Indigenous dances are rich cultural assets, embodying spiritual values, emotional expression, and symbolism that reflect a community’s identity. However, in the face of modernization, efforts to preserve these dances face significant challenges, particularly in documenting and analyzing their complex and dynamic movements. This review discusses how technologies, such as motion similarity models and quantitative analysis, can be integrated with cultural and ethical approaches to maintain the authenticity of traditional dances and preserve them for future generations.

Capturing the Essence of Indigenous Dances through Visual Representation

One important way to preserve traditional dances is through visual arts, including painting, video, or multimodal media. Visual representation aims to capture intangible aspects of the dance, such as spiritual values, emotions, and the stories conveyed through movement. Research suggests that movement visualization not only serves as documentation but also as an intergenerational educational tool to pass on cultural knowledge to future generations.

However, visual representation must be approached carefully. Ethical considerations are essential to avoid cultural appropriation or distortion of meaning. Active participation from the indigenous community is crucial in interpreting movements, selecting relevant visuals, and making final decisions on how their dance is represented. This ensures that the visualization is not only accurate but also respectful of the cultural meanings embedded within the dance.

Developing Quantitative Models for Movement Analysis

In addition to visual representation, quantitative approaches can help document movements in greater detail. By measuring parameters such as speed, amplitude, rhythm, and spatial patterns, quantitative models can create digital records that can be analyzed and compared in the future. Motion capture technology, such as BlazePose or motion sensors, can be utilized to collect this data. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that the technology can capture subtle movement nuances that are often essential to indigenous dances.

Moreover, the quantitative model must be capable of handling variations in individual performance styles. Each dancer may have a unique interpretation of the same movement, and this needs to be accommodated to maintain the model’s flexibility. One way to achieve this is by developing similarity metrics designed to recognize small differences while preserving the dance’s core structure.

Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

While quantitative approaches offer many benefits, relying solely on numerical data is insufficient to fully understand the cultural meanings of indigenous dances. Therefore, integrating qualitative methods, such as interviews with dancers and ethnographic observations, is necessary to provide additional context. For example, movement data generated by the quantitative model can be enriched with interviews about the symbolic meaning of certain movements or the history behind the dance.

By combining these two approaches, research can provide a more holistic understanding of indigenous dances. Quantitative analysis results can be used to identify movement patterns, while qualitative insights can explain the cultural reasons behind those patterns.

Ensuring Community Involvement and Ethical Considerations

The entire research process, from data collection to analysis, must be based on strong ethical principles. One key aspect is obtaining full consent from the indigenous community involved. They should be given a clear understanding of the research objectives, how their data will be used, and what benefits they will receive. Additionally, research outcomes should be shared with the community as a form of appreciation for their contributions.

By actively involving the community, research will not only be more accurate but will also strengthen their sense of ownership over the results. This is important to avoid conflicts or potential misuse of cultural data.

Future Technologies for the Preservation of Indigenous Dances

Technological advancements, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), offer great potential for the preservation and teaching of indigenous dances. With VR, audiences can experience traditional dances immersively, as if they were present in the performance. Meanwhile, AR can be used to integrate virtual elements into real environments, for example, by displaying accurate movement visualizations during practice sessions.

However, the application of these technologies must be done carefully to ensure that they do not diminish the cultural significance of the dance. Technology should serve as a supporting tool that complements traditions, not replaces them.

Conclusion: Bridging Culture and Technology

Preserving indigenous dances cannot rely on a single approach. It requires the integration of qualitative, quantitative, and modern technological approaches to create a comprehensive and culturally respectful documentation system. By learning from research on other traditional dances, such as those in Korea, similar approaches can be applied to indigenous dances in various regions, including Papua’s Yosim Pancar dance.

Through close collaboration between researchers, indigenous communities, and technology developers, the preservation of traditional dances can be strengthened. Not only will the traditions remain alive, but their beauty and meaning can also be introduced to the international stage, bridging the past with a brighter future.