Colombia-based LD, Milton De la Cruz had more than a few dramatic high points to light in December 2018 when he worked on the annual main show of Ensálsate.
The Salsa Caleña cabaret had over 80 artists on stage, a live orchestra, 500 stunningly colourful costume changes, and a nonstop flow of breathtaking dance moves. Helping de la Cruz reflect this choreographed panorama in light was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Spot and Chauvet COLORdash Par-Quad 18 fixtures.
“Few things are more important than knowing your show’s peaks,” De la Cruz said. “I focus very hard on having an appreciation of the key moments and highlighting the stage and the artists during them. Fixtures that are fast and bright like the Rogues and COLORdashes help me be responsive to the key moments.”
Flying six Chauvet Rogue R2 Spot fixtures on midstage truss, De la Cruz relied on them for downlighting dancers and creating a sense of space on stage. By creating columns of light on stage, he not only was able to highlight individual performers, but he also added depth to the stage and established an “architecture” that accentuated the sensuous movements of the salsa dancers.
The colour-rendering capabilities of the Chauvet Rogue R2 Spot, which has two colour wheels, split colour capabilities and continuous variable speed scrolling, helped De la Cruz reflect different peaks in the cabaret’s performance. Working in conjunction with washes in the rig, the Rogue fixtures helped transform the entire mood of the stage with colour changes.
Also, the key to colourising the stage was the 22 Chauvet COLORdash Par-Quad 18 fixtures in the rig. Flown on midstage and downstage truss, these fixtures were used to set moods and coordinate the stage lighting with the dancers’ colourful costumes. Blue, cyan and orange were the dominant colours used during the performance.
In addition to valuing the Chauvet COLORdash fixtures for their colours, De la Cruz praised their flexibility. He said: “These are versatile fixtures that helped me respond to different elements of the dance,” he said. “I loved to play with the dimmer and strobe capabilities.”