Dancing Chineseness and Techno-Choreography

This book delves into the embodiment of Chineseness in digital performance, utilising the innovative methodology of 'techno-choreography.' This research critically examines professionally trained dancing bodies in Chinese dance from the vantage point of cultural transexperience. It offers profound discussions of Chineseness through an unprecedented lens, advancing a suite of choreographic tools beneficial for both academic and practical inquiries. The methodology of techno-choreography employed draws from theories as well as applications of interactivity, immersion, virtual reality, and motion capture systems. It perceives intercultural dancing bodies and cultural artefacts, such as chopsticks, gaoqiao, handkerchiefs, fans, and red silks, as interfaces during the dance composition process enacted within computational system environments. Insights are derived from full-length dance works created by the author: X-Body (2018), Mourning for a dead moon (2019), Unexpected Bodies (2020) and Being River (2024). This volume grapples with pertinent cultural and artistic questions including how Chineseness contributes to the process of techno-choreography, how technology affects the embodiment of Chineseness, and what Chineseness might be in the context of techno-choreography. This book will be indispensable for scholars and practitioners across disciplines such as dance, theatre, performance, music, and human-computer interaction, as well as for those enthralled by technology-imbued compositions.

Zhi Xu is a choreographer, dancer, researcher, and Senior Lecturer in Dance at Bath Spa University. He completed his PhD focusing on dance technology and cultural identity at Brunel University London in 2021. As a choreographer and dancer, he has created over 20 works that have toured worldwide, including in China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Israel. His works encompass dance drama, dance theatre, site-specific dance, exhibitions, and large-scale projects. He joined one of China's most prestigious events as an independent director at the Summer Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in 2014. His creation X-Body was selected for performance at The Place in London during Resolution 2019. Website: zhixu.org

List of figures Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Chineseness 3. Intercultural dancing bodies 4. Techno-choreography 5. X-Body 6. Mourning for a dead moon 7. Unexpected Bodies 8. Being River 9. Dancing Chineseness Bibliography Index