One of the most popular parts of my show is undoubtedly the glow rope routine I do at the end. Of course this is not always possible at every show since some buildings are full of windows, others can’t turn off the lights (or there’s one right in the middle of the room that no one can figure out how to turn off) or the show is outside. I’ve always enjoyed this part since it’s such a visual feast and everyone loves it. However, there are certain pit falls that I’ve run into with this over the years…
The primary issue is that I forget to tell people to not take flash pictures. Not as much of a problem in schools since most students aren’t allowed to use their phones during the school day. This is mainly an issue when I’m doing family shows and parents can’t help but want a picture. It doesn’t occur to most people that you’re taking a flash picture of a glow in the dark thing…not going to work so well. Not to mention that it will look nothing like what you’re seeing in person.
The more obvious pitfalls are much less frequent, but definitely do happen from time to time. Falling off the stage. This has happened, not often, but has definitely occurred. Some stages make the edge super visible with white border or metal strip, others just keep going on into oblivion. I usually can figure it out based on the way the light off my rope reacts with the floor, but I have taken a step too far before. It usually looks something like this: Glow sticks are awesome! Wait…why did they stop? And they’re back! That pause where nothing happens is totally a wipeout of some sort.
Another problem that occurs is when a glow stick comes out of my rope or I just lose my grip. The first glow rope I use has glow sticks taped into the rope, the tape eventually wears down and one can come shooting out into the crowd. Wow that sure looks 3D! It sure does because it’s flying right at you. Every once in a blue moon I also just have a bad grip on one of my ropes and it slips out at the wrong time. Definitely an adventure, but no one has ever been hurt so I have a really good safety record on that one.
The primary reason that I’ve never bothered to video tape this segment of my show for a DVD or video release is simply this: it’s not the same. There’s something about witnessing this live that can never be replaced on a screen. It seems like more and more people are getting lost in their phones and rarely look up. Watching a live performance with a good performer can never be matched by any screen. The experiences are totally different. I purposefully do interactive parts that give a sense of depth and dimensionality that you just can’t experience in video form. Bring me to your school some time and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Let’s Glow sometime 🙂
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