She's a Dancing Machine

Next friday Julie Cruse will be joining us. Julie comes from Ohio State University's Experimental Media and Movement Arts Lab and is the architect of VICKI, Virtual Improvisational Choreographer / Kinetic Instructor. VICKI, or Choreobot, is a dance machine that uses verbal commands to guide its subject through a structured improvisation.



VICKI says:

“Choreobot is designed to challenge a dancer’s movement skills, and asks the dancer to draw upon advanced improvisational interpretation. I am programmed to make dances using theme and variation as prescribed by my creator. I use textbook dance methods, but - I am unpredictable. The dancer will demonstrate as I begin my next new dance.”

Among other things, Matt Gough says "there is a wealth of research waiting to be uncovered in this work" and we will get to be be a part of that.

As I mentioned in class, Julie Cruse has very strong desires about how she would like to progress the field. Currently she sees stagnation in the research. When asked "What is dance technology?" she replied:

When I hear dance and tech, I think - it better not be ANOTHER interactive audio/video environment.

It better not be ANOTHER...

dance contextualized by projected videos
dancer controlled by robotics or sensors
improvisation in real time that composes the score
motion capture in real time translated to animated projections
wearable technologies that do something with sound or video
animated avatars in second life
real time "telematic" improvising