Last week, me and my boyfriend were bopping around Movie Stop and I came to a halt in front of one particular movie. The cover was just so pretty. I knew Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away existed but knew nothing about it. Being an avid fan of Cirque and circus arts, it was a no brainer to give it a shot, though I had my doubts about how this live performance show would look on my tv. Well we watched it and.. I’M OBSESSED. There is just something about the Cirque du Soleil shows that is unbelievably magical and invigorating. As a creative, the no boundary style of these shows always stretches my imagination and perception. I really get lost in them. And I mean everything is no boundary; the physical limitations (or lack of) of the performers, the vast complexity of the sets, the vague yet intriguing story lines. It all comes together to envelope viewers in a wondrous, enriching experience. Viewing this in movie form was surprisingly breath-taking because cameras capture in ways our eyes can not, the director can control our focus so closely and we are able to see what the performers see. Remarkable. There’s nothing like being in a Cirque du Soleil audience but there’s also nothing like watching the performers acrobatics in slow. motion. My eyes were glued to the screen! The greatest part about Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away
Live Shows
My very first Cirque experience was with our very own La Nouba, here in Orlando. Did you know this stationary show will celebrate its 15th birthday this year? Amazing. I must admit that when I saw this show I was underwhelmed. It’s only because the show had been extremely hyped by my friends and I was expecting something completely different. Now that I know what I’m in for, I appreciate these shows for what they really are; unique performance art. Promise me that you will see your first Cirque show (if you haven’t already) with an open mind! I must see this show again..
Next I experienced LOVE, featuring the music of The Beatles, in Las Vegas on my stepdad’s 60th birthday trip in 2011. This show is the wackiest of all that I’ve seen. I didn’t recognize many of the songs but still enjoyed the show. It had interesting props and costumes and was very bazaar but.. lovable.
I caught Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour when it stopped in Orlando. If you loved Michael Jackson’s music this show will be very special to you. Though the set wasn’t as thrilling as other shows because of its mobile nature, there were still some really cool effects. Michael Jackson One is the newest Cirque du Soleil on the Vegas strip and is in previews right now! That one is high up on my list.
Saving the best for last, this January I went to a conference in Las Vegas and saw Kà. Kà is a strong contender for my favorite show, of all time, of any kind. Those are pretty powerful words considering I was once a triple-threat performer and saw many shows as part of my educational career. Kà has an unreal set, phenomenal audience interaction, gorgeous music that felt like it had an Asian and French influence and many things you don’t see in any other Cirque show or anywhere else. I know I haven’t come close to seeing all the Cirque du Soleil shows but I would guess that this has one of the best theaters of them all, visually and audibly. If you ever see Kà just know that I loved the hand puppets, the sand had me in awe and the rose petals were one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
In all the shows, it’s not just the visuals that will have your heart racing but the music too. So wonderfully composed and beautifully sung, the songs of Cirque are highly admirable. With tons of shows across the globe, many tours, a film and soundtracks, there are so many ways to love Cirque du Soleil.
We have not seen La Nouba yet but really want to! It’s on our “must do” list for an upcoming trip!
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Awesome, Karen. I really want to see it again since it’s been 6 years now.
In April my husband surprised me for my birthday with a date at La Nouba, but it was no ordinary viewing. His friend works backstage and arranged for us to come see the show, but instead of being in the audience we were taken up an elevator to watch the show from a production area upstairs. With such unique perspective, we watched from above in amazement–seeing the floors move apart for the trampolines and the building rising and lower beneath. After the show he took us on a tour of the entire building and we got to meet many of the performers. I loved seeing what when in to the creating of the show and seeing things that the audience doesn’t normally get to see. The only place we didn’t go was to the catwalks above the stage, but going below the stage was incredible. The highlight of my night was standing ON stage, with an empty audience of course LOL. My favorite photo is the one I took standing center stage looking out at the empty seats. What an amazing feeling it must be to perform! I definitely want to go back and see it in a regular seat now, just for the different view alone and would love to see other Cirque productions someday!
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Michelle, that is so cool! Lucky ducks that you got to have (and share) that experience. What a birthday and what a date! Major points to hubs. I used to have a friend that worked there and had heard of a different way to view the show but I didn’t know it was that amazing! I would really love to do that and I’m putting it on my bucket list!
You HAVE to see Totem if it goes to Orlando. It’s my current favorite.
I’m hoping the next time I get to Orlando I can finally see La Nouba. I seriously want to take a trip to Vegas just to see as many Cirque shows as I can- there’s like 8 of them there right now!