Here’s how it works: An infrared camera scans the dancers’ outlines, 60 frames per second, even as they move, and transmits that information to a computer, which then projects images around the dancers. As Mr. Simkin explained during a recent rehearsal, the speed of the computer processing is crucial. “If there is a lag, the brain sees it as a technological trick,” he said. “If there is no lag, as we can do it now, it is like magic, giving another layer to the movement — like a big dress, my father says.”

Mr. Simkin’s father, Dmitrij, is the project’s video designer. He has been concentrating on set and video design since retiring from his own career as a ballet dancer in 2007. A shared interest in dance and technology bonds father and son.

“We live in fascinating times,” said the younger Mr. Simkin. “We have all these new technological tools, but we don’t know how to use them yet. I want to see what is possible when you combine them with dance, if the sum can be greater than the parts.”

Choreographing From Above

It is important to Daniil that the video be integrated and balanced with the dancing. “Otherwise, it becomes gimmicky,” he said.