I have always been fascinated with the work of Cirque du Soleil. I've seen some of their specials on TV and have fallen in love with their comination of acrobatics and dancing. When mom told us that we were going to get tickets to see Cirque at Disney World, I was very, very excited.Their show at Downtown Disney's West Side, titled "La Nouba" (performed in the appropriately-named Cirque du Soleil theatre), was exclusively created for the WDW Resort. Throughout the hour and a half show two worlds collide--one monochromatic and dull, and the other colorful and full of life. When the two come together it leads to a whole new experience unlike any other and an exciting celebration.
Talented acrobats from around the world come together to perform amazing acrobatic stunts. There were German wheels, Diabolos (girls using Chinese yo-yos), trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, performers doing an aerial ballet with silk scarves hanging from the ceiling, and stunts on bikes, and much more. One of the ending scenes used a whole bunch of trampolines (Zack said the trampolines were his favorite part). I also loved the dancer on pointe who showed up quite a bit during the show.
The show's music is mainly instrumental; there is very little dialogue at all (my favorite song from the show is titled the same as the show; it is a piece that was performed in the beginning when the "main characters" entered the theatre and is performed with a trumpet). I thought the music was absolutely wonderful... we bought the CD with the program. Because there is not a lot of dialogue in the show, you must be able to follow it by watching all the movement and facial expressions of the performers.
The only problem I had with the show was that there was always so much to watch while there were performers on stage. Sometimes I found it hard to focus on one area of the stage when there was a character in the far upstage corner doing something interesting. It was tiring upon occasion, too.
I absolutely loved the technical aspects of the show (upon leaving the theatre I turned to my mom and said, "I'd hate to be a stage manager for that show!"). Not only are there so many light, sound, and special effects cues, but there also are so many different set changes and cues to hit with the acrobatic pieces as well (like the trapezes and stuff).
If you go to Disney World and get the chance to see Cirque du Soleil, do so. We were lucky because our tickets were included in our vacation package (some do include Cirque tickets, but some don't). If you were to buy tickets from the box office they can get to be pretty expensive. If you can afford it, though, it is worth the money. It is ninety minutes of fun and awe-inspiring performers and lively, colorful music. It's well worth the wait... really.
