Advances in Human-Robot Interaction

Rapid advances in the field of robotics have made it possible to use robots not just in industrial automation but also in entertainment, rehabilitation, and home service. Since robots will likely affect many aspects of human existence, fundamental questions of human-robot interaction must be formulated and, if at all possible, resolved. Some of these questions are addressed in this collection of papers by leading HRI researchers

THE ARTS OF THE GEISHA: UNRAVELING THE ARTISTIC TRADITIONS AND THE AESTHETICS OF IROKE THROUGH AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR MUSIC AND DANCE

This dissertation investigates the aesthetic concept of iroke (roughly, sexiness or eroticism, but literally, the love-sex atmosphere) through the performing arts practiced by geisha: kouta (small songs) and koutaburi (dance of small songs). Historically, the geisha—female performing artists—came into existence by separating the arts (gei) from sex (iro). However, since they closely worked within the vicinity of theatres and pleasure quarters, they have been misinterpreted as sex workers rather than accomplished multi-talented artists. By studying kouta and koutaburi under two former geisha, Kasuga Toyo Seiyoshi and Asaji Yoshie, I found that such misconceptions are deeply rooted in what geisha embody and express through their arts— iroke. Drawing on my own experiences of geisha arts and through detailed analyses, I illustrate the expressions of iroke in kouta and koutaburi performances and delineate the nature of iroke aesthetics. By mastering iroke and performing arts associated with iroke, the geisha were able to pioneer a new field of performing arts as preservers, teachers, and headmasters. Positioning geisha arts and aesthetics at the core, I explore the meaning and value of arts as well as geisha’s raison d’être in the modern Japan

Louder and Faster

Louder and Faster is a study of taiko in California, focused on the play of sound, performance, identity, ethnicity, race, gender, and politics. Wong explores taiko as a music/dance art form that creates spaces in which memories of the WW2 Japanese American incarceration, Asian American identity, and a desire to be seen/heard intersect with global capitalism, the complications of mediation, and legacies of imperialism. Based on two decades of participatory ethnographic work, the book offers a vivid glimpse of an Asian American presence both loud and fragile

Neo-onnagata: professional cross-dressed actors and their roles on the contemporary Japanese stage

Neo-Onnagata: Professional Cross-dressed Actors and Their Roles on the Contemporary Japanese Stage explores the representation of male and female gender in the contemporary Japanese theatre. I particularly discuss a specialized subset of Japanese actor: the neo-onnagata, a contemporary theatre counterpart to Japan\u27s highly stylized classical kabuki tradition of cross-dressed representation. This dissertation represents my attempt to provide these basic aims: to situate the contemporary Japanese cross-dresser in Japanese tradition, to show how cross-dressing acts as a sharp social commentary and mirror, and to introduce some little-represented cross-dressing actors of the contemporary Japanese stage to the academic community at large. In addition, I examine the conservative gender role system of Japan and demonstrate how the neo-onnagata challenge traditional performance and sex roles. Particularly, I seek to showcase neo-onnagata as expanding opportunities for male actors and as new gendered models for men

Reconstructing the Present Through Kinesthetic History: An Investigation into Modes of Preserving, Transmitting, and Restaging Contemporary Dance

Methods of dance preservation have evolved alongside conceptual themes that have framed dance’s historical narrative. The tradition of written dance notation developed in accordance with notions that prioritized logocentricity, and placed historical legitimacy on tangible artifacts and irrefutable archives; whereas the technical revolution of the late twentieth century saw dance preservation practices shift to embrace film and video documentation because they provided more accessible, and more convenient records. Since the 1970s video recordings have generally been considered to provide authentic visual representations of dance works, and the tradition of score writing has begun to wane. However, scholarly criticism has unveiled both philosophical and practical challenges posed by these two modes of documentation, thus illuminating a gap between theories of embodiment and the practice of dance preservation. In alignment with contemporary discourse, which legitimizes the body as a site of generating and storing knowledge, this dissertation suggests ‘kinesthetic history’ as a valid mode of dance preservation. Operating as a counterpart to oral history, and borrowing theoretical concepts from contemporary historiography, existential phenomenology and ethnography, the term ‘kinesthetic history’ suggests a mode of corporeal inscription and transmission that relies on the reciprocal interaction of bodies in space. The use of ‘kinesthetic history’ as a methodological approach to the preservation, translation, and reconstruction of movement material reflects the elements of fluidity, plurality and subjectivity that are often characteristic of contemporary choreographic practices. This theory is interrogated through a case study, which explores the ways in which both a written and digitized score, video recordings, and the ‘kinesthetic history’ of an original cast member operated as modes of transmission in a 2013 restaging of William Forsythe’s One Flat Thing, reproduced (2000) at The Juilliard School. Conclusions drawn from the case study challenge the traditional notions of reconstruction and restaging and suggest ‘regeneration’ as an alternative term to describe the process of preserving and transmitting contemporary dance works

The intercultural virtual dancing subject: a choreographic investigation of spatio structures In Japanese-Western cultural practice

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Research Institute for Media, Arts and Performance)The aim of this practice-led research is to question and examine the notion of a dancing body in two and three-dimensional spaces within the context of intercultural performance. The research will draw upon comparative analyses of Japanese and Western cultural tenets, and on how these inform specific examples of dance making. The overarching goal is to test choreographically and then theorize an intercultural meeting point in relation to space and time, which highlights exchanges and tension between Japanese and Western in modern day dance making. It is hoped that such test and theorization will stimulate, in turn, advancements in the creation of a unique form of Japanese-Western dance performance. As reported above, this research is practice-based, and develops from questioning a number of issues relating to conflicted discourses which inform current notions of dance and technology. Firstly, it explores the presentation and identity of a dancing body in two dimensions, questioning whether the creative process of choreographic experiences of three dimensions can be negotiated and presented in two dimensions - so that ‘actual’ and ‘virtual’ spaces can be blurred. Said questioning, will both move from and rely on an intercultural perspective in negotiating the spatial interplay between the live performance and screen, to then formulate the mentioned intercultural meeting point within the dance works, where two distinctive cultures can co-exist and share their own values and characteristics without any hierarchical placing. Secondly, the research questions and challenges the applicability of Western theories and practices to Japanese culture. Being based on a process of active dialogue between theory and practical experimentation, and being written by a citizen of Japan who lives in Western Europe, this research constantly reflects on how the non-Western author needs to negotiate Western cultural forms and practices with her embodied cultural preference as a dance artist. Consequently, this work suggests a potentially different approach by formulating a model of a virtual dancing body that both resides within and goes beyond boundaries of existing intercultural performance theory

Re-generating kinesthetic history: the dynamics of transmitting William Forsythe's One Flat Thing, reproduced

“Reconstructing,” “remounting,” “restaging,” and “reworking” are terms that are used to describe the process of choreographic transmission. Typically today, dances are transmitted through notated scores, video recordings, and the kinesthetic history of previous cast members. This article illuminates the liminal space between score, screen, and stage by analyzing the process of transmitting William Forsythe's One Flat Thing, reproduced (2000) to a group of students at The Juilliard School in 2013. Conclusions drawn from the case study challenge traditional notions of reconstruction and restaging and suggest “re-generation” as an alternative term to describe the process of preserving and transmitting contemporary dance works