- Joined
- Jun 1, 2007
- Messages
- 20,217
- Reaction score
- 35
We went downtown last night to see the opening of Cirque Dreams Illumination and it was amazing!!!
'Cirque Dreams: Illuminations' thrills and amazes"
Quote:
Spending time with "Cirque Dreams: Illumination" is like watching a magic show: It's happening right in front of your eyes, but you can't believe it, and you're often left wondering, "How'd they do that?"
There's so much going on at times on the Heinz Hall stage, it's hard to know where to look. But you never feel cheated, because anything your eyes settle on in this cityscape of sensory sensations is bound to please or at least amaze.
The throbbing music stays in your head as "Illuminations" unfolds, with singer Janine Ayn Romano as a Reporter searching for scoops above and below elevated train tracks in a cityscape populated by remarkable acrobats, contortionists, dancers and clowns. Barricades, hydrants and headless coveralls meander through scenes in the multilayered world of creator Neil Goldberg's "Illuminations."
And each time you think you've seen it all, well, you haven't.
Rubbery bodies contort at inhuman angles, with "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Robert Muraine a particular culprit as he bends, curls and twists body parts at will.
The former street popper -- someone who tells a story through dance -- combines with the company members from The Mongolian Contortion School for a second-act number titled "Detour," that definitely could stop traffic.
The wonders in "Illuminations'" parade of performers rarely cease. There's percussion juggler Andrey Averyuskin, a Moscow-born acrobat and clown who plays the drums by using bouncing balls instead of drumsticks. And wire-walker Evgeny Vasilenko, who balances and somersaults on a slack wire. And yet another Moscow performer, Siarhei Kuzniatsou, known as "Paint Can Stacker," who does just that, putting the cans on their rounded side, then upright, then on their side, etc. Then he places a small board on top and balances on them. Atop a scaffold.
"The Ed Sullivan Show" would have snatched him up in a second.
Martin Lamberti comes along intermittently to tickle your funny bone as a clown from the silent-film, Harpo Marx school. Using only a whistle and gestures to communicate, he conducts a mock silent movie scene of jealousy and betrayal with random audience members. Lamberti reads them like a pro, rewarding those who are game and playfully punishing unwilling participants, like the guy who, on opening night, was painfully uncomfortable with the proceedings.
This 13th version of "Cirque Dreams" is well worth the venture in the Cultural District on a cold, snowy night. It holds up as a rollicking sum of its parts, with enough belly laughs, oohs and aahs and more than one "Oh no he didn't!" to keep the whole family entertained.
Source - 'Cirque Dreams: Illuminations' thrills and amazes
Practice Video - Video: A look at 'Cirque Dreams: Illumination'
'Cirque Dreams: Illuminations' thrills and amazes"
Quote:
Spending time with "Cirque Dreams: Illumination" is like watching a magic show: It's happening right in front of your eyes, but you can't believe it, and you're often left wondering, "How'd they do that?"
There's so much going on at times on the Heinz Hall stage, it's hard to know where to look. But you never feel cheated, because anything your eyes settle on in this cityscape of sensory sensations is bound to please or at least amaze.
The throbbing music stays in your head as "Illuminations" unfolds, with singer Janine Ayn Romano as a Reporter searching for scoops above and below elevated train tracks in a cityscape populated by remarkable acrobats, contortionists, dancers and clowns. Barricades, hydrants and headless coveralls meander through scenes in the multilayered world of creator Neil Goldberg's "Illuminations."
And each time you think you've seen it all, well, you haven't.
Rubbery bodies contort at inhuman angles, with "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Robert Muraine a particular culprit as he bends, curls and twists body parts at will.
The former street popper -- someone who tells a story through dance -- combines with the company members from The Mongolian Contortion School for a second-act number titled "Detour," that definitely could stop traffic.
The wonders in "Illuminations'" parade of performers rarely cease. There's percussion juggler Andrey Averyuskin, a Moscow-born acrobat and clown who plays the drums by using bouncing balls instead of drumsticks. And wire-walker Evgeny Vasilenko, who balances and somersaults on a slack wire. And yet another Moscow performer, Siarhei Kuzniatsou, known as "Paint Can Stacker," who does just that, putting the cans on their rounded side, then upright, then on their side, etc. Then he places a small board on top and balances on them. Atop a scaffold.
"The Ed Sullivan Show" would have snatched him up in a second.
Martin Lamberti comes along intermittently to tickle your funny bone as a clown from the silent-film, Harpo Marx school. Using only a whistle and gestures to communicate, he conducts a mock silent movie scene of jealousy and betrayal with random audience members. Lamberti reads them like a pro, rewarding those who are game and playfully punishing unwilling participants, like the guy who, on opening night, was painfully uncomfortable with the proceedings.
This 13th version of "Cirque Dreams" is well worth the venture in the Cultural District on a cold, snowy night. It holds up as a rollicking sum of its parts, with enough belly laughs, oohs and aahs and more than one "Oh no he didn't!" to keep the whole family entertained.
Source - 'Cirque Dreams: Illuminations' thrills and amazes
Practice Video - Video: A look at 'Cirque Dreams: Illumination'
