Snapchat and the Palace of Versailles have announced a partnership to introduce an augmented reality experience called Dansez Versailles. The initiative uses Snapchat’s AR technology to allow visitors in the Palace gardens to explore baroque festivities and dances that were part of life at the Royal Court.
According to the announcement, “Thanks to Snapchat’s cutting-edge technologies, visitors to the Palace gardens are invited to rediscover the baroque festivities and dances that enlivened the Royal Court through AR. Through an immersive, fun, and educational journey, history comes to life in the heart of the gardens.”
The project highlights how dance was central during Louis XIV’s reign. Dance served not only as entertainment but also as a political tool and symbol of cultural influence. The statement notes, “Under the reign of Louis XIV, dance was much more than entertainment: It was a true political weapon and a tool for cultural influence. The Sun King, himself an accomplished dancer trained from childhood, made baroque dance a pillar of Court life. At Versailles, balls, masquerades, ballets, and comedy-ballets punctuated the royal calendar and set the rhythm of the courtiers’ days. The famous Royal Academy of Dance, founded in 1661 by Louis XIV, testifies to the importance of this art in the construction of monarchical power. To dance at Court was to demonstrate one’s rank, discipline, and refinement. It is this spectacular and living artistic heritage that Dansez Versailles aims to bring back to life through AR.”
Dansez Versailles will be integrated into the official Palace app. Visitors can access four locations within the gardens where each site will showcase an iconic dance from Louis XIV’s era using AR reconstructions.
“With Dansez Versailles, the objective is to restore the gardens of the Palace to their original function: a space for life, pleasure, and spectacle. By leveraging the immersive possibilities of AR, four emblematic places in the gardens become scenes of artistic reconstruction, where each space reveals an iconic dance of the era, allowing visitors to the Palace to step into the shoes of a dancer of the time,” according to organizers.
