Building an international network for virtual dance collaboration: Deploying Goldsmiths MoCap Streamer tool for inclusive and sustainable development

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'Goldsmiths Mocap Streamer' is a software tool that was initially developed to address the issues surrounding the isolation and physical distancing of the Covid19 restrictions, by first connecting dancers remotely through a framework for motion-capture data streaming, and then seeing what kinds of emotional, aesthetic, and affective connections could be made within virtual spaces. These concerns were framed and led by our collaborating artists, honed and developed through a series of practice-led research workshops with artists both local to Goldsmiths in London, and as far away as Singapore (LASALLE) and Hong Kong (HKAPA). However, we knew that beyond the immediate concerns of the pandemic, this tool had much broader applicability, possibly offering itself as a critical turning point in a 50-year history of the aesthetic and technological evolution of telematic performance practice. Having now reached a point where we have evidenced the functionality of our Mocap Streamer framework in both technical and aesthetic-poetic terms, we now wish to roll it out to a truly international and diverse network of dance companies as a next logical step in our research process. We aim to empower performers who might not have previously considered doing digital dance work to freely experiment in the forms of aesthetic expression and meaningful communication that we have already shown are possible. We propose that this research would have three overarching priorities: 1. A connector programme using a bursary/residency structure, to bring together small dance companies and creative technologists from diverse international backgrounds for six full months of collaborative work. We will provide them with a mocap starter toolkit and a creation/development budget, and will facilitate them to develop their own, and collaborative, digital work. We adopt a user-centred and research through design methodology - creating practice-led feedback loops to develop our framework for remote dance collaboration.2. To continue to develop and hone our existing motion capture data streaming tool in terms of efficiency, accessibility, and user experience (UX), incorporating the creation and development of a new AI tool for motion capture system interoperability - essentially a Machine Learning algorithm that can recognise and share choreographic movement from many different motion capture systems in a truly system-agnostic mode.3. To document and evidence our findings through a knowledge-sharing and performance showcase event, a dedicated website, and to develop a resource of open-source licensed toolkits and software. Overall, our creative practice-led research methodology and programme of training, mentoring, and support will lead to a deeper understanding of the kinds of dance work that can be productively and economically achieved within this international network. We aim to open doors for several dance companies, to facilitate them to create new aesthetic approaches to dance work, and so that they can develop new audiences and new revenue streams, at the same time offering a credible and exciting use-case for international mocap streaming-based collaboration. It will form the basis for new ways of thinking about and working with motion-capture in dance, towards sustainable future development.