Dance Lighting

This photo is striking because of the contrast between the warm and cool toned lights. I like that the yellow, warmer light is cast on their faces to highlight them and their facial expressions, while the blue, cooler light is cast below, blending their bodies in with the stage. The primary focus becomes the dancers and their expressions. The highlights versus shadows in this photo are striking and have a sharp contrast, but the soft toned lights make it appear smoother. The lighting makes good use of color, shadows and direction to highlight a beautiful performance.

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Dance Lighting

I found this lighting interesting because it's much more of a sharp, clear white than is usually seen in dance performances. None of the dancers are dressed in bright-colored clothing, and the pale colors reflect a serious tone. It is interesting to see how the light strikes all of the dancers because they are at different heights. The light does not highlight any of their faces, but instead draws focus to movement and their bodies and shapes created on stage. This suggests a highly dramatized and stylized performance. The simple lighting keeps the performance simple but powerful.

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Dance Light

I liked this photo because I thought that the lighting on stage (or wherever they are performing) was executed very well to add to the performance while not making it over or underdramatic. For a group of dancers, I think that a big spotlight might be too much, but just simple mood lighting or cyc lights might not be enough. This scenario portrays lighting that focuses the dancers and keeps their facial expressions and movements as the focus.

Dance Row

I really liked this photo of these dancers because of the positioning of the light. The combination of the light coming from the side and the position that all of the dancers are in, it shields the front of their body from exposure, and sort of creates a half-light, half-dark scene. I think the different colors of light also helps create new skin tones for the dancers to possibly try to add to their appearance.

Individual Dancer

I chose this photo of this individual dancer because of how fun and creative they look. They give me Michael Jackson vibes because of the hat and gloves. The lights are positioned very strategically to highlight exactly where to draw the audience's eye. I could see this person dancing to EDM music.

Dance Group

I chose this photo of a dance group because it is so dramatic and powerful. The direction of the light from the left highlights the faces but the background is dark and smokey. The pink and red evokes a powerful mood. I imagine they are dancing to a heavy hip hop song with deep bass.

Dance

This is a good example of the lighting designer and costume designer working together. The pink light goes well with the pink of their outfits and can kind of trick the eye into seeing more of a gown than a jumpsuit.

Source:https://www.josephleephotography.com/dance

Dance Lighting 2

This image shows an example of a high intensity light allowing the audience to see most of the dancers’ forms. But it’s interesting that the light changes on different levels of the space: some of the dancers kneeling downwards do not have as much light on them as the ones who stand upright. The bright yellow works well to show most of their movements and has an effect to highlight them even though they are wearing black costumes.

Dance Lighting 1

The light in this scene is generally quite dim, but certain areas are lit up more than others. The main blue color in the background and costumes is quite relaxing and mysterious. The dancers’ faces are highlighted, alongside their arms and the female dancer’s legs. I think the choice to light up only these areas is very dynamic and highlights the dancers’ different movements.

Silhouette

The use of the Cyc light to illuminate the background to the extent of making the dancers into silhouettes would help to accentuate the movement of the dancers. The color of the light seems to hint a sunset on the savanna hand the tree's silhouette resembles an African tree so this might be from a rendition of the Lion King.

Source: https://arts.ufl.edu/academics/theatre-and-dance/programs/lighting-design/

Dance Lighting

The dancers in this image are from the shadows of the cast in the back. The lines help divide the different dancers and their respective moves. Also some of the shadows are slightly different, which also helps distinguish them from each other. Things like the height difference are noticeable too.

Dance Lighting

My favorite thing about this picture is how the dancers are divided up on the stage through the use of the lights. This way, if one of the dancers is going to do something different from the rest, it is easy to pinpoint and notice. Another cool example of focusing attention somewhere is by changing the color of the squares, as seen in the far back left corner. I feel like this format of lighting is going for showing off individual dances or just keeping a group dance look focused and clean.

Dance Lighting

I love the lighting in this dance performed by the Rockettes. I really like the low light that sweeps the stage in a purple hue. I like that this light highlights the dancer's sole supporting leg and shows the uniformity of the line of dancers. I also like that the lights make the dancers highly visible. I also think that the light brings out the green and red of the costumes. I like the lights in the other elements of the set, and I think that it helps create the atmosphere of New York and Radio City Music Hall. I think the lighting for this dance helps create excitement. 

From: https://njnext.com/rockettes-visit-new-jersey-libraries-september-13-14/

Dance Lighting

I really love the lighting for this dance scene from Cinderella because it models the characters beautifully and highlights the form of the dancers. I think that the soft white light brings out the colors of the costumes. I really like how the light makes the actors selectively visible with the background only dimly lit. I also like how the dancers are fully visible, as the audience is even able to see the feet of the characters. I think that the lighting portrays a romantic mood that elevates the dance.

From: https://www.pnb.org/repertory/cinderella/

Dance Lighting - Shape and Lines

This lighting is a good example of how shapes can be used to enhance the lines created in this dance. The use of four elongated rectangular shapes over each of the dancers allows the viewer to see the dancers as individuals as well as see the group as a whole, working together to create one picture. Along with this, the direct overhead light casts a very dramatic shadow over the dancers, and when combined with the sharp lines, gives the viewer a very intense picture to take in.

Dance Lighting - Color

I think this photo is an interesting example of the use of color in dance lighting. To begin the stark white color enhances the bleak feelings already seen by the small shapes of the dancers and their facial expressions. Along with this the lack of direct lighting does not give the viewer a place to focus and allows their eyes to look everywhere. Overall I think this lighting does well to capture the feelings of this dance.

Dance Lighting - Florence + the Machine "Big God"

This still, from Florence + the Machine's music video for Big God, is set in a pool of shallow water. The lighting itself is rather subtle, but the flooring gives it an extra dimension in the vivid reflections that appear. Additionally, the reflections have the unique property of splashing and rippling with the dancer's movement.

Source: https://youtu.be/_kIrRooQwuk

Dance Lighting - Kendrick Lamar at the 2018 Grammys

Kendrick Lamar's 2018 Grammy Awards performance, with U2 and Dave Chappelle, uses only three colors of light: the red, white, and blue of the American flag. The majority of light comes from side lights, adding visual tension to the political tension of the song and performance, and highlighting the movements of the identically-costumed dancers, who (along with Kendrick Lamar) take up the entire stage.