Dance performance and virtual reality: an investigation of current practice and a suggested tool for analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The relationship between performance and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies has been ongoing since the initial development of VR in the 1980s. Much has been written about the flurry of experimentation in VR and performance during the 1990s, but not much has been written about more recent work. This article is a contextualisation of recent dance practice made for/in VR and a discussion of any characteristics of that work. For the purpose of this article, my definition of VR includes both 360 film experienced through a VR headset as well as computer-generated virtual environments, also experienced through a VR headset. This article will forefront practice and, drawing on relevant theories and frameworks, discuss the relationship between performance and virtual reality, followed by a discussion of each of the six key works, all of which premiered in 2016–2017. The article goes on to outline the characteristics of this work including types of creative content and the role of the audience and will provide a tool for analysing and understanding VR dance performance work as well as reflecting the importance of interdisciplinary creative teams and collaborative partnerships.