Pilot Project Aims to Reduce Digital Barriers in Canada’s Dance Sector

Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada is developing a project that will enable dance companies and artists across Canada to access immersive digital tools and develop their skills.

Making immersive digital technology accessible

A large portion of Canada’s dance sector does not have knowledge of or access to digital technology. Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada hopes to provide a solution by 2022. The organization’s Dance XR initiative promises to help close the digital gap for small and mid-size dance companies and marginalized artists. The company is collaborating with the Canadian Dance Assembly, HCI Lab and Kognitive Spark to introduce immersive technologies such as 3D holograms and augmented reality. Ultimately, Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada hopes that its digital tool will reduce financial, infrastructure and accessibility barriers so that dance organizations and artists can unleash their full artistic potential.

Finding inspiration from other industries

The Dance XR initiative is inspired by a holographic technical solutions system used in aerospace engineering, and the petroleum and nuclear industries. Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada is reimaging the technology, known as Remote Spark, to convert choreographic work into 3D visuals, including life-size holograms. The 3D content will be made available in accessible formats to account for people in low internet bandwidth areas.