The Petronio Alvarez festival, affectionately called “El Petronio,” has no trouble making news. A signature event in Cali, the six-day celebration of music, food, and culture, draws over a half-million people to the city’s la Unidad Deportiva Alberto Galindo sports complex. It’s been that way for 27 years, but last summer the festival made news of a different kind when local news outlets were buzzing with reports of UFO sightings.
No, ET did not decide to visit this beautiful city set high above sea level in Cauca Valley; the reports were the result of Milton De La Cruz’s preparation for the festival. The night before the festival started the talented lighting designer did a light check. There was heavy fog covering in this valley town set in the mountains, De La Cruz ran his 30 CHAUVET Professional Rogue R3 Beams at full power, as a dry run for the aerial effects he would be using to rev up the pulsating atmosphere around the festival’s main stage. The lights were bright alright – so bright they led to UFO sightings being broadcast on the local radio stations. “It took some explaining to clear up the confusion,” said De La Cruz, “but at least residents knew that their iconic local festival would be animated by one, terrific lightshow. “
Once the festival started, the show created by De La Cruz, his assistant LD Jordy Meza, L2 Jaxbleidy Cardona, general director Ana Copete, and art curator Cesar Herrera, did not disappoint. Using gear supplied by Paulo Rojas and his team at 360 Group Colombia with some installation done by EAV Audiovisual, De La Cruz and his team reflect the upbeat, festive mood of the music with a brilliantly colored lightshow that featured a broad and very distinctive palette.
Many of the colors , such as azure and coral, that enlivened the light and video show for headliners salsa legends Grupo Niche and other artists celebrated the local landscape and culture. Arranging his Rogue R3 Beams across the stage deck, De La Cruz used them to create bold crossing patters in color and white. Utilizing the wide zoom range of the fixtures, he kept his looks vibrant and fresh by changing the size of the area covered by the beams.
Since the festival is a renowned event throughout Colombia and much of Latin America it was broadcast widely on television. “The challenge in this festival was that I had to achieve the balance between the broadcast for TV and the show for the public,” said De La Cruz. One way he accomplished this was by using the crossing patterns of his Rogue fixtures to add depth to the stage for two-dimensional camera shots, while still creating captivating panoramas for live audience.
Of course, De La Cruz also used this Rogue R3 Beams and other fixtures to create stunning aerial effects. Fortunately, by this time local residents were familiar with the power of his rig, so there were no reported UFO sightings. Nevertheless, everyone agreed that his lightshow, while not extra-terrestrial, was indeed out of this world!
Further information from CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
