A Corpo Libero 180 VR
“A CORPO LIBERO is a glorious and life affirming piece; short in length but big in heart. Everything is pitch perfect. A joy and a gem.”
Irish Premiere. Part of Dublin Dance Festival
An immersive new dance and VR experience for teens.
Step into A CORPO LIBERO by Silvia Gribaudi in 180° VR, filmed on the streets of Rijeka, then take part in a dance workshop with the artist. Uplifting and freeing, this is an immersive encounter with dance that celebrates imperfection and self-expression and explores themes of body image, and how we experience performance through virtual reality.
“Gribaudi is endowed with generous curves, a piquant sense of humour, great comic timing and an adorable willingness to throw caution (and the teensy, stretchy frock that causes her so much embarrassment) to the wind.”
“A CORPO LIBERO is a unique antidote to the omnipresent youth glamour market, and Gribaudi is hilarious, self-aware, and all-woman.”
Gallery
Performed at
WHAT TO EXPECT
This event for teens combines a VR performance and a live studio workshop.
It begins with Silvia Gribaudi’s award-winning solo A CORPO LIBERO, presented in 180° virtual reality. Filmed live on the streets of Rijeka in Croatia, the VR experience places you right in front of Silvia as she moves, up close in vivid 3D – provoking questions about how technology can dance with our perspectives of beauty and what we see.
Funny, bold and full of heart, A CORPO LIBERO celebrates imperfection and the freedom of being yourself. It is an uplifting and accessible introduction to the joy and power of contemporary dance.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS: Straight after the VR experience, the action moves from VR headset to studio with a high-energy workshop led by Silvia Gribaudi herself. Inspired by her bold and playful style, you will play with movement, responding to ideas from the performance. The focus is on trying things out, working physically, and celebrating your own way of moving.
No dance experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to give it a go.
WHAT TO WEAR: Wear comfy clothes that are easy to move in. Bare feet or thick socks are perfect – no dance shoes required.
about the performance
A CORPO LIBERO was originally created as a solo performance for stage in 2009 and won that year's GDA Veneto Award and the GDA Veneto Audience Award. Silvia has since toured the irreverent comedy to theatres across the globe and has developed an urban version, which is performed outdoors and in unexpected places. This presentation in Dublin Dance Festival marks the Irish premiere of the 180 degree Virtual Reality performance, Directed by Enya Belak that was filmed in late 2025 on the streets of Rijeka, a port city in Croatia.
Click here to watch an excerpt of the original stage production.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
BY ENYA BELAK
A CORPO LIBERO is a classic. It has been performed live in various contexts over the years, in front of diverse audiences, always through direct interaction with people, whether spectators or random passengers. When thinking of Silvia Gribaudi, the first thing that comes to mind is humour.
I was particularly interested in the challenge of translating this interaction and humour into the virtual world, where Silvia’s reactions could no longer arise spontaneously in direct dialogue with the audience, but instead had to be carefully choreographed and directed. What is especially powerful in VR is the possibility of working with physical proximity as a principle that can evoke a wide range of reactions and emotions — from awkwardness to laughter, as well as a strong sense of intimacy and connection that each spectator can experience individually from the same position.
Most of what we filmed was carefully planned — including the birds. However, the public remained entirely unpredictable. For the scene with the pigeons, we had to return to the location several times. Originally, the scene was meant to feature seagulls, which were always present there — except when we actually wanted to film. In the end, we decided to work with pigeons instead, who proved to be very cooperative with Silvia Gribaudi.
Similarly to the way Silvia uses time and rhythm in live performance to create connection, tension, and release, we use the rhythm of editing to guide the audience on a journey, following Silvia through various locations in Rijeka. We selected the locations carefully, considering lighting conditions, shadows, sun exposure, ambient atmosphere, and the movement of the public. We then structured the material by searching for the right balance between staged elements and the spontaneity of the public, the surroundings, and Silvia’s responses to them.
This is also what gives the VR experience a sense of liveness: despite its carefully structured framework, it still allowed Silvia space to improvise and preserve spontaneity — something that can be deeply felt and recognised by the beholder.
-ENYA BELAK, MAY 2025
Credits
CHOREOGRAPHER / PERFORMER SILVIA GRIBAUDI
WORKSHOP DESIGN & DELIVERY SILVIA GRIBAUDI, ANDREA RAMPAZZO
VR DIRECTOR ENYA BELAK
VR FILMING AND POST-PRODUCTION IGOR CRNKOVIĆ
VR PRODUCTION MANAGMENT CROATIAN CULTURAL CENTRE (HKD)
VR TECHNICIANS ALEXANDRA ROSENBERG, JOHN WILDGOOSE
About the Cast and Creative Team
Partners
Dublin Dance Festival
Working locally, nationally, internationally and virtually, Dublin Dance Festival acts as a vital interchange between contemporary dance artists and audiences; creating and sharing extraordinary dance experiences, generating opportunities for artists and deepening engagement with Dance in Ireland.
HKD - Hrvatski kulturni dom na Sušaku
Founded in 2018, HKD is firmly established in the culture of Rijeka. It is a public institution for performing and visual arts, with the tasks of coordinating, preparing and conducting cultural programs in the field of performing and visual arts, artistic creativity and related activities. HKD has always been open for work with the community, through the numerous projects; its space and programs are open to diverse audience and organizers of various cultural programs. HKD is a member of Pan Adria, Aerowaves, EDN and MOST international networks.
Main activities
- organizing annual Port of Dance contemporary dance festival
- international and local collaborations and co-productions throughout the year
- residential programs for the dance artists
- educational programs for dancers and choreographers
- Production centre for virtual reality (VR) project in dance/performing arts
(Springback Ringside project) - promoting dance to young audiences in elementary schools through virtual reality performances and dance workshops in cooperation with CoisCéim Dance Theatre from Ireland and Croatian Ministry of Culture
- fostering inclusivity as one of its fundamental values, through its accessibility as a venue and programs, dance education and activities for people with different physical abilities
- promoting volunteerism through its Volunteering in Culture programme among the organizers of cultural programs and encouraging citizens to actively participate in the implementation and organization of dance programs in the community
- organizing annual meetings and conferences with partners from various networks
Infrastructure
HKD consist of a large hall with 520 seats, where numerous cultural, educational, conference and entertainment programs are held throughout the year, in the field of dance, drama, music, film, multimedia and visual arts. Another presenting venue is the Atrium, which can accommodate up to 200 visitors. This space is mainly intended for concerts, lectures, round tables and smaller scene forms. For exhibition purposes there is a gallery space, Kortil Gallery, with occasional stage programs also being held there. HKD has three rehearsing studios sized from 85 to 95 m2, two of them with dance floors, used by various dance and theatrical local groups, and also for residencies. The building also includes various size changing rooms and offices.
Pilot Media
Pilot Media is a creative studio, based in Rijeka, Croatia, specialising in digital media production; video and TV, cinematography, documentary work, VR, and interactive multimedia experiences.
Our passion lies in blending art, media, and technology—especially within the performing arts and other immersive experiences.
Using possibilities of modern technology we are exploring how to redefine and elevate traditional experiences of art and media. We developed a unique methodology for translating and screening theatre performances in VR, which we continuously develop further with CoisCéim Dance Theatre.
A partnership project between CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Croatian Cultural Centre (HKD), Pilot Media and Silvia Gribaudi / Zebra Cultural Association.
more from silvia gribaudi at dublin dance festival
Silvia Gribaudi takes to the stage at Project Arts Centre with her production SUSPENDED CHORUS for 2 nights only - 12 & 13 May 2026.
Aware of the shared space between performer and audience, and driven by a desire for togetherness, Gribaudi invites the spectators to become an integral part of the work – a suspended, shifting chorus.
Inspired by female dance pioneers like Isadora Duncan, Pina Bausch and Anna Pavlova, Gribaudi asks simple, urgent questions: What moves us? What cages us? Who decides what a dancing body should look like?
With humour, vulnerability and fierce curiosity, she offers her own 50+ body as the starting point – revealing its limits and discovering joy in its potential. SUSPENDED CHORUS tears down modern codes of beauty, celebrates the fragility of our mortal bodies, and revels in the power of the collective. After all, we move best when we move together.
