Leaping into the 21st Century: Computer Technologies for Dance

Abstract

Technology and dance are not strangers to one another. In the seventeenth century, mechanical devices such as changement à vue and cloud machines resulted in a spectacular form of theatre. In the 19th century the development of gas lighting, the pointe shoe and the use of wires had a tremendous impact on dance technique and the performance environment of dance, creating an atmosphere which drew the audience into a fantasy world. More recently, technology has been used to inform the dance world of the realities of the physical demands of dance through electrodes attached to the body and linked to the computer. Information gathered on the use of muscles, stress placed on joints, and cardiovascular measures have increased awareness of how we have taught and how we might teach in the future.