On the heels of accepting the Icon Award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, launching her lifestyle brand and releasing her French-language single, Encore un soir, Celine Dion, kicked off her Summer Tour at the Antwerps Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium on 20 June 2016. Dion’s highly publicised tour is designed by Cirque Du Soleil’s set designer and show director, Charles Ethier and Yves Aucoin, respectively. Ethier and Aucoin enlisted veteran company, TAIT, to create an elegant, artistic yet cutting-edge experience.
TAIT mass-produced 168 Nano Winches, which are compact, flexible single point hoists, which feature a conductive ribbon that transmits power and LED control to a connected fixture. For Dion’s summer tour, the connected fixtures are 2 foot long, tube-like cylinders, made of fibreglass. Each of the connected cylinders ascend and descend into different configurations, and varying heights, while also changing colour to meet the theme of each song Dion performs.
Dion’s team worked diligently to ensure the theme of the show remained true to her iconic, powerful, and elegant brand. Dion, on her own, is a powerhouse performer. Having a kinetic light display, provided a unique texture to the set and unique context to the space while engaging the audience with the mood of each song.
The connected cylinders, at any given point, can extend 60 feet from the Nano Winch and move at approximately 10ft per second. The Nano Winches’ ability to create a dramatic, dynamic and ever-changing environment, highlight the innovative future of set and event design. With TAIT Navigator (a proprietary automation software platform) operating the movement of the Nano Winches, the run of show can adjust in real-time or be pre-set. Having this flexible automation software allows for the artists and the designers to add or detract from the show as desired.
The long-term working relationship with TAIT, Aucoin and Ethier led to an artistic, elegant and cutting-edge experience for both the audience and the artist. Dion’s Summer Tour will travel through France and Canada before her return residency at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV in September.
