shiben
Well-Known Member
Thats what we were taught.
Design Another First Dance Recital
- Thread starterjmac
- Start date
Thats what we were taught.
I have not personally, however, the LD for the last dance company to come through put a breakup in his mids. The effect didn't really work because our ancient fixtures can't really get sharp enough for it to read, but I think I can see what he was going for. It's something I'd like to try if we ever got decent fixtures on our booms. I say give it a shot; if you hate it, you can always take them out.
Speaking of which, I would highly suggest (if you are able) making sure that you leave yourself a little time in the dark to play around with the rig. Use it as an opportunity to try a couple things out, see how they read, and change them if you don't like them. That way, you can feel confident in your rig when rehearsal starts and you start programming like a fiend!
Best of luck! Be sure to tell us how you made out!
No, but I don't place any fixtures below +10ft AFL. We own dance towers that are steel box truss, with dual shins and dual head highs, but made the deliberate choice to not use these for dance recitals. The wee ones would bounce right off these things and I'd doubt the older kids would know to not stand in front, plus I already have 3 colors of sides at +10, 12 & 14 ft, so don't need the extra sides.
I do put breakup temps in the pipe ends, with a L201. Works well for ballet and solo pieces.
I do put breakup temps in the pipe ends, with a L201. Works well for ballet and solo pieces.
The last few recitals I have done have been at venues with minimal lighting installed and with limited setup time. In that case, my priority was front lighting (usually 4 lekos on stands, and a homebrew footlight system and the house's row of PAR38s for toplight). After the frontlight, my next priority was the backdrop, and if I still had time and gear, sidelighting.
Sure, if I was in a real venue with a full rig, I would have done things differently, but I had to work with what I had.
/mike
Sure, if I was in a real venue with a full rig, I would have done things differently, but I had to work with what I had.
/mike
Esoteric
Well-Known Member
I have, yes.
I have done breakups from every possible angle/hang position you can imagine.
It also keeps tutus from from catching on fire...
The messed up thing is that he's not trying to be funny. Apparently, (previous to my tenure,) during a dance recital a little girl stood in front of one of the mids and her tutu started smoking. No one was hurt, but as a result I am forbidden from using shins and mids, (I can use heads only if I top hang them,) and a three-sided box about 4' high was built to go around the back of each boom. I'm allowed shins and mids only when working with professional groups. It's annoying, but better than getting sued for catching children on fire, I suppose.
OK so this is totally OT but the smoking tutu image brought up another image
We are doing a tech week for a dance company going out on tour, so they are in for a week. The LD is Stan Pressner (LD for Inside the Actors Studio on cable among others) and INSISTED that the booms we built up special for him, be pulled off stage as far as possible to maximize the spread of the 6x9's. We comment that this is perhaps a bad idea for any number of reasons, but he insisted so off stage go the booms.
Besides the complaints Stan then issued about the dancers crossing in front of the booms and causing shadows (they had no other way to go US/DS) the units were getting knocked out of focus all the friggin time. Thus I handed over the console to my assistant and stayed backstage to handle re-focus. I'm standing in the wings when a dancer comes offstage, all hot and sweaty and promptly stands right smack in front of a lit x9 head high, literally 3 inches from the unit and facing onstage. After a minute or so, his head starts smoking as the sweat starts getting dried out. He turns to me at this point and asks "Is it really hot in here ?".
Nope.
This was also the focus that had a spanking brand new LD assistant named Ken Schutz. Ken had done a Gilbert Hemlesy internship at NY City Opera, right after college. He then moved up and became an asst. LD, then an Associate LD all at the ripe age of 25. Ken met Stan somewhere along the way and Stan asked him to come in and focus this dance company as Stan had a conflict. Trouble is, young Kenneth had never in his life focused for dance lighting and did top cuts on the top of his head for every side light unit (96 total fixtures). Seemed young Ken had never seen a dancer LIFT another into what was now a black hole. The crew commented that the only lifting they do at the opera is with a fork lift, mostly as opera performers tend to weight 300 lbs. Funny memory.
We are doing a tech week for a dance company going out on tour, so they are in for a week. The LD is Stan Pressner (LD for Inside the Actors Studio on cable among others) and INSISTED that the booms we built up special for him, be pulled off stage as far as possible to maximize the spread of the 6x9's. We comment that this is perhaps a bad idea for any number of reasons, but he insisted so off stage go the booms.
Besides the complaints Stan then issued about the dancers crossing in front of the booms and causing shadows (they had no other way to go US/DS) the units were getting knocked out of focus all the friggin time. Thus I handed over the console to my assistant and stayed backstage to handle re-focus. I'm standing in the wings when a dancer comes offstage, all hot and sweaty and promptly stands right smack in front of a lit x9 head high, literally 3 inches from the unit and facing onstage. After a minute or so, his head starts smoking as the sweat starts getting dried out. He turns to me at this point and asks "Is it really hot in here ?".
Nope.
This was also the focus that had a spanking brand new LD assistant named Ken Schutz. Ken had done a Gilbert Hemlesy internship at NY City Opera, right after college. He then moved up and became an asst. LD, then an Associate LD all at the ripe age of 25. Ken met Stan somewhere along the way and Stan asked him to come in and focus this dance company as Stan had a conflict. Trouble is, young Kenneth had never in his life focused for dance lighting and did top cuts on the top of his head for every side light unit (96 total fixtures). Seemed young Ken had never seen a dancer LIFT another into what was now a black hole. The crew commented that the only lifting they do at the opera is with a fork lift, mostly as opera performers tend to weight 300 lbs. Funny memory.
Small world indeed. I'm in the area also and have been to the dance recital you speak of for the last ~10 years (daughter has taken lessons from the group). I'll probably be there again this year and will try to find you and hopefully get a tour.
OK new CB rule. Marital discord issues go to the General forum.
I was thinking PMs would be more appropriate but then we wouldn't be able to comment. Time for a new section?
The Footer and MrsFooter section? Could be interesting!
My only suggestion is make sure the dancers get a chance to. Practice with the lights so they aren't blinded or surprised with it.
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Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 that is totally out of most venues control. Our venue rents by the day, however, labor is charged per hour. Labor rates add up quickly so most studios try to spend as little time as possible in the venue. We have a few companies that come in and book rehearsal time with full crew. We have a few that book rehearsal time with work lights. We also have a few companies that book no rehearsal time. For the ones that book full crew, Steph gives them a full design. For the ones that do worklights or nothing, they get a submaster and a changing cyc depending on what I tell her the costumes look like for the next piece. Rehearsal is great, however, in the reality of how expensive labor costs can be and in the current economy, you get what you get, and most studios are fine with it if it does not kill their bottom line.
I usually do about 6 dance recitals a year, all of them in June, in the same venue. Since they are back to back, I don't have time to change the rigging in between, so I generally do a basic lighting plot. This year I put 14 Source Fours at FOH, seven of them with R33, the other seven with R67. I also had four pars up there with scrollers. My 1st electric has two pars as pipe ends, also with scrollers, 8 fresnels evenly spaced half with R33, the other have with R67. I have three source fours evenly spaced with breakups, two Elation Design Spots, and four par cans with R33 as down lights. My second electric has a strip. The third electric has two par cans as pipe ends with R67, eight fresnels, again half with R33 and R67, as back lights, and four American DJ Accu Spot 250's (...I know, but it's all they could afford). The fourth electric has 12 Scoops, all with R80, as cyc lights. Although recitals can be extremely boring, and sometimes even torturous, they usually pay great! 
-Matt
-Matt
Mrs. Footer explained that to me on Saturday. She (and you) did a good job considering the dance crew didn't want to pay for rehearsal for that show. Nice meeting with the Mrs. and tell her thanks for the chat.
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