Dazzling Aerial Acrobatic Laser
Show Coming To Windsor
Story by Matthew St. Amand
Photography by Q Productions LV
It should be no surprise that a total re-imagining of what a Christmas holiday show can be would originate with a man who has been a performer for most of his life.
Q Productions of Las Vegas, Nevada, headed by Fernando Quevedo, brings Christmas in Space! A Holiday Cirque Spectacular to Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Saturday December 14th for an 8 p.m. show.
Christmas in Space! is an electrifying holiday spectacle that intertwines cosmic wonder with Yuletide magic, featuring a cast of extraordinary acrobats, daredevils, singers, dancers and cirque performers, that brings together cutting-edge technology with heart-stopping acts.
“The show took approximately a year and a half to put together,” Fernando explains. “We have more than a dozen world-class entertainers, all specialty performers in various disciplines: contortion, stunt, aerial. These people are the pinnacle in their field.”
Bringing together this group of elite performers was no easy feat—each of them is extremely sought after and committed to various tours traveling the world. Fernando managed to do it.
“The stars aligned for the cast we wanted,” Fernando continues, “who were on tour, had contracts and limited availability, especially during the holiday season. That was a challenge, but with some perseverance, we pulled it together.”
The concept for the show came quickly to Fernando.
“The premise is something that is dear to my heart,” he says. “Our show tells the story of an alien named Aldo who comes to Earth to abduct a tech nerd named Roswell. Roswell is jaded, a modern tech guru… You know, if Dickens were alive today, I think he would write Scrooge as a tech guy!”
Fernando goes on: “Roswell is jaded about Christmas, and it is from him that Aldo wants to learn about it. The other performers in the show are aliens who all think they know what the spirit of Christmas is, but really they do not.”
As a lifelong fan of science fiction, marrying a Christmas holiday theme with aliens came naturally to Fernando.
“I have always loved sci-fi,” he says, “whether it’s Star Wars, Alien, the eighties classic re-make of The Thing, Starman… I’m a nerd at heart!”
Some of the marvels the audience will encounter in Christmas in Space! A Holiday Cirque Spectacular almost defy description.
There is the Hair Hang Aerialist, who defies gravity as she performs suspended solely by her hair, demonstrating astonishing strength and artistry.
A troupe of alien trampoline aerialists, who perform a succession of acrobatics as they leap from a massive wall and bounce from the trampoline below.
The Saturn Aerial Sphere lifts four aerialists high above the stage where they perform a series of breathtaking acrobatics.
“It’s like ballet in the air,” Fernando says. “There is no net. We don’t use nets in our shows—the perils are real. We don’t use any CGI.”
He adds: “We also have a contortionist who comes from a planet where beings can rearrange their bodies and perform all sorts of ‘pretzel’ moves.”
Among the true highlights of this amazing show is the “laser bending.” Lady Light, known as “The Lasergirl” takes the show to the next level with her laser-bending demonstration. Her work has been featured on “Game of Talents” on Fox, on two episodes of The CW’s “The Big Stage,” Discovery TV’s “Outrageous Acts of Science” and MTV’s “Amazingness.”
The Lasergirl joins forces with the Photon Krew, which is a high-tech troupe of elite dancers who perform using state-of-the-art light-up suits. Seeing them perform is like watching living coloured pen-and-ink illustrations move about the stage. The troupe energizes every audience with their otherworldly use of technology, music and dance.
“It is all new,” Fernando says. “Over the years, we’ve been making our home in Canada, bringing shows like Holiday Dreams and Christmas Rock Story.”
It was during a conversation with an agent who asked Fernando about Q Productions’ latest show that Christmas in Space! was born.
“There is a lot of pressure on creators and performers,” Fernando continues. “Audiences love our shows, they keep coming back whenever we come to town, and they a want to see something new and fresh. The agent said to me: ‘What have you got?’ And I said: ‘We’ve got Christmas in Space!’ Then all we had to do was create it!”
The machinations of putting together such a show soon ramped up, assembling the cast, conducting rehearsals, deciding which technology helped tell the story in the most eye-popping manner, and then marrying the technology with acrobatics. All in a day’s work.
“We have amazing coaches—among them our choreographer, Adolfo Barreto, who has had an amazing career, working specifically on the staging, like American Step Challenge,” Fernando says. “Michael Radiff is our acrobatics and aerial coach. He worked on the Saturn Aerial Sphere.”
Kelly Hamilton, Vice President and Creative Producer for Q Productions Las Vegas, is also Lady Light, a former dancer and award-winning laser programmer. She created the laser portion of the show, coaching and training the contortionists in the art of light-bending.
The venues where Christmas in Space! will be performed were specifically chosen because they have the space and modern facilities to manage this type of cutting edge show.
Performing is in Fernando’s blood. He was born in Argentina into a family of performers, spending the first years of his life in Europe. Fernando made his stage debut at the age of seven and by age nine, he had performed for American President Jimmy Carter. His family’s act, “Los Huincas Gauchos,” received such acclaim that they settled in Las Vegas—the crucible of the entertainment industry. As the expression goes: “If you can make it in Vegas, you can make it anywhere.” It was there that Fernando cultivated his talents as a performer, music composer, writer, and choreographer.
“We want people who come to the show to be wowed!” Fernando says. “But there is also another element we hope they take away—our love of the holidays and all that they mean: being with family, people coming together to experience something in common, to have a shared experience. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, but it has a way of separating people, allowing us to exist in our own little worlds. Theater is a great excuse to make new memories.”
To learn more about the show and its performers—and to watch a trailer—visit them online at christmasinspace.com.
To see more about the amazing Lady Light and her laser show, check out ladylightlaser.com.
Christmas in Space! A Holiday Cirque Spectacular is coming to Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Saturday December 14 for an 8 p.m. For ticket information, visit Caesars Windsor online at: caesars.com/caesars-windsor/shows.
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