6abc Loves the Arts: Pennsylvania Ballet back with 1st ever all digital season

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- For its spring season, Pennsylvania Ballet is leaning into the virtual world.

"It's going to be something totally unusual that is going to blow people's minds," promises Artistic Director, Angel Corella.

Corella says he wanted to kick things off by pushing the envelope both physically, "show the dancers and show their strength and technique right away," and digitally, with multi-camera angles designed to make audience members feel like they're a part of the performance.

"We had a drone going over the dancers and recording them over the top," Corella says.

The season includes three shows, called Strength, Resilience, and Beauty, respectively.

"The three words sort of represent the situation that we're in right now," Corella says.

Resilience contains three works, "The second one is a ballet by George Balanchine. And he's a little bit more neoclassical," Corella says, "the music is also very energetic and fluent, and the dancing is also very challenging."

The program also includes a contemporary ballet by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon called Polyphonia.

"The music is by Ligeti and the music; it's really difficult music," Corella says.

The final dance is Raymonda Suite, a famous classical piece reconstructed by Angel.

"As popular as Swan Lake," Corella points out; a story of love, betrayal and war.

The season wraps up with Beauty, a program that features three world premieres along with music by Philadelphia's Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy award-winning composer. "Music that in some cases has never been publicized," Corella says.

Pennsylvania Ballet Spring Digital Season | Website

Resilience streams April 29-May 5; Beauty streams May 27-June 2