Students and staff from across the University of Chester are expanding the possibilities of dance through collaborations with technology, sports education, fashion and other creative disciplines.
Working in partnership with peers from the University’s Centre for Academic Innovation and Development (CAID), Dance staff and students have explored how emerging technologies can transform the creation, teaching, learning and audience experience of dance.
Alongside immersive technology programmes such as Isadora, they have worked with CAID to film their work in 360 degrees and translate it into virtual reality experiences. This integration has encouraged a more adaptable, responsive approach to creating dances, challenging staff and students to consider space, choreography, perspective and presence in entirely new ways.
Experiencing dance from a virtual performer’s viewpoint has also expanded staff and students’ understanding of how movement can be shared and perceived, opening up new possibilities for performance in a digital landscape.
The partnership has also resulted in Annotated Animations, in which dozens of complex dance movements were captured using high-speed photography to illustrate them in exceptional detail. The resulting resources give students 24/7 access to engaging learning materials, allowing them to explore and revisit complex movements at their own pace, both inside and outside scheduled teaching sessions.
This led to collaborations between the Dance and PE and Sports Coaching programmes, bringing students together to exchange knowledge and ideas, with Dance student Katie Dean leading a practical session.
Katie demonstrated how dance can be effectively delivered as part of the Primary School PE curriculum, giving PE and Sports Coaching students valuable insight into creative approaches to teaching dance in schools. For Dance students, meanwhile, the session provided an opportunity to develop their teaching, leadership and communication skills in a professional setting.
Dance students have also supported the University’s Fashion Design programme by modelling garments as part of final-year students’ degree collection catwalk. Taking part gave Dance students experience of modelling while exploring how movement, direction and fashion can work together. The success of the collaboration has also prompted discussions between lecturers about further opportunities to work together across courses.
During the Communication, Screen and Performance Division’s Creative Futures week, students from multiple creative disciplines also joined forces to explore and capture movement. Creative Writing, Photography and Art students observed a contemporary dance class, responding to its fluidity, emotion and dynamic energy through their own creative practices. Their work sought to capture not only the movement itself, but also the unique connection between the dancers.
Dina Robinson, Dance Lecturer at the University, said these collaborative learning opportunities enable students and staff to share expertise, gain insight into other disciplines and develop new ideas.
She added: “Collaboration is so important within the workplace in any industry or field. It is the key to success as it brings together different ideas, perspectives and skills to achieve results. It helps us challenge assumptions and provides opportunities for students to learn from each other and form lasting connections and networks to support their future career.”
To learn more about dance and creative study at the University of Chester, visit www.chester.ac.uk/.
