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East Meets West
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For its New Orleans premiere, Cirque du Soleil gets elemental. Debuting in 1999, DRALION celebrates life with an homage in color-coded fashion to the four elements: air, water, fire and earth. But as with all things Cirque, nothing could possibly be quite so simple. This superstar circus troupe serves up a futuristic look at nature in a production that premieres this week under its blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau in the Zephyr Field Parking lot (6000 Airline Drive, Metairie).
Dralion also infuses an Eastern sensibility into the Montreal-based circus act ordinarily awash in European flavor, borrowing a few pages from the Chinese acrobatic tradition. More than 55 artists from 10 countries are highlighted by a house troupe of 37 Chinese acrobats who literally try to take the circus to new heights. It's truly a visual feast: high-caliber acts include bamboo poles, ballet on lights, double trapeze, hoop dicing, juggling, single-hand balancing and much, much more.
Accentuating the mood is a combination of visual and aural presentations that include a futuristic set capped off by a "three ring" aluminum sculpture representing the sun, a catwalk and a technical home base where a giant lantern is housed. The score borrows from several influences including Hindu melodies and instruments from Africa, Europe and beyond. Creative director Gilles Ste-Croix leads a team that features director Guy Caron, costume designer Francois Barbeau and composer Violaine Corradi. And, yes, there will be clowns aplenty.
Dralion will tentatively run through Feb. 23, but may be extended depending on ticket sales. Tickets range from $45 to $65 for adults, $31.50 to $45.50 for children, $40.50 to $58.50 students ages 13 to 17 and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, while VIP packages can be purchased by calling (800) 678-5440 or visiting www.cirquedusoleil.com. Group sales are available by calling (800) 450-1480. Premiere-week performances are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. After that, regular showtimes are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. -- David Lee Simmons
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