The Leipzig Opera House is set to host the world’s first AI ballet, titled Fusion, from May 29 to July 8, 2023. This groundbreaking production utilizes generative AI to influence every aspect of the performance, including choreography, music composition, and costume design. Fusion is helmed by acclaimed speech artist and musician Harry Yeff, renowned as Reeps100.
The exciting news was reported by Wallpaper on Friday. Fusion showcases an impressive musical score composed and directed by Harry Yeff, in collaboration with associate composers Gadi Sassoon and Teddy Riley. The choreography, infused with AI elements, is masterfully crafted by Mario Schroder, while the stage design and costumes are envisioned by Paul Zoller.
Drawing inspiration from Plato’s concept of the divided self, Fusion explores the journey towards harmony. The AI technology employed in the ballet takes Yeff’s own voice as a catalyst for the performance, accompanied by generative synthetic voices. Reports indicate that Yeff dedicated over a thousand hours to training with voice and AI technology, achieving a machine-like mastery of his vocal expression.
An augmented voice
“My voice is now augmented as a result of hundreds of hours of training with A.I. – I am able to reach speeds and depths I didn’t believe were possible. I am a living breathing augmentation, soon there will be many more of me,” told Wallpaper Yeff.
“As a neuro-divergent director and coming from a working-class background, this feels like a moment to be trusted to fuse so many worlds into one work. It’s a sign that there is more openness for new kinds of expertise to be celebrated, regardless of where you come from.”
The Leipzig Ballet will be performing to Yeff’s voice. The performance artists have a long history of tackling radical new ideas making them the ideal troupe to support this new initiative. The question now is how well will audiences react to this novel form of art?
Will they embrace an AI based performance or will they see it as an invasion of what was once a purely human phenomenon? With AI slowly creeping in everywhere, it is safe to say it was just a matter of time before the technology took over the performing arts.
