Virtual dance

Virtual dance uses the given tools of a virtual world and combines it with live moving in free sync.

This will be shown using the possibilities that are offered by the virtual world Second Life.

Tools

Entering a virtual world you are invited to create an account and choose an avatar to be born. This avatar is animated by animations. It receives standard animations from the grid. In addition, animations of all kinds are created by residents of Second Life. All these can override the given standard animations. So your avatar can use animations (to stand, to walk, to run, to swim, to fly ...) which might be able to express a certain character you want to show.

Dance animations animate avatars with movings of dances. A dance anim consists of several sequences and lasts usually between 20 and 30 seconds. It is looped - it will restart automatically again and again until it is stopped. These animations imitate nearly all dances known in real life like waltz, tango (dance), salsa (dance), funk, bebop, and even classical sequences like solos of Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are available.

Live moving in free sync

In throughout animated surroundings live moving in free sync becomes real by use of different animations at the same time. A dancer will mix animations and override one by the other - coordinating by sight own movings with movings of other dancers in group - live in free sync ... to express feelings and mood in virtual dance.

Photos by Zap Zhong taken on Nov. 8th 2009 at ballet theatre of La Performance during live performance of show 'beautiful' in Second Life, showing scenes of the dance 'Friends', Queen: Friends Will Be Friends. The different scenes of the same dance, danced by 5 artists, show the individual live-character of the movings in free sync.

Flying

Virtual worlds offer a larger spectrum to move than this is possible in real world. Avatars in virtual worlds - can fly. So there is given the possibility to create a virtual dance - in air, flying.

Photos by Tik Merlin, taken on May 10, 2009 at sky-stage of La Performance, during live performance of show 'TELL HIM', in Second Life, showing three scenes of dance 'Tell Him', song: Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand - 'Tell Him'... to interpret this sensuous song choreography demands of six artists to dance in air, to dance flying, in free sync.

Non-human avatars

Non-human avatars - here we see as example a mermaid - have their individual kind of moving ... and dancing.

These photos have been taken by Zap Zhong on April 11, 2010 at dance-theatre of La Performance, during live performance of show 'BACK TO BLACK', in Second Life. There are shown different scenes of interpretation of 'Liebestod'/Tristan by Richard Wagner; Jessye Norman, Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic. The 'swim-dance' movings of this dance have been executed in a big black-box - so the audience got a 'realistic' impression of moving in fluid.

Identity

Virtual dance with its 'live flavour' and possibilities to interpret music and transport feelings and mood is used to elevate dances similar to show-dance and even modern dance . Surroundings, tools and kind of moving open very different and new possibilities to elevate dance in virtual worlds. Virtual dance has its own identity.

Virtual dance and live music

To be able to interpret music you need to hear it. To be able to react on music you hear you need to dance in free sync - live. 'Live' means to adjust your movements to music you can hear in moment you hear it.

In virtual worlds music is streamed to the land where it should be to be heard. All avatars on this land can hear this stream. This can be music of a chosen radio-station or an individual stream if you want a special song at a special time (as it is used by DJs in clubs).

Another possibility is to use live-stream. Here one or several artists/musicians sing and play in a studio in real life and stream this music live onto the land in the virtual world where it can be heard same time (as it is used in live-concerts in virtual worlds: The avatar of the singer is present on stage in virtual world while the artist sings live in the studio in real life and is heard same time by avatars in concert in virtual world.)

It is possible to dance a live concert like this in virtual dance.