Today, the world is connecting, growing, and innovating at an accelerating pace. The rise in globalization across the globe brought about a growing requirement for better communication and trade-offs.
As countries focused more on developing their economies and societies, a major trademark of development was recognized. The more technological advances a group occupied, the more capable and enhanced the society was. Technology became the one entity that allowed us to communicate efficiently through different mediums.
All sectors from finance and marketing to entertainment, education, and advertising are now heavily centered around top-notch technological advancements…
Thus, technology became a first-hand option to develop and grow.
Optimizing its usage, we need tech to maintain the growing success of organizations as it enhances the outreach value a group possesses.
How does technology enhance a dance performance?
While it might seem like performing arts such as dance and theatre are predominantly self-reliant art forms, it is not the case. In the physical realm, technology has always been an integral part of making a performance successful.
Though it is the artists that carry the art and present it, several other factors are responsible for adding success to the performance.
Lighting, sound and audio, staging, visibility, etc. are all contributors that enable performing arts.
Sound Effects and musical scores are part of a critical component that enhances the audiences' experience
Abhinaya Darpana and Natyashastra, two of the oldest Indian Sanskrit on drama, dance, and music have also highlighted the influential presence of excellent supporting ingredients in a dramatic production.
So we see that technology has always been present in performing arts and is central to it.
Technological impact of Covid-19
With the emergence of the global pandemic, technology has taken a more prominent role in our lives. From relying on devices to serve an important function, we became dependent on them to continue and have some normalcy in our lives.
Artists had a hard time adjusting to this 'New normal situation' since physical presence for performing artists is crucial.
Technology also did not seem to satisfy the connection between the students and the trainers amounting to a wide gap. This left many trainers either stuck in a spot of desperation and helplessness or completely out of the teaching sector.
Dancers all around were grappling with corporate tech set-ups to make creative productions.
Online video video-communication services like Google Meet and Zoom helped enabled dancers to teach and connect with students during the early stages of the pandemic.
Stepping away from technology, however, is not an option. The global pandemic showed us how significant telecommunications is. Without it, it would have taken only a couple of days for people to lose out on their dance communities and trainers.
Building a business for dancers also becomes harder as there is only restricted revenue, students, and outreach due to geographical constraints. Ditching technology becomes more harmful than beneficial.
Therefore, technology becomes a one-way solution to pedestalize trainers and dancers, to bring them up to the global stage. It is also vital in connecting different dance groups and styles to develop a stronger community.
Does existing software's meet the needs of the instructors moving online?
However, the right technology was lacking. There were no help books or software which catered to the needs of dancers acknowledging rhythm, choreographies, group dancing, music, etc.
Even though some trainers were able to continue online, several aspects led them to believe that things aren't working out for the best. With extreme fatigue, increasing enthusiasm in learners became a task.
The year 2020 brought with it a glooming phase of dancers craving for some kind of a setup where they could be part of the community and resume their classes and training.
But the question is, does there exist the right kind of technology to provide trainers with a platform to teach?
For this, we need to answer what kind of technology might we need for us dancers to feel connected to the rhythm and each other.
Some basic requirements that might be needed include:
Movement synchronization
Any and every dance choreography requires sync and coordination to ensure harmony among dancers. Some of the best dance performances have solely gained traction for their excellence in coordination.
Almost every dancer might agree with the fact that the level of syncing in steps can make or break a choreography. Technologies should provide software that enables dancers to easily grasp the steps on a screen and not face confusion due to either the number of people on screen or unmirrored images.
It should be quickly graspable and the dancer should be able to make out within seconds of where the trainer is directing them.
Creative Environment (that stimulates productivity)
Unlike most corporate video conferencing apps, that are most suited for classroom or office-based setups, a creative field like dancing requires a stage where new ideas, concepts, and choreographies can be fostered.
From Gurukuls to **studios, the importance of the right setting can be observed in the development and history of the usage of dance locations. Thus, dancers need innovative and artistic software.
Efficient communication between students and trainers
In online setups, where physical cues are minimal it is imperative to have a seamless communication channel. Trainers need to observe, teach, and notice a lot of students making it very difficult to communicate themselves and the steps individually to everyone.
Even for the students, the trainer becomes inaccessible when they themselves are trying to figure out what the trainer is trying to convey.
Thus, it is very necessary that both parties can easily share and understand their ideas.
Quick setting controls (for a steady dance experience)
A trainer when teaching, apart from the physical efforts also takes up a lot of energy to deal with students, their doubts, concerns, to make sure their points get across, to give everyone a chance to showcase, reading emotions since you can hardly study body language, maintaining a safe space for everyone, etc.
When a trainer is occupied with all these aspects of a dance class, handling tough-to grasp technology simply becomes unwanted stress.
So settings and features which are easily manageable, a click away, and available in a second, will go a long way to create a seamless learning environment.
Vigilant music output (so the entire cohort functions together)
What is dance without music? Every dance class requires music, beats, and rhythms to dance together. They require a good music output, (like loudspeakers in a studio so everyone can hear properly) to make sure everyone is on the same page and can move together as a cohort.
But video conferencing tools do not provide any in-built software that allows smooth, uncracked tuning sound sharing. It often becomes a personal experience rather than a community one.
Therefore, a system that can make sure that students receive musical beats together, and hence move in synchrony as well.
A stage that actually provides the aforementioned requirements!
Up until now, no software or technology was able to cater to these needs of dancing enthusiasts. There hasn't been much conversation around the needs of dancers as well. Until now!
Versai is the first video conferencing tool, specially curated to serve artists and dancers all across the globe.
Dancers now have a ready-to-go platform that not only caters to the above needs but additionally provides an over-encompassing experience for trainers and students to dance, sync and groove!
From having an inbuilt music system to being able to group students for efficient teaching, trainers can now grow and build their business hassle-free.
Reducing the online friction significantly, using Versai not only enhances a trainer’s global brand and revenue but also allows them to access their students in a much more intimate manner.
From automatic mirroring settings to providing a clear layout of the student-teacher panel, the grasping of steps becomes much more visible and clearer for both parties.
Easy spotlighting and pinning is another great way to provide the students with a stage to showcase themselves and the trainer to check up on students' performances.
A one stop solution tailored to meet the needs of creators
With Versai, dancing becomes an all-rounded experience for the trainer and blooming dancers. Accessible from anywhere, this is the beginning of a new era of technology that focuses on artists and dancers from all fields.
Raising dance as a profession to the conventional level, software like Versai brings dancers together to create a strong and diverse community enabling change across the way.
Dancing with technology thus becomes an experience we ourselves didn't know we needed.
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