DiMMeDa System - Digital Multimedia Archive for Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance by Maria Drazheva

DiMMeDa System - Digital Multimedia Archive for Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance Ms. Maria Draheva, BA, MA (Choreography) Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance Association P.O. Box 66, Варна, 9000, jart-bg@tea.bg

Abstract According to current programs of the Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance Academy and LogMan Academy, Bulgaria on “Filling the Gaps – Advanced Information Technology and National/International Heritage” the authors promote DiMMeDa System. The purpose of the presentation is to outline how DiMMeDa support Bulgarian folklorists to convert written, sound, and material collections in national and regional multimedia archives and to exchange information using Internet. The system create distributed database divided by basic ethnographical regions on folk origins in music, songs, dance, costumes, crafts, and tall stories. The first DiMMeDa implementation start in August, 2002 in Folk Music and Dance Academy, Bulgaria as educational tools, as a folk music and dance archive, and automated work place for choreographers; the second implementation – in High Art School -Varna for academic year 2002/2003.

Introduction The framework of the new technologies implementation in music and dance archives is in an accordance to the current wide-way computerization and going down the digital media prices, the global internet connections and know how of the new way users. As a model of our research we use the Bulgarian folk dance choreography because it is syncretical art combines music, dance movements, dramaturgy, dynamics and decorations, authentically costumes, stage property and light effects. The DiMMeDa System combine all forms of digitally stored information as a tools for computer aid dance producers and folklorists. In this article we trying to introduce one new approach to the folk art archives – this is a new media and interactive technologies mixed with Bulgarian ancient dance roots and opportunities for wide-spreading auditorium of authentic and author’s folk dances.

Transition from Classical to Digital Technologies The main problem connects with exploration, preservation and dissemination of the folk dance is its kineto- (Kinetics) graphical description. Nevertheless that around the world different research groups working on the different kinetographical methods, one of the best recognized is Laban Method [1], which is applied from London to many European and American dance departments. Bulgarian professor Kiril Dzhenev (Djenev) is an inventor of the original dance notation that is closing applicable to some specifics of the Bulgarian authentic dance [2]. But the Dzhenev’s system has one but very hard problem – it’s a very high level of abstraction and very difficult to practical implementation. In the classical course book by Rostislav Saharov [4], a representative from the world famous Russian ballet school, the process of the dance creating is graphically show as a two dimension (2-D) space, like stress on dance geometrical description. In contrast to the kinetographical systems, Choreometrics developed by Alan Lomax [5] has found on the dancer’s imagination and what they would like to express. Lomax has stressed quite not only cognitive knowledge of the performance, but generalization of the 3-dimension dance performance and its musician accompaniment. With transition to the 3-dimensional dance notation and implementation of new computerized technology it has started digital systems for folk dance art archives. This is the start to the new dimension in folk dance archives – fourth dimension, 4-D, digital multimedia dance archive as a syncretical archive combines music, dance movements, dramaturgy, dynamics and decorations, authentically costumes, stage property and light effects. The first successful experiment for dance multimedia implementation is in Ohio State University [6], OSU-MDP. The basic idea is to create shell system and software tools for computer aid dance producers. Using and adapting current technology, we trying to create one new system supporting dance producers and archivists not only in one small region like Bulgaria, but system flexible for adaptation and open for other developers and users. We trying to change classical approach when the basic media is a paper or oral dissemination with optical media storage accessing via the Internet.

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Brief Multi Media Data Classification Have in mind the standard multimedia definition we will trying to classified the difference data types according to the folk dance area. We divided general information in the following 6 groups: Text Data – textual describing of the dance, dance libretto, authentical text, written interview; doc, pdf, xml, html digital formats; Static graphical data – graphical describing of the dance, excises, jpeg and gif digital formats; Graphical Animation - low resolution animation graphics; gif and Flash digital format; Sound Data – oral interview, authentical voice, sound, musical instruments, old technology analog records, MP-3, MIDI digital formats; Stereo Sound – professional stereo recording of the music and songs performances - MP-3, MP-4 digital formats; Digital Movie - professional digital recording of the music, songs and dance performances - MP-4 and other digital formats. DiMMeDa System integrate and maintenance all kind of described information. The integration, full and fast access to all kind of information is one the basic principles of DiMMeDa architecture. Together with classical data archives on paper, magnetic tapes, video tapes, CD-ROM, etc., we create new integrated optical archives with random access via the Internet.

DiMMeDa Model DiMMeDa System Model is oriented to the everyday choreographer/musician/archivist activities and divided to the following subsystems(Fig.1.):

Fig. 1. DiMMeDa Model Who’s Who DiMMeDa Subsystem. On-line data base for key people – choreographers, musicians, composers, folklorists, artists and scientists (who work in Bulgaria and abroad). The special sections are: the national treasures, distinguished members, fellow members, professional institutions and organizations. Dance Origins DiMMeDa Subsystem. Digital multimedia archives for authentical and author’s dances and productions; all materials are classified according to ethnographical regions and villages, by institution, by author (-s), by composer (-s), by producer (-s); Music Origins DiMMeDa Subsystem. Digital multimedia archives for authentical and author’s music, vocals and instrumentals productions; all materials are classified according to ethnographical regions and villages, by genre, by institution, by author (-s), by composer (-s), by producer (-s); Costumes and Stage Properties DiMMeDa Subsystem. Digital multimedia archives for authentical and author’s costumes, crafts and other stage properties; all material are classified according to ethnographical regions and villages by author (-s); ChoreoMeDa DiMMeDa Subsystem. Computer Aid Dance Producer/Archivist. This subsystem is the core of the DiMMeDa. Using the 3-D Computer Aid Dance Kinetics tools the choreographer produce new dance and its arrangements and notation. One of the hard works - Music and Dance Synchronization – forced by virtual reality 3-D dance lab; Music and Dance Streaming DiMMeDa Subsystem. On- and Off-Line Streaming and Processing of music and dance products and dissemination around the world. Using the Internet we increase dramatically opportunities for wide-spreading auditorium of authentic and author’s folk dances. DiMMeDa System® - Digital Multi Media Dance Archive – Ms. Maria Drazheva, 2003

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Calendar of Events DiMMeDa Subsystem. On-line calendar of events: ethnographical, orthodox, cultural, institutional members, distinguish members. Every DiMMeDa members has personal on-line calendar. The Best Internet Resources DiMMeDa Subsystem. On-line links to the best resource on the Internet. We use graphical search interface to find and describe relevant information on the net. The e-SIGs DiMMeDa Subsystem. On-line special interest groups on the Internet. Internet Presents DiMMeDa Subsystem. For every institutional and distinguish members we created free of charge subdomains and e-mail box (max 250) to the main domain http://vivadanceacademy.org. The basic templates are created to support every member to use standard web site structure and navigation tools.

DiMMeDa Hardware, Software and Information Base DiMMeDa System is realized as a multi-layers system – open for new hardware, software and information base restructuring.

DiMMeDa Configurations The Best

Middle

Beginners

Power Mac G4 Dual Processor

Acer Desktop PIII

Assambled PII

Power Book G4

Acer Laptop

Secon Hand Laptop

Apple Cinema Display 22"

19" Black Trinitron

17" Secon Hand

Matrox RTMac PCI Card

Pixel View

Aver

TV Monitor

VHCR

SoundBlaster

MIDI Keyboard

80 GB Hard Disk

40 SCSI GB Hard Disk

40 GB Hard Disk

CD-DVDRW

CD-RW

Canon Mini Digital CamCorder

Sony Mini Digital CamCorder

Analog CamCorder

Apple Final Cut Pro

Adobe Premier

MM Director

Cleanup

WinZip

Adobe Photoshop

USB Digital Camera

USB Olympus Digital Camera

USB Digital Camera

USB Microphone

Apple DVD Pro

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Literature 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. London, UK Дженев, Кирил. Кинетография. Учебник. С. Наука и изкуство, 1979 Абрашев, Георги. Въпроси на хореографската теория. С. Наука и изкуство, 1989 Захаров, Р. Сочинение танца. Москва, Искуство. 1983 Lomax, Alan. Brief Progress Report: Cantometrics-Choreometrics Projects. Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council 4 (1972): 142-45 http://www.dance.ohio-state.edu/research/OSU-MDP/prototype/OSU-MDPHome.html http://www.lbcvideo.com/ http://www.abt.org/dictionary/index.html CakeWalk Professional Pro Audio Software. Department of Education and Emplyment.BECTA, UK, 1998 J.M. Rehg, S.B. Kang, and T.J. Cham. Video-editing using figure tracking and image-based rendering. Technical Report CRL 99/8, Compaq Computer Corp. Cambridge Research Lab, Cambridge MA, December 1999 alumni.cse.ucsc.edu/~michelle/dance.html edie.cprost.sfu.ca/~jacsen7/janedancerecord.html www.dancenotation.org www.artslynx.org/dance/notation.htm www.dancewriting.org www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/2806/ www2.smu.edu/dancenotation www.dancestudent.com/section_notes_HTML.html www.dance.ohio-state.edu/dnbext www.benesh.org www.eijkhout.net/rad/dance_offnet/notation.html www.ucolick.org/~sla/morris/music/wwwdance.html www.ul.ie/~iwmc/resources/dance_not.html www.surrey.ac.uk/NRCD/notation.html www.kayamanan.org/pdg/PDG_Online/ PDGW_Dance_Notation.asp danceducationweb.org/notation.html www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~griesbec/LABANE.HTML www.israelidanceaustralia.com/shdn.htm www.movingpicturesfestival.com/pdfs/rhonda.pdf dance.asu.edu/facility/medialab/ www.geocities.com/lionscave1/Media.html voxlibris.claremont.edu/research/ rguides/dance/dance_media.htm www.musicdance.sdsu.edu/lynn/mmlab.html www.dancetechnology.com/dancetechnology/ archive/2002/0038.html

Appendix 1.

DiMMeDa System: Basic Functions I. Basic Internet Functions 1. Creating Sub-domains to main site http://VivaDanceAcademy.org for every institutional member 2. FTP Users – Uploading and Downloading 3. MyDiMMeDa Users Accounting Subsystem 4. On-line Multimedia Data Base 5. Internet Security Subsystem 6. The Best Resources Indexing Subsystem II. Internet Colaboration 7. E-mail subsystem 8. E-Groups (Special Interest Groups) 9. Chat, ICQ, IRC III. On-line Multimedia Data Base Searching and Updating 10. Search Procedures for Authentical Folk Music 11. Search Procedures for Authentical and Author’s Folk Dances 12. Search Procedures for Authentical Tall Stories 13. Search Procedures for Authentical and Author’s Folk Costumes and Crafts 14. Search Procedures for Authentical and Author’s Folk Material Divided by Ethnographical Regions 15. Folk Archive Maintenance (PDF-, XML- and MP-4 formats). IV. Internet Folk Music and Dance Streaming 16. Audio Streaming 17. Multimedia Dance Clips Streaming DiMMeDa System® - Digital Multi Media Dance Archive – Ms. Maria Drazheva, 2003

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18. Videoconferencing, On-line seminars 19. Wireless Streaming (to the mobile phones, PDA, …) V. ChoreoMeDa – Computer Aid Dance Producers/Archivists 20. Computer Aid Music Processing 21. Digital Arangement of the Music and Songs 22. 3-D Computer Aid Dance Kinetics 23. Music and Dance Synchronization Lab 24. On- and Off-Line Streaming and Processing (МР-4 format) VI. Who’s Who in Bulgarian Folklore 25. Who’s Who in Bulgarian Folk Dance 26. Who’s Who in Bulgarian Folk Music 27. Who’s Who in Bulgarian Folk Costumes and Crafts Produsers VII. On-line Calendar of Events 28. Ethnographical/Orthodox Calendar of Events 29. Cultural Calendar of Events 30. Institutional/Distinguish Members Calendar of Events VIII. DiMMeDa Documentation 31. DiMMeDa Guide (PDF) 32. On-line Help 33. Contex Help

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