conway's choreography
generative choreography (also known as algorithmic choreography) is procedural; a list of instructions are followed to create a choreographic structure.
in dance, the term «generative» is usually reserved for choreographic structures created by non-humans (e.g. computers). when humans create the choreographic structures we use the term «procedural».
chance procedures (e.g. merce cunningham) and accumulations (e.g. trisha brown) are examples of procedural structures. loops are also procedural.
generative and procedural choreographic structures, are not random or arbitrary. the output of these algorithmic methods is bound by the intent of the author and the options they provide. blending raw eggs won’t give you a rib roast (it will give you swagger).
with «vicki», the choreographic structure is generative (created without human intervention), but the composition/performance is procedural (the dancer follows the structural rules).
although algorithmic methods can be used to expose all the potential variations from a set of options, they cannot validate them. as troika ranch found in «loop diver», some combinations will be physically (or spatially) impossible.
it is also hard to find new dance forms through algorithmic methods. you have use new options, that represent new conceptual frameworks and find a new algorithmic structure. if you can get that far the algorithm simply proves your (new) form, you already created it before you implemented it.
implementing existing forms should yield few surprises (unless our knowledge of the form is flawed). however algorithmic solutions of existing forms can be useful teaching aids. the selection and grouping of options can be changed on-the-fly. this is more efficient than watching or choreographing multiple works to explore a conceptual or practical hypothesis.
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