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RAVINIA
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CAGIS Archaeological
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"A Great time in a
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CAGIS Archaeological
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RAVINIA
"A Great time in a
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"A Great time in a
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CAGIS Archaeological
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RAVINIA
"A Great time in a
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CAGIS Archaeological
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RAVINIA
"A Great time in a
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© Suburban Journals of Chicago photo
KOOZA
from Cirque du Soleil
in Chicago until August 10, 2008
"A tremendous extravaganza of talent and art"
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
review by Ed Vincent
Kooza has come to Chicago with the flair of artistry that we
have all come to expect from this grand company of talent
in all areas of Circus, theater, and performance. That said,
why is it that I am so pleased with something I had thought
should be good from the start? The reason is simple, it exceeded
my desires and views of what I had anticipated.
The women doing the contortion performance, Julie Bergez, Dasha
Sovik, and Natasha Patterson were petite and glamorous, but also
had some moves that I have never seen before. People around me
were commenting for sometime about the performance of these
three women, and you may too after you have seen them.
Yri Shavro, on the unicycle, with Diana Aleschchenko were
the absolute best on this one wheeled show of balance and
graceful movement. Mr. Shavro did a series of moves that
would be impossible for a Segway to do, and he did them while
holding another person over his head. The unicycle work was
fantastic in its talent, Yri Shavro could have done the entire
Swan Lake ballet with his moves of dance and grace on the
unicycle.
The juggling presented by Anthony Gatto was the best work
I have seen in person, on film, or anywhere. This talented man
seemed to have an entire bowling alley's worth of pins in the
air at one time and with perfect control. Perhaps he made a
pack with the devil for this talent, if so, when the show closes
in Chicago we have plenty of Churches in the area to remove the
deal. His technique and style mixed with the high speed motion
of items coming and going and coming back again is worth the
price of admission by itself.
The teeterboard work, with humans flying many stories above
the stage made me ponder new ways of entering a castle in the
middle ages. Having no teeterboard, some elevations achieved
with a handful of folks holding onto a large bit of material and thrusting a person high into the heavens will give you something
to think about, too.
The clowns were fantastic in their humor, both verbal and
motioned. The antics, charades, dancing, high wire, audience
hunting.....all marvelous. The climate controlled tents are
ideal in any weather, and I have been to shows in the high
90's when inside it felt like a movie theater. Get your tickets
soon before your seat is gone.
Parking is right next to the tents at the United Center in Chicago.
Tickets range in price from $55 to $125.00
and all the seats are good.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.
Fridays, Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
No shows on Mondays.
and all the seats are good.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.
Fridays, Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
No shows on Mondays.
Get Your Tickets Now Online.
Before You Get to the Tents...Entertainment Meets You
© Suburban Journals of Chicago photos
Cirque du Soleil Press Release
KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in
search of his place in the world.
KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It
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.
The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply
of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.
Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition
and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual
world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total
involvement.
Charivari
The 19 artists of the House Troupe burst into action off the top of the show, combining acrobatics, rapid-fire costume changes and rebounds from three miniature trampolines set in the stage. 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.
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 position, their speed, and the way they work as a team to create tableaux of sculptural beauty.
Highwire
The twin high wires criss-cross diagonally stage left to stage right
at 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.
Juggling
Balls, hoops, and clubs fly in unprecedented numbers and at speeds that the eye and the brain can't easily process. And they don't just pass from hand to hand, they arc and fly into waiting props and receptacles with a seemingly impossible accuracy. This juggling
act has been called, quite simply, the best in the world.
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 the personalities as she interacts with The Trickster, and that adds
even more dynamic undertones to the visual thrills and delights.
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.
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 Highwire, 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.
The Trickster
Charming and sophisticated, The Trickster is a sublimely quick
and agile being, a genius who knows all about the world of KOOZA because he created it. He appears and disappears at will and there's electricity in the air each time he arrives on stage. He created this world for The Innocent and keeps a watchful eye out for him. He teases him, and plays tricks on him with his powers, but it's The Innocent's own subconscious that leads the dance…
The Innocent
The Innocent is a naïve and melancholy loner carried off into The Trickster's world. Outwardly childlike, ingenuous and simple, he is eager to get to know the new world he's in, but as soon as he uses The Trickster's powers he discovers an unexpected and jarring environment, a reflection of his soul.
The King
The King is the king of fools, the most burlesque of all the characters. His hair is tousled and his crown has a mind of its own
as he tries desperately to gain the respect of those who are crazier than himself.
Clowns
The two Court Clowns are The King's foolish footmen, his indispensable sidekicks in the extravagant adventures in the realm
of KOOZA.
The Pickpocket
The Pickpocket is a wily criminal in the guise of a clumsy clown.
He makes improbable balloon animals and is constantly on the run from a pair of cops. And he almost always manages to give them the slip. He's a master scam artist and he'll steal the shirt off your back in no time at all!
Heimloss
The very strange Heimloss lives beneath the stage where he's in charge of the mechanical machinery that gives life to everything
in the hidden world of KOOZA.
The Bad Dog
In this crazy world, even The Dog is nutty. He chases everyone,
barks and is impossible to control. The word "training" means nothing to him. But like everyone else he's drawn to The Innocent and becomes his playful, over-the-top companion.
The set
"I wanted to capture the essence of circus itself by creating a scenographic environment that offers true proximity to the
audience and where the danger is palpable."
—Stéphane Roy
KOOZA's set evokes a public square that metamorphoses into a circus ring. The circular stage provides the audience with excellent sight lines through 260 degrees.
There has been no attempt to conceal or disguise the acrobatic equipment. The structure of the big top is always in full view. Everything is done out in the open with simplicity and transparency in order to concentrate the audience's attention on the artists
and the acrobatic performances.
* The stage is dominated
by one major set element, a
traveling tower called the Bataclan, which alters the configuration of
the performance space as it moves.
* The Bataclan moves artists in and out of the spotlight, serves as a bandstand and is flanked by two curved staircases.
* The decoration of the Bataclan is inspired by Hindu culture, Pakistani buses and Indian jewelry.
* The giant fabric structure,called the Void that overlooks the Bataclan was printed with motifs inspired by the internal structure of leaves to give it a decidedly organic look.
* The "sails" that frame the Bataclan can be opened and closed like the petals of an enormous flower by just two people using ropes and pulleys.
* The surface of the stage is decorated to look like a starry sky, and in the center ring is a graphic representation of the sky in Montreal on the night of the first public performance.
* The stage is ringed by recessed lighting units that cast a warm glow up into the faces of the performers, much like the footlights of a 19 th-century theatre.
* The Bataclan moves artists in and out of the spotlight, serves as a bandstand and is flanked by two curved staircases.
* The decoration of the Bataclan is inspired by Hindu culture, Pakistani buses and Indian jewelry.
* The giant fabric structure,called the Void that overlooks the Bataclan was printed with motifs inspired by the internal structure of leaves to give it a decidedly organic look.
* The "sails" that frame the Bataclan can be opened and closed like the petals of an enormous flower by just two people using ropes and pulleys.
* The surface of the stage is decorated to look like a starry sky, and in the center ring is a graphic representation of the sky in Montreal on the night of the first public performance.
* The stage is ringed by recessed lighting units that cast a warm glow up into the faces of the performers, much like the footlights of a 19 th-century theatre.
The Costumes
“It’s been a great challenge, but it’s also full of traps. You don’t want to exaggerate or slip into creating a caricature when you’re trying to capture a character.”
-- Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt
For KOOZA Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt has drawn on a wide variety of sources of inspiration: everything from graphic novels,
the painter Klimt, Mad Max movies, time-travel movies, India and Eastern Europe. She was also inspired by clock movements, tin soldiers, marching band uniforms and children’s book illustrations. All this merges to create a look that alludes to Alice in Wonderland, Baron Munchaüsen and the Wizard of Oz.
There are many rapid costume changes during the show and Marie-Chantale researched magicians’ quick-change techniques
to create costume magic of her own. In the Charivari number the garments switch from gold to red in a fraction of a second. The challenge, she says, was not so much the quick change itself as the fact that the artists are performing acrobatics and forming into a human pyramid at the same time as the transformation and they
can use only their thumbs to pull off the trick.
*
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.
*
For the Juggler’s costume Marie-Chantale found a fabric made of mirrored squares that reflect the light and make him look like a living disco ball. The effect is so dazzling she was actually afraid he might blind himself when he moves his
arms.
*
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.
*
The designs include truly spectacular luminous coats and hats made with fiber optics and LEDs molded in translucent resin to diffuse the light – with this delicate fabric, each coat takes 60 hours to make and the hats involve 30 hours of painstaking work.
*
One army costume features more than 400 individually-sewn metallic flaps to create the effect that it is armored.
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.
*
For the Juggler’s costume Marie-Chantale found a fabric made of mirrored squares that reflect the light and make him look like a living disco ball. The effect is so dazzling she was actually afraid he might blind himself when he moves his
arms.
*
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.
*
The designs include truly spectacular luminous coats and hats made with fiber optics and LEDs molded in translucent resin to diffuse the light – with this delicate fabric, each coat takes 60 hours to make and the hats involve 30 hours of painstaking work.
*
One army costume features more than 400 individually-sewn metallic flaps to create the effect that it is armored.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago photo
© Suburban Journals of Chicago
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.