Hi, it’s Dalton from MindWorks. This fall we tried a new way to build choreography, and the rehearsal footage shows how close the real thing came to the 3D version. Below is how it works, a last-minute 30-drone show we just flew in Rome, where the tour goes from mid-November, where to catch our LED dancers in Austin, and what to send us when you start planning a show.

01  /  Previs to rehearsal · Unreal Engine 5

Choreographing 10 dancers from videos of one

This fall we built a conference opener in Chicago for 10 dancers from Chicago’s Joel Hall Dancers in LED costumes, with a custom 30-drone show. To build the choreography, we tried something new.

Choreographer Ty Graynor filmed each of the 10 dancer parts, one at a time. The Impulse plugin for Unreal Engine 5, with MetaHuman markerless motion capture built in, turned each video into a 3D animation with no suits or markers. We placed all 10 on a virtual stage with the drones, synced to the music, so the dancers and the production team could open it in a browser, orbit the stage and step through it frame by frame before the first rehearsal.

TY’S VIDEO, THE 3D PREVIS, STUDIO AND STAGE REHEARSAL, SAME MOMENT IN THE MUSIC

The clip follows the same moments in the music from Ty’s solo video to the 3D previs, then into studio and stage rehearsal. The formations, the spacing and the drone positions lined up closely with what everyone had already reviewed in 3D.

“This will be revolutionary for clients that want to be involved in the choreography process beyond just receiving a final product.”

DALTON SESSUMES, FOUNDER, MINDWORKS

02  /  Rome · Nov 2

Thirty drones under a centuries-old chandelier

On November 2 we performed Singularity for 1X’s yearly party, produced by White Rabbit DXB, in the Sala Ritz at The St. Regis Rome. The hotel first said no to drones. After we sent footage of our past indoor shows, they made an exception with strict rules to protect the room: the drones had to stay at least 1 m below the chandeliers and well clear of the mirrors and wall lights. The hotel first wanted guests to watch from the foyer, but we agreed on stanchions around the performance area instead, so about 250 guests watched from inside the room.

PROJECTION MAPPING: WHITE RABBIT DXB

We had built a show for the room before we flew in, but on site the flight area moved to sit directly under one of the room’s two chandeliers. So our team programmed a completely new 30-drone show that met the venue’s specs, rehearsed it that morning, and I performed a custom version of the act made for that space. It closed on a 1X logo formation and ran smoothly from start to finish.

We landed from Dallas the morning of the show. That works because the whole kit flies as regular checked luggage: drones of about 190 grams each in full rotor cages, with no cameras. The standard show travels with a two-person crew, and the team grows for larger swarms or the aerial finale.

03  /  On tour · From Nov 15

On the road with Cirque Musica

From mid-November I’m on tour with Cirque Musica’s Holiday Wonderland, where MindWorks appears as a featured act with an LED Leviwand, an aerial harness and drones planned at every stop, alongside the full Cirque Musica cast. If the tour comes to your city, come say hi.

TENTATIVE ROUTE, NOVEMBER

From there the planned route heads west through Saskatchewan, Alberta, Washington, British Columbia, California, Nevada and Arizona into mid-December. All dates are tentative and set by the tour presenter, so please check with Cirque Musica or the venue for show times and tickets. MindWorks doesn’t sell tickets. I’m still answering email from the road and booking 2027 shows.

04  /  Austin · Dec 4 (planned)

Our LED dancers at the Austin Trail of Lights

On Friday, December 4, four of our LED dancers are scheduled to perform at the Austin Trail of Lights in Zilker Park, with two choreographed shows and roaming in between from 6 to 9 pm. If you’re there that night, look for the glowing suits.

LEFT: A SUIT DESIGN IN OUR MAPPING STUDIO. RIGHT: THE SAME SUITS ON STAGE

Each suit’s light show is planned ahead of time in our custom-developed mapping studio tool, where we draw the LED paths on a figure and program the colors and effects frame by frame before anyone suits up.

05  /  Booking for 2027

What to send us when you start planning

The fastest quotes start with a short email. These are the details that help us most:

About a month of lead time is our standard for most shows. We’ve pulled shows together faster, but a month leaves room for venue approval and programming the flight.

Planning something for 2027?

Reply to this email or grab a time to talk. Tell us the date, the room and the feeling you want, and we’ll tell you what we’d build.

Know a planner, producer or venue team who’d enjoy this? Forward it along. They can sign up at MindWorksArts.com/newsletter/.

WE TURN IMAGINATION INTO REALITY.