Hip-hop dance battles are events where dancers improvise to an unfamiliar DJ’s mix. The dancers’ technicality in responding to the music, along with the collective dimensions of these encounters, represents a largely unexplored area of investigation in HCI. Using an autobiographical design approach grounded in the hip-hop practice of the first author, we developed five interaction scenarios on a hip-hop–specific movement vocabulary. Our interactive sonification enables both individual and collective improvisation through synchronized motion sensing and interactive sound loops. This approach allowed us to design three interconnected workshops to investigate how dancers use sonification in improvisation. Our findings show that sonification was perceived either as a validation of movement or as a medium for open-ended exploration. We contribute with: (1) the formalization of a movement vocabulary and the design of interactive scenarios for hip-hop movement sonification, (2) insights into how dancers experience sonification through exploration and improvisation, and (3) guidelines for the design of movement sonification in hip-hop contexts.

This paper explores using mixed reality (MR) mirrors for supporting improvisational dance making. Motivated by the prevalence of mirrors in dance studios and inspired by Forsythe’s Improvisation Technologies, we conducted workshops with 13 dancers and choreographers to inform the design of future MR visualisation and annotation tools for dance. The workshops involved using a prototype MR mirror as a technology probe that reveals the spatial and temporal relationships between the reflected dancing body and its surroundings during improvisation; speed dating group interviews around future design ideas; follow-up surveys and extended interviews with a digital media dance artist and a dance educator. Our findings highlight how the MR mirror enriches dancers’ temporal and spatial perception, creates multi-layered presence, and affords appropriation by dancers. We also discuss the unique place of MR mirrors in the theoretical context of dance and in the history of movement visualisation, and distil lessons for broader HCI research.