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Research Area: Information and Communication Technologies Research Group
Status:  Complete | Led By: Researcher- and student-led

The Challenge

Over the past decade, video-conferencing tools like Zoom have transformed the way we communicate and work. While the flexible remote collaboration they enable has created new professional possibilities, not all fields have benefited equally.

Collaboration is key in choreography and dance, but the physical and spatial nature of these arts exceed the limits of conventional video-conference calls. For that reason, Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada sought a software solution to allow dancers and choreographers to remotely create together, both within their company and with colleagues from other studios.

The Solution

Mixed reality headsets allow users to simultaneously view and interact with their actual surroundings and superimposed digital elements. Dance XR collaboration software makes use of this ability to create a shared virtual space where choreographers and dancers can remotely connect and work together.

Dance XR's markerless motion capture technology allows for unrestricted freedom of motion as dancers' movements are captured. The resulting three-dimensional animations can then be shared and manipulated within the virtual environment. By allowing multiple headsets to be networked together, the software allows for either individual or collaborative editing sessions in real time. Intuitive controls incorporating voice and hand gestures similarly replicate the physicality of in-person choreographic collaboration.

²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëù the Collaboration

The Dance XR application was created as a co-operative effort between Spandrel Interactive, Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, University of New Brunswick’s Human Computer Interaction (UNB-HCI) lab, and NBCC’s Information Communication Technologies Research Group (NBCC-ICTRG). By working together, we were able to leverage diverse expertise and resources to create a more refined and impactful product.

UNB HCI’s research on markerless motion capture technologies and the real time manipulation of animation provided valuable guidance on the capabilities of these technologies. Spandrel Interactive—a software company specializing in extended reality and game design—and NBCC’s researchers were able to apply this knowledge to develop the innovative Dance XR software.

Real-world testing and experimentation by Atlantic Ballet Theatre’s dancers helped refine the prototype and validate its appropriateness for the intended end users. Research conducted by student interns further identified tools and strategies to enhance the final product by improving dancer interactions and motion capture.

Research Outcomes

While Dance XR was developed with ballet in mind, this unique tool could be used by and benefit the whole dance industry. Spandrel Interactive has continued to develop the software, and the new knowledge gained through this project will improve the company’s broader work with mixed reality applications.

Project Funder

This work was supported by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, which provides funding to enable collaboration between research organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises in New Brunswick.