Photo by Kevin Remington, W&L

Washington and Lee University student David Doobin practices his role as the "Twitter Guy," while onstage, Reagan Kerr rehearses for the upcoming dance performance.

Photo by Kevin Remington, W&L

Washington and Lee University students Anna Rogers (from left), Stephanie Brown, Jennifer Ritter and Hannah Kate Mitchell rehearse using WiiMotes that create music from their moves.

With 21st-century technology, a dancer potentially can generate her own musical accompaniment as she moves about on stage.

That's one of the experiments involving high-tech gadgets that Washington and Lee University dance professor Jenefer Davies will put to the test during a series of three performances that begins Thursday.

Working with Austin, Texas, composer William Meadows, Davies and the Washington and Lee Repertory Dance Company have choreographed routines that include using Nintendo Wii remote controls to create sounds that go with the dancer's motions.

Davies said her goal is not to prove that technology can enhance an artistic experience, but rather to raise the question of whether it's possible.

"We've never tried anything like it before," she said.

Meadows has created a number of programs designed to respond to the commands transmitted by the WiiMotes. The sounds made will follow different patterns on the different nights of the performances.

Another one of Davies' experiments will integrate the social media site Twitter into the production.

The dancers themselves won't tweet while on stage -- that's probably asking a bit too much -- but a designated blogger will be posting short Twitter entries as the performance proceeds, highlighting the elements of dance theory behind the steps in the performances.

And in a reversal of the usual practice at artistic shows, audience members are encouraged to bring their cellphones, Blackberries or other electronic gizmos and respond in real time to the Twitter messages.

"We've been trying to advertise the Twitter address," so audience members can get set up for the performance, she said.

Her hope is that the running Twitter commentary will help make the dances more accessible.

"I feel like a lot of audience members feel like its some sort of hidden language."

The tweets could function as explanatory notes.

"I think it has the potential to make dance more of an inclusive form."

Six guest artists, two faculty members and several students are contributing to the performances, which will also include aerial ballet from the Washington, D.C.-based Arachne Aerial Arts company.

In addition, Friday night's performance ties into the Legacy Conference -- a gathering of black sororities and fraternities -- taking place on campus those same days. Friday's show will feature stepping, a type of dance that originated in black student organizations.

Davies described it as a dance that uses the entire body as a musical instrument, with hand-clapping and foot tapping.

The Twitter posts will go on through every part of the performances.

Washington and Lee isn't the only institution in the region to announce musical ventures that incorporate Wii.

In December, Virginia Tech held a concert for its L2ORK, short for the Linux Laptop Orchestra, an ensemble founded by Department of Music faculty member Ivica Ico Bukvic that makes music using laptops, Wii controls and other gadgets, as well as amplifiers made from salad bowls. The group expects to perform next in April as part of the Arts Fusion 2010 celebration in Blacksburg.

"I think the use of hardware that allows for increased expressiveness of physical gesture and motion as well as novel and yet-to-be-discovered interactive devices is clearly on the rise," Bukvic wrote in an e-mail. "This is mainly because of their newfound accessibility and affordability."

Davies agreed.

"My guess is artists all over are looking for ways to use technology in their work."