HyperDance: Real-Time Vibrotactile Stimulation Feedback of Inter-Brain Connectivity in Partner Dance

Building on the growing interest in technology-supported dance practice, neural imaging offers novel opportunities to reveal dancers’ internal states and expand the possibilities for augmented, embodied interaction. Despite advances in social neuroscience, the exploration of dance through brain imaging remains limited by technical challenges. To overcome these barriers, we developed and validated a real-time vibrotactile biofeedback system based on inter-brain coupling (IBC) measures from tango dancers using a mobile, synchronous multi-brain EEG system. We first conducted an empirical study recording synchronized EEG and motion data to test whether behavioral synchronization enhances inter-brain coupling. Insights from this study informed the design of our tangible neurofeedback system, which experienced dancers evaluated. Our findings support the Synchronicity Hypothesis of Dance and demonstrate how embodied technologies can enhance collective dance practice. This work introduces a novel methodological and interaction paradigm, bridging neural measurement with wearable feedback for socially situated embodied experiences.