Showstopper invests in ADJ LED panel system
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And, for the event’s anniversary year, this production has been taken to another level thanks to an investment in 136 ADJ AV6X LED video panels that made their debut at the recent series of national finals.
Showstopper was founded in 1978 and has grown into a vast national competition that attracts teams and individuals of all ages from dance studios right across the US. Throughout the year over 100,000 dancers compete in front of professional judges at 45 regionals – taking place across the country from February thru May – which lead to six national finals in June and July.
It was at one of the biggest of these finals, which took place at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA that ADJ met up with Showstopper’s technical director Andrew Harris to find out about the company’s large investment in AV6X panels.
As the company organises so many events each year, it runs all of its AV production in-house from a 25,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Myrtle Beach, SC. Having previously used Elation Professional video panels to provide a backdrop for stage sets, when it became time to upgrade their LED video system Andrew and his team selected ADJ’s AV6X product. The panels were supplied by Barbizon Lighting in Charlotte, NC and were deployed for the first time at the recent 2018 finals, as part of a new stage set that will be rolled out for all of the 2019 regional events.
“I’d like to thank Esther at Barbizon in Charlotte as well as Chris Healy and Rob Drachler from the Healy Group (the manufacturer’s representative firm that represents ADJ in the region) and also ADJ’s regional sales manager, Edgar Bernal, and video panel support technician, Corey Chavira, for all their help with our order,” commented Andrew. “They really did provide stellar support getting everything to us ready for our final events and providing useful technical assistance when we needed it.”
The ADJ AV6X is a high-quality modular LED video panel that offers a 6mm pixel pitch and a brightness of 1200NITS. It boasts a convenient modular design with four mini modular panels within the master panel that can be easily removed for simple serviceability. The unit also offers a built-in Novastar receiving card as well as convenient powerCON and etherCON input and output connections.
For the 2018 Showstopper West Coast final at the Disneyland Hotel, Andrew and his team deployed 106 AV6X panels to create the stage set backdrop, arranged across seven separate sections. In addition a further 30 panels were used to create two 5x3 IMAG screens positioned at either side of the stage to show live video footage of the performances. These replaced what have historically always been projection screens to provide increased brightness and clarity.
In addition to the LED backdrop, the rig also included six Elation Professional Rayzor Q7moving head lights to provide colour on the stage as well as midair eye candy effects.
(Jim Evans)
