On with the show: AI and virtual reality step in to transform live performance 

EU-funded researchers are using emerging technologies to create new, immersive experiences and reimagine the future of live performance.

By Gareth Willmer

In September 2025, a stage performance with a difference took place at Porto’s Coliseum theatre in northern Portugal. In Re-embodied Machine, a dancer wearing motion sensors interacted with lights and sound that responded to his movements as he whirled across the stage.

The live performance, which used AI, was watched in person by more than 300 people.