Contemporary practices in the performing arts of Southeast Asia display a variety of styles showing how artists navigate and respond to the effects of colonial encounters, globalization, and capitalism.These responses represent alternative modernities that emphasize the presence of multiple manifestations of local expressions and experiences, particularly in the performing arts, that highlight unique traditions, values, and power dynamics among the many cultures of Southeast Asian peoples. In understanding the emergence of multiple new forms of expression that coexist and interact in various ways across Southeast Asian societies and cultures, the idea of a singular linear progression of modernity that emanates from the West is challenged, reiterating Chakrabarty’s concept of differences in the transformation to capitalist modernity among Non-Western countries in Provincializing Europe (2007). The existence of multiple modernities in the region reveals differences in the construction of modern practices that mark the transformation of societies and allow for new identities to evolve that blend elements of the old and new, appropriating global influences into local practices, and initiating transcultural modes of expression.

The theme opens possibilities for alternate understandings of the many encounters experienced by peoples of Southeast Asia with their individual histories. The framework motivates a re-examination of performing artists’ mode of expression in relation to other disciplines as a possible way to understand artistic responses that combine local practices and global influences. By acknowledging the presences of alternative modernities, how do we as Southeast Asian artists and scholars contribute to the comprehension of the complexities of the modern world? In what ways can the appropriation of globalized influences promote the evolving identities of Southeast Asian peoples? How can these neo-identities find their voices in contradicting the persisting hegemonic systems marked by marginalization, exploitation, and othering of those in the peripheries.

Technology has revolutionized the performing arts, impacting creation, documentation, analysis, and dissemination of both music and dance. Ethnomusicologists and ethnochoreologists embrace various technological tools and platforms to enhance research, engage broader audiences, and explore technology's influence on various communities' music and dance practices. This interplay encompasses recording and archiving, digital analysis, and the study of technologically mediated practices.

Recording and archiving technologies have been instrumental in capturing and preserving diverse expressions of music and dance encountered in the field. Advancements in audio and video recording improve recording quality and accessibility while facilitating analysis of elements such as rhythm and meter, melodic structures, musical forms and musical instruments. Likewise, AI-driven dance analysis (or Laban analysis) using algorithms on existing human motion datasets (motion-capture) of video and skeletal sequences enable automated classification and understanding of human motion across a spectrum of movement-centered and cross-cultural movement analysis. Digital platforms and databases transform research storage, organization, and dissemination, fostering collaboration among scholars and a broader access to resources in music and dance.

AI technology assumes increasing importance in performing arts research. These tools enable researchers to explore and compare various aspects of musical structure and organization innovatively. Spectrograms, MIDI representations, and any software for musical analysis offer deeper insights into patterns, relationships, and complexities within diverse musical traditions. In the world of dance, AI- based computer vision methods can annotate human movement automatically producing accurate annotations and analyses in the four dimensions (effort, space, shape, body) of Laban movement analysis. ByteDance’s Tiktok uses AI to dictate content to consumers and content creators including the dominance of ‘influencer culture’ through music and dance videos.

The study of technologically mediated practices in dance and music, facilitated by AI, is becoming an important area in the performing arts. Researchers can investigate how technology, including AI, shapes music and dance creation, performance, and reception. This involves examining the impact of electronic instruments, digital audio workstations, AI-powered music generation systems, AI-based computer vision methods for human movement and other technologies on the development of new styles, genres, and practices. By studying performing arts and technology, including AI, scholars and practitioners can contribute to an understanding of the intricate interplay between technological innovation, cultural change, human creativity, and the potential of AI in the performing arts domain.

What are the implications for Southeast Asian performing artists and scholars who engage the use of many kinds of hardware, software (specialized or general) including AI-driven tools when choreographing or analyzing traditional movement structure? In addition, how can the various contemporary technologies help us determine the distinct types of relationships between music and dance in traditional genres and environments? Furthermore, do digital platforms, current technology tools and algorithm-driven AI systems adversely affect Southeast Asian performing arts transmission and consumption across cultural and geographic boundaries?