In view of the variety of his fields of activity, the British choreographer Wayne McGregor, born in 1970, has certainly built one of the most interesting careers of the last two decades.
George Balanchine worked on Broadway as a musical choreographer, but only did so until he founded the New York City Ballet.
Merce Cunningham spent most of his lifetime in his own studio - alone or with his dancers.
Both, the neoclassical as well as the postmodern choreographers, were concerned with working on their vocabulary and syntax, Balanchine with the valid dance implementation of music, especially Stravinsky's, Cunningham with his inner rhythms, which as if by themselves on stage with those of the Music written or selected by John Cage dubbed.
McGregor is not enough as a profession.
His own contemporary company seems to be self-managing, touring with McGregor's specially created pieces while he creates next work for the Royal Ballet, of which he has been resident choreographer since 2006, or on other commitments around the world.
Most recently he has been the director of the Biennale Danza in Venice, succeeding the choreographers Ismael Ivo and most recently Marie Chouinard.
He has given his second festival edition, the performances and exhibitions of which can be seen until July 31, the title "Boundary-Less", a title that seems strangely unworldly in view of war and displacement.
But it has never been McGregor's thing to deal with realpolitik realities in his work, something
Virtual dancers between real ones
McGregor is committed to expanding the dance field in entirely different directions.
He became interested in film at an early age and helped digital monsters along the way.
In 2005 he was the motion director of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, putting the Dead Eaters on their feet and choreographing the big ball scene.
Now, after dabbling in genetics and robotics through dance, he's working with Google to create a digital movement archive.
Motion capture, the motion capture software that Merce Cunningham first used so brilliantly to have virtual dancers perform between the real ones in "Biped," McGregor uses her silverware or toothbrush like others.
Of course, pop music is at the top of his list of hip affinities.
He has worked for the bands Radiohead and Chemical Brothers.
In May his latest project premiered in London: "Abbavoyage", the concert of the band's avatars, which will be on show for the next five years.
In a complicated process, he and the team created virtual copies of the musicians.
McGregor choreographed and transferred with motion capture with young dancers.
Spectators with helmet goggles are waiting for their turn
So it is hardly surprising that the Biennale Danza 2022 also opened with a virtual reality production.
Not only McGregor, but also the Spaniard Blanca Li is in love with the technical expansion of dance spaces.
She came to Berlin from Paris in 2002, but gave up the management of the Berlin Ballet after six months.
Now the freelance choreographer has brought "Le Bal de Paris" to Venice.
A small group of spectators are given the technical equipment in a backpack, equipped with helmet goggles and motion capture, and then appear in virtual space in front of showcases where costumes are waiting to be selected.
Animal heads are included.