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Project Workplan
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2LDANCE.org - Mission & Vision
Vision: Dancing = meeting people, having fun, and getting healthy
Short Form Mission: Make More Dancing, Make Better Dancing
Long Mission:
Get more people dancing in SL, and through SL, IRL.
Make dancing in SL a better experience
Explore ways to use dancing in SL for:
- entertainment
- education
- emotional, spiritual and physical well being.
Hypothesis:
High-repetition, high-affinity, explicit dancing motor imagery* can:
Teach people the basic steps of dancing
Engage persons with cognitive limitations in a positive way
Enable wheelchair users the ability to exercise real and ‘phantom’ limbs
Over long periods of focused effort, stimulate cortical growth.
*(imagery of the type that is experienced in the virtual world of Second Life)
Free Dance Lessons in Second Life (FDL-SL)
A facility in the virtual world of Second Life (“SL”) will be created to provide highly-structured and scripted dancing lessons to SL residents attending. This will model “free dance classes” commonly held prior to Real Life (“RL”) dances in a variety of venues (colleges, local dance clubs, dance schools, and some bars/nightclubs/restaurants.) The social experience of these dance lessons should become a potent draw for participants, including repeat participants (just as in RL.) In partnership with one or more clubs, the classes could move participants back to the clubs for that evening’s dance, just as in RL. And, just as in RL, participants will find themselves dancing with a variety of people they met, and danced with, at the class.
This experience of dancing with a variety of people prior to the actual dance, and then dancing with them again on an ad-hoc basis during the course of the dance, does not exist in SL. But it is a powerful draw in RL, particularly at colleges (see: GA Tech Dance Assn.)
If there is one thing everybody is looking for in SL, it is connecting with other people. Participants in a FDL-SL class will do exactly that.
As the lessons catch on, the facility can also be used to offer more therapeutically-intended sessions targeting specific participants (cognitive, motor-restricted, wheelchair-enabled) in exercises less focused upon the social interaction of FDL, but rather specific visualizations in the same avatar context. This may migrate to individual rooms rather than group exercises.
OVERALL PLAN
1. Build Studio for “Free Dance Lessons in SL”
A dance studio facility will be built in Second life as a prototype lab. There we will develop the animations, emotes, scripts and stream content necessary to provide self-guided and live instructor dance classes in Second Life. Actual classes (limited to 12 couples or less) can be handled in this facility.
2. Self-guided, automated dance classes will be created which will provide visitors 24x7 access to a one hour loop of our Introduction to Dancing in SL class.
3. Expansion of 2LDance Studios
Provide ‘free’ use of 2LDance creative for clubs to place at or near their facilities, to incorporate more utilization of these tools.
4. Specialization: undertake Phase II (learn East Coast Swing) and Phase III (dancing for seated dancers)
DANCE CLASSES
Phase I: Dancing in Second Life
These classes will teach a basic understanding of different types of dance, the kinds of music that match those dances, and how to pick a suitable dance for a given song. The emphasis will not be on learning how to do any of the specific dances, but rather how to dance in general in SL.
DANCE 101 INTRO TO DANCING in Second Life :30 minutes
Six Dances - major types of RL Dances (hourly loop with 12 songs)
Six Songs - Songs to fit each of those dances
How to use SL Couples Machines (emotes)
How to identify “RL” dance types hidden by strange SL animation names
LATIN DANCES 201 : open (30 min)
Six Dances - major types of Latin Dances (beyobd Dance 101)
Six Somngss - to support these six dances
COMPETITION DANCES 302 : open (30min)
Six Dances that are popular in North American dance competitions (and TV shows)
Learn the differences between social dancing and competition dancing
CLASS GUIDELINES
STUDIO LAYOUT
The 2LDance.org Studio layout is a line of dance pads for students, with a pad to the side for instructors. Students join the class by clicking an open pad closest to the center. The lead (M) should click the pad for proper sizing. Dance instructors (usually a male and a female, lead and follow) will be on the pad to the side so they can be easily seen and heard in parcel voice.
SELF-GUIDED
Select Music channel 1: 2Ldance.org stream. Our stream loops through the six dance types every thirty minutes, playing fresh songs in the loop.
Participants will be prompted to select the appropriate dance from the INTRO CLASS menu, as prompted by emotes and by the wall panel graphics.
Groups of couples will be encouraged to “switch follows” after each of the songs.
When completed, participants will be encouraged to continue dancing at a 2LD-recommended venue, or repeat the class as the loop repeats every 30 minutes
LIVE INSTRUCTORS
The class can be managed by instructors, who can provide several levels of interaction:
- speak in chat to supplement the emotes
- manage the dance selection for students (they select GROUP)
- DJ voiceover from Janice and Carl; available to any DJ capable of these songs
OPEN DANCING UPSTAIRS
Move to our Glass Roof and continue dancing, selecting the streams of your choice, and the dances of your choice. Free Dancing is available whenever there is no group or individual class in progress.
DANCE ETIQUETTE
The basic rules of dance floor etiquette are pretty much the same regardless of what kind of dancing you are doing. In swing, West Coast swing, country, latin and ballroom settings, you’re expected to:
- If you are ready to dance, stand at the edge of the dance floor. (If not, sit.)
- If you are ready to dance (at the edge of the floor) and you are asked to dance, dance. (without exception.)
In RL dances, it really doesn’t matter who asks who. You will have leads asking, you will have follows asking. This is coached along with the lesson: feel free to ask somebody to dance! (especially somebody you can learn from.)
It is also commonly understood that better dancers help newer dances, and even seek out opportunities to do so. The corollary to this is, don’t monopolize their time.
PHASE II: Learn EAST COAST SWING
coming Fall 2015
We will break East Coast Swing down into the basic steps and teach them just like you would experience in a RL dance class prior to a big band dance.
Each motion will be rehearsed by itself, just like RL
The goal is to teach ECS well enough in SL to enhance learning it in RL.
PHASE III: Dancing for Mobility-Restricted Dancers:
coming Winter 2016
We will use the effect of high-repetition, vivid visual imagery to create the experience of actually dancing for those who cannot dance in RL
Weight-shifting, twisting, and arm motions for sitting dancers
Wheelchair moves for rolling dancers
"Free Dance Lessons" in REAL life: Class Example
One of the most popular beginners classes in RL is the basic East Coast Swing (“Swing” or “40’s era”) dancing. The Swing Dance class in SL will also teach the six count rock-step move, with an emphasis on balance and weight shifting. Participants who are able can stand up and physically follow along and do the dance steps. Others can simply sit up in their chairs and learn how to shift their torsos as if actually dancing, while mentally envisioning the leg movements seen in SL. It is imperative that a function of the FDSL script be to position the operator’s viewer in an optimum view, filling the screen with their body viewed from behind. Viewer point of view may be critical to the experience.
Initially, couples who arrive together start matched up, while singles simply match up with any other single as they arrive. Everybody stays where they are during the initial training of the 6-count rock step move, with all the Leads focused on their footwork, and all of the follows focused on their footwork (inverted from each other.)
Once that 6C step is learned, actual couples dancing begins. Open and closed frame is quickly shown and experienced, with an emphasis on closed swing frame. Frame includes a description of how lead signals are communicated through the hands. Now the couples walk through the basic steps of dancing, and other simple moves are show. Inside turn, outside turn, and perhaps more. During this phase of the lesson, partners only dance for about 2 minutes, and then they are stopped, and the follows (on the outside) move over to the next partner. In this manner, over about 20 minutes, you can easily end up dancing with as many as 8 to 10 other partners.
After a few partners without music, the teachers bring music into the mix, and start adding a few basic steps and swing moves. By the end of the lesson, you will know enough about ECS to dance the rest of the night and have fun as you practice. Plus, it is a convention among participants and during the course of that night’s dance, you seek out and accept dances with those other participants. The social dynamics of the dance class continue through the entire night.
Experienced dancers often attend these beginner’s dance classes, even though they certainly don’t need to. But they become mentors, and as people circle around, you usually get to dance with several experienced dancers, who will lead (or back-lead) you to feel like you really can dance. That’s great fun for experienced dancers.
In a college setting, another phenomenon occurs. The dance class becomes a major pick-up point. For example, at a Georgia Tech swing dance, you could have 200 kids show up for the lesson… the hall packed, sometimes TWO sets of circles. Then, during the half-hour following the class, you will see quite a few of those kids dance a bit, hook up with dates (or fail to) and leave. And, about that time, you will see the local ‘real’ dancers showing up, in droves, for the live swing band. A fascinating flow of people looking for the social experience it provides.
Second Life Dance Venue Experience
There is a certain openness in Second Life that is not unlike dance etiquette, in that people are polite if asked to dance. Rarely do you see any kind of structure or process to encourage people to dance with each other, and then change partners. This will feel alien to newcomers, simply stated. But everybody catches on real quickly, loosens up, and has a blast.
How to translate the physicality of actual dancing to the virtual experience? That will happen by itself with seasoned SL residents, who already have a strong affinity for the movements (ne experiences) of their avatar. But just like in the real classes, you will have participants focused on the dance, and others focusing on their partners. And in SL, that can include the ability to chat like crazy with your partners as you go, which is hard to do in RL. That will introduce a whole new dynamic that will enhance the social experience.
Some of the dynamics or RL classes may not translate well in SL - or at all. It will be “try and see.” Balancing emphasis on the visualization versus vocalization (the running chat of “hi I’m Tina”) will take time. The instructors would be expected to provide both music and their voices over a SL stream to the venue (instructors would essentially be DJs.) It is fine to have a single instructor doing all the talking, but there needs to be a companion with them (usually a follow with the instructor as lead.)
Vision: Dancing = meeting people, having fun, and getting healthy
Short Form Mission: Make More Dancing, Make Better Dancing
Long Mission:
Get more people dancing in SL, and through SL, IRL.
Make dancing in SL a better experience
Explore ways to use dancing in SL for:
- entertainment
- education
- emotional, spiritual and physical well being.
Hypothesis:
High-repetition, high-affinity, explicit dancing motor imagery* can:
Teach people the basic steps of dancing
Engage persons with cognitive limitations in a positive way
Enable wheelchair users the ability to exercise real and ‘phantom’ limbs
Over long periods of focused effort, stimulate cortical growth.
*(imagery of the type that is experienced in the virtual world of Second Life)
Free Dance Lessons in Second Life (FDL-SL)
A facility in the virtual world of Second Life (“SL”) will be created to provide highly-structured and scripted dancing lessons to SL residents attending. This will model “free dance classes” commonly held prior to Real Life (“RL”) dances in a variety of venues (colleges, local dance clubs, dance schools, and some bars/nightclubs/restaurants.) The social experience of these dance lessons should become a potent draw for participants, including repeat participants (just as in RL.) In partnership with one or more clubs, the classes could move participants back to the clubs for that evening’s dance, just as in RL. And, just as in RL, participants will find themselves dancing with a variety of people they met, and danced with, at the class.
This experience of dancing with a variety of people prior to the actual dance, and then dancing with them again on an ad-hoc basis during the course of the dance, does not exist in SL. But it is a powerful draw in RL, particularly at colleges (see: GA Tech Dance Assn.)
If there is one thing everybody is looking for in SL, it is connecting with other people. Participants in a FDL-SL class will do exactly that.
As the lessons catch on, the facility can also be used to offer more therapeutically-intended sessions targeting specific participants (cognitive, motor-restricted, wheelchair-enabled) in exercises less focused upon the social interaction of FDL, but rather specific visualizations in the same avatar context. This may migrate to individual rooms rather than group exercises.
OVERALL PLAN
1. Build Studio for “Free Dance Lessons in SL”
A dance studio facility will be built in Second life as a prototype lab. There we will develop the animations, emotes, scripts and stream content necessary to provide self-guided and live instructor dance classes in Second Life. Actual classes (limited to 12 couples or less) can be handled in this facility.
2. Self-guided, automated dance classes will be created which will provide visitors 24x7 access to a one hour loop of our Introduction to Dancing in SL class.
3. Expansion of 2LDance Studios
Provide ‘free’ use of 2LDance creative for clubs to place at or near their facilities, to incorporate more utilization of these tools.
4. Specialization: undertake Phase II (learn East Coast Swing) and Phase III (dancing for seated dancers)
DANCE CLASSES
Phase I: Dancing in Second Life
These classes will teach a basic understanding of different types of dance, the kinds of music that match those dances, and how to pick a suitable dance for a given song. The emphasis will not be on learning how to do any of the specific dances, but rather how to dance in general in SL.
DANCE 101 INTRO TO DANCING in Second Life :30 minutes
Six Dances - major types of RL Dances (hourly loop with 12 songs)
Six Songs - Songs to fit each of those dances
How to use SL Couples Machines (emotes)
How to identify “RL” dance types hidden by strange SL animation names
LATIN DANCES 201 : open (30 min)
Six Dances - major types of Latin Dances (beyobd Dance 101)
Six Somngss - to support these six dances
COMPETITION DANCES 302 : open (30min)
Six Dances that are popular in North American dance competitions (and TV shows)
Learn the differences between social dancing and competition dancing
CLASS GUIDELINES
STUDIO LAYOUT
The 2LDance.org Studio layout is a line of dance pads for students, with a pad to the side for instructors. Students join the class by clicking an open pad closest to the center. The lead (M) should click the pad for proper sizing. Dance instructors (usually a male and a female, lead and follow) will be on the pad to the side so they can be easily seen and heard in parcel voice.
SELF-GUIDED
Select Music channel 1: 2Ldance.org stream. Our stream loops through the six dance types every thirty minutes, playing fresh songs in the loop.
Participants will be prompted to select the appropriate dance from the INTRO CLASS menu, as prompted by emotes and by the wall panel graphics.
Groups of couples will be encouraged to “switch follows” after each of the songs.
When completed, participants will be encouraged to continue dancing at a 2LD-recommended venue, or repeat the class as the loop repeats every 30 minutes
LIVE INSTRUCTORS
The class can be managed by instructors, who can provide several levels of interaction:
- speak in chat to supplement the emotes
- manage the dance selection for students (they select GROUP)
- DJ voiceover from Janice and Carl; available to any DJ capable of these songs
OPEN DANCING UPSTAIRS
Move to our Glass Roof and continue dancing, selecting the streams of your choice, and the dances of your choice. Free Dancing is available whenever there is no group or individual class in progress.
DANCE ETIQUETTE
The basic rules of dance floor etiquette are pretty much the same regardless of what kind of dancing you are doing. In swing, West Coast swing, country, latin and ballroom settings, you’re expected to:
- If you are ready to dance, stand at the edge of the dance floor. (If not, sit.)
- If you are ready to dance (at the edge of the floor) and you are asked to dance, dance. (without exception.)
In RL dances, it really doesn’t matter who asks who. You will have leads asking, you will have follows asking. This is coached along with the lesson: feel free to ask somebody to dance! (especially somebody you can learn from.)
It is also commonly understood that better dancers help newer dances, and even seek out opportunities to do so. The corollary to this is, don’t monopolize their time.
PHASE II: Learn EAST COAST SWING
coming Fall 2015
We will break East Coast Swing down into the basic steps and teach them just like you would experience in a RL dance class prior to a big band dance.
Each motion will be rehearsed by itself, just like RL
The goal is to teach ECS well enough in SL to enhance learning it in RL.
PHASE III: Dancing for Mobility-Restricted Dancers:
coming Winter 2016
We will use the effect of high-repetition, vivid visual imagery to create the experience of actually dancing for those who cannot dance in RL
Weight-shifting, twisting, and arm motions for sitting dancers
Wheelchair moves for rolling dancers
"Free Dance Lessons" in REAL life: Class Example
One of the most popular beginners classes in RL is the basic East Coast Swing (“Swing” or “40’s era”) dancing. The Swing Dance class in SL will also teach the six count rock-step move, with an emphasis on balance and weight shifting. Participants who are able can stand up and physically follow along and do the dance steps. Others can simply sit up in their chairs and learn how to shift their torsos as if actually dancing, while mentally envisioning the leg movements seen in SL. It is imperative that a function of the FDSL script be to position the operator’s viewer in an optimum view, filling the screen with their body viewed from behind. Viewer point of view may be critical to the experience.
Initially, couples who arrive together start matched up, while singles simply match up with any other single as they arrive. Everybody stays where they are during the initial training of the 6-count rock step move, with all the Leads focused on their footwork, and all of the follows focused on their footwork (inverted from each other.)
Once that 6C step is learned, actual couples dancing begins. Open and closed frame is quickly shown and experienced, with an emphasis on closed swing frame. Frame includes a description of how lead signals are communicated through the hands. Now the couples walk through the basic steps of dancing, and other simple moves are show. Inside turn, outside turn, and perhaps more. During this phase of the lesson, partners only dance for about 2 minutes, and then they are stopped, and the follows (on the outside) move over to the next partner. In this manner, over about 20 minutes, you can easily end up dancing with as many as 8 to 10 other partners.
After a few partners without music, the teachers bring music into the mix, and start adding a few basic steps and swing moves. By the end of the lesson, you will know enough about ECS to dance the rest of the night and have fun as you practice. Plus, it is a convention among participants and during the course of that night’s dance, you seek out and accept dances with those other participants. The social dynamics of the dance class continue through the entire night.
Experienced dancers often attend these beginner’s dance classes, even though they certainly don’t need to. But they become mentors, and as people circle around, you usually get to dance with several experienced dancers, who will lead (or back-lead) you to feel like you really can dance. That’s great fun for experienced dancers.
In a college setting, another phenomenon occurs. The dance class becomes a major pick-up point. For example, at a Georgia Tech swing dance, you could have 200 kids show up for the lesson… the hall packed, sometimes TWO sets of circles. Then, during the half-hour following the class, you will see quite a few of those kids dance a bit, hook up with dates (or fail to) and leave. And, about that time, you will see the local ‘real’ dancers showing up, in droves, for the live swing band. A fascinating flow of people looking for the social experience it provides.
Second Life Dance Venue Experience
There is a certain openness in Second Life that is not unlike dance etiquette, in that people are polite if asked to dance. Rarely do you see any kind of structure or process to encourage people to dance with each other, and then change partners. This will feel alien to newcomers, simply stated. But everybody catches on real quickly, loosens up, and has a blast.
How to translate the physicality of actual dancing to the virtual experience? That will happen by itself with seasoned SL residents, who already have a strong affinity for the movements (ne experiences) of their avatar. But just like in the real classes, you will have participants focused on the dance, and others focusing on their partners. And in SL, that can include the ability to chat like crazy with your partners as you go, which is hard to do in RL. That will introduce a whole new dynamic that will enhance the social experience.
Some of the dynamics or RL classes may not translate well in SL - or at all. It will be “try and see.” Balancing emphasis on the visualization versus vocalization (the running chat of “hi I’m Tina”) will take time. The instructors would be expected to provide both music and their voices over a SL stream to the venue (instructors would essentially be DJs.) It is fine to have a single instructor doing all the talking, but there needs to be a companion with them (usually a follow with the instructor as lead.)
