THEATER When I hear the applause, I think, ‘I’m a star!’ and I’m so proud! This is La Nouba, the boisterous and super-charged circus-play held at Disney Springs®, as only Cirque du Soleil can present it. La Nouba loosely translates as “to party or live it up,” and for the next heart-pounding 90 minutes, that’s what happens: Daredevil cyclists defy the laws of gravity by flipping and spinning in the air, leaping over supine castmates and making stop-on-a-dime maneuvers. Atop increasingly higher and more unsteady surfaces, the cyclists demonstrate impossible balance and dexterity. Fifty feet up, trapeze artists soar: two at a time, then four: swirling, flying, performing breathtaking midair feats. With bars set at two different levels, they swing in rhythm, barely avoiding collision. High-wire walkers ambulate deftly. Aerial silk dancers soar, gyrate and twirl in airborne ballet moves. “Power Track” trampoline artists take turns bounding up the sides of a 12-foot building, executing some 394 flips and 62 twists in seven minutes! But stealing the show are the “Diabolo” yo-yo performers: four tween-age Chinese gymnasts who dazzle in their embroidered black and chartreuse dresses with matching headpieces. They look like animated porcelain dolls, with gazes transfixed on their sticks, strings and orb-like spools—the moving parts that make up the Diabolo (which is based on an ancient child’s game). They parade onto the stage, lobbing their spools 15, 25, 40 feet in the air, catching them on nearly invisible strings, tossing them back and forth and illuminating the stage with glowing orbs. One launches her spool, does a backflip, then catches it on the string. Another whirls like a dervish, then throws the Diabolo and catches it. Then they fall back into synchronization, skipping rope, spinning, tossing, flipping, rolling, jumping—never missing a perfectly timed beat. The Diabolos are the youngest of the 67 La Nouba performers who comprise the show’s nine acts—and fan favorites. Their impeccable precision, magical movements and wordless communication defy the limits of what tiny bodies can do. ExperienceKissimmee.com 43 These four girls practiced together for a year in China before joining the show in July 2016. Most Diabolos will stay a year or two before returning home to continue their studies of circus arts and gymnastics. They were selected to be Diabolos, says Artistic Director Daniel Ross, because of their remarkable talent and passion. And their dedication. The girls adhere to a well-oiled training and school schedule—and love every minute! Breakfast at 9 is followed by two hours of private tutoring in history, math, Chinese and English. Next comes lunch, a nap and one to two hours of practice. In the training room, they wear matching black T-shirts and leggings and ballet shoes, hair done up in identical topknots. They know their routine well enough to need little coaching, though occasionally their trainer will offer some input. There’s time for a quick snack before their nightly 90 minutes in hair and makeup, followed by costuming at 5:30, to be ready for the first of two shows, at 6 pm and 9 pm. And then: Showtime! Communicating through their translator, the four 11-year-olds—Dong Youquin, Song Bowen, Zhang Shuxiang and Zhang Hanwen— talk about the satisfaction and excitement they get from being Cirque du Soleil performers. With ear-to-ear smiles they squeal, “I feel so lucky!” and “When I hear the applause, I think, ‘I’m a star!’ and I’m so proud!” When they’re not onstage, the Diabolos are just as enthralled with the show as the audience. Zhang Shuxiang’s eyes widen as she describes her favorite act, the trapeze. “It’s so hard, but it’s so cool!” she says. For fun, the girls take full advantage of where they live—in an apartment complex just minutes from Walt Disney World®—and spend time at the parks and eating their new favorite American foods, like pizza, fried chicken and French fries. La Nouba, the third “resident” Cirque show, has been an Orlando fixture since December 1998, and has its own permanent Big Top-like performance space. The premise of the show—a collision of the worlds of the drab “Urbains,” or monochromatic, robotlike workers, and the colorful, playful, freewheeling “Cirques”—is a powerful metaphor for stepping outside the workaday life and rejoicing in one’s humanness. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about La Nouba is that in 90 minutes of jaw-dropping performances, audience members young and old get a chance to run away and join the circus.
Experience Kissimmee Experience Kissimmee 2017: Page 43
