Cirque du Soleil’s celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and there’s really no better time to catch its productions. For U$50, I got front row, B-class seats to Zaia, the resident show in the very over-the-top hotel, The Venetian in Macau. The cheapest seats in the house go for about MOP188 (around US$26) – a real steal if you ask me.
The display of a fixie bicycle at the entrance had led me to expect a focus on artistic bicycling but the highlight of the show was the aerial acrobatics. That much of the show happened off-ground is hardly surprising if you think about it, since the story is about a girl’s dream to be an astronaut. I’m guessing that too might have to do also with the skillset of the talent base in this part of the world.
The juggling segment was rather short involving clubs and rings passing. This led up to a fire performance with torches, pois and staffs. I felt that the poi portion fell a little short though, of course, through no fault of the artiste. It occurred to me that because of the way the shadows and light of the poi are cast, every trick looks more or less the same. Intricate moves are probably mostly lost on the audience. At the speed the performers are swinging their poi, only bigger moves like butterflies can be seen properly and not leg or body wraps.
The theatre is a cozy size and even the lowest-priced seats could allow for a good view of the action. In fact, the frontmost row of those seats might possibly get a better view of the trapeze and trampoline acts than from where I was. At about 100 minutes long, Zaia fits in nicely in a quick jaunt to Macau from neighboring Hong Kong.
The reduced prices are only for matinee performances from now til 30 August.
Vaudeville in Chicago is the unofficial name of a new Cirque du Soleil production directed by David Shiner – accomplished comedic actor, Broadway creator and director of KOOZA from Cirque du Soleil.
Here, he explains the concept of Vaudeville and also offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the rehearsals.
The official show name, if you’re wondering, will be announced in September.
Some of you may have heard of Feeding the Fish, a performance group specializing in glow props. They were my initiation into the world of glow juggling really because I had never been too interested in pois and had been under the assumption that glow clubs didn’t look anywhere as spectacular because of their slower speed.
The video above showcases their customized Pixel Pois, programmed to display their clients’ logos for a one-of-a-kind performance. I’ve seen these in their publicity shots before but the real deal looks much more magical.
On a related note, Feeding the Fish are also involved in Take That’s (yup, Robbie Williams’ ex-band) ‘The Circus’ tour. Fan-captured video below.
New TV show alert! This one features the best bartenders around the world. The show’s apparently in production so this is but a sneak peek. There’s not much material in the trailer but it’s not everyday we have a whole show featuring people who throw stuff around so I’m psyched.
From February 19-21, Princeton Juggling Club will be staging their annual show. This year’s is entitled The Juggler of Oz and may feature manly men in shower caps bathing at the gym. We think.
Believe me, I’ve watched lots of diabolo videos but I’ve never seen one using lighted handsticks before. It was starting to be a mystery why handsticks had to be lighted to begin with when you could have lights affixed to your diabolo. If you, like me have been pondering the same, click on play and be in awe.
Live music, intense juggling and a backstage pass – what more can anyone ask for? Watch Jay Gilligan go nuts with balls, rings, clubs and a drum from a backstage perspective.
Here’s a little behind the scenes look at the going-ons of the Diabolo Dance Theatre. Based in Taiwan, the group’s performed at over 300 shows all around the world. More information about them here
