With his productions Rendez-Vous and Here we are, the French choreographer Fabien Prioville ventured into a new genre within contemporary dance, in which he explored the latest VR technology and its possibilities for dance. For the eighteenth Holland Dance Festival, he takes an exciting new step in this exploration with Homecoming, in which he works together with a group of Dutch amateur dancers. Away from the traditional stage, Prioville develops a new video dance installation in virtual reality, recorded in the public sphere with a 360° camera, which can be enjoyed by the audience through VR glasses.
Unprecedented possibilities
VR technology offers the audience a completely different look at contemporary dance. It challenges the conventional experience of a live performance, toys with the spectators' senses and offers unprecedented possibilities for choreographers, dancers, and the audience. But Prioville's productions are not limited to the use of the latest technological gadgets. In his creations, the French choreographer also studies the personal and emotional aspects that characterize human beings.
Pina Bausch
That's no surprise. From 1999 to 2006, Prioville danced at the Tanztheater Wuppertal by Pina Bausch, the grand master of exposing the human soul. He was also part of Pina (2011), the spectacular 3D Wim Wenders film about the German choreographer, and of Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella (2002), which includes clips from productions by Bausch. Other well-known choreographers Prioville worked with are, among others, Édouard Lock (La La La Human Steps), Philippe Blanchard, and Josef Nadj. In 2010, Prioville founded his own dance company: the Düsseldorf based Fabien Prioville Dance Company. As a guest choreographer, Prioville is invited all over the world, from New York to Tokyo.