The promise of performances by such prestigious ballet companies as the Royal Ballet, London; the New York City Ballet and the Hamburg Ballet as part of the festivities, provided the push that Vladimir Lukasevich, the Mariinsky's renowned resident lighting designer had been looking for. With support from his colleagues from the visiting ballet companies the funding to replace the old, ill-equipped ballet booms was granted. As with most venues the ability to multi-task is vital and as the booms would have to be multi-purpose - Opera as well as the Ballet - and the Pacific zoomspots fit the bill in all respects.
So, why choose the Pacific' Lukasevich explains: ""We chose the Pacific because of the compact size of the 1kW luminaire and the fact that the light output is better and more effective then some 1.2kW units. Another key factor was that these lights operate at 220 volts which is what we have in Russia. Some other lamps run on US voltage of 120 volts which complicates the issue. With our big stage, we need at least 1kW lamps. In addition the Pacific's excellent heat management system means that lamps and gels last longer."
A long time enthusiast of the Pacific range, Lukasevich specified them for the Mariinsky Academic Opera and Ballet House shortly after their introduction to the market some years ago. Their performance in their established FOH and Torm positions has been excellent so it was no surprise that the chosen luminaire for the new ballet booms would come from Selecon. Lukasevich is one of the original converts to the Pacific range, specifying and installing them in the Mariinsky Academic Opera and Ballet House shortly after their introduction to the market.
(Lee Baldock)
