Entertainment | Venetian Light Storm : ‘We feel like we have super powers’

Naomi Hunter (left), Fleur-Marie Hoefkins (right)

Despite lasting for a mere ten minutes, the performance of British professional dancers, Fleur-­Marie Hoefkins, Amy Osborne and Naomi Hunter manages to easily capture the audience’s attention in a show that harnesses over 4 million volts of electricity.
The Venetian Light Storm returned to town as part of the Venetian Carnevale 2015, which began on Friday.
Presented by Lords of Lightning, a company that displays shows of pure electricity across the globe, the performance first debuted in Macau 2014 and has now returned with only female dancers on stage.
“Last year, the show [was put on] by two male performers. This year, we are looking more into the relationship between the music, the movement and the lightning. And obviously being three females this year, it’s got a lot more dance in the piece,” explained Fleur-Marie Hoefkins, in an interview ahead of the show’s premiere on Friday.
“It’s the first time that women are doing this. We wanted to make the choreography slightly more feminine – but still powerful,” Amy Osborne added.
The performance features three lightning towers in a combination of lightning bolts, music and dance.
As soon as the performance began on Friday evening, people who were meandering along the Venetian’s outdoor lagoon area were immediately compelled to raise their cameras and phones in order to capture the moment.
Having been recruited by Lords of Lightning about three months ago for this show, the three British performers said that what they typically receive from the audience is excitement and surprise. “They don’t quite get how it works. People seem to really love the whole kind of spectacle and atmosphere that it creates with all the choreography, the music, the lightning, and then the fireworks add another element,” said Fleur.
The show relies on Tesla coils that sit inside platforms raised above a stage. If the two male performers from last year, Kino McDonald and Joshua Leighton, seemed like two knights about to engage in a combat, this year’s show is more feminine and seeks to engage the audience through dance.
As the artists perform, they almost believe they’re super heroes. After being asked about how they feel on stage, Fleur said, “This is awesome. It’s very cool.” Naomi added, “We feel we have super powers,” while Amy said, “It’s very powerful and exciting, as not many people can say they’ve been up there.”
But surely with great powers come greater responsibilities, as performers need to take precautionary measures to avoid any incidents on stage. These measures include wearing chainmail suits, balaclavas and a lot of clothes underneath. “We’ve had occasional shocks. We need to keep our bodies dry and always cover our hair. We need to make sure all our skin is covered,” Naomi explained.
Amy Osborne, Naomi Hunter and Fleur-Marie Hoefkins have all studied dance at Bath Spa University in England. Amy is an independent dance artist, teacher and performer who just recently completed her professional work experience at Disneyland Paris. Naomi is a contemporary dancer and is currently studying for a Master of Arts in dance. Meanwhile, Fleur, who earned her first degree in contemporary dance in 2007, has been performing with the Must-Dash dance group at Glastonbury Festival, where the three dancers will also be performing with the Lords of Lightning.
The Venetian Carnevale 2015 kicked off on Friday at the Venetian’s outdoor lagoon area, and will run until March 29. The resort’s carnival is being held for its fifth consecutive year, featuring street and theatre entertainment, Italian-themed festivities, gastronomy and live music.
This year, organizers have added a St. Patrick’s Day celebration to be held tomorrow. The famous Irish holiday will be commemorated around the outdoor lagoon area, “where there will be plenty of beer, Irish dancing and live music,” the operator said in a press release.