For her Personal Project, Marymount student Tsz Yau Candy, was interested in how technology and AI might change the future of dance. In her aim to reflect on what makes human performance unique, she created a video that explains her research into AI, robotics, and dance.
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Why did you choose this topic?
I started dancing when I was 3, and I have trained in many different styles since, so dance has always been a huge part of my life. What I love most about dancing is being able to express myself freely through movement and connect emotionally with others during performances. Because dance has always been so important to me, I immediately knew I wanted my project to relate to it in some way. I have also always been curious and wanted to learn more about science, technology, robotics, and specifically AI. Overall, I thought that it would be very interesting to learn how the two worlds may collide in the future.
Did you have to do a lot of research?
I did many different types of research, from online browsing to finding books on what AI can currently do and the basics of dance (e.g. from a psychological perspective). I thought it would be important to consider ideas from multiple perspectives, and so I interviewed three different groups of people: dance teachers, dancers, and non-dancers. I collected primary research by asking them questions that I intentionally designed for each group. Based on their responses, I compared how people with different experiences and roles viewed the use of AI and robotics in the dance industry. This was helpful as it helped me gain a wide range of perspectives and, therefore, reach a more balanced conclusion on how AI can potentially impact the dance industry in the future.
Did your opinion about AI and dance change during the process, and did you learn anything new?
Yes definitely! Before, I believed that AI could be intimidating to the dance industry. Now, I realised that, although AI can generate choreography and imitate movement patterns, it still cannot replicate the emotional expression, authenticity and human connection that human dance performances encompass.
I also discovered through the interviews I conducted that many people do not see AI as a replacement for dancers, and especially don’t believe it’s capable of “taking over the dance industry”, but rather can be used as a tool to support the industry
How did you decide what makes human performance unique?
I decided what makes human performance unique by analysing real-life examples or clips of robots dancing versus real-life examples of humans dancing. Using my creative thinking, I created a set of criteria including different aspects that I would compare across. These included formations, timing, and creativity, emotional expression and storytelling, flow and transitions, and audience connection. This allowed me to use my critical thinking to break down the concept into its constituent parts, and through this, I learnt that humans have a greater variety of movements which all flow together and are more natural. I think this was my favourite part of the whole process and really transformed my learning
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Thank you, Candy, for sharing your curiosity with us!
