In April, Trinity Laban’s Associate Director, Dance Dr Naomi Lefebvre Sell gave a keynote address at China’s World Art and Technology Dialogue conference series, joining internationally renowned experts in dance and technology from across the globe.
Dancing Towards the Future – The Integration and Innovation of Dance and Technology in the Digital Age was hosted by the China Dancers Association and organized by the Beijing Dance Academy. The event focused on the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, motion capture, embodied intelligence, and immersive interaction with dance art. It brought together top experts, scholars, artists, and young teachers and students from home and abroad to jointly explore innovative paths for dance creation, education, and dissemination in the digital age.
Naomi argued that technological change is unstoppable, but that while AI is reshaping dance creation, dissemination, and teaching, the sensory power of the human body and the emotional connection on stage are irreplaceable. Her keynote proposed that digital technology has expanded the space for dance, enabled global collaboration, lowered the barriers to dissemination, and also given rise to a new form of “human-machine collaboration.” She emphasised that art should embrace technology while adhering to its humanistic core, using a spirit of scepticism to inspire creativity, safeguarding the physical and emotional value of dance in human-machine collaboration, and jointly moving towards an open and diverse future.
Trinity Laban and Beijing Dance Academy previously announced that they are to open a joint institute, opening a new campus in Beijing and launching shared programmes. The partnership marks UK-China’s first joint institute within the performing arts university sector.