The Use of VR in Dance Pedagogical Practices

Cui Ning

[Abstract]The importance of Virtual Reality (VR) in the dancing community to facilitate learning and teaching is presented in this paper.The contributions and advances of digital technology in the entertainment sector are also discussed.VR is shown to be an effective medium to learn new formats of dance without the physical presence of a choreographer.Another benefit of VR is that it assists learners to follow movements and offers them the chance to practice numerous dance styles multiple times.VR has been presented as a suitable medium to learn new dance styles as it provides detailed information regarding new dance movements and helps improve the ability of the learners at their own pace.VR has been also emphasized as a suitable alternative for learners who are remotely situated and have limited learning time.It has been commended as a substitute for a good instructor to learners with different levels of knowledge and physical ability.Similarly,the use of VR has been discussed as a major teaching aid to guide choreography.The effective use of VR has been highlighted as a source to draw dance steps,so the teacher does not have to repeat his movements.This paper covers the positive aspects of VR in dance pedagogy.Additionally,it builds the connection between inquisitive learners and instructors via technology.This paper points out the significance of VR technology in dance teaching and learning.VR has become a tool to fulfil the dream of various learners from remotely located areas.Overall,this paper advocates the significant use of VR technologies in interdisciplinary sectors including dance,their role to promote dance skills to learners from different locations,and optimum possibilities of digital platforms to promote teaching and learning dance as Trisha Brown experimented and explored different dance forms beyond the traditional theatre and music background.

[Keywords]Virtual Reality,dance pedagogy,techniques,ballet,movements,digital technology

Introduction

As technology has advanced,so has its incorporation into almost every aspect of dance,and which is especially true for dance teaching.With the onset of the digital era,teaching has changed and dance pedagogy has looked at the ways in which it can incorporate technology to achieve more modern,alternative and improved methods of training students.As a specific technology,VR is not a new concept,but it is being used as a helpful way to learn dance remotely and this interactive system has presented or changed the way people experience dancing and how they learn movements.One of its main attractions is that it presents a new format where trainees can learn dance without having to be physically present in classes or learn from the instructor in person.This paper focuses on the use of VR in dance and the pedagogical application of VR technology in learning various dance forms,presenting learners with convenience and immersion,while also making actions more efficient.Dance is a highly practical subject.The knowledge and skills involved in the teaching process requires students to have sufficient mental and physical ability to understand,learn,imitate and perform movements.In this process,VR plays an important role.However,its implementation may considerably change class-based teaching via promoting distance learning.VR helps in building an interactive platform for learning dance with tools like step observation,and movements in different steps along different vantage points which serve as the way of increasing interactivity between the dancer and their learning capability.This paper presents information regarding the incorporation of VR into learning different forms of dance,indicating its development which has created opportunities for dancers to learn a variety of forms,movements,and skills at their own convenience without actually requiring the presence of an instructor on a regular basis.

Virtual Reality and Its Application in Dance Pedagogy

Dancing exists in different forms across the world and contains different elements which must be taught and learnt.Like many other subjects,it has incorporated new developments in technology to aid the learning/teaching process.VR,as one such digital aid,is a form of computer-related technology which helps in the creation of a simulated environment.VR has developed along with the technology for entertainment and has become a learning element which has been incorporated in many fields.Pilot training,surgery training,war simulation,and other forms of training have become more capable with the availability of VR.With regard to dancing,virtual reality has been incorporated to give an immersive dance experience which helps dancers improve their timing and capability.Raheb et al.’s 2019 study gave vital information regarding the usage of VR technology in dance teaching.［1］50Their paper gives information regarding choreography,as it looks at the pre-recorded movements presented to students,and also captures the movements that help in understanding the movement,analyzing,and eventually crating an algorithm to suggest the best movements.The researchers show the capability of using existing movements to teach dance without the need for repeated demonstrations by the instructor.This highlights the capability of VR technology both in terms of learning and teaching,as it saves time and effort.

Smith (2018) examines the incorporation of VR in dance performance as a tool for both the audience and performer in order to analyze the performance and interact with the creative element of the dance.［2］Analyzing dance movements has been possible through recording and use of VR technology which can provide information regarding new recorded movements,through matching it with pre-inputted dance movements,then giving detailed feedback in terms of ‘hit or miss’.This,in particular,indicates the development of VR technology and how it has helped in understanding the aspects regarding various dance forms,allowing the individuals to understand more about the rhythms,receive feedback through their perspective,as well as learn the movements.Turk (2014) investigates female childhood,ballet and societal views of gender affirmation.［3］She presents various details regarding movements in ballet,techniques,and elements that were based on the interests shown by individuals.In order to learn more about movements and scores she also looks at the meaning presented by the dance form which is aided with the development of VR technology.She finds in particular that the incorporation of technologies such as VR has presented students with further ability to learn about various movements in dance and this has had a significant impact on their successful learning.

The dance environment itself is also constantly evolving with the incorporation of various techniques for learning purposes.In this regard,VR technology has also emerged as a medium that has increased the capability of dancers and changed their dancing environment.This particular technology has helped in the development of immersive technology and the capability to learn necessary dance moves.Cisneros et al.(2018) examine the learning environment in relation to dance and indicate that VR has presented a new opportunity for students to learn and practice dance,an opportunity that was previously confined to dance learning academies.［4］The dancing environment was strictly based on information presented by instructors and dancers followed specific steps and information presented by the instructor.The particular process required repetition as the instructor had to show the moves multiple times and they would also find it difficult to know whether the move was performed properly.VR gives learners and instructors the capability of changing any space into a learning space with a limited effort and changes the notion of having to be physically presented in a dance class to learn.In this regard,the incorporation of VR systems has changed the environment of learning dance as it focuses on the imitation of movements carried out by students to the dance moves performed by their instructors.Moreover,when considering the difficulties involved in distance learning,the use of VR tools transcends the limitations of time and space of the traditional learning environment.To be more specific by introducing VR to dance lessons,dance students are able to study movements,techniques and timing in their own time and places.

The VR training system for dance helps in capturing the movements of the expert dancer.In the case of lessons,the teacher is the expert,and his movements are perceived as the standard movement.The incorporation of VR in dance movement helps in learning with accuracy by“calculating the differences between the angles of joints of the trainees and the trainers.”［5］25The researchers feed data from professional dancers to find the differences by matching the information recorded from both trainer and trainee.This allows students to mirror the techniques and accurately perform the same movement.They investigate the incorporation of VR technology in dance movement training.This shows how VR technology could be used in dancing to learn about movement and the way which can give necessary and helpful feedback to the students.Importantly,this technology helps in refining the movements of the dancer by aiding them to properly execute techniques and perfect their skills to the optimum point.The main focus of VR technology and its use in dance teaching is to refine the skills of individuals and give them ideas regarding their movement.This particular technology helps students understand dance movements and postures by visually examining them and through imitation,executing them.In addition,the capability of VR technology to give live feedback to individuals helps them in understanding where they made mistakes,such as incorrect posture,or technique.In this way,VR is particularly suitable for application in dance pedagogy,as it is relevant to increased learning capability in almost all the components related to dance.Further research adds to the support of VR technology in learning dance movements stating,“As the key to computer vision,motion analysis enables students to discover irregular dance postures in time”［6］1225.Their research highlights how VR technology helps in learning dance and postures through understanding and assessing similarity,simulation in specific areas,and incorporating those elements into the human body and its movements.Dancers in the modern world are asked to do much more than only being prolific in a single genre of dancing; rather they should develop their technicality and skillsets in multiple genres and become adept in them.Thus,dancers are tasked with constantly keeping themselves up to date with new moves,skills,and techniques.VR and its capability of presenting a fully immersive environment with visualization and feedback for dancers are examined by Kyan et al.(2015).［7］They state that a“recognition subsystem is used to identify the category of movement the student is attempting when prompted (by a visual instructor) to perform a particular dance sequence”.Ballet is investigated as a specific form of dance as it uses intricate movements and techniques,and the VR system would help in looking at the movement from different perspectives and help in practicing the movements accurately within the new dimension.Importantly the authors suggest that this particular technology has the capability of bettering the movement of dancers,and the technology has already proven to be successful through its use in similar types of movement training.

VR has been used for training movements prior to their being incorporated into dance teaching.Cannavo et al.(2018) also examine the use of VR technology in movement-related training and state that it is being incorporated in learning purposes in multiple sports activities.［8］Their article uses the examples of baseball,golf,and rugby,and shows how VR has been used in these sports as a way of movement training.It enabled the incorporation of actions and different elements for individuals to interact with,which presented an opportunity for learners to learn more quickly.The motion matching functionality where the learners match their motion with the motion modelled by the VR helps the“student”to follow,mimic and learn the movement.Moreover,the technology has advanced to the level as it helps in indicating which part of the body has not matched the imagery presented by the VR.This helps in the improvement of timing and skills as learners are directly copying the movement of experts,and gradually learning the gestures through their visual senses,improving their body’s capability.It provides a better process of learning than classroom-based education because of the convenience it presents,where the dancers can be their own critics.In addition,it can help dancers learn in private spaces without having to become selfconscious regarding their improvement as they can learn at their own pace with VR technology.

Due to the limited teaching time and space,current traditional dance teaching has a limited number of repetitions of the same content.It is difficult for students to have the opportunity to repeatedly practice dance movements when the teaching content cannot be fully mastered without the guidance of a teacher.As a supportive aid to traditional teaching,VR allows students to observe the exercises repeatedly after class,and to continuously adjust their learning process according to the feedback data provided by the system.This provides a useful learning mechanism for students with differing levels of knowledge and physical ability.The realization of this process can therefore greatly promote the learning ability of students.

Over time,VR technology has advanced and the digitization of the dance learning process has become more capable with motion capture,3D rendering and movement recognition.The motion that is calculated and synthesized by VR technology is connected to the beat of the music which is connected to the visual inputs to synthesize the information regarding the movement of the learner.This helps in knowing whether the movement was correct and if the learner replicated the motion as presented by the system.Imparting the process to complete the move and providing help in following the movement through signals and gestures are important capabilities held by VR technology.Yi (2018) provides information regarding the dance movement and the incorporation of virtual reality and how this presents an opportunity for dancers to learn about movement.［9］251The research indicates the use of virtual images of two dances,of which one is performed by the professional and another is being performed by the learner.Through this mechanism they would be able to learn about actions and movements.The particular process of using virtual imagery helps learners to gain knowledge about movement through imitation and comparison.3D models present dancers with what movement they should be doing,allowing them to copy and practice the process at their own convenience.Dance teaching and learning processes require extensive knowledge and development of skill sets where the majority of lessons are based on imitation.In this regard,VR presents a good medium for learners to learn dance through imitation without being overly reliant on their instructors as they are able to identify themselves,or be told by the VR software,the mistakes they are making,and therefore the areas where they need to improve.

Different elements have been incorporated into VR technology over the years and these have further enhanced its capability.With the wider availability of VR technology and improved cost,it has started to be incorporated in an increasing variety of fields.Computer gaming has seen a significant increase in VR being used to increasing the immersive experience along with the capability of keeping players more engaged.The same immersive experience has helped in increasing the capability held by VR technology.Moreover,immersive VR technology can be controlled with the use of various tools and technologies.Cipresso et al.(2018) highlight the usability of VR and indicate its characteristics as“immersion,perception to be present in an environment,and interaction with the environment”.［10］This definition of characteristics indicates the capability held by VR and that its development was based on its usability which became the factor that led to its applicability.In terms of gaming,users define the capability held by VR in stimulating them as the reason that makes them want to keep playing.This particular experience,which allows users to remain immersive while being able to perform various tasks became the highly applicable factor that led to this technology being incorporated into dance.

The applicability of VR has become significant in dance as it has been integrated into learning,refining and improvement of dance skills.For the instructor,the use of VR technology has presented one of the major teaching aids in incorporating dance moves and teaching sequences.One of the main points presented by Chan et al.(2011) highlights the development of the capability presented by VR technology in teaching dance.［11］The important point of this is that the incorporation of VR technology 3D modelling and the creation of virtual avatars have presented teachers with the ability to comment properly on the dance,while technologies like timing-vibro devices help to signal/remind learners about movements and their timings.In summary these points show the capability along with the applicability which is developed by VR technology in progressing and bettering the dance learning mechanism.Motion overlapping,real-time animation,and the capability to observe movements have become the major applicability presented by VR training to accelerate the learning process of dancers,without requiring constant supervision from the instructor.

Learning dance with the help of VR technology is an immersive yet efficient process because it involves the pre-recorded video movements of an expert.The teacher does not have to constantly repeat information and movements as the student can replay and learn from the recorded VR video.This kind of repetitive action learning via VR has been shown as an effective tool to aid and secure movement memory;“real-time VR feedback can significantly benefit motor learning”.［12］75The main importance of VR feedback in learning dance is that it helps to mitigate the time that is spent during observation and increases the capability of individuals.In other physical activities,VR has also been successfully incorporated to present movement simulation.One particular area where VR is used,is for teaching ice skating.Tornese et al.(2011) indicate that VR training is useful for skaters who have poor performance in balancing; VR technology has been shown to help them in optimizing their performance.［13］Although a different pursuit,ice skating which is often referred to as ‘dancing on ice’,mimics many forms of dance movements.It shows how this technology could be used for learning movements and balancing which could likewise be successful when incorporated into dance pedagogy.There are numerous researches which have examined the functionality and capability of VR technology and how digital feedback can be used within this mode of dance teaching.Kico and Liarokapis,2020 investigate the capability of adding several dances with one particular application,following the teacher who is an expert dancer.［14］The students practice the movement provided by the teacher,then capture their own movements to provide feedback information.The students are then able to view by themselves,or be shown by mapping software,points that need to be improved or points where they have successfully mastered the movement.

There are also other visual ways in which the dance movements can be presented to the students.Han (2011) regards the use of VR where the movement of the teacher is first captured by camera and then converted via software into an avatar which would dance accordingly,allowing the student to study and learn the movement.［15］42VR technology has therefore shown itself to be useful for various platforms and with development over the years it has also built the capability of learning and analysing movement to present the essential feedback which is required in a learning process.

VR is still a developing technology with its applicability continuing to increase.Although it has already been applied to different forms of learning,its future potential is still significant and will continue to be developed.Importantly,the dances that can be learned from VR technology are those which are extensively developed and studied and can be presented with the help of 3D models.In this regard,learning a new dance would require the VR technology to be fed with new data regarding that particular dance,a process which may take significant time.However,it would seem likely in the future through artificial intelligence and learning that VR systems will be able to observe and learn by themselves,the complexities and perfection of movements.Although VR technology can help in addressing the need for physical space for learning,in a way it could also become a constraint to learning as students would be only able to perform moves that are already developed to be used in VR.In doing so there might be an impact upon creativity.This concept of constraint has been touched upon in recent research.“Technical limitations may steer the choreographer to use the motions available to them to convey their idea,possibly resulting in something more explicit or entirely different than they intended”(Cisneros et al.,2019).［4］Therefore,while VR has been shown to have many positive applications in dance teaching,it is important to take note of its limitations and how these could be reduced in its future development.

One such problem is the limited changes that might come in the learning process,it is possible that the process might become robotic.This is because the feedback along with the properness of the movement would be decided solely by the system.Integration of new movements and possibilities is still not that relevant with VR technology.For every choreography to be incorporated into the system it would require taking in new insights and new directions.For these reasons,many practitioners see the use of VR technology as taking away the connection between people and the dance as it becomes highly connected to the system and presentation along with movements,overlooking factors such as creativity in allowing dancers to provide their own interpretation.Like most software,the VR-based learning process can also have multiple issues which can cause inconvenience for learners.Dance is the process of being associated with the surroundings and environment through the movements but learning it over virtual media might make the process highly artificial,thereby changing the core factor of what dance represents.Finally,one of the major issues of incorporating VR technology into dance raises the cost for both learning and teaching.VR tools are expensive and with their incorporation,the cost of learning dance would also increase significantly,which might become a barrier for individuals with economic issues.

Conclusion

Overall,VR and its incorporation in dance,help students in following movements and provides the opportunity for individuals to learn different varieties of dance.Its greatest benefits are contained in its possibility to be used multiple times and to present analysis of the movement,helping dance students reach the level of an expert if they follow the movements efficiently.While distance education in many disciplines has matured,dance teaching has developed relatively slowly.VR in a mature dance classroom can inspire the senses of teachers and students in all aspects,enabling them to experience an enhanced and modernised form of traditional teaching.Remote dance teaching via VR can also take advantage of the convenience of distance education,and likewise bring students a full sensory experience,greatly improving the teaching and learning experience.Teachers can capture their movements and even look at the captured movements of their students before presenting necessary feedback.The ability of this technology to provide these options shows how VR is already changing how dance is taught,with the focus on specific elements allowing people to learn various movements at their own pace.With regard to a learning platform,VR has been developed as a fitting way of learning different skill sets.Motion learning and real-time feedback are some of the particular capabilities of VR which has helped learners to become capable of learning dance properly while developing precision.

Although VR offers an excellent technology for convenient and accelerated learning,it also has a share of limitations which could hamper dance culture such as the removal of creativity,inability to provide meaning behind the dance and a lack of intended original dance environment.A further problem may be the cost of the technology.It is expected though that as the technology advances,costs will come down,as is already starting to be seen with VR headsets in the gaming industry.If directed in the right way,advances may also help mitigate some of the negative factors of VR in dance learning,such as artificial intelligence’s acquisition of dance movements and the inclusion of the story behind the moves/dance as well as an effective virtual dance environment.

The factors discussed in this paper show VR as both an excellent tool for the learning experience but also as a technology that currently,without the right constraints,might negatively impact on dance training and its availability to students with lesser financial means.Thus,its use and development in dance pedagogy should be carefully monitored and integrated into the current system to allow for increased learning while retaining the advantages of classroom experience.