Cirque Du Soleil in Laredo

On Tuesday March 6 and Wednesday March 7, 2012 the Cirque Du Soleil presented their touring production, Dralion at the Laredo Energy Arena. At 6:30 p.m. gates opened for the public and the show started at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. On Wednesday Dralion had two performances at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Dralion is an ancient form of a Chinese circus. Since 1999, Dralion has been performed all over the world to over 8 million people. This fusion of a 3,000 year old tradition is a philosophical inspiration of harmony between humans and nature. The name Dralion derives from dragon, which symbolizes the East. The four elements are represented by a different colors throughout the show. Amanda Orosco who played Air which is blue, Tara Catherine Pandeya in green who played water , Dioman Gbou as earth in color ochre similar to a brownish yellow color, and Dante Adelawas characterizing fire in a red costume. The combination of the four elements portrays the union of cultures to achieve balance. The cast consists of 52 acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comic characters that come from all over the world.

Throughout the show not only were 10 acts presented, but comedy was introduced into the show with clown parodies. The show started with the clown overture of Giovanni, Vicenti, andAlberti. who interacted with the audience.The Artist Gonzalo Muñoz, Michael Edward Hugues, and Facundo Gimenez obtained many claps and laughter of the public. They also performed comic acts such as the Hairpiece, Latern, Wrestling, Ascent to Galaxy, and various other parodies throughout the show.

The four elements and Little Buddha came to stage and the magic of Cirque Du Soleil began. All types of characters could be seen at the show, characters with extravagant makeup, colorful costumes, and some costumes even glow in the dark. Every element was presented with a variation of musical genres and choreographies. The scene design was very unique and at the same time very similar to what a circus would look like. This is one of the reasons what made some expatiators feel like they were in another dimension. This set consisted of a mammoth which measures 60 feet wide and 26 feet tall.

Naya, a hand balancing act, was performed for audience members. Bamboo poles tricks, juggling, and a trampoline act were among the other performances seen by audiences. Diabolo, Aerial Hoop and Aerial Pas de Deux are the acrobats that balanced in the air, while performing figures and choreographies, hoop diving, and skipping. The acts were performed to a background image or event, representative of the story being told. The public could also see the actors and actresses coming out of the floor and sides of the stage. Cirque Du Soleil had a live band with singers Cristian Zabala and Agnes Sohier performing Ame Force.

The founder, Guy Laliberté, and the creators Gilles Ste-Croix, Guy Caron, François Barbeau,Stéphane Roy, Luc Lafortune, Violaine Corradi, Julie Lachance, Guy Desrochers, MichelDallaire, and Sylvie Galarneau work hard every day to attract and entertain the public. The acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comic characters practice several hours in order to have a great performance, be fluid, and show the effort given in each act. Every dance, acrobatic performance, and scene acted makes Cirque Du Soleil an expressive representation of various art forms and imaginary worlds.

For more information about Dralion and Cirque Du Soleil you may visit their webpage at http://www.cirquedusoleil.com or visit the Laredo Energy Arena at http://learena.com/

(Sandy Lugo may be contacted at sandylugoespinoza@dusty.tamiu.edu)