CHAUVET Professional accents surprises and delights at Festival du Cirque International des Mureaux

Few circuses have conjured up the magic of surprise as well (or as artfully!) as the award-winning Festival du Cirque International des Mureaux, one of the world’s preeminent circuses.

This was brilliantly evident this fall at the Parc du Sautour in Les Mureaux, where aerial hoopers, jugglers, clowns, and other acclaimed acts from all over the world awed the Festival du Cirque International crowd with their virtuosity. Contributing to the magical sense of surprise was the event’s lighting, which like the artists it illuminated went beyond the ordinary to find new ways to engage people visually.

Light Technician Frederic Sportiello and the entire team accented every dramatic acrobatic move and enlivened every humorous antic at the circus with their colorful and dynamic lighting. Key to helping them accomplish this impressive feat was a collection of 40 CHAUVET Professional Maverick, COLORado, and Rogue fixtures supplied by Remote.

“In lighting this event, we were looking for new and different effects that were completely unheard of at other circus festivals,” noted Sportiello. “We especially liked the COLORado PXL Curve 12 batten’s effects and Maverick Storm 3 BeamWash unit’s double zoom. The BeamWash really helped set the mood at the circus with its intense colours, and it enabled us to cut the number of wash lights we used by half while still getting larger coverage angles with no shadows.”

Expanding the coverage area and level of brightness even further was the Maverick Storm 4 Profiles, “This is an exceptionally bright projector that effectively covered the zones we wished to highlight,” said Sportiello. “Beyond its impressive brightness, the unique aperture of this fixture was very helpful.”

The circus’s kit featured four of the COLORado PXL 12 Curve motorized battens, eight Maverick Storm 3 BeamWashes and eight Maverick Storm 4 Profiles. Also adding colour and excitement to the show were eight Rogue R1 BeamWashes and an equal number of Rogue Outcast 2X Washes.

Given the variety, intensity, and sheer impact of the circus’s lighting, it may be difficult to believe that the number of fixtures used was not larger. But the amazing efficiency of this kit was not one of the “surprises” created by Festival du Cirque International des Mureaux. Instead, it was the result of intelligent and careful planning by a talented team.

As Sportiello explains: “The goal was to install half as much equipment, while achieving better rendering and output to provide exceptional lighting throughout the show.”

Photo credit: Patrick Boucher.