Natalie Ebenreuter
 Natalie Ebenreuter |
Fulbright Postgraduate Award in Visual and Performing Arts sponosred by Anthony Joseph Pratt
Media Profile
"Labanotation is a system for recording and analysing human movement. Established by Rudolf Laban in 1928, it is based on spatial, anatomical, and dynamic principles. It allows the recording of movement based on the universal laws of kinetics – it is the musical score of dance. Through Labanotation, we can record dance on paper so that it can be interpreted and reproduced in the future.”
Natalie Ebenreuter has won the 2006 Fulbright Postgraduate Award in Visual and Performing Arts sponsored by Anthony Joseph Pratt. Established in 1996 by the Pratt Foundation, the Fulbright Postgraduate Award in Visual and Performing Arts is one of few international Fulbright Awards for visual and performing artists.
Labanotation is a dance notation system that enables a precise system of reading, writing and interpreting movement that is most widely used in North America. It is a comprehensive description and record of movement. Natalie will research the development of a prototype application, LabanAssist, to provide dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, choreologists, students and educators with a tool designed to provide greater accessibility of Labanotation and enhance dance literacy. Dance notation is analogous to music notation.
“It is essential to employ an appropriate use of technology to develop applications that remain accessible to the dance community. Interacting with universities that offer comprehensive art, science and dance programs will facilitate the research necessary to develop a tool that aims to enhance dance literacy,” said Natalie.
Through her Fulbright Award Natalie with spend nine months at the Ohio State University Dance Department and the Advanced Computing Centre for the Arts and Design undertaking research towards her Australian PhD. “My research will investigate the design methodologies, associated with human computer interaction methods, and to assist in a prototype application that may be of greater use and value to the dance community," explained Natalie.
A former professional dancer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Dresden Ballet (not to mention a national springboard diving champion), Natalie is currently undertaking a PhD in Multimedia Design at Swinburne University, Faculty of Design on an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA). She is also a sessional lecturer in the faculty and works as freelance Designer and Developer at David Trewern Design.
Following her dance career Natalie graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Multimedia) with first class honours from Swinburne University. She received a 2005 Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award from Swinburne University, an award for Best Tertiary Educational Resource in the Australian Teachers of Media Awards 2005 and worked on the animation and modeling for the 3D animated series “Petey and Jaydee” produced by Momentum Animation Studios. She is a student representative on Swinburne University’s Academic Board and a member of the International Council of Kinetography Laban/Labanotation.