Abstract
Access to new technologies has often been difficult and inadequate for the needs of contemporary choreographers during the recent history of dance in Brazil. However, digital inclusion is now a government objective while economic and educational inclusion is still a dream. It is argued that technology might now have an important role in the artistic work of choreographers, since it is becoming gradually more accessible. The objective of this research is to develop ways to assist choreographers that are willing to use computers within their choreographic processes but find it difficult because of the lack of educational or financial support. To assess the tasks a computer application can accomplish within choreographic processes in Brazil, four works were used in this research. An extended definition of Distributed Choreography, developed from Distributed Cognition and Group Creativity approaches, was the framework employed to analyse the use of computer-based artefacts within dance creation. This theoretical framework supported the generation of a new concept: the Choreographic Planning Environment (CPE). This seeks to provide parameters for the creation and use of computer-based artefacts to support dance creation. Based on these parameters, a series of practical proposals has been created and evaluated exploring the use or adaptation of existing software packages, and also the design and implementation from scratch of a new program. These proposals enable the choreographer to sketch aspects of choreographic design and organise material for rehearsals using a standard computer. All proposals are in the early stages of development and are included in a companion CD (Choreographing With Your Computer) together with tutorials and a multimedia database containing part of the material collected for this research.