Dr Zhi Xu introduces the concept of techno-choreography in a performance lecture at the University of Leeds.
On 27 April 2026, I was invited to deliver a performance lecture at the Digital Research Group in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds. As Senior Lecturer in Dance and Centre for Performance Research Lead at Bath Spa University, my research sits at the intersection of dance, digital technology and intercultural identity, developed most recently in my monograph Dancing Chineseness and Techno-Choreography (Routledge, 2026). This event offered an opportunity to bring that research into dialogue with live practice before an audience of students, PhD researchers and academics.
The lecture introduced the concept of techno-choreography and examined how digital technologies, including motion capture, virtual reality and real-time interactive systems, reshape choreographic practice and the embodiment of intercultural identity in contemporary performance.
Live performance and theoretical reflection
The one-hour session was structured in three parts: a live performance demonstration of approximately 15 minutes, a focused presentation of 35 minutes, and an open Q&A discussion of 10 minutes. The performance demonstration was drawn from Being River (2024), a work that investigates the relationship between dancing bodies and digital environments through motion capture and sensor-based interaction. Using the metaphor of a river to reflect fluid and evolving identities, the demonstration offered the audience a direct encounter with the possibilities of mixed reality for choreography.
The theoretical presentation situated the live work within the central arguments of the monograph, exploring how digital interfaces reshape movement practice and cultural identity. The session then opened into a lively discussion, chaired by Dr Dorothy Finan, co-leader of the Digital Research Group, whose thought-provoking questions explored how intercultural subjectivity might be understood by practitioners living in their home country and without trans-cultural experience.
Engaging with the research community at Leeds
The event was warmly received. It was particularly rewarding to engage with PhD researchers and academics working across performance, digital technology and cultural studies, and to share how practice research methodology can operate at the intersection of dance, technology and intercultural identity. The audience brought a range of perspectives that enriched the discussion considerably.
I am grateful to Dr Dorothy Finan and Dr Amelia Knowlson for their support in organising the event, and to the technical team at Stage@Leeds. Thanks also to Annabel Cohen for documenting the event through photography.
About the Digital Research Group
The Digital Research Group at the University of Leeds takes a curiosity-driven and interdisciplinary approach to investigating the uses and implications of digital technology for performance and the creative industries. It brings together researchers at all career stages to explore digital methods, technologies and platforms, including robotics, virtuality, augmented and mixed reality, and generative artificial intelligence.
I would like to thank the Digital Research Group, University of Leeds, and CCCI Affiliate Seed Funding for supporting this research event.