August 9, 2007I Am Baffled by Dance and Technology CommunitySince starting Great Dance two years ago, I've always wanted to provide extensive coverage about the latest developments in the dance and technology (D&T) arena. Essentially, I wanted to learn about how choreographers, dancers, technologists, multimedia specialists and others integrated digital tools and technologies into their performance work. But I've been constantly disappointed because just about nobody in the D&T field is using the Internet to share their work, research and experimentations. This is especially strange given that people who explore the intersection of dance and technology should be the ones most comfortable using the Internet to promote their work and educate audiences about their interests. The end result is that I can never find good information, resources and insights about many different technologies, applications and environments that are used by dancers including: - Motion tracking So where are the websites and blogs from academics and students in D&T programs? Can students get credit for sharing their work online? Are professors/instructors interested in educating the public about their research? Where are all the dance practitioners who experiment with the technologies I mention above? There simply have to be answers to these questions because to me, at least, this lack of coverage does not add up. On a Practical Note... From a practical standpoint, what will it take to encourage more people to blog about D&T research and performances such as what Troika Ranch is doing? Matt Gough and I have begun to discuss different ways that blogs can be used to cover the D&T field. And as Great Dance expands, I intend to have one or more blogs addressing these topics. Your thoughts about how D&T topics can best be covered on blogs would definitively be appreciated. Posted by Doug Fox at 9:16 AM - Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0) August 8, 2007Understanding Troika Ranch's "Loop Diver"Update: Mark Coniglio answers my below questions on latest post to his MySpace blog. Matt Gough offers his thoughts about Mark's answers. I have been very intrigued and a bit frustrated with Troika Ranch's blog on MySpace about a work of theirs currently in development called "Loop Diver." I'm intrigued because I'm fascinated by works that explore the integration of dance, video and multimedia elements. In addition, Mark Coniglio is the creator of the Isadora software program, which is used for real-time manipulation of video during performances. I'm frustrated because in their blog Mark and Dawn Stoppiello make references to their use of "loops," a center piece of their work, without giving me sufficient background to understand what they're referring to. So I'm writing this post to encourage Mark, Dawn and others to provide answers and clarifications to my questions below. But first, here are two videos from their current explorations. You can read their blog for background about these videos and visit the YouTube links to read the comments for the first video: I was also doing a little experimentation. I created a side-by-side video panel, using You3b, of the two above videos so that you can watch these clips at the same time. I actually was forced to add a third video - so you can just focus on the two videos on the left of the panel. Here's link for comparison videos.  My Questions about "Loop Diver" In the following paragraph, how does a computer lock performers into a "strict rational pattern"? How do performers than "shatter the loops' structure"? The performers, visuals, and sounds in Loop Diver will be locked into relentless and strict rational patterns dictated by a computer. These fugue-like relationships – as complex as they are oppressive – will be interrupted, reshaped, and renewed by loop divers – performers, visuals or sounds that shatter the loops' structure. What specifically is this module created with Isadora? What do these loops look like? What would be two or three examples of a "rich and complicated loop structure"? What we do know is this: we are starting with the notion of a loop. The inspiration came out of a little module I created in my software Isadora that allowed my collaborator Dawn Stoppiello to create extremely rich and complicated loop structures: standard loops, loops that grow or shrink, shift forwards or backwards in time. What does it mean to "impose the looping structure using Isadora"? ...she (and with her, all of us) have really agreed that the notion of making choreography in the traditional manner is simply not going to work for this piece. With the looping process starting to come into focus (record an improve, impose the looping structure using Isadora, dancers learn the looped material) it simply has become clear that "steps" are not what is important. Instead, the movements that are most compelling when looped are far more offhand than that. What exactly is a "shifting loop"? A couple of days ago, we were recording (with the intention of looping) an improv with all of the dancers where they chose some movement to perform. Lucia chose to simply remove her t-shirt. I keyed into this, and asked the dancers to form a straight line in front of the camera, to remove their t-shirt and drop it to the floor. We then took this video and made a very simple shifting loop -- one of the loop forms where a loop of fixed length moves through the videotaped material, slowly revealing the entire movement. Everyone in the group recognized that the result was quite powerful, requiring patience to experience, and recontextualizing this simple act into something much much more. What does it mean for dancers to learn material from "looped videos"? In any case, the key theme that Peter, Dawn and I have identified is one of violence. This primarily came out of watching the dancers attempt to learn the movement material from the looped videos. The imposition of the relentless and inorganic loops of the computer onto the bodies of the performers struck us as a kind of violence. We were forcing them to move in impossible ways... the mental fatigue that we witnessed in them as the attempted to perfect this material seemed almost like a kind of artistic torture. Posted by Doug Fox at 3:35 PM - Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0) June 28, 2006What Moves You?Move-Me is a traveling booth touring the UK that records informal videos of participants moving to the audio instructions of choreographers.  Once a participant has had one of their dance masterpieces recorded in the Move-Me both, the video is put in an online gallery with all of the other clips. On the Move-Me website you can watch these clips, rate them and add them to your favorites.  The creators of Move-Me have also invited a group of users to create their own curated sets of their favorite videos, which you can access. Select "Curated Dances" from top left-side menu bar. Move-me.com is co-produced by Ricochet Dance Productions and Goat Media Ltd, from an original idea by Simon Fildes and Katrina McPherson. Simon Fildes is also the organizer of the Video Dance Forum, which took place two weeks ago. I would have written about Move-Me earlier but I was confused by how it worked until Simon emailed me a description yesterday. I was under the wrong impression that the dancers in the booth were watching a video clip of different choreographers who were offering instructions on a series of moves. And I was wondering why the Move-Me website didn't include these videos so that online visitors could actually see what the dancers inside the booth were watching. But that's not how the system works. The dancers inside the booth listen to a pre-recorded audio messages from the choreographers walking participants through a series of moves - there's no video to watch. With some of the videos on Move-Me, you can clearly hear the choreographers in the background. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:25 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) June 7, 2006A Dance Vocabulary for Performance ArtOn the Networked Performance blog I came across an interesting write-up about a multimedia and performance art work by Ursula Endlicher. For this installation, "Website Impersonations: The Amazons (.at versus .com)," Ursula creates a movement vocabulary that corresponds to the underlying HTML code of a webpage. You can watch a video that shows exactly how users interact with this art work (QuickTime video file is about 27 MB):  A user sits down on top of a giant trackball as they watch two side-by-side projection screens positioned in the corner of a room. One image is projected of a performer whose movements reflect the HTML code for Amazon.com while on the other screen the performer's movements reflect the HTML code for Amazon.at. The code is generated in real-time from a live Internet connection. By moving one's butt to roll the trackball, users can determine the position of the cursor and thus the corresponding movements that appear on screen. Here's a diagram of the installation set-up and a larger version of these technical requirements are available on Ursula's site:  I think that the online presentation of this installation would be enhanced if there were a separate movement vocabulary gallery that showed, in a visual fashion, the specific connections between HTML code and the individual movements. For example, what are the specific series of movements made by a performer when he or she encounters a tag for the beginning of an HTML table? By creating this video-based movement vocabulary library, both online and in-person audiences would have a better understanding of the inner workings of this installation and would likely enjoy it more. Ursula Endlicher will be showing her work this Saturday, June 10th at 7:00 PM at 315 Broadway, 5th Floor (between Duane/ Thomas Street) in Lower Manhattan. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:11 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) April 24, 2006Crossing Flash Mobs and Site-Specific PerformancesWhat would happen if you crossed a site-specific dance performance with a flash mob? I'm not sure, but you'd probably generate a large, engaged audience. A flash mob is when a group of people -- who may or may not know each other -- use the Internet to arrange a public gathering to perform a specific act that takes place at a specific time and location. A dance flash mob would be when a group of dancers agree to meet at a designated location to dance for a few minutes and then disappear into the crowd. Here's an example of an Argentine Tango flash dance mob in Vancouver:  Or a more recent example of a flash mob took place at the University of Florida earlier this month to recreate a banned Xbox TV commercial that never aired. Here's the bizarre video of this recreation on YouTube:  The above flash mob is based upon a commercial that Microsoft never ran probably because of the excessive simulated violence -- just about everybody in the video is pointing their fingers at others as if they are going to blow each other's heads off. You can watch the original commercial:  What I find interesting is that within 12 days almost 50,000 people watched this University of Florida flash mob, which gives you an idea of what types of videos are most popular on YouTube -- ones that are inane, silly and meaningless. But I still think that there is some value that can be taken from this video and its success. What is it about flash mobs that intrigue people? Why do people participate in flash mobs? Why do others want to watch videos flash mobs? I think it has to do with the compelling nature of spontaneous collective action. It's also an intriguing premise to consider how digital communication tools can be leveraged to bring strangers together within a very short time-frame to act in unison. I was thinking about flash mobs when I came across a write-up on the Networked Performance blog for the upcoming Sitelines 2006 series of site-specific performances that is organized by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. You can view a map mashup that shows the locations for all of the performances:  The program kicks-off in Early May with a performance by Benoit Maubrey's Audio Ballerinas, which features dancers that wear "electro-acoustic clothes and dresses that make sounds by interacting with their environment."  I haven't figured out the answer to my opening question about the end result of crossing site-specific dance performances and flash mobs. But there must be something fun and intriguing that can be created - especially when you start with an outside performance by a technology clad dance troupe. So I ask you: how would you add a flash mob component to this performance to get more people involved and build greater levels of excitement and interest around this event? Technorati Tags: dance, flashmob, performance, xbox, youtube Posted by Doug Fox at 9:02 AM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) March 14, 2006Virtual Kate Moss on the RunwayStyle.com features a video clip of the Alexander McQueen collection at the 2006 Ready-to-Wear fashion show in Paris, which took place earlier this month, that includes a pre-recorded holographic-like image of Kate Moss projected on to the runway. To watch this captivating effect, you first have to watch the opening video ad. Then, go to 5:40 minute mark of the video to watch the 3D image of Kate Moss. (via reBang weblog).  An Associated Press article describes the virtual appearance of Kate Moss as a "symbolic resurrection for the supermodel, who lost several advertising contracts after she was pictured in London tabloids last year linked to drugs." The apparition of Kate Moss is not a holographic image as the MIT Advertising Lab points out. The 3D image is actually an example of Pepper's Ghost (Wikipedia), which was first used, as The Independent explains, in the 19th Century by John Henry Pepper in a production of Charles Dickens' "The Haunted Man."  Click for larger diagram Visit diagram description As the Wikipedia article explains, the Pepper's Ghost effect uses plate glass, special lighting techniques and a hidden room to create ghost like images that can appear and quickly disappear or morph from one character into another. The set-up at the Ready-to-Wear fashion show was an updated version of this technique that used pre-recorded video and a projector - and, I'm guessing, a transparent screen of some type but there is no further explanation. As I was watching the video clip of Kate Moss I was wondering what types of applications there could be in the dance world for this updated version of Pepper's Ghost. It would be especially intriguing if this ghost-like effect could be created in real-time so that an apparition of a dancer at one location could be dropped-into the middle of a dance performance at another location. Posted by Doug Fox at 5:55 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) March 9, 2006Interview with James Oliverio of Digital Worlds InstituteThis morning I interviewed James Oliverio, professor and director of the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida. He discussed the many collaborative programs that the Institute has organized that have united artists from multiple continents via the high-speed Internet2 and advanced video conferencing capabilities. A thread that ties these programs together is how the networked connections that join remote sites help to breakdown cultural barriers among participating artists. Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - Stereo - 8.55 MB - 18:40 Minutes) Background James Oliverio is a professor and director of the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida. He is an internationally known creative artist, educator and producer with over 20 years of experience in film and electronic media. He's been awarded five Emmy Awards from the Atlanta chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has received numerous grants and symphonic commissions. The Digital Worlds Institute, which he heads, conducts interdisciplinary research and educational programs that unite engineering and arts disciplines by using the latest developments in digital technologies and networking to bring together cultures and artist from around the globe. Collaborative Dance Performances On the Digital Worlds Institute website you can learn about and watch archived videos from many of their programs. (View research and production projects to access these programs.) Of particular interest to dancers are two programs that you'll want to explore: "Dancing Beyond Boundaries (2001)" and "Non Divisi (2003)." Here are two images from Non Divisi:   Posted by Doug Fox at 11:00 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 8, 2006Internet2 and Expanded Opportunities for Arts and PerformanceI spoke with Ann Doyle this morning. Ann is the manager for Arts and Humanities Initiatives at Internet2, a consortium of universities, industries and government that are developing and deploying advanced networking applications and technologies. (Beth Miklavcic and Jimmy Miklavcic, whom I interviewed yesterday about their InterPlay performance, use the Internet2 for their distributed programs). You should definitely visit the link to the Arts and Humanities Initiatives that I just mentioned above. There are some fascinating resources about a range of distributed arts programs. I happened to come across an interview (PDF) with James Oliverio, director of the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida, whom I'll be interviewing tomorrow about their dance and performance programs that unite multiple locations around the globe. I first contacted Ann Doyle because I wanted to learn more about the "Cultivating Communities" dance program that she hosted for Internet2 in 2002. If you visit "Cultivating Communities," you can learn about a series of dance performances that brought together dancers from multiple locations using motion tracking, motion capture and other interactive technologies in conjunction with the near TV broadcast quality of the Internet2 infrastructure - you'll also find a number of videos for these performances. Ann believes that there are two important ways that the Internet2 project contributes to fostering new types of artistic possibilities and performance opportunities. First, the network infrastructure delivers near broadcast quality video and audio to participating sites. Plus, there is very low latency, which means that the "roundtrip interactive time," as Ann says, is virtually nil. With top-notch video and low-latency, there are opportunities for distributed spontaneity that really didn't exist before when collaborating with remote colleagues and artists. Second, this network infrastructure provides an opportunity for dancers and other artists to "think digitally." For example, if you go back to the "Cultivating Communities," a new choreographic question arises. Choreographers now have to think beyond the fixed borders of a single stage and consider their work in the broader context of multiple locations joined together by a digital network. These types of distributed programs raise many questions about the choreographic process and dance in general. They also raise the question of how dancers and other artists are being prepared for distributed programs at the college and university level. Ann mentioned the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), which has been a leader in leveraging the Internet2 for conducting master classes and performances. Here's an article by Christianne Orto about the educational programs at MSM. Orto is the director, recording and distance learning at MSM and you can read an overview of their Distance Learning programs. Ann also directed me to dance programs at universities that are using Internet2 to conduct performances and classes - I'll be following-up soon with these contacts. Posted by Doug Fox at 12:55 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1) March 3, 2006Video Cams for Contact ImprovisationI came across this wearable video recording set-up yesterday for less than $600. With this portable kit, you can save video of any events you wish throughout the day with a mini video camera connected to your glasses.  After interviewing Yacov Sharir yesterday about his research into wearables and performance, which can include contact improvisation between a human dancer and a 3D avatar, I thought it would be interesting to equip multiple dancers with these wearable video recording systems. It would be interesting to get 10 dancers to participate in a contact improvisation experiment. Each dancer would be equipped with a video headcam to record their perspective of the dance. And then after the performance the 10 different video feeds would be made available online for people to watch the performance from each dancer's perspective. I guess there's probably also a way to output the video in real-time via a wireless connection to a projector so that you could switch among the 10 different video feeds as the program was taking place. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:18 AM - Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) Devolution - Robots and Humans Share the StageAustralian Dance Theatre (ADT) is premiering today its newest work, "Devolution," at the Adelaide Arts Festival in Sydney, Australia. Artistic Director Garry Stewart collaborated with machine designer Louis-Philippe Demers to create a performance that puts dancers and robots on the same stage on an equal footing. I wish I could find some good pictures of what these dancing robots look like. Short of that, here are some articles and interviews about the performance: - Interview in RealTime with Garry Stewart about his thoughts on dance and robotics - "Closing the Gap Between Man and Machine," in The Age - "Danger! Machines in motion," in Thee Advertiser Posted by Doug Fox at 6:45 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) March 2, 2006Yacov Sharir Interview - Wearable Computers and PerformanceToday I interviewed dance and technology pioneer Yacov Sharir about his research in wearable computers and performance. In this post you'll find a profile of Yacov Sharir, pictures from his research, and external links to related articles and performances. Click here to listen to audio interview (MP3 format - Stereo - 8.85 MB - 19:20 Minutes) Profile - Yacov Sharir Yacov Sharir is a choreographer, dancer, technologist and innovator. He is a professor of Theatre/Dance and Virtual Environments at the University of Texas-Austin and artistic director of the Austin-based Sharir Dance Company. He has performed under the direction of Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, Jose Limon and Anna Sokolow. Sharir is the founder of the American Deaf Dance Company and the Sharir Dance Company. As a multiple recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowship, he has choreographed for the Bat-Sheva Dance Company, Hartford Ballet, Dallas Ballet, the Kibbutz Dance Company of Israel, the Utah Repertory Dance Theatre and others. He was a recipient of an "Arts And Virtual Environments" two-year fellowship awarded by the Banff Center for the Arts and is engaged in extensive international lectures and workshops directly related to the issues of virtual environments, cyberspace and computerized choreography. Image Gallery - Wearable Computers During the audio interview Yacov Sharir refers to the below pictures.       Links - Articles, Papers and Research - Yacov Sharir - Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas-Austin - Explorations in wearable computers - Cyber Human Characters and 3D Worlds - Interfacing Virtual & Physical Spaces through the Body: The cyberPRINT Project by Yacov Sharir and others (PDF) - cyberPRINT project and performance Posted by Doug Fox at 11:16 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1) March 1, 2006Additional Motion Tracking SoftwareOn Monday I wrote about a demonstration by Troika Ranch which featured the EyesWeb motion tracking software program. Here is some brief information and links for two additional motion tracking software programs - I'll be writing more in-depth about these and other motion tracking applications in the near future: - Cyclops, from Eric Singer, is a Mac-only plug-in for the Max/MSP visual programming environment that analyzes and tracks live video. With the Cyclops Max object, you point a video camera at a dancer and then analyze the grey scale and color information from the live video feed. This data is then used by Max to control audio and video images in real-time. You can also learn more about Cyclops on the Cycling '74 website, the developers of Max/MSP. - The second program is EyeCon from Palindrome. EyeCon is also a motion tracking software program, in this case for Windows PCs, that facilitates interactive performances and installations. By analyzing a video feed, EyeCon can track movements that can then serve to trigger specific actions such as the playing of sounds and videos. Here are some video clips featuring Emily Fernandez that show examples of EyeCon at work. (Robert Wechsler of Palindrome pointed out that some of Emily's solos use EyeCon, but most of them use a software program called Kalypso - another software program from the same engineer, Frieder Weiss.) Posted by Doug Fox at 10:44 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 27, 2006Troika Ranch Demonstration VideoYesterday 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     Posted by Doug Fox at 6:02 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 23, 2006Harvestworks - "Who's in Control? New Interfaces for Artistic ExpressionI'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. Posted by Doug Fox at 1:22 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 22, 2006Isadora Software from Troika TronixI'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. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:24 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 8, 2006I-CubeX Sensors for Interactive Dance PerformancesThis 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 BookI'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) January 26, 2006Types and Challenges of Motion Tracking SystemsMatt Gough in his "Splines in Space" blog has two entries about the motion tracking and capture system he uses for his dance research and composition - "Motion Capture (Dance)" and "Noodle Dance". Matt describes the different types of motion tracking technology (Magnetic, Gyroscopic and Optical) and points out the challenges of tracking large numbers of discrete body movements. Ideally, he'd like to have a dancer outfitted with 100 plus markers and more computer power to process results in real-time. An image that displays results of 1:41 minutes of motion tracking - "The Noodle Dance":  Using a passive optical motion tracking system with markers that are placed on the dancer's hands and body:  This area of motion tracking systems and dance movement - both for research and performance - is an area I plan to do a lot more interviews about both for my audio podcasts and upcoming publication. Posted by Doug Fox at 11:37 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1) January 20, 2006Review of Troika Ranch Performance in NYCJohn Rockwell writes review in today's New York Times about Troika Ranch's "16 [R]evolutions" performance at the Eyebeam Arts and Technology Center in Chelsea. While praising the recent work of choreographer Dawn Stoppiello, and "computer wizard" and composer Mark Coniglio, Rockwell is not thrilled with their latest performance: "If visuals alone could guarantee success, this would be a triumph. But the concept and the choreography don't deliver as much as the technology." I've always wanted to see Troika Ranch perform. I thought I might be going up to NYC this week but I didn't make it. So I'll have to catch their next performance. Posted by Doug Fox at 6:31 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) January 11, 2006New Technology Guide for Presenters of Hi-Tech PerformancesJo-Anne Green, co-founder and contributor to the Networked Performance blog, just wrote The Digi-Presenter Manual (PDF). (Read story about this publication). This guide helps performance venues, promoters and organizers understand and secure the proper technologies for the increasing numbers of performances that rely upon the Internet, PCs and other digital tools. This manual describes the required technical infrastructure at a performance venue, the questions that presenters should ask performance groups with hi-tech needs, and provides a glossary of performance terminology and general computer terms. By the way, if you haven't visited the Network Performance blog, I highly recommend it. Jo-Anne and the other writers provide summaries and links to stories about cutting-edge performances. Posted by Doug Fox at 3:35 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) October 21, 2005Review Bebe Miller's Landing/PlaceTom Pearson reviews Bebe Miller's "Landing/Place" in his new NYC Dance Journal (Performance earlier this month at Dance Theater Workshop in NY): 
Bebe Miller is known for her humanist works, but recently she has been seduced into the world of technology. In her newest, "Landing/Place," seen at Dance Theater Workshop on Wednesday night, she mixed her polished movement with equally adept motion capture, video, live sound and animation. The theme of the work emerged in the form of a pre-recorded monologue midway through. As Miller's voice asked, "is it important to know where you are going when you set out for a place," we began to understand that this work was not going to give answers but ask questions. Read entire review Posted by Doug Fox at 8:55 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) October 19, 2005Interactive Performances With Wireless InputI've always been intrigued by how audiences might contribute to or participate in dance performances by using different types of wireless communication devices. There was a performance last year called Texterritory v.2.3 in England that enabled audience members to use a wireless device in order to direct and inspire the dance performance. In a nutshell, the audience used mobile phones to vote on which outfit the dancer, Grace, should wear for a blind date. Plus, audience members sent short text messages, which were projected on a screen and inspired an improvisational dance piece. On the Texterritory site, you'll find a video clip highlight of the performance.  This is the only dance performance I've come across that leverages wireless devices to encourage real-time participation. But I did come across today, on the network_performance site, a multimedia public performance program called SimpleTEXT that outputs sounds and images based upon real-time feedback from audience members using cell phones and handheld devices.  Here's how the creators of SimpleTEXT describe their mission: SimpleTEXT focuses on mobile devices and the web as a bridge between networked interfaces and public space. As mobile devices become more prolific, they also become separated by increased emphasis on individual use. The SimpleTEXT project looks beyond the screen and isolated usage of mobile devices to encourage collaborative use of input devices to both drive the visuals and audio output, inform each participant of each other's interaction, and allows people to actively participate in the performance while it happens. Our purpose with the performance is to create the possibility of large-scale interaction through anonymous collaboration, with immediate audio and visual feedback. SimpleTEXT encourages users to respond to one another's ideas and build upon the unexpected chains of ideas that may develop from their input. It would be interesting to see how this type of collaborative participation application could be used by dance companies to create audience-directed performances. Posted by Doug Fox at 5:37 PM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) October 17, 2005Journey to the Center of the EarthCapacitor, an interdisciplinary dance company, premieres its latest performance piece, "Digging in the Dark" (PDF file), in San Francisco from October 20-30, 2005: Synthesizing dance with new circus, innovative props and interactive media--Capacitor sends you on a journey through the layers of the Earth into the core. Featuring the key talents of Jodi Lomask (artistic director/choreographer); Noah Thorp of Listen Labs (composer); Dan Zox (filmmakers); Monique Kapp (costume design); Glenn Meader (interaction designer) Watch video preview and view picture gallery for this upcoming performance.  Posted by Doug Fox at 8:03 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) October 13, 2005Brain Wave Projections of Dance PerformersAt the September Ingenuity Festival or Art and Technology in Cleveland, Ohio, MorrisonDance performed a work, "Inside," that integrated projections of real-time EEG (electroencephalograph) brainwave readings of the dancers and a pre-recorded video of Sarah Morrison's arthroscopic elbow surgery. For the brain reading component of the performance, Morrison wore a brainwave-reading FlexCap developed by BrainMaster Technologies.  Images of brainwave scans of dancer projected onto screens in real-time during performance.  Dancer wearing FlexCap.  Detail view of FlexCap. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:31 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) October 12, 2005Guerilla Ballet PerformancesTomorrow (October 13th) at 9 PM GMT+1 in an undisclosed location in Belgrade, Serbia, Ballettikka Internettikka (Internet Ballet) will be broadcasting live over the Internet its latest guerrilla dance performance, "BEO Guerrillikka". Tomorrow's performance by Igor Stromajer and Brane Zorman follows in the footsteps of pervious "invasions" of prestigious performance venues such as the Bolshoi Theater and La Scala. In a nutshell, Ballettikka Internettikka enters a venue uninvited and using portable wireless technologies broadcasts a live guerilla dance performances over the Internet of about 10 to 20 minutes in duration.  wireless mobile remote-controlled surveillance system used for Ballettikka Internettikka's La Scala performance Here's how tomorrow's performance will use technology: Artists will use low-tech mobile and wireless equipment for the invasion and live broadcasting (portable computers, mini digital camera, MP3 audio systems, mobile GPRS telephones etc). A laptop and MiniDV cam, together with Webcam32 (version 6.0) software will be used for broadcasting the video signal (running over Intima Virtual Base FTP server). Another laptop and MP3 player with online interface SHOUTcast (version 1.8.3/win32), will be used for live sound broadcasting (running over Beitthron FTP server). A local GSM mobile phone operator will be used for GPRS mobile internet connection. On the BEO Guerrillikka performance page, you can watch the performance live and also read a run-down of the timeline of the logistical steps that will be followed to implement the "invasion." To learn more about how this performance will work, you can visit pages for past performances such as "Illegallikka Robottikka," which was performed last year at La Scala. You'll find pictures, a technology overview and a video, although I can't figure out what the video is all about. You can also read an article, "Claiming the Stage: Ballettikka Internettikka pt 2," that provides backgrounds about the artists and describes their performance at the Bolshoi Theater in 2002. Posted by Doug Fox at 2:20 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) October 3, 2005Merce Cunningham at Stanford Interdisciplinary CourseDuring the winter semester earlier this year, Stanford University offered "The Anatomy of Movement: an Interdisciplinary Course" that featured the participation of Merce Cunningham through a one-week residency. This hands-on study of anatomy brought together physicians and surgeons, engineers, animators, and visual and performing artists. There are a number of online resources that you can access to learn more about this fascinating program: - The Anatomy of Movement Course website - "Dancing with data adds to the show", article in March 2005 edition of Stanford Report - "Anything Can Happen: Dance pioneer Merce Cunningham keeps the campus on its toes", article in March/April 2005 edition of Stanford Magazine - MotionAnalysis (manufacturer of motion capture equipment) write-up about the participation of Merce Cunningham in this Stanford educational program with video of Cunningham dancer being tracked via motion tracking sensors.  Posted by Doug Fox at 8:00 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) September 27, 2005Motione Performance at ASUMotione is an interactive, multimedia dance performance that featured Bill T. Jones and Trisha Brown and premiered on April 9, 2005 at Arizona State University. The performance and companion website are a joint project of the Arts, Media and Engineering Program at the Herberger College of Fine Arts and the Fulton School of Engineering at ASU. The motione website is fantastic. I must have spent more than two hours late last week watching the videos, reading research papers, and learning about the participants.  Posted by Doug Fox at 1:13 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) September 26, 2005Call for Presentations: Conference on Digital Technologies and Performance ArtsKate Sicchio, who recently received her masters in digital performance from the School of Intermedia and Performance Arts at Doncaster College, emailed me the call for papers, presentations and performances for next year's 2nd International Conference for Digital Technologies and Performance Arts. View Word document to read complete call for presentations. Proposals are invited for papers, performances, presentations, workshops and poster presentations on the following topics: I always liked thee "Playing Groups" dance performance weblog that Kate created in 2003. I encourage you to take a look at her blog, which allowed visitors to comment on the choreography of a dance piece as it was being developed and practiced. Users could both watch video clips and commentary and then offer their feedback. Posted by Doug Fox at 1:32 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) September 22, 2005Symposium on Live Performances and Digital TechnologiesRadiator and Digital Cultures Lab are hosting a symposium December 1-4, 2005 in Nottingham, England, that brings into focus artistic practices of live performance that make use of digital technologies in the form of lens based, networked or locative media and other capturing/processing techniques, i.e. motion tracking, motion capture, wearable and soft interfaces. I'd love to go to this conference - I might do that. They are covering many of the topics that I'm interested in learning about and exploring. Plus, I've offered to underwrite a local DC-area dance company's use of a number of Internet and interactive technologies for an upcoming performance.  Posted by Doug Fox at 2:45 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) September 16, 2005Premiere Aqueous MythTonight is the opening of Aqueous Myth: Tales of a Water Planet
Here's partial description of this media-enhanced dance work: The Department of Dance at Florida State University joins forces with local, national, and international artists to proudly present the world premiere of Aqueous Myth: Tales of a Water Planet, a full evening of modern dance performed in a media-enhanced environment of projected video and surround sound. The Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre located inside the newly retrofitted Montgomery Hall on the FSU campus will house the event. Performances are scheduled for 2 nights only, September 16 and 17 at 8PM. On the Aqueous Myth site, you'll find an excellent introduction to this event and the creative process. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:54 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) |
| ||||
|
© 2007 Great Dance. All rights reserved. |