Sky, Europe’s leading entertainment company, has partnered with English National Ballet to offer audiences a ground-breaking virtual reality production inspired by Akram Khan’s new Giselle. The commission will see the combination of leading-edge technology, new choreography and the talents of English National Ballet’s artistic director and Lead Principal Tamara Rojo. Giselle VR will therefore give audiences the opportunity to experience ballet in an entirely different way.
The piece will be just two minutes long, featuring original choreography by Khan and music by Vincenzo Lamagna. It will see Rojo use the 360º space entirely, leaving behind a 3D trail of light and dust which will echo her movements. The full Giselle VR experience will become one of the first pieces available on Sky’s new VR app, home to work created by Sky VR Studios. The studios were launched earlier this year to bring Sky’s expertise in storytelling to major cultural and sporting events, for the creation of immersive Virtual Reality content.
Giselle VR will be produced by Factory 42, a new immersive content production company with a BAFTA winning creative team, commissioned by Neil Graham as Executive Producer of Sky VR Studios. Virtual reality has immense possibilities and can therefore present dance in an entirely innovative way. In creating the new piece it is hoped that Sky and English National Ballet can provide more insight into the beauty, drama and technical side of ballet for audiences.
English National Ballet is one of the most creative ballet companies in the UK, and continues to honour the tradition of classical ballet, while embracing change and evolving the art form for future generations. Giselle is the first full length ballet choreographed by Khan. It is clear ballet has a great ability to be reinterpreted and transformed, and this is vital to drive the art form forward and engage with new audiences.