Penn Live Arts presents Agora de la danse’s Koros

I wasn’t sure what VR could offer dance, but I was curious. Others were, too, and Koros offered 13 screening times over three days (January 24-26) at the Annenberg Center. Even with alternating casts, a live show likely could not have provided as many performances in that timeframe and venue. This is one of many differences between a VR experience and a traditional live performance.

Swivel chairs and headsets

Ushers for Koros guided ticket holders to rolling swivel chairs grouped around the Annenberg lobby, then helped them with a VR headset attached to a pair of headphones. Viewers watched the same recorded performances but not at the same time or speed. As in the theater, viewers watch from various perspectives. But it’s not because you have different seats—in VR, you choose the angle of your view, and it will never be hindered by people sitting in front of you (or their cell phones). You can even choose the order of the program. An usher explained that viewers would enter a home screen in VR and then use their eyes to open each dance by looking at it.

That said, the list of safety warnings on the back of the program gave me pause. There were the expected cautions about dizziness, headaches, and upset stomach. Joining them were warnings against using the VR headset if you are experiencing fatigue, exhaustion, stress, or anxiety. Isn’t that a baseline for a lot of people right now?

Performance in VR presents an escape from reality, though. Each of the dances takes a different approach to involving the viewer, which draws you into their virtual world. All are contemporary works in different styles, and I watched them from left to right on the VR home screen. Later, I realized the program lists the dances in a different order, one likely intended to orient viewers. My way turned out to be ideal for someone versed in contemporary dance.

Blackburn, Gillis, and Peña in VR

Starting with Hélène Blackburn’s Allegro Barbaro allowed me to begin Koros on familiar ground. The work incorporates classic features of contemporary style, from elements of ballet, jazz, and modern to fluid athleticism. The work is enlivened by the viewer’s VR proximity to the expressive dancers from Cas Public, Blackburn’s Montreal-based company. Creative staging puts the viewer in the middle of them, and lighting and sound signal when dancers appear to the side or behind. You follow the action by slowly swiveling your seat.

Margie Gillis introduces her piece, The Complex Simplicity of Love, and then performs it with Geneviève Boulet and Susan Paulson. First presented 20 years ago, this work is made new with motion sensors and 3D animation that allow the viewer to participate. I won’t give away the surprise, but the technology made it fun and easy to take part in Gillis’s playful, inviting dance.

An excerpt from Andrea Peña’s 6.58 Manifesto was a powerful way to finish Koros. The program notes raised my interest and doubts, characterizing Peña as known for “abstract yet politically charged works.” This is an apt description of 6.58 Manifesto, a stark, unnerving piece that channels Samuel Beckett and dystopian sci-fi. Lighting and costumes make soprano Erin Lindsay and the eight dancers from Andrea Peña & Artists look like the raw, naked human batteries of The Matrix. This third dance takes the most direct look at the tensions between technology and humanity VR raises.

Live over VR?

Experiencing dance in VR has downsides, including missing out on the thrill of sharing a performance in the moment with the dancers and a crowd of other people. The VR headset felt cumbersome, and the headphones did not fit comfortably. While I could fit my glasses inside the headset, they appeared scratched when I took them out. (A good cleaning at home revealed only smudges left by the lenses in the headset.) People with more limited vision or mobility issues, pacemakers, and hearing aids may not be able to fully experience VR. At the same time, VR could be more accessible for folks than a live performance.

Despite the limitations and the warning label, I survived and enjoyed Koros. Artistic director Francine Bernier, technical director Alex Larrègle, and the Koros artistic and technical teams did a fantastic job creating a terrific dance program and engaging VR experience. It gives the viewer a front-row seat to three appealing, diverse works by women choreographers. I will always choose to see a dance live, but I would use VR again to experience dance artists and performances I cannot see in person. Contemporary dance seems like the perfect medium for VR, with brief, action-packed, dialogue-free works over a limited timeframe. I would do VR dance again, and I recommend giving it a try.