Cirque Du Soleil Kooza

This past week I had my first Cirque Du Soleil experience and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Kooza is now in St. Petersburg, FL in the Tropicana Field on select nights through December 16th. I was lucky enough to be up front, in the center of the stage for the best performance I have EVER seen. I have been running around like a 6 year old little girl who just spotted a unicorn since I left Kooza. All of my friends have now heard about it and are buying tickets.
 

So, what is Cirque Du Soleil Kooza? I have asked friends in the past this same question and never really received a decent answer. I now know why. Kooza is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. I have been describing it as a combination of theater, the circus, a comedy and a concert. The official description is "KOOZA™ is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil ® that combines two circus traditions —acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor."

Let's talk costumes. There were so many amazing costumes featured in Kooza. There are more than 175 costumes and 160 hats in the show—1,080 items in all, including all the shoes, props, wigs and so on. That is a lot of costumes! My favorite by far was the "Trickster". His two costumes and makeup were unbelievable:

Jean-François Bérubé, Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2007 Cirque du Soleil Inc.

OSA Images, Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2007 Cirque du Soleil Inc.

Every costume is made individually for the artist. The Kooza costumes are designed by Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt and she included some very cool features in some of them. 

• Marie-Chantale had percussion instruments made out of molded carbon for the Skeleton costume. They look and sound like bones when the performers hit them against each other to create a musical rhythm.
• The “Bad Dog” costume proved to be another huge challenge because the performer wearing it has to be able to move the dog’s ears, stick its tongue in and out, dribble and wag its tail.
• The “Rat Cape” is a costume that creates the illusion that rats are running down a performer’s body before disappearing into a trap. This would be relatively easy in a film, but it’s a lot more difficult to achieve live on stage. Following a long period of trial and error, the final Rat Cape costume is made up of 150 fake-fur rats with crystal eyes to catch the light. The running effect was inspired by the mechanism of vertical blinds and several of the rats are fitted with little wheels to make them seem even more alive.

All the costumes worked beautifully with the show and the set. Two of my other favorites were the above mentioned skeleton costumes and the costumes for the "Wheel of Death" performers (they were designed to make them look like birds with layered feathers on the legs).

The set itself was incredible. The "sails" (large pieces of flowing fabric) were lifted and it looked like a flower opening up as the Bataclan (a giant tower that hosted the band at the top) was brought forward. The effect was stunning. You can see the sails and the Bataclan in the back of this picture:

As far as actors and performers go, the "King" (sort of a clown-type character that is your host for the evening) had me laughing like crazy. I had no idea that Kooza would have so much audience participation. He also was full of very hilarious surprises. There is also a hairy large dog involved, but you will have to see the show to find out about that. It was nice because the clown/ king bits were mixed in with the more circus-like acrobatic performances. It kept you from getting bored throughout the show.
 

Performers include:
 

 Charivari (above picture):

The House Troupe burst into action at the top of the show. The act highlights include human pyramids, bodies flying through the air and a “crash bash”—a daring dive into a circle of fabric inspired by the “Nalukauq,” the traditional Inuit game of “Blanket Toss” and the landing mats used by firefighters.

Unicycle Duo:

A twist on the classic unicycle number introduces a passenger to the action. The two performers create a pas de deux in constant motion around the stage in a combination of balance, acrobatic control, physical strength, choreographic grace and a spirit of partnership.

Balancing On Chairs:

The equipment is as simple as it gets: eight chairs and a pedestal. But in this act, the artist uses them to create a 23-foot tower on which to perform a balancing act that displays the human body at the very peak of condition and muscular control.

Contortion:

Young performers work in harmony and unison to bring a new approach to the art of contortionism. What sets this number apart is the artists’ innovations in movements and positions, their speed, and the way they work as a team to create tableaux of sculptural beauty.

High Wire:

The twin high wires are suspended 15 and 25 feet above the stage, and the four tightrope walkers add their own tension to the 6,600-pound load on each rope. Their expert ability allows them to perform feats in the air that most of us would find difficult to do on the ground.

Hoops Manipulation:

A hoops act with such a high level of difficulty is a rare demonstration of skill, and the KOOZA artist is one of the best in the world. Combining fluidity of movement, physical contortion, exceptional balance and impressive dexterity, her performance is out of this world, whether she is spinning one, two, three, or even seven hoops simultaneously.

Teeterboard:

The Teeterboard flings artists into the air, where they execute quintuple twisting
somersaults—and that’s just the prelude for acrobats doing the same thing over 30 feet above the stage with double and single metal stilts strapped to their legs.

Solo Trapeze:

The trapeze is installed stage left to stage right—a Cirque-created innovation. But the act goes beyond the stage setting and the artist’s display of physical mastery. There is drama in her different personalities as she interacts with the Trickster, and that adds even more dynamic undertones to the visual thrills and delights.

Wheel of Death:

KOOZA’s 1,600-pound Wheel of Death rotates at heart-stopping speeds, powered only by the two artists who leap and counter-rotate in a death-defying display of fearless acrobatics and astonishing teamwork. Like the High Wire, the Wheel of Death is positioned diagonally, stage left to stage right, in order to break with the usual symmetry and bring the action as close as possible to the audience.

All of the acts were amazing. They did a lot of things that I would never even think were possible (and I have been to the circus a lot). They took what you would typically think of each act and brought it up a few notches. My favorite was definitely the Wheel of Death. The performers definitely had my heart pounding. They were leaping on and off and around the wheel like crazy. I also loved the Teeterboard and the High Wire act a lot. The High Wire performers even jumped over each other...in the air...on a wire. Wow. The Balancing on Chairs was also really neat. The performer literally stacked up the chairs and climbed on top of them one at a time until he was at the ceiling and it was leaning over. Then, he was doing different poses at the top. I really enjoyed all of the acts. There are some very talented people in this show. 

Last but not least, all of the music in Kooza is performed Live! The Music was gorgeous and flawless. It flowed perfectly with the acts and what they were doing. At different parts through the show you could see the musicians. There are six KOOZA musicians who play live music during
each performance: trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, percussion and keyboard. There are also two singers who sing live during each performance. The music of KOOZA is inspired by the sounds of western pop culture, from 1970s funk to full orchestral arrangements to Indian music.

Basically...this show rocks (metaphorically and literally). I still get excited thinking about it. I was a little worried that it would be too long, but when it ended I didn't want to leave. I'm tempted to visit again before they leave St. Petersburg; but I don't think my Husband would let me. Visit Kooza online for your tickets (on sale now!), to look at photos, watch videos and more. There are shows every Wed-Sun through December 16th. There was also an additional performance just added for 3:30 p.m on Thursday Dec. 13th! Make sure you do not miss this show.

Disclaimer: All pictures and details were provided by Cirque Du Soleil Kooza. I was provided with a pair of free tickets in exchange for this post. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are completely my own. Thanks Kooza!