“Smack My Bitch Up,” the song from the legendary British band The Prodigy, was provocative when it was released in 1997 (and still is today.) Despite its controversial theme, the song was a hit when it came out. Part of what made the song’s popularity skyrocket was its even more provocative music video. The video follows a person in point-of-view-perspective as they drink, take drugs, and generally wreak havoc through the streets of London.

The video became the primary source of inspiration for our video production, “The Road to the Old Stage,” about ballet dancer Ida Praetorius and The Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage in Copenhagen.

“The Road to the Old Stage” was shared across all public service broadcaster DR’s digital platforms in connection with an extremely popular Christmas TV series on our main channel, DR1. The primary setting of the TV series was The Royal Danish Theatre, and we were tasked with using this opportunity to spark an interest in this institution. 

Theatre is often perceived by younger audiences as both boring and uninteresting. We set out to prove them wrong.

A unique approach to the story

It was not the drugs and violence of the MTV-banned “Smack My Bitch Up” that inspired us, but rather the way it manages to give a unique insight into a life and an environment most people otherwise would never see. We decided to create a POV experience allowing viewers to walk in the shoes of one of the best prima ballerinas in the world on the day of a premiere. They experience how three centuries of history and tradition of The Royal Danish Theatre affects the only 27-year-old dancer.

In “The Road to the Old Stage,” instead of a drug-fueled nightlife, viewers saw a unique behind-the-scenes look at The Royal Danish Theatre and the life of an extremely dedicated top-level professional dancer.

A day in the life

The scene moves from location to location: from the bed, through the theatre, and on to the stage, taking the viewer along for the experience. Gradually, it becomes clearer why the young dancer had a nightmare at the beginning of the video and why she often becomes quite anxious on the day of a premiere.

The tailors, make-up artists, scene builders, and other experts in their field — all whom the audience meets as the video continues — have worked for months and years to prepare.

The pressure is on and the message to the young dancer is clear: If you fail tonight, everyone fails.

A successful experiment across the board

The video was shared across all of Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s digital platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and our Web site.

More than 100,000 people watched the video, and this now has become a format we will use for future projects exploring other cultural institutions, places, and people.

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