We had a good time at the Shrine Circus this year - I think I am getting more acquainted with how they run the show and that makes it easier. For example, this time we did not buy floor seats because the setup never matches the seating chart and that always frustrated us. This time we bought seats in the first row of the arena and they were good seats. It was nice to be a little higher than the floor seats because it was easier to see over equipment and people walking around during the show. So I never had a problem with my view being blocked while they setup for the elephant rides (which happened last year).
Another advantage of the non-floor seats is not getting trampled while the elephant rides are happening. I mean trampled by people pushing to get into line - not trampled by elephants :-)
Some of the acts are the same every year - like one of the clown acts but it's a great act so I don't mind seeing it again. My favorite acts had to be the Wheel of Death and the juggling. The female juggler in the center ring was very good and engaging to watch. I enjoyed seeing the Wheel of Death up close for the first time. Other acts included trampoline, horse riding, motorcycles, dogs and a human cannon ball. My best suggestion for this circus would be to include less animal acts and more aerial acts - like Ringling Brothers has been doing over the years.
I took quite a few photos and I'm slowly editing them and posting them on Flickr. I'm always grateful for the shows that allow cameras because I love taking photos of circus, gymnastics, acrobatics etc!
The next circus event at the Cedar Park Center is Quidam by Cirque du Soleil in March - can't wait!
Showing posts with label Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Park. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Dralion at the Cedar Park Center
I first saw Dralion as a tent show in 1999 and, although I enjoyed it, I felt the other Cirque Du Soleil shows I had seen were much better. I just saw Dralion again at the Cedar Park Center (the new arena version of the show) and I have to say that this show has really matured and improved with time. Dralion is a blend of western culture with traditional Chinese circus acts but in 1999 I felt that the traditional Chinese circus acts did not have the same energy or stage presence as most Cirque acts. That is no longer the case. This version of Dralion has a very energetic Chinese acrobatic troupe. The Hoop Diving act was more energetic than I remembered and the Skipping Rope act was fantastic. Part of the improvement is that the current performers connect with the audience better than the performers I saw 12 years ago and that makes them more enjoyable to watch.
Also fantastic was the Russian juggler, Vladik Miagkostoupov, who has big shoes to fill after Victor Kee (Victor Kee was the highlight of the 1999 version of Dralion, in my opinion). Vladik uses a similar style - combining juggling, acrobatics and dance and is equally as entertaining. I also enjoyed the Aerial Pas de Deux - which is a very romantic aerial silk performance with a great emotional display between the two performers. The aerial hoop act is equally amazing and also had great chemistry between the hoop performer and the character representing fire.
Of course, my favorite change to Dralion is the inclusion of the trampoline wall act. Trampoline wall is always fun to watch and really wows the crowd (I was especially amazed at the performer who did the crash dive from one trampoline to the other when the trampolines were quite far apart - scary!).
Overall, I have to say that all the acts in Dralion were entertaining and the show has improved dramatically with time. Dralion will be at the Cedar Park Center until March 20th so there's still time to get tickets.
P.S. It appears that the seating chart for the floor seats on Ticketmaster once again, does not match what the Cedar Park Center had set up. We were in the front row of floor section 4, seats 1 and 2. On the Ticketmaster chart that would have us on the left side of the section (if facing the stage) but we were on the very right side of the section. In this case, it made no difference to us - our seats were great. But this is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to buying tickets for the Shrine Circus (our floor seats have never been what we thought we bought) - see previous posts for details.
Also fantastic was the Russian juggler, Vladik Miagkostoupov, who has big shoes to fill after Victor Kee (Victor Kee was the highlight of the 1999 version of Dralion, in my opinion). Vladik uses a similar style - combining juggling, acrobatics and dance and is equally as entertaining. I also enjoyed the Aerial Pas de Deux - which is a very romantic aerial silk performance with a great emotional display between the two performers. The aerial hoop act is equally amazing and also had great chemistry between the hoop performer and the character representing fire.
Of course, my favorite change to Dralion is the inclusion of the trampoline wall act. Trampoline wall is always fun to watch and really wows the crowd (I was especially amazed at the performer who did the crash dive from one trampoline to the other when the trampolines were quite far apart - scary!).
Overall, I have to say that all the acts in Dralion were entertaining and the show has improved dramatically with time. Dralion will be at the Cedar Park Center until March 20th so there's still time to get tickets.
P.S. It appears that the seating chart for the floor seats on Ticketmaster once again, does not match what the Cedar Park Center had set up. We were in the front row of floor section 4, seats 1 and 2. On the Ticketmaster chart that would have us on the left side of the section (if facing the stage) but we were on the very right side of the section. In this case, it made no difference to us - our seats were great. But this is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to buying tickets for the Shrine Circus (our floor seats have never been what we thought we bought) - see previous posts for details.
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