Discovering RITMO: The Musical Gestures Toolbox
During my undergraduate musicology dissertation research, I stumbled upon an intriguing software package online called the ‘Musical Gestures Toolbox’ (MGT). This toolbox offers innovative ways of analysing and visualising music-related body motion and was developed at the centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion (RITMO) to aid with video visualization. I was blown away by the idea of a research centre dedicated to using techniques from mathematics to make sense of music and movement. As a joint honours student in music and mathematics, with a passion for dance, I was instantly drawn to this interdisciplinary tool to visualize the musical-movements of dancers. Although my dissertation took another direction exploring perceptions of ballet-music in scholarly discourse, I shelved the idea of using the MGT toolbox for a future project. Little did I know my dream would become reality when an internship opportunity at RITMO arose during my master’s studies. Call it fate or manifestation, but I feel incredibly lucky to have discovered the toolbox last year and to be working on a RITMO project today.
My journey to RITMO began a year later, during the second semester of my Choreomundus master’s in dance anthropology, when I connected with Professor Alexander Refsum Jensenius. Through Alexander I learned about internship vacancies at RITMO and soon enough, I found myself assisting Atilla Juliana Vrasdonk on her PhD research into flow and creative improvisation in professional flamenco performance. I began onboarding remotely at RITMO in February, which helped me to develop necessary programming skills for my role. This also greatly shaped the direction of my master’s thesis, which was still in its embryonic stages at the time. Inspired by Atilla’s questions about flow, creativity and motion complexity, I narrowed my research question to focus on experiences of flow in flamenco classrooms – merging my interests in both dance analysis and arts education.
Summer at RITMO:
My experience at RITMO far exceeded my expectations. Arriving in Oslo on June 1st, I was preoccupied with improving my programming skills and did not anticipate the breadth of knowledge, inspiration and kindness I would encounter on a daily basis here. I had the pleasure of enjoying lunchtime conversations with professors whose articles I had read during my undergraduate studies, Choreomundus alumni now working as full-time researchers at RITMO, guest lecturers with fascinating research and fellow interns at different stages of their own masters degrees in fields such as neuropsychology, robotics and medicine. The names of my green-room colleagues and their fascinating projects I was learning about during my first week quickly became too much to remember, so I resorted to keeping track with a post-it note map of the office at my desk! Over time I learned about the diverse research being conducted alongside me each day, from multimodal interaction in dance-music performances (Diego) to auditory perception and temporal prediction (Sabine, Vinicius & Vegard), and fMRI studies of musical improvisation (Stefan). These conversations not only broadened my understanding of interdisciplinary research but also led to valuable advice on how to make the most of my time in Oslo.
My Role: Dancing through data and video analysis
My main task on Atilla’s project involved using python programming tools to collect motion data from video experiments she conducted with solo flamenco dancers and guitarists during her fieldwork trips. This provided me with practical experience in video synchronization and data management, and taught me to appreciate the intricacies of working with high quality video data. I have since developed programming skills beyond my basic python knowledge from my undergrad, not to mention a newfound appreciation for research involving video data - and for the existence of hard drives!
Thanks to Atilla’s flamenco research network, I could immerse myself in the Oslo Flamenco community. In the evenings throughout June I attended classes where I conducted my own ethnographic research and interviewed flamenco teachers and dancers of all levels. My research questions about the relationship between flow and learning were received with warmth and curiosity. Many of these students were eager to share their experiences of flow. I felt privileged to be able to facilitate such discussions, which was adding great depth and plurality to my own understanding of the concept.
Fieldwork trip: Sevilla Flamenco scene
In July, I got to conduct a week’s worth of fieldwork in Sevilla, at the heart of the Andalucian flamenco scene where I was welcomed by a community of dedicated dancers. I remain indebted to them for the opportunity to conduct comprehensive research and collect videos for analysis during their busy summer intensive courses ( - Not to mention to Bilge, Atilla, Alexander and other colleagues at RITMO who equipped me with video cameras and microphones for my research). The insights I gained on this trip offered exciting parallels between my research on flow in flamenco classroom settings and Atilla’s work in professional contexts. I returned to RITMO buzzing with ideas which I was eager to discuss and develop.
An interdisciplinary environment: Learning from others
RITMO’s culture of innovation and collaboration has made a lasting impression on me. An incredibly rewarding aspect of my internship here has been getting to work with Atilla on her PhD. Initially, I admittedly felt out of my depth trying to keep up with her ambitious research plans and technical savvy, but her patience, mentorship, and encouragement helped me grow both professionally and personally. Throughout the summer she not only challenged me to develop many new programming skills but also became a trusted friend and role model.
During my internship, I came to see RITMO as a place where innovation knows no bounds. I participated in several research experiments throughout June and July, from EEG studies analysing emotional responses to music in the brain (Katharina & Alexandra), to auditory prediction tests that required quick reactions to breaks in sound (Maja). In addition to practising the art of sitting still, participating in these experiments broadened my perspective on the ways in which music, sound and movement can be conceptualised and studied. The many collaborations across informatics, psychology and musicology which I encountered at RITMO motivated me to recognize the impact of interdisciplinary research.
As I write this post, I am in the third semester of my masters and continue to work remotely on the flamenco project with Atilla alongside my master’s thesis. I feel especially grateful for the new technical skills and research questions I have developed at RITMO, for the opportunity to collaborate on an academic project and for the encouragement of my interdisciplinary inclinations.