This paper offers a critique of what are seen as key issues which areproblematised within the field of interactive dance, centring on the role ofthe various artists and technologies involved in the development ofinteractive dance systems, the notion of interactivity versusnon-interactivity, and the influence of traditional single art-formpractices. The paper proposes that it is only through identifying theparticular motifs promoted by the technology itself that a way forward canbe found, and an interactive dance aesthetic can begin to emerge inearnest. The arguments presented in this paper are framed within thecontext of the authors' long-term work and collaboration within the area ofinteractive dance, and provides a detailed case study of the piece Lifting Bodies (1999).