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When Cirque du Soleil first ventured beyond Canada's borders, its powerful, singularly ambitious "reinvention of the circus" seemed quixotic. Inspired by European precedents, this was a big top downsized to a more intimate, single ring, as the French Canadian troupe jettisoned animals and the usual fright-wigged clowns, and focused on acrobats, contortionists, and illusionists. Conventional wisdom would have held that such esoterica was doomed, but anyone lucky enough to catch that initial Cirque production (or any subsequent offerings) knows just how wrong conventional wisdom can be. Quidam revolves around an Everychild, who's whisked away to a vividly surreal world where Cirque's remarkable acrobats and artists take literal flight. Their tools are often prosaic--oversized flying rings, an open steel wheel large enough for a single inhabitant, skateboards, ropes--yet the resulting images are stunning. Injecting further drama and atmosphere is the score, which can be dismissed as New Age only until heard in its intended context. The Chinese consider the lion a symbol of good luck, so it's a half-dragon, half-lion--a dralion--that is the symbol of the East-meets-West fusion of Dralion, in which 36 Chinese acrobats join the renowned Canadian troupe. Celebrating the four elements as represented in four colors--blue (air), green (water), red (fire), and ochre (earth)--Dralion combines ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil's usual stunning elements: the techno-oriented single ring; the multicolored lights and costumes; the music that mixes rock, New Age, and various world influences (though not Chinese); and of course the acrobatic stunts, those eye-popping displays of agility, balance, and strength. You'll see an acrobat balancing on one hand, a brawny juggler, a high-flying teeterboard act, a double trapeze, contortionists, a parasol turned and tossed atop a foot, furiously synchronized hoop-diving, unbelievable rope-skipping, and more. Journey of Man is a showcase for transcendent beauty and astonishing physical achievement. Originally produced as a 3-D IMAX presentation, this 39-minute film remains impressive on smaller screens, although its guiding theme (the evolution of humankind through the power of dreams, faith, and love) is sweetly contrived. It's the way this theme is expressed that matters: elements of Cirque du Soleil's awe-inspiring stage act are performed amid wondrous settings, accompanied by Benoît Jutras's inspiring score, and metaphorically representing the birth, growth, and maturity of "the Universal Child." The journey of man comes full circle to the sustaining belief that all things are possible. It's this point that is best expressed by the remarkable feats of Cirque du Soleil's lavishly costumed performers, including a uniquely graceful underwater ballet, swooping bungee-cord choreography, two precisely balanced human "statues" in perfect synchronicity, and other wonders that must be seen to be believed.
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