LUZIA / Cirque du Soleil
LUZIA is a surreal and visually rich Cirque du Soleil production that pays tribute to the vibrant spirit of Mexico. Blending light (luz) and rain (lluvia), the show moves through shifting landscapes — from deserts to jungles, sacred spaces to underwater dreamscapes. Acrobatic acts like aerial straps in rain, high-speed hoop diving, and serpentine contortion are woven into an immersive journey filled with color, movement, and mythology.
As projection designer, Johnny Ranger created visual content for a large scenic disc at the center of the set, integrating discreet textures and abstract imagery that blended with light designs. The mandate was in emphasized discreet presence of video, ensuring projections complemented rather than dominated the scenography. The direction wanted no narrative videography or any concrete imagery. Collaborating closely with set and lighting designers, his work added atmospheric subtle depth to the show — appearing as a fluid extension of the theatrical world without breaking its spell.
Opening show In Montreal Touring worlwide ————————————————————————————-
Video projection:
A Mindroots Studio project
Johnny Ranger’s role:
Conception of projections -Directing creative teams of motion designers and generative video artist. -Directing integration on site with Brigitte Poupart
See Full Credits below
SHOW CREDITS & DESIGNERS
Writer and Director / Daniele Finzi Pasca
Associate Director / Brigitte Poupart
Director of Creation / Patricia Ruel
Show Co-Designers / Julie Hamelin Finzi
Composer and Musical Director / Simon Carpentier
Costume Designer / Giovanna Buzzi Set Designer / Eugenio Caballero Choreographers / Edesia Moreno Barata - Sylvia Gertrúdix González
Lighting Designer / Martin Labrecque
Sound Designer / Jacques Boucher
Makeup Designer / Maryse Gosselin
Projections Designer / Johnny Ranger
Puppet Designer / Max Humphries
Rigging Designer / Danny Zen Acrobatic
Performance Director / Philippe Aubertin
VIDEO PRODUCTION TEAM
Video conception, Animations Editing / Johnny Ranger
Conception Assistance / Brigitte Poupart
Motion Designer/ Yannick Doucet
Directors of photography / Jean-Marc Abela & Sharif Mirshak
Additional animations/ Marie Bloch-Laine
REVIEWS
Bien que truffé de références à la culture mexicaine, de la lucha libre au papel picado en passant par el Día de los Muertos, le spectacle évite très habilement la superficialité et l’appropriation. L’univers élaboré par Eugenio Caballero (scénographie et accessoires), Giovanna Buzzi (costumes), Maryse Gosselin (maquillage), Martin Labrecque (éclairages) et Johnny Ranger (projections), sans oublier Max Humphries (marionnettes), est luxuriant, chatoyant, débordant de fleurs et de feuilles, de symboles et de rituels, de lunes et de soleils, de bêtes réelles et de créatures imaginaires. En ce sens, Luzia est ce qu’il est convenu d’appeler une destination de rêve.
-Le devoir
What impressed me most of all about Luzia was actually the design: the set, costumes and lighting provided a strong unifying force to the show (both thematically and visually). While there were nods to Day of the Dead and Mexican wrestling, the design thankfully steered clear of cliché, offering instead a rich visual language animated with animals, rain, movement and flowers.
-The Gazette
The Canadian company’s colourful Mexican-flavoured show is full of heart-stopping skill, dreamy lyricism and visual whimsy – sometimes bigger really is better.
-The Guardian
The design is exquisite. The show opens with rings of flowers in the single circle stage under the big top. A giant disc hovers upstage, rotating from time to time, representing the Mayan calendar, the sun, Moon, and used as a projection for various purposes, to show things like the Monarch butterfly migration and underwater life. A rain machine situated center stage is heavily featured throughout the show, representing waterfalls and various other bodies of water. The live music, the costumes, the effects, and the performances all engross the audience in a beautiful menagerie of life and is not a show to be missed.
-Onstage blog