VR show whisks you away to fantastical world

IT IS hard not to rave about Le Bal De Paris (The Paris Ball), an immersive virtual-reality experience that can enchant even the most seasoned arts consumer. For 50 minutes, you’re whisked away to several dazzling locations, including a monumental palace, grand ballroom, large cabaret club and garden party, with a cast of over a thousand dressed in the chicest clothes. (Chanel is a sponsor and designer of the virtual costumes you get to wear.)  

At the centre of the musical is a love story involving a lovely young woman and the men pursuing her. But when you’re surrounded by mesmerising virtual scenery that is shifting every few seconds, the plot is almost beside the point. The technology allows you to walk around and explore the different spaces, making you the centre of this encounter, and every other character a secondary player.  

Unlike video games which you can experience alone, Le Bal De Paris is a participative and interactive group experience, in which the dancers and other guests come up to you and invite you to dance with them. This makes all the difference, because you actually feel the physical sensation of being with other human beings in the room. As their warm hands intertwine with yours during a dance, there is a tangible connection that’s missing in video game experiences.  

Le Bal De Paris was conceived by Bianci Li, a Spanish dancer, choreographer, filmmaker and self-professed “tech lover”. Her impressive resume includes collaborations with Beyonce, Jean Paul Gaultier, Pedro Almodovar and other creative luminaries. Her biggest claim to pop fame, however, may be choreographing Daft Punk’s iconic music video, Around The World.

The idea for Le Bal De Paris came about in 2011, when Li experienced the sensation of riding on a virtual roller coaster. Since then, she has dreamt of creating an entire dance musical set in the virtual world. Unfortunately, the technology then could not deliver what she envisioned. When it finally caught up with her, it involved very bulky equipment having to be strapped on to each participant. 

Today, the technology has improved by leaps, and participants need only wear a relatively light belt, headset and bracelets around their arms and legs, so their movements can be tracked and translated into that of their virtual avatars. Li says the entire show cost 2 million euros (S$2.91 million) to produce, but that “does not include the many years of research and development that went before the actual production”.

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Singapore is only one of the show’s many stops. It has already been staged in cities such as London, Geneva, Madrid, Spoleto in central Italy, Luxembourg and Belgrade. In Taipei, the show has been running for several months in response to its massive popularity.

Le Bal De Paris runs from Mar 2-17 at Infinite Studios in Mediapolis @ one-north. Tickets from Sistic.