Virtual Dance and Music Conducted by a Human Conductor

A system, that allows an artist to conduct a virtual performance that combines animated dance and electronically generated music, is described. The conductor uses an uninstrumented baton, whose movements are sensed by video cameras and processed to detect beat gestures. Conductor's changes of tempo and phase are carried through the beat sequence to control the dance and music. The dance control method causes a pre-choreographed motion sequence to follow changes of tempo without breaking motion constraints, which preserves t he natural look of animation.