I had high hopes for the Cirque Du Soleil. As improbable as it was- given my gymnastics background, the show far exceeded my expectations.
The show started pretty slowly, which I guess was convenient for those who came late.
It began with some bird-esque characters hobbling around the stage with massive purple behinds. (The point of which I'm guessing was the emphasis the beauty and grace of the dancers)
There were about 10 row of seats down on the floor right in front of the stage, which i'm sure cost a fortune. I told my brother those were the sucker-seats because the hunch-back announcer began the show by terrorizing them- one was involved in a forced tango, another got grabbed by the wrist and dragged off stage, and a bald man was groped from his belt all the way up to his shiny scalp.
The first act was the Ariel High Bar, in which a man did his act on a single swinging trapeze. The performer had a very lean and graceful body type, and he did tricks such as hanging by his feet and flipping around the bar while it was swinging.
In between the acrobatics, there were clown acts, which were supposed to be for the children... There was a three year old sitting two rows back that had the most adorable laugh- the kind that just makes you smile every time you hear it. Well, there was a clown that had a stuffed animal horse around his body and was riding it around the stage like it was real (sound effects and all). I started cracking up when the horse farted on another clown, and I began to realize that with each amusing thing the clown did, the four year old and I were the only ones going to pieces.
I'm going to maintain that maturity is overrated.
The contortion act was incredible, like all the others, but it was also slightly disturbing. When I say this, it is not to offend anyone because I know that the work they put into the show is beyond anything I could imagine. It just seemed highly unnatural that anyone could bend that way- without snapping a rib.
My brother's favorite was the fire-knife dance. As cool as it was, it was my least favorite for some reason...maybe it's a guy thing.
The flying man was right after the intermission (during which time I sprinted to the athletic dining hall to get some food) so I missed the beginning. From what I did see, the man was holding himself and swinging himself around from two ribbons hanging from the ceiling. He must have had to have a ton of strength to be able to hold himself up with so little support.
Don't get me started on the hand-balancing. INSANE. That's all I have to say. He seems to defy every law I have ever learned in physics.
The Manipulation was done by a gorgeous rhythmic gymnast. She had so much talent, combining ballet with acrobatics and rhythmic gymnastics. When she was swinging 9 hoola hoops around her body in such a way that her feet, wrists, and core were able to make small circular movements at once- I was shaking my head. These people deserve far more than a standing ovation. (But I guess i'm biased because I am absolutely entranced by anything having to do with gymnastics.
My favorite three acts were the russian bars, the flying trapeze, and the power track. The power track was when the floor of the stage moved out in the shape of an X, in which 2 long trampolines appeared. There were performers flipping left and right, over each other, under each other, you name it. It was mesmerizing. It must have taken so much control to land back on the trampoline and not go flying up again. The flying trapeze involved about nine people swinging around 3 uneven bars at once, then one by one flipping off and being caught by a man on the swinging trapeze. The net below them was only used for their exit.
My absolute favorite was the russian bars. While I did gymnastics we had the balance beam in which it is hard enough to do flips on a stationary object. These "bars" were flexible boards about the same width as a beam and they were being carried by two clowns on each side. The clowns had to withstand the force of the landings on their arms, so their job may have been the hard part. But of course, the concentration was on the 3 synchronized performers, flipping from bar to bar and landing with no trouble at all.
I was also unaware until the end that there was a live band above the stage, meaning that they produced their own music. And there were two women in elaborate dresses that were walking around the stage the whole time- I thought they were lip syncing. Nope. The music sounded like a soundtrack it was so flawless. Apparently these women were as talented as the acrobats- they could really sing!
After so many years of longing to see the Cirque, I finally made it to the show. I had an adrenaline rush almost the entire performance. It was simply unbelievable. And when I say unbelievable, i literally- un. believable. I have trouble believing that some of the skills are possible. It wasn't even that it was being done- it was the Way in which the acts were performed. So much confidence, grace, stoic facial expressions. It never looked strained, whether anything was painful the audience never knew because of the ease with which everything was done. It truly is an art.
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