HappyFeet: Embodiments for Joint Remote Dancing

We present HappyFeet, a dancing system designed for supporting the dancing experience of remotely located dance partners. HappyFeet uses 3D representations of dancers’ feet in a shared virtual dance space to emphasize timing and placement of feet. It has two modes of operation: a learning mode where the user can dance with pre-recorded dance lessons, and a second mode where the system provides a shared dance floor for remotely located dancers. We evaluated our system in a laboratory study where we investigated the role of the feet embodiment by comparing its’ use to a video-only condition. The feet embodiment provided our participants with a better understanding of dance moves, helped them to synchronize timing of their dance steps, and provided them with a dance space in which they could freely create dance moves with their partners.