized into configurations with functional meaning (representing the world, interpersonal interaction, structural organization). Minimal Ballet Sequences (MBSs) are defined as the smallest structural units of motivated movement, consisting of two Moves (displacements with projections). The sequencing of projections, characterized by grouping operations, forms the basis for discourse structure generation. Discourse semantics is characterized by associating projection structures with abstract discourse-level predicates (e.g., CONNECTING, COMING-FROM, GOING-TO), creating event structures analogous to those in linguistic semantics. A qualitative description of spatial regions (Freksa's 1992 double-cross calculus) helps track discourse referents as the dancer changes orientation. The analysis proceeds by segmenting movement into Moves and MBSs, associating projection structures with discourse predicates, resolving discourse referents using the spatial calculus, and constructing a discourse structure using principles from Segmented Discourse Representation Theory (SDRT). This process is illustrated through a detailed analysis of a sequence from Princess Aurora's solo in Sleeping Beauty, demonstrating how the combination of movement data, projection analysis, and discourse relations generates a narrative interpretation.

The paper demonstrates a step-by-step derivation of discourse structure and interpretation from a ballet sequence. The analysis shows how the manipulation of projections organizes material distinctions and relates them to discourse interpretations. The use of abstract discourse predicates and a qualitative spatial calculus allows the resolution of spatial regions invoked by the dancer's projections. The analysis of Aurora's solo illustrates how MBSs serve as building blocks for constructing larger discourse structures. The paper presents a detailed analysis of the first six MBSs of the solo, showing how the combination of moves and projections generates a narrative interpretation. The analysis also reveals how repetition and contrast in projections contribute to the overall meaning of the sequence and how the discourse structure can be represented graphically using SDRT conventions. The analysis is extended to compare different versions of the same solo (Bolshoi, Opéra de Paris, Kirov TV version, and Matthew Bourne's contemporary version), highlighting both similarities (maintaining the same discursive patterns at the MBS level) and differences (variations in projection patterns, character interactions, and audience engagement). This comparative analysis demonstrates how the proposed framework captures both the overarching narrative structure and the fine-grained variations across different choreographies and performance contexts.

The findings demonstrate the feasibility of applying a formal, semiotically driven approach to analyze ballet as a communicative form. The methodology provides a principled way to link physical movement data with discourse interpretations, enabling rigorous empirical investigation. The comparative analysis of different ballet versions reveals both structural similarities (consistent discursive patterns at the MBS level) and subtle variations in how these patterns are realized across different choreographic interpretations and performance contexts. This demonstrates the framework's capacity to capture the nuanced interplay between form and meaning in dance. The ability to generate comparable semantic structures to those in natural language semantics facilitates cross-semiotic comparisons, potentially enriching our understanding of discourse structure across different communicative modalities.

The paper successfully demonstrates a novel method for analyzing ballet as a communicative form by using motion capture data, a functional grammar of dance, and discourse representation theory. This creates a framework for empirical research using corpus-based and experimental methods drawn from linguistics and psychology. Future research should focus on expanding the range of dance movements analyzed, exploring the full spectrum of discourse structures in ballet, and investigating the interplay between background knowledge and semantic configurations. The practical applications include enhancing audience understanding and developing tools for teaching and choreography.

The current study focuses primarily on classical ballet and a limited number of sequences. Further research is needed to validate the framework's applicability to other dance forms and styles. The detailed manual annotation process may be time-consuming, requiring further development of automated annotation tools. The current analysis does not incorporate other modalities that contribute to the overall communicative impact of a ballet performance (e.g., music, costume, stage design).