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In this thesis, I combine my passion for baton twirling choreography, improvisation, and performance with my passion for theatre lighting and sound design technology. I developed a performance system centered around a baton which has been augmented with sensors, capturing its movements; these sensors send data via WiFi to a computer connected to a lighting network and a generative sound composition software, changing music and theatrical lighting looks based on the real-time movements of the baton. To demonstrate my work, I design and present a public performance to showcase the capabilities of the baton. Future work includes creating a flexible, scalable version of the system to be portable for multiple venues and to include more advanced lighting responses such as controlling motorized, moving lights, and collaborating with audio and media artists to generate more performances with different sound and media.
This thesis intends to show that the diversity of algorithmic choreography can be reduced into more specific categories. As algorithmic choreography is fundamentally intertwined with the concept of computation, it is natural to propose that algorithmic choreography works be separated based on a spectrum that is defined by the extent of the involvement of computation within each piece.
This thesis seeks to specifically outline three primary categories that algorithmic works can fall into: pieces that involve minimal computational influence, entirely computationally generated pieces, and pieces that lie in between. Three original works were created to reflect each of these categories. These works provide examples of the various methods by which computation can influence and enhance choreography.
The first piece, entitled Rαinwater, displays a minimal amount of computational influence. The use of space in the piece was limited to random, computationally generated paths. The dancers extracted a narrative element from the random paths. This iteration resulted in a piece that explores the dancers’ emotional interaction within the context of a rainy environment. The second piece, entitled Mymec, utilizes an intermediary amount of computation. The piece sees a dancer interact with a projected display of an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm. The dancer is to take direct inspiration from the movement of the virtual ants and embody the visualization of the algorithm. The final piece, entitled nSkeleton, exhibited maximal computational influence. Kinect position data was manipulated using iterative methods from computational mathematics to create computer-generated movement to be performed by a dancer on-stage.
Each original piece was originally intended to be presented to the public as part of an evening-length show. However, due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, all public campus events have been canceled and the government has recommended that gatherings with more than 10 people be entirely avoided. Thus, the pieces will instead be presented in the form of a video published online. This video will encompass information about the creation of each piece as well as clips of choreography.