The Royal Ballet Demystifies Benesh Movement Notation in New Explainer Video

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

Eastern

Central

Western

West End

WEST END

UK Regional

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

TV/Movies

Music

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

The five-line stave system, devised in 1956, remains central to preserving and restaging ballet repertoire at the Royal Opera House.

POPULAR

Get all the top news & discounts for UK & beyond.

A new video from the Royal Opera House offers an inside look at Benesh Movement Notation, the written system used by The Royal Ballet to record and reconstruct choreography. In the clip, Senior Benesh Choreologist and Assistant Répétiteur Gregory Mislin and Benesh Choreologist Daniel Kraus walk through how the notation system functions in practice, using the restaging of DANSES CONCERTANTES, one of Kenneth MacMillan's one-act ballets, as a working example.

Benesh Movement Notation was devised by Rudolf and Joan Benesh and first published in 1956. The system uses a five-line stave, with each line representing a different part of the body from head to feet, and symbols placed to indicate the position and movement of each limb. The score is read left to right and synchronized with the musical accompaniment, making it particularly well suited to ballet and other dance forms set to music.

The notation system is most widely used in the recording and restaging of dance works, and The Royal Ballet employs dedicated choreologists whose role is to document productions in this written form and use those scores to reconstruct works for new casts and seasons. The video illustrates how a choreologist's score functions as a primary reference during the rehearsal process.

The Royal Opera House has been active in sharing educational and behind-the-scenes content alongside its performance programming. Recent coverage on BroadwayWorld has included the announcement of SO ARE WE , a double bill marking the first Royal Ballet performances of works by choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.

Get an Alert Each Time Robert Diamond Writes

Videos

Recommended For You

Sign up for announcements, and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Video-The-Royal-Ballet-Explains-BENESH-MOVEMENT-NOTATION-in-New-Educational-Clip-20260614)._