DANCE OF THE AVATAR: Bart Hess, the Dutch designer who took slime to new heights for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video and album artwork, has pulled off another trick. His futuristic costumes for “Sleeping Beauty Dreams,” a digitally enhanced contemporary ballet that premieres Dec. 7 in Miami, may cause young men to actually want to accompany their mothers. But they won’t be there for the classic fairy tale’s mushy love story or principal dancers Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes in the roles of Princess Aurora and Prince Peter. Their eyes will be fixated on Vishneva’s real-time avatar projected on a giant screen backdrop, which Miami-based production company Magical Reality Group believes is the first time the live technology has been applied to a dance performance.
“I saw a rehearsal, and it’s so amazing to watch her avatar also drinking coffee on breaks,” said Hess, who incorporated about a dozen sensors into Vishneva’s formfitting suit in a reflective, foil fabric inspired by fish scales. “This technology is used a lot in film and video games but not live dance. Being a ballet, it’s even more unique.”
Hess, who’s also worked with fashion designers like Iris Van Herpen and Walter Van Beirendonck, researches
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