Since its inception in 2019, the Eisemann Edge Initiative has been uplifting unique and innovative projects that embrace the incorporation of technology in the arts. This year, the Eisemann Edge Initiative grant was awarded to Slowdanger, a multidisciplinary performance group from Pittsburgh, for their original surreal dance theater quintet, Story Ballet.
The piece, using Symphonie Fantastique (1830) by Hector Berlioz as a foundation, utilizes noir lighting, holographic projections akin to 1800’s Pepper’s Ghost illusions, motion capture, sculptural laser walls, and live sound sampling to transport the audience into the dark and fantastical imagination of an artist in agony.