Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia, A Waking Dream of Mexico, opened this week in Guadalajara with a carefully crafted display of lights, music and acrobatics.
The Canadian troupe’s show, which opened in Canada in May 2016, has arrived in the land from which its inspiration was drawn, after successful runs in both Canada and the United States.
Singer Majo Cornejo told the news agency EFE that the show’s goal is to win the heart of the Mexican public and remind them why the country is unique.
The show “is a homage” to Mexico’s history, culture and traditions that, while written from a foreigner’s point of view, will make Mexicans shout with pride “Viva México!” she said.
Many features of the culture of Mexico are captured in Luzia: majestic birds, monarch butterflies, jaguars, lucha libre fighters, soccer players and mambo dancers share a landscape of deserts, seas and rivers. The show offers an artistic rendition of the country’s natural and cultural riches.
Cirque du Soleil’s circus skills — acrobatics, aerial arts, object manipulation and other specialized physical skills — are all evident on the stage.
A unique element of the show is a curtain of water constantly flowing and sharing the stage with the acrobats.
Cornejo explained that creating the show’s acrobatics took between eight and 10 months, after which musicians joined the creative process. “It was a tough job . . .” she said.
Music composer Simon Carpentier drew his inspiration from a musical landscape that includes mariachi, banda, bolero, huapango and cumbia.
Luzia has a cast of 43 artists from 25 different nations, accompanied by the music of seven musicians from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and the United States.
It opened on Thursday in Guadalajara, where it will remain until September 23. It will then travel to Monterrey before closing its Mexico tour in Mexico City later this year.
Source: Vanguardia (sp)
