KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil - Review

Post

Subscribe

Fri 20 Jan 2017 - Sun 26 Mar 2017

KOOZA opened in Melbourne last night, amidst an enthused and packed out crowd in Cirque du Soleil's signature Big Top, set up at Flemington Racecourse.

Even before KOOZA kicked off, you could sense the atmosphere, tense in anticipation of what would unfold within Cirque du Soleil's famed blue and yellow tent.

This is no surprise considering the Cirque du Soleil is one of Canada's largest cultural exports, seen by over seven million people worldwide, and has rightly gained its reputation as quite possibly the best circus act in the world.



The premise of KOOZA, is a nod to the traditions of circus, showcasing the fundamental human elements of what circus really is. The name of the show, Kooza, is an adaptation of the Sanskrit word 'koza' which means chest or box. The show begins with a box, essentially a circus in a box, which arrives on stage and opens up to a world of acrobatic surprises.



Clowning plays a huge role within KOOZA, which follows the 'Innocent' as he meets a collection of interesting characters in a world created by the 'Trickster'. There's also the 'King', the 'Heimloss', the 'Obnoxious Tourist' and his 'Bad Dog', who all pop back to the stage in-between acts to entertain the audience with their antics. On occasion, 'volunteers' from the audience are invited on stage to join in with the joviality.

Clowning aside, acts weave into one another with dexterity, as you would expect from a show put together by the biggest name in circus.



In the first half of the show, there's the Mongolian contortionists Sunderiya Jargalsaikhan and Ninjin Altankhuyag, who work in synchrony with one another, each artist using the other to balance into seemingly impossible body moves.

There's an an act that sees Yury Shavro and Olga Tutynina from Russia, both performing on just one unicycle together.

Marie-Eve Bisson on the aerial hoop is a daredevil Canadian national in red, who spins high up into the Big Top arena, on moments, dangling by just the toes of one foot.

Just before the intermission, four Spanish/Columbian artists perform on the high wire in an daredevil act that will leave you with sweaty palms at the mere sight of it.



In the second half of KOOZA, the artists' outfits come into their own, with an opening skeleton dance resembling a 'Day of the Dead' scenario. The costumes in this part of the show are phenomenally good, complete with huge feathery headwear and skeletal themed masquerade masks.

It is said that each year, the artisans in Cirque du Soleil's costume department, use more than 50 kilometres of fabric! 80% of all fabrics are treated and dyed in-house by the artisans of the textile design team.

After this beautifully dark scene follows arguably the greatest performance of KOOZA, Jimmy Ibarra and Ronald Solis from Colombia, who I'm actually quite surprised are still alive considering the stunts they pull off on and in the Wheel of Death.

Then there's the pint sized Yao Deng Bo from China, who performs his chair balancing act without falter nor fear, and the remarkable Irina Akimova from Russia, spinning hula hoops quicker than you've ever seen.

The finale is the Teeterboard, performed by a global ensemble of 14, who leap into the sky in a way you've never seen before.. on stilts!



All that aside, another admirable element to any Cirque du Soleil performance, is the live band that accompanies each act. KOOZA is no exception. A huge shout out to the incredible musician, Paul Butler from Adelaide, who performs a very special drum solo act, and is completely worthy of his own spot within the show.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you only see one circus show in your lifetime, make it a Cirque du Soleil. KOOZA is a theatrical wonderland of costume, live musical beats, and astonishing acrobatic talent. You've got until 26 March 2017 to catch KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil, so make sure you do.

Tickets are available to book via the website here.

Images provided, by Matt Beard

#child_friendly
#circus
#family
#flemington
#inner_north_melbourne
#performing_arts
#things_to_see
#january
#february
#march
!date 20/01/2017 -- 26/03/2017
%wnmelbourne