VR Dance: Exploring Alternative Realities

VR Dance: exploring alternative realities through creative movement and technology

We are thrilled to share a short film about our movement and technology programme VR Dance. 

 This East London Dance programme combines immersive technology and physical movement to encourage a wider conversation about positive and creative choices, by allowing young people in Newham and Redbridge to explore alternative realities together. 

Film by Alice Underwood Films

“What I really enjoyed about exploring dance and technology is the fact that two things I thought that could never be put together have been put together and they work very well.” VR Dance Participant 

For this programme East London Dance has brought together Hip Hop Dance Theatre Company BirdGang Ltd and Creative Technologists Maskomi and PlayLa.bZ to work with the young people co-creating choreography to perform, digitally capture (within a live online world) and then re-experience through VR headsets. Our research partner University of Bristol provided creative reflection resources for the young people to document their experiences.

 “I enjoyed just being able to learn how to dance, the fact that you can watch it back after you are done and seeing what you have achieved” VR Dance Participant 

Over 6 weeks last spring pupils aged 12-16 at Lister Community School, Education Links, Redbridge Alternative Provision and Ilford County High School took part in a range of Dance & Technology Workshops alongside Group Coaching and 1 to 1 Mentoring Sessions with our specialist Youth Support Worker.  

“What I felt with [Youth Support Worker] Amanda is that it is really good to know that some people care about us, there is still humanity in this world” VR Dance Participant 

To date, 60 dance and technology sessions, 188 one-to-ones mentoring sessions and 21 group coaching sessions have been delivered to 99 young people, with the programme continuing this autumn. 

“I think I will definitely continue dancing after this because I have realised the different opportunities you can do with dance” VR Dance Participant 

VR Dance is an East London Dance programme, funded by the Mayor of London’s Young Londoner’s Fund & the London Borough of Redbridge and delivered in partnership with University of Bristol, BirdGang Ltd, Maskomi and PlayLa.bZ.