Sometimes in Sydney you just need to escape the traffic, noise of jackhammers and general chaos of our city. A night out at the Big Top in Moore Park was just what I needed to experience something truly magical.
Cirque du Soleil has been touring in Australia from its Montreal base for 25 years, and we are so lucky to have Luzia in town. Luzia is a journey through Mexico and if you want to be completely transported into a dazzling, fantastical world, this is the show for you.
What will strike you are the colours, which reflect all the hues of Mexico’s diverse lands and people. To begin the journey, a glorious yellow and orange running woman ‘butterfly’ awakens Mexico along with the sun, in a tribute to the monarch butterfly migration from Canada to Mexico. She is followed by the hoop divers, breaking all the rules in their hummingbird costumes by launching themselves from treadmills into hoops just 75 centimetres wide. They leap, they fly, they land. Forwards, backwards and over, never missing a beat.
A lovely break to the acrobats is the dancing, a change of pace for what is to come. For there is a lady who does trapeze not with her hands, but held by her hair. Yes, hair suspension is a thing. Water is a unique part of this show, the first Cirque du Soleil to introduce it some eight years ago. The way the performers embrace this medium is wonderful, as it reflects an important element in life.
And it is a show for all ages, with my children absolutely astounded by the feats of these incredible athletes. The precision with which they perform their moves is a delight, with some in the Cirque family former Olympians or the only ones in the world who have their skill. Take Russian contortionist Aleksei Goloborodko, who plays the ‘spirit guide.’ This talented young man has skills no other individual on Earth possesses. And his routine will blow you away, with it hard to comprehend how a body can bend the way his does.
So to experience the joy that is Luzia, make sure you see it before 9 February, when the company will leave our shores – until the next adventure arrives.
Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia
Until February 9
The Big Top at The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
cirquedusoleil.com/Luzia