LUMA light show dazzles

This past Friday I went to Hatfield Hall to see LUMA, having no idea what to expect. I had read the descriptions of the performance, which said that the performance focused on using lights in the darkness. According to Michael Marlin, the creator of LUMA, he had been doing this for over fifteen years.

I was completely mesmerized by the creativity that went into the production of LUMA. The acts were all well rehearsed and it was amazing that they were able to do so much in the darkness. It was fascinating that they could this with nothing to see but the props they used.

I was also amazed at how the performance was not affected by the poor seating I had. I could say I had one of the worse seats in the house, but it didn’t matter because everything was visible and hard to miss.

Throughout the entire performance, they had a “body” that they had created at the beginning of the show with glow sticks to represent its arms, legs, and head. The body reappeared in various different acts to either be the comedy relief or for transitions into new acts or continuations of a current act.

There were a variety of scenes that stood out for me. I especially enjoyed their rendition of an underwater scene, which included fish, a clam, a hammerhead shark, and a jellyfish. It was just amazing to see the variety of colors used, and the scenes flowed perfectly into eachother

They simulated an EKG machine with a process most people have been familiar with since kindergarten, where you play with jump ropes to make a sinusoidal wave, but instead they had vertical “beats” instead of the usual horizontal on the ground “snake”. As this act was winding down, and the heart was slowing in beats, the body came back out and after the lines went “flat” and the body fell apart, which was very cool.

Another way they surprised the audience was one scene which involved the use of pyrotechnics. I’m a huge fan of fire, and this definitely added an additional bonus to the program.

The performers made a point to involve the audience as well. After the intermission, Marlin encouraged the audience to turn on all their cell phones, flashlights, and whatever light making device they had to go along with the performance.

They also threw balls into the audience, which seemed to startle everyone in the main part of the auditorium. They encouraged everyone to hit the lighted balls around while they used that time to prepare for the next act. And to finish the show, they threw their juggling rings into the audience.

Overall, the entire show was unique; every act was different and displayed something new. It was amazing how there was such variety in what they did.