Cirque Du Soleil Introduces A Virtual Reality Experience
DENVER (CBS4) - The Cirque du Soleil show Kurios is currently playing in Denver. Recently the director of the show came to Colorado to share a new virtual reality experience of the show.
Kurios is set in the second half of the 19th century when invention was at its height, so doing a virtual reality (VR) experience of this show seemed especially like a good fit.
"For us it's important because we like to be among the pioneers of things. We don't like to repeat ourselves. We like to project ourselves in the future, and to do this, I think we're writing a page of history," said Michel Laprise, the director of Kurios.
Using a camera developed by Felix & Paul Studio out of Montreal, the crew was able to record a 360-degree version of the show. The camera was set on the stage, and all the choreography happens around the viewer. When you turn around within the experience, you get a whole new perspective on the show.
"So every time you turn around, you realize that someone is really close to you and they're doing something very, very interesting," said Jeronimo Carbi, the Electronic Maintenance Coordinator for Kurios.
Carbi was among dozens of cast and crew who got to try the VR experience in Denver. Using a headset that works with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and headphones, the viewer gets dropped into the middle of the show.
"The depth perception is absolutely amazing," Carbi said.
"It just opens up your imagination and when you remove this (indicating the headset), you feel good and you're more curious about the environment around you," Laprise told CBS4.
Kurios itself is an expansion of the imagination. It's got the most props of any Cirque du Soleil show ever. Laprise said he wants the audience to see that innovation is the answer to all the world's problems.
"My first intention was to give a lot of optimism and joy to the people so that when they leave the big top they say, 'Wow! Everything is possible.' " Laprise said.
He says a show like this takes a lifetime to develop.
"Especially with this kind of show, we go into our childhood and we just draw the best of it. That's why people, when they come and see the show, they're really happy because they feel like a child again," Laprise said.
Kurios by Cirque du Soleil is now open under the Big Top Ten on the Pepsi Center Grounds. You can find ticket information here.
