Michelle B. Xu

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Dan-Sco: Transforming Movement into Music


Wearables ｜ Human-Computer Interaction（HCI）｜Performance

Dan-Sco is an innovative performance where dancers' movements generate real-time music through their bodies. This fusion of art and technology features vibrant red and blue costumes embedded with soft sensors crafted through embroidery, knitting, and screen printing on electronic textiles. With seven sensors on the blue dress and four on the red, these responsive garments sense the dancers’ gestures, transforming their motion into a symphony of sound. Dan-Sco explores the creative potential of using the body’s biological data as a dynamic, expressive interface to interact with and shape the environment.
Time：
June 2024
Role:
Lead Artist
Creative Technologist Tools：
  • Arduino ioT
  • E-Textile（Conductive thread/yarn/paint）
  • Logic Pro




Skills：
  • Circuit Design
  • Fabrication（DIY Soft sensors;Draping）
  • IoT-Based Wireless Communication
Selected Exhibitions and Presentations
  • ACM UIST-User Interface Software and Technology-            Intelligence Wearable Workshop,Pittsburg, Oct 2024
  • Clive Davis Gallery, New York, July 2024
  • NYU Dance and Algorithms Symposium, June 2024
  • NYU GSAS Department of Music Conference-Sounds of De/Composition,Oct 2024
  • Scalable HCI Symposium,ShenZhen,China,Jan 2025（Accepted）




Inspiration


Inspired by Kate Hartman’s Designing Wearable Technology for Opera, we incorporate conductive paint and thread to create soft sensors within garments. These garments transform the dancer’s movements into musical elements, translating motion into rhythm, pitch, and frequency, seamlessly blending body and sound.


Project Overview





Technical Details



1.IoT-Bases Wireless Communication System

For my project, I used three Arduino Nano 33 IoT boards: one in each of the blue and red costumes and one connected to the computer for wireless communication with the costume Arduinos.

The blue costume includes:
7 digital inputs created using conductive paint and metal beads
2 soft sensor /analog inputs crafted with conductive embroidery
3 soft sensor /analog inputs made from conductive paint
The red costume includes:
3 soft sensor /analog inputs made from conductive paint


    2.Test soft sensors




    Design





    Performance









    Presentation Video




    Credits：
    Lead Artist：Michelle B. Xu，Junru Chen
    Technologist：Michelle B. Xu
    Costume Designer/Light：Junru Chen
    Performance Director：Michelle B. Xu, Wei Wu
    Music Technologist： Martin Zhang
    Dancers：Justine Kaneda，Eva Feng