Camille walks a diagonal. Her gaze toward the ceiling falls.

Her right hand cups her mouth, left hand follows as she walks backward.

She peers over a lifted leg, taps the ground …

… circles the knee and extends arms and leg into a forward stride, walking.

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Hear the Dance: Audio Description Comes of Age

Recent experiments in describing dance, like the film “Telephone,” approach it not just as an accessibility service but as a space for artistic exploration.

Share full article

By Siobhan Burke

Nov. 11, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

The dancer Krishna Washburn remembers attending a performance years ago by a well-known modern dance company at a large New York City theater. Washburn, who is blind, opted to experience the show with audio description: in this case, a track that narrated the dance as it was happening, delivered through a headset.