WhoLoDancE: digital tools and the dance learning environment

ABSTRACT

The focus of this paper is on the WhoLoDancE EU Horizon 2020 project and the tensions between the technology and the potential impact on dancer education – the aspirations versus the realities. We explore how neuroscientific concepts can help to understand the embodied experience of working with digital tools in a mediated learning environment. The paper focuses on scoping the literature that contributes to our thinking about the use of avatars and learning in the dance studio. The authors draw on neuroscience and education theory, supported by experience from developing the tools to offer insight into what technology in the dance studio could offer. We explore the possible potential for WhoLoDancE to contribute to future technologies for dance education and creation, and what opportunities might arise for teachers, learners and choreographers.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital tools
• avatars
• virtual reality
• technology
• learning environment
• teaching

Acknowledgments

The WhoLoDancE: Whole-Body Interaction Learning for Dance Education project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action Programme.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Commission [No 688865]

Notes on contributors

Rosemary E. Cisneros

Rosemary E. Cisneros is a researcher, dancer, choreographer and curator who works closely with the RomArchive and many NGOs. She is involved in various EU-funded projects which aim to make education accessible to vulnerable groups and ethnic minorities, and part of cultural heritage projects which bring dance and digital technologies together. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8169-0642 University Profile: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/rosemary-cisneros

Kathryn Stamp

Kathryn Stamp is a dance teacher, evaluator and PhD candidate at the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University, UK. Her research interests span inclusive dance, dance in education and exploring the value and impact of dance. The current focus of her AHRC-funded PhD research is on photography-based interventions located within the intersection between dance and disability, following on from an evaluation of People Dancing’s ’11 Million Reasons to Dance’ project. Orchid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8924-7231, University profile: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/kathryn-stamp

Sarah Whatley

Sarah Whatley is Director of the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University, UK. Her research interests extend to dance and new technologies, intangible cultural heritage, somatic dance practice and pedagogy, dance documentation, and inclusive dance practice; she has published widely on these themes. Orchid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7455-0847, University profile: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/sarah-whatley

Karen Wood

Karen Wood is Dance Practitioner/Researcher/Educator. Her research has a practical perspective - the training principles of dancers, teaching dance techniques, somatic work - and a theoretical perspective considering embodiment and audiences experiences of dance. She has worked on artistic projects, supported by Arts Council England, collaborating with other art forms, such as fine art, lighting design and music. Orchid ID: 0000-0002-6120-9866, University Profile: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/karen-wood