This weekend hubby, the girls and I got to attend Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna in Miami (Doodle stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa). Despite my dancing background, fascination with aerial work and being a “big fan” of Cirque du Soleil, this was my first time ever attending and I was definitely not disappointed.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect. And despite thinking I was familiar with Cirque du Soleil, I definitely didn’t expect to walk into an actual Circus tent.
I place Cirque du Soleil on level with the ballet and Broadway, not your standard trained animals and clowns circus so we all got dressed up and I went over proper theatre etiquette with the girls (more on taking kids to the theatre here). Even though we were more dressed up than the majority of the crowd, we still enjoyed the show and our popcorn just the same!
And while we chose to leave Doodle at home and spend a little time with just the girls, there were plenty of small children in attendance and I didn’t hear any of them make a peep. The show really was great and mesmerizing for adults and children of all ages.
I was instantly mesmerized upon walking into the big tent. The sets were breathtaking and my mind began racing, imaging the magic that was about to happen. And as we waited, I was surprised by a very nice usher who cheerfully asked the girls if they were excited for the show then offered them a booster cushion. I had not thought to bring a booster for Sugarplum as I usually do when attending shows so was pleasantly surprised Cirque du Soleil had them to provide for us!
The show started somewhat unexpectedly and took off before we even knew it was starting. The costumes were beautiful without being too much and showed well to the audience without being in the way of the performers’ stunts (which is not an easy costuming feat!)
The stunts were amazing and I was sucked in and in awe through much of the performance. I have to admit at times I was distracted by my nit-picky, inner dance teacher, noticing all the unpointed toes and other small technical errors but that in no way took away from the experience.
The aerial work, the acrobatics, the addition of water and an easy to follow plot line kept us all enthralled, even little Sugarplum who rarely sits still for five minutes at a time.
During the intermission the girls were inspired to dance and we watched as they transformed the stage for the second half. The second half started with some high flying stunts (and the only mistake we saw in the entire show which is quite a feat!) followed by a single woman mesmerizing the entire audience, everyone afraid to even take a breath.
The action lasted until the very last minute and truthfully, I was sad when it was over. Even though my butt was asleep and my back was tired from sitting on the edge of my seat the entire show (partly because the angle of the seatbacks didn’t agree with my tailbone issues) I would have gladly sat through more and even Sugarplum was still sitting patiently, engrossed in the action.
I have to admit I don’t know what took me so long to get under the big top for my first Cirque du Soleil show but what I do know is that it won’t be long before I go back. I’m officially a big fan now and will be taking advantage of any future opportunity I get to see the company again!
Want to see what the kids thought of Amaluna? Check out their mini reviews here!
And now you have the opportunity to see Cirque du Soleil for yourself. I am giving away a $50 gift certificate which can be used for any Cirque du Soleil show in the US (view shows, locations and ticket availability at CirqueduSoleil.com). (Giveaway is open to US residents aged 18 and over)
