Cirque Dreams Illumination Review

Saturday we saw Cirque Dreams Illumination at the Long Center in Austin, TX. This was my first time to see a Cirque Dreams production so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I found the skill level of the performers to be very high and enjoyable. The music and choreography was average (in my opinion) but overall I would say this was a good show. Some of the acts that stand out to me are the Foot manipulators (I believe Cirque du Soleil calls this Icarian Games), the juggler (fantastic!), the aerial cube act (with 4 girls on a cube) and the handbalancer. According to the program, the handbalancer is 6'2" - that makes his skill level even more impressive. No doubt his fantastic flexibility helps him but it's impressive to see someone that tall do a reverse planche. I enjoyed the slackline performer (Wirewalker) and was especially impressed by his back extension roll to handstand on the wire. There was another handbalancing/acro act by three guys who did a really great job. Other notable acts were the contortion girls, rollo bollos, and the aerial perch couple.

I also enjoyed seeing Sky and Aaron - the two local Austin performers who won the "Run Away with Cirque Dreams Casting Call". The casting call is a very good marketing tool for Cirque Dreams as it gave us a preview of the show (and the ability to take pictures) and also allowed for some local talent to perform in Austin (some of my pictures from the casting call are located here: www.flickr.com/photos/flipimages/sets/72157625235230721 )

One thing about the performance that seemed odd to me was the clown act. It's act where the "Director" is directing "audience members" (most likely plants) through a silent movie. However, it's an almost exact copy of the same act done by David Shiner in Cirque Du Soleil's Nouvelle Experience, which I saw in 1991 (and is still available on DVD). I don't know who owns the rights to this act but it was weird to see it done almost verbatim by another circus.

I look forward to Cirque Dreams returning to Austin next year - especially if they do the Casting Call again.

Workshops and Performances at Sky Candy Austin

As part of the East Austin Studio Tour, Sky Candy Austin will be doing workshops and performances on November 13th & 14th. Space in the workshops is limited so if you are interested visit their website to sign up (or to get more information): http://www.skycandyaustin.com/. I'm hoping I can get away from Austin Comic Con long enough to stop by and see what's happening there.

Adult Gymnastics Class at Star Center

I just found out that Star Center has an adult gymnastics class on Monday and Wednesday evening... for more information visit their website http://www.austinstarcenter.com/ (it's on the Class Schedule). The gym is located in South Austin - nice and convenient for those of you that live South. Since I'm on the opposite side of town (North Austin....in a galaxy far far away), I probably won't be able to check out this class but I'm still happy to see that some gyms are willing to have classes for adults.

Cirque Dreams Casting Call

I wasn't sure what to expect at the Cirque Dreams casting call but we had a great time and the opportunity to see local performers as well as some Cirque Dreams performances. Cirque Dreams is promoting their new show "Illumination" which will be at The Long Center in November (can't wait!). I'm really excited to see more circus performances and activities in the Austin area (and especially in Cedar Park since I live north).

Run Away with Cirque Dreams

This sounds like fun..... (I got this information in an email from The Long Center):

Casting call at Lakeline Mall on Sunday, November 7th at 12:30 p.m. JCPenny's rotunda at Lakeline Mall - 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive, Cedar Park, TX, 78613

CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION and The Long Center for the Performing Arts have teamed up to offer one lucky dreamer the chance to "Run away with Cirque Dreams" and perform in a feature role when the show performs at The Long Center, November 23-28, 2010.

The creative team from Cirque Dreams will hold a casting call, limited to the first 100 dreamers of all ages, on Sunday, November 7, 2010, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at Lakeline Mall and encourage aspiring performers, acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, dancers, singers and anyone else with a special talent who has ever dreamed of performing in a Broadway show, to audition for their chance to perform with the internationally renowned Cirque Dreams company. Each participant will have up to 2 minutes to impress the cirque experts with their skills. Performers requiring music should bring their own CD. In addition, performers from CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION will be on hand to give a sneak peek of the show.

The winner of the "Run Away with Cirque Dreams" competition will be trained locally by the Cirque Dreams design team for their debut performance in CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION and will receive six complimentary tickets to their debut performance.

Climb aboard the all-new CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION journey, from the creators of Broadway's groundbreaking hit and only show of its kind to ever perform on Broadway, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. "Full of streetsmart stunts and acrobatic invention" raves the Columbus Dispatch, and proclaimed, "Dazzling, A reason to stand up and cheer", by the New York Daily News, CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION will perform 8 shows at the Long Center beginning Tuesday, November 23-Sunday, November 28, 2010.

www.thelongcenter.org