ABSTRACT
Videoing assignments and showing them in class helps students who are new to dance, as they are typically shy about performing for their classmates. Videoing also gives them the time to mess up, fix things, and re-record, which is less stressful than the immediacy of having to do it once perfectly. Unlike a video camera that records a scene from a fixed vantage point, motion capture systems track and record complete three-dimensional positions of people and objects. Motion capture data can also be used to render artistic, fantastical versions of the original dance composition. In some cases, the underlying dance movement was almost completely obscured by the added elements, but the results were visually striking. The variety of applications makes motion capture a powerful tool for dance. Unlike video recording, a motion capture system allows users to decide later how the data is used, and the options are limitless.
