In this immersive dance and technology masterclass, we will be sharing a year-long interdisciplinary research project developed through collaboration between a dance researcher, a cognitive linguist, a computer scientist, and five contemporary dancers. The project focuses on questioning habitual practices in contemporary dance through the integration of an invented AI-model and Virtual Reality.Participants will explore the Body Logic Method - a task-based compositional tool designed to challenge ingrained movement habits – and have the unique opportunity to physically engage with AI-generated movement sequences in an immersive Virtual Reality environment. Our goal is for you to reconsider your habitual decision-making in dance and challenge your embodied "body-logics" by offering a fresh experience that blends technology with artistic expression and composition. We hope to encourage you to rethink your own creative process and empirical method for making and researching your own Dance!
What to Expect:
- Introduction to the interdisciplinary research project and its creative process
- Hands-on experience with 5 movement qualities of the Body Logic Method for task-based composition
- Interaction with AI-generated movement sequences within a Virtual Reality environment
- Opportunities to explore and challenge your habitual practices in real-time dance-improvisation.
Who Should Attend:
This masterclass is ideal for dancers, choreographers, dance-makers, but also non-dancers who are interested in exploring how technology can enhance artistic expression and inspire new approaches to movement creation. No prior experience with AI or Virtual Reality is required. Just bring your curiosity and openness to rethinking traditional practices in dance!
Maximum number of participantes:
15
Sylvia Rijmer (b. Lagos, Nigeria, 1974) holds a BFA from the Juilliard School and an MA from the Superior School of Dance in Lisbon. As a dance-researcher, she works at the intersection of dance, cognitive science, and technology. She developed the Body Logic Method, an improvisational, task-based approach that examines human cognition, inherited habits, and creative decision-making by identifying and challenging habitual movement patterns. By integrating this method with technologies such as VR, 3D motion capture, and generative AI, she explores new possibilities for physical thinking, movement creation, and visualization. Sylvia is currently a faculty member at the Superior School of Dance in Lisbon, where she teaches undergraduate courses and supervises Master’s students in dance teaching and choreographic creation. She is also a recipient of IDI&CA2023 funding for her explorative research into the relationship between dance and GenAI.
Cláudia Sevivas (b. Lisbon, Portugal, 1980) holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, focusing on documenting artistic projects in the area of contemporary dance. In this role, she explored 3D motion capture systems to develop innovative representations and visualizations of movement. Subsequently, Cláudia completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Faculty of Sciences, where she trained and developed deep learning algorithms for emotion recognition in images. Her primary research interest lies in integrating generative artificial intelligence with creative disciplines, uniquely positioning her to lead interdisciplinary projects that bridge technology and the arts. She is currently a professor and the coordinator of the Creative Computing and Artificial Intelligence master’s program at IADE – Creative University.