Modern ballet

Amsterdam – Ballet is being brought to the masses with a new virtual reality (VR) experience designed to break down elitism.

• Performed by the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, and choreographed by former dancer Peter Leung
• The choreography has been crafted specifically with VR in mind

Night Fall offers viewers a multiplicity of varied and captivating scenes as they manoeuvre around the stage, encouraging repeated watching. The piece can either be streamed online and manually manipulated to experience different angles or watched on Google Cardboard or Gear VR with an app on YouTube.

‘As a viewer you are standing in the middle and can watch to all sides: left, right, behind you, but also up and down,’ Richard Heideman, press manager for the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, told Digital Trends. ‘The action is happening all around you. That has never been done before and is unique in the world of ballet.’

VR is not a new phenomenon, but seeing it applied to ballet opens up the art form to a more varied audience demographic, which the ballet company hopes will translate into more visits to live performances.