OCT 2021

Future Rites

BFI (British Film Institute) Festival - 13-14th October 2021

Performance Documentation

A co-production between choreographer Alexander Whitley, director Sandra Rodriguez and Normal Studio, Future Rites is an immersive and collaborative performance experience based on the seminal ballet The Rite Of Spring. Combining real-time animation and AI, it enables anyone to join in the dance. As users interact with a constantly evolving natural world, their movements and gestures decide a crucial outcome, guiding a narrative through this celebrated work of classical music around themes of ritual, nature and sacrifice.

Drawing from the rich history of one of the most influential works of art of the 20th Century, this production continues a legacy of reinterpretation since its original creation in 1913, taking the choreography and Stravinsky’s earth-shattering composition into VR for the first time.

Using the body as a story telling device and the power of immersive technology, Future Rites will unlock the potential of this classic work of art inviting audiences to ponder a changing relationship to nature and the collective sacrifices we are faced within a time of global crises.

Supported by BFI Institute, Arts Council England, Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Sadlers Wells, CreativeXR, Catapult Digital