Augmented tango shoes
Laura Sinnott · 2007
The Augmented Tango Shoes were developed in 2006 as part of ITP's NIME class at NYU. These shoes allow the dancer real-time control over music, and are inspired by Argentine Tango dance and the musical genre ElectroTango.Traditionally, dancers follow music, not vice versa. At a Tango dance, there could be over fifty different songs played in one night, and the maximum connection between the dancers and the music happens when the dancers know specific songs well. The footwork and patterns developed for Tango can be intricate and dynamic, so why not use these gestures to play music?The shoes are outfitted with three kinds of sensors that communicate gestural information via Bluetooth to a Max/MSP patch. The dancer can trigger over one hundred pre-composed samples and loops, and control parameters of filters, reverb units, delays, etc.The sounds you will hear include violin, guitar, piano, sound effects, drum loops, and processed versions of the above. The musical results range from abstract, electronic soundscapes familiar to computer musicians, to sustained wails from a bandoneon that will resonate any Argentine Taguera/o's heart.