CyberSphere celebrates Independence Day with Spirit of America

Release Date: 7/5/2005. Expired: 8/27/2005

The CyberSphere Digital Theater at The Renaissance Center celebrates America’s independence with a patriotic laser show for July and August.

The CyberSphere is a four-story, domed, interactive theater that presents planetarium and laser music shows for field trips to The Renaissance Center and in public shows on Saturdays.

Spirit of America is being presented at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays in July and August to celebrate Independence Day with one-of-a-kind fireworks presented through spectacular laser effects.

“Spirit of America celebrates this country’s hard-earned freedom as well as the American lifestyle through a variety of pop, rock, country and patriotic tunes,” said Joe Wyatt, assistant director of the CyberSphere. “And of course there are no fireworks that can match the stunning visual effects of our state-of-the-art, full-dome laser projector.”

Spirit of America includes patriotic songs such as God Bless America by Celine Dion, The Star-Spangled Banner performed by rock legends KISS, a medley saluting the states of the country by various artists and God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.

The American lifestyle is celebrated in music ranging from Pink Houses by John Mellencamp and Centerfield by John Fogerty to Hoedown and Servicemen on Parade by American composer Aaron Copland.

Admission for Spirit of America is $6.

The Saturday schedule for the CyberSphere in July and August includes the planetarium program The Explorers and a laser show exploring a longtime rock and roll legend.

The Explorers uses the CyberSphere’s DigiStar II projector to demonstrate how ancient Polynesian voyagers used the stars to navigate the Pacific thousands of years ago. Viewers then get to try their hands at navigating from Tahiti to Hawaii using the stars as a guide.

Tickets for The Explorers, which shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays, are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and children under 13.

One of the persistent rumors of rock and roll for the last three decades is that rock group Pink Floyd somehow managed to synchronize its top-selling album The Dark Side of the Moon to the classic MGM movie The Wizard of Oz.

That rumor is explored in the laser show The Dark Side of Oz. For the demonstration, the album is played beginning to end while video from The Wizard of Oz is played. Viewers can judge for themselves whether there is any link between the music and events from the movie. Accompanying the movie video is an array of laser effects.

The Dark Side of Oz shows at 9 p.m. Saturdays and tickets are $6.

For more information on shows in the CyberSphere Digital Theater at The Renaissance Center, call (615)740-5600.

The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the CyberSphere page for more about Planetarium and Laser Shows or the Home - News page for current and archived press releases.