Edinburgh Napier University

  Distant Voices - A unique multi-disciplinary performance, in which live musicians in Edinburgh connect, via video-link technology, with dancers on stage in Liverpool and Florida. This telematic creative research project explored the efficacy of VisiMeet software in order to create a new collaborative dance work with original music. IOCOM generously provided licenses to the three participants of Distant Voices.

The 12-minute piece of music was composed collaboratively between Edinburgh Napier University lecturer-composers, Kenneth Dempster and Katrina Burton. The music was performed by students on the BMus programme, conducted by Kenneth Dempster.

Choreographed by the dance faculties at Liverpool John Moores University and Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the dancers at both institutions presented the work in real time alongside the musicians. The project was brought together under the technical direction of Rune Lilledal Hansen and Craig Ainslie.

Each of the three sites include a live audience who see the live performers in that space as well as performers from the other two sites on a screen. Each live audience see performance on and off the camera, while the internet audience only sees the dance which is recorded by the camera. Along with collaborative pedagogy, we are exploring the aesthetic challenges and opportunities that this layered visual information can offer to the viewer.

The performance on 15 April 2016 consisted of the work, Distant Voices presented twice, with a Q&A session in between. This allowed the various audiences the opportunity to ask questions of the principal collaborators and then to view the work in follow-up to the discussion.