Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza is magnificent, electrifying and thrilling – one must see it to believe it. When I decided to watch it, I assumed it to be a beautiful, colourful show filled with acrobats and fun acts. But I was wrong, Kooza is so much more than its acts and stunts, it’s about experiencing various emotions and feeling alive.
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 splendour and fragility, presented in a colourful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humour.
“KOOZA is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad,” says the show’s writer and director David Shiner. “The tone is fun and funny, light and open. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s very much about ideas, too. As it evolves, we are exploring concepts such as fear, identity, recognition and power.”
Right from the first act to the last, the magic of Kooza was such that it had the audience in awe. The daring acts were stunning and heart-stopping, and just when you thought this was the end of the act, it got bolder and riskier – leaving the audience gasping every second minute.
Two of my favourite acts? Contortion, where young performers work in unison with their innovations in movements and position, and speed to create tableaux of sculptural beauty. And the 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. Though both completely opposite acts – one involving grace and caution, and the other being fearless and daring – the reaction it demanded was the same, that of astonishment and of thrill.
The comic acts (which helped calm your heart down after just watching a chilling acrobat performance) were refreshing and enjoyable. I especially liked the way the show interacted with the audience and got the crowd involved, ensuring that each one has a great time.
A fun fact on Kooza - the name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word “koza,” which means “box,” “chest” or “treasure,” and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a “circus in a box.”
Kooza is on till December 27, 2015, at Concord Pacific Place. Tickets are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.