iLuminate at Ridgefield Playhouse

Ridgefield Academy Family Series
Ridgefield Magazine’s Broadway & Cabaret Series

Literally glowing in the dark, iLuminate first seared itself into the eyes of millions on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. The group’s jaw-dropping fusion of technology and choreography uses special light suits that baffle audience members by enabling the performers to disappear, reappear, and seemingly levitate. Artists such as Chris Brown and the Black Eyed Peas soon clamored to use the technology for their own live shows, and old-timey tap dancers slumped away in shame. The suits are the brainchild of dancer and software engineer Miral Kotb, who wirelessly directs the show’s kaleidoscopic circuitry. Meanwhile, iLuminate’s black-clad dancers wear LED lights and electroluminescent wire as they move in front of an onyx stage. With every leap, twist, and breakdance in the dark, their suits synchronize to music and Kotb’s Oz-like conduction to create a series of imaginative illusions.