iLUMINATION – Team iLuminate Brings a Blend of Art, Dance, and Science to AGT
Sept 12, 2011
It took many years for a good variety show to emerge on television again, one with the cutting edge boldness of The Ed Sullivan Show which had its heyday back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. To me, NBC’s Americas Got Talent fits the bill. Singers or dancers are certainly a big part of the show but there are also a lot of very unusual acts, strange contestants, and things that you would more normally see in a carnival side show or circus. That is why I like this show. Only on such a show could someone like Team iLuminate get the attention of America in this time of entertainment overload.
Team iLuminate on America's Got Talent
iLuminate took America’s Got Talent by storm and have a chance to win the contest, hands down. Even if they don’t, they have an almost guaranteed future in the entertainment industry. All three of the AGT judges gave them a standing ovation and encouraging accolades after their performance for the finals show which aired on NBC on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. And rightly so!
Miral Kotb - Founding member of Team iLuminate
Team iLuminate, created and led by Miral Kotb, has taken team dancing in yet another exciting direction by combining creative choreography and inventive computer programming, with a new invention involving wearable programmable lights. The lights provide a great mechanism for making this new and different but when combined with Miral’s very creative dance choreography it becomes a very entertaining mix of art and technology. Done the wrong way it might end up looking like another sequel to Tron, but under the creative hands of Ms. Kotb and her fellow dancers it is extremely entertaining.
Many ideas taken from both science and art led to iLuminate.
The iLuminate tm technology uses LED and electroluminescent wire technology invented by one of Miral’s colleagues. It is programmable and provides a dynamic user interface allowing a person to control the timing and display of the lights from a laptop or iPad in real time from back stage. It is, of course, all done wirelessly.
To me this is the ultimate marriage of high tech science and art. As a software developer, I think to myself how amazing it must feel to be able to express your graphics not just to a screen or a piece of paper but instead to an ever moving tapestry of talented dancers. To top that off, they have put together what looks to be a solid business plan built around the worldwide exposure of their talent and product through one of the most popular TV shows of 2011, America’s Got Talent. How cool is that?!?!
Team iLuminate - Lit up!
RELATED LINKS
The Kenetic King Website– Another act on AGT that combines art and science. This is a really interesting website although the design could use some work. Take a look at the photos, videos, and links to other kenetic art related websites. I plan on doing another blog entry in the future on this.