Oftentimes the most expressive forms of communication are those which transcend spoken language. This certainly rings true for Salsa, an art form that allows dance partners to communicate and tell stories through the medium of rhythm, movement, music, and costume.
The magic of Salsa cannot merely be heard and seen in the beautiful confines of Teatro Municipal this summer, it can also be felt in the heart and soul, as the historic venue in Cali, Columbia hosts Ensalsate, a passionate celebration of this enchanting dance form produced by the 360 Design Group. Heightening the transformative power of the performances on stage is a lighting design by Milton de la Cruz that features 22 Chauvet Professional Rogue R3 Beam fixtures.
Like the colorfully clad dancers on stage, de la Cruz’s flow of beams, spot lighting, and gobo patterns moves with deft grace as it sweeps up the audiences in a liberating whirlwind of desires and emotions. Underlying this zealous display, however, is a meticulously crafted design that pulls the entire creation together, endowing it with even greater power.
For all its free-flowing fervor, salsa adheres to its own choreographic grammar and syntax. As a result, accentuating the precise moves of the dancers is a crucial part of the De La Cruz’s design, which draws on a mixture of evocative beam configurations and colors to translate the energy of salsa into visual creation.
“My main mission was to make the choreographed moments more eye-catching and special for the audience,” said de la Cruz, who worked closely with 360 Group Colombia and its owner Paulo Rojas to mold the lighting concept around the detailed production. “The varied beam effects of the Rogue R3 Beams gave me the tools to reinforce the spirit and passion inherent within each carefully calculated move of the dancers on stage.”
With two formations of R3 Beams hung in linear fashion from above stage trussing and another linear formation positioned at the back of the stage on the floor, de la Cruz was able to utilize the sharp, focused beams to create columns of synchronized light on stage. The crisscrossing of the beams in both vertical and horizontal formations allowed the team to accentuate specific moments during the show, all the while creating an impressive look and feel for the stage.
One of the overriding themes of the show was the widespread use of vivid, saturated color. Often employed as one of salsa’s key tools to transmit emotion, the colorful costumes in the show come to symbolize the passion inherent in the language of salsa. This made it a primary consideration of de la Cruz when designing the show.
Suggesting a swirling sense of motion on stage was also key to setting the right atmosphere in this show. Among the more memorable looks was when de la Cruz called upon the numerous frosted prism effects within the fixture’s 17 continuous scroll gobos to direct wonderfully abstract colors and patterns towards the audience.
After seeing the Rogues in action for the first time in pre-production, Paulo Rojas, director of 360 Group Colombia, was so impressed that he gave his blessing to expand their role in the show, allowing them to be used in more scenes that originally intended.
“Rojas was very complimentary of the lighting concept,” said de la Cruz. “It was a great experience working with this team. Like the dancers on stage, our production crew moved in harmony together.”
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