The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron is in development with Dance Chat, a new platform for two-way communication between audience members and performance insiders. 

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Audience members pose questions via text message to a short code, and Dance Chat Hosts — knowledgeable insiders from the production, the venue, etc. — respond in real time. All their exchanges are captured post-show, on a website for visitors to explore. This provides a reflective space for audiences to re-live and think about the work they experience — similar to a post-debate or post-game recap. It also provides a way for choreographers and venues to learn about the questions provoked by the work. 

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Dance Chat was beta-tested at Dance/USA's 2019 Annual Conference in Cleveland at the Technology Playground, a hands-on session with new and emerging technologies that intersect with movement and dance work. This event was made possible by the Robotics, Automation, and Dance (RAD) Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and led by Catie Cuan and the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron.  

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Keep an eye on this page for the conversations from the beta test, as well as future developments in the platform!

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Dance Chat is made possible by a 2018 ArtsNEXT grant from the Ohio Arts Council.