the box of surprises
May 2008
Last week I was privileged to speak to some of the
students and cast in Cirque du Soleil's latest
spectacle, Kooza.
Kooza is a return to the company's origins. I'm not giving anything away about the show, suffice to say that after my talk I spent two hours gasping, laughing and scratching my head in bewilderment.
Three of the pupils who attend the on-site school deliver the first, jaw-dropping act. I don't want to spoil their surprise, but let's just say that they spend 90 minutes warming up every evening and that my back felt sore watching them on stage.
During the afternoon we chatted about climbing Everest, caring for the environment, and Sherpa people of Nepal. The students then plotted their own route up the peak. One pupil tried on my summit suit, mittens and goggles.
The school's three teachers must have some of the best jobs in education. Every two months or so they arrive in a new city in North America and blend the very best that each region has to offer into their curriculum. At the end of each stay, the school is packed away along with the rest of the circus (desks turn into the doors of the industrial packing cases) and the whole operation takes to the road again. Only the Canadian Army moves more people and supplies around the world from Canada than Cirque.
Kooza (which is a Sanskrit word that can mean 'box' or 'surprise') is one year into a four year tour around North America, after which it will probably head abroad. The show is currently in Philadelphia. It then heads to Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta and New York. Tickets start at $50 and there's not a bad seat in the house. (Actually, there is one very bad seat but you'll have to see the show to find out what I mean.)
Kooza is a return to the company's origins. I'm not giving anything away about the show, suffice to say that after my talk I spent two hours gasping, laughing and scratching my head in bewilderment.
Three of the pupils who attend the on-site school deliver the first, jaw-dropping act. I don't want to spoil their surprise, but let's just say that they spend 90 minutes warming up every evening and that my back felt sore watching them on stage.
During the afternoon we chatted about climbing Everest, caring for the environment, and Sherpa people of Nepal. The students then plotted their own route up the peak. One pupil tried on my summit suit, mittens and goggles.
The school's three teachers must have some of the best jobs in education. Every two months or so they arrive in a new city in North America and blend the very best that each region has to offer into their curriculum. At the end of each stay, the school is packed away along with the rest of the circus (desks turn into the doors of the industrial packing cases) and the whole operation takes to the road again. Only the Canadian Army moves more people and supplies around the world from Canada than Cirque.
Kooza (which is a Sanskrit word that can mean 'box' or 'surprise') is one year into a four year tour around North America, after which it will probably head abroad. The show is currently in Philadelphia. It then heads to Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta and New York. Tickets start at $50 and there's not a bad seat in the house. (Actually, there is one very bad seat but you'll have to see the show to find out what I mean.)