Elation Design Spot 1200C at Studio One Dance Theatre

For over 25 years, Studio One Dance Theatre (SODT) has been an inspirational force in Chicago, providing not only technical dance training, but empowering young people to unleash their creativity and self-esteem. Every June, some 400 SODT dancers, who range in age from pre-school to their 20s, put their talents on display in a spectacular theatrical production held at the 1,200-seat Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University. Described as "part musical, part play and part dance performance," the three-to-four-hour show combines an artfully eclectic mix of different styles, from classical ballet to modern dance and jazz - and even hip-hop.

With such great diversity in one production, it's no wonder that Jason Reberski, of JR Lighting Design, Inc. of Orland Park, who has designed and programmed the lighting for the SODT show since 2008, found a new star to dance with this year: the Design Spot 1200C DMX moving head from Elation Professional. Capable of functioning as both a spot and wash effect via application of a variable frost filter, the extremely versatile 1,200W Design Spot 1200C offers many other features, including CMY color mixing with CTO, two gobo wheels, two rotating prisms, an animation wheel, and a wireless DMX receiver -- all in a compact case the size of a typical 700W fixture.

Reberski included seven Design Spot 1200Cs in his moving light rig, which also contained eight moving heads from another manufacturer that were originally specified for the show. "I replaced some of the original moving heads with the Design Spots when I found they were available from another dealer here in Chicago," said Reberski. "I had heard and read rave reviews about the Design Spot 1200C that had greatly impressed me. So I decided to take out some of (the other fixtures) and put Design Spots in their place as a trial.

"The show is a mix of elements," added Reberski. "It's very theatrical at times, and at other times it's very flashy and kind of in your face.' The thought was to use a fixture that could handle all of that."

About a week's worth of preparation goes into setting up the production, then four performances are given over the course of a weekend. How did the Design Spot 1200C perform in its Studio One Dance Theatre debut?

It actually "out-danced" the competition, reported Reberski. "Four out of eight of the (other manufacturer's) moving heads had major problems, and three of those units had to be replaced on the second day. But the Design Spot 1200Cs were absolutely flawless in performance and capabilities. They were truly my workhorse fixtures. I pushed them very hard for a week and they just kept on performing. If I would have had a complete Design Spot 1200C rig, it would have saved many, many headaches in terms of reliability.

He added that the units were excellent to work with from a design standpoint. "Great optics, great gobos, the CMY color mixing is perfect . . . I was very impressed that the Design Spots could handle the theatrical cueing with precision and finesse as well as the flashier 'bumps' and chases.

"Plus it's got more features than many other fixtures in its category, such as frost, CTO, an animation wheel and wireless DMX. And it's tiny, the size of most 700W fixtures, yet it delivers 1,200W brightness. When they say '1200 Compact,' they mean it! Executive director Pamela Avery and production director Andre Robinson were very pleased with the show's growth over the years, noting that this year's show completely relied on lighting for establishment of mood and location (due to the minimalistic scenic approach). Many of the dynamic, theatrical lighting aspects of the show were made possible by the Design Spot 1200C's vast feature-set and high performance."

What makes the Design Spot 1200C's long list of features even more impressive, Reberski added, is the fixture's price. "It does everything that other fixtures will do - and more -at an incredible price."