Swan Lake

virtual real-time set design

TL;DR

• A live digital stage environment that evolved in real time alongside ballet dancers and a full orchestra

• Designed for real-time control, outdoor performance conditions, and precise narrative synchronization

• A transformable environment built around 180° rotations, reflecting Swan Lake’s themes of duality and metamorphosis

While I was at bully! entertainment, I was responsible for helping lead the design, ideation, and production of a large-scale digital stage environment for the National Ballet’s production of Swan Lake. The result was a stage with narrative weight of its own: one that blurred the boundary between physical performance and digital scenery.

At the center of the production was a monumental digital structure that was part sculpture and part stage set, alongside the world-class dancers and a live orchestra.. Designed around the ballet’s themes of duality and transformation, the real-time environment shifted between two opposing worlds: a rigid, architectural castle and an organic, enchanted lake. Rather than simply providing a backdrop, the set became part of the storytelling itself, physically transforming as the narrative moved between reality and illusion.

With limited rehearsal time and the added complexity of an outdoor venue, the entire production was previsualized in VR. This allowed the creative, choreography, and technical teams to explore staging, sightlines, transitions, and changing light conditions well before arriving on site.

During each performance, a live VJ controlled the system in real time, synchronizing visual transitions, lighting, and effects with the tempo of the orchestra and the movement of the dancers.