Dancers Take Flight: Choreographic Interfaces Explores Movement in Space

As commercial space travel expands, a unique question arises: how will humans move in these novel environments? The Conference for Research on Choreographic Interfaces (CRCI), founded in 2015 by Sydney Skybetter at Brown University, believes dance artists hold a crucial key to unlocking the answer. CRCI is actively working to ensure dancers have a seat at the table as space culture develops, not as an afterthought, but as experts whose embodied knowledge can shape how humans interact in extraterrestrial settings.

From Microgravity Residencies to Space Camp

CRCI’s exploration of space-based movement began with a 2025 immersive residency focused on dance in microgravity. Originally planned to include a parabolic flight for four resident artists – Laila J. Franklin, Michael Figueroa, Sasha Peterson, and Kate Gow – the project adapted when the primary U.S. Provider of such flights paused operations. This led to the creation of “Space Camp,” a new initiative designed to reallocate resources and deepen ground-based experimentation.

Training for Zero-G: STREB and Beyond

The 2026 iteration of Space Camp, taking place March 17–19 in Brooklyn, New York, will center around workshops at the facilities of STREB, a company renowned for its physically demanding and acrobatic performances. Participants will train in STREB’s signature PopAction technique, alongside trampoline and trapeze skills. Further exploration of weightlessness will be achieved through improvisation sessions within floatation tanks.

More Than Just Movement: Culture and Ethics in Space

CRCI’s approach extends beyond the purely physical aspects of movement. The organization recognizes the importance of considering cultural context and ethical implications as humanity ventures further into space. Space Camp will include a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to explore an Afrofuturist period room, and an improvisation workshop led by Laila J. Franklin, drawing on queer Black underground nightlife and Afrofuturist principles to envision “the club” in space. Discussions, facilitated by Adeene Denton, a planetary scientist and dance artist, will address the ethics of bodies in outer space.

A Vision for the Future of Space Culture

Skybetter emphasizes the need to proactively shape space culture, countering narratives dominated by billionaires and government entities. CRCI aims to empower dancers to turn into integral contributors to this process, ensuring that diverse perspectives and a deep understanding of the human body inform the design of future space environments. The ultimate goal is to build expertise within the dance community, preparing artists for emerging roles in the burgeoning field of space culture.

CRCI was founded to consider the intrinsic risks and creative possibilities of surveillant computational systems.