Wells Cathedral School

New Dance Studio

One of the oldest schools in the world, tracing its history back to 909 AD, Wells Cathedral School was founded at the same time as the cathedral on the instructions of King Edward the Elder. The school has a strong arts culture particularly music reflected by its prestigious choir school established as one of the founding disciplines of the school's early history.

Enlightened were approached by Wells Cathedral School, to offer a proposal for the supply and installation of new sound and lighting equipment. The brief was to modernise the systems, improve functionality and creative capacity for schools Dance Studio, whilst ensuring the systems are reliable and easy to use for all staff within the school.

At the time of the initial enquiry, the Dance Studio had no provision for theatrical lighting of any kind and no audio equipment. Sound was being provided via a beatbox.

The school required a simple, flexible solution for the Dance Studio that could be used by teaching staff for daily lessons and small showcase productions.

The new dedicated Dance Studio reflects the school’s commitment to an ethos of both academic and co-curricular excellence providing pupils with the facility to further explore their talent and creativity.

Loudspeakers and amplification requirements were fulfilled by a pair of Yamaha PX5s, 2 channel amplifier and four Martin Blackline X8 speakers. A Yamaha MTX3 audio processor sat at the heart of the audio installation and fulfilled all processing requirements, supplemented by control via a custom Yamaha MCP1 Touch Screen control panel interface which has been configured to provide simple intuitive use of the new audio system to school staff. Audio playback is delivered via easily accessible audio inputs installed around the studio.

Similarly, the new lighting system, comprising two parallel, internally wired lighting bars, now provides the facility to wash the performance area in bold colours. Lighting control is easily accessed via an ETC Echo Touch Screen Controller mounted alongside the Yamaha MCP1 touch screen audio control panel, at the entrance of the studio. The new LED lighting has the advantage of not only requiring minimum maintenance with greater longevity but also requires no external dimming and uses considerably less power than traditional tungsten fixtures.

To maximise the studio's versatility we installed curtain track with black wool serge drape around the studio to allow the light and vibrant dance studio’s mirrors and handrails to be transformed into a black theatre studio. Doughty Studio Rail was chosen for its sturdiness and rigidity. In the longer term, the school intends to install a black dance floor that will complete the transformation from rehearsal to performance space. Black drapes have been supplied in sections to allow for easy movement and configuration that facilitate multiple entrances into the space.

The new system provides greater flexibility of use that is also effortlessly configurable. Its convenient, user-friendly control via the custom made interfaces is the perfect solution for the school, affording them simple, intuitive everyday control at the point of use.