Rob wearing a AR headset

Clwstwr

In September 2019, NDCWales were one of 23 organisations awarded funding from Clwstwr; a five-year programme to create new digital services and experiences for screen.

Experts in dance and technology worked together at National Dance Company Wales to create and test new ways to make dance experiences using layered-reality technologies.

This project aimed to explore knowledge-exchange between choreographers, academics, mixed reality designers and programmers to build a basic demonstrator that addresses a longer-term ambition to connect to audiences outside the traditional touring model and develop vital new markets for dance.

Our project Moving Layers with Clwstwr explored the use of augmented reality (AR) with dance.

We wanted to do a dance-based R&D project that looked at how augmented reality technologies could impact relationships formed through dance. We felt that it could improve audience experiences of dance or bring about new audience experiences of dance (the audience-performer relationship). We also wanted to explore how performers might work with each other using augmented reality technology (the performer-performer relationship).

Read about how it went below:

Digital artist, Rob Eagle, shares his experience of working on National Dance Company Wales' R&D in dance project, Moving Layers.

NDCWales Chief Exective Paul Kaynes shares his story: Using augmented reality in dance to enhance audiences’ and performers’ experiences with Clwstwr 

Reviews

"Quite unexpectedly, the project has led to a really profound shift for us towards digital.

We now see and understand the potential for audience development in this area. We're working with a digital producer to develop our work in other ways that make the most of different digital approaches. I don't think we would’ve got here as quickly as we have, if it hadn't been for this experience." 

Paul Kaynes 

Gallery
dancer hand forward towards the camera
Folu gazing at the light
someone back to the camera wearing the glasses
someone sitting on the floor looking up wearing the glasses