Real-time Modification of Music with Dancer's Respiration Pattern

This research aims to improve the correspondence between music and dance, and explores the use of human respiration pattern for musical applications with focus on the motional aspect of breathing. While respiration is frequently considered as an indicator of the metabolic state of human body that contains meaningful information for medicine or psychology, motional aspect of respiration has been relatively unnoticed in spite of its strong correlation with muscles and the brain. This paper introduces an interactive system to control music playback for dance performances based on the respiration pattern of the dancer. A wireless wearable sensor device detects the dancer's respiration, which is then utilized to modify the dynamic of music. Two different respiration-dynamic mappings were designed and evaluated through public performances and private tests by professional choreographers. Results from this research suggest a new conceptual approach to musical applications of respiration based on the technical characteristics of music and dance.