Australian Dance Theatre Turns to an LED Solution from Jands

	Photo: Photography Chris Herzfeld Camlight Productions

In his role as Thinker in Residence at Deakin University Motion.Lab, Garry Stewart created Multiverse, a new type of audience experience where visually stunning 3D graphics share the stage with three dancers from Australian Dance Theatre. The production is one of the first 3D performances to be created by an Australian dance company. Viewed through 3D glasses, Multiverse is an extraordinary new work that combines the power of live dance with the wonder of 3D graphics from one of the great innovators of Australian dance.

Multiverse also uses infrared technology; an infrared camera follows the movements of the dancers and an interactive computerized system responds to the data collected. This enables sound, video, and lighting to respond live to the actions of the dancer.

"So wherever a performer moves, you can drop out the background information so the projected light only goes where the performer goes," explained lighting designer Damien Cooper. "It's like the perfect followspot."

Traditional tungsten stage lighting tends to disrupt the infrared signals and so Cooper turned to LED lighting including 24 of the ETC Source 4 LED Lustr+ profiles, and ten Vari-lite VLX LED washes. The rig is kept fairly simple as ADT sets ups on the day of the performance while on tour.

"We try to make the rigs as easy to tour as possible which usually means not using any of the venue's gear," said Damien. "You can get this rig up in 90 minutes. There are six booms preloaded with four ETC Source 4 LED Lustr+ profiles per boom."

Cooper noted that on all 3D shows he has seen, the lighting tends to make the cast stand out from the 3D show and so he was keen to ensure that the performers looked like they were truly immersed in the 3D show.

"I needed an LED lamp that could cut off the floor and the ETC Source 4 LED Lustr+ profile has a shutter system to enable this," commented Cooper. "I found that they change color really well, in fact they have some extraordinary colors and they are bright. Initially I was concerned with their brightness because the 3D glasses worn by the audience cut output by 30% so I put four fixtures on each boom thinking it was best to overdo it. However, we ended up running the lamps at between 20%-40% for most of the show! I was really impressed by their brightness and would have no hesitation using them on a larger stage."

Cooper was equally impressed with the Vari-lite VLX LED wash which offers stunning colors and intensity, multi-year source life, and high reliability with low energy consumption.

"I first used the VLX on Stormboy but only because that's what the venue had and I was trying to save money," admitted Cooper. "I was really impressed by them, they are a great light. Most LED fixtures have a bottom-end dimming-curve problem but that's pretty much fine with the VLX. The VLX have a cleaner field beam, better colors, and color mixing than all the discharge moving heads. Also, you don't have to spend heaps of time balancing out your moving lights. The VLX made the storm sequence's come alive."

For more information on the ETC Source 4 LED Lustr+ and the Vari-lite VLX LED supplied by Jands, see the URL below.