A.L. Brooks (Ed.): ArtsIT 2011, LNICST 101, pp. 10–17, 2012. © Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2012 Towards Augmented Choreography Diego Bernini 1 , Giorgio De Michelis 1 , Mauro Plumari 1 , Francesco Tisato 1 , and Michele Cremaschi 2 1 DISCo, University of Milano-Bicocca, viale Sarca 336, 20126 Milano, Italy {bernini,demichelis,plumari,tisato}@disco.unimib.it 2 Residenza Teatrale InItinere, via Valmarina 25, 24129 Bergamo, Italy michele.cremaschi@gmail.com Abstract. Choreographers are interested in enriched performances where virtual actants play together with live performers. Augmented Choreography can be viewed as the definition of how perceptions generated from the environment turn into commands that influence the environment itself and, in particular, virtual actants. This paper introduces a modular and extensible architecture that supports the flexible and dynamic definition of augmented choreographies and presents an experimental application. Keywords: augmented choreography, interactive performance, multimodal interaction, performance design, virtual puppetry. 1 Introduction Choreography [1] is the art of designing sequences of movements (choreographies) performed by actants. In ballet and stage dancing choreographies define sequences of dance steps that are synchronized with music beats and, in general, with musical events: for example, choreography might prescribe that during a musical phrase one dancer has to withdraw from another dancer. Choreography may also prescribe how actants behave (for example, moving their arms or jumping) according to the behavior of a coryphaeus. Finally, choreography may prescribe stage effects (for example, lighting) in correlation with music or movements. Ultimately, choreography dictates how perceptions are mapped into performers’ actions. New media technologies enhance the potential of performing arts by introducing virtual actants and by exploiting multifarious sensing technologies. For example, Latulipe et al. [2] explore the design space of dance and technology presenting a specific show of interactive dance “Bodies/AntiBodies”. James et al. [3] describe Lucidity, a show of “interactive choreography”. Augmented Choreography is choreography where perceptions, actions and mapping rules are augmented by exploiting hardware and software technologies. For example, one or more virtual actants i.e., computer-projected body animations, move according to music, movements of real dancers and clapping.