Virtual Stage - Birmingham Royal Ballet

Under the artistic direction of Carlos Acosta, Birmingham Royal Ballet is pioneering Immersive Technology with view to introducing classical ballet to new audiences around the world, notably those unable, either through location or physical inability, to experience a live performance in a theatre. Embracing both Virtual Reality, a computer generated environment in which scenes and objects appear real, and Augmented Reality that enables imagery and information to be viewed on a smart device, Motion Capture and 3D Mapping, the programme has been supported by significant funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Programme. The company launched the groundbreaking project at its Birmingham base on 30 August enabling the curious to check out the new technology. One of the films, A Swan's Story, created in collaboration with Clive Booth and Canon, offers an immersive experience taking the viewer both backstage and draws them into the lakeside during a performance of Swan Lake. Canon's Mark Fensome explained how the film was shot using a double fisheye lens which, like two eyes, sees a much wider area than a single lens, and edited with Canon's software. Tom Rogers, BRB's Creative Digital Producer, is the driving force behind the programme and says: "I am delighted to be launching our Virtual Stage programme, having the opportunity to truly innovate within the confines of classical ballet has been both exciting and terrifying in equal measure." For more on these exciting developments visit brb.org.uk/vir...