The production finished its run at the Opera Vlaanderen in Ghent on 30 October, 2016 and subsequently played in Antwerp, Amsterdam and several other European cities.
Aaron, a freelance lighting designer based in New York, was asked to collaborate on Shahrazad by American choreographer Jonah Bokaer, known for his provocative and risk taking work, often utilizing mixed media. The two have worked regularly together, including recently on Rules of the Game at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a new work with original score by Pharrell Williams for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
This was a more minimalist production than many previous interpretations of the classic Rimsky-Korsakov piece, updated with abstract dramaturgical references to the modern Middle East.
Having only two backdrops as the primary visual elements for almost 45 minutes of choreography was daunting, which is why having the largest possible tool kit on those drops was vitally important. After much online research and working with lighting supplier PRG Belgium, Aaron and RBF production manager Mieke Vanderhaeghen were able to procure 34 of the CycFX8.
The units were arranged in a frame - 11 across the top, 11 on the floor, and six on each side mounted to a vertical structure fabricated by the RBF shop. The CycFX8 units played about 40cm upstage of the silks, alternately lighting directly into the fabric and bouncing onto a white cyc upstage of the silk. The CycFX units were sometimes static but often in motion, using slow colour chase, zoom and tilt effects to provide a constant sense of motion in the background.
(Jim Evans)
