Royal Ballet turns to tech with Virtual Stage launch
Birmingham Royal Ballet has announced a new tech focused event called The Virtual Stage.
The Virtual Stage is a project featuring content developed in collaboration with Canon and RiVR, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies that explores the many different ways that AR, VR, 3D mapping and Motion Capture can be applied to BRB's productions in order to enhance experiences and interaction, increase accessibility, promote its productions worldwide and bring ballet to life in new ways.
With significant funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Digital Accelerator Programme, BRB has invested in equipment and staff training to allow its team to dive into the world of immersive technologies alongside partners Canon and RiVR.
By working with, and learning from, industry leaders Birmingham Royal Ballet aims to become pioneers in the application of immersive technology for the international dance sector.
The Virtual Stage has already been having a marked impact on BRB's content creation and digital output, but BRB's new online platform The Virtual Stage takes things to a whole new level.
The areas of technology being explored in this partnership include 3D Mapping, Augmented and Virtual Reality and Motion Capture.
A significant upgrade of the in house equipment, as well as specialist training of the BRB team, was needed to meet the requirements of 180 VR capture and the creation of ancillary content such as new dance films and documentaries that can be accessed by a broad range of audiences.
3D mapping and scanning of Nutcracker and Swan Lake with RiVR during the 22/23 season has created virtual and augmented reality content to be used for a variety of applications. Including virtual reality experiences and augmented reality content.
The Virtual Stage will leap from screen to real world with NutcrackAR - an AR campaign taking the 12 days of Christmas to locations around the city.
The trail will go live in November at a Nutcracker event at the Bullring. Each day of the countdown to opening night will highlight a different AR sight with each partner venue through a dedicated social media campaign.
Carlos Acosta, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet said: “I am absolutely thrilled that we have launched Birmingham Royal Ballet's Virtual Stage, becoming one of the first ballet companies in the world to embrace immersive technology and unlock the potential it holds.
“I am particularly excited about the possibilities this work has for reaching younger and new audiences across the globe, bringing them up close to classical ballet in a way that, until recently, has not been possible.
“Virtual Stage is another example of BRB's commitment to pushing boundaries and keeping ballet fresh and relevant for future generations in this digital age. Thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for making this happen as part of the Digital Accelerator Programme”
Clive Booth, photographer, filmmaker and canon ambassador said: “As a photographer and filmmaker, I'm always looking for new and meaningful ways to tell a story and now for the first time I can immerse an audience quite literally inside the narrative.
“Swan, Regan Hutsall shares her journey from a childhood dream to finally becoming a ballerina. This project brings dance to those who wouldn't normally be able to visit live theatre and is a wonderful example of technology used for good.”
All of the content will go live on The Virtual Stage webpage today 30 August at the launch event.
