This document captures a series of discussion posts and instructor comments from a Lehman College "Dance and Media" class (Spring 2026). Students examined how technology—particularly social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube—has reshaped the creation, dissemination, and reception of dance. They reflected on a range of artistic works, including Bill T. Jones’s "Ghostcatching," Maya Deren and Talley Beatty’s experimental dance films, Alvin Nikolais’s multimedia performances, FKA twigs’s tech‑enhanced videos, the Jabbawockeez’s viral breakout, and the award‑winning short film "Amelia" by David Lang. The instructor, Brian McCormick, contextualized these observations, highlighting themes of democratization, cultural appropriation, credit attribution, and the evolving relationship between choreography and digital media. The discussion also touched on historical perspectives (e.g., early concerns about photography capturing the soul) and contemporary debates about the balance between accessibility and artistic complexity in the age of short‑form video.
Topics
TikTok as a Double‑Edged Sword: Democratizing Dance While Obscuring Credit
Student reflections and instructor commentary on how TikTok has expanded access to choreography, created viral trends, but also led to cultural appropriation and failure to credit original creators, exemplified by the Jalaiah Harmon case.
Bill T. Jones’s "Ghostcatching": Digital Projection as Choreographic Extension
Analysis of Jones’s piece where dancers become glowing lines, exploring how technology makes movement more visible and interrogates notions of capture versus liberation.
Maya Deren & Talley Beatty: Spatial Narrative and Racial Re‑contextualization in Dance Film
Discussion of Deren and Beatty’s use of geography‑defying editing, slow motion, and placement of a Black dancer in artistic mastery to counter 1940s racist perceptions.
Alvin Nikolais’s Hypnotic Multimedia: Music, Visuals, and the ‘Tin Man’ Aesthetic
Student observation of Nikolais’s eerie soundscapes and visual motifs, noting the integration of video "Senile" and the striking Tin Man‑like dancers.
FKA twigs: Technology as a Partner, Not a Replacement, in Performance
Examination of twigs’s videos where camera movement and digital effects amplify, rather than diminish, the dancer’s physicality.
The Short Film "Amelia" (David Lang): Minimalist Scoring and Cinematic Capture of Dance
Student and instructor reflections on how simple music, camera movement, and editing convey narrative and emotional depth in a dance‑film hybrid.
Historical Anxiety about Technology Capturing the Soul vs. Modern Embrace
Brief mention of early fears that photography and film could trap a person’s essence, contrasted with contemporary acceptance of digital media in dance.
Class Synthesis: Balancing Accessibility, Artistic Complexity, and Cultural Ethics
Instructor’s summative comments on the overall impact of technology—expanding reach while prompting concerns about simplification and appropriation.