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.

Technology Autobiography

           In my everyday life my iphone is most important to me because I use it for the purpose of communication. I go to school on a daily basis, have dance rehearsals, and work three jobs, so in that case I need my cellular device to keep myself updated. My cell phone helps me keep up with my schedules and any changes that professors make, to communicate with my bosses, and coworkers, and of course my college professors. The most important application that is always being used on my phone is e-mail. This to me is extremely important because I receive up to twenty e-mails a day, some about new teaching opportunities, auditions, rehearsal dates, and assignments and updates from professors. I constantly need to stay up to date with what is happening daily. My I pod is the second most important technological device that I use on a daily basis. I use it for enjoyment, at the gym, more importantly being a dancer and a dance teacher I use it to store all of my music for the classes I teach. I heavily rely on my I pod for these reasons just about everyday. My lap top is the third most important technological device that I use on a daily basis. I am taking many courses and there is plenty of work that accumulates for all seven of my classes. I use my lap top to write papers, research topics, connect to blackboard, check my e-mail, and where I store my music. All of these devices are very important to me in my everyday life. Without them I would not be able to keep updated and communicate with professors, and bosses. I wouldn't be able to successfully teach my dance classes, and without my lap top school would almost be impossible. I wouldn't necessarily say that I learn from these devices more or less I would say these devices help be succeed and get through life. I feel that the iphone is an excellent resource because it allows me to quickly type in a search and within seconds I have found what I am looking for. There are various applications on the iphone such as a planner which helps keep myself organized on the daily. I have to say that I am one of the few people who are not attached to their phone. Most of my generation consists of people who have their phones glued to their hips. As important as technology is I try and use my phone at the minimal and for only the really important things, such as research, receiving and sending emails, and my planner to keep me organized. It is important to be able to have communication and life skills without having to constantly rely on social networking. I feel that I have learned a lot from my lap top. I have to be honest and say I am not extremely technologically savvy, but college has forced me to learn and independently figure things out on my own. I have learned how to use and explore many different applications such as power point, excel, database, different ways to research, and for my own personal interest I have learned how to use garage band so I can create and cut music. This is very important because I am a dancer, teacher, and choreographer and am always working with music. There are endless opportunities to continue to learn and grow from what a computer has to offer. I hope to continue to find different ways to use technology and hopefully infuse it into my teachings.

          Within the video that I watched it is clear that technology is extremely important to each of the individuals in the video. Technology seems to have taken over our society for better and for worse. Similar to today's society the people in the video feel a very close connection to their cell phones. I would say this is where technology has a negative effect on our society. Most teenagers these days cannot communicate verbally to others because they are constantly communicating through a device in which they do not need to actually see the facial expression, or get a direct response from the other person that they are talking to. The only significant difference that I see is that the people in the video were using their phones for texting, tweeting, and social networking, whereas I feel I use my cell phone for significant usage such as e-mail. It is clear that the people in the video have their own personal interests and use technology for different things such as those who use devices like game boys, and game cubes. This usage of technology seems to be more for pleasure than learning experience, whereas I use my computer, my phone, and my I pod for both enjoyment and of course for scholarly use. I feel I rely on technology in many ways and am fortunate enough to own my own devices and use them when I need them.

My name is Taylor Carey I am a Dance Education major. I plan On obtaining my degree by 2014. I have been dancing since the age of three and have been passionate about it ever since. I really enjoy working with children, and my dream is to support and teach children through dance. I have been teaching in a dance studio for four years and am rewarded each and everyday by my students. I am excited to continue my studies and eventually teach in a classroom setting.