Quantification of characteristic features of Japanese dance for individuality recognition

Using the Eva infrared system for motion capture which outputs 3D-track data, we traced a portion of the famous Japanese dance number Fuji-Musume. A characteristic motion, or furi, and some sub-motions were extracted from the data by a devised algorithm that was applied to dance scenarios performed by an expert and beginner. From the extracted motions, index variables (indices) defined to quantify four typical forms were measured, with results indicating that they were beneficial for evaluating dance skill and distinctiveness. Another experiment compared various dances, where it was also found that the proposed indices allow comparing characteristics of motions beyond the type of dance.