Lifting Bodies: interactive dance – finding new methodologies in the motifs prompted by new technology – a critique and progress report with particular reference to the Bodycoder System

Abstract

This paper offers a critique of what are seen as key issues which are problematised within the field of interactive dance, centring on the role of the various artists and technologies involved in the development of interactive dance systems, the notion of interactivity versus non-interactivity, and the influence of traditional single art-form practices. The paper proposes that it is only through identifying the particular motifs promoted by the technology itself that a way forward can be found, and an interactive dance aesthetic can begin to emerge in earnest. The arguments presented in this paper are framed within the context of the authors' long-term work and collaboration within the area of interactive dance, and provides a detailed case study of the piece Lifting Bodies (1999).