JEDDAH: Cirque Du Soleil Fuzion, one of the specially curated events of the Jeddah Season, is the closest you can get to real magic.
The hour-and-a-half show is constant entertainment from the moment it starts until the performers walk off the stage, putting the audience through a rollercoaster of emotion.
The show starts with two friends — Antonio and Sebastian — arriving on the stage, who set the magic in motion, with Antonio falling in love with a beautiful ballerina.
Acrobats, trapezists, gymnasts, aerial dancers and other talented performers from 13 different countries ensure the audience is captivated throughout the show.
Watching the circus unfold on the stage feels like a vivid dream. The performers do not just perform, they also interact with the audience by making them a part of the show, such as by asking them to push around a floating performer with the help of giant helium balloons.
The show’s high and low moments are synchronized with stupendous high-energy upbeat or slow haunting cello music that evoke similar emotions from the audience.
Mizuki Shinagawa, the aerialist, told Arab News: “I have done some other shows in Cirque Du Soleil, but I feel like this show is the biggest, and with an amazing cast and an amazing choreography.”
Shinagawa added: “Personally, I am really honored that I could perform in front of this audience, you can feel the energy of the crowd and in turn they make us feel really good.”
“And I will give my best during all the performances, so I hope everyone enjoys the show.”
Describing what he feels before every show, Antonio Gomez-Rubio, one of the main characters, said: “In front of an audience I still get at least a little bit nervous, you know you must perform in front of an audience, make them happy and make them laugh. It is what we do, we must make people enjoy what we do, and I think that it is something really humbling.”
“Once you step on the stage you kind of forget everything and become this,” he said gesturing to his costume, “But right before the action there are butterflies in my stomach.”
The audience was extremely receptive to the dazzling acrobatics they witnessed, which the performers appreciated. Gomez-Rubio said: “I want to say thank you, they are a very receptive audience. They are laughing and reacting. It is very nice to be a part of the audience that reacts to what we do. So, thank you for having us.”
Asked which part of the show the audience should be most excited about, Gomez-Rubio said: “As the name suggests it is a fusion of a lot of things and a lot of acts. It has little snippets of many other shows, so it is very special.”
The last show will take place on May 28.
