Haptics Technology in Dance

HAPTIC TECHNOLOGY IN DANCE

G e o r g i n a P a y n e

Black Digital Dance Revolution (BDDR) is a nationally significant project that aims to combine the digital and physical aspects of dance.

Working with regional partners, Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage will host an artist residency to explore the role of technology in dance practice. This will look at how we can push the boundaries of technology such as computers, mobile phones and haptics away from their original intention through dance and movement. It will challenge these technologies, seeking to find purposeful ways for it to be used to document, archive and showcase Black dance and artists.

The main focus will be on haptic technology and how it can meet the needs of d/Deaf dance artists and choreographers. Haptic technology is already an effective tool for tactile gaming experiences so the hope is that by using an audio-based system, we can acknowledge a new interaction between the technology itself and the music being played. This should allow the user to create and perform in a way never achieved before.

Award-winning dancer, choreographer and deaf advocate, Antoine Hunter will be using this new system for the first phase of the project. The San Francisco based artist will explore the technology, responding to the vibrations passed through the cuttingedge Haptics suit.

'I live in a world that doesn't give me access [but] I still have found a way to create dance and to feel very free when I dance with or without music in a space… the freedom is related more to my health, my spirit. ' - Antoine Hunter

References (1) https://www.xrtoday.com/virtual-reality/the-best-haptic-vr-devices-and-innovations-for-2022/) (2) https://masschallenge.org/article/haptic-technology

Haptic technology imitates a sense of touch by using tactile sensations that help stimulate parts of the body. This field is rapidly growing and becoming more popular in our everyday lives and devices; the market is expected to grow by $15.84/£13.86 billion between 2021 and 2025. ¹ (XR today, 2022) as we’re likely to already be using this technology every day without realising it. It creates the vibration function in our mobile phones and games controllers helping it become the go-to technology with ‘touch as the most fundamental method of interaction, which then creates memorable experiences. ’² (Mass Challenge, 2021) Technology is renowned for evolving and advancing, which to those not in the tech community could feel like it’s all happening all too quickly. We discuss with friends, colleagues, family, and even those helping the grandparents/ elder generation - about the latest models. We deliberate the pros and cons and question whether the new features are worthwhile. But as technology evolves, so do we and our understanding of its purpose.

The work we’re doing in Black Digital Dance Revolution seeks to propose a new perspective and appreciation for this technology and most importantly provoke some much-needed conversations around the possibilities for performing artists.