Cirque du Soleil dazzles audiences at The Bud

I have been wanting to see a Cirque do Soleil show for as long as I can remember. When I was recently given just that opportunity, I was over-the-moon excited! To say the least, I had big expectations.

The show, CRYSTAL, did not disappoint.

In fact, it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life! The perfect synergy of athleticism and artistry, Cirque du Soleil's CRYSTAL show provided a spectacle that, from the ice to the sky, was truly memorable.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

One of my favourite moments of the show (and there are many to choose from) happened before the show even officially started. If you plan to go to see CRYSTAL, I highly recommend you get there early. A clown came out and walked around the perimeter of the arena with a bucket of snowballs -- yes, real snowballs! He stopped right in front of us and handed one to my daughter, and motioned for her to throw it at him. He came back a while later with the bucket on his head, and a second clown handed her another snowball and "suggested" that she try to hit the clown wearing the bucket. She tried, but missed. Then the clown handed a snowball to my husband and made the same suggestion. My husband did not miss, and the clown made a great show of being "hit" with the snowball! It was something my daughter won't soon forget.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

As for the show itself, I can hardly put into words how the performers were able to tell the story of Crystal (played by Canadian figure skater Nobahar Dadui), a girl who feels like she doesn't belong in her own world, beginning with her own family and carrying on throughout her life into adulthood. One of the most dazzling scenes involves Crystal performing some gravity-defying moves on a high-slung swinging trapeze. I will be honest: I think I held my breath during this entire segment, convinced that the almost-unbelievable moves she was performing here going to end in disaster. An enormously talented athlete, however, she completed the act with precision and beauty and, thankfully, no accidents.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

Another favourite scene was the one in which a hockey game breaks out on the ice, but this wasn't just any hockey game. Extreme skaters flipped and twisted and came speeding down impossibly high ramps to delight the audience.

Following the intermission, the show features an act that has never been seen in a Cirque show before: swinging poles. Performers displayed amazing ability in their synchronized pole work, pole-to-pole jumping, and absolutely amazing Russian-swing-style dismounts.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

During the "At the Office" scene, performers create a very atmospheric environment that made me think of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in The Wall." The precise choreography and moody music in this scene were so emotionally stirring I absolutely couldn't tear my eyes away from what was unfolding in front of me. Already an unbelievable spectacle, the scene ends with a performer creating a tower of precariously balanced chairs, a tower he ends up perching atop in another heart-stopping moment.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

In the "Ballroom" scene, Crystal's suitor appears like an angel from above, on straps, and soon the pair are moving together on the straps, as if one person. This romantic scene is full of lyrical movements and emotion, perfectly depicting the feeling of being swept away in a cloud of emotions when one falls in love.

Photo credit : Matt Beard / Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt / 2018 Cirque du Soleil

The show featured athletes and musicians from all over the world, communicating seamlessly through the universal languages of movement, music, and emotion. The result is a show that takes the audience on an emotional journey through laughter, fear, disillusionment, uncertainty, happiness, elation, love, and so much more.

One of the best gifts a parent can receive is the ability to do something that brings joy into their children's hearts. I cannot say thank you enough for the opportunity to take Chloe to see this amazing show, and to hear her gasps and exclamations of "wow!" over and over again. That was, without question, something I won't ever forget.

Thank you as well, goes out to the staff at Budweiser Gardens for once again making us feel so very welcome and for making every accommodation for my mobility needs. I appreciate it more than you know.

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