The Art of Dancing in 1910 and Narratives of Time and Space

Post from August 28, 2007 (↻ November 9, 2021), filed under Art and Design.

It’s interesting to explore different forms of data visualization. Here are some photos I took from a dance book from 1910, “Atlas zur Grammatik der Tanzkunst und Tanzschreibekunst oder Choreographie”—“Grammar of the Art of Dancing”—, by Friedrich Albert Zorn. Zorn was a successful German dancer, choreographer, and dance theorist who lived from 1820 to 1905.

Although the photographs are of rather poor quality, you should be able to make out interesting details (typography) and recognize what Edward Tufte taught as small multiples and “narratives of time and space.” The dance notation—which as far as I know is still in use?—invites to compare and assess changes. There probably are more things to note (and maybe to criticize) from an information design point of view, but take a look for yourself.

About Me

I’m Jens, and I’m an engineering lead—currently manager for Developer Experience at LivePerson—and author. I’ve worked as a technical lead for Google, I’m close to W3C and WHATWG, and I write and review books for O’Reilly. I love trying things, sometimes including philosophy, art, and adventure. Here on meiert.com I share some of my views and experiences.

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