I Come As One, But I Stand As One Thousand is a theater/dance performance in which Rashaad Newsome’s artificial intelligence Being (the Digital Griot) takes on physical form through the choreography of 1,000 quadcopter drones with lights. Unlike other drones, quadcopter drones can fly together in close proximity without movement, and their size allows for safe operations near humans and in tight indoor spaces. Newsome will generate the show script using his Being machine learning model and then create the movements with actors and dancers. Using motion capture, he will translate these movements from the physical performers onto the drones using custom drone mapping software.

In the performance, 1,000 drones will assemble into Being’s humanoid silhouette, accompanied by live dancers and actors. The drones mobilize and disperse, moving from corporeal to geometric forms around the live performers, adding a sense of abstraction and wonder to the piece. Behind the drones is a holographic landscape packed with retinal pleasure that draws inspiration from some of California’s best natural wonders. Large waves of a highly-reflective chrome ocean crash against gold rocky cliffs blanketed in flowers made of jewels. Beams of light explode through larger-than-life tree trunks of brown topaz. As volumetric light sparkles through misty canyons, the synchronized quadcopters spin and dance. The soundscape will include Being’s voice and a unique classical score inspired by trap music, amapiano, and science fiction, all united by the hum of the drones.