Inside the Beat: TurtleQueen on Expressive VR Dance and Somnium Space’s Full Body Tracking

In Somnium Space, one figure stands out for bringing raw passion and movement to life: TurtleQueen. A trailblazing VR dancer whose journey began in the early social VR scenes of platforms like VRChat, TurtleQueen has grown from casual hip-hop battles among friends into a captivating performer who danced on stages in Somnium Space.

TurtleQueen on stage in Somnium Space’s Vault 13 world

In this exclusive interview, TurtleQueen opens up about the spark that ignited the VR dancing adventure, the nuances of expressing yourself without a lifetime of IRL dance training, the minimalist yet effective setup with Index hardware and Tundra trackers, and the profound emotional highs of performing for global audiences.

Full Body Tracking in Somnium Space

For those eager to dive deeper into full body tracking in Somnium Space, check out this detailed guide and walkthrough from the platform’s own FBT specialist, Shodah – Somnium Space’s go-to expert on the topic.

Somnium Space delivers an impressive foundation for full-body tracking, especially as the platform continues to evolve with regular updates. Even in its current state, the system captures broad, expressive movements beautifully. You can instantly spot the joy in someone jumping around or the calm of settling in to relax. For more intricate activities like dancing, it provides a solid canvas that translates real energy into the virtual world, with ongoing refinements making precision tracking smoother and more reliable over time. The team’s commitment to pushing boundaries shines through in features like support for full 11-point tracking, saved calibrations, hybrid setups, and compatibility with a wide range of devices, ensuring dancers and performers can bring their passion to life with increasing fidelity and immersion.

Interview with Turtle Queen

Somnium Times: What sparked your journey into VR dancing, and how did you discover Somnium Space?

TurtleQueen: Back in mid 2014 I found vrchat. A social platform where people could connect on another level. Made lots of friends at the time, and with VR coming around, we started to hiphop dance battle together. Then later with full body tracking and me turning 18, some of us took a more sensual turn. we made group for Street dancing, and groups for 18+ dancing were we battled each other, learned from each other, and just kept the family growing. When I was dancing from a certain group, I met Shadola, that then hired me to dance for his group. And when he started working on Somnium Space, he asked me to join in for a jazz event, as a performer. That is in short how my journey came to pass Somnium Space. A family of online friends hanging out and dancing together.

Somnium Times: Do you have a background in real-life (IRL) dancing? If so, how long have you been doing that outside VR, and how has it shaped the way you express yourself in VR?

TurtleQueen: I had never really done any dancing outside of VR. As a kid I was into theater and performed on a stage roughly around 6 times a year for 4 years. So when I saw street dancing from my friends, I eventually got interested and learned from them. My prior experience is the wedding waltz, and that is all I knew.

Smooth moves from TurtleQueen

Somnium Times: Can you walk us through your current tracking setup? What hardware and trackers (Vive, Tundra, knee/chest/elbow, etc.) are you using?

TurtleQueen: For my equipment I do posses alot more than what I use at a time. For my main use, I have my index headset, index controllers, 4 x 2.0 Vive Base stations, Followed by tundra trackers; 1 x hip 2 x feet. I do not like the way tracking looks on most platforms if I use more than 3 x trackers. But that is a personal choice and can look amazing on a lot of other people.

Somnium Times: Which dance styles come alive beautifully in VR according to you? Any moves or dances you still find challenging?

TurtleQueen: The moves that are easiest to track are the ones that comes out the best. Some moves can be very hard to perform, both in VR and outside a VR headset. But for the tracking to pickup certain moves, can be a large challenge. If one were to use mocap instead, it would make it a lot easier to track, but even then, there will still be a lot of position issues for the system to calculate. I wouldn’t say I have a challenge with any specific move or style. I have gotten out of practice with my street style, so that would be one I would need to relearn.

When performing on Somnium Space I get to feel free, free to dance, free to move, free to do whatever the music makes me feel.

Somnium Times: Dancing through an avatar in VR is such a wild, unique form of self-expression. How does it hit you emotionally or artistically compared to IRL? Does it free you up to be bolder, more vulnerable, or even a completely different version of yourself, and what does that liberation feel like in the moment?

TurtleQueen: When it comes to dancing in VR, the way one performs every move has to be planned a lot more. Outside of VR, you can see the room, the floor, people around you. But with a headset on, you must rely on pure memory of your surroundings. The way you move can also be a huge challenge. For a move IRL you would give it the energy of the music that is playing, to perform with. But with VR, you need to over do and exaggerate every single thing you do, to make it look like, as if you were in real life. Tracking can only mask so far, meaning a move of 100% in real life, will be tracked by 75% in VR. If you aren’t overdoing it in VR, you won’t be able to show off what your body is saying.

Somnium Times: The sheer freedom to become any character, in any breathtaking environment. No costumes, no travel, just pure imagination. How does that spark your creativity? Has it led to wild new choreography, themes, or performances that you’d never pull off in the real world?

TurtleQueen: The pure imagination that can spark one to go far beyond the human body’s comprehensions are exhilarating. Being able to take on any form, and color any height makes the limit seem impossible to find. I create avatars that fit what my next dream will be, I create performances with items and particles, that are synced to music, making every second come to life. Changing the way the world around look, be my own command. being able to tell a story with dancing, and have the world change before your eyes, to match it. No story will be let behind, drowned in the missing details and understanding. Everything is so much more clear to see.

The pure imagination that can spark one to go far beyond the human body’s comprehensions are exhilarating

Somnium Times: Paint a picture of what dancing in Somnium Space feels like. How does it feel to connect with people from everywhere, feeding off their energy in real time? And what’s it like when the crowd shows love through the Tip Jar? Does it add extra fire, validation, or even change how you perform?

TurtleQueen: When performing on Somnium Space I get to feel free, free to dance, free to move, free to do whatever the music makes me feel. Exploding with the sounds, strong sounds as well as soft sounds, flowing through the body as it is being controlled by the tunes. When the music is playing, I am no longer in my own room, I am no longer thinking of work or life’s hard decisions. I am the music. When I see people sending tips I feel like I am exploding from the inside. Seeing how much love can come from the music, to my movement, and then to reach other people. Is an experience words cannot even begin to describe without sounding too cold. It is such a warm feeling, one that can make life seem so bright, feeling the way life takes on color, from a few cents is more than words to me.

When I see people sending tips I feel like I am exploding from the inside

Somnium Times: Looking forward, what’s your vision for the future of VR dancing on platforms like Somnium Space? Where do you dream this art form is headed, and how might it redefine expression, connection, or even earning a living through dance?

TurtleQueen: I have been able to dance in VR. I have been able to dance in VR while it was shown live on tv in another country. I have been able to dance live outside of VR, on a stage in front of people who only ever saw me in VR. My dream would be to continue to grow the way VR is brought to us. One day maybe even perform live on a larger stage like so many others have had the chance to. For example a KDA concert, with their live animated characters, or a Miku Miku concert with hers. Even a friend of mine had his VR character live on a stage at a festival. That would be my dream for VR. taking real life and VR, and putting them together everywhere. Not just a stage or a concert, but on every corner of every street. VR and real life merged together.

Thank you so much, TurtleQueen, for this captivating and heartfelt interview! Your passion for VR dancing truly shines through every word.

We’re already counting down the moments until we catch your next electrifying performance on a Somnium Space stage. We can’t wait to see you light up Somnium again soon!

About Somnium Space

Somnium Space, the company behind the VR1, also runs a blockchain-based virtual reality platform that allows users to create, experience, and monetize content and applications. The platform is committed to building a decentralized and immersive VR world that offers users a unique and engaging experience.

Web: https://somniumspace.com

Discord: https://discord.gg/somniumspace

Authencity: https://authencity.io/user/somniumspace

X: https://x.com/SomniumSpace

Follow the Somnium Times

Authencity: https://authencity.io/user/SomniumTimes

X: https://x.com/SomniumTimes

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomniumTimes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somniumtimes/