Robot Dance

0 CommentsWednesday • October 20, 2010 • by Imei

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Remember the robot dance? You still see it in pop-lock routines, as it is a classic.

Move over, because there’s a new robot dance sensation on the Internet. This time, the robot dance is being done by none other than — you guessed it — a robot. Here’s a video that has gone viral lately:

The music is quintessentially Japanese girl pop, but I can see a day when the movements of a robot can better approximate human movement, as well as create movement that is not human plausible because of the limitations of our joints. The bigger question may be, “Will I like it?”

As I continue to study Indian dance with Mollie Singh of Dance With Mollie, I recognize that so much of the dance is not the movements by themselves, but the combination of whole body movement in congruence with facial expressions. We may dance with our bodies, but without the eyes and the face communicating the entire message, all we have is a robotic version (no pun intended). Over the years, I have seen technically executed choreography below the frozen face of a frightened dancer, or a dance absorbed in concentration. While the movements may be beautiful, the lack of expression was the difference between a dancer and a performer, as Mollie consistently reminds her students.

What do you think? Would you be interested in seeing robots perform feats that are humanly impossible or less plausible? Or do you find it interesting to consider whole groups of robots performing synchronized actions that remind us of human movement, yet without facial expressions that communicate soul?

Posted in: dance, entertainment, music

Tagged with: dance, girls, Japan, music, robot