Our initial research on existing dance projects helped inform our team on what products currently exist, and which are more or less effective. Some of these products are traditional dance products such as leotards, warm-up gear, dance shoes, and stretching devices.
Dance shoes were the first area that our team wanted to focus on due to user discomfort found in our research. Traditional dance shoes usually last for a short time before they need to be replaced. We also researched more innovative designs that have yet to hit the mainstream market. Among these was an A.I. software made by the musical product company, Yamaha. The device is worn by a professional dancer; muscle movements correspond with certain notes on a piano, essentially allowing them to play the piano with their body. Another innovative design is biocentric body mapping.
We found that most mainstream dance-related garments are primarily produced by industry leaders such as Capizio and Bloch. Their clothing and shoes have features that many dancers are drawn to like high-waisted leggings and hard & soft shank pointe shoes. For this reason, we needed to bring an innovative design to the table, whether it be a transformation of a basic garment, or something more technologically inclined.
