Toward Understanding the Control Mechanism for Coordination Between the Leader and Follower in Ballroom Dancing

Abstract

In the ballroom, a couple of dancers dance with flexible and coordinated movement. This coordination is likely produced by physical interaction through their bodies. Understanding of the underlying mechanism could lead to the development of robots that can exhibit coordinated movements. In the present study, we propose a mathematical model of coordinated movements of dancers based on two inverted pendulums that are physically connected. In the proposed model, each pendulum is controlled so that dynamics of the other pendulum is exploited. We demonstrate through simulations that smooth movements of dancers can be well reproduced.