ROBODANZA: Live Performances of a Creative Dancing Humanoid

The paper describes the artistic performances obtained with a creative system based on a cognitive architecture. The performances are executed by a humanoid robot whose creative behaviour is strongly influenced both by the interaction with human dancers and by internal and external evaluation mechanisms. The complexity of such a task requires the development of robust and fast algorithms in order to effectively perceive and process musical inputs, and the generation of coherent movements in order to realize an amusing and original choreography. A basic sketch of the choreography has been conceived and set-up in cooperation with professional dancers. The sketch takes into account both robot capabilities and limitations. Three live performances are discussed in detail, reporting their impact on the audience, the environmental conditions, and the adopted solutions to satisfy safety requirements, and achieve aesthetic pleasantness.