Professional Lighting & Production - Winter 2019 | Page 21

GEAR AT A
GLANCE
Courtesy of Soundbox
Productions
Well ahead of the tour, Moore would
attend rehearsals and study video of the
various performances, “and even just see-
ing the emotion in their faces gave me
ideas, because they’re all really passion-
ate about this and obviously love what
they’re doing. That really helped me push
myself in some new directions.”
He also points to Briar Nolet’s solo
as a personal favourite. The dancer, who
plays Richelle on the show, competed in
the third season of NBC’s World of Dance
and fared quite well, earning all kinds of
unique opportunities. “Her level of perfor-
mance has really been taken to the next
level,” says Moore, “so that was one that I
really focused in on and wanted to have
some great lighting and video to support
what she’s doing on stage, because what
she’s doing is kind of insane.”
The piece begins with Nolet in the
centre of the dark stage, and then she’s
hit with some stark top lighting. The
initial vibe is palpably moody as Nolet
struts to the front of the stage, at which
point the entire lighting rig “explodes,” as
Moore puts it – “and her energy basically
explodes, too, where she starts flipping
and doing some mind-blowing things.”
The Next Step – Absolute Dance Live on
Stage ended its 2019 run in early Novem-
ber with a show at Dublin’s Olympia The-
atre. Moore looks back fondly on the ex-
perience and all of his collaborations with
the franchise thus far, which has as much
to do with his own creative fulfillment as
it does delighting and doing right by the
show’s notably dedicated fanbase.
“I’ve always loved working on
concepts for shows like this from a big
picture perspective,” he says. “For a lot
of these kids, this is their first live show
at this scale, and to see their favourite
characters in this really exciting environ-
ment must be super cool. If I was a kid,
or even a dancer myself, I’d like to think
this would blow me away, and that’s a big
part of our overall mission: to bring these
kids some positive entertainment.”
As viewers anxiously await The Next
Step’s seventh season, which premieres
in late 2019 with a two-part special, there
are plenty unknowns in terms of what’s in
store for the gang at the Next Step Dance
Studio and how that might inform subse-
quent live shows. Whatever the case may
be, though, Moore is excited to continue
his work in this unique medium, and
there are hordes of fans in an ever-widen-
ing international market ready to pounce
on the opportunity to see these young
stars up close and in person.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of
Professional Lighting & Production.
27 x Elation ZCL 360i LED Moving
Effect Luminaire
72 x Elation Pixel Bar 40 (mounted
on custom side arms to hang
pre-rigged in transit)
12 x Martin MAC Quantum Wash
1 x Electro Kabuki System w/ 50 x
30-ft. white drape (for pre-show
reel)
1 x Electro Kabuki System w/ Diapar
50 x 30-ft. black drape (for encore)
1 x Christie DHD800 HD DLP
Projector
1 x 16 x 9-ft. Flexible LED Wall
w/5 mm pixel pitch
1 x MA Lighting grandMA3 light
Console
2 x MA Lighting grandMA NPUs
2 x Apple Mac Minis w/ QLab (2 nd
as tracking backup)
1 x Apple MacBook Pro w/ Resolume
1 x iConnectivity PlayAUDIO12
1 x Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital
Audio Console
Supplemental U.K. Package from
Adlib Sound Light & Visual
Solutions
1 x Robe BMFL Spot w/ Follow-Me
System
1 x Arena Rigging Package 
Winter 2019 | 21