Lords Of The Circus Rin

SINGAPORE – When the circus came to this town, it did not only regale audiences with spellbinding performances, it also established a regional base. Cirque de Soleil, the famous Canadian circus company, established its regional headquarters in Singapore and now operates its traveling shows in the Asia-Pacific from this base.

After the highly successful Saltimbanco, which played to full houses in Singapore several years ago, Cirque de Soleil is again wowing audiences with Alegria. The Baroque-inspired circus spectacular, one of the events in Singapore’s ongoing Take Art festival, is playing until March 31 at the Grand Chapiteau at the corner of Rocher and Beach Rds.

The Grand Chapiteau is Cirque de Soleil’s self-contained mobile village that includes a large tent, box office, a school and offices, among others. The huge complex occupies a 16,000-square-meter area.

The Big Top, or main tent, where the show is performed, has a capacity of 2,500 seats and is made of flame resistant vinyl tarp. It is 50.5 meters in diameter and is supported by four 25 meter-high steel masts. The stage is made of steel aluminum and taraflex shock absorbing material, the same one used for gymnastic events. The Grand Chapiteau can withstand temperatures just below 0° up to 45°.

The entourage consists of 141 people of 19 nationalities, 56 performers, two physiotherapists, four chefs, four teachers, and technical and office staff.

Alegria is the Spanish word for joy. And just as the title suggests, it is one happy event.

The fun starts even before the show proper, as funny men clown around with the audience, while musicians, reminiscent of wandering troubadours, walk down the aisles playing melodies inspired by tango, pop and minstrel ballads.

Enter the White Lady, the show’s storyteller, who unfolds the plot through songs. She is garbed in a deliciously sensuous white crinoline gown encrusted with jewels, pearls and paired with white gloves. The White Singer has an evil alter-ego, called the Black Singer.

While these two characters drive the storyline, it hardly matters to most as everyone seems to be enthralled by the rich visuals that unfold during the two-and-a-half hour show.

Alegria fuses Broadway theater, acrobatics, modern dance, music and sports. It is an eye-popping, artistic and athletic showcase of human feats made more astounding by elaborate costumes, dramatic lighting and special effects. The latter two are exemplified by the last number of Act 1, where both entertainers and audience are enveloped by a simulated snowstorm.

One of Alegria’s breathtaking acrobatic acts is the synchro trapeze, where Gaston Elie and Paulina Rasaden do simultaneous gravity-defying aerial maneuvers while on their individual trapezes.

Another soaring act is Fast Track, where members of the house troupe bounce up and down on X-shaped trampoline stretched at mid-stage. As each performer is up in the air, he does lively gymnastic moves.

Chinese and Mongolian circus-influences are featured in two acts, Manipulation and Contortion. Manipulation has Maria Silaeva, in form-fitting costume, gracefully executing gymnastic and ballet moves, while Contortion features Chimed Ultizbayar and Chimed Ulziijargal doing their fabled moves while perched on a rotating table.

Alegria pays homage to the traditional circus via the Strongman. As in circuses of yore, he is tasked to carry the weight of a wagonful of people, and succeeds with hardly any effort. Of course there are the usual clowns and fantasy characters like the fun-loving Fleur, magical fairies called Tamir and Little Tamir, the Old Birds, nymphs and clowns.

A show-stopper of an act is Fire Dance by Karl Sanf. Here, the sexy muscleman twirls flaming batons around his body while doing a lively dance routine. All this to the pulsating beat of the conga.

There are many other fabulous acts in Alegria, but perhaps the most applauded is Aerial High bars. Forty feet above the stage, nine Russian members of the troupe romp in the aerial playground consisting of three high bars. They fly to and from the arms of mighty catchers, hanging by their legs from cradle swings, leaving the audience spellbound with each thrilling move.

Cirque de Soleil was founded by Guy Laliberté in Quebec, Canada in 1984. To date, it has performed to more than 35 million audiences around the world.

Alegria runs Tuesdays to Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. There are no shows on Mondays. Tickets are at $60, $80, $120. For on-line tickets, e-mail www.sistic.com.sg.