February 27, 2006

Troika Ranch Demonstration Video

Yesterday afternoon at the "Who's in Control?" event at the Eyebeam center in Manhattan, Mark Coniglio and Dawn Stoppiello of Troika Ranch described and demonstrated an inexpensive and effective system for staging interactive dance performances.

I've included below a link to a video clip that shows the entire demonstration - Thanks to Mark and Dawn for allowing me to post this video clip to my blog.

Click here to watch the video now in Windows Media Format. And you'll want to read the below details to learn more.

What Mark and Dawn demonstrated was a motion tracking system that enables the movements of a dancer to generate, in real time, images, graphics and sounds that are projected on a screen right behind the dancer. What's intriguing is that to stage this type of performance, you just need a video camera, infra-red lights, a Mac and two software programs: 1) Isadora from Troika Tronix to design this interactive performance, and 2) EyesWeb, a motion tracking software program.

This low-cost motion tracking system is the exact configuration that Troika Ranch used for its recent 16 [R]evolutions performance in New York. You can read about the motion tracking system used for this performance by visiting their technology page.

Click here to watch video demonstration (Windows Media Format - 14:17 Minutes - 23:35 MB - Encoded at 256k) - this is the same video link as above.

Screen Shots from Mark and Dawn's Presentation

(click on images to see larger pictures)

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Coverage Coming from Weekend's "Who's in Control?" Program

I mentioned last week that this past weekend I'd be attending the "Who's in Control? - New Interfaces for Artistic Expression" program in NY. The conference was good and it was an excellent learning opportunity.

Later today I'll start providing a recap of the sessions and performances and upload a video demonstration of video tracking technology conducted by the dance company Troika Ranch.

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February 23, 2006

Harvestworks - "Who's in Control? New Interfaces for Artistic Expression

I'll be in New York this coming weekend at a program offered by Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center and 3-Legged Dog Media and Theater Group called "Who's in Control? New Interfaces for Artistic Expression." The performances and educational sessions will take place at Eyebeam.

This symposium explores developments in computer interfaces for the visual and performance arts. I'll write about the programs and performances over the weekend or next week.

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February 22, 2006

Isadora Software from Troika Tronix

I'm beginning to experiment with software programs that are used for creating interactive dance performances. Yesterday, I started working with Isadora from Troika Tronix. Mark Coniglio, a composer and new media artist, created the Isadora software program, which was first used by Troika Ranch, a dance company which Mark co-directs with choreographer Dawn Stoppiello.

With Isadora, dancers, choreographers and new media artists can create interactive performances that enable the movements and gestures of dancers to control, in real-time, the video sequences, images, sounds and lighting patterns viewed by the audience. Isadora is considered a graphical programming environment because you can control, in a visual manner, how this software program will output different types of media without having computer programming skills.

Yesterday, I started working with the Windows public beta version - a Mac version is also available and is the more commonly used edition. You can take Isadora for a test drive for 30 days at no charge. The program sells for US$350.00.

I've only used Isadora for about 2-3 hours. But at this early stage, I think the program is fascinating and well designed - I did encounter a couple programming errors with the Windows version. I've worked through the first two tutorials which walk you step-by-step through the process of choosing media - such as a video clip - and then outputting the video with a variety of visual effects. Next, I'm going to attach my camcorder to my computer and start experimenting with the real-time manipulation of live video feeds.

Isadora comes with sample files and a user guide that is about 275 pages. Once you install Isadora, I recommend that you first load the sample files and then turn to the user guide and follow the instructions for each of the 10 tutorials. The user guide is very well written and helpful.

After learning Isadora, I'm going to start working with Max/MSP from Cycling '74. My understanding is that Isadora is easier to use - so I figured it was a good place to start.

To learn more about Isadora, you can visit this page for this application which includes a detailed description as well as links to reviews.

To learn about Troika Ranch's latest performance work, "16 [R}evolutions," you can access this page to learn about the motion tracking and other technologies used as well as watch a 2 minute video clip.

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Directory Fixed

I believe that the bugs in the directory are fixed. You should be able to browse the directory and add listings without any problem. If you do encounter any problems, please email me.

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February 21, 2006

Design Tips for Dance Websites

Here are ten tips for creating websites to promote dance:

1) Objectives: Start with your objectives in mind. What is it that you want visitors to your website to do? Buy tickets? Sign-up for dance classes? With these objectives in mind, how can you design a website that will help your visitors achieve these objectives?

2) Text: Ensure that website visitors can read the text on your webpages. Internet users access the web with different web browsers and screen resolutions. It may be the case that on your computer the text is easy to read, but another users with a very high screen resolution may see very small print when they access your home page and the print may be too difficult to read.

3) Navigation: Creating a sensible navigation system is critical. Users should be able to find the information that they want as quickly and effortlessly as possible. So it's important to spend time designing a navigation system that helps direct users to the content and tools that they seek.

4) Clarity over design: It's more important for a site to be functional than for a site to feature a beautiful design. Of course having an attractive site is a major plus. But most of the time, users have specific objectives when they visit your site. They want to know the dates and times of a performance. They want to find and print driving directions to a theater. They want to purchase tickets. If a fancy design ever interferes with providing this type of straightforward functionality, then your website is not delivering what your customers need.

5) Constant updates: Websites should always be updated. If users visit a site that doesn't feature the latest performance and/or class schedules, they will leave the site in a fraction of a second. Ideally, you should have a way to make changes to your website through an easy to use content management system that does not require knowledge of HTML. You should be able to add text and schedules and push a button to update your website.

6) Weblogs: As I've written many times, weblogs (blogs) are invaluable. First, they are easy to update. But more importantly, blogs are a great way to communicate directly with your audience. Most websites just include traditional marketing copy that doesn't usually grab the attention of readers. But if choreographers and dancers write in the first person and communicate directly with their audiences, they will get more people excited and interested in upcoming performances.

7) No frames and no little text boxes: It is never a good idea to embed text in small, scrollable text boxes that are a pain in the neck to navigate. The focus should always be on providing users with easy to access content that does not require struggling with little directional arrows that are too difficult to use.

8) Repertory: I'm often surprised by how short and unhelpful descriptions are on many dance websites for upcoming performances. Why not write extended descriptions of performances so that readers can learn about your dance programs in-depth before attending the performance? I like what the San Francisco Ballet offers in terms of program notes and study guides.

9) Pictures: There's nothing like good pictures to enhance a dance website. Once again, however, I'm not thrilled with the quality of the pictures that I've seen on dance sites. It pictures are carefully chosen and clearly annotated, they can add significant value to the user experience.

10) Video: Add video segments of your upcoming performances. In some cases, due to contractual limitations or copyright issues, it may not be possible to add video clips. But if at all possible, try to add videos of performance highlights and interviews. Make sure you test the videos on different computers to ensure that your website visitors will not have trouble access these clips.

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February 20, 2006

The Many Problems with Dance Websites

For many months I've been thinking about putting together a list of the top 25 dance websites. The reason why I haven't done this yet is because I think most dance company, performance venue and dance studio websites are miserable.

The main problems I have with dance and related sites is that the navigation system is not logical, it is too difficult to find what you're looking for, the web designer/developer takes control away from the user and the e-commerce system for purchasing tickets is a mess.

The Kennedy Center Website

For example, I've bought tickets online a few times from the Kennedy Center here in Washington, DC. I've never liked the design of their vertical navigation bar on the left-hand side of the page. Click on "Find a Performance." You'll notice that there are two separate listings for dance that are not even next to each other: "Search Ballet" and "Search Dance." Why don't they have one dance category and then by selecting this single dance category website visitors can choose a specific sub-categories of dance?

Also, why do the two options for dance use the word "search." The first thing that you see when you click on either "Search Ballet" or "Search Dance" is a list of upcoming performances. Then, on the right-hand side of the page you can conduct a search.

For each program, the Kennedy Center does provide an ample description of each event and it is clear what the dates and times of the performances are and whether any tickets are left. But then once you initiate the process of purchasing a ticket, there are a number of problems.

First, you have to be a registered user of the site to purchase a ticket. The better e-commerce systems allow a dual-track approach. You can buy a ticket as a user, which speeds-up the process because some data is pre-populated for you in the address and other fields, or you have the option of simply starting the ticket purchasing process from scratch each time you buy a ticket without having to be a registered user.

Second, every time I buy a ticket I'm notified that I can't continue unless I fill-in my promotional code. But I don't have a promotional code - so I don't understand what is happening here.

Alvin Ailey Website

Two weeks ago I saw a performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Kennedy Center. Wonderful performance, but terrible website. You'll notice that when you visit the Alvin Ailey website the first thing that happens is that a smaller window pops-open on your screen with a navigation system you can use to locate different types of information.

It is always a terrible idea for web designers to force open another browser to provide access to information about your organization. First off, many users turn-off pop-up windows. So it's possible that some/many users will never be able to access your website. Second, what's the point of this? Keep things simple and give people access to information that they are looking for. And, third, don't ever take control away from the user. You'll notice in the pop-up window, that the URL address line has been intentionally removed so that users have to close this window before they can easily visit other websites.

While I'm at it, forcing a new browser window open to provide access to your website content is equally as bad as showing a Flash animation on your home page. While most users can view Flash animations, these presentations take extra time to download and users don't like to wait. So while your wonderful animation is loading, users are off to other websites.

Continuing with the Alvin Ailey site, I clicked on "The Company" and then "Repertory" in the top navigation menu to read about "Revelations" - Alvin Ailey's famous 1960 work. While I guess it's nice that you can watch a short video clip, the description is embedded in a frame, I think, and you have to use these pain in the neck little navigation arrows to read the entire text. As a general rule, text of any type should never be embedded in little windows that make it difficult for users to read and navigate.

The Kennedy Center and Alvin Ailey websites are just two of the many hundreds (probably thousands) of dance/performance websites with many problems.

If you know of good websites in the dance world, please let me know about them. As I said at the outset, I'd like to put together a list of top 25 websites and I'm sure there are excellent sites out there - somewhere - I hope.

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February 17, 2006

Directory Bug - Update

Still working on the bug described below with the directory. Hopefully it will be solved today - Monday.

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Sometimes when you click on one of the category sections in the new Dance and Technology Directory, nothing will happen. So you end-up having to click twice on the category section to reach the listings you want to view.

Just wanted to let you know. We're working on fixing this bug.

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Avoiding Injuries - Most of the Time

I've managed to keep myself healthy since I started taking jazz dance classes last year. I figured that if I did hurt myself I'd probably injure my knees during dance class or hurt my back.

But that's not what happened. About two weeks ago I was on an elliptical machine in a health club. It was a different health club than I usually go to. So that day I increased the resistance to make my cardio workout more challenging. And the next day I woke up in pain. I found out after going to the doctor yesterday that I aggravated tendons in both legs. So I haven't been able to dance or work out for two weeks and I'll probably have to wait another two weeks before I can take dance classes. A real bummer!

I figure that what happened is that the elliptical machine I was on was calibrated differently than the ones I'm used to. So I probably increased the resistance much more than I intended.

Since I started take performance dance classes last summer - I did some social dancing before than - I've been very focused on trying to stay healthy and getting in good shape. Before taking an Intro to Dance at Joy of Motion in June I was only in average shape in terms of flexibility, cardio and strength. Also, I found that dancing puts different demands on the body than sports I've played. So I decided that since I was 43 and had never danced before, I would be methodical about working out, stretching and, overall, staying in good shape.

About last September I bought two books that have been incredibly helpful:

The first is "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. On Amazon, this book gets 4 1/2 stars from 58 reviews. This book offers an excellent introduction to stretching with tons of illustrations and clear descriptions of how to do stretches for different parts of the body.

So when I do stretches outside of class I do a combination of stretches from this book along with stretches that we've done in the different jazz classes I've taken. When I started using this book, I focused mostly on my back, groin and knees - for the obvious purpose of avoiding injuries. Now I do different combinations of stretches each time I stretch. I'm sort of amazed by how much my flexibility has increased in about 8 months or so. I think most of my greater flexibility comes from my dance classes supplemented by this book. I still want to know why women are more flexible. Does it have to do with the hips and the lower back?

The second book I bought was "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men." On Amazon this book has 4 stars from 96 reviewers. Some of the reviewers are pretty critical of this book. What I like about this book is that it offers very clear descriptions of how to lift weights (mostly dumbbells and machine weights) for each set of muscles. I looked at a number of other weight-lifting books and most of them just weren't clear and were often confusing.

In October or so I started lifting weights for my upper body - biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest and back. For the most part I use dumbbells and a few machines. Then, about two months ago I started lifting weights for my legs - calves, quads and hamstrings. I thought my legs were stronger than they were. I've read the descriptions for the different weight lifting exercises many times to figure out the right way to do each one. I'm always tempted to tell guys in the gym that the way they're lifting free weights is completely counter-productive. But I don't think most people really want to hear that they are completely clueless about weightlifting - so I don't say anything.

I think that as a result of dancing, stretching, weight-lifting and cardio exercises I'm in better shape than I've been since playing soccer in college. But I'm just going to have to wait a couple more weeks before ramping up the physical activity again.

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February 15, 2006

Dance Videos and Video Blogs

Thanks to Jo-Anne Green at network performances for her two dance posts from yesterday and today:

Today Jo writes about the videodance work of Mimi Garrard. On the Mimi Garrard Dance Theatre website you can watch "Creating Dance for Video, 2006." You can also visit the Videodance page to watch a number of additional videos choreographed by Mimi Garrard. Mimi Garrard has been creating dance videos since the 1960. The presentation of videos on this site is excellent. It's a nice change to be able to watch dance videos in an accessible and enjoyable manner. I'm getting tired of going to dance websites with video and having trouble finding the clips and playing the videos or having to view such small screens that it's impossible to know what you're watching.

And yesterday, Jo linked to Ying Zhou's Dance Diary. Ying Zhou is a dancer who grew-up in Beijing and lives in Seattle. On a November 17, 2005 post, she videotapes a dance piece for her blog and makes it available to visitors and then people can leave comments. I've always liked this idea of creating dance pieces for blogs and then providing viewers with an opportunity to communicate directly with a dancer/choreographer. I think it would be great to see this idea built upon and explored by many more dancers. This is one of the ideas I wrote about in my white paper on blogging.

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February 14, 2006

100+ Links in Dance and Technology Directory

There are more than 100 links in the new Dance and Technology Directory I launched over the weekend. To add a link just go to sub-category where you want your link placed and click on "Add Link."

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Online Dance Videos from VideoD

VideoD, a full-service video production company with a focus on dance and theater, has some good short clips of performances from a number of dance companies. Go to the Great Moments in Dance page to see the videos.

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Interview with Jeroen Fabius About Dance Unlimited

Yesterday I interviewed Jeroen Fabius about Dance Unlimited Amsterdam, a two-year, advanced degree in choreography, performance and new media. Jeroen, who is based in Amsterdam, is the coordinator of the Dance Unlimited program.

Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - 3.79 MB - 8:05 Minutes)

Background: Dance Unlimited Amsterdam

Established in 2002, Dance Unlimited (DU) Amsterdam is a unique two-year masters program (currently a postgraduate program but will be validated as a Masters from 2007) supporting the study of the relationship between choreography, performance and new media technologies. The program takes the development of choreographic work as its starting point, and new media technologies and practices are approached from this perspective. Theoretical and critical reflection is used as a means to challenge and support the practical work; and collaboration is emphasized. The DU staff comprises internationally known artists and researchers: Scott deLahunta, Sher Doruff, Jeroen Fabius (coordinator), Thomas Lehmen and Susan Rethorst.

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February 13, 2006

Alvin Ailey Post in Dancehunter

Nancy Galeota-Wozny in her Dancehunter has a nice piece, "Always a Revelation: Alvin Ailey's Dance Legacy." Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be performing in Houston later this week where Nancy is based.

I like reading Dancehunter. Nancy often has good interviews with dancers and choreographers.

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February 11, 2006

Interview with Jody Sperling about Loie Fuller

Yesterday afternoon I interviewed Jody Sperling, the artistic director of Time Lapse Dance. Jody is a dancer, choreographer, dance critic and scholar based in New York City. She is an expert on Loie Fuller and an interpreter of Fuller's style of dancing. You can listen to Jody discuss the dances of Loie Fuller and her recreations of the works of this modern dance pioneer.

Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - 8.55 MB - 18:14 Minutes)

You can watch a video clip of Jody Sperling performing the Butterfly Dance in 1997 at the Library of Congress.

Also, Jody sent me links to original video clips of Loie Fuller imitators. These video clips are grainy and without sound, but they let you see exactly what the original dances were like. The first video is performed by Crissie Sheridan in 1987 and the second video is performed by Ameta in 1903.

Jody Sperling Background

Jody Sperling (Artistic Director) is a dancer, choreographer, dance critic and scholar based in New York City. Sperling has gained an international reputation as an expert on Loie Fuller and as an interpreter of Fuller's style of dancing. Sperling has lectured and/or performed at colleges, universities, festivals, and conferences in the US, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. Sperling's interest in this historic figure began in 1997 with The Butterfly Dance, a collaboration with film choreographer and dance historian Elizabeth Aldrich commissioned by the Library of Congress. Since then, Sperling has created five Fuller-inspired solos, including The Serpentine Dance (after the 1891 original), The Magic-Lantern Dance, a collaboration with Terry Borton, the director of the American Magic Lantern Theater, Dance of the Elements, La Nuit, and, most recently, Debussy Soirée.

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February 10, 2006

New Dance and Technology Directory

The new Dance and Technology Directory is up. Please take a look and share any comments. I'm especially interested in feedback about the category and sub-category names - I'm going to continue to make changes to them.

Please feel free to add your listing. Just go to directory section where you want your listing placed and click "Add Link" at top of page.

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Update on Book and Other Things

As I do the initial research for the chapter on interactive performances for my upcoming book (read post from Wednesday), what strikes me is the tremendous range of possibilities for these types of performances. I have a feeling that by the time I get done with this chapter, it will a book-length publication.

Since there are so many software programs, technologies and other tools that are used for interactive performances, I've decided the first thing I'm going to do is create an annotated guide to digital performance technologies. As of now, you can visit the Software and Technology section of the Dance and Technology Guide and you'll see a very abbreviated list of some of the available tools. I'm in the process of converting and expanding this entire guide into a searchable and browsable database so it's much easier to identify specific types of resources.

Also on my weblog, I'll be writing about companies that develop and create these programs and technologies. I started on Wednesday by writing about the sensors offered by I-CubeX. I'll be doing a lot more of these technology descriptions.

Some how I find it easier to start with the tools and technologies as opposed to doing a large number of interviews upfront with choreographers and dancers who create and perform interactive dance works. I figure that if I have a good grasp of the technologies before I discuss specific performances, I'll have a much better grasp of what the dancers and choreographers are striving for.

But whether you offer interactive technologies or perform dances using these tools, I encourage you to email me and provide background about what you do so I can follow-up with you soon.

On a different topic, I managed not to do any audio interviews this week. But I'm doing one later today with Jody Sperling, the artistic director of Time Lapse Dance. Jody does fascinating Loie Fuller-inspired dances. I contacted her after I wrote a post, "Loie Fuller, First Dance Technologist."

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February 9, 2006

Alvin Ailey Review in Washington Post

In today's Washington Post, Sarah Kaufman has a review of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance at the Kennedy Center that I saw Tuesday evening.

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February 8, 2006

I-CubeX Sensors for Interactive Dance Performances

This morning I spoke with Axel Mulder, president of Montreal, Quebec-based Infusion Systems Ltd. Axel's company sells a series of sensors under the I-CubeX line that can be used by dancers to create interactive dance performances.

Right below, I'll explain the basics of how sensors work and how they can be incorporated into a dance performance. First, I just wanted to encourage you to visit the I-CubeX website. You'll find a lot of excellent videos that show you the characteristics of each of the sensors. And if you visit the page for the company's Starter Pack, you can watch a video of how the different components work together.

My experience has been that most technology-oriented sites do not do a very good job of explaining the technologies they offer. So it was nice to come across these video demonstrations on I-CubeX.

Sensor Illustration

Let's say you are choreographing a solo dance piece. You decide that when you tap your foot on a specific location on the stage, you want the audience to hear a pre-determined sound through the speakers.

Here is how you would use sensors and other tools to make this happen.

First, you would use the TapTile sensor. View the following page to read a description of this sensor. And then watch a video clip. Essentially, when you step on this tile, you generate an audio signal.

Second, you'll want to learn how the signal from the TapTile is converted into a desired sound that you want the audience to hear as you are dancing. To do this, it's a good idea to visit the page for the I-CubeX Starter Pack and watch a video that I also linked to above.

This video shows the components that are included in the Starter Pack. You'll find a number of sensors, a digitizer and software that communicates with the digitizer. Here's a screen shot from the video that shows how the pieces work together:

Click to view larger schematic

On the left, there is a box that represents a touch sensor - let's imagine that this sensor is our TapTile sensor that we want to step on in order to create a sound. A dancer steps on the tile and an electrical signal is automatically generated and sent to the digitizer.

The digitizer coverts the electrical signal to digital format - specifically, the electrical signal is converted to what is called MIDI data. MIDI is a universal language that allows musical instruments to communicate with each other and with computer devices. Think of MIDI as a common language that everybody at a conference agrees to speak. Let's say you're at an event with attendees from around the world. It's easier for everybody to communicate and understand each other if they speak a single language at the conference. That's what MIDI is - a common language, in digital format, that musical instruments and computers "speak" in order to exchange data about musical sounds.

The digitizer can be programmed by the software that comes with the Starter Pack to make a specific sound every time the dancer steps on the TapTile. You could get fancier and create different sounds based upon the amount of pressure that is placed on the tile - but let's keep it simple for now. When a dancer taps on the tile the digitizer creates a MIDI message to play the "Middle C" sound on a keyboard.

Then, continuing to follow the above diagram, we now have a musical sound in MIDI format (play "Middle C") that is going to be sent to your computer. You'll see a box in between the digitizer and the computer that reads "MIDI-USB adapter." This device may be needed so that your computer can "understand" the contents of the MIDI message.

Then the MIDI instruction reaches your computer. At this point, you need to use a software program that is not provided by Infusion Systems. What artists often do is use a graphical programming environment such as Max/MSP from Cycling '74. With Max/MSP you can capture the MIDI instruction "Play Middle C" and instruct the sound system to play this sound through the speakers for the audience to hear.

This is actually overkill for software programs such as Max/MSP - I just wanted to explain how the process works. You can do all types of fancy programming with Max/MSP that I'll write about in the near future.

A simpler solution is to connect the digitizer directly to a synthesizer that would then play the "Middle C" sound on the speakers. You can think of a synthesizer as a digital keyboard that can play MIDI messages.

Posted by Doug Fox at 11:24 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Interactive Performance Chapter for Upcoming Book

I'm starting to do research and interviews for my upcoming book "Dancing into the Future." You can read a detailed Table of Contents to see the scope of the book.

I'm starting with Chapter 11 that deals with interactive performances. For example, I'll be covering a range of technologies such as sensors, motion tracking, motion capture and related tools that enable dancers to trigger pre-determined responses based upon their movements. A bending of a dancer's right elbow, for instance, could activate a sensor that plays specific sounds or projects animated images on to the screen.

My goal is to explain in straightforward terms how each of these technologies works, provide specific examples of how they have been used in dance performances and offer recommendations about how to use these interactive tools in an optimal, reliable manner.

If your dance company has performed works that incorporate interactive technologies, I'd be delighted to learn about your performances. And if you offer any type of interactive tools, please email me as well so that I can include your offerings in the vendor directory.

Posted by Doug Fox at 9:37 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last Night's Alvin Ailey Performance at Kennedy Center

I saw Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater last night at the Kennedy Center. I got lucky and had front row seats. The dancing was wonderful. Alvin Ailey is performing through Sunday, but tickets are only available for tonight and Thursday - the other shows are sold out.

It was great to see Alvin Ailey's classic "Revelations" from 1960 that closed the performance and continued after a standing ovation. Works performed included: "Shining Star" (David Parsons), "Solo" (Hans van Manen), "Reminiscin'" (Judith Jamison) and "Revelations" (Alvin Ailey).

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February 7, 2006

Recording Interviews for Audio Podcasts

Much thanks to all of the guests who participated in the first 10 audio interviews for the Great Dance podcasts. You can listen to the interviews on the Great Dance weblog and you can also access these interviews on iTunes (if you have the iTunes software installed).

I've been saving the audio interviews in stereo format. In other words, my voice is on one channel and the voice of my guest is on another channel. This has ended-up causing occasional problems because not everybody's computer sound system plays back in stereo. So if you listen to the interviews in mono mode, you'll only hear one voice. So I guess I will have to save the recordings in mono from now on. I'm actually surprised by this because I thought just about all sound cards supported stereo playback and I was wondering if the problem is not that some sound systems don't support stereo, but that the settings are not configured properly. If you have experience with this, please let me know. I'd much rather save interviews in stereo format.

Equipment for Recording Interviews

Here's a run-down of the equipment I use to record interviews by telephone:

First, I needed a device that separated my voice from the voice of the person that I was calling. If you connect an audio recorder to a telephone line and record a conversation, the sound levels will not be matched. Your voice will be much louder than the person you are interviewing - this doesn't make for a good quality recording. And once a recording is made, there is no convenient way to edit the recording of the conversation and match the voice levels.

So I wanted a way to record and save each voice independently so that I could edit the volume levels for myself and my guest at a later date.

To do this, I bought a JK Audio Inline Patch - Telephone Audio Interface (retail price is $270 - I think I bought it for about $240 from Full Compass). I connected this device between my telephone and the wall jack. This device does exactly what I explained above. It separates each voice and outputs the audio to an audio recorder.

JK Audio Inline Patch

Digital Audio Recorder

Next, I needed a device to record the interviews. I use a portable digital audio recorder - a Marantz PMD660. Here's a description of this device - they list the price at $499. So it's come down a couple of hundred dollars since I first bought mine over a year ago. I might have bought my Marantz recorder from Full Compass as well.

Marantz PMD660

I record in stereo mode so that my voice and the guest's voice or saved on separate audio channels. The recording is saved to a compact flash card - that is about two inches square. After the interview, I take out the compact flash card from the Marantz and insert it into a flash card reader I have connected to my computer.

Compact Flash Card

Flash Card Reader

Just so you know, it did take me some time to figure out how to configure both the in-line patch and my digital recorder. There are a lot of buttons, knobs and options. So I'm still tweaking the settings to get the best audio recording as possible.

By the way, you don't need to buy a digital audio recorder. You could just use an inline audio patch and connect it directly to the sound card on your computer. I bought a portable digital audio recorder so that I could do interviews while on the road. Plus, I can easily carry the inline patch and Marantz recorder and connect them to any standard telephone line for recording interviews.

(In a future post, I'll write about how to create digital audio programs if you're just recording your voice and you have no need to record telephone conversations. It's easier and less expensive than the set-up that I'm describing in this post).

Audio Editing Software

I'm currently using the Creative WaveStudio audio editing software program that came bundled with my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card. I can edit an audio program and adjust the sound levels, and then save the file in MP3 format. But this software is too limiting. One of the features it does not have is noise reduction. So if there happens to be too much background noise on a phone conversation, I do not have a way to remove it. So I'm looking for a more advanced audio editing software program.

I just found the WavePad software from NCH Swift Sound (it sells for $76). This audio editing software is very popular on Download.com and the editorial and user ratings are all very high. I'm going to download trial version of this program and see how its noise reduction feature works.

Click for Larger Screen Shot

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February 6, 2006

What's the Problem with Dance?

Why is it that in most bookstores the amount of shelf space devoted to dance books is significantly less than the amount devoted to books about classical music and opera? When you compare the amount of shelf space devoted to dance in comparison to the visual arts the problem is magnified many times over.

Why is that on ArtsJournal, an online publication of news stories and blogs covering the arts, dance is the least popular subject category? You'll notice that dance is the last category on the home page - scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.

Why is it that that are many more music appreciation classes than dance appreciation classes at colleges and universities?

Why is it that the Washington Post doesn't have a dedicated page of dance articles? (You have to click on "Theater" to get to dance reviews).

Why is it that many people who attend classical music and theater performances never see dance performances?

Why do many people feel alienated from concert dance?

Why is it that newspapers such as the Village Voice cut-back on their dance coverage?

Why are there so many blogs devoted to the visual arts and classical music but very few devoted to dance?

Why is it that there are wonderful guides on how to appreciate classical music and opera written for those with no or limited exposure to orchestral music, but just about nothing comparable in the dance world? For example, Phil G. Goulding has written two excellent books about classical music and opera.

Why is it that companies such as The Teaching Company, which produces wonderful college-level courses on CDs/DVDs on a large range of arts and humanities subjects, does not have a single course on dance? The Teaching Company has a great series of courses on classical music and opera taught by Professor Robert Greenberg. His program "How to Listen to and Understand Great Music" is phenomenal.

And, finally, who within the dance community is discussing these issues?

There's no reason for dance to be the stepchild of the arts. There are answers to all of the above questions and they ought to be uncovered in a comprehensive and systematic way.

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February 3, 2006

Fascinating Post About Loie Fuller

Right after I wrote my post this morning, Loie Fuller, First Dance Technologist, I came across a post, A Material Girl In A Material World: Dancing Like Loie Fuller, Elaine Supkis in her Culture of Lifestyles blog.

Elaine has performed Loie dances and she provides interesting background about what inspired her to recreate these performances. I'll write more about her post later.

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Loie Fuller, First Dance Technologist

Loie Fuller (1862-1928), a modern dance pioneer, was known for her captivating theatrical and dance performances that combined projections of multi-colored lights onto her flowing silk costumes. She was the first dancer to use the then new incandescent lights of Edison fame, a traveling team of lighting and stage engineers, and her own patented dress designs for her tours in the US and France.

Below I put together a range of online resources (articles, pictures, audio and video) that provide an intriguing portrait of Loie Fuller.

Loie Fuller - NYPL Digital Gallery

Profiles and Bio

- Loie Fuller profile from Wikipedia.

- Loie Fuller profile from online excerpts of CD-ROM program titled "The Early Moderns".

Audio Programs

- Listen to "The spectacular Dances of a Chicagoland Native" (program description), an Interview with Chicago Sun-Times dance and theater critic Hedy Weiss about an exhibition of Toulouse-Lautrec's works including those of one of his favorite subjects, Loie Fuller.

- Listen to "Loie Fuller, Goddess of Light" on Studio 360 This Week (scroll down to third story about Loie Fuller). Interview is with Jody Sperling (dance choreographer and scholar - see below under reconstructions) and others.

Articles and Reviews

- "The Light Fantastic - Fuller, Rosenthal & Tipton", Dance Magazine (February 1996), describes how Thomas Edison's invention of incandescent light made Loie Fuller's experiments with lighting, color and movement possible.

- "Art Nouveau's Esthetic in Motion: Invoking the Spirit of Loie Fuller", by Anna Kisselgoff, a 1998 review of Brygida Ochaim who performed a mixed-media work inspired by Fuller at a dance festival "Four Centuries of Dance in France."

Multimedia Presentations

- Tom Gunning in his audio and image presentation, “Light, Motion, Cinema: The Heritage of Loie Fuller and Germaine Dulac” discusses the influence of Fuller on experimental filmmaker Germaine Dulac.

Films

- These hand tinted stills of The Serpentine Dance from The Edison Art Company might be of Loie Fuller (I'm not sure) who went to Edison's Movie Studio in Menlo Park, New Jersey to have her dances recorded. There is an excellent DVD box set "Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918)" that includes the Serpentine Dance. It's available through Amazon.com. But you can also rent it through NetFlix, which I did last year - hours and hours of early films that are fascinating to watch.

Serpentine Dance - Edison Art Company

Books

- "Loie Fuller: Goddess of Light" by Richard Nelson Current and Marcia Ewing Current with Photography by Langfier. You can read first chapter and review in New York Times Book Review.

- Quote (scroll down to Chapter 10) from Isadora Duncan's "My Life" about Loie Fuller:

Before our very eyes she turned to many coloured, shining orchids, to a wavering, flowing sea flower, and at length to a spiral-like lily, all the magic of Merlin, the sorcery of light, colour, flowing form. What an extraordinary genius! No imitator of Loie Fuller has ever been able even to hint at her genius!...I went every night to see Loie Fuller, from a box, and I was more and more enthusiastic about her marvelous ephemeral art. That wonderful creature--she became fluid; she became light; she became every colour and flame, and finally she resolved into miraculous spirals of flames wafted toward the Infinite.

Reconstructions of Loie Fuller Dances

- Jody Sperling, choreographer, performer and scholar, re-creates the performances of Loie Fuller through her Time Lapse Dance company. Read about Jody Sperling's performances of Loie Fuller-style solos - including the Serpentine Dance.

Jody Sperling - Dance of the Elements
Copyright Julie Lemberger, 2005

- On Jody Sperling's site, you'll find links to a number of reviews of her performances.

Images, Photographs and Posters

- Eight images of Loie Fuller from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

- Image of Loie Fuller in exhibit, "Art, Lies and Videotape: Exposing Performance", at Tate Museum.

Loie Fuller - Untitled 1905
Photo Credit: Roger Sinek

- Search for images of Loie Fuller in Google Images

Inventions

- Description and image of US Patent issues to Loie Fuller for a Garment for Dancers (3rd image on page).

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February 1, 2006

Interview with Rose Eichenbaum, Author "Masters of Movement"

This afternoon, I interviewed Rose Eichenbaum, the author of "Masters of Movement: Portraits of America's Great Choreographers".

Rose, a dance teacher for more than 25 years, is a highly-acclaimed photojournalist. Her articles and photographs have appeared in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, Point and Dancer.

I thought the book was wonderful. Rose has photographic portraits of each of the 59 choreographers she met with over a five year period. Plus the book includes intriguing vignettes about her encounters with each of these choreographers.

Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - 15.58 MB - 34:01 Minutes)

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Interview with Douglas McLennan

Yesterday I interviewed Douglas McLennan who is the editor-in-chief of ArtsJournal, a comprehensive resource of articles, blogs and conversations about arts and culture. If you haven't visited ArtsJournal, I highly recommend the site - I visit it every day.

I was especially interested to interview Doug about an online conversation he recently organized and hosted that dealt with the question of whether New York City was still the dance center of the world. The complete archive of this lively and insightful discussion is available on ArtsJournal.

Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - 8.97 MB - 19:35 Minutes)

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