By Rubal K.
Rating – 4.5 / 5
Out of this world, Totem is one of the finest circus shows by Cirque du Soleil featuring a caste of multi-skilled artists far more talented than us Earthlings.
Life on Earth: The opening act personified amphibians at play beneath the carapace of a turtle highlighting first signs of life on earth. The act quickly allured the spectators into a colourful world of frogs leaping from one bar to another – majestic!
Circle of Life: Then came along the American Indian with a high-energy hoop dance depicting the circle of life. The ritual made a powerful statement about the long-standing connection between native people and other life forms on planet earth.
Bold and Beautiful: A self-obsexed Italian hunk walks on to the beach, and starts stripping for the ladies in the crowd. Thank God for Pizza, he wasn’t planning on going commando! His skills on the rings weren’t quite up to par, so the two alpha male lifeguards came to his rescue. It was an amusing introduction for the far more challenging Rings Duo act that went on to compete for a seductive woman’s attention at the beach. Much to their disappointment, she left with her boy friend – the Italian hunk!
It was an interactive performance of a high calibre with state of the art AV production and seamless transitions from one cultural influence to another that embellished the skit with tasteful hints of Bollywood, Latin and Tribal sounds.
Balance and Strength: Two ladies foot juggling and spinning glittery material at the tip of their limbs was a fine display of precision and impeccable coordination with little eye contact. If this wasn’t enough, the jaw dropping performance by a male contortionist was all about core strength, as he “single-handedly” balanced himself in various positions – all on an hourglass like platform.
Fillers: Simple yet symbolic demonstrations of masculinity and scientific pondering, the Devil’s Sticks spinning to Flamenco tunes coupled with the manipulative juggling of luminous balls in a quest to break the code of the universe, were some of the easy-to-digest performances (only just).
Chuckle: Of course, a bit of comedy never hurts, especially to keep the kids laughing in between the nail-biting moments. The Clown Fisherman and the (not so) “well-hung” Italian (skinny) hunk offered a little breather to prevent one from a sensory overload.
Glory: 5 extremely talented ladies made an intriguing entrance on Unicycles, and tossed metal bowls around like soccer balls – a delightful act exhibiting balance, synchronicity, and finesse made the audience rejoice each time a metal bowl was caught above their heads (without the use of their hands).
The Power of Love: The fixed Trapeze duo was a sweet expression by two lovebirds teasing and enticing each other to engage in romance on the tree of life. Their bond grew stronger as the sultry moves through their “nearly entangled” bodies left no room for resistance.
Escape Earth: 3 men jumping on Russian Bars was perhaps the most daring piece of acrobatic agility that enunciated Man’s achievement to reach outer space. This was an exquisite act sending subliminal messages for witnesses to continue chasing their dreams of reaching for the stars.
A scintillating performance that enchants not only an 8-year-old, but also has the tendency to leave senior citizens feeling a little too excited! “Grand pa, you are not 20 years old anymore”, said a teenager, as they departed from this mystical world – Totem.
