Lighting a dance show

I find that lighting a dance show gives you alot more freedom than a normal drama performance.. You are able to add alot of your own creative ideas and also have the chance to experiment.. Sidelighting is always great to start with and build on that.. I also find that with dance pieces abstract lighting works great and also lets the audiences use their own imagination..

• 15 years ago
• 1

Always fun! I was always taught, depending on the age of the dancers. So, young kids etc, nice and bright!! The older the person, the less bright it can be, and then you can start thinking about effects over your general wash state. And remember, think colours! Don't clash costumes with the lx. Contrast is good!!! Have fun!

• 15 years ago
• 2

Side light is essential, typically i used parcans with CP62 for heads, fresnel (or 20 deg profile) for mids and 30 deg for shins. They cover all the main aspects for dance. Try using gobos and backlighting to add depth and shadows, choreographers like to see dynamic lighting in their peices so add some of your creative flare. Try using birdies or floor cans to get some uplighting and cast some large shadows on your back drop. Just experiment... its good! =)

• 14 years ago
• 3

A standard side light rig:
Shins- about 200mm off the floor profiles, 3 or 4 so that you can light the opposite wall from down to up stage wih some overlap. Think wash but against the wall.
Mids about 1500mm chest height? Par cans are best 500w 1k are too bright and hurt the dancers as well as wash out any dynamic from else where. If you can, use scrollers so that your main colours can be changed. Otherwise, get a stage tech and do colour changes between pieces. Again, focaus a line across from down to upstage. dont spill on pros arch or cyc. head for the tummy/chest area.
Heads, 650 -1k fresnel. Main reason is to light the skin so watch what you use. 156 is good(chocolate) as it gets rid of blemishes! dont sue same colour on both sides.. always use same colour on same side!
After this, if you have the kit and the space, its back light. at least a 3 colour back light in 1k and if poss, a couple of 2ks doing the angles from each corner.
Top light. again, if you have the kit, 2-3 colour wash which means if you havent got scrollers, 2-3 frenesls for each of the 9 or 12 square areas disected.
front light. Hardly any. you will need something for the call and maybe to cheat a bit of fill if the DS booms dont cover the edge of stage so...
use 4 fresnels. 2 in cole 2 in warm colours. 202 and 156 are my favourites. only use if youo are about to die cos you forgot some thing or if they are taking a bow and even then, just enough to see them without spoiling the preset!
Any more questions on this, let me know its. Alan J

• 14 years ago
• 4

I'd always light from behind with a medium blue-green gel, this gives a terrific glow for the slower dance movements.

• 14 years ago
• 5