March 15, 2006

Is Remote Dance Education Possible?

Is it possible to teach dance classes remotely or do teachers and students really need to be in the same room? And to what extent can digital camcorders and high-speed Internet connections be used to bridge physical distances?

Jane Baas

Last year Case Western Reserve University and Western Michigan University teamed-up to teach a dance kinesiology class over the high-speed Internet2. (View posts in my Internet2 category). Jane Baas, associate professor of dance at Western Michigan University, taught this class via a video conferencing hook-up.

My guess is that teaching a class that focuses on dancer well-being, strength and the body is easier to do over an Internet connection than teaching an advanced modern class. And while the Internet2 has very low-latency (almost no time lag in sending and receiving the video feed) and excellent TV-like video quality, I don't see the Internet being a replacement anytime soon for traditional dance classes.

But that doesn't mean the Internet will not play a significant role in supplementing and improving dance education. I think that the Internet coupled with digital video will be invaluable. In my recent interview with Ann Doyle of Internet2, she talked about the innovative distance learning programs at the Manhattan School of Music that use the Internet and videoconferencing to bring together students with top artists and teachers around the world. The same can be done in dance education by linking students at universities and conservatories with leading choreographers, instructors, dancers and other artists located in distant cities.

In addition, digital camcorders are now inexpensive, it's relatively easy to edit video and there is no cost when uploading and sending video clips over the Internet. So sharing videos with distant instructors to seek feedback and critiques is easy to do.

Trackback Pings

3 Comments