Creating Interactive Dance with the Very Nervous System

Since the invention of the Theremin, composers and choreographers imaginations have been piqued by the possibility of turning dancer's movements into sound. One of the more recent inventions, David Rokeby's Very Nervous System, offers a sophisticated level of computer control for detecting accurate location and movement information via video camera. The computer then interprets this movement data, mapping it to sounds and other musical parameters. This paper will discuss the artistic and technical processes used to create a new work for dance, an ongoing collaboration between choreographer Walter Ferrero and composer Todd Winkler. The dance space is divided into various regions that report presence, stillness, and speed of motion. The size and function of these regions may be reconfigured during a performance. The various regions may act in one of two ways: they may use the body as a musical instrument by responding immediately to produce a sound; and they may be used to start, stop, or influence larger musical processes. Our working method seeks to identify music and sounds that seem appropriate and responsive to particular movements.