Joey Arrigo remembers he was captivated by her first Cirque du Soleil at the age of 12.
Canadian dancer had seen about five circus when he made his debut last year in Kooza.
"I knew that even as a little boy, I wanted to be part of this," Arrigo said.
"All I remember is that every time I left a show I felt very inspired."
Arrigo guiding Tricky plays a shy, awkward Innocent on a journey of discovery and empowerment touring production, which continues until July 5 in a distinctive blue and yellow tent at 1155 W. Mound St.
"The great top environment becomes part of the magic," Arrigo, 23, said.
"It's the first thing that makes you feel like you've gone somewhere else ... As soon as you enter the store, which is sucked into a different world ... almost like a Broadway show. You forget that there is life out that ".
Joey Arrigo as the Trickster in the Charivari act on the tour of Cirque du Soleil Kooza. Image Credit: Matt Beard Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2012 Cirque du Soleil
Arrigo took over his role a year ago in Vienna after training in Montreal, home of the French-Canadian circus art ".
"When I came to this show, the character has changed," Arrigo said.
"People say that I have brought something new to the show and I think it is my dance.... I'm just an actor, but a moving company. I use my whole body."
With the Trickster as their guide and catalyst, the innocent suffer maturation and transformation.
"It's almost as if the innocent and the Trickster are the same person ... Innocent has an alter ego as a liar and wants to be confident," Arrigo said.
At one point, the Innocent gets Cheater wand and tries to cause its own magic.
"He cannot, but that message is almost a coming of age," Arrigo said.
"At first, The Innocent is super shy and not very safe. But the Trickster shows you all things and in the end, is laughing, smiling and have a new feeling inside."
The skeleton-dance scene in Kooza Cirque du Soleil. Image Credit: Matt Beard Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2012 Cirque du Soleil
billed as a return to the origins of French-Canadian circus art, circus traditions Kooza mixture of acrobatics and clowning.
"My goal was to create events that would get the crowd on its feet," said director David Shiner, who began his career as a clown and has starred on Broadway as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical Musical.
"I cannot say enough about the artists. They are absolutely wonderful," Shiner said.
The two-act show includes 10 acts - which may vary for action based on injuries or illnesses or vacations performance. (That allegedly occurred on Saturday and Sunday when the Wheel of Death, an event highlight in Kooza was replaced with another act.)
In Kooza Cirque du Soleil, the Act has Charivari human pyramids, bodies flying through the air and a "blow the accident," a daring dive into a circle of fabric inspired by the "Nalukauq" traditional Inuit game of "Blanket Toss "and the landing mats used by firefighters. Image Credit: Matt Beard Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2012 Cirque du Soleil
Among the usual Kooza billed acts: on the ropes, hoops manipulation, teeterboard, trapeze solo, a duet unicycle, contortion, hand in hand (a balancing act of two artists who always kept in contact with each other), the balanced on chairs and cencerrada (including human pyramids and a daring dive into a circle of fabric) and the final wheel of death.
"The unicycle act is absolutely beautiful, sweet and romantic," Shiner said.
"The contortion act is incredible. When done well, it's nice to see."
Even before he made his Broadway debut in 1993 in Loco Luna, a comedy "New Vaudeville" was co-created and co-starred with Bill Irwin, Shiner began working with Cirque du Soleil in 1990 Nouvelle Experience.
"I loved the experience of working with Cirque du Soleil, co-directing and writing his second show," Shiner said.
"And I've always wanted to create a Cirque du Soleil and bring it all my years of experience."
No comments:
Post a Comment