Dance interaction with physical model visuals based on movement qualities

A novel interface for the real-time control of interactive visuals through full body dance movements is designed with a specific focus on the notion of movement qualities (the manner in which the movement is executed). The system can recognise predefined movement qualities through gesture analysis. It also allows for the control of abstract visuals based on physical models, specifically mass-springs models, displaying graphical animations with ‘qualities’ reflecting the participants’ expressions. This work has been implemented and tested in an interactive installation called ‘Double Skin/Double Mind’. In that context, we were able to test the contribution of our system to dance pedagogy and to collect participants’ feedback. These preliminary tests suggest that the dancers can embrace the interaction with physical model-based visuals. They also reveal that the movement qualities of the visuals generated by our system fairly mirror the dancers’ own qualities.