1892
Stepanov System
A music-staff system for recording movement: position, direction, time and relation become a score
RU
Digital Dance Notation
When tradition meets innovation
Historical Notation→AI Reading→Digital ReconstructionDigital Dance Notation
Digital Dance Notation is a research-driven AI project at the intersection of Russian culture and modern technologies
It explores how historical systems of dance notation can be read, preserved and reconstructed through digital tools
Russian Ballet Heritage Through AI Lens
Russian ballet heritage
A language for
movement
At the end of the nineteenth century, a system was created that made it possible to record the movement of Russian classical ballet and preserve its repertoire for future reconstruction
1893–1917
Classical repertory recorded
The developing corpus of Russian classical ballet could be recorded and preserved in notation
1918
Notation brought abroad
Nikolai Sergeyev took the notations abroad, carrying the recorded repertory beyond Russia
1969
Harvard Theatre Collection
The collection was purchased by the Harvard Theatre Collection and remains available for research and reconstruction
Reading path
From historical notation to digital reconstruction
01 / SOURCE
Historical material
The score organises movement as a simultaneous system: head and torso, arms and legs each have their own staff; the archival page remains the primary source
02 / AI
Machine-assisted reading
Computer vision and AI support the reading of body groups, positions, signs and sequence as a legible movement structure
03 / 3D
Digital reconstruction
Confirmed observations, position and duration become structured movement data for reconstructing ballet heritage that has been lost, altered or only partially preserved
Russian heritage in practice
Returning
to the origins
Bringing the primary sources of Russian classical ballet back into cultural circulation and building Russia’s own living digital fund of classical heritage for its stage, collections and future research
01 / SOURCES
Primary-source access
Primary sources become usable again for Russian research, education and artistic practice
02 / AUTHENTICITY
Authenticity
A source-verified route to confirm original choreography, trace later changes and identify missing material
03 / AI
A new cycle of preservation
AI-enabled notation makes the process two-way: reconstruct lost heritage from the archive and record new productions for the future
Author & Project Director
Violetta Zhirova
Ballet dancer, teacher and art researcher working with ballet archives and collections worldwide, PhD in Arts