THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN DIGITAL AND DANCE The Digital Environment’s Impact on the Arts Hannah Joy Ellis Honors Capstone | December 2020 1 Within the last twenty years there has been a rapid increase in technology and the necessity for brands and individuals to foster a digital presence. Constant access to smart phones and the development of various social media platforms has changed the way consumers gather information and interact with one another. This changing technology has had a huge impact on many industries, including the dance community. The digital environment has provided a platform for virtual performances, online classes, dance influencers, along with a new form of online aesthetic. A strong dance presence can be seen across the web including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok among other social media applications. Although the digital world has provided the dance industry with another means of connection, there are some negative consequences to this type of new media. The intersection of digital marketing and dance provide a unique insight into this new consumption of dance technique and how is has impacted the traditional idea of dance on a stage. The constant technological improvements have drastically changed entire industries with mobile marketing having a huge impact on almost everyone. The first mobile marketing equipped device was Palm VII that debuted in 1999, however the true mobile marketing revolution began with the release of the iPhone in 2007 (Yadav). With the development of the iPhone came the further development of applications, including social media and networking platforms. We see the rise of online communities focused around dance on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and most recently TikTok. Now “Americans on an average own four digital devices and ownership of many digital, mobile and connected devices has reached critical mass” (Yadav et al. 336). Therefore, the constant connection to digital devices has increased the number of people on social media and the importance of maintaining a digital presence. The development 2 of these digital platforms has increased the ability for dance to be shared in an online environment, along with fostering a greater demand for dance content. Digital methods of consuming performances have drastically changed the type and style of dance an average American finds visually appealing and engaging. This changing aesthetic first began with the development of modern televised dance in the early 2000’s. Competitive, televised dance has become a prominent portion of the dance industry with shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance. These television shows are nationally shown and bring a form of dance to people that may not have normally experienced this type of art form. The accessibility of televised dance has increased the awareness of the dance industry among the average American. However, a very specific form of dance is televised which has a different value and purpose than traditional concert dance. Harrington states, “The audience is lured in by screen dance that does not demand much of them beyond watching a flurry of movement accompanied by heavy production values and plenty of backstory filled with emotional biographical information”. Therefore, instead of the deep and profound performances that can be seen through traditional concert dance there is a more artificial performance to achieve the ratings that television demands. “Dance is marketed with advertisers and ratings in mind, and no one is left to ponder or think; it is all easy to digest” (Harrington). The televised dance aesthetic creates engaging content that is simple and well received by a large, diverse audience. This specific aesthetic demonstrates one of the first modern changes to the digital dance aesthetic. From this development the modern online dance aesthetic found across the web including social media was created. “Social Media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations…that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content” 3 (Yadav). Each social media platform provides a very unique interaction between the followers which serve as the audience and the user generated content that is shared. “Much of the interest in dance resulted from communication and technological advances that revolutionized the entertainment business” (Zaggelidou et al.). Therefore, understanding the connection between the modern digital world and the entertainment business provides insights into the connection between digital media and dance. Facebook states, “Our products empower more than 3 billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support and make a difference” (Facebook). In addition to the 3 billion personal users Facebook hosts over 180 million businesses that use the application to share their brand. The platform provides users the opportunity to connect with others while sharing text, photos, videos, links, and news. On this platform people commonly share their own content, along with resharing content created by other people and organizations that align with their values or interests. Dance videos make up a large portion of Facebook content shared by both dancers and individuals who enjoy observing dance. Long form videos of concert, televised, and competitive dance are the most common type of dance content shared on Facebook. This content can be shared from the original creator such as the dancer themselves or form a dance company page. Alternatively, someone who found the video may choose to share the video to their personal Facebook page. This brings to light issues of copyright and sharing of dance performances and information without the correct citation or credit. Although Facebook presents problems about proper crediting of dance work the application does provide an efficient way to share long form dance performance videos with a large population of users. “Instagram was a hit – rapid gathering users to become one of the world’s biggest and most-influential social media platforms. By June 2018, the platform had hit 1 billion monthly 4 active users” (Iqbal). From 2018 the app has continued to grow while becoming one of the most popular social media platforms, particularly among personal brands and businesses. Instagram was originally intended to provide as a way to share photos using unique filters, however the app has continued to add additional features. These new features have diversified the type of content that is shared. Instagram provides the opportunity for people to share multiple photos, long form and short form videos, along with temporary stories. Feed posts including photos and long form videos can be shared more permanently and curated onto a profile that people can visit. The profile then aims to set up a brand for the user and visually highlight important moments they choose to share. Stories allow content to be shared and appear for only 24 hours, ensuring that this content is relevant to the time it is shared. Instagram’s newest feature, Reels, works to compete with other social media platforms such as TikTok to share catchy short form videos. The content most commonly shared and prioritized by the algorithm is more personal and shares the unique brand of the person or business. Therefore, the visual nature of Instagram plays a critical role in exposure for brands and sets up the perfect platform for dance to be featured. Professional and amateur dancers use Instagram to create a personal brand for themselves by taking advantage of the visual component of the platform. They commonly share content that features photos or brief videos of their dancing. Professional dancers frequently share content that highlights their personal life and behind the scenes of a dancing career. Dance companies also use Instagram to engage with an online community and share important information related to performances and events. These posts tend to feature short teaser videos of what viewers can expect from the upcoming performance. Another unique type of account presents itself on Instagram specifically. Interest based accounts have become popular and are widely followed and engaged with by the Instagram community. Dance accounts that reshare dance content from 5 other dance profiles have become a very unique way for dancers to reach a wide variety of followers they would not otherwise reach. Instagram has proven to be one of the most successful ways for dancers and dance companies to reach an online audience. YouTube features long form videos uploaded by a variety of creators that can be shared among other social media platforms. YouTube allows users to share videos of any length and cultivates a channel featuring all the creators work. YouTube is interacted on in a very different way than the other social media platforms. The platform does not feature the same interactive, scrolling feed that other social media platforms do and instead features a search bar to aid users in finding the exact content they are looking for. From the search bar users can search for specific content in almost any category. YouTube’s most popular content is informational, entertaining, or personal. For the dance industry, YouTube offers the ability to share a variety of engaging video content. The content can promote a performance, share an entire performance, share historical information, or share information and behind the scenes of the dance world. This range of video content can then be cross shared among other social media and web channels to increase the number of users who are viewing the content. YouTube serves as an extremely important platform in users researching dance and enjoying full length performances. TikTok is the newest social media platform that is largely gaining popularity particularly among Millennials and Generation Z. “TikTok is home to millions of people who come to our platform for entertainment, education, and fun” (TikTok). This new platform features an extremely diverse range of content, that “significantly involves users performing short sketches, memes, and especially dances based on musical or other audio snippets provided through the app” (Klug). These dance routines are created by popular, verified creators and then replicated and shared by a variety of other users on the app. This has increased the amount and popularity 6 of social dance among amateur dancers on the app. “Young people are learning movement, a way to appear, and a dance aesthetic from social media” (Harrington). The dance challenge content pushes people to learn choreography and attempt dances even if they are not a trained dancer. This exposure shares the important, yet true clique that anyone can dance. TikTok provides people the opportunity to try dancing while expressing themselves, which is critical for creating a positive dance environment. Although these dance challenges provide an opportunity for the average user to try dancing, it has created a very specific aesthetic. These dances are often over sexualized and do not follow a true dance technique, which represents another way in which the online dance aesthetic is changing in modern times. Although these dance challenges do not feature true dance technique, the dance industry has found TikTok useful to gain exposure and share brief snippets of their technique and skills. The algorithm of TikTok makes it easy for anyone to go viral as long as the content is enjoyed. This creates a huge opportunity for dancers to expand their online audience. The user generated content among all social media platforms has provided professional and amateur dancers, along with the general public the opportunity to showcase their personal skills on a mass scale. Professional dancers and dance companies can be found sharing and creating meaningful and popular content as a way to gain awareness and exposure. The “Video- centric platforms including YouTube, Instagram and the burgeoning TikTok are enabling dancers and choreographers to break out of the shadows and be more than nameless bodies backing pop stars. These dancefluencers have become celebrities in their own right” (Easter). The awareness social media provides is not only for pop dancers, but also for dancers within modern and ballet companies. Often the dancers themselves have a greater presence and following then the dance company they are contracted with. 7 Misty Copeland is an excellent example of a professional dancer that has found extreme success on social media. Misty Copeland has 1.8 million followers on Instagram that represent a variety of fans, businesses, and fellow dancers. Copeland uses her social media account for a variety of purposes that align with the benefits that Instagram can provide. The first type of content she shares is photos or videos of her dancing. These posts represent the beauty of a professional dancer which fans engage with strongly. Followers also most frequently engage with this content, due to the personal nature of the photos or videos. The next type of content shared is reposts from Figure 1 - Misty Copeland Instagram fans and followers. This content represents photos or videos that fans posted and mentioned Misty Copeland in. She then shares this content to her own feed or story. This content is engaged with well because it successfully creates a positive bond and connection between fans and Copeland. Followers enjoy seeing themselves featured on her page and their dedication to her brand recognized. The final type of content is collaborations or sponsorships. This content is made in collaboration with a brand or organization to share a paid partnership that could be for teaching or selling of a product. This content demonstrates the ability for professional dancers to use social media as a way to gain sponsorships and make additional income that does not come from their dance contract. The American Ballet Theatre Instagram account has 663,000 followers, which is significantly less than Copeland’s personal account. This demonstrates the large impact that a dancer’s personal brand can have for them personally, but also for other 8 organizations they work with. When Copeland shares American Ballet Theatre content on her page this is able to be seen by a larger audience then content shared on the official American Ballet Theatre account. Overall, Misty Copeland represents a very effective personal brand in the digital environment to increase engagement and awareness with the dance industry. In addition to the increased awareness social media also provides an efficient way to network among the dance industry. Prior to the development of social media dancers had to follow a very difficult and rigorous strategy of networking and traveling to a variety of auditions for the slight possibility of landing a job. This process is exhausting and expensive and the likelihood of success can be low. However, the digital environment has completely changed the ability of dancers to connect and network for potential job opportunities. Dancers can share short content highlighting their unique skill set that can be seen by recruiters and dance companies across the nation. The accessibility and ease of social media has had a positive impact on the ability to network within the industry. During the mid to late 2000’s the most common way to see dance online was through YouTube videos that were then shared to Facebook. This method led to huge success for members of the dance industry such as choreographer Matt Steffanina. With more than 11 million YouTube subscribers and 3.7 million followers on Instagram he has a huge social media presence and following. “His sleek, professionally filmed videos at L.A. studio classes regularly rack up millions of views. The format of the videos — multiple rounds of talented dancers performing the same minute of choreography as the class cheers them on — has become prevalent across social media” (Easter). This style of content has been created and recreated by a number of creators due to the wide engagement it receives across platforms. The increase of a dance social media presence has been groundbreaking in bring more exposure and awareness to a 9 variety of creators from an audience that they may not been able to reach otherwise. Similarly, “With the ease and accessibility of social media, today’s dancers don’t need permission from traditional gatekeepers to pursue their art and build a following” (Easter). The diversity of social media has allowed unique and new forms of dance to emerge and become popular. This is extremely important in creating opportunities for groups and dance techniques that may not otherwise have them. The digital world has greatly increased the ability of dance to be shown to a large mass of people, however there are negatives to the very specific digital dance aesthetic that has been created. “The idea of exposing dance to a wider audience to build knowledge and appreciation of the art form may not impel people to support dance outside the comfort of their screen, especially if the dance does not look like what they have seen on the show” (Harrington). The explosive performance quality found on televised dance and many social media videos is not always the same style or type of dance that one would see if they enjoyed a traditional, concert dance performance. A traditional ballet performance demonstrates a very specific technique of elegance that has been practiced for generations of dancers. Therefore, this specific technique does not mimic the popular aesthetic of dance within the digital environment. This difference in technique can deter the average American from enjoying a concert style dance performance. Social media drastically increases the number of people a dancer can easily reach, however there are accessibility issues that arise through social media use. “Digital marketing appeals to users who have the money and time to spend on products online” (Guilbeault, 34). Concert dance can typically be seen as inaccessible due to financial and geographic barriers that can make it challenging for the masses to enjoy live performances. Similarly, the digital environment perpetuates the same inaccessibility to certain groups of people based on financial 10 and time barriers. Social media and digital performances increase the likelihood of people to experience dance, however there are still barriers that exist for certain people. The presence of a variety of different techniques and skill levels found in the digital environment can pose a determinant to the confidence and mental health of dancers, particularly young girls. “With everyone as a ‘performer,’ dancers feel an increased pressure to project a ‘successful’ self on social media in order to garner attention in this competitive landscape” (Harrington). The cultivated feed within social media allows people to share only the best moments of their life and dancing, although viewers may not always remember the feed is cultivated to appear perfect. “Featherstone (1991) explained, ‘Within consumer culture, which approximately coincides with the culture of narcissism, the new conception of self which has emerged, which we shall refer to as the “performing self” places greater emphasis upon appearance, display and the management of impressions’ (187)” (Harrington). The demands of appearance and performance can be dangerous to the confidence of professional and amateur dancers alike. Although the digital environment provides a unique way to share the dance industry the in-person experience is always much more important. “Authors writing about confluences of drama, performance, education and technology have usually stressed that the ‘live’ and the ‘digital’, the material and the virtual, should be interdependent” (Gallagher et al.). Digital dance videos would serve as a way to complement and share the performance that was experienced and performed in person. However, the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020 pivoted the dance industries relationship to the digital environment. The dance industries presence within digital platforms has greatly increased since the beginning of the pandemic and served as an important development. 11 With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic dance studios and companies began to close and were no longer able to perform or dance in person within a community of other dancers. Within normal times the relationship of dancers to material space and community serves as a crucially important part of the dance experience. (Gallagher et al.). Dancers crave taking “material space” in a room full of other dancers to create a positive sense of community. Therefore, no longer being able to dance with others in person was detrimental to the dancer’s psyche. This caused an increase of dance presence within the digital environment to find and create a virtual community. Dancers and dance companies began to share live and pre-recorded classes across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and websites. These classes were watched and taken within dancer’s homes across the world. These classes provided as a way for dance companies to create positive public relations during such a chaotic time. Companies then began to share pre-recorded performances as a way to continue working and sharing art although performances could not take place on stage. The Pennsylvania Ballet’s performance of “Swan Lake @ Home” is an example of dance companies finding a way to perform and connect with audience members in an untraditional way. The performance featured two dancers performing the pas de deux form Swan Lake within their living room in simple rehearsal clothing. This performance demonstrated digital success in a variety of ways. First, the performance allowed for the Pennsylvania Ballet to gain awareness and exposure that they may have not otherwise received. Secondly, the performance allowed the company to receive positive public relations by connecting to their audience during this uncertain time. Similarly seeing professional dancers practicing their art form within their home had a unique effect on amateur dancers. Amateur dancers felt more connected to professional dancers, due to the similar experience both groups of dancers were facing. Dance companies and dancers across the United 12 States began to create art in a virtual space. Through social media and video conferencing applications dancers continued to offer virtual classes, performances, and presentations. The effective adaptation of the dance community allowed the industry to continue to share art in a new and untraditional way. Overall, the development of technology and the digital environment has had a tremendous impact on the dance industry beginning in the early 2000’s to present times. The development of televised dance led way to the arts reaching a large mass of people, while also creating a specific and overly performative technique. From this development, social media networks began to provide another outlet for art to be shared in the digital environment. Dancers and dance companies used these platforms to gain awareness and share their artform. The addition of TikTok into the social media realm created drastic change to the type of dance content that was being shared online. Average people could learn short choreography to popular songs that would be recreated and shared multiple times across the platform. This further divided the online aesthetic and the aesthetic of traditional dance companies. Finally, the rise of COVID- 19 increased the dance industries reliance on digital media. The changes the digital environment has had on the dance industry during COVID-19 may develop into permeant additions to a dancer or dance company’s digital strategy as a way to reach a larger audience. The digital environment and the dance industry traditionally seem at odds given the importance of live stage performances as a way to consume dance. However, dance through digital mediums has provided to be extremely useful in the dance industry gaining awareness and creating opportunities for those that may not have them otherwise. As technology continues to change, the dance community will need to continue to connect with the digital world to stay relevant in an ever changing society. 13 Works Cited American Ballet Theatre Instagram, www.instagram.com/abtofficial/. “Company Info.” About Facebook, 4 Feb. 2004, about.fb.com/company-info/. Easter, Makeda. “Social Media Changed the Dance Industry. L.A. 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