Moving Shadows Performance Transcends Language Boundaries

On Wednesday 4 March 2026, the Opderschmelz cultural centre in Dudelange was the venue for a performance of On Fire / Our World by Moving Shadows using a screen, light and music for an immersive storytelling experience.

A troupe of seven artists, dancers and mime artists held the 350-strong audience spellbound throughout the 90-minute performance (plus a 15-minute intermission) in which they created moving shadows by positioning their bodies with the aid of carefully placed lights.

The unique storytelling was achieved using projected images of landscapes, animals and buildings; with clever precision, the artists connected with the audience using astonishing animated and photographic projections, and dance choreography, sometimes poetic, sometimes comedic and other times simply artistic.

The scenes ranged from the birth of Jesus to a scene from the Life of Brian, to cars, motorcycles and rockets for space exploration, to animals ranging from dinosaurs to African elephants, rhinos, giraffes and gorillas. 

After the intermission, the performance was split into two main parts, the first involving the visualisation of a man reading books which came to life, followed by a series of scenes all linked through environmental messaging, with one involving torrential rain and Noah’s Ark drawing particular and sustained applause.  

This performance was particularly suited to Luxembourg as there were no words, no language, everything was visual. At the end, the ensemble moved in front of the screen where they amazed the audience when they showed how they created a shadow image of an elephant, a glimpse behind the scenes.

The Moving Shadows ensemble originates from Germany - they participated in Das Supertalent (Germany), France Digital Talent (France) and other international shows.

Caption: The Moving Shadows ensemble perform at the Opderschmelz cultural centre in Dudelange

Credit: Geoff Thompson, Chronicle.lu