Cirque du Soleil Quidam is the ninth contemporary circus show by the famous Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian Entertainment Company which incorporates the various circus styles from around the world, focusing on a strongly character-driven approach while hosting its performances in the midst of opulently propped sets. Quidam premiered in 1996, gaining popularity as a big act show that has now been enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. Since its tour of North America in 2010, it has transformed itself into the grand, arena format. Quidam has won awards though its act of ‘Banquine’, which took the 1999 Golden Clown at the International Monte Carlo Circus Festival, and subsequently from the act of ‘Diabolos’, which grabbed the 1995 Gold Medal at Festival du Cirque de Demain.
The story of Cirque du Soleil Quidam is about a lonely, little bored girl whose apathetic parents do not pay attention to her, which convinces the girl that her life is meaningless and exceedingly ordinary. The girl finds herself confronted with the ultimate existential dilemma of monotony. In search of something more that would give reason to her purposeless existence, she zones out into the spirited, magical world of imagination, or to be more precise- quidam. Here she comes across extraordinary characters that help her free her soul and discover something much more special about and beyond herself. The story really is as the Cirque du Soleil Quidam tickets say, ‘a young girl’s escape into the world of imagination’.
The theme of Cirque du Soleil Quidam is arguably, a philosophical undertaking that determines the many poetic possibilities of the concept of ‘quidam’. Quidam, as Cirque du Soliel describes is a ‘nameless passerby, a solitary figure lingering on the street corner, a person rushing past and swallowed by the crowd. It could be anyone, anybody’. The show’s underlying idea embarks upon a romance that engages the spectators to consider the possibility of finding such fascinating wonders in the apparently mundane, ordinary routines of life. The poetic theme of Cirque du Soleil Quidam in its entirety, speaks to the soul, while nourishing the imagination and revealing the many endless possibilities of human creativity. Owing to the intellectually stimulating aspect of the show, it can be said that the Cirque du Soleil Quidam tickets offer a unique opportunity for the spectators to fully immerse in the expansiveness of the mind.
Creating the most suspenseful sense of spectacle and a heightened sense of drama, the Cirque du Soleil Quidam features what in circus terminology is known as aerial silk. In this act the lithe artist performs acrobatics in mid-air suspended at astounding heights by silk. The performer does this without any safety lines, which makes this act all the more overwhelming for the audience. To make it even more intense, Cirque du Soleil Quidam sets this act to haunting music, while the artist not only skillfully performs the aerial task of suspension but also does contortionist acrobats. Other fascinating acts of the show feature Banquine, Cloud Swing, German Wheel, Diabolos, Skipping Rope, Hand Balancing, Spanish Web, Statue, Juggling and Aerial Hoops. These many acts explore the natural beauty, strength, agility and flexibility of the human body performing a score of dangerously dexterous acrobatics while also applying the mental exercises of intense concentration.
Cirque du Soleil Quidam brings a cast of more than 50 musicians, singers, acrobats and characters. The characters comprise of the young girl Zoe, a newspaper-obsessed Father, a stoic like Mother, the talented ringmaster John, who possesses rather unusually exciting traits as a teacher, the Target whose being is dedicated to living in empty space. He befriends and gives company to Zoe while being simultaneously present and absent. Other characters include Boum-Boum, a lifeless yet physically super-fit person who is solely alive because his soul cannot escape his body. Then there is the Clown whose spirit truly embodies the real purpose of attending circus which is not just a colorful entertainment event but also a ‘universal spectacle’ as Cirque du Soleil describes it. Lastly, there is the Aviator who though is equipped with wings but is unable and unprepared to take-off because of a host of reasons relating to uncertainty, insecurity and fear of failure. Each of the characters comprehensively mirrors qualities and dis-qualities that the spectators can perhaps alongside relate to and engage in dialogue with.
The Cirque du Soleil Quidam, in its metaphorically dense narrative and intricately structured, complex series of spectacles, presents the only one of its kind performances enriching its audience with a limitlessly impacting experience.
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