The Creators Project: Like with many classical ballet pieces, Night Fall opens with a group of ballerinas wearing white tutus, flurrying around two principal dancers as they lift, jump, and turn together. Unlike known ballets featuring a similar formula, like Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Giselle, and even The Nutcracker, this sweeping dance doesn’t take place on stage but in a warehouse. And we the audience isn’t watching from red velvet seats, but are actually part of the piece, thanks to virtual reality.
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This article brings up one of the ever growing cases of how technology is being integrated with the performing arts. Not only is this a successful display of the the benefits of how technology can be implemented into the ballet, but it also shows one of the many new opportunities for media. Considering how new the use of media is to this industry, it's always very exciting to see it evolve and grow as it's experimented with more. However, this company's use of the technology extends past it's media by taking advantage of the internet to help spread the art of ballet with those who don't have the opportunity to see it by increasing it's accessibility as well as creating new exposure for the art with a younger generation with it's use of the internet. By exposing itself to a new audience of younger people, it also helps to bring a sometimes seen as an old fashioned art form into a more modern era without having to lose it's integrity to tradition as well.
The world of virtual reality continues to amaze me, and I love hearing more and more about it every time I do comments. The article describes this show as: “this sweeping dance doesn’t take place on stage but in a warehouse. And we the audience isn’t watching from red velvet seats, but are actually part of the piece, thanks to virtual reality.” Which is so hard to imagine being that audience member because it seems so weirdly counter intuitive. When you look at the real life pictures of the audience and dancers so close to one another the effect is kind of ruined, but that’s the beauty of virtual reality. It can teleport you to a different plane of existence, depending on the atmosphere provided in the real world. This ballet piece seems like it caters to all the senses, making the audience truly believe they are in the virtual reality world.
I've always appreciated ballet as a form of dance, but never quiet understood how one very strict art form has survived and thrived for so many years. I think thats it really cool that Night Fall is keeping the traditional ballet and updating the way an audience experiences it. Whenever you tamper with traditions their tends to be multiple thoughts on if it is ok to changed the traditional way, and here I think they found an incredible way to modernize while still keep the integrity of ballet in the piece. Virtual Reality is really starting to make way in theater especially recently. I think its incredible that this kind of technology is being used for art, where often I think new technology is just for science then finds its way into art. Perhaps this will move into the science field after a while. One of the most interesting things an audience member said was that they enjoyed feeling isolated and as if they were the only one watching. I've always like how theater is so personal but happens along side so many others, I wonder if the awareness of others stays with some people in the VR world or if it becomes reality enough that one is alone.
I love reading about how innovative arts organizations can be with VR and AR, and how they are engaging new audiences and educating artists and technicians while staying true to their artistic missions. One thing I specifically appreciated about the Dutch National Ballet is how they incorporate VR into their piece without it taking over. VR is often discussed with examples of how it can transport the viewer and simulate experiences, but the DNB has found a way to keep the audience in the space and have live performers share the space. I think this approach is also more digestible for audiences who are wary about VR creating a completely fake, simulated world and worry about missing out on true experiences. Aside from the VR incorporation, I thought the video clip showing the piece was beautiful and that the musicians and dancers in white and black moving around the space was very captivating.
Virtual Reality has always been a hit or miss topic with me. In some situations I see virtual reality as a new an innovative path in the world of performance art while in others I feel it takes away the personality and intimacy of live performance. However, in the situation of this warehouse ballet performance I think this idea is amazing for both the dance community and the arts in general. Dance as an art for, especially ballet, has remained for the most part unchanged for many years. The same choreography is kept for all major shows and although modern dance is creeping its way into the ballet world, it can be argued that one knows exactly what they are going to get when the go to the ballet. This new addition can help eliminate that and keep ballet on the cutting edge while still keeping the integrity of the original pieces. By changing the way the show is seen and not the show itself the dance world is able to create new innovation despite an unchanging world of choreography and song.
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