Dance technology

The terms dance technology and Dance and Technology refer to application of modern information technology in activities related to dance: in dance education,<ref name=kassing>"Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design", by Gayle Kassing, Danielle Mary Jay, p. 21</ref> choreography,<ref name=bary>"Leaping into Dance Technology", Jeffrey Bary, Connect: Information Technology at NYU, Fall 2002</ref> performance, and research.<ref name=gray>Dance Technology Current Applications and Future Trends, Judith A. Gray (ed.), 1989, ISBN 0-88314-429-8</ref>

Dance education

In education, dance technology includes various advanced media, such as video, interactive computer programs and internet.,<ref name=kassing/> as well as training in the use of modern technologies for dance creation.<ref>"Technology" Archived 2011-08-14 at the Wayback Machine, part of the curriculum of the department of dance, Wayne State University</ref><ref>Doug Risner, Jon Anderson, "Digital Dance Literacy: an integrated dance technology curriculum pilot project", Research in Dance Education, Volume 9, Number 2, June 2008 , pp. 113-128(16)</ref>

Dance design

Dance recording and computer choreography

One of the earliest uses of computers for dance were carried out in the 1960s at the University of Pittsburgh, where the choreographic process was codified and manipulated by computer, although the results were not published.<ref name=gray/>

In the 1970s there were several attempts to computerize the Labanotation and later the Benesh notation. These attempts naturally evolved into attempts to translate the symbolic notations into computer models of the moving human body and further to computer-assisted creation of choreographies.<ref name=gray/>

Dance performance

Dance technology allows for innovative art forms, such as collaborative network performances<ref name=bary/> and The Dance Technology Project, Atlanta Ballet and Georgia Institute of Technology, with its first performance, "Non Sequitur,? of a ballerina dancing with a computer animated "virtual" dancer was shown on CNN's Future Watch program, May 1994.<ref>"The Dance Technology Project". Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-02-11.</ref>

Virtual dance allows the exploration of physical and virtual dance and blended realities. The first ballet company to perform in a virtual environment was Ballet Pixelle. Inarra Saarinen is the artistic director and choreographer who creates animations, imports them into the virtual reality environment Second Life, and then choreographs using the animations. The avatar dancers are from all over the globe and are not automated in any way but truly dance with each other and the music. Her company began in 2006 and is still performing. Other companies, ZeroG Skydancers, director DC Spensley (Dancoyote Antonelli), also established in 2006 and also still performing.

Integration of live dance performance with dance environment (sound, lighting) was pioneered by Mark Coniglio, whose 1989 MidiDancer measured the angular change at several joints on the dancer's body and used the measurements to control music.

Artists

• Merce Cunningham
• DC Spensley
• Susan Kozel
• Suguru Goto
• Marlon Barrios Solano
• John D. Mitchell
• Bebe Miller
• Troika Ranch
• Chunky Move
• NobleMotion Dance
• Palindrome
• Jamie Jewett
• Boris Willis
• Julie Cruse
• Arthur Elsenaar
• Ashley Friend
• Johannes Birringer
• Lucia Valentin
• Tim Glenn
• Yacov Sharir
• Nic Sandiland
• Kate Sicchio
• Inarra Saarinen
• Eric Dunlap
• Gibson/Martelli (Igloo)
• Todd Winkler
• Joumana Mourad (IJAD Dance Company)

Research

IDAT

Exploration of innovative approaches to harness modern technologies in dance has been reported at the International Dance and Technology Conference. It was held at the following locations:<ref>"IDAT-99". Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-02-11.</ref><ref>" Computer Nerds Meet Tutus: A Pas de Deux for Dancers and Technology", The New York Times, March 3, 1999</ref>

• The University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1992
• Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, 1993
• York University, Toronto, Canada, 1995 (Proceedings: ISBN 1-883034-01-9)
• Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, 1999.

See also

• Digital theatre

Further reading

• iDance, by Emily Macel, Dance Magazine, December 2007.

External links

• Archival footage of a PillowTalk about using modern technology as a medium to transmit modern dance to the public which took place at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 7/23/2011.
• Archival footage of Bebe Miller discussing her approach to using Motion Capture technology within her choreography at a PillowTalk at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival on August 23, 2007.
• Archival footage of Philip Szporer and Marlene Millar discussing 3D dance film in PillowTalk: Canadian Dance on Film at Jacob's Pillow, 7/3/2010