Multimodal interfaces provide the opportunity for the real-time capture and recognition of body-based gestural information. This paper presents an overview of "The Hand Dance", a multimodal installation/performance forming a didactic platform with applications in education, live dance performance, cultural heritage preservation, and movement therapy. In particular, the technologies described outline the potential for a new type of educational environment that reaches beyond limitations of the student-teacher relationship or multimedia alternatives such as the video-course.