Labanotation of Latvian Folk Dance: Tracing the Story of Cūkas Driķos Through the Notation Process

The historical and cultural complexites of Latvian folk dance make the issue of deciding upon what to notate, determining what is essential about a particular dance, a challenge. Many variations on the same dance can be found in archival materials and folk dance publications, and contemporary versions are even more diverse as seen in their participatory and presentational contexts. Tracing the story of the dance Cūkas driķos [Pigs in a Buckwheat Field] for notation purposes became as valuable as the Labanotation score that resulted. This particular dance was selected based on its widespread popularity in the last few decades, as well as its rich and varied history. The investigation began with a presentational, modern version of the dance, which led to examining the related contemporary, participatory versions. These were then compared to descriptions in field notes and historic folk dance publications to try to discern any consistencies across time and place. In this journey, Labanotation helped illuminate distinctions between the presentational and the participatory versions of Cūkas driķos, as well as clearly define standard participatory variations and their relationship to related documented dances. In this manner, the search for what to notate was aided by the notation process itself. Ideally, the Labanotation scores developed through this research process can then become another, perhaps more precise and clear, primary source for understanding and documenting Latvian folk dances.