Dance East invests in Martin MAC Viper XIP and Robert Juliat Dalis fixtures

DanceEast, one of the UK’s leading dance organisations, has announced a major investment in its stage lighting systems with the acquisition of Martin MAC Viper XIP moving head luminaires and Robert Juliat Dalis cyc lights, supplied by lighting specialists, Flashlight.

Based at the purpose-built Jerwood DanceHouse on Ipswich’s waterfront, DanceEast has celebrated over 40 years as the home of dance in the East of England. Each year, the organisation involves over 60,000 people attendances in performances, training, and participation programmes. Its vision, as the organisation states, is “a world where everyone can benefit from the vital and life-enhancing power of dance.” Alongside performances, DanceEast delivers national and international artist support, professional development, community outreach, and youth training through its status as a renowned Centre for Advanced Training (CAT).

This new stage lighting investment, made possible by an Arts Council of England capital grant of £270,000, underscores DanceEast’s commitment to delivering technical standards that meet the needs of visiting national and international artists while advancing its engagement with environmental issues, particularly through reduced energy use and consumable waste.

“About three years ago, we completed an analysis of all our riders that were coming through and that we were trying to fulfil by over-relying on short term hires, which can be relatively expensive,” explains Greg Turbyne, Technical Manager, DanceEast. “Even the delivery costs can be enough to inform an artist’s decisions particularly as many of our companies do work on fairly tight margins.”

Sustainability was also central to the investment.

“Under our ecological brief, we were also starting to look at what we could do within the theatre to bring our power consumption down,” Greg continues.

By choosing to invest in the installation of modern LED-based fixtures, DanceEast anticipates significant operational savings, reduced waste, and less frequent maintenance interventions. The organisation’s capital project bid to Arts Council England set out ambitious reduction targets, with an aim to reduce overall lighting power consumption and lamp replacement costs by 50% across the first year of operation (a figure that also takes into account new working lights), and a 90% reduction in the use of colour gel filters.

The procurement stage was meticulous, with Flashlight actively involved throughout—from preliminary discussions to product qualification and on-site demonstrations.

“We tested pretty much everything that was on the market,” Greg describes. “In terms of moving heads we looked at all the contenders you’d expect, all here in-situ.” 

DanceEast first encountered the new Martin MAC Viper XIP as a prototype at the PLASA Show, where its shutter system and optics stood out.

“The shuttering accuracy and framing was probably one of the most winning features of the Viper for us,” Greg confirms. “In dance, a lot is done geometrically, straight down. If all your shutter blades are on different planes it can be challenging to achieve a perfect focus. The Viper offered the precision we needed.“

Continuity with touring productions was another factor: “When we went back to our riders there was quite a lot of Martin coming through – not solely Martin, but a large percentage. There are still old discharge Vipers touring within the dance sector, so show file compatibility and continuity were also strengths.”

Alongside its light quality, beam angle was another decisive factor given DanceEast’s relatively compact stage dimensions. “Actually when we first saw the prototype Viper XIP the beam angle wasn’t quite good enough for us. But as part of the development process, they managed to widen it and that ensured it was suitable.”
 Ultimately, 11 MAC Viper XIP fixtures were purchased, with eight forming the standard house rig and three retained for flexible deployment.

DanceEast applied the same rigorous approach to cyc lighting. Nine Robert Juliat Dalis cyc units were selected, eight of which are installed as standard with one kept as spare.

“If you name a cyc flood, we probably tested it,” Greg recalls. “Because of our stage depth, the position you might normally choose to light a cyc from may not be available, but we found that with the Dalis we could get very decent coverage at close range.”

The familiarity of Robert Juliat in European touring houses was an added benefit: “If you go to a European dance house, which a lot of the companies who pass through us do, you will find a fair bit of Robert Juliat.” Since their installation, the Dalis units have, in Greg’s words, been “solid since day one with no problems at all.”

Alongside the new fixtures, further infrastructure improvements were made. The venue kept its existing console, supplementing with additional Response units to increase its universes and enhance sACN distribution, with the new MAC Viper XIPs controlled primarily via sACN.

DanceEast’s investment means that visiting choreographers and lighting designers can now access professional-grade moving light and cyc systems often previously beyond their reach.

Feedback from visiting companies has been universally positive. Greg confirms: “We have artists who are now able to work with equipment that was previously prohibitively too expensive. We routinely collate feedback as part of the Arts Council England process, and it has been extraordinary.”

He is also quick to commend Flashlight for their role. “They’ve been excellent,” he says. “We’ve worked with them before on smaller jobs without issues. This time was the same.”

As Greg concludes, “The arrival of the MAC Viper XIP and Robert Juliat Dalis fixtures as part of this major upgrade brings DanceEast’s performance space into line with the specifications of many larger venues, supports our ambitions in championing responsible environmental practice, and strengthens our position as the home of dance in the East of England for years to come.”