Technology and Dance

Dance and the infusion of technology is a field which is finally coming to a rise. Unfortunately, there are not that many dance departments that offer a strong technology program. Most dance departments focus on dance technique and performance, and not so much the technological aspect of the field. After doing some research, I found a dance department that focuses and provides students with a well rounded technology aspect of the dance world. UCIrvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts dance department was one of the first schools in the United States to have a full time position dedicated specifically to dance technology research and creative work. In 1998 the program gained a motion capture studio which gave their students the first opportunity over any other college to begin researching and gaining experience with technology and dance. The idea of camera, and video within dance plays a huge role in the program at UCI. The faculty in this facility holds high expectations and a very good reputation. These professionals are highly trained and offering the best training to students in this content area. Recently at Montclair State we have gained a new technology program within the dance department offered to anyone interested. I hope to eventually take this course so I can have a better understanding of the integration of technology in dance. As a future dance teacher, I hope to be able to truly understand the way technology plays a role in dance, such as the performance aspect. For example lighting, sound, and background visuals, all incorporate computer technology. I feel these aspects of the dance world are just as important as the technique itself, I just haven't had the opportunity to learn about these ideas. I have taken a stage production course which offered some of the staging technological aspects of the performance world along with the costuming and visual aspect. I do wish to invest my time and learn more about the subject. As a future teach I want my students to be well rounded in all areas of dance. The only problem with dance is that it is a visual, and physical art form and the core of the art is creating movement with your body. The technological tool within dance is the body itself. So when it comes to technology and dance it is sometimes hard to incorporate it within a dance class. It happens to go hand and hand with performance. Within a dance class we focus on technique and vocabulary and not so much technology. Since the majority of my dance classes focus mainly on technique technology does not play a huge role in which I need to try and research on my own time. I hope to try and create new ways and ideas to incorporate it into my classes that I will teach. I hope that more Universities will grow and eventually offer a program along the lines of the UCI dance department. I feel that as a student studying both dance and education the integration of technology within dance can really benefit me as a student and a teacher. I want to incorporate it within my creative work and teachings.