Ghost in the Virtual Reality: Translating the human essence with motion captured dance

Abstract

In the world of dance and its related disciplines, the ability of a performer to successfully ߢmoveߣ audience members enough to elicit an emotional reaction is vital. Certain factors such as the proximity of audience to performer and viewing a performance in real-time affect how this effect is achieved. When dance movement is digitised through moving image or animation, there is potential for loss in translation of the emotional feeling experienced during a live performance versus recorded live performance or animated performance. Conversely, a heightened sensation might occur through the use of cinematography, editing and special effects. This translation issue may be encountered when creating a virtual reality animation dance using motion capture since the technologies involved can both interfere or enhance the presentation of movement. Assuming that human essence needs to be captured along with physical motion in order to generate an emotional reaction, then the choreography and motion capture data become the ߢghostߣ that is transplanted from human into a new digital body. This separation then raises the question of how to maintain the subtleties required for communication that lead to generating empathy in viewers for a virtual performerߣs narrative. To address these issues, I engaged in a series of dance motion capture sessions for a virtual narrative about mental health as the basis for examining how a choreographer and motion capture dancer can work with the limitations of technology, rather than be limited, to produce useful data. Specific limitations included use of contemporary and somatic dance, a relatively low number of cameras and dots, no facial or hand data and the use of abstract humanoid figures. Although a universally applicable solution was not discovered, I was able to identify a set of strategies that would be useful to contemporary dance choreographers using motion capture technology for the first time. Furthermore, the strategies are intended for movement narratives rooted in portraying emotion rather than physical spectacle dependent on virtuosity and visual effects.