RAD Brazil | Benesh International Congress 2025

Booking Deadline:

Sexta-feira 20 Junho 2025

Event Date:

Segunda-feira 30 Junho 2025 – Sexta-feira 4 Julho 2025

Event Time:

09:30 AM – 5:00 PM BST each day

Location:

London (UK), Online

Address:

Royal Academy of Dance

188 York Road, London, SW11 3JZ

Available Online?

Yes

Who’s it for?

Anyone interested in Benesh Movement Notation

Fee:

Various

Contact:

beneshinternational@rad.org.uk

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Get ready to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Benesh Movement Notation at the Benesh Congress 2025!

This extraordinary week-long event, hosted by Benesh International at the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), will bring together professionals, students, and enthusiasts from around the world who share a passion for movement notation and its applications in dance. Whether you’re a seasoned expert, a student eager to deepen your understanding, or an RAD teacher interested in integrating Benesh Movement Notation (BMN) into your practice, this Congress is the perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and engage with this powerful system.

Throughout the week, we will explore the versatility of BMN through a range of insightful discussions, hands-on workshops, and interactive presentations. The Congress will highlight the many ways BMN has been applied in research and performance, with dedicated sessions examining its role in documentation, education, and choreography.

What to expect:

Exploring BMN in Research & Practice

Discover how BMN has been used in academic and practical research, with presentations showcasing innovative applications and methodologies. Experts and scholars will discuss the system’s evolution, its contributions to the dance field, and the latest developments in notation practice.

Student Showcases

Enjoy a series of presentations from CNSDMP students, demonstrating how the next generation is engaging with movement notation in creative and analytical ways.

Reconstruction Workshops

Put your understanding of BMN to the test in practical reconstruction sessions. Work with original Benesh scores to bring historical choreography back to life, gaining hands-on experience in interpreting and applying notation.

Exploring the Archives

Attendees will have the unique opportunity to visit the Wolfson Library at RAD HQ, home to an extensive collection of Benesh Movement Notation (BMN) scores and research materials on dance and dance education. This visit offers a rare chance to explore lodged scores, historical documents, and valuable resources that highlight BMN’s role in preserving and documenting movement.

Beyond BMN: Other Notation Systems

Expand your knowledge of movement notation by exploring different systems such as Labanotation and Beauchamp-Feuillet notation. A special session will include a Baroque dance class, giving attendees a chance to experience historical notation in action.

Networking & Community Building

Beyond the scheduled sessions, the Congress will provide invaluable opportunities to connect with fellow attendees, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations. Whether over coffee or in structured discussion groups, these moments will allow for deeper engagement with experts and peers. There will also be the opportunity to socialise outside of the Congress with a dinner on Thursday 3rd July.

Join us in celebrating 70 years of Benesh Movement Notation and be part of this incredible journey of discovery, collaboration, and inspiration!

Further Information

A programme timetable and daily highlights are now available. A full programme of sessions will be available soon.

Photo Credit: Nathalie Adam

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Check out what’s on daily!

Monday

Monday’s programme at the Benesh International Congress 2025 delves into the rich, multifaceted world of movement notation. The day highlights how Benesh Movement Notation is applied across cultural dance contexts – from folk and Morris traditions to Chinese dance – while also emphasising its value beyond choreology, showcasing its broad relevance through transferable skills in teaching, research, and project management. Alongside this, the day explores other notation systems such as the Beauchamp-Feuillet and Labanotation, inviting reflection on how different conceptual frameworks shape what we see and record when bodies move.

Tuesday

Tuesday at the Benesh International Congress 2025 explores the far-reaching applications of Benesh Movement Notation across education, ethnography, and interdisciplinary research. The day highlights how BMN fosters visual perception, motor skills, and even cognitive mapping, especially in young learners and research contexts. From Tanzanian dance studies to using BMN as a tool for analysing thought and social phenomena, the sessions collectively emphasise how notation transcends performance documentation. The day also embraces broader investigative approaches – like haptic perception, embodied data analysis, and archival exploration – expanding our understanding of movement through physical, sensory, and intellectual lenses.

Wednesday

Wednesday brings a strong focus on education, collaboration, and the often-unseen creative labour behind choreography. Through a mix of research-led insights, student showcases, and professional reflections, the day examines how Benesh Movement Notation can reveal, support, and enrich choreographic and pedagogical processes. From academic research on hidden labour to the lived experiences of students at the CNSDMP in Paris, the sessions celebrate the diverse voices shaping the present and future of movement notation.

Thursday

Thursday offers a thoughtful and celebratory conclusion to the Congress, balancing theory, pedagogy, performance, and reflection. From the philosophical question of “What is art?” to hands-on score analysis and unique cultural practices from Guadeloupean carnival traditions, the day invites participants to reflect on the diverse dimensions of Benesh Movement Notation. The schedule showcases conversations with seasoned professionals, new teaching strategies, and closes with a captivating live performance and a social dinner, bringing the community together in both thought and festivity.

Friday

Friday’s programme at the Benesh International Congress 2025 offers a rich blend of cultural exploration, archival discovery, and practical skills development. The day emphasises the broad application of Benesh Movement Notation—from ethnological perspectives to hands-on workshops—while providing unique opportunities to connect with the notation’s history and its global relevance. It’s an inspiring close to the Congress, with sessions designed to deepen your understanding of movement as both art and cultural heritage.

Weekly Tickets	What is included	Price
Benesh Member – in-person	Access to all sessions throughout the week. Access to all lived-streamed sessions on-demand after the event. Refreshments (including tea, coffee, water, and small selection of fruit and pastries). Please note lunch is not provided.	Free (included in Membership)
RAD Member – in-person	As above.	£130
Non-Member – in-person	As above.	£200
RAD Member – online	Access to all lived-streamed sessions. Access to recorded sessions on-demand after the event.	£75
Non-Member – online	As above.	£100

Daily Tickets	What is included	Price
Benesh Member – in-person	Access to all sessions on the chosen days Access to all lived-streamed sessions on the chosen days on-demand after the event. Refreshments (including tea, coffee, water, and small selection of fruit and pastries). Please note lunch is not provided.	Free (included in Membership)
RAD Member – in-person	As above.	£35 per day
Non-Member – in-person	As above.	£45 per day
RAD Member – online	Access to all lived-streamed sessions on the chosen days. Access to recorded sessions on-demand after the event.	£15 per day
Non-Member – online	As above.	£20 per day

Benesh International Congress 2025