Robert Juliat’s award-winning Dalis 860 LED cyclorama lighting fixtures are currently
playing a key role in Snegourotchka (The Snow Maiden) by Rimski-Korsakov at the
Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. The opera premiered at the 1740-seat Heritage
Stage on a set designed by Vladimir Arefiev, with lighting by Damir Ismagilov.

In the largest installation of Dalis to date, Ismagilov chose to use 92 Dalis 860
asymmetrical LED units to illuminate three enormous lightboxes – the largest features
of the set in this spectacular production – which form the backdrop to the Russian
folktale that tells of the Snow Maiden’s ill-fated love for the human, Mizgir.

The lightboxes, each of which measures 22m wide x 15m high, are suspended 3m
above the stage and positioned upstage and on each side to form a box, covering the
whole stage in width and depth to create an “endless sky” surrounding the acting area.

They are used to provide an even sky-glow, coloured with different shades of cold
white and light blue. In the finale, a strong tungsten light spreads on stage to
symbolise the end of endless winter when the dead-cold sky turns to golden-amber as
the brightest point of the show.

To create this signature feature and maintain the ambience throughout the
performance, Ismagilov required a very even, very strong wash for the lightboxes,
and was tasked with finding a fixture that could handle the scale of the production and
the challenges of the hanging positions and set design.

The lightboxes were constructed using screens and blackout banners to bounce light
from the backdrop onto the rear of the front screen, for a softer and diffused effect.
They were built with just one lighting truss at the top and one at bottom – and no
opportunity for hanging positions at half-height within the lightboxes to make the
wash more even. The fixtures would not only need to be capable of providing strong
and even cyc-light, but also be cool enough to operate close to the lightbox screens
without melting them.

The Bolshoi team found the ideal solution in the Robert Juliat Dalis units, 46 of which
were rigged evenly on trussing at the top of the light boxes, with another 46 rigged at
the bottom, standing on platforms suspended on flybars and motor hoists.

“We decided to use Robert Juliat Dalis 860 for several reasons,’ explains the Bolshoi
Theatre’s head of lighting, Ayvar Salikhov. “First and foremost, the beam spread and
angle is perfect for our needs – the output is strong enough to throw the light up to
the full height at the top of the 15m lightbox and give an even wash using just the top
and bottom rows, without a dark gap at half-height.

“Secondly, the Dalis has a wide colour range that can produce a tungsten-like
spectrum, and its cold LED light source makes possible to set up many fixtures within
the closed space of the lightbox with no fear of heat damage.

“Lastly, the dimensions and simplicity of the Dalis are exactly what we need. They are
lightweight with perfectly simple cabling and a flexible rigging system – this is
essential as Bolshoi is repertory theatre and we must be able to set up the lights
quickly. Similarly, Dalis”s compact size, robust body and specially engineered
flightcases are all equally important as the fixtures are stored in stock and are
transported on stage for every show.’

Damir Ismagilov was equally pleased with the choice of Dalis, both for its performance
and for the aesthetic possibilities it gave to his design. “Due to Dalis’ ability to create
a perfectly even wash of light across large surfaces in a wide range of intensity levels
and colours, we were able to obtain the effect of huge isotropic, sky-like, light source
that set the character of the lighting for the scenes and helped determine the special
atmosphere as the action changed.’ Ismagilov states. “For example, a wide spectrum
of cold shades of white and exceptionally smooth, seamless light transitions allowed
us to portray a very precise feeling of a leaden sky that could imperceptibly fade into
a dense twilight shade. In the finale, we could mix a bright, saturated sunburst tone
which harmoniously complemented the tungsten tonnes of multiple stadium-lamp
clusters as they projected from the stage into the audience,’ he concludes.

The team at the Bolshoi Theatre is already familiar with Robert Juliat, as they have
Robert Juliat Lucy, Flo, Victor and Aramis followspots in their inventory, alongside
D’Artagnan profile fixtures and Jalousie automated shutters for HMI Fresnels. “We
have used Robert Juliat for a number of years and are very happy with their great
lighting quality and durability,’ continues Salikhov. “We find them the best on the
market in terms of light quality, size and ergonomics, and are very pleased with the
high level of technical support we receive from Robert Juliat.

“We are pleased to see that Dalis has the same reliability as we haven’t experienced
any technical issues with them during the whole production. This has been a great
advantage because it would be a very hard task to reach the fixtures inside the
lightbox after everything is set.’