My preservation project aims to provide a record of Danny Grossman's signature solo, "Curious Schools of Theatrical Dance" (1977) for the dual purpose of education and reconstruction. This involves compiling textual information (e.g., choreographer's comments, images, teaching points; dancer's feedback; etc.) to complement existing data such as program notes, reviews and production information. The unique component of this project is the creation of a computer animation based on input from the choreographer and his principal dancer, Eddie Kastrau. This complements numerous video recordings of different interpretations of the five-part work (danced by Grossman, Kastrau and other members of the Company).

As experienced by anyone who has reconstructed a work from video, that medium has specific limitation (e.g., video records a specific instance of the work and contains inevitable discrepancies between what the choreographer set and what the performer physically achieved; the performer's charisma and personal interpretation make it difficult to focus on choreographic structure; camera angles and lighting often obscure important information). By contrast, a computer animation abstracts the dance, providing a record of the choreographer's intentions. It can be viewed from any angle so no important information is obstructed. Three-dimensional animation provides an important advantage over video, which is typically filmed from the front view: by viewing the dance from behind the dancer avoids the mental confusion of flipping right and left. The top view is particularly helpful in clarifying floor patterns. The main drawback arises from the complexity of human movement: analyzing choreography and learning to use animation software require special aptitude and training. Whereas almost anyone can make a video recording, creating a computer animation requires time and effort. The benefits however may warrant the additional cost.

Since the 1970s, I have been following the development of a computer animation program for representing human movement.  The program, initially called COMPOSE and then Life Forms, was pioneered by Tom Calvert at Simon Fraser University. As a specialist in the Benesh and Laban dance notation systems, I was interest in using animation to represent the structure of a dance. In 2002, the late Lawrence Adams of Dance Collection Danse also became interested in the program's potential for chronicling choreography. He suggested that I test its capability by animating the very challenging final section of "Curious Schools" based on the Dancemakers video (Program 1, Rhombus Media 1987). Satisfied by the results, Lawrence encouraged Calvert's Vancouver-based company Credo Interactive to produce a special dance-friendly version of Life Forms. This version, named DanceForms, is targeted at dance educators and artists that want to plan, explore or document dance movements and choreography. I provided libraries of ballet and modern dance positions to give users access to a range of dance vocabulary. Lawrence and I co-wrote a dance-based Users Guide to help people get started.

For the past two years, Danny, Eddie and I have been meeting to go through the dance, bar by bar and image by image. It has been a fascinating process, and one that has given me new insights into a work I have admired for almost three decades. We have produced working animations of the entire piece, and I am now compiling and organizing the textual information supporting the work. Part of this work is being highlighted on the National Arts Centre ARTSALIVE! Web site, as part of the Dance Composition module (visit: www.artsalive.ca). We are also investigating the possibility of digitally recording Eddie's performance through a process called motion capture ("mocap"). Comparing the key framed animation and the mocap record may provide fascinating insights into the process of digitally representing choreography.