The travelling show Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil has been in Toronto since September 6th and is located on near Commissioner’s Street in the Port Lands. I’ve had the pleasure of attending the show a few weeks ago which was an experience to remember.
Walking into the Grand Chapiteau, I felt like a little girl again excited by the mere gift shop 30 minutes before the opening act. They had the most magnificent masks that made me dream of exquisite masquerade parties; I think I certainly went a little Instagram-crazy…
But the masks were not the only highlight – I was wowed by the soundtrack’s rock band electric fused with tribal hand-drum beats, and the jazzy notes of the sax. I’m pretty sure I saw a cello on the stage a couple of times too. Eclectic is the only way to describe the harmony of musical genres, and I think the composer duo Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard definitely accomplished what they set out to achieve, “to unleash the power in the raw”. Did you know that the band is all female? Talk about girl power!
My favorite act had to be the one immediately after intermission, which was a unique balancing act involving sticks of varying sizes that, when put together, formed the skeleton of a giant leaf. During the entire process, I don’t think I could breathe! After the freestanding structure was created, the first and smallest piece was removed and the rest of the leaf just fell apart. Trust me, the suspense feels that much greater when you experience it right in front of you.
All in all, a super cool way to spend a weekend in Toronto. Other interesting tidbits worth mentioning include the twin unicyclists in golden cage skirts, which they then removed further along in the show. And how the guys were shirtless (just kidding! No really, they were!). The fiery red Amazon costumes were apparently inspired by Asia Minor. And just look at that gorgeous gorgeous white dress for the peacock dance! Hurry, if you want to catch Amaluna, they’ll be heading to Vancouver after November 4th.
Sources:
http://static01.cirquedusoleil.com/en/~/media/press/PDF/amaluna/amaluna-presskit.pdf
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/press/photos-videos/photos.aspx