Heros, Idols, and Being a Performer (long commentary)

In the overall performance community I have many people that I look up to.

Guy Laliberte, of Cirque Du Soliel fame.

Penn and Teller, the "magicians"

Blue Man Group, the performance artists

Stomp, musical performance artists

Barb Geary, the interactive actress/director

People like this. In my life I had only ever really worked with one, Barb... and it is always so profound for me to do so.

This past week I was honoured to see (and meet!!!! ) Blue Man Group and Penn and Teller. More over I saw 2 Cirque Du Soliel shows which came with revelations for me.

I could say loads on all the shows I saw (nearly 20 in all) but I want to stick with Cirque Du Soliel.... "O" was really ingenius. The fusion of water with their artistic presentations and "circus" skills was very neat.
Mystere sucked rocks. I have seen the original Mystere and this was not it. It was more of an event that showed off what the theater could do and not what the artists could do. I would have been embarrassed to be in that show...AND, while claiming to maintain the shows original integrity in the program, it turned around and really Vegas-ized it...literally, talking about a bird rising up from the Nevada desert. I know damn well that is not what Mystere was about.... but anyway, not the point.

The point of this thread focusses more on "O", and in fact, more the fire performers in "O". There was a "poi" spinner (actually it was two feet of kevlar lengths with handles used as poi, nothing new to us here) and there was one (not two as promoted) Polynesian Fire Knife spinner.
And both messed up, pretty big. The poi man tangled in basic wraps..twice, the fire knife spinner lost his grip and launched it across the stage. I understand that accidents happen to us all however, 3 big ones in less than 5 minutes. If I were to do that, I would be lamb basted, but because it was artfully done in an interesting costume with great music, an astounding back drop and the Cirque Du Soleil name on it, it was all okay with the audience. (and yes, all the mess-ups were evident)
What I was really intrigued by is that neither one of them did a move that was not on the beginning level lessons of this site. Seriously. AND, neither one really danced or moved alot with it. The Fire Knife guy had a great expression, but bounced more than moved. The spinner kind of shifted and lunged more than danced, though he did pirohuette with a weave. The audience cheered and gasped, which is what got me the most.

I realized that Cirque Du Soleil relies on the artistry of the costumes and presentation to really masque the elementary level of many of the skills performed (not all, as I do not know all these arts to make the comparison). But then they tout themselves and being better than the other artistic circus presentations out there, and really, they just have more longevity and a bigger budget. It was a cold reality for me.

Now I know that Cirque does tend to aim for basics in thier shows for the sake of continuity. It doesn't wear you out doing basics twice a night as much as if you were doing something complex, to be sure. BUT, the fact that I really do hold the performers in high regard, and last time I saw a knife spinner in a Cirque show he blew my mind, well, I expected it this time as well....and it failed. I was soooo disappointed with it. But that is because I had an expectation based on something I saw years ago. I did not want to see my peer up there, I wanted to see someone I could learn from, you know? Because that is the regard I hold CDS shows in...way beyond my capabilities. The people who went with me to the show told me I should audition, but I am big enough to admit that is yet beyond me.

And even more than this, all over Vegas there are free shows that I loved going to when I could. I saw a couple acts (not all, there were some sucky acts) that were similar to those in CDS who were more captivating and more skillful than those acts in Cirque, which was a huge thing for me to see, and a big realization on what a difference visuals make.
I still completely admire CDS for their dedication, artistry and vision..And their "clowns" truly are unique and second to none ...but not for the skill level, which I am coming to find is really not a higher level than any other show like them out there. And in a way brings me a sense of comfort about my own performing endeavors.... and thought it might do so for some of you all as well!

Hugs

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

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