EVENT FOCUS
QLIMAX Backbone International extends its production partnership with Q-dance, deploying a technical package and personnel to one of the biggest indoor hardstyle and hard dance events on the planet.
Organised by Q-dance and heralded as the leading hardstyle and hard dance event in the Netherlands, for almost two decades, Qlimax has transformed the GelreDome, Arnhem, into an annual haven for nearly 30,000 ravers. TPi sat down with Backbone International Technical Producer, Jari van Leerdam and Q-dance Production Manager, Jeroen Beverwijk, to reflect on the mammoth undertaking. Dubbed Symphony of Shadows, the latest edition of Qlimax featured 11 of hardstyle and hard dance’s most iconic artists. Once again enlisting the technical expertise of Backbone International, Beverwijk explained how the event’s design was conceived. “We at Q-dance came with a creative drawing, and the technical team at Backbone International was able to
turn a rough sketch into a reality,” he explained. “They ensured everything was technically feasible, from trussing and lighting fixture placement to decoration.” Beverwijk described Q-dance’s relationship with Backbone International as “essential” to the delivery of the event. “We don’t have in-house technical support at Q-dance,” he said. “Of course, we have experience with technology and live events, but Backbone International is a specialist when it comes to putting the big picture together.” Building on the company’s pre-production knowhow and in close cooperation with the client, Van Leerdam oversaw the technical production of the event: “We translate the creative ideas of Q-dance into a technical 20
