Rock Circus rolls again with Robe
- Details
Ten dancers, an 18-piece rock ‘n’ roll band and over 100 Robe moving lights brought the performance to life, embracing 40 musical moments from artists like AC/DC, Kiss, Metallica, Miguel Rios, Iron Maiden, GNR, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Tequila, Queen, David Bowie, Rosendo and more.
Having lit the first Rock Circus edition in 2022, Juanjo once again enjoyed working collaboratively with a creative team including video designer Romera Infografía and technical director Flavio Bañuelos alongside producers Manu & Rafa González. They combined minds and imaginations to choose the best themes for several different eras of rock history that were covered in the show.
Lighting was developed in a theatrical style that blended the precision and drama of circus performance with the emotion and power of rock music.
Juanjo explored the relationships between the various music genres - hard rock, heavy metal, rock ‘n’ roll - and daring circus acts, a process that evolved more into a musical show aesthetic than a circus.
Recalling his experience and knowledge of working in big top venues and understanding challenges and nuances presented for rigging and fixture placement, the size, weight, and deployment of the lights was critical, and Robe MegaPointes and LEDBeam 150s were a clear choice for the backbone of the lighting design.
“Both these products are very flexible and can be positioned in multiple locations due to their expedient size and weight,” he noted.
The moving lights were rigged in some of the set pieces positioned around the musicians and taking advantage of the venue’s structural elements, with weight limitations and sightlines top of the agenda.
The left, right and central side sections of the tent were each lit with four MegaPointes and four LEDBeam 150s, complemented with 13 x MegaPointes, 20 x Spiiders and 21 x LEDBeam 150s in a 12m square structure above the ring.
Above the square was a 14m circle truss loaded with 12 x Pointes and four Spiiders, and on the floor were another two MegaPointes and six LEDBeam 150s.
Upstage on a series of scenery trusses were six more MegaPointes and six Spiiders plus 14 x Pointes. Getting exactly enough haze in the air to enhance the lighting without obscuring anything was a major part of the task and a delicate illuminative balancing act.
The major challenges of lighting the show included disseminating the massive raw live energy of rock music through the language of dance whilst presenting a circus show, for which Juanjo relied heavily on the adaptability and multifunctionality of the Robe products.
Productores de Sonrisas purchased the Robe fixtures via Spanish distributor Earpro&EES, with technical support and co-ordination for this project by rental company Smart Fussion.
Juanjo mentioned the “outstanding” backup and support received from their account managers Mario Ortega and Alfonso Pintado for the Rock Circus project. On site, he was supported by programmer Rodrigo Ortega, lighting chief and operator Fernando Berzosa, as well as Blanca Roldán and Jorge Olalla, his assistants and followspot operators.
