I have to apologize up front about the quality of the photos I took of the show. They really don’t give this amazing experience the justice I wish I could have given it. As many of you know, I’m more of a faux-tographer than a photographer. Thus, my archaic SLR setup doesn’t give the kind of clarity in shooting dark scenes as I would prefer. I’m working to remedy this problem with a shiny new F/2.8 70-300mm Canon Lens, but for now please enjoy what I was able to capture.
When I heard Cirque Du Soleil’s Saltimbanco show was coming to the Lakeland Center, I knew I had to go. I had seen Cirque before in Las Vegas, but this was a very different show.
The differences are in both scope and scale, but I wouldn’t say that either show is better than it’s counterpart. The show I saw years ago had a moving stage and this stage was a large part of the act. The traveling Saltimbanco show, a mix of performance pieces including flying trapeze, acrobatic stunts, dance, creative musical numbers, imaginative customs and live music makes up for the moving stage with higher energy and more adventurous stunts.
The show starts off a little slow, introducing the audience to a few characters. Within a few minutes, the band steps up the tempo and with it an array of colorful characters join the mix. The acrobatics and feats of strength are the highlight of the second half, sending performers tumbling into the air. The performance was flawless. It’s obvious that the choreographer and the performers for this show make this their dream, and we all can share in that dream if only for a few hours.
Costume design is also top notch on this show. Ranging from the simplest of form fitting one pieces to elaborate head dresses and masks, the colorful ensembles draw your eye across the stage, trying to take it all in at once. As my companion at the show said, “It’s sensory overload. You can never take it all in.”
The Saltimbanco Arena Tour will stop in Tampa, FL at the St. Pete Times Forum for a limited engagement from June 25 through July 5, 2009. Tickets are on sale and available at cirquedusoleil.com, or by calling 813-287-8844.
The world premiere of Saltimbanco was held in Montreal on April 23, 1992 and featured a cast of 36 performers. During its 14-year tour under the big top, the show visited 75 cities on five continents, for a total of more than 4,000 performances before a combined audience of 10 million people.
In 2007, Saltimbanco embarked on a tour of over 40 arenas across Canada and the United States. The new tour model allows Cirque du Soleil to bring its shows to additional cities, giving more people than ever the opportunity to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show in their own town.
Saltimbanco belongs to the emblematic style of Cirque du Soleil – a signature Cirque du Soleil show with a style that borrows from theatre, dance and music and where spectacular costumes, lighting and make-up take pride of place. The current cast of 49 artists, 15 of whom were part of the show’s original big top tour, hails from Canada and 20 other countries.
Full of color, amusement and amazement, Saltimbanco is a fun show for the whole family to enjoy, a great outing for everyone!
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