Dubai: Every so often the circus comes to town and gets everybody all excited. On Wednesday night, Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion opened to a full house at the Dubai World Trade Centre. It was clear the crowd was buzzing at the sheer thought of being entertained by the mystical magical wonder that is the circus, most alluring of all to the dreamiest of children and adults alike – this adult included.
As we were ushered to our seats a few minutes before the 10pm starting time, a clown emerged on stage, murmuring in gibberish, signaling the start of the show. Using an audience plant to entertain the crowd and make mock security announcements, silence eventually descended and the true artistry began.
Bursting colours, elaborate costumes and intricate acrobatics were fused together with live music and vocals unique to Dralion. L’Ame Force (the soul-force) who are the voices of Dralion, sing an invented language only known to Cirque du Soleil.
Dralion, whose name is from the marriage of hemispheres symbolised by two creatures, the dragon from the East and the lion from the West, tells the story of the never-ending quest of harmony between man and nature. True to form the character commands the rhythm of the show like fire, as earth, air, water; L’Ame-force and Kala (the heart of the wheel of time) tell their entwined stories. After each short act the clowns re-emerge to throw things off course. Some reviews on the Cirque’s official website complain about the frequency of the clowns’ appearance, but frankly they were the most entertaining part of the show. They drew genuine laughs with their antics and injected real entertainment into an otherwise unspectacular show.
Although it ticked all the boxes of a typical circus act – minus the animals – complete with contortionists; jugglers; trampoline aerialists (who were the most exciting act in this reporter’s opinion); hoop jumpers and aerial hoop and silk cloth dancers, who all deliver their art with romance passion and energy, Dralion ceases to amaze. Illustrated by the fact that half way through the second part of the show, the aisles came alive as people started to trickle out. For this reporter who was once a child who, if only briefly, fantasied about running away with the circus, it is safe to say, Dralion has laid that dream to rest.
*Cirque du Soleil, Dralion will be showing at the Dubai World Trade Centre until Saturday 16 February, to book tickets visit http://platinumlist.net/cirque-du-soleil-dralion-tickets-dubai
