Sleeping Beauty Dreams made its New York premiere last weekend at the The Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side. A technology focused contemporary dance and art show, featuring prima ballerina Diana Vishneva as Princess Aurora. The prince was performed by Marcelo Gomes and his new husband Nick Palmquist on alternating evenings. This was Vishneva and Gomes’ first performance together since leaving American Ballet Theater. A much anticipated reunion.
In this fusion of performance art, electronic music, and real-time digital avatar technology, the libretto explored an age-old fable’s uncharted territory. What did Princess Aurora dream about during her 100-year slumber? Sleeping Beauty Dreams is a journey into her inner world of passions, fears, and temptations. A quest to find her true self.
Tobias Gremmler designed and Fuse* brought to life the digital avatars – virtual characters that performed in real time alongside Vishneva. The projections were vidid and eerie, often mesmerizing the audience and taking away from the lead dancers. Dutch artists Bart Hess, who designed Lady Gaga’s slime look for Born This Way, created textured costumes for the show. They included reflective materials that interacted with the lighting and digital projections. Costumes for the ensemble transformed mid-choreography from angelic white robes to tight red latex, giving an effect of the dancers trying to escape themselves. Edward Clug created contemporary choreography for the Princess, Prince, ensemble, and even the avatars. Thijs de Vlieger, of the musical trio NOISIA, composed an electronic music score specially for the production.
