Water flows,
Fire glows,
Wind blows,
And Spirit knows.
~unknown
Fire glows,
Wind blows,
And Spirit knows.
~unknown
Water, air, fire—the essence of “O” is elemental.
Housed in a custom-built theater to accommodate the complex rigging for immense aerial props above and a giant circular swimming pool in the stage below, “O” never goes on tour. And since this most popular Cirque du Soleil shows never goes on tour, I traveled the 500 miles to it.
I had fallen in love with the snippets of "O" I had seen on Worlds Away. When I found myself with an airfare voucher that was expiring, on impulse, I decided to give myself a solo weekend doing circus in Vegas. Actually, I had booked my ticket not even really knowing just how popular the show was. I didn't want to spoil it even by looking at the show information online beforehand. Almost as soon as I landed in Las Vegas, I had confirmation that my last-minute impulse trip was going to be worth it.
In the airport, around the airport, on the strip—"O" was advertised everywhere.
Next with the classic theater—large enough to be impressive, but intimate enough that, as far as I could tell, there were no bad seats in the house. After being on my feet for most of the afternoon at Circus Circus (standing was the way to get as close to the performance as possible), I was happy to melt into my red plush seat.
As I slouched lower in my seat, I glanced up...and became enamored with the theater ceiling. Actually, I decided that the soothing translucent blue and green fabric waves overhead were as intriguing as the pre-show clowns, especially since they gave glimpses into the rafters and rigging above.
After some pre-show fun, the curtains opened.
"Opening" seems like an inadequate description: the red curtains that had been hiding the stage were released from the top, but as they began fluttering down, suddenly they were sucked away as if a black hole lurked in the rafters behind the stage.
Revealing...an empty stage.
Yes, there's water there...but it isn't always an open circular pool of water like what was revealed when the curtains first parted. The stage can go completely dry, or be a half circle of water, a crescent, or a donut with an island in the center. The amphibious stage pieces come up out of the water and sink back down in—all the way, or only part way so performers stand in ankle-deep or calf-deep water, or at angles to create ramps.
What is even more incredible than the stage changing, is that it is constantly changing throughout the performance. The curtains don't come down for a set change in between acts and rise again to reveal a new configuration, the changes happen while acts are underway, and happen often. There is a truly dynamic flow to "O".
With the stage shifting constantly, synchronized swimmers in the water, dancers on dry (or semi-dry) stage, and aerialists in the air, there is a lot to watch in "O". With so much going on, there is a definite "blink and you'll miss it" quality to the show. This is compounded by the fact that the pool actually has underwater snuba breathing apparatuses and exits out of view of the audience. When any of the Olympic caliber synchronized swimmers (and many are in fact medal-winning Olympians) slip under the surface, they may or may not be coming back up.
And it isn't just the synchronized swimmers who may disappear. When the giant flying carousel horses came down out of the ceiling with riders on them, I was mesmerized; when they dipped down to skim the water, I was enchanted.
But, worried that I might be missing something else on the stage, I looked away from the floating horsemen...and when I looked back they were gone! Just gone. Vanished. To this day I feel slightly bereft over missing the moment when they disappeared. I don't know if they floated out of view to the sides or if those giant horses and their riders actually disappeared underwater. I'll just have to go back and see "O" again someday to find out what I missed in that particular moment.
The skeletal frame boat is cool enough on its own to dance and act and play on as it rocks in midair, but it is made even cooler by supporting elements of both trapeze and parallel bars. Actually, it made me feel sorry for gymnasts—regular parallel bar gymnasts never get to mount by jumping off a platform, catching someone's hands, being swung over water, and then being thrown up between the bars and catching them on their way back down. It's worth a quick watch:
Even better than single elementals, "O" combines them. If I had to choose any Cirque du Soleil show to work at, it would definitely be as an aerialist in "O" hands down. In part that's because I'm a wimp and like the idea of any mistake landing me in a pool rather than onto a hard stage floor. Even more though, it's because I love the combination of water and air. Appropriately, my one sport in high school was springboard diving—chlorinated aerial acrobatics with a wet landing.
The diving in "O" was another one of the welcome and unexpected little surprises that my trip to Vegas gifted me with. In retrospect, it seems obvious that with a pool, swimmers, and acrobatics, that there would be diving. It's also clearly listed on the website that I hadn't look at. Luckily I enjoyed my discovery "duh" moment too much to feel silly.
The actual high diving was a lot of fun—performed at a height double that of Olympic platform diving—but even more than the traditional diving, I loved the Russian swing diving. Single Russian swing into a net or mat with spotters is impressive, double Russian swing to me looks a little scary precise (being launched off one platform and having to land on another Russian swing platform. To a former diver, a water landing with a Russian swing launch just looks downright fun.
The "O" acrobat divers got to do all sorts of things that my coaches never encouraged. They strike funny and awkward poses in the air instead of sticking to pretty, precise tucks and pikes. Even more impressive, they stop their rotation at a full horizontal, plummeting spread eagle toward the unforgiving water surface. Having landed horizontal, I know how much it can hurt, so when I saw the divers headed toward a full body water slap, I cringed--but I kept my eyes open. I was glad I had when I saw the acrobats, at the last second, pike so that their hands and feet hit at the same time. My coaches taught me feet first entries and head first entries, but not head and feet first entry. It's a little awkward looking, but it definitely made my list of things I would like to learn if I ever take up diving again.
Early the next morning after the "O" performance, I was back in the airport on my way home. As I waited in a winding security queue, elevator music was playing from somewhere. I wasn't quite awake, and I didn't pay much attention. Then my heart started to ache in my chest, and I came to attention. Looking around I spotted the source of the sound: monitors far across the concourse--monitors that were showing clips of "O" and playing the song Remous from the Bateau act. A few seconds later a new advertisement came on, and the strains of "O" faded away, and my heart came back to me. It was a good way to say goodbye.
Housed in a custom-built theater to accommodate the complex rigging for immense aerial props above and a giant circular swimming pool in the stage below, “O” never goes on tour. And since this most popular Cirque du Soleil shows never goes on tour, I traveled the 500 miles to it.
I had fallen in love with the snippets of "O" I had seen on Worlds Away. When I found myself with an airfare voucher that was expiring, on impulse, I decided to give myself a solo weekend doing circus in Vegas. Actually, I had booked my ticket not even really knowing just how popular the show was. I didn't want to spoil it even by looking at the show information online beforehand. Almost as soon as I landed in Las Vegas, I had confirmation that my last-minute impulse trip was going to be worth it.
In the airport, around the airport, on the strip—"O" was advertised everywhere.
The Theater
The theater captured my heart even before the curtains opened and performers entered, first with the entrance gallery and it's "O" inspired sculptures:
Next with the classic theater—large enough to be impressive, but intimate enough that, as far as I could tell, there were no bad seats in the house. After being on my feet for most of the afternoon at Circus Circus (standing was the way to get as close to the performance as possible), I was happy to melt into my red plush seat.
 |
| Source: jenchau on Flickr. O Show Theatre in Bellagio |
As I slouched lower in my seat, I glanced up...and became enamored with the theater ceiling. Actually, I decided that the soothing translucent blue and green fabric waves overhead were as intriguing as the pre-show clowns, especially since they gave glimpses into the rafters and rigging above.
 |
| Source: DaveC_1973 on Trip Advisor Event Review: Simply Sensational |
After some pre-show fun, the curtains opened.
"Opening" seems like an inadequate description: the red curtains that had been hiding the stage were released from the top, but as they began fluttering down, suddenly they were sucked away as if a black hole lurked in the rafters behind the stage.
Revealing...an empty stage.
I should say, rather, a stage bare of performers. A red circle lay in the middle of the empty stage like a blood moon. There was one more bit of magic to start the show: while the first red curtains were whisked away, the matching red on the floor parted like a standard curtain would. Looking down at a curtain "rising" horizontally, I was half tempted to stand up in my seat and lean over to try to turn the world right side up...or perhaps to fall into the liquid moon that was revealed. That liquid moon opened the show, and the primary element of "O" took the spotlight: water.
Water
The name for the show, "O", is a play on the French word for water, "eau", and water plays a major part throughout the show, even when other elements are showcased. It is hard to put into words just how cool the ambigious wet world of the "O" stage is. |
| Source: Murillo Ferrarez on LinkedIn "Ir ao circo me custou 532 reais….." |
Yes, there's water there...but it isn't always an open circular pool of water like what was revealed when the curtains first parted. The stage can go completely dry, or be a half circle of water, a crescent, or a donut with an island in the center. The amphibious stage pieces come up out of the water and sink back down in—all the way, or only part way so performers stand in ankle-deep or calf-deep water, or at angles to create ramps.
What is even more incredible than the stage changing, is that it is constantly changing throughout the performance. The curtains don't come down for a set change in between acts and rise again to reveal a new configuration, the changes happen while acts are underway, and happen often. There is a truly dynamic flow to "O".
 |
| Source: It's Las Vegas Time, "O" Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas |
With the stage shifting constantly, synchronized swimmers in the water, dancers on dry (or semi-dry) stage, and aerialists in the air, there is a lot to watch in "O". With so much going on, there is a definite "blink and you'll miss it" quality to the show. This is compounded by the fact that the pool actually has underwater snuba breathing apparatuses and exits out of view of the audience. When any of the Olympic caliber synchronized swimmers (and many are in fact medal-winning Olympians) slip under the surface, they may or may not be coming back up.
And it isn't just the synchronized swimmers who may disappear. When the giant flying carousel horses came down out of the ceiling with riders on them, I was mesmerized; when they dipped down to skim the water, I was enchanted.
 |
| Source: stage-door.com, Review of "O" |
But, worried that I might be missing something else on the stage, I looked away from the floating horsemen...and when I looked back they were gone! Just gone. Vanished. To this day I feel slightly bereft over missing the moment when they disappeared. I don't know if they floated out of view to the sides or if those giant horses and their riders actually disappeared underwater. I'll just have to go back and see "O" again someday to find out what I missed in that particular moment.
Air
The act I had been most excited to see was Bateau, the Air Boat aerial act. Privately, I had been calling it the "Ghost Ship" act—and if ever the cursed pirates of the Carribean were impressed into service under a big top, I am quite sure that the full moon would create something like Bateau.
The skeletal frame boat is cool enough on its own to dance and act and play on as it rocks in midair, but it is made even cooler by supporting elements of both trapeze and parallel bars. Actually, it made me feel sorry for gymnasts—regular parallel bar gymnasts never get to mount by jumping off a platform, catching someone's hands, being swung over water, and then being thrown up between the bars and catching them on their way back down. It's worth a quick watch:
Fire
Fire isn't my element, but it wouldn't be fair to skip it. The fire displays were pretty spectacular. The fire dance was cool, and I loved the lingering rings of fire that managed to flicker on the stage floor even without fuel. Even more though, I loved the fire clown—who casually read a newspaper while the other performer spun and swirled...and continued reading casually even as he was burning up himself. Fire is an element of energy, of insatiable hunger, destruction, light, and movement...which is totally at odds with unmoving, contemplative perusal of the news.
Elements Combine
Even better than single elementals, "O" combines them. If I had to choose any Cirque du Soleil show to work at, it would definitely be as an aerialist in "O" hands down. In part that's because I'm a wimp and like the idea of any mistake landing me in a pool rather than onto a hard stage floor. Even more though, it's because I love the combination of water and air. Appropriately, my one sport in high school was springboard diving—chlorinated aerial acrobatics with a wet landing.The diving in "O" was another one of the welcome and unexpected little surprises that my trip to Vegas gifted me with. In retrospect, it seems obvious that with a pool, swimmers, and acrobatics, that there would be diving. It's also clearly listed on the website that I hadn't look at. Luckily I enjoyed my discovery "duh" moment too much to feel silly.
The actual high diving was a lot of fun—performed at a height double that of Olympic platform diving—but even more than the traditional diving, I loved the Russian swing diving. Single Russian swing into a net or mat with spotters is impressive, double Russian swing to me looks a little scary precise (being launched off one platform and having to land on another Russian swing platform. To a former diver, a water landing with a Russian swing launch just looks downright fun.
 |
| Source: Cirque du Soleil Auditions and Jobs for Divers |
The "O" acrobat divers got to do all sorts of things that my coaches never encouraged. They strike funny and awkward poses in the air instead of sticking to pretty, precise tucks and pikes. Even more impressive, they stop their rotation at a full horizontal, plummeting spread eagle toward the unforgiving water surface. Having landed horizontal, I know how much it can hurt, so when I saw the divers headed toward a full body water slap, I cringed--but I kept my eyes open. I was glad I had when I saw the acrobats, at the last second, pike so that their hands and feet hit at the same time. My coaches taught me feet first entries and head first entries, but not head and feet first entry. It's a little awkward looking, but it definitely made my list of things I would like to learn if I ever take up diving again.
 |
| Source: Jolly Diver, Diving Jobs at Cirque du Soleil |
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