Contemporary Dance Meets Virtual Reality

Dance

We are excited to offer you a rare opportunity January 24-26 with Koros – VR Experience from Agora de la danse. Instead of filing into one of our theatres, get an on-stage seat powered by virtual reality’s innovative blend of dance and digital art. 

The VR headset pushes the creative boundaries of what it means to watch a performance. When the headsets are on, each audience member is transported to a stage where dancers appear just a few steps away. The physical space of a traditional performance transforms as viewers plunge into the heart of a work, fully immersed in the storytelling with no apparent barriers between them and the artists.

Koros – VR Experience features three works specially adapted for this unique format: The Complex Simplicity of Love by Margie Gillis, Allegro Barbaro by Hélène Blackburn and 6.58 manifesto by Andrea Peña.

The Complex Simplicity of Love

Using motion sensors, 3D animation accompanies the three dancers throughout the work, allowing you to see in real time how their movements trace patterns of texture, color and light in the space. In a privileged face-to-face relationship with the artists, be introduced to the choreography by means of natural, circular movements employed in a short dance sequence. First presented 20 years ago, The Complex Simplicity of Love was driven by a desire to dance with someone who was not there, to explore the presence of absence. 

Allegro Barbaro

Allegro Barbaro dives into the choreography of Hélène Blackburn and puts you onstage near the ten performers of Blackburn’s company, Cas Public. The work is inspired by the four humours theory of ancient Greece, whereby any excess or deficit of four bodily fluids (blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm) led to sickness. A thrilling dance experience, the piece unfolds at a breathless pace, punctuated by dazzling performers driven to surpass their limits as they relish the sheer joy of dancing. 

6.58 manifesto

With eight dancers and a soprano, this work creates a raw, unfiltered realm of sensation and physicality. A rising young choreographer, Peña is renowned for her multidisciplinary alternate worlds, her abstract yet politically charged works and the visceral experiences she creates for the audience. This excerpt from 6.58 manifesto puts a critical eye on how we relate to external systems and forces in our lives, pressures we deal with daily. 

After seeing all three works, we encourage you to gather with fellow audience members for a drink from our lobby bar and discuss this unique arts experience. How did it compare to a traditional live performance? Did the physical closeness to the dancers heighten the ability to connect with the piece? Which of the three pieces was your favorite? 

Additional performance times were just added but tickets are selling out fast. 

related event

• Agora de la danse