Founded by Guy Laliberté, written and directed by Dominic Champagne, and brought to life by a cast of talented individuals, Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai has arrived to El Paso, aweing and pleasing its audience with colorful acts of acrobatics, energetic dancing, and witty humor.
This intriguing show came together stunningly with a group of elegant, exotic, and quirky characters all inhabiting a mysterious forest. A bit difficult to grasp at first, due to the lack of comprehensible dialogue, yet it was complimented through body language.
The main plot revolves around the arrival of a young man who falls from the sky, as he journeys into the new world of Varekai. The many characters of the forest made numerous appearances along the show, each carrying its distinction.
The show seemed to divide into three main kinds of performances including, the gracious acrobats, who are the main plot of the show, the lively group performances, and the clown acts.
Even though I loved watching its many variations of entertainment, however I did not feel like the different acts tied in together with each other. The clown acts seemed to steal the show away from the main characters.
Since half of the show’s performances are grounded solidly on comedy, I would recommend this show mainly for those who strongly enjoy humor. Do not expect a full-on elegant routine when attending Varekai, because you might walk out disappointed.
For those who enjoy aerial and ground acrobatics, yet do not mind laughing along casual dorkiness, Varekai is just the right event to attend. Children and adults loved the clumsy clowns.
Stepping away from the clowns, and focusing more on the elegant performances, time truly felt intangible. The audience finds itself enthralled into each precise movement of the performers and for a second feels like being pulled into the forest of Varekai.
That strange sensation I believe is what I loved the most about this show. Those moments in which music, lighting, and performances come together to shock the audience, is what makes this Cirque du Soleil show so great. For most performances rely on extreme coordination and precision with the technical aspects of the show.
Some of the most memorable acrobatic performances were the aerial straps duo, who managed to quiet down every single person in the audience with their graceful presence and impeccably coordinated chorography.
A specific performer, whose number consisted of baton twirling and juggling, left me mesmerized with what seemed like effortless moves. Hearing people gasp every time she thruster the baton into the air and catching it after twirling around the stage. The Icarian human juggling and the final number by the Russian swingers, judging by the reaction of the public, were hands-down absolute crowd pleasers.
Varekai truly is a stunning show. Overall, its many acts and performances will not disappoint.
The schedules for the performances are as follow:
March 19th and March 20th at 7:30 p.m., March 21 at 4:00p.m. and 7:30p.m and March 22 at 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
You may purchase tickets on the ticket center at UTEP or online at ticketmaster.com. For more information on the show visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/varekai
Jesus Lopez may be reached at [email protected]
