TECHNO-SENSORY METHODOLOGY FOR TEACHING CHOREOGRAPHY TO PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
Kinetic Listening
Choreography is usually taught through visual demonstrations.
This can limit the participation of people with visual impairments in dance education.
What is Kinetic Listening?
The project
This project investigates how the sonification of movement—the transformation of bodily data into sound—can serve as a tool for learning, memorizing, and coordinating movement sequences through listening.
Droow
Through body sensors, interactive systems, and inclusive dance methodologies, we explore new ways of perceiving, learning, and creating dance beyond sight.
From Movement to Sound
How does it work?
1. Motion Capture
Inertial sensors measure the body's acceleration, orientation, and rotation.
2. Processing
The data is sent to interactive systems developed using tools such as Max/MSP, SOMI-1, and Ableton Live.
3. Sonification
Each movement activates and/or modifies specific sound parameters such as volume, pitch, or texture.
4. Feedback
People listen to the results of their movements and use that information to orient themselves, learn, and create.
Testimonials from Participants
I felt that we were well-coordinated; it's like the beats in music. I listened to the sounds they made.
- Fátima, Participant with partial blindness
It sparked my curiosity as I explored how each movement sounded
- Lili, Participant with partial blindness
He gives us a rhythmic pattern, we all understand what we have to do, and that's how the choreography comes together.
- Ana, Participant who is completely blind
KINETIC LISTENING
Research
See the academic publication resulting from this project by clicking the button below (content in Spanish).
Summary
This article explores a methodology for the sonification of movement for teaching and choreographic creation with people with visual impairments.
Using a system of inertial sensors and four pilot studies, the relationships between movement, sound, and perception were analyzed.
The results demonstrate the potential of sonification to enhance learning, spatial orientation, and group coordination, highlighting the importance of considering participants’ perceptual diversity when designing sound-kinetic grammars.
Furthermore, the study proposes the concept of kinetic listening to describe the progressive reorganization of bodily attention during collective learning mediated by sonification.
PAPIAM-D 2025
With the support of:
Instituto Nacional de Bellas artes y Literatura
https://inba.gob.mx/