The Centre for Sports, Science and Health involved with The Prism Dance Tour
10 June 2002

Would you have thought that DCU and Stars Wars had something in common?

The Centre for Sports, Science and Health has become involved in an interactive dance animation tour with the Dance Theatre of Ireland.

The technology used by the centre in this initiative, which analyses muscular movement, was the very same software used to create the digital animation sequences in Stars Wars Episode II and it is the first time such technology has been used in choreographed dance in Ireland.

The centre uses the technology to track and analyse muscular movement on sporting activities and degenerative muscular diseases; this research plays a key role in the improvement and optimisation of muscular movement.

Kieran Moran from The Centre for Sports, Science and Health was persuaded to help out in this dance production. He said that the energy and passion of Robert Conner and Loretta Yurick from Dance Theatre Ireland where key elements in his decision.

"In essense the technology allows the three-dimensional motion of the dancer to be captured with a high degree of accuracy and then animated in a number of forms", said Kieran.

Muscle joints are marked out and recording while in movement, these points are then joined to create an animated 'stick person'.

For further information
Dance Theatre Ireland
The Centre for Sports, Science and Health
Vicon Motion Capture Technology