And now for a new definition of "light entertainment": Luma. At the Lincoln Center on September 29, the performance troupe that uses lighting effects and movement to dazzle the eye made light of the situation on stage- both literally and figuratively. On the one hand was the sack full of creative ideas using light as an artistic medium. On the other hand was the friendly and even humorous environment created by the troupe to give the art some context.

First of all, it must be stressed that Luma is not a dance performance as such, and that was underscored by an appearance at the beginning of the show by Luma creator Michael Marlin. Marlin began in show business as a successful juggler and his introduction to Luma- juggling and joking- was as much about easing the audience into the situation as it was about the show itself. Indeed, Marlin's juggling, while serviceable and even fraught with drops, wasn't as important as the wit he displayed, making the audience laugh and cheer before the curtain itself had even parted.

That wit then extended into the performance as the troupe members took the stage in the darkness to unveil various encounters with light- white light, colored light, spotlights and flashlights. It all began with the formation of "The Lumen Being" a figure made out of "sticks" of light that reentered the stage often throughout the performance. The stick figure gave a friendly and innocuous presence for everyone in the audience- an all ages crowd at the Lincoln Center- to relate to while the art of performing with light effects became somewhat more abstract at times.

The show consisted of two halves and sorted through 25 pieces, each one fairly short and pretty much working one theme, or lighting effect, at a time. This included a piece with umbrellas, lit from the inside with muted colored lights. Another piece featured bright bursts of sparks coming from random spots on the darkened stage.

Some of the best effects of the evening were the most grand. For example, one piece was based around three enormous flags that reacted to the light in various ways while being twirled by troupe members. Another was the whipping of colored light ropes across the entire width of the stage, an effect that initially made the audience involuntarily gasp with delight.

While some ideas were grand, and others were as simple as juggling with lit implements, most of the evening was couched in easy-going thematic set-ups that made it accessible for everyone, young to old. One of the longest pieces of the evening created a seascape where various fish and undersea life cavorted. Another piece simply followed the herky jerky dance motions of "robots." Nothing in the show made the mind work too hard and the stage movement was kept fairly uncomplicated- separating Luma from what a dance company might do with some of these ideas. It was all aimed at keeping the audience ENTERTAINED, not "enlightened," so to speak.

Just as Marlin managed to bridge the gap between the stage and the audience with his gregarious juggling in the beginning of the program- and at the start of the second half- he also included the audience in the event by some simple, yet effective tricks. The first was, he encouraged audience members to take out their cell phones, flip them open and hold them aloft- which scores of people did, turning the entire Lincoln Center into a merry multi-colored landscape. Then, toward the end of the show, the troupe propelled lighted beach balls out into the performance hall, looking like lighted globes happily bouncing haphazardly around the room. (And it was a special trick indeed for the troupe to COLLECT the balls from the audience after some time.)