In theatrical vernacular, the term ‘splitting centre’ refers to two
performers staged at an equal distance from a centre point and
sharing the focus of the audience. This term encapsulates the
notion that two people (or, in the case of trans-media dance, two
or more performance entities) are dividing the attention of the
audience, operating as equal collaborators in a performance
context. The augmentation of live performance with 3D
projected scenography and mobile devices offers a starting point
for discussions on the potential for dramaturgy, choreographic
process, and changing expectations for audience behaviour in the
theatre. In 2014, Deakin Motion.Lab premiered The Crack Up, a
trans-media dance work that incorporated live performance, 3D
digital scenography, and The Crack Up App, an app for mobile
devices that audience members were invited to interact with
during the performance. This investigation into the potential of
trans-media dance performance, (defined here as a live
performance in which both the digital and biological elements
are choreographed as artistic equals within the theatrical context)
with the addition of a mobile device raises questions about how
the makers of trans-media dance might direct the attention of
their audiences when the work is performed simultaneously
across multiple platforms.