Cirque du Soleil
I went to Cirque du Soleil's show Corteo with Michelle and Nicol in San Francisco last night.
I was totally amazed and would be eager to see their other shows. This was the first time I've ever seen Cirque du Soleil in person, and the first time in about twenty years I've seen any circus (if I exclude the aerial tissu artists in a theatrical performance I saw in Seattle).
For me, one of the most special moments was seeing someone actually floating on a bunch of helium balloons -- since one of my favorite books as a child was The Twenty-One Balloons, a children's adventure/utopia by William Pène Dubois. I liked it so well that I'm sure I re-read it at least three times. Among the many fabulous things in The Twenty-One Balloons was an image of a child hanging, for fun, from the bottom of a helium-filled weather balloon and bouncing high into the air -- almost flying. Thanks to Cirque du Soleil, I've finally seen it happen.
I also greatly admired the skill with which the Cirque acrobats jumped up and down on beds, and Uzeyer Novruzov, the ladder expert, who would climb (and walk around on) ladders that weren't balanced against anything, while being chased by friendly robots and a flying angel. I also enjoyed the symphonic performance by a whistling ringleader, a table full of water-filled wineglasses, and some whirling players of glowing bells. I would also mention the Cyr wheel as one of several acts that I wouldn't have imagined were physically possible for people to perform, and the cleverness of having the high-wire walker walk up a slanted wire. The whole show was full of wonderful things.
Corteo will be here in San Francisco until January 8.
