Open Dance Lab: Digital Platform for Examining, Experimenting, and Evolving Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This paper proposes a digital library approach to preserve traditional dance as a form of living cultural heritage. It explores using technology to capture knowledge and principles, enabling future generations to dynamically engage with and evolve these traditions. By democratizing access to cultural knowledge, digital technology challenges conservative ideologies that centralize cultural evolution. Using the Thai traditional dance principle Mae Bot Yai as a case study, we present Open Dance Lab, a web-based platform designed to preserve and innovate Thai traditional dance. The platform features a digital archive of 59 Mae Bot Yai poses as interactive 3D models with expert annotations, incorporates Pichet Klunchun's deconstruction of Thai dance into six core elements, and includes an AI-powered system for generating new dance sequences based on traditional principles. This research demonstrates how digital technologies can safeguard and transmit intangible cultural heritage while facilitating its evolution in the digital age.