The Grand Chapiteau Par Le Baie – KOOZA

Posted by Joe_Almeida On December - 20 - 2010

The Big Top by the Bay – KOOZA
The raising of the Blue-and-Yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) and the set up of the Cirque du Soleil Village at Miami’s Bicentennial Park can only mean that Cirque du Soleil’s critically acclaimed production KOOZA is in town!
KOOZA is an attempt to return to ‘the origins’ of circus performing by combining clowning and high tension acrobatics while exploring the themes of fear, identity, recognition and power through a variety of amazing acts showcasing the soul of circus tradition.

KOOZA is the story of a character called the Innocent who takes you along on his tricksterjourney through the world of KOOZA while he meets characters like the Trickster, the King, the Pickpocket, the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.  A word of caution about the Pickpocket, if you happen to be the lucky audience member who is taken on stage for a “demonstration” with the pickpocket, well let’s just say….hold on to your hat (and your watch, wallet, jewelry and anything else of value)!
The Innocent’s encounter with all these characters combined with all the surprises that each one brings leads to an unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the amazing feats, stunts, magic and comedy that the cast of KOOZA puts on for you. “Shock”, “awe” and “amazement” are all words that describe how you will be feeling throughout the show although, for the lucky (or unlucky) group that’s sitting in a specific area close to the stage, we need to add “wet” to that list when the tourist’s “bad dog” lifts his leg!
The hilarious performances by the clowns, the breath-taking acrobatics that are part of numerous acts like the balancing on chairs (you have to see this to believe it),  High Wire,  Solo Trapeze,  Teeterboard,  Hoops,  Unicycle Duo and the Wheel of Death all make up an unforgettable experience.

KOOZA-contorsionistsFrom the start, the contortionists seemed to defy their own bodies while smiling the entire time as they twisted, folded and stretched their bodies in ways that cannot be explained. Then there were gasps for air and several people who were literally on the edge of their seats as the tight rope artists defied the laws of gravity while fearlessly taking on the high wire in an unprecedented presentation using bicycles, chairs and each other to do things that most people wouldn’t do on the ground.  After, the oohs and aahs were prevalent during “The Wheel of Death” which at first glance, seems like an oversized hamster wheel, but as this massive 1600 pound contraption starts to spin

and the two artists/acrobats/superheros defy death and gravity as they fly through the air performing amazing acrobatic stunts without wires, the furthest thing from your mind are hamsters.  As if that wasn’t enough, the Wheel of Death is conveniently placed a few feet from the audience for better visibility of course, or maybe it’s to increase the flow of adrenalin in your body while these massive wheels spin through the air only a few feet away.  There are also several moments where it seems the artists are about to slip and fall off the Wheel of Death as they run around, jump and fly on these massive wheels.  There are multiple other acts that defy death and the law of physics-hint #1, pay close attention when you see a performer with a chair that later turns into a tower of chairs as he climbs and performs on top of each one as he stacks them and the tower gets higher and higher towards the highest point in the Big Top! If the Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the 7 wonders of the world, we’re going to have to add a number 8 spot for this guy in our book.  It’s definitely a night full of unexpected surprises and acts you’ve never seen before which produce non-stop fun for Children of All Ages!


About Cirque du Soleil & KOOZA
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,200 artists from close to 50 different countries.  The name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word “koza” which means “box” and represents one of KOOZA’s main concepts – a “circus in a box.”  Cirque du Soleil made its first visit to Miami more than 20 years ago and take it from us, this year’s presentation of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA is a definite Miami Socialholic Don’t Miss event!

By:  Joe Almeida

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