Implementing a tool for translating dance notation to display in 3D animation: A case study of traditional thai dance

Abstract

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. In Southeast Asia, Thai dance is a living traditional art form that belongs to the Intangible Cultural Heritage listed by UNESCO. This unique and stylized traditional dance portrays its history, culture, emotional expression, body movement etc. To archive the knowledge of the Traditional Thai dance, a dance notation known as “Labanotation” has been widely used to record and archive the unique essence of dance knowledge. In addition, many researchers have worked on reproducing and showcasing the dance movements. Currently, there is no such system that is available for us to demonstrate our Thai Dance Notation Score in 3D animation. Specifically, displaying the hand and finger movement is an issue. The aim of this paper is to present the process of implementing a tool to translate the dance notation into a 3D animation focusing on hand and finger movements of the traditional Thai dance.