Dance Magazine: While you might think of dance as a primarily visual art form, performances engage us on multiple levels. Our ears take in the score, the artists' breathing patterns, fellow audience members' reactions, and the physical percussion made by the dancers' footfalls and partnering. All of this information is available to audience members with limited to no vision, and when it comes to providing them with the rest, there are multiple approaches being refined by experts in the field generally referred to as "audience accessibility."
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My mother is one of the few audio describers in Japan. She mainly writes the scripts for films, because unfortunately the audio description for theatrical performances in Japan is not organized as it is in the US and other western countries. I am proud of her, who is in action to call herself as the first Japanese theatrical audio describer. I believe it is significant that dramatic arts to be universally designed. High audience accessibility is accomplished, not when the assistance is provided only if someone needs it, but when anyone could choose what to experience from anything. As for now, the arrangement of the audio description is mostly depending on how diversified the director and the producer’s observation is. One of the ways to raise the awareness of audio description, might be installing audio description extensively for TV shows so that people will notice, just like we know that we can change language in bilingual broadcasting and we can show subtitles in caption broadcasting.
Disabilities, both physical and mental, are being talked about more and more as the years go on. Having a production that is cast of physical disabilities and with a mixed audience of those with and without disabilities changes the impact. When half of the audience can see the hardships and challenges the performers are meeting and the other half cannot, it changes the overall impact of the audience. Some of the audience members described that they could feel other people leaning forward and hearing them gasp in awe, but as they sit there with an audio description of the production, the same reaction cannot be created. It is hard to take a visual experience and turn it audible. It is important that there is more representation in live productions. One thing this article touched on that intrigued me is the audio description of ballet and dance. I cannot wrap my head around how that would work conceptually. As someone who does not know much about the language used in dance, I don’t know how a dance piece could be described without the names of the moves. I think it would be interesting to be a visually abled person listening to the description of the dances.
It is incredible to see that the theatrical industry is moving more and more towards completely accessible theatre for all. Even though I did not see the show, I was incredibly impressed with the recent deaf west interpretation of (one of my favorite musicals) Spring Awakening, in which disabled and deaf characters preformed, and the cast used sign language along with the musical numbers. This performance of completely immersive and sensory theatre is inspiring and has the potential to set the stage for a future of completely accessible theatre. I also am overall incredibly impressed with the ways in which wheelchairs are being used for movement in creative ways, and the process of an individual strapping and unstrapping their wheelchair. In the article, it is mentioned that in the disability community, that is said to be a very private action. However, by putting it on stage it removes the stigma and goes to show that theatre is truly for all people.
I’m really happy to hear that disabilities are getting represented in performances and people are developing tech to make performances more accessible. I feel like we need to talk more about how to make highly visual performances more accessible to people with specific disabilities. We don’t talk about this often enough. I really liked the app idea of making audio descriptions have different functions, switching between the narrative and looking at the overall picture of the performances. We should be constantly pursuing how to truly capsulate the performance without visuals. That is an art itself. Another idea I found interesting was audio describing ballet and dance. I have no idea how it’s going to be accomplished but it would be amazing, a great contribution to the community. As the article mentioned, the disability community is very private and I think we should be more open in order to move forward in making productions more accessible and inclusive.
This is an article that makes me go “ugggh technology is so cool.” I think pieces like these really highlight the intention of the Randy Pausch bridge that exists between Purnell and Gates. You can’t have an app like Audimance without the kinds of brains that exist in Gates, but you have no need for that app without the kinds of brains that exist in Purnell. Blending the two to make performances more accessible to more people is always a good thing. Access to the arts is access to the basic human experience of story telling. We use so many modes and methods to tell stories, that to exclude people from that experience because of a physical difference is ridiculous. Letting blind audiences touch props and have explanations, as well as developing technology so they can be as immersed in the story as everyone else is part of responsible story telling, which is something we should all strive for.
This is yet another fascinating example of the arts and the sciences coming together to create something greater than themselves. Being able to bridge the gap between the visual arts and people who are visually (or otherwise) impaired is a feat and a work in progress that seems to be at the forefront of many conversations in the arts world. But the company highlighted in the article seems to be going far above and beyond the general ‘added dialogue and descriptions’ that is moving towards the standard for theatrical accessibility in this day and age. With ballet specifically, since there is no dialogue, it opens up a new challenge for how to accurately describe and provide a similar experience for those not able to visually experience the performance. It’s also amazing how the companies are so open and receptive to feedback from patrons who benefit from the accessibility programs, and how they’re not just trying to install a one-size-fits-all system for all their performances and patrons.
I like to see this kind of accessibility making its way into our world of theater. I have often wondered how people could make things like dance that are inherently a visual experience into something that everyone could enjoy and appreciate, and I am glad to hear that people are making strides to close this gap. I remember seeing a change in the past few years with the way ASL interpreters have been incorporated into shows, which I thought was a major step forward. They have really changed the whole way they approach that side of the art, making it much more about the rythem and feel of the music or show as opposed to simply dictating the lines being said or sung onstage. This is a difficult challenge to take on, but it is definitely a worthy one, and it makes me proud to be in theater knowing people are paying attention to it.
Creating an interactive show for people who are unable to use their full senses such as hearing or seeing is a tremendous task to take on. Live music is mainly to listen to, but the visual aspect has become very important to modern artists. Shows are now filled with different stage effects and massive LED screens just to stimulate audiences much more. For those who cannot see these effects, they are missing out on a lot of the show, but they aren't missing out on the most vital part of concerts, which is the music. If the visual aspect of the show is the most vital part of the show, how can companies help blind audience members? The ballet company, English National Ballet, presented one of their dance productions with an audio description to help involve those with disabilities who may not be able to visually see the show. It is a great idea to have more inclusion into the theater and hopefully something that can become more adaptable and widely used.
This is amazing and so important. Theatre, and all art, should be accessible to all and this is a very strong step in the direction. Reading as well about Kinetic Light and how they are pushing for that representation onstage as well is fantastic. I have seen a lot of theatre, but never dance that was so thoughtful about people with disabilities. This is including other voices in the narrative and in the creation of art. One of the first instances I saw of someone with a disability onstage was when I was undergrad. It was an emotionally charged production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. The actor who played Beethoven was deaf, and it made the entire emotional arc of his character so much more heartbreaking. To read that other companies are including people with disabilities, and that companies are also being cognizant of their patrons who have disabilities, is the push that is needed in theatre.
This program sounds amazing. Allowing multiple streams of audio that represent the dance piece is an innovative way to show the complexity of what is happening on stage. However, I was most impressed with how the company took feedback. I find that often times people have identified the problem, but do not know how to solve it. This is a great example of how companies can make their art more accessible. I also wonder if Kinetic Light consults for theater and dance companies to make their shows more accessible. One thing I was curious about after reading the article is if the designers in Kinetic Light are also disabled. Since the scenic and lighting design are so prominently featured in the pictures in the article, which are gorgeous, I wish the designers were mentioned. I would love to see a production by Kinetic Light and I will lookout to see if they will be in Pittsburgh soon.
I believe this idea has been long discussed and carried out in the long history of the art history. Exploring the boundaries of the art work is always on the line, for dancing, theater and digital art alike. The progress of our tools and technology, also our mind set towards equality have lined up for this type of experiment. Though we're using advanced technical solutions for audiences, the idea is really ancient and well practiced. In my childhood, the performances on the celebrations would have the first roll of seats cleared, they are intentionally saved for old people who can not see and hear as well as the rest of the audience. There are chance before the show that people are allowed to touch the costume and walk through back stage, just like the article depicted. Art is never a singular experience, it is everything we created combined. With the same spirit, everyone is welcomed to our work, and enjoying it in their own way.
This article is the type of thing that I love seeing in our industry. It is truly a special thing to enable others to take part in things that so many others take for granted. The ability to create a whole new art form so that others can interact is no small challenge. Taking one form of art and communicating it in another way is like translating two separate languages. I fell in love with the way in which they chose to accomplish this, the details are not lost just because of its not the original medium. I am excited to see where this new form of art can go. I hope that this does not become a one-off type of thing. If this does not grow and get more used it would be truly sad for I think this could continue to have a deep impact on those who need this in their life.
While there is obviously still a ways to go in creating a universal experience for those with disabilities to view certain artforms it is encouraging to see such a strong effort made. Through their trial and error, they are learning and adapting the audio descriptions to be clearer and evoke more emotions in those that are unable to view the performance as the majority do. After reading this article I realize how much I have taken my senses for granted. Being able to experience a performance in every way the designer intended isn't something I had ever seen as a privilege or something to be thankful for but hearing about how some with disabilities go to shows and are confused about the significance or generally what's happening in a piece is strange to think about. Looking through the lens of someone that gets to experience art, which tends to be an ableist field, I had never considered that for some it is a reality that they will not be able to experience what the rest of us do without help from those that care enough to provide it.
Art is something that should be accessible for everyone- regardless of any disability. Accessibility for those who are blind in dance is something that I wouldn’t make an automatic association with, because I feel like dance is so interconnected with the movement that is visibly happening but I think it is really cool to see how audio description and touch throughs can help with the understanding of what is happening on stage. It was also really neat reading about Kinetic Light, and the photo from their piece, Descent, is so incredible. It is so important to show that disabilities aren’t really that in a lot of ways and that art can still be created in a powerful and evocative way, even if it’s not in it’s conventional form. It definitely shows that there are so many limits that can be pushed and stereotypes that can be broken when discussing accessibility in performance.
I am really excited by the amount of articles I have seen lately about enhancing the experience of audience members with disabilities, as well as bringing those who represent them to the stage because, as important as having people all across the ability spectrum on stage, it is equally important that those same people are able to have an equal experience in the audience. Seeing the arts and the sciences come together to create an accessible environment in which this is possible is really inspiring. I particularly appreciate how the ballet has showcased the truth and the life of performers of varying ability without compromising their beauty, grace, and incredible strength. Dance, in particular, is a format in which I haven’t seen as much of an increase in accessible practices because the typical easy answers for how we accomplish this don’t work. I am so excited to see this practice in theatre.
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