Video by: Smash Le Funk
Photos by: Phil Holland and Birdie Breeze
Words by: Duke DuRock
Since 2004, the Lucent Dossier Experience have been evolving and entertaining us, sharing their creative magic with audiences all across the world. They’ve been a beloved part of The Do LaB family as well, and have delivered exceptional performances each year for us at the Coachella and Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) festivals. Stemming from the imaginative mind of Dream Rockwell, the avant-garde performance troupe has blossomed through the tight bond and creative synergy of its many members. They’ve constantly challenged themselves and have always embraced exciting new avenues to share their love.
After their first successful run at The Palace Theatre in July for the iconic venue’s grand re-opening, the Lucent Dossier Experience returned to deliver their most epic shows yet on back-to-back October nights. “The first show at the Palace was both completely natural and easy but also such a walk in the dark for us in some ways,” recalled Rockwell. “We’d never done a 90-minute show – the more traditional set up for theater or a rock concert – in that way. We’ve always loved shorter interactive evenings. But it was incredible. We walked into that theater and knew we were at home. It was magic. We played to a sold-out crowd that came dressed to the nines in every invocation of expression you can imagine. We loved it.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
Preparations for the Palace
The capacity crowds for October’s showcase were treated to pored-over performances which accounted for every detail. Set over the course of 90 unforgettable minutes, Lucent Dossier brought together the best elements from their past and present. “A show like the Palace takes weeks to prepare,” Dream explained. “But we do it over time. We build our shows one piece at a time around a simple concept and then bring them together to tell the story.
“We are so thankful for all the beautiful people who have come through the walls of the Palace on our three nights,” Dream added. “I could feel the energy in the room vibrating. It was like the spirits of the theater were thanking us for letting her be the container she was designed and built to be. She might not have been totally prepared for the heavy Dubstep and total explosion of it all, but she wrapped her arms around all of it, and us, even so.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
Evolution of the Experience
The Lucent Dossier Experience’s evolution has been organic since the group’s inception. Rockwell was originally inspired to start the troupe after meeting and drawing inspiration from Brent “Shrine” Spears, the immensely talented artist who’s also known as ‘the father of Lucent.’ With their mentor in mind, all proceeds from the performances at the Palace Theater have helped Spears’ medical expenses after his recent, life-threatening car accident.
Read more about Shrine and find out how you can help by clicking here.
“I’d say as a group he’s had the biggest impact on Lucent as he has been part of the group since its inception and has given so much of his heart to it,” said Rockwell. “He reminds us of our punk rock, underground, hobo beginnings and never lets us sway too far from it. His art is all over our props and costumes. His spirit runs through each of our shows. We wrote “Showacide” just for Shrine when he said he thought we were losing our punk rock edge. The original vision for Lucent was to be a performance and event production company that traveled around the globe creating inspiring events and opportunities for people to express themselves and create art.”
She added, “The long term goal is to buy an island, like that old ‘70s TV show “Fantasy Island,” where you can arrive and become your fantasy for a week or two. Do anything you ever dreamt of. That’s what Lucent is now in many ways for those in it. But it would be so amazing if we could provide that opportunity for many, many people. I believe that if we can experience anything, even for a brief moment, then it changes our belief system irrevocably. Things that were impossible for hundreds of years become possible in the blink of an eye. Once one person breaks through that barrier it becomes possible for all. We’ve seen this over and over in history – from the ability to fly to running the one-minute mile. That’s what we’re doing: creating an alternate reality that becomes a new possibility the moment it is personally experienced. On a deeply personally level, we’re re-introducing humans to each other outside of the ‘box.’ It’s so much more magical, real and easy out here.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
Core Family Values
When you delve inside the Lucent Dossier Experience, you enter a realm that seems almost dreamlike, all set to a pulsating electronic soundtrack. The music plays a big part of the world they invite audiences to enter, with seamlessly synchronized dancing routines to tracks from artists like Kraddy plus gravity-defying aerialists, fire-spinners, sword swallowers and even comical moments. The tie that binds all is the strong bond that all the performers share like family. “The family aspect is the love that everyone feels when they see us perform together,” said Rockwell. “We know everything amazing, and not so amazing, about each other. And we stand by each other as we learn our lessons and trip and fall. That’s so powerful. I never had that before. We’re an unconventional, non-funded art troupe that is thriving and growing in one of the toughest cities to ‘make it’ in the world. We are that because our bond is so deep. And we take care of each other. I would work 24/7 if sleep wasn’t mandatory for humans because I love what I do. I love my fellow Lucents and our extended family that joins us at all our shows. I think I was lonely for years, always looking for something I couldn’t find, so I found others who were as open as I was and, together, we made that world for ourselves. I will go to the end of the world with these kids. Lucent, The Do LaB and the whole extended ball of magic.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
Never Same Show Twice
The Palace Theatre shows proved to be the perfect setting for Lucent Dossier Experience. After launching the theater’s grand re-opening with their summer performance in July, these latest shows incorporated plenty of new material. Also evidenced on our stages at Coachella and Lightning in a Bottle, and at high-profile appearances for the Grammy’s and recent SCREAM Awards, the Lucent Dossier Experience have carved out their own special place in the hearts of so many through their positive intentions and jaw-dropping performances. “We try to never do anything exactly the same twice,” explained Rockwell. “As we evolve and change, different moments in a show will evolve and change. Nothing is ever set in stone except for moments of safety, of course. We are always in flow creatively.”
She added, “We love performing for huge crowds, thousand of people as far as the eye can see. Even so, sometimes the really magical ones are the smaller, more intimate moments. Like our Private Parties at our warehouse for only 700 or 800 people. Which is still a lot of people but, somehow, more intimate because we are in and around the room. We can celebrate our uniqueness and light together, expose our flaws and the beauty in that, too.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
A Look Ahead
With a longer-run planned back at the Palace Theater for February 2012, Lucent Dossier Experience will continue to dazzle with their original brand of entertainment. They’ll also seek out new opportunities to continue pushing their creativity in uncharted new directions.
“We have created a dome show, the Forbidden Om, that will travel from city to city,” shared Rockwell. “We get letters from all over the world at this point, requests to come to this city or that. We feel very called. So we’re going to take the experience on the road. First stop: Los Angeles.”
If the October shows are anything to go by, the best is yet to come from Lucent Dossier Experience. We encourage you to see them any chance you get, where you’ll have an evening unlike any other. “What makes Lucent special is that, though someone seems to be holding the reigns – and people like to say it’s me – the truth is, I really don’t have a clue what’s happening on that stage half the time,” said Rockwell. “These kids are wild and wickedly creative. Everyone has great say in what happens and what direction things go in. I’m like quality control at the banana’s factory. I try to keep it on track and make sure no one gets bruised. But these kids are bananas for real. They have tapped into their creative core, and they are awakened with some super silly madness. I just have a gift for withstanding and even reveling in great amounts of chaos. That’s where magic is born. So the only thing I like to take credit in creating is a somewhat specific playground for people to go wild in. After that, everything is possible. And that’s what you’re seeing.”
Photo by Phil Holland.
She added, “We like to create alternate realities where freedom of expression is celebrated. We’re excited to inspire people to free their human sprit and shine their light. We spend so much time trying to hide our imperfections as humans. But that is where our uniqueness and beauty lie. That’s where the fun is. We do things differently, as big as we can, so others will see that it’s possible. The ‘box’ is too small. And it’s not the right size for most of us humans… we’re not square, we’re very oddly shaped. Trying to squeeze into the ‘box’ makes humans go crazy. Breaking out makes everything possible.”
Be sure to join the Lucent Dossier Experience family mailer at http://lucentdossier.com to stay in the loop for future gatherings!
Did you attend the recent Lucent Dossier shows? Tell us what you thought of the show in the comments below.
