Everyone remembers their high school dances: the excitement, the energy, the awkwardness and the cheesy themes. Each dance had the potential for unique experiences — good or bad.LSU sculpture graduate students Mallory Feltz and Kit French are attempting to recreate these feelings in the installation piece “Trip the Light Electric.”Presented by Culture Candy’s SurReal Estate program, “Trip the Light Electric” is an interactive installation that focuses on dancing as social glue, bringing many different people together to spark action and change.”The main point of this piece is to show the potential of movement and energy,” Feltz said. “We thought that the best way to show this potential is by setting up a dance and have the audience either be fully in the piece or let them stand to the side and see the awkwardness.”Built into an old, unused classroom on the second floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts, “Trip the Light Electric” uses light sensors, projections, video, music and props to show the dance in different stages depending on where the observer is within the room.This new installation is part of the SurReal Estate program presented by Culture Candy, which takes old, abandoned or unused spaces and allows artists to transform them into temporary works of art using their own talents when these under-utilized spaces would normally go unnoticed.The program has seen success in Houston, and SurReal Estate Co-director Erika Katayama believes the new program will be successful in Baton Rouge. She said artists and space are always needed.”The current number of artists involved in SurReal Estate fluctuates depending upon the project, but we are always looking for more,” Katayama said. “Projects are always available, providing we have a good site and can match up the artist with that site.”Through an agreement with the LSU School of Art, Culture Candy was permitted access and usage of the industrial classroom in the Shaw Center for the presentation of “Trip the Light Electric.””The real challenge of the piece is taking an unemotional space and transforming it into something that looks and feels like a dance full of life,” said Erin Rolfs, Culture Candy Executive Director. “I’m excited to see the piece pull together and how the artists will show that social awkwardness we had at dances.”One of the goals of the piece, according to Feltz, is to show the connection between the potential of the classroom space to be turned into a work of art and the potential of the dance for energy and movement.After working for over a month, Feltz and French have redesigned the space and made the room itself into an interactive sculpture, hoping to make it a unique experience for the audience.”Interaction is key, and it will make the experience different for every person,” Feltz said. “The piece works with each person that comes into contact with it. There will be images of people waiting to dance and dance steps traced out on the floor. The idea is to activate the space through participation.””Trip the Light Electric” will be on display March 21 to April 10 in classroom 3 on the second floor of the Shaw Center.On opening night of the installation, Culture Candy will accept $5 donations.”Kit and I wanted this piece to be unique and influence people to move,” Feltz said. “The body has such potential for energy and movement.”—-Contact Jake Clapp at [email protected]