Application of motion capture technology in the field of Turkish folk dances, Sakarya/Geyve folk dances example

Folk dances are one of the traditional art branches that reflect the culture of a society. Turkey, with its multicultural structure, harbours many folk dances. Despite the existence of a rich dance culture, there is very limited scientific data in this field since not enough field research has been carried out. In our country, the General Directorate of Folk Culture Research and Development within the Ministry of Culture carried out comprehensive compilation studies in the 1970s. In addition to these studies, except for a few personal efforts, the collection and preservation of data in the field of Folk Dances has not received sufficient institutional and scientific attention. The low pixelation of the data obtained by videotape in field studies years ago limits the perception of sound and movement details. In addition, many videotapes have lost their function over time and the compiled information has been lost. These collected data are very valuable but considering the technological possibilities available at the time of the compilation, it is very difficult to use them as digital data by today's technology. If it is not identified, protected and transferred, it is inevitable that this data, which is limited to the life of the person, will be lost. Every element that cannot adapt to the digital age is either lagging behind today's technology or disappearing over time. When we look at the world in general for the collection, archiving and processing of folk dances, it is seen that motion capture technology is the most advanced technology. In this study, six different folk dances from Geyve region of Sakarya province were collected using Motion Capture Technology. These data were then processed in various computer programmes at different stages. After the digital transformation of the data was completed, it was made to be used as a digital material in folk dance education by using virtual reality glasses.