Augmented reality helps the BNE to bring the figure of Antonio the Dancer closer to young people

The 3D animated recreation of three of this artist's most famous choreographies is accessible through an app, to which is added the edition of an interactive booklet of the 'BNE tells us' collection.

The figure of the dancer Antonio Ruiz Soler continues to be relevant for current generations of artists for being a symbol of creativity, demand and charisma. As part of the activities to celebrate the centenary of his birth, the National Ballet of Spain (BNE) dedicates the second title of its collection of interactive educational publications BNE tells us to the one who was its director 1980 y 1983.

The objective of the booklet Antonio Ruiz Soler for young people is to make his life and his artistic career known to young people through new technologies. For this, includes various audiovisual and virtual reality content that is accessed through the application for mobile devices #BNEnoscount.

Among them are 3D animations of Antonio the Dancer performing three of his most famous choreographies.. With a printed edition and in pdf, downloadable for free on the BNE website, The project has had the collaboration of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the support of Acción Cultural Española (Ac/e).

“Antonio occupies a very important place in Spanish dance,” explains Belén Moreno., patronage manager, pedagogical activities and public relations of the BNE-. What we intend with this publication is that current generations have a clear reference of what Antonio the Dancer meant.. It is aimed at everyone. Those who already knew him will probably learn things they didn't know.".

For Elna Matamoros, BNE ballet teacher and author of the text, “Not only was he an extraordinary dancer and a renowned choreographer. Together with Antonia Mercé, “la Argentinita or Carmen Amaya put Spanish dance in the spotlight on international stages”.

The text, that reviews his biography and artistic career, It is accompanied by images by photographer Juan Gyenes, outstanding witness of the social and artistic life of Spain in the years 50 y 60.

Both studio and scene photos have been selected, plus private photos, travel and tours. Through the QR code included in the publication, or directly from Google Play and App Store, Readers can download the application #BNEnoscount to access, inter alia, to videos of some of Antonio Ruiz Soler's choreographies represented by the BNE, as The three-cornered hat (Miller's Farruca), The bull tavern (Taranto) y Tap dance.

Besides, augmented reality makes it easier for young people to see on their mobile devices how Antonio the Dancer danced. Instead of black and white images of their performances, 3D animations of three of his most notable choreographies have been developed specifically for this publication.: jackhammer, Tap dance (Bis) y Sonatas (variation).

For the 3D design of the characters, The UI design and creation of the mobile application involved the The Role studio and the collaboration of the Complutense University of Madrid.. The educational institution has lent the motion capture suit that has allowed the steps of two BNE dancers to be recorded: José Manuel Benítez and Cristian García, to give life to the animated figure of Antonio Ruiz Soler.

The main dancer, Francisco Velasco, has lent his voice and physiognomy to another animated character who is responsible for introducing Antonio Ruiz Soler. The repeater teacher Maribel Gallardo has collaborated in the process, who has recorded the interpretation of castanets heard in Sonatas, while the first dancer, Sergio Garcia, has advised on correcting the movement of the animated figure so that it fits as closely as possible to the dance.

The project has been coordinated by Alejandro Romero, associate professor at UCM, who has led a team of young augmented reality and mobile applications talents.

As well as the 3D animations have been created specifically for the brochure Antonio Ruiz Soler for young people, to the app #BNEnoscount was presented in 2020, along with the first interactive book dedicated to the bowling school. The new version of the app has a simpler interface and allows access to the contents of both titles. The latter will have an easy-to-read version for cognitive accessibility in the near future.

BNE pedagogical project

With a roll of 2.000 specimens, Antonio Ruiz Soler for young people It will be distributed among children and young people who participate in the pedagogical workshops organized by the National Ballet of Spain.

The first to enjoy this publication have been children between 8 y 12 years of age who have attended the three workshops organized by associations in Seville, where cultural projects have been launched as tools for social reintegration.

These initiatives, framed within the BCN pedagogical project, were celebrated from 11 al 13 last April at the San Miguel Center in the Castillo neighborhood of Alcalá de Guadaira, the Alalá Foundation of the Polígono Sur of Seville and the Torreblanca Civic Center of Seville.

It was the second time that the workshops have been held outside of Madrid. In March 2020, This initiative was presented in several schools in Jerez (Cadiz), coinciding with the BCN performance at the Jerez Festival.