Mapping movement to musical rhythm: A study in interactive dance

In this study, I formulate the hypothesis that dance movement possesses musical qualities at the temporal level. These qualities can be extracted in real time and provide a way for interaction in dance and music utilizing interactive computer systems. By musical qualities at the temporal level, I mean that certain rhythms in dance bear qualities akin to musical rhythms in their durational and accentual character. Therefore, under certain circumstances these rhythms could be said to possess musical qualities.; This hypothesis is tested through the creation of a software library that extrapolates musical cues from dance movement. Musical cues are rhythms in dance that bear qualities akin to musical rhythms in their durational and accentual character. I also propose a framework for computer-mediated interaction between musicians and dancers within which this software is utilized. This proposed framework for interaction aims to open a channel for musical communication between the musician and the dancer during the performance of a piece. The software library allows a dancer to control the tempo of an electronically-generated music score, and/or to generate musical rhythmic structures from bodily movement in real time in interactive dance performance. The movement data is gathered non-invasively, using a fixed video camera placed outside the area in which the dancer is moving. This library is implemented as a set of external objects, called the m-objects, for the modular programming environment Max/MSP using an external object or library that performs frame-differencing analysis of a video stream in real time. During the performance of a piece utilizing this software, the musician can give or take away the control over rhythm generation and/or musical tempo from the dancer, and substantially alter the musical content of a piece during performance.; The software and the proposed framework for interaction are tested in the interactive dance piece Etude for Unstable Time. The compositional and collaborative approach taken for this piece is also discussed in the study.