About the DNB

Preserving the Past, Enriching the Present, Securing the Future

Founded in 1940, the Dance Notation Bureau (DNB) is a world leading organization dedicated to advancing the art of dance through the use of Labanotation, a symbolic system for recording movement. This unique notation system, much like music scores, allows choreographies to be preserved and performed long after the artist’s lifetime. The DNB was established by a group of visionary women—Ann Hutchinson Guest, Helen Priest, Eve Gentry, and Janey Price—who saw the critical need for preserving dance as an art form.

Today, the DNB continues to honor their legacy, housing an extensive collection of dance scores from some of the most renowned choreographers in history, including George Balanchine, Doris Humphrey, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, Mark Morris, and JaQuel Knight, among many others. These invaluable scores enable the staging of approximately 50-100 performances annually, ensuring that significant works continue to be performed and appreciated worldwide.

In addition to its performance support, the DNB also offers services for notating dances to preserve artistic works and secure copyright protection. Through its dual focus on preservation and education, the DNB plays a vital role in both safeguarding the history of dance and enriching its future.

The Dance Notation Bureau is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its Extension for Education and Research is located at The Ohio State University Dance Department.

People

STAFF

Executive Director
Lynne Weber

Ms. Weber is a Certified Professional Notator and Teacher of Labanotation, as well as a Certified Movement Analyst. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She has notated dozens of scores ranging from classical ballet to contemporary dance, Broadway shows, and hip-hop, including choreography by Tudor, Joffrey, Massine, Sokolow, Posin, Wagner, DeMille, and JaQuel Knight. She has notated a full-evening length Sleeping Beauty. With a professional background in dance, Ms. Weber has performed with Milwaukee Ballet Company and various ballet, modern, opera, and operetta companies. She has also taught dance and notation, and choreographed for the Public Theater. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) and American Dance Guild. She holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and an M.S.E. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Weber managed consulting projects at what is now KPMG and served as a Vice President at Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Kiley joined the DNB in October 2006. He has been a supporter of the DNB for many years and has also served as a volunteer, assisting with financial and technology issues. He spent 20 years as a programmer and project manager in the information technology departments of several investment and commercial banks where he directed the budgeting, design and development of fixed-income transaction processing applications. Mr. Kiley earned an M.A. in Philosophy from Rutgers University.

Ms. Byer joined the DNB in October 2022. She is the founder and Artistic Director Emerita of New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) and Director of New York Theatre Ballet School. A former professional dancer, she was a long-time pupil and colleague of Margaret Craske, who was Director of Ballet Instruction at New York Theatre Ballet School until her retirement. Byer is a répétiteur for The Antony Tudor Trust, Education Director for the Dance Notation Bureau, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Dance Notation Bureau and the Clive and Valerie Barnes Foundation. She has also served on the Dance Portal Advisory Board of The Children’s Museum of Manhattan and on the Bessie Awards selection committee. She has staged the ballets of Antony Tudor for American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and The Hartt School, and the ballets of Agnes de Mille for the Alabama Ballet and ABT. She also coached the principals for the Columbia Pictures film, Center Stage. In 1988, Byer founded NYTB’s community LIFT program, providing dance classes, scholarships, and services to homeless and at-risk New York City children. She has received the Helen Wieselberg Award from the National Arts Club, a Humanitarian Hero recognition from Good Housekeeping Magazine for her ongoing work with LIFT, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Martha Hill Dance Fund. A feature-length film, documenting Byer’s journey of LIFT was featured at the 2022 Tribeca Festival.

Ms. Lu is a Certified Teacher of Labanotation and stager with an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Labanotation from The Ohio State University, a B.A. from Hunter College, CUNY, and an A.A. from Tainan University of Technology, Taiwan. She has completed Advanced, Intermediate, and Elementary Labanotation courses and received Teacher Certification from The Ohio State University. Ms. Lu serves on the Board of the International Council of Kinetography Laban/Labanotation (ICKL) and has been an ICKL Fellow since 2023. She is also a core faculty member in Labanotation Teacher Certification Courses. With teaching experiences in the U.S., Mexico, Hungary, and China, Ms. Lu’s publications have appeared in Dance Chronicle, Performing Arts Resources, Beijing Dance Academy Journal, Contemporary Dance Research Journal, and DNB Library News. Along with Hannah Russ, she is the co-editor of the DNB Library News. She joined the Dance Notation Bureau in 2002.

Hannah Russ earned her B.A. degree in Dance and Chinese Area Studies from Kenyon College in 2018, where she found a deep interest in the use of Labanotation as a tool for movement preservation, research, and the creative/choreographic process. She has since earned certification in elementary and intermediate Labanotation and completed the Teacher Certification Course in China following the 2017 ICKL conference. After receiving a Fulbright Student Research/Study grant in 2018, she enrolled as a student at the Nanjing University of the Arts where she spent 10 months conducting research on Labanotation in China. In addition to her role as Administrative Associate, she has also taken on the duty as co-editor for the Dance Notation Bureau Library News. Ms. Russ joined the Dance Notation Bureau in 2021.

Ms. Wile is a Certified Professional Notator, Reconstructor, and Teacher of Labanotation; Certified Movement Analyst; M.S. in Music Education, City College; B.S. in Dance, Juilliard School. Ms. Wile performed on- and off-Broadway and notated works by Donald McKayle, Gerald Arpino, and Kurt Jooss. She has taught at many institutions, including Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, Brooklyn College, Barnard College, University of Detroit at Marygrove, Performing Arts High School, Ruben Academy in Israel, New York City public schools, and her own studio. Her book, Moving About, was published in 2010. Ms. Wile began the Theory Bulletin Board in 1999, and it now has over 100 postings from contributors throughout the Laban community.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Billie Lepczyk, Chairwoman
Ed.D., Professor of Dance, School of Performing Arts, Virginia Tech

Lynne Weber, Vice Chair
Former Vice President, Goldman Sachs

Carla Guggenheim, Treasurer
Rheumatologist; Department of Rheumatology, Michigan State University and private practice

Oona Haaranen, Secretary
Choreographer, Children’s Dance Educator and Writer

Christoph Bregler
Director / Principal Scientist, Google DeepMind

Julie Brodie
Dance Professor, Kenyon College

Diana Byer
Founder and Artistic Director Emerita, New York Theatre Ballet

Joyce Greenberg
Dance faculty, Adelphi University (retired)

Teresa Heiland
Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

David Hopkinson
Accountant, private practice

Dawn Lille
Ph.D., Dance faculty, Juilliard School (retired)

Beth Megill
Dance Professor, Moorpark College

Alice Moorhead
Former Executive Director, Dance Notation Bureau; Chemical Bank (retired)

Ursula Payne
Dance Professor, Slippery Rock University

Valarie Williams
Ph.D., Dance Professor, The Ohio State University

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