Saltimbanco

Company: Cirque du Soleil
Venues: Acer Arena, Sydney: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong;
Vector Arena, Auckland NZ
Dates: Sydney - 27 July to 14 August 2011
Wollongong - 17 - 21 August 2011
Auckland - 25 August - 4 September 2011

An electric explosion of colour and creativity is only the beginning of the magical collaboration that is Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco. With a creative cast that includes crazy jugglers, hilarious jokers and unbelievable acrobats this performance will make you laugh, cringe and rub your eyes in absolute astonishment.

Since 1984 Cirque du Soleil has wowed audiences with the high levels of talent that have graced stages worldwide. With over 50 nationalities speaking more than 25 languages, this performance company is an eccentric mix of all of the world’s best artists, acrobats, jugglers, dancers and gymnast’s. This year’s piece is named Saltimbanco. The premise behind this performance is to lead the audience into a different world; a whimsical world where cultural miscellany is admired and fortified. Each impressive act represents a new cultural eccentricity that other characters are inspired by, in turn revealing their inner attitude to the audience through movement.

At the head of this fanciful realm is The Baron played by Gerard Theoret, and not far behind him is The Ringmaster played by James Clowney. Both individuals like to assume the position of the leader of the clan, but in actual fact it is The Baron that has the final word much to the dismay of The Ringleader. The character of The Dreamer (Daniel Buckland) is probably the most whimsical of the lot, with his head in the clouds and his tail constantly wagging. As his name implies he likes to dream, but should be cautious of getting too far ahead of himself; responsibility comes knocking in the form of The Child.

Valeriia Chyzhevska as The Child is playfully naïve; evoking an inquisitive nature in all of us, as too does the character of Eddie played by Martin Pons. Playing your typical joker, Eddie represents the lighter side of humanity with humour and practical jokes. The Vers Masqués (Masked Worms) are the silent predators; they like to watch, absorb and decipher. Their expressionless nature leaves many questions unanswered, consequently encouraging more thought. All other walks of life are revealed through The Baroques. This network of free spirited individual’s live life according to their own free will, they move from place to place and emotion to emotion however they please and whenever they please, raising the question of stability in a modern world.

Dispersed throughout the mise-en-scene are the impressive acrobatic acts. Adagio, the Chinese Poles, the Artistic Bicycle, the Juggler, Boleadoras, the Russian Swing, the Trapeze and Hand to Hand are the unparalleled essence of talent. The flexibility and balance of all acts is something truly astounding, in particular twins Ele and Julia Janke in the Trapeze Duo. Watching these two brilliantly talented women flip, spin and catch each other on a trapeze mounted a few metres off the stage had the audience in a constant state of shock and amazement.

Luis Miguel Terry Velasquez’s impressive routine as the Juggler was almost too hard to believe. Juggling three balls is a challenge in itself, but juggling nine whilst walking down a flight of stairs is mind-boggling. The long-standing worldwide phenomenon that is the Chinese Poles was an anticipated highlight of this show. Without any safety nets or harnesses these magicians flew from pole to pole using only the muscles in their arms and legs to support themselves. The flying Russian Swing was impressively not far behind.

The intellectual circus that is Cirque du Soleil is human movement at its best. The amazing amount of artistry that exists within the performance is not to be missed.

Haylie Pretorius