How to describe a Cirque du Soleil show to someone who's never seen one? These shows defy description, as performers take audiences' preconceived notions about the capabilities of human bodies and stand them completely on end. And the sheer poetry of the blend of colors, dance, music and gymnastics make each show a dazzling visual and auditory feast.
Dralion, playing at Kansas City's Sprint Center through May 15, is no exception. You will find yourself gasping at an acrobats' jaw-dropping feat, then laughing at the idiocy of the clowns buzzing around the stage like Keystone Cops, and even blinking back tears at poignant moments.
The show is a signature Cirque du Soleil production acclaimed by more than seven million people worldwide since it premiered in 1999 in Montreal, Canada. The name "Dralion" is derived from its two emblematic creatures: the dragon symbolizing the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West.
The music is so haunting that it will stay with you long after the show ends. "Stella Errans," sung during the Overture, when the Four Elements, Fire (Yi-Chun "Billy" Chang), Air (Amanda Orozco), Earth (Henriette Gbou), and Water (Tara Catherine Pandeya) are introduced. Many of the songs have Eastern or African flavors. And the costumes and props are over-the-top imaginative.
Defying the laws of nature and gravity, the performers in Dralion will captivate and amaze you. Han Yuzen, who balances on one hand on various canes while executing mind-boggling gyrations of her body, will literally take your breath away. In the Hoop Diving Act, ten male artists dive and throw themselves like arrows through small wooden hoops. (Some of the hoops are even rotating.)
Aerialists become human flies when they bounce off trampolines and then climb up grids on the wall behind them. A juggler manages to keep seven balls in the air, under the most difficult of circumstances. And artists keep time with long skipping ropes, as they perform flips, make pyramids and even form a human column.
As astounding as the various stunts are, Cirque du Soleil's ability to evoke moods through its brilliant choreography is equally as mind-blowing. You may find yourself sighing wistfully, without really knowing why. The performers play with your emotions as deftly as they fly through the air in a long band of blue cloth.
The metallic set (which takes 10 hours for Cirque du Soleil stagehands to set up in each city), a mammoth structure, 60 feet wide and 26 feet tall, resembles a temple you might see on some far-flung planet---or in your dreams.
You don't have to have the soul of a poet to come to this show and be entertained by Cirque du Soleil. But I guarantee that you will leave the Sprint Center after the performance with at least a sprinkling of poetry in your soul.
THE FINE PRINT: The acclaimed touring production of Dralion will perform in Kansas City at the Sprint Center from May 11 through May 15. Buy tickets at the Cirque du Soleil website or call 800-745-3000.
Comments