Tour jeté, pirouette: Dance choreographing by computers

Abstract

This project is a "proof of concept" exercise intended to demonstrate the workability and usefulness of computer-generated choreography. We have developed a framework that represents dancers as individualized computer objects that can choose dance steps and move about on a rectangular dance floor. The effort begins with the creation of an agent-based model with the Swarm simulation toolkit. The individualistic behaviors of the computer agents can create a variety of dances, the movements and positions of which can be collected and animated with the Life Forms software. While there are certainly many additional elements of dance that could be integrated into this approach, the initial effort stands as evidence that interesting, useful insights into the development of dances can result from an integration of agent-based models and computerized animation of dances. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.