Following the huge popularity of TV’s Dancing with the Stars comes Dancing with the Stars — the Tour. The tour features a revolving door of celebrity guests and dance numbers. On a recent night, for example, “Mr. Las Vegas” himself, Wayne Newton, made an appearance, along with Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan, who was voted off the show early in the season, to the dismay of many. Also on board for the tour were emcee/dancer Drew Lachey and dancer Cheryl Burke.
Peter Morse has lit some of the biggest stars in the industry in a career that has spanned decades. Along with his partner, Butch Allen, they formed Re:Design, Inc., and they created the design for Dancing with the Stars — the Tour.
Peter Morse on the process of designing a tour:
“It’s always a case of sleepless nights, no matter what tour we’re talking about. In this case, we had about 10 days to complete the task, which was complicated by the fact that numbers were changing as the staging adapted to the overall tempo of the show. As the changes came, we merely adjusted. Truly, an additional week would have been nice. However, I have to admit that I make that statement with every show I’ve done. The old adage holds true; work expands to fill the time allotted. Along with that, I must include opening night, house lights out, stage lights on, curtain up — we’ll all be there!
“Because of limited time, we had to program for the show that existed at the time. Though we knew there were changes in personnel, celebrities coming and going at various intervals, and there would inevitably be the change in music and dance routines, we had to focus on the task at hand. We left the revisions in the capable hands of Jesse Blevins, our touring LD.”
On bringing the show together:
“On the tour is Show Director Barry Lather, whom I’ve worked together with on Disney on Ice projects and on Usher’s last tour and TV special. He’s fantastic, very well organized and with a great sense of overall tempo for a show, and he brings a level of ‘street’ to the ballroom environment, which really helped open the music, dance, and lighting boundaries of the show.
“Our programmer, Arnold Serame (who has worked with Morse on many shows from Michael Jackson to Madonna and many more) is one of the best out there, and certainly the fastest. And Lighting Director Jesse Blevins is great. I first worked with Jesse when he was a board operator with Feld Entertainment and he ran cues for me on Princess Classics, one of their Disney on Ice tours. I recommended him as a working LD on the first Dancing with the Stars tour and everybody loved having him on board. He’s calm, hardworking, and has great timing. Then there’s Kevin Forster and the crew from Ed and Ted’s [Excellent Lighting] who are great…
“My associate in Re:Design, Inc., Butch Allen, who is the set/art designer for the tour, is always great fun. The best part is that we always end up with a set that is ‘lighting ready’ with no surprises.”
Butch Allen on adapting the show for LED:
“Nocturne Productions has been an integral part of this production from our first run. When we updated the design for the current run the decision was handed down to change out our projection for LED. Not only did we add a [Barco] D7 screen in the traditional upstage video screen position, but a stage level bi-parting D7 entrance was added (think Star Trek). Bob Brigham and his hands-on, team-player touring staff make the show look beautiful.”
On the staging:
“Bob Hughes and All Access Staging have provided the set for Dancing with the Stars from the get go. The ‘Star Trek’ LED doors were a level of production we were concerned about adding to the show. There are only two carpenters (Burtis Bragg and Sal Marinello) who take care of the 153-foot long set. It’s a full day for just two carps with out adding scenic automation. The simple solution supplied by All Access Staging is dependable, quickly deployable, and not a budget crusher.”
On the design goal:
“From the very beginning [the goal] was to bring the feel of the TV show to the arena. The ‘nightclub’ feel is a signature of the show. I can’t imagine doing this tour any other way. It’s refreshing to be in this particular setting where the dance is the focus and in a more or less traditional dance floor type setting — definitely ballroom!”
