UC Irvine

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Pandemic began to spread rapidly worldwide, shutting down establishments, restricting physical interactions, and forcing all communication between educators and students to be mediated by technology. Evidence pre Covid-19 shows a slow incorporation of digital literacy among university dance students. But under new restrictions, for the field of Dance, online learning and virtual streaming of performances became dominant. Educators and students have become part of what appears to be a new era in dance teaching, creation, and public presentation. As the pandemic continued from weeks to months and more than a year, the importance of dance with technology has become an imperative necessity for the increased learning and communication. A new collective consciousness about digital literacy has emerged, and people in the field of dance are using new methods and embracing previously unimagined digital technology as part of the learning environment.

This thesis explores the use of portable digital devices as educational and creative tools for the expansion of 21st century dance academia and training. Investigations into previous and current methods of engaging dancers in digital literacy through the learning, development, creation, implementation, and dissemination of tech inspired movement are researched to identify newer methods of teaching dance with technology. This research furthers the ideas of integration by experimenting with the use of an autonomous robot as an (A) video monitoring tool to enhance mobility as an instructor or student in a virtual dance class setting, (B) example of robot use as an educational and creative tool for in-studio student exploration and interdisciplinary learning. As well as, (C) the programming and incorporation of AI functionalities for student choreographic projects. Findings from these experiences are then composed into a series of learning experiments including physical training exercises that may be useful for an Introduction to Robotics and Dancers Course.