Parallax: Dancing the Digital Space

(Long paper)

Keywords: 3D, stereoscopic, dance technology, choreography, multi-media dance, trans-media dance.

Parallax is a contemporary dance work that integrates live performance and stereoscopic illusions. This performance work was designed to demonstrate the transformative potential of stereoscopic technology for contemporary dance. Parallax explores how the technology can change the traditional theatrical idea of space. We propose that the theatrical space is overlaid by a stereoscopic space that is best defined as a square pyramid. The stereoscopic image within the theatre environment creates a new area for the, choreographer, dancer and audience to experience dance and opens new creative possibilities. First, the choreographer needs to negotiate a different form of perceived space, and to work with both live and animated bodies. Second, the dancer may become less central and more part of a technical system, and s/he is required to negotiate digital environments and objects that are invisible to them. Finally, the audience experience of the stereoscopic dance performance is significantly different from, and potentially more immersive than, other forms of dance that use technology. This paper proposes that the inclusion of three-dimensional (3D) scenography requires a reorganizing of the conception of space in the creation and performance of contemporary dance and theatre.