How did Pierre Beauchamp’s notation system record court dances?

Pierre Beauchamp’s system of dance notation was the first widely used method for recording the intricate movements of Baroque-era court dances.1

The system functioned by mapping the patterns traced by dancers on the floor. These floor pathways were represented through drawings, which were then annotated with specific signs to indicate the required steps. Because the dance style of the period emphasized complex footwork, the notation was highly effective at capturing these movements. Later, the system was expanded to include indications for arm gestures to complement the footwork.1

Although Beauchamp devised the system, he never published it himself; it was popularized through his student, Raoul-Auger Feuillet, who published the method in 1700 as Chorégraphie; ou, l’art de décrire la danse. The notation became a standard tool among the educated classes and at the French court of Louis XIV, remaining popular until the French Revolution, when it fell into disuse as it proved ill-suited for the broader range of movement required in theatre dance.12