AI-assisted teaching as a method for enhancing ballet instruction for people with disabilities and older adults.

Abstract

In ballet, students have historically relied on teachers providing them with feedback after executing a combination – a method of teaching that has changed little over the years. Students, especially those with disabilities and older adults, may not receive as much attention or feedback as other students, or may not have the opportunity to practice ballet at all. We argue that this opportunity gap, along with other creative challenges in teaching, may be addressed with artificial intelligence (AI). This paper synthesizes research on the potential for AI to be integrated into ballet teaching, highlighting how it may benefit dancers with different skill levels and access needs, such as people with disabilities and older adults. We discuss how AI may be beneficial in providing personalized feedback, creating choreography, preventing injuries, helping students learn choreography, improving remote ballet classes, and helping teachers generate combinations for class. Importantly, however, AI should not fully replace dance teachers, and engineers should ensure that the AI is trained to support a diverse group of dancers.