The availability of copyright over choreography is an area with very (very) sparse Canadian case law, although there are interesting US examples of ways that artists have protected their bodies of work such as the Balanchine Trust. We will question whether there is enough protection for this art form in law, or whether copyright law needs to go further. Our multitude of class discussions regarding generative A.I. left us wondering how A.I. could apply to the dance world*, and whether technology will inspire, incentivize, or discourage choreographers in protecting their intellectual property.
We are providing the following article as accompaniment for our presentation on the topic of Copyright and dance:
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/23/arts/dance-who-owns-a-dance-it-depends-on-the-maker.html (click here for PDF)
Presenters: Kaylie Hanna, Cassandra Federico, Hyojung Kim
*images sourced from generative AI, prompted for photos of ballet dancers performing. How far is A.I. from understanding dance?