Dion is performing on a 36 x 24 metre stage, along with her 12-piece band, 48 dancers, a mega LED screen and an impressive lighting system masterminded by Yves Aucoin, Dion's lighting designer for 14 years. Aucoin has specified 60 Stage Profile Plus SVs, the new moving body beam shapers from Clay Paky.
From the start, Aucoin saw this show as a new challenge: "We needed a more theatrical approach - one distinct from the other lighting designs used for Celine's concerts in the past. I had already lit events in theatres, stadiums and arenas, so it was simply a question of designing at a totally new level." Aucoin's aim was to create a dynamic light show with a series of moving lights which it took four months to design and programme. "This is an extremely varied design, full of special effects and movement: I took time to study Celine's tracks and gave my own interpretation. I wanted to give the lighting a 'personality' and make it an integral part of the theatrical performance."
Aucoin has depended on Clay Paky technology for many years now - in fact the company's fixtures have been used in all of Celine Dion's tours over the past few years. During the preparations for A New Day, the Canadian lighting designer visited Clay Paky's Canadian distributor to see the Stage Profile Plus SV in action. "I could see the precision of the beam shaper effect: its clear-cut triangular and quadrilateral shapes can be transformed in many different ways and rotated on a 90° angle. The beam shaper blades move smoothly and linearly and never jolt. They can even be operated from a control desk, creating original effects such as the 'curtain' effect with a single blade, which is handy in theatrical performances."
Aucoin was also keen to take advantage of the fixture's operational silence. "When up to 200 moving luminaires are all working at once, the noise made by the internal cooling fans can be a problem," explains Aucoin, "so the silence of these products is a real advantage."
Lighting&Sound International will carry a major feature on the show and the venue in a future issue.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
