Cabinet of Kuriosities
Jolene Ogle dives into a world of weird to preview Cirque Du Soleil’s latest offering, KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities.
Before there were museums, there were cabinets of curiosity. These exquisite cabinets were exotic collections of preserved animals, skeletons, horns and more, and for 19th Century aristocrats, the collections promised a world of faraway lands that beckoned exploration.
For the upper crust of Europe, the opening of these cabinets at soirées was a performance, a chance to show off exotic collections and invite viewers to imagine a world of bizarre and colourful possibilities.
Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities resurrects this noble past time, drawing the audience into a world that is home to the truly weird and wonderful. You will be transported to the latter half of the 19th Century, to a place that is both familiar yet strange.
A scientist, The Seeker, is convinced there exists a hidden world – a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await. Out of the Cabinet of Curiosity steps an international cast of 47 artists from 17 countries who create a collection of other-worldly characters.
Cirque du Soleil started in 1984 with a group of 20 street performers who wanted to reinvent circus arts. Since then, Cirque du Soleil has gone on to become the world leader in live entertainment with 190 million people experiencing a Cirque du Soleil performance in one of 450 cities in 60 countries.
Plucked from the cream of the crop, Cirque du Soleil has fast built a reputation for showcasing the world’s most talented gymnasts, acrobats, contortionists, hand-puppeteers, yo-yo wizards, clowns, actors and musicians.
For KURIOS, this colourful cast will turn The Seeker’s steampunk-inspired world upside-down as they are guided by an energetic gypsy jazz, electro swing soundtrack. Two of the artists are from Queensland, superstar trampolinists Fletcher Donohue and Nathan Dennis.
Fletcher and Nathan specialise in AcroNet, a combination of acrobatics, character work and choreographed movement which sees the artists being caught and flipped in the air as they jump from a wide net (and I struggle to balance on one leg!).
If you are yet to see a Cirque du Soleil performance, then you can’t miss KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities when it opens in Brisbane in January. It offers a chance to escape reality and imagine a world where anything is possible, where the weird is wonderful, the upside is down and all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
KURIOS – CABINET OF CURIOSITIES BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
WHEN: 10 January – 23 February 2020
WHERE: Under the grey and white Big Top,
Northshore Hamilton
TIMES: Tuesday to Friday, 8pm; Saturday,
4.30pm and 8pm; Sunday 1.30pm and 5pm
TICKETS: From $80, phone 1800 036 685
visit cirquedusoleil.com/kurios
