When
you think of Cirque Du Soleil, three mime-esque slapstick performers are not what first come to mind. A crowd warm-up you could say, which began with some audience participation. At one end of the arena is a mischievous character with a water gun making the front row a little less smug about their ringside seats, at the other a man with a comically round belly is confusing the late arrivals who are desperately trying to find their seats and avoid the attention.The show has truly begun as a wave of vivid colour transcends over the stage, the presence of the four elements; earth, fire, water and air are brought together in an energetic display and fusion of skills; dancers, acrobats and everything in between.
Broken into sections of their respective talents, with some outstanding acts; the breath-taking hand-balancing act had us all on the edge of our seats as she contorted her body into incredible shapes and skilfully switched from one hand to the other. A team of male and female trampolinists defied gravity, climbing up walls, bodies flying through the air, dodging one another by millimetres, with some serious Spiderman style stunts.
A circus favourite, the human pyramid was taken to the extreme when a skipping rope was brought into the mix as three rows of men cleared the rope simultaneously, multiple times! Lastly a stunning aerial silks act saw a petite female acrobat lift her muscly male partner over twenty feet into the air, entangled in the ribbon, for much longer than we could hold our breath, in a ballet style performance.
A lesson in what the mind and body can do when it is pushed to its limits; Cirque Du Soleil is perfect for those in the mood for seeing the impossible become possible. And lets be honest, who isn’t?