“O” the amazing Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas-05/05/2007

The show was breathtaking from the beginning to end. It begins with the synchronized swimming of different talented artists doing a beautiful water ballet.  The idea is to see the link between the 4 elements: earth, wind, fire and water.

The décor was amazin. There were red guards sitting on floating horses, a guide floated in an umbrella and there were different characters with the craziest costumes. The make-up was so pretty and stayed on whether in or out of the water.

Other amazing acts were aerialists dancing on a trapeze, acrobats on floating rafts, high divers that jumped from 60 feet above the stage into a small 17-foot deep triangular section of the pool, a man on fire, unbelievable 4 Asian gymnasts, traditional Hawaiian fire dancers, a

 bateau made of steel that hung above the pool, aerial hoops, and a Russian swing.

The Bateau was so incredible! It is a large ship hanging 40 feet above the pool. A team of 11 performers bring it into movement, fly through the air, catch each other in a spectacular show of acrobatic skill and jump into the water! There was also a girl that stood on her head on a little plateau. That may not seem so hard to do, but she did that hanging in the air without using her hands!

The “Bateau”

Along with the amazing acts we loved the fact that there was such a variety of characters many of whom ran into the public which gave an interactive feeling to the show.

Here is a list of the main characters:

Ø      Guifa is a young Sicilian boy whose curiosity drives him to many adventures

Ø      Eugen is the guide and the guardian of the theater

Ø      Le Travesti wears the clothes of a woman and walks, jumps and runs around the stage screaming and hissing. He gives a darker aspect to the dreamy show.

Ø      L’allume is a scary character because he is  a pyromaniac that enjoys fire and his whole body is on fire as well as his newspaper. He is scary because you just can’t believe the performer is really on fire!

Ø      The bride is a cute little girl that is obviously looking for love.

Ø      The zebra has a wonderful costume and waddles all the time seeking for pleasure.

Ø      The Barrel Organ Grinder can be seen as the guardian of each emerging world.

Ø      Aurora represents fantasy and desire, she is fragile and inaccessible.

As much as we liked the characters, we both agree that it is the music that unloaded all kinds of emotions: love, sadness, excitement, anger, melancoly. The musical compilation provided the right atmosphere. The 13 tracks were all composed by Benoit Jutras and had a strong world music influence. The music fitted perfectly with the different themes, especially with the Africa theme. The music consisted of 10 musicians and singers (male and female) and instruments such as African guitar and harp, Colombian guitar, bagpipes, Chinese violin, cello, ancient woordwinds and a variety of percussion instruments.

Here is a list of the 13 tracks: