Conceptualizing embodied pedagogical mediation (EPM): The plávana project, a choreographer's toolkit

Abstract

In an age where circumstance makes the need and plausibility of digital cultural mediation a reality, it becomes necessary to consider the effects such mediation has on pedagogical process. It is our purpose through work with The Plavana Project, to create an artifact that can be used as a digital toolkit for practitioners of tradition, a study tool for its students, and an introduction to the novice for the history and cultural memory carried in its teachings. We hypothesize that through a dedicated focus on Sense of Embodiment (SoE) using the immersive qualities of consumer Virtual Reality (VR), we can place the participant in historically relevant settings and provide an authentic learning experience that is generally only available locally and synchronously. In this study, we apply the fundamentals of digital game design and development, the immersive qualities and philosophies of consumer VR, and the Embodied Pedagogical Mediation (EPM) of current teachers and scholars in the traditional Odissi dance form.