Puretek Group collaborated with the iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre to enhance their lobby space with an awe-inspiring color-changing lights setup, and to expertly troubleshoot existing issues in the auditorium.

The RGBW lobby lighting project aimed to create a captivating atmosphere that would leave a lasting impression on visitors and patrons from the moment they stepped into the studio. The impact was immediate, elevating the overall ambiance of the studio. Visitors were captivated by the interplay of colors, enhancing their anticipation for the incredible artistic brilliance they were about to witness. The color-changing lights not only complemented performances but also became an attraction in themselves, enhancing the overall visitor experience.

In the auditorium, PureTek successfully remedied a dimming issue which was baffling the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre team as well as contractors and theater technicians. As a high-end performance arts space, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre requires pro-grade dimming in their auditorium house lighting; a requirement all the more important as a bulk of their income comes from productions and rentals. Fortunately, the expert PureTek engineering team was able to track down the problem and provide a cost-effective, simple, and quick-to-implement fix that made the auditorium space better than ever.

Through their commitment to excellence, Puretek Group and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre continue to inspire and captivate, leaving a lasting mark on the world of dance and artistry.

LOCATION
New York

DATE
Summer ’23

CATEGORY
Architectural

PARTNERS
Energy Conservation & Supply

 

 

Project Video

Project Solutions

Challenges

1)    As the home of the world-famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the new lighting needed to provide high-quality illumination with professional-grade artistic effects. In order to accommodate a busy and rapidly changing performance schedule as well as special events & holidays, the process of creating new scenes and animations was required to be simple. Furthermore, the system had to be wireless as running control wiring was not an option.

2)    Multiple groups tasked with identifying the source of the unpredictable and jittery dimming in the auditorium were unable to find a resolution, and proposed solutions that required significant labor and materials. The cost and time was not acceptable to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

The Solution:

Professional-grade Acolyte strip lighting was installed in the two alcoves above the elevators in the main levels of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre to provide indirect RGBW accent lighting capable of vivid static scenes and dynamic animations. The lighting system was outfitted with a Casambi-enable controls protocol via McWong hardware components. A controls kiosk was installed in the local staff-only security room to provide one-touch access to presets as well as to act as a gateway device to enable the remote creation of scenes, animations, and schedules by PureTek designers. To empower local staff, system training was provided to instruct how to adjust colors, create automated schedules, and create dynamic effects and animations.

In the auditorium, PureTek engineers were able to source the problem to faulty dimming modules and an incompatible wiring schema. New ETC LED10 PhaseAdept dimming modules were supplied for the existing Unison Dimming Panel while extra resistance added to the lighting load was removed. To ensure compatibility with the general system, the house lighting was reintegrated into the general performance lighting controls as well as being reprogrammed into the entry stations. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is happy to once again operate their auditorium at the high-end professionalism expected of their reputation.

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