Transmitting, Transforming, and Documenting Dance in the Digital Environment What Dance Does Now That It Didn’T Do Before Sarah Whatley

Transmitting, Transforming, and Documenting Dance in the Digital Environment What Dance Does Now that It Didn’t Do Before Sarah Whatley

“Choreographic objects” take on many forms but all aim to capture something of the choreographer’s unique creative process. A term first used by choreographer William Forsythe to describe “an alternative site for the understanding of potential instigation and organization of action to reside” (Forsythe 2009?), choreographic objects are instrumental in transmitting, transforming, and documenting dance. In his essay, Forsythe reflects on projects he has initiated that have utilized digital technologies for inscribing, recording, and transmitting his dance practice. Often experimental and playful in design, choreographic objects can be in analogue or digital form, and exist in a symbiotic relationship with the embodied practice to which they refer. As a relatively new phenomenon, choreographic objects are also often an outcome of the productive relationships that have been developing between artists and researchers, who have together investigated new modes of production, documentation, and the integration of digital technologies. The “kitchens” that were created during the building of the Siobhan Davies RePlay digital archive are examples of choreographic objects, playfully experimenting with how to visual- ize dance data in a way that reflects the design and organization of the choreography (Siobhan Davies RePlay 2017). The kitchens, as the choreographic objects, took the form of two pro- totype graphic scores, which comprised the elements of the process of creating the choreography in two dance works by British choreographer Siobhan Davies: Bird Song (2004) and In Plain Clothes (2006).1 The aim was to provide access to the “ingredients” of each dance work

1. See www.siobhandavies.com/thekitchen/birdsong/ and www.siobhandavies.com/thekitchen/inplainclothes/. For more on Davies and her work, see http://www.siobhandavies.com/people/detail/siobhan-davies/.

Sarah Whatley is Professor of Dance and Director of the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University. Her research interests include dance and new technologies, dance analysis, somatic dance practice and pedagogy, and inclusive dance practices. The AHRC, the Leverhulme Trust, and European Union fund her current research. She led the AHRC-funded Siobhan Davies digital archive project, RePlay, and continues to work with Davies on other artist-initiated research projects. She is also Editor of the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices and sits on the editorial boards of several other journals. [email protected]

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Documenting Dance 79 - “kitchen.” (Courtesy of “kitchen.” Bird Song Song Bird

the graphic is a series of concentric circles, reflecting the circular organization of reflecting the circular organization the graphic is a series of concentric circles, Song Bird Siobhan Davies RePlay) Davies Siobhan Figure 1. Screengrab from Siobhan Davies RePlay. Image from from Image RePlay. Davies Siobhan from Screengrab 1. Figure I have long been interested in the impact that digital media is having on dance, dance- I have long been interested in the impact that digital media is having on dance, pres- Arts practice in the UK in general and dance in particular are under extraordinary The design of each kitchen highlights the spatial and the rhythmic properties of the dance. spatial and the rhythmic properties of the dance. The design of each kitchen highlights the formance, from talks by experts, photographs from source material, design sketches, and so design sketches, from source material, photographs from talks by experts, formance, kitchens do raise the with other choreographic objects, As on play out in a split screen format. may be which the objects originating dance work, questions about their relationship to the of the work that are otherwise hidden or Do the kitchens reveal properties “fixing.” seen to be were not present in the live form? Did the kitch- do they ascribe properties to the work that on Davies’s choreography from the point of their ens in fact seed ideas that had some influence inception onwards? in collaboration with choreographers and danc- Over the past decade, and audiences. makers, objects and have explored the impact of new I have been involved in creating choreographic ers, and on technologies such as motion tracking and augmented reality on performance-making All these developments raise interesting questions about the displacement audience reception. and how we might secure a robust legacy authorship in dance, of the corporeal dancing body, for dance. likely a common picture across much of Europe, sure in the current sociopolitical climate, from secondary schools and the quality of Dance is gradually being eliminated and beyond. Hofesh dance training is declining according to three leading choreographers (Lloyd Newson, For The cho- the solo dance at the center of the work. the choreography that draws the eye towards - the juxtapo “hinged pair,” reography for In Plain Clothes was designed around the concept of a see or something else that would help spectators sition of dance material with a text or image, unplanned con- The chance relationship of the two halves could generate the dance differently. the user which the kitchen captures by presenting a game-like interface with which nections, from the per as extracts from rehearsals, content and see new correspondences, “catch” can and to show how these ingredients were then “cooked” to form the final product. The ingredi- to form the final product. “cooked” then and to show how these ingredients were some of the notes and reflections from the performers, ents include sketches from the designers, and early versions of the sound scores (material that source materials used in the choreography, is often undervalued and discarded). Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021 80 Figure 2. Sarah Whatley Davies Dance) In Plain Clothes

impact onartistsandcollaborators, scholars, viewers record, transmit, andarchivedance. Thus, working withchoreographicobjects the worldonadailybasis duction ofdigitaltechnologiesindance action, bodyandmind, therebydissolvingthedualisms thatstilldominateacademia. The intro- 4. 3. 2. dance studies degree at a UK university was offered in 1981 at the University of Surrey. of MusicLaban Conservatoire and Dance), followed soon after by a number of other BA programs; the first The first BA degree in dance was established at what wasthen the Laban Centre, London, in 1977 (now Trinity (see for example BBC News [2015]). evidence of a thriving UK dance community. The argument was featured in the national press and media in 2015 Vociferous criticism also came from universities and from across the independent dance sector with many citing Dance UK conference, April 2015: “The Future: New Ideas: New Inspirations” www.danceuk.org/conference. (2006). (Photo by Laurie Lewis; courtesy of Siobhan (2006). (Photo byof Laurie Lewis; courtesy — has hadasignificantimpactonhowwecreate, support, encounter, — now simplypartofwhatwedoandhowexistin — is allthemoreimportant. in 2015(Roberts2015). national conferenceintheUK release issuedjustbeforea who madetheclaiminapress Schechter, and Akram Khan), tor ingeneral. ing schoolsandthedancesec- Britain’s leadingdancetrain- lenged bytheprincipalsof criticism hasbeenwidelychal- and collectiveworkingmethods. disciplines; andbycollaborative by discoursebetweenandacross scholarly andartisticpractices; blurring ofboundariesbetween are characterizedbyaconfident ing thatdanceandstudies rooted inthesharedunderstand- these andotherproblems, is was chargedwithaddressing conference in April 2017, which the late1970s graduate coursesintheUK grow fromthefirstunder ies asanacademicdiscipline view, Ihaveseendancestud- connection betweenthoughtand of knowledgebypromotingthe lenges establishedhierarchies nize themind. Dancealsochal- through thebodyhelpstoorga- thinking —training embodied disciplines. Dancepromotes is oftensoughtafterbyother sustained subjectwhoseresearch and theatrestudies from anthropology, sociology, From apersonalpointof 4 3 hc drew —which DanceFields, a — given their — to aself- 2 Their - Documenting Dance 81 - argues, argues, 5 an access that gives much more information about dance than can be information about gives much more an access that —

The epistemological nature of these choreographic objects also spotlights the interdiscipli- The epistemological nature of these choreographic and artifacts bringing installations, scores, The projects I discuss below are digital archives, Motivated by interest in finding ways to access and share the physical intelligence and hid- in finding ways to access and share the Motivated by interest See 5. See http://motionbank.org/. rounds materiality and immateriality in relation to analogue versus digital, hard copy versus hard to analogue versus digital, rounds materiality and immateriality in relation points to a binary that is and particularly within the context of cultural heritage, computer file, an art that primarily resides in the moving physical already disturbed by the logics of dance as with how The fascination difficult if not impossible. making access to the dance that was body, discuss and the questions that lie beneath them: How this might change fuels the projects I will to the leg- What contribution do they make world? do choreographic objects act in and on the how do these And, and preserve dance? store, acy of dance/performance? How do we record, and strategies? objects enter and change pedagogical practices questions about dance being situated at the conflu- narity of contemporary dance and raises The objects contribute to synergies between ence of different fields of practice and research. of cross-fertilization; blurring disciplinary bound- dance and technology by marking places sciences; and influencing their mutual evolution. and social computing, aries between dance, of ideas” “systematic integration Fiore describes as a Interdisciplinarity refers to what Stephen data and information, “ideas, implies that “to make whole,” literally Integration, (2008:254). con- and/or theories from two or more disciplines are synthesized, concepts, tools, methods, (Repko [2008] 2012:4). or blended” nected, Roles are together interdisciplinary teams with improvisational and experimental approaches. As Berto step into the area of expertise of another. allowing participants to freely reconfigured, occurs when “integrated process” an and Celine Latulipe (2012) argue, Erin Carroll, Gonzalez, and when technologists may a choreographer may provide vital input for technology design, This is a continuous process of negotiation likewise provide information about a dance moment. A contagion hierarchies and roles break down. where established where nothing is predefined, This phe- and approaches are appropriated and exchanged. vocabularies, phrases, of new words, spring forth.nomenon creates a space of creative possibility from which choreographic objects den knowledge of dance artists, I have always been intrigued by the ways in which sensory I have always been intrigued artists, den knowledge of dance In simple (1987:9). “minded body” described as the awareness creates what Sondra Fraleigh has a final product we access dance either by dancing or by viewing dance in performance as terms, how and technologies through which it is mediated, (which in turn is impacted by the various record, pin down, That dance is an ephemeral art form difficult to and so on). where it is sited, that sur The discourse and share beyond its live instantiation goes without saying. document, “Could it be conceivable that the ideas now seen as bound to a sentient expression are indeed that the ideas now seen as bound to “Could it be conceivable Forsythe has explored sentient (2009?). intelligible state?” durable, able to exist in another installations (where the intelligible states other than the body through expression existing in a variety of digital dance not physically present) as well as through body is implicated but Bank. such as Motion scores,

experienced through a single instance or encounter. The projects I discuss all deal in different projects I discuss all deal The or encounter. through a single instance experienced or a digital or physical, either objects, of choreographic the creation or interrogation ways with choreographic object has gained The notion of the and the nondigital. link between the digital traction within the dance community since Forsythe’s essay. Reflecting on his Improvisation Reflecting essay. community since Forsythe’s traction within the dance his dancers into his computer installation designed to induct an interactive (1994), Technologies Forsythe object, and perhaps the first choreographic vocabulary, particular movement The connective tissue of the digital projects I discuss in this essay is the access they provide in this essay is the projects I discuss tissue of the digital The connective (or users) for viewers A Meshwork of Projects A Meshwork Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

82 Sarah Whatley artscapes” and “interdisciplinary knowledgescapes” ing artists, researchers, designers, technologyexperts)asartistsdevelop “interdisciplinary interdisciplinary undertakingsarefundamentaltohowchoreographicobjectsemerge(involv- nologies arerecalibratingrelationshipsbetweenartistsandaudiences. These practicesshowthat

accessible online. share theirwork. Butitisalsotruethattherearefewmanageddancearchives, fewerstillopenly tion), orreimaginedthroughvariousothertextualtracesandphotographicrecords. selves werefrequentlylostoronlyrecoverablethroughaverylimitednumberofscores(nota- beginning toestablishitsmethodologiesandliteraturewithintheacademy, thedancesthem- struggling toberecognizedasaseriousartform. Although bytheearly1980sdancestudieswas and howmuchcouldbeseenshared. With suchalimitedretrievablehistory, dancewasstill broadcast ontelevisionorstoredinoneofthefewphysicalarchiveswithstrictrulesaboutwhat beginning, foundedin2005and2004respectively). Dancewassimplynotavailableunlessit ble. Only10yearsagotherewasbarelyanydanceon YouTube or Vimeo (whichwereonlyjust Davies andIsharedasenseofresponsibilityforpreservingmakingthematerialaccessi- the early1970s, reflectingmanyofthekeydevelopmentsincontemporarydanceUK). a storehouseofinformationthatwouldbehugelyvaluableformanyothers(itstretchedbackto other materials, unconcernedabouttheirvulnerabilityorhowtheymightcirculate. There was and therewasnothingavailableonopenchannels. At thattime, Daviessentme VHS tapesand Davies’s choreographicwork. Mymotivationwasselfish;Iwantedtobeableaccessherwork practices andobjects. ories. Together theypushtheboundariesofthinkingandart-making, resultinginradicallynew Knowledgescapes blenddifferentepistemologicalanddisciplinaryapproaches, insights, andthe- domains, fromperformancetodesign, human-computerinteraction, andsoftwareengineering. spaces ofcreativepossibilitythatdrawinsights, resources, tools, andinspirationfrommanifold by theEuropeanCommission–fundedRICHESproject, greater thepossibilityfornewresources, theories, andmethodologies. This hasbeenborneout Europeana Space, tions, meincluded. IamcurrentlyworkingonanotherEuropeanCommission–fundedproject, and businessrecordsarestrugglingtofindtheresourcesbuildsustaintheircollec- valuable dancecollectionsfullofaudiovisuals, stillimages, texts, scores, objectsandcostumes, it financiallyprohibitiveformostinstitutionsandgovernments. Thoseinpossessionofmany See www.europeana-space.eu.9. See 8. 7. 6.

How theworldhaschanged. Danceisnowwidelyavailableonline. Manyartistsrecordand My firstforayintothisresearchwasin2006whenIbegancreatingadigitalarchivefor The greaterthetypesofinterdisciplinaryencountersbetweenartsandtechnology, the language=2, and Ubuweb Dance http://ubuweb.com/dance/. in Denmark www.dansearkiv.dk/, Digitaler Atlas Tanz, Germany www.tanzplan-deutschland.de/atlastanz.php?id_ ing the National of Australia Library Dance Collection www.nla.gov.au/what-we-collect/dance, the Dansearkiv.dk Center is a significant resource in the US www.nypl.org/locations/lpa. There are several others worldwide, includ- Archive www.routledgeperformancearchive.com/. The New for the York Library atLincoln Arts Performing archive, Archive the Rambert www.rambert.org.uk/explore/rambert-archive/, and the Routledge Performance and Archive www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/student-experience/facilities/faculty-of-dance/laban-library-Laban Library ac.uk/national-resource-centre-dance, by the Victoria Museum and Albert www.vam.ac.uk/page/d/dance/, the Notable archives in the UK include those managed by the National Resource Centre for Dance www.surrey. (Manning 2009:14). ing dichotomies that populate our worlds: abstract-concrete, mind-body, organic-prosthetic, etc. actual-virtual, arguing that the world is relational. These projects show how movement provides the potentialfor unthink- Here I acknowledge a connection with Erin Manning’s RICHES stands for Renewal, Innovation and Change: Heritage and European Society. See www.riches-project.eu. 8 9 The resourcesneededtobuildarchives, particularlydancearchives, make focusedonreusingdigitalculturalcontentaccessedfromEurope’sonline Relationscapes: Movement, Art, Philosophy. I join her in 7 (WhatleyandSabiescu2016). Artscapes are 6 whichexaminesthewaysnewtech- Documenting Dance 83 artist’s Notwithstanding the politics of “the archive” and the attendant questions about “the archive” Notwithstanding the politics of that is efficient and reflects the range and nature of the digital assets; and the that is efficient and reflects the range 11 10

The metadata schema is the fundamental structure for the archive, providing all the data about any single digital digital single any data about the all providing archive, the for structure fundamental the is schema metadata The http://dublincore.org/. schema Core Dublin the of version modified a devised we RePlay For object. the migrating, Since Dance.” Davies Siobhan of Archive “The added we then strapline; no was there first At principal archive’s the reflect to Dance” Davies Siobhan of Archive Choreographic “The been renamed has archive screens, (galleries, spaces alternative for and in made is that practice current Davies’s pre-dates that work on focus http://siobhandaviesreplay.com. etc.) RePlay was one of several dance projects at the time that responded to the digital turn in RePlay was one of several dance projects at the time that responded to the digital I have published elsewhere about the process of creating the archive and the challenges faced I have published elsewhere about the process Paradoxically, this lack of historical material can stimulate the creation of choreographic the creation material can stimulate this lack of historical Paradoxically, whose memory is privileged and who or what is left out, building RePlay contributed to the building RePlay contributed is left out, whose memory is privileged and who or what including graphic scores and a digi- creation of new tools for documenting and analyzing dance, about the also thought much We tal scrapbook whereby users could build their own collections. responsibilities we had to those featured in the archive. some of these projects are focused specifically on the Like RePlay, dance documentation. 10. 11. Archival Objects Objects Archival it quickly became clear to which we named RePlay, digital archive, Returning to Davies’s and easy to access from free, user-friendly, attractive, Davies and me that the archive should be as easily as other online content; we dances to be discovered wanted Davies’s We anywhere. and we wanted users to tell their own stories through wanted users to make their own journeys; Research Arts and Humanities from the UK’s secured funding of £500,000 We the content. The 2009. launching mid-way through 30 months, Council (AHRC) to build the archive over employment the of my time for leading the project, funding contributed to covering a portion asset and the building costs including the purchase of a digital of two full-time researchers, for the inclusion of some content. and licenses web design, management system, 2009 and 2010). Varney Whatley and 2014; 2013b, 2013a, during building it (Whatley 2009, importance of collaboration (among the research team Several key issues emerged including the the work of a the challenge of archiving the dancers), and the technology experts, and Davies, and meta- working artist; the importance of having a clear content management system living, data schema objects, and discussions about the dancing body and its ability to store its own data, as well as to store its own data, about the dancing body and its ability and discussions objects, is a valuable storehouse of While the dancing body “body.” a debate about what constitutes in the discussions about how the dance also participates and histories, memories, information, The dancing body therefore and unfinished. excessive, changing, porous, body is unbounded, objects discussed here which is why the choreographic of fixity, underscores the impossibility and or less unified and singular, which may be more An object is produced, are so interesting. yet in their multiple formats, at least something of the dance, which records and documents of singularity. simultaneously reinforce the impossibility choreographic objects library, Europeana. But open access dance content remains very limited, not least because copy- not least because remains very limited, access dance content But open Europeana. library, dance Consequently, and users alike. confusing artists rules are complex, right and licensing the teaching and the to body in both passed from body in the oral tradition, remains largely continues to escape If dance vulnerable. chain is inherently but this context, choreographic of our cultural heritage. we will lose a portion recording, time it takes to reach everyone who features in the archive to secure permissions and licenses. in the archive to secure permissions and licenses. time it takes to reach everyone who features audiovisual (still and moving images) comple- The digital content of RePlay is predominantly When and scores. scripts, reviews, such as programs, mented by a rich range of textual materials agreed on naming so we “archive” Davies was reluctant to call it an the archive was launched, strapline has been added to the homepage that refers to although in recent years a it RePlay, the “archive.” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

84 Sarah Whatley 15. 14. Leach, Artifacts ofPhysicalIntelligence.” Working incollaborationwithsocialanthropologistJames of his2009essay, thisoverallworkshopserieswastitled “Choreographic Objects: Traces and choreographic thinking. With referencetoForsythe’spivotal work, andpromptedbythetitle Forsythe’s SynchronousObjects graphic softwareagentsthatgenerallyqualifyaschoreographicobjects. Forexample, William RePlay, forexample, wereprojectsthatincludedinteractivescores, installations, andchoreo- own makingandthinkingprocess. Runninginparallelandemergingaroundthesametimeas 13. 12. project (2007), concept ofachoreographicobject. Somecombineddigital andanaloguemethods, including also becategorizedaschoreographicobjects, oratleastashavingsomerelationshipwiththe dance-making. Soonafteroursymposium, anumberofdancepublicationsemergedthatmight the potentialofnontextualformsnotation, scoring, anddescriptionintherepresentationof graphic objectsinacross-disciplinarycontextledtostep-changeforusthinkingthrough pologists, andmore? laboration amongtechnologyexperts, computerscientists, philosophers, psychologists, anthro- revealed throughhowchoreographicobjectsaredesignedandpublishedasaresultofthecol- pher, workingwiththedancersmoreorlesscollaboratively, howmightthisimpact and/orbe that isvaluable” (8). We wondered:ifchoreographicintelligenceresideswithinthechoreogra- ‘choreographic intelligence.’ Itcanoffersomethingotherknowledgepracticescannot, and ness, itsemotionalintelligence, itsintegratedandsyncreticcharacter, there issomethingcalled ular kind. Referringtodanceandspecificallychoreography, heoffers: “Initsspatialaware- that theobjectsmadeclearchoreographyinvolvespracticeandintelligenceofapartic- extent towhichtheyreleasepreviouslyunreleasedmaterial” (Leach2014:12). Leachobserved carry theintentionsoftheirmakersindifferentways, andwithdifferentconsequences, andthe we thoughtabouthowtheobjects “occupy adifferentkindoftransactionalspace, howthey tic creation. to meet, discussthework, andthinkabouthowdigitaldanceobjectsactasacatalystforartis- choreographics” designedtoenhanceengagementwithGreco’smovementlanguage. Capturing IntentionisamultimediatoolthatincorporatesLabanotationandsystemof “pre- complex organizationalstructures, especiallyof “counterpoint”; EmioGreco|PieterSholten’s of responsesinvisualformtoasingledance, OneFlat Thing, reproduced (2000), andilluminates while Forsythe’sSynchronousObjectsisahighlysophisticatedwebsitethatprovidesrange resource creates “objects” thatareuniquetotheartist, project, andtheproductionteam. So and Australia with contemporary dance companies, interdisciplinary collaborators, and and softwareAustralia dance companies, interdisciplinary engineers. with contemporary work takes place in Papua New Guinea but he has spent fieldworkmany years in theundertaking UK, Europe, tual property, knowledge production, digital technologies, and ecological relations to place. Much of his field- James Leach is currently based at the University of Western Australia. His research focuses on creativity, intellec - choreographicobjects/. organizations involvedthe arts in creating the choreographic objects. See http://projects.beyondtext.ac.uk/ The research team included James Leach, Scott deLahunta, Sarah Whatley, and representatives from each of group.com/artworks/cla.html). At theworkshops, thetimewespentreflectingontheserelativelyearlyiterationsofchoreo- Another AHRC grantenabledthechoreographersandresearchersworkingontheseprojects capturing-intention/), Sholten’s Capturing Intention William Forsythe’s Synchronous Objects For more see http://ausdance.org.au/articles/details/the-choreographic-language-agent. background on CLA ized through an interactive digital software tool (Becoming) dance-making developedin the studio. to support The Choreographic has been an ongoing project for Language Agent (CLA) Wayne McGregor, most recently real- 15 whohasconductedfieldworkwithcontemporarydancecompaniesoverseveralyears, 14 We acknowledged thatwhatwasemerginganewparadigmofthinkingabout and Wayne McGregor’sChoreographicLanguage Agent and WayneMcGregor’s project (2007; http://insidemovementknowledge.net/context/background/ (2009), EmioGreco|PieterSholten’sCapturingIntention (2009; http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu/), Emio Greco | Pieter Choreographic Language Agent (2004–2009; http://openended 12

(2004–2009). 13 Each

Documenting Dance 85 ------and provides which gave us 20

17 However, NRCD continues to man NRCD continues However, 19 to “explore how digital technology can be uniquely applied to technology can be uniquely applied to “explore how digital to Led by Scott deLahunta, who has been a driving force behind many of these proj- force behind many has been a driving who deLahunta, Led by Scott 16

(also funded by the AHRC), which was designed to focus on providing access to which was AHRC), (also funded by the 18

For more information on the Choreographic Coding Labs (CCL) see www.choreographiccoding.org. see (CCL) Labs Coding the Choreographic on information more For site. the on tool search visual the underway are Plans restore to Returning to RePlay, we assumed that building it was sufficient to get people to use it but we assumed that building it was sufficient to get people Returning to RePlay, Soon after RePlay went live in 2009, we created in collaboration with the University of we created in collaboration with the University Soon after RePlay went live in 2009, The aim of Motion Bank was The aim of Motion Bank even my own undergraduate dance students needed guidance on how to work on the site and even my own undergraduate dance students needed guidance on how to work on Although today’s students are now more digitally how it could be useful for their own projects. not experienced in using archives and had not thought they are literate than their predecessors, project, Traces developed the Dance We about the importance of self-archiving. Surrey and the National Resource Centre for Dance (NRCD), the Digital Dance Archives the Digital Dance for Dance (NRCD), Surrey and the National Resource Centre portal RePlay and a number of other dance collections stored in the NRCD. With an emphasis on With stored in the NRCD. RePlay and a number of other dance collections a key component of the portal was to inte sketches), drawings, images, visual content (videos, ects, Motion Bank builds on Synchronous Objects by producing an online publication of digital publication of digital by producing an online Synchronous Objects Bank builds on Motion ects, Burrows and Matteo Jonathan Hay, dance artists Deborah developed with the dance scores design- also working in conjunction with interaction Thomas Hauert, and Bebe Miller, Fargion, and Forsythe invited these artists to par DeLahunta and computer scientists. programmers, ers, ticipate in Motion Bank “on the basis of their distinctive, articulate, and diverse approaches to articulate, “on the basis of their distinctive, ticipate in Motion Bank (Forsythe and deLahunta 2011:12). creating dance works” See 16. See http://motionbank.org/. 17. See www.dance-archives.ac.uk. 18. See www.dance-archives.ac.uk. 19. 20. See https://dancetraces.wordpress.com. ditions. The tool now no longer works because the unique search software became corrupted The tool now no longer works ditions. and update it. and we had no additional resources to fix The when there is money to digitize content. age the site and add collections to the portal of what is available on RePlay advanced scrapbook tool extends the functionality ticular dance step or pose, providing surprising links between different dance styles and tra providing surprising links between different dance styles ticular dance step or pose, The and develop narratives through the content. an imaginative way for the user to interpret advance Archives project is perhaps typical as digital technologies story of the Digital Dance rarely be future-proofed in an affordable way. rapidly and these kinds of resources can ciplinary work we intended. For a period, the color similarity option worked, yielding some the color similarity option worked, For a period, ciplinary work we intended. for hitherto hidden connections between, beautiful serendipitous search results revealing from different Laban’s drawings of geometric forms and more contemporary images example, lineage of a par The tool initially enabled users to trace the dance collections in the NRCD. grate a visual search tool designed by computer scientists, which enabled users to search by which enabled users scientists, grate a visual search tool designed by computer was never fully however, The visual search, or shape. pose, by color, that is, visual similarity, code and a lack of time for the interdis realized because of problems with the background (2008), which offered a deep experience of Paxton’s ped- experience of Paxton’s offered a deep which the Spine (2008), Material for Steve Paxton’s Bojana Cvejic´’s de Keersmaeker and Teresa Anne and approach to improvisation, agogy and - Motion Bank proj also spawned his Forsythe’s earlier projects (2012). Score A Choreographer’s ect (2013). the challenge of documenting, analyzing, notating/annotating and presenting dance” (12) by and presenting dance” notating/annotating analyzing, the challenge of documenting, video recordings and three- conceptual approaches along with archiving the choreographers’ provides a unique approach Each digital score the performances. dimensional data documenting the particular aesthetic and the dance in ways that aim to reflect to recording and representing scores is meant to grow through The bank of digital of the artists. choreographic characteristics The rela- upon funding. although much of this work is dependent working with new artists, processes has continued to grow through a series of tionship between dance and computational of Motion Bank. Creative Coding Labs that were also outgrowths Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

86 Sarah Whatley studio. These fragments ofmovementdocumentnotonlyDavies’sdance-makingprocess but “scratch tapes” madeby the dancersthemselves, showingthemworkingthroughmaterial inthe Walser’s novellaTheWalk (1917). Itisapoignantscreendance work. archival imagesandresourcesfrom numerousEuropeanarchives, wasstructuredaroundRobert filmmaker DavidHinton, All This CanHappen(2012). This film, bringingtogetherandreusing as apositiveandfruitfulsourceofcreativitybymakingdance filmincollaborationwithdance dwelling onthepast. This senseofbetrayalmaywellhave promptedhertoreclaimthearchive artist whoisconcernedwiththepresentandlookingforward tothenextworkratherthan about thearchive’sbetrayalofherwork, revealingperhaps acommonconditionofthedance being aliving, workingartistconfrontingherownpast throughthearchive. Sheeventalked the archiveonherownmemoriesofpastwork, perhaps reflectingherunusualpositionof ious abouthavingworksthathad “disappeared” resurface. Shewonderedabouttheimpactof their ownwork. nize howdigitalarchivesareavaluableresourceforreflecting on, locating, andcontextualizing ing insideinstitutions. Through theDance Traces project, ourstudents were alsoabletorecog- companies, etc.)(Molloy2014:19). Molloy’sfindingscouldnodoubtbeappliedtothosework- of) liveandperformanceartspractitionersworkingoutsideofinstitutions(universities, dance fied alackofdigitalcuration(includingpreservation)awarenessamong(asmallsample atically storingtheirownwork. This wasmadeclearbyLauraMolloywhoseresearchidenti- media andsomedigitaltechnologiesbutperhapsdonotrecognizetheimportanceofsystem- ronment. What welearnedthroughthisworkisthatstudentsmaybeveryfamiliarwithsocial more theoreticalquestionsaboutprivacy, ethics, copyright, andaestheticsintheonlineenvi- methods fornavigatingdigitalarchives, toblogsassitesforstoringandsharingcontent, andto for self-archivinginthecurriculum. We introducedstudentstosimplerecordingtechniques, to the timeandresourcestodevelopstrategiesembedbotharchivestudents’methods One ofthemostinterestingcollections onRePlayistheseriesofrehearsaltapesand After thelaunchofRePlayin2009, Davieswasinitially ambivalentaboutthearchive, anx- Davies RePlay) of Siobhan(Courtesy thekitchen/birdsong/. siobhandavies.com/ landing page: www. Song “kitchen” version of the (fig. 4) of the final the dance “ingredients” structure (fig. 3) plus concentric circles the grid content and design for building Figures 3 & 4. Early Bird Bird Documenting Dance 87

(2000), came onstage before the movement portion of the dance began came onstage before the movement (2000), Water Of Oil and

The dance-making process also spawned the kitchens that I described earlier. Each is in the the kitchens that I described earlier. The dance-making process also spawned to give a recipe for making pork cassoulet. Each time In Plain Clothes was performed live a dif- to give a recipe for making pork cassoulet. to the ferent speaker provided what seemed on the face of it to be an unconnected prologue Gough’s talk lasted around 10 minutes Speaking without notes, each on a different topic. dance, Here to food. and was surprising in the context of a dance performance that made no reference recounting his personal no relationship to this dance, who apparently had was an amateur cook, The unexpected connections came when the dancers took experience of cooking a French dish. form of a visual score or a form of notation, and is constructed to be a readable tool for rec- and is constructed to be a readable tool form of a visual score or a form of notation, other cho- Like the dance from which it is derived. or reimagining reconstructing, reating, While work. the kitchens can reconfigure the viewer’s experience of the reographic objects, or providing access to the choreographic processes and features that enable a more detailed may also fundamentally change the dance work as the kitchens directed reading of the work, the spa- or at least the perceptual properties of the dance (in other words, seen by the user, A case in point: when tial and temporal design and other organizing principles of the dance). structure of the choreography “hinged pair” I attended a performance of In Plain Clothes the composer who worked with Davies on an earlier a music was realized when Orlando Gough, piece, also the private space of rehearsals. Davies thought the “scratches” were important to include were important “scratches” Davies thought the also the private space of rehearsals. and dancers make to a choreographic work, because they reveal the depth of the contributions the details of their thinking process. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

88 Sarah Whatley compelling ishowarchivalcontentreturnsandreenters theartist’sworkandhowprocessof acceptance ofthearchiveaswhat itis:inevitablyincomplete, “detritus” (Reason2003). What is Whereas RePlay “ simply areenactmentorreconstruction fromthearchive. The piecedrawsonthecontent as acknowledging thedifferentdigitallifeofdancework(Noë2009). work thatisthebasisforSynchronousObjects: “It willgoondifferentlythanitwouldhave,” losopher-in-residence withtheForsytheCompany, notedaboutOneFlat Thing, reproduced , the might askwhetherthewaydanceworkexistsisforeveraltered. Indeed, as Alva Noë, phi- part ofthekitchenworktakesadifferentformand, aswithotherchoreographicobjects, we soulet, reinforcingtheprincipalcompositionalstructureof “hinged pair.” When renderedas the Birminghamstage, stimulatingaburiedmemoryofliveeventandthetalkaboutcas- way I “catch” differentelementsandplaythemtogetheronthescreen, takemebrieflybackto resides onlyinmymemory, notonline. And yetimagesthatemergeserendipitouslythroughthe pairings whentheworkwastakenontour)soactualperformanceIwitnessedstage scapes, includingvineyards. There isnofilmofthecassoulettalk(oranyotherhinged short filmsofthedanceinrehearsal, rehearsalnotes, andimagesofwinecasksvariousland- tions betweenthetwowindows, onelabeled “context” theother “dance.” The windowsfeature Clothes kitchen, myviewingisdirectedtowardsthemultipleandseeminglyrandomconnec- tumes andtheundulatingpatternsofliftsrolls. When IgotoRePlayandaccesstheInPlain of theprologue, andsawshadesofaFrenchlandscapeinthemutedpastoralcolorscos- a commongoalthatIlikenedtofamilygrouppreparingmealtogetherduethecontent formal walking, running, falling, andgesturingatight-knitgroupmovingwithpurposetowards over thestage. Though thedancewasnotfollowinganarrativestructure, Iinterpretedinthe present tobeexperiencedagain, anddifferently but rathertoreimaginethepastandexplorehowhistorical materialcanbebroughtintothe is transformedintoaspaceformemories. Daviesused her archivenottoreproducecontent ters, eachofthe16areferencetosomethingthatgrabs theirattentioninRePlay. The gallery their proximitytothedancers. As thetitlemightsuggest, theworkisorganizedintochap- the performancedrawsongalleryconventionsallowingaudiences towander, linger, andvary atre butingalleries(ICAand Arnolfini intheUK, andseveralEuropeangalleries). Therefore, their ownhistoriestoquestionhowdanceisarchived. The performancetookplacenotinathe- embodied act. Itisaseriesofevolvingchoreographicsituations inwhichthedancersdrawon too closelyatacreativeprocessitwilldisappear? and intimateprocessingdoesnotfinditswayontoapublicsite. Dowefearthatwhenlook then organizedonlineintoanewbankof “choreographic process” objects. Usually, thisintense experts. Dancersoftenwrite, draw, andcollecttheirowndiversereferencematerials, whichare from avarietyofdisciplinesandsometimesaugmentedbylecturesconversationswith a rangeofsourcematerialsasstimuliandstartingpointsforgeneratingmovement, oftendrawn lected bythedancers. Davies’schoreographicprocessfrequentlyinvolvesofferingherdancers gathered andcataloguedthetracesofdance-makingprocessthroughmaterialobjectscol- 2016) andTable ofContents(2014). The LibraryofProcesseswasaprototypedigitallibrarythat ration withDaviesoninvestigatingtransmissionindancewere The LibraryofProcesses(2012– unavailable totheaudience. Two ofherprojectsthatwerethebasisformycontinuingcollabo- discovered agrowingfascinationwithclaimingvalueinprocess, sharingknowledgeotherwise her dance-makingprocess, somethingsthatrarelyenterthepublicdomain. As aresult, Davies The scratchesandkitchensonRePlayinspiredDaviestosharedocumenttheresidueof Archiving ProcessRemadefromObjects compost” touseDavies’sterm, somethingthatcanfertilizeandgeneratenewdancework. Table ofContentsshowshowadigitalarchivecan beacreativesourcefornewwork, not Davies’s Table ofContentsmarksherreclamationthearchiveasbothacreativeactand an estranged Daviesfromherpast, Table ofContentsfosteredareconciliation, an — by her, theperformers, andthespectators. Documenting Dance 89

Bird Song Bird , Davies could of Contents, in the process of making Table Figures 5 & 6. Draft design concept tracking the dancers’ journeys through the journeys the through dancers’ the tracking concept design Draft 6. & 5 Figures the for structure circle concentric the onto mapped 5) (fig. space stage “kitchen” (fig. 6). (Courtesy of Siobhan Davies RePlay) Davies Siobhan (Courtesy 6). (fig. of “kitchen” - - core. Rehearsals core.

, made in 1977. Early on made in 1977. Sphinx,

Table of Contents of In describing Table The audience becomes part ing stories about past dancers, ing stories about past dancers, and witnessing the performers’ curiosities about the con- As audience tent of RePlay. we may not know the members, work from the archive or the dancer whose material is being re-danced but we can experience the performer’s connection with that dancer and the dance it sug- Moreover, from the past. gests that the embodied experience of dance (and performance) is always contextual and rela- only finding meaning as tional, Amelia Jones notes the need embodied experience through the phenomenal performance event. cautioning us to be aware of how (2012:201), “this age of perpetual forgetting” to remember in of Contents, In relation to Table recalling the past can be an important aspect of the artist’s work. with Ramsay Burt at De Montfort University in when Davies was in conversation for example, to recall her performance in one of her earliest choreog- she demonstrated how she tried 2014, raphies, - approach that pri ally accepted “original” to an oritizes fidelity opinion conventional The dance. authen- about what constitutes dancing ticity limits the ways archive. bodies may be a living as a live movement installation, references Davies avoids direct or “choreography,” to “dance” dance distancing herself from that is RePlay’s invitation to began with Davies’s dancers to draw on any content from RePlay that grabbed their She then had them ask attention. how that content elicits movement and how the reembodied dance from the “remantled” or past might speak to audiences today (Davies and Burt 2014). of a feedback loop as they wan- der through the performance, participating in the organiza- changing their tion of the space, hear proximity to the dancers, retrieval is foregrounded within foregrounded within retrieval is of Contents is an Table the work. approach to entirely different than the gener reconstruction Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

90 Sarah Whatley 21. dialogue withanaudiorecording ofthelateGillClarke (recent) pastmightbeexpressedthroughhisowndancing, RachelKrischeestablishesadanced Sperling reembodiessomeoftheearlyvideorehearsalscratches toaskhowthedancerof a differentrelationshipwithRePlayandthedancerswho featureinthearchive. While Manual RePlay. Two chaptersincludesoloworksbyDavies, nearlyin their entirety, To Hand(2011)and to doabitofBank” andsharesaphysicalmemoryofpartthe1997dance ashefounditon are reembodying. DancerMatthiasSperlingdescribes his source, saying, “Right nowIamgoing talk, sometimescommentingonwhattheyaredoing, sometimesreferencingtheworkthatthey hours intotaloneachoccasionitisperformed. that offeredasenseofequalityforthework(DaviesandBurt 2014). The worklastsseveral with chalkonthetable, describedbyDaviesasamagnet, “an activeland,” andashareddomain chapters theywanttoperformandmapouttheirfloorpathsstagedirectionsbydrawing invited togatherwitnessthedancers’deliberations. The dancersdecideonanorderofthe around alarge, heavywoodentable, afocalpointfortheroom, aroundwhichtheaudienceis would not, andcouldnot, simplybeaboutreconstructingpastdances. describes theturningpointinmakingofTable ofContents:whensherealizedthatthework knowledge shehadatthetime, fromtheperspectiveofherthinkingmanyyearslater. Davies body.” Shewasconfrontingherselfasayoungwoman, thedanceshewasdoingthenand physically recallonlyagestureofthehand, saying “I carriedmyolderbodybacktoyounger Figure 7. of ethicsindance. Siobhan DaviesDanceandindependent performerandteacher, whodiscussesherphilosophy Each chapterisasoloorduet;somearestructured, somemore improvised. The dancers As amoreconcretereferenceto “table,” thedecision-makinginTable ofContents takesplace For a biographical note on Gill Clarke see www.independentdance.co.uk/author/gill-clarke/. (2013), madeanew, juxtaposedandwithina differentcontext. Eachdancerestablishes Table of Contents (2013). (Photo by Pari Naderi; of Siobhan courtesy Davies Dance) 21 (1954–2011), afounding memberof Documenting Dance 91 - move- — much like an oral tradi- — the fact/the event/the performance. They become They the fact/the event/the performance. an archive of accumulated information contained in an archive of accumulated information contained — then it’s passed on to another, then another then it’s passed on to another, —

tion. (Krische 2014) tion. Davies describes how dancers initially felt removed from the archived material, which then which then from the archived material, felt removed how dancers initially Davies describes - archive com archive into a 3D corporeal the 2D digital of Contents thus transforms Table on this experience of the work: Rachel Krische comments one of the Often, with physical memory. As movers and makers we are always working to accumulate detailed information main jobs of the thinking body in dance is This is collated over thousands of hours ment coupled with conceptual thought processes. momen- then offered, this information is crafted, Ultimately, in the studio. “doing” of this information remains [...] However, then gone. to an audience [...] It’s there, tarily, stored in our bodily hard drives The information often comes from or through the physical tissue of our brains/bodies. contained within to be Information from one body is passed to another, other bodies. another body “the locus of the presence of performance’s remainder and, in this, the performance of pres- in this, remainder and, “the locus of the presence of performance’s the linearity of the From this perspective, and Shanks 2012:13). ence itself” Kaye, (Giannachi, The archive (as associated with memory institu- archive is reimagined through performance. documented and catalogued material to a tions) is transformed from a source for traditionally to be reconceptualized and reanimated. generative domain of choreographic objects Krische refers to her “bodily hard drive” not so much to claim that the body is the only legiti- “bodily hard drive” Krische refers to her attention to the store of knowledge that she sug- mate archive of the dance but rather to draw the archive confirming Jones’s assertion that gests easily escapes traditional archival methods, provides of Contents Table of performance (2012:201). fails to capture the embodied experience archive as thus resisting the notion of the archives, an example of how dancers are their own after something that necessarily remains only - it did to their own danc to find out what as they became curious into them” “came gradually and Burt 2014). (Davies library” “physical Davies termed a dancer became what Each ing. as those such dances, the records of unfinished mostly drawn to the dancers were Interestingly, scratch tapes on RePlay. found on the years of dancing are added of experience when the performers’ prising more than a century work and activity that coexists in a dance It provides a tangible sense of the thinking together. “boxed in” the determined and words that comprise images, the films, and that tends to escape and voices from Davies’s his- Glimpses of past choreographies archive. objects of a traditional Contents of Table from the past. like vibrations seeping into the room, tory infuse the event, of collective memory and memory space emphasizing the importance creates an intertextual and memories that reside in sensations, about how people access feelings, stimulating thought the bodymind; how bodies are in different ways to remind us of the body and that resurface knowledge. sites of experience and Choreographic Objects Acting in the World Acting in the Objects Choreographic The choreographic object is not the same as the per So what of these choreographic objects? formance to which it relates. Choreographic objects attempt to provide a layer of analysis Choreographic formance to which it relates. They are artist-initiated and built through a productive through an abstraction from the dances. a wide collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers; they disseminate dance knowledge across artists set out to create particular systems of knowledge Using unique structures, community. the relationship between object and As noted earlier, without a single model or methodology. change the dance that is at the source of the object? Does the object dance work is complicated. simul- to Fly in Motion Bank, Time Do the multiple dancers performing Deborah Hay’s solo No digital Weber’s Amin taneously aligned in the digital score with the text and animated through the properties of the original live performance or convey to the viewer adaptation/visualization, The fluidity of the terms do they change the work and the experience of seeing (or dancing) it? Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

92 Sarah Whatley funded project, EnhancingChoreographicObjects the body’srelationshipwithobject. is interestedinaskingwhetherthiskindofencounter(inthechoreographicevent)changes folded incomplexways, orsmallerdecksofpapercardsthataresharedwithaudiences. Gallier to beheld, folded, andconstructed. The objectsoftencompriselargesheetsofpaperthatare tator’s modeofparticipation. Gallier’schoreographicobjectsarephysical, objectsdesigned spectators andperformersduringachoreographicevent, andaredesignedtoalterthespec- kinds ofchoreographicobjects, suchasthosebyEmilieGallier, createanencounterbetween graphic objectistheonlywaytoaccessdanceonceitnolongerperformedlive. Other tage asitdefinesher/hispracticeandstatus” (2010:203). world. Nonetheless, “the contemporary[Western] choreographerisinscribedwithinthisheri- specific. AsLaurenceLouppepointsout, thenotionofastableworkisuniqueto Western “work” and “object” underliesthesequestions. Dance “work” isaslipperyterm, contextually See www.siobhandavies.com.24. See http://r-research.org/documentation/.23. See 22. of exchangeevenifthevaluethathasyettobequantified. make). Arguably, thisthenaddsvaluetotheartisticoffermadebyartists, creatinganewform who seektoengagewithdancethroughtheobjectsthatartistsoraudiencesaccess satisfies ahumanneed(thatoftheartistsandcreativeteamsinvolved, aswelltheaudiences other words, theobjectcanbeseenasproductofartists’laborandhasvalueinthatit sociopolitical functionbybecominganewkindofcommoditywithinthedanceeconomy. In archical structuringofprocessandperformance, thechoreographicobjectsmightperforma canon. Moreover, byforegroundingthelaborofartistsandcreativeteams, andanonhier graphic objectsthatwilleventuallyinterveneinandperhapsevendisrupttheideaofadance participation andcollectivity, andpotentiallythedemocraticcreationofmanymorechoreo cide withthe10-yearanniversaryofSiobhanDaviesStudios. The sitehasnowmigratedtoanewandsupportedplatform, relaunchingthearchivetocoin- the siteandsoftwareproviderwasunabletodoanyfixes if/when glitchesorerrorsemerged. live evenafterthesoftwarebecameunsupportable, butnoadditional contentcouldbeaddedto over fiveyearsthesoftwareforRePlaywasoutdated. The sitewassufficientlyrobusttokeepit ware duetothelackofviableopensourceoptionswhenwefirst builtthearchive. Inalittle life ofthedanceworkisproblematic. Forexample, RePlay wascreatedwithproprietarysoft- of sustainability. The relativelyshortshelflifeofsome projectsthatoftensetouttoextendthe ferred throughtheobjects. tools, resources, orthings;andquestionsaboutwhatknowledge canbedrawnfromandtrans- dance thinking. The choreographicobjectselicitarangeofquestionsabouttheirfunctionas teaching inhighereducationinvitesstudentstothinkcarefullyabouttheircontributions ect supportedareflexivepracticethroughself-archiving. Usingchoreographicobjectsindance in highereducation. As discussedearlier, theprocessinitiatedthrough Dance Traces proj- physical waytoexperiencethecompositionalideasunderpinningAtomos. McGregor’s dance, Atomos take homewiththem. Makingtheorigamisenhancedspectators’understandingof Wayne object intheformofa “take away”:anorigamitask, somethingspectatorshadtofoldandthen There areimplicationsforauthenticityandwhatconstitutesan “original” ifthechoreo- Emilie Gallier’s work can be viewed on her blog: http://post-cie.tumblr.com. Underpinning allthosechoreographicobjectsthatexistsolely digitallyisalsothequestion One importantwayinwhichchoreographicobjectscangainmoretractioniswithindance In termsoflegacy, accessibleandinteractiveobjectsnowintheworldpromoteincreased (2013). Folding/makingtheorigamigaveparticipantsadirectand 22 A similarapproachemergedduringanother AHRC- (EChO), 23 24 whichproducedachoreographic This relaunchisexpensiveand - - Documenting Dance 93 first -

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The impact of the choreographic objects on artists seems very positive, particularly on particularly on artists seems very positive, The impact of the choreographic objects Choreographic objects also become objects of study, providing new resources for reading, providing new resources for reading, of study, Choreographic objects also become objects other So what does dance do now that it didn’t do before? Dance now informs and excites and into the Future have Even artists who might in their creation. those artists who have been directly involved work might be transformed through a digital score been anxious about the way in which their Artists are able to stand the insights that they gained. or visualization have come to appreciate process to see how others might read their work. outside of their creative and performance objects discussed here have generally wel- Those who have been involved in the choreographic the under and particularly process and thinking, comed the detailed engagement with their Choreographic objects may be drawn upon as a source for new kinds of performances (such as may be drawn upon as a source for new Choreographic objects what questions about materiality and immateriality, Contents) and they raise provocative of Table Their representation of dance in and about representation in dance. is tangible or intangible, But tangibility does not life. the intangible dancework a tangible second digital formats gives and reused, retrieved, accessed, stored, manipulated, mean fixity; as digital representations are Each in different formats and new contexts. they are simultaneously objectified and reformed This process engagement and range of readings. reveals its own logics and invites a different What emerges is something of a field of knowledge. asserts that dance is an inherently unstable core qualities of choreographic objects. paradox; both stability and instability are Objects Now Choreographic launched. Unlike her earlier pieces, Davies’s work now is rarely for proscenium arch theatres. arch theatres. now is rarely for proscenium Davies’s work Unlike her earlier pieces, launched. schema has of the archive’s metadata the reconfiguration migrating RePlay, since Moreover, can no longer be accessed via Archives site so RePlay the Digital Dance broken the link with how digital resources are expen- It underscores of RePlay is not atypical. The story that portal. than their analogue counterparts. sive and more vulnerable coders, discipline experts such as programmers, standings gained through working with other and designers. to “choreographic thinking” The result is the potential for and appreciating dance. analyzing, of educating audiences about specific dances and become available not only for the purpose that scientists but also with the possibility of providing new materials dance-making processes, can draw upon. and other artists designers can utilize, architects and and philosophers can study, publically accessible can also stimulate students to Those choreographic objects that are now what to which initiate questions about objects, develop their own versions of choreographic are rich tools for exploring practice-led research. The objects share and what to keep private. on and gen- The examination of the ontology of choreographic objects reveals how we reflect pro- erate new theories and raise philosophical questions that then feed back into educational choreographic objects traces and artifacts of dance, By producing cesses and archival strategies. thereby building a larger and more diverse corpus produce different kinds of records of dance, of dance documentation. may even be influencing how other disciplines think Dance disciplines in and beyond the arts. Dance also challenges other moving body. about the wisdom and knowledge of the expressive, and annotating, notating, experts to think about devising imaginative methods for scoring, platforms, now have the tools, We and multisensory practice. somatic, archiving a processual, Dance is now a serious and infrastructures to share the knowledge that is particular to dance. to the knowl- and mature academic discipline so we need to be confident about its contribution edge economy as well as to cultural industries. only possible because of the support of Coventry University and specifically the library tak- and specifically of Coventry University because of the support only possible Paradoxically, archive. and upkeep of the ongoing management responsibility for the ing on the an we are dealing with to the archive and add more content are now ready to collect because we made since RePlay that Davies has easily store the work that may not archival architecture Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00693 by guest on 26September 2021

94 Sarah Whatley Reason, Matthew. 2003. “Archive orMemory? The DetritusofLivePerformance.”Quarterly NewTheatre Paxton, Steve. 2008. MaterialfortheSpine: A Movement Study. DVD-rom. Brussels:Contredanse. Noë, Alva. 2009. “Alva NoëonDance, KnowledgeandSyncObjects.” Accessed 24February2016. http:// Molloy, Laura. 2014. “Digital curationskillsintheperformingarts Manning, Erin. 2009. Relationscapes:Movement, Art, Philosophy. Cambridge: The MITPress. Louppe, Laurence. 2010. Poetics ofContemporary Dance. Translated bySallyGardner. Alton: DanceBooks. Leach, James. 2014. “Choreographic objects:Contemporary dance, digitalcreationsandprototypingsocial Krische, Rachel. 2014. “Rachel Krische: What isour Archive?” ICA. Accessed 24February2016. www.ica Jones, Amelia.2012. “Temporalanxiety/‘Presence’ Gonzalez, Berto, ErinCarroll, andCelineLatulipe. 2012. “Dance-inspired technology, technology-inspired Giannachi, Gabriella, NickKaye, andMichaelShanks. 2012. Archaeologies ofPresence: Art, Performance and Fraleigh, SondraHorton. 1987. DanceandtheLived Body. Pittsburgh:UniversityofPittsburghPress. Forsythe, William, andScottdeLahunta. 2011. MotionBank. Accessed 10December2015. http://motion Forsythe, William. 2009? “Choreographic Objects.” Accessed 2March2016. www.williamforsythe.de/essay Fiore, StephenM. 2008. “Interdisciplinarity as Teamwork: HowtheScienceof Teams CanInform Team De Keersmaeker, Anne Teresa, andBojanaCvejic´. 2012. AChoreographer’s Score: Fase, RosasDanstRosas, Davies, Siobhan, andRamsayBurt. 2014. Lecture;SiobhanDaviesinconversationwithRamsayBurt. BBC News. 2015. “Dance chiefquitsinrowoverqualityofUKtraining.” “Entertainment & Arts,” 14 April. References radically newwaysofmakingandtheorizingdanceperformance. literacies areemergingthroughchoreographicobjects. We areintheprocessofconfiguring other’s evolution(WhatleyandSabiescu2016). Newlanguages, vocabularies, paradigms, and are tightlyintertwinedinthecreationofmanychoreographicobjects, mutuallyinfluencingeach between theoryandpracticeindancestudies, interdisciplinaryartscapesandknowledgescapes ical pathwaysforinnovativeinteractionandsoftwaredesign. Analogous tothetightinterplay technology andhuman-machineinteractions, andindevisingnewtheoreticalmethodolog- tual lenses. Technical anddesigndisciplinescanbeinformedbydanceintheirinterpretationof the appropriationoftechnicalordesign-informedapproaches, methodologies, andconcep- impact iscumulative. The fieldofdanceisdevelopingnewapproachestoart-makingthrough They revealepisodicencountersbetweenartists, researchers, andtechnologiesbuttheir 19, 1:82–89. synchronousobjects.osu.edu/blog/tag/alva-noe/. Performance Arts and DigitalMedia10, 1:7–20. awareness andknowledgeofdigitalobjectmanagementpreservation.” Journal International of /abs/10.1080/17530350.2013.858058. visibility.” .org.uk/blog/rachel-krische-what-our-archive. Nick Kaye, andMichaelShanks, 197–221. London:Routledge. In The projectsIdiscussmakecontributionstopreserving, sharing, andexperiencingdance. Design,398–407.New York: ACM. dance.” the Persistence ofBeing.London:Routledge. bank.org/sites/motionbank.org/files/mb_brochure.pdf. .html. Science.” Elena’sBartók. Aria, Brussels:RosasandMercatorfonds. University,De Montfort Leicester, UK, 2 April. Accessed 17July2017. www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32302347. Archaeologies ofPresence: Art, Performance andthePersistence ofBeing, Proceedings ofthe7thNordic Conference onHuman-ComputerInteraction: MakingSense Through Small GroupResearch, 39, 3:251–77. Journal ofCultural Economy 7, 4:458–75. Accessed 1March2016. www.tandfonline.com/doi in Absentia: experiencing performance as documentation.” — an investigationofpractitioner edited byGabriellaGiannachi, Documenting Dance 95 edited by Nicole 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Oaks, Thousand 2nd ed. edited by Gunhild Borggreen and Rune Gade, 163–78. Copenhagen: 163–78. and Rune Gade, edited by Gunhild Borggreen

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