Saltimbanco - Cirque du Soleil

I saw the latest incarnation of Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco last week. Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil, having run from 1992 to 2006. Saltimbanco’s last performance in its original form (under the Grand Chapiteau, or Big Top) was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  An adaptation of Saltimbanco started touring North America again on July 31, 2007.

Unlike the original show, this version is staged in arenas and is stopping in some smaller locations for shorter times. Which makes this an incredible opportunity to see a Cirque Du Soleil performance if you don’t live near a large urban centre or find travelling to see a show cost prohibitive.

The show is described as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it as an antidote to the violence and despair so prevalent in the 20th century. Saltimbanco offers its own vision of life, overflowing with optimism and joy. Saltimbanco comes from the Italian “saltare in banco”, which literally means “to jump on a bench.” Like all Cirque performances it is accompanied by a live band and performed to an original score. Both were as polished as the performers.

I have seen Cirque Du Soleil on television broadcasts before and always been a fan, but of course there is nothing like the experience of a live performance! It was truly a visual feast for the eyes and ears, during which I sometimes had to remind myself that these were humans performing these incredible feats. If you have not had the pleasure of catching a Cirque show yet and the opportunity arises I would highly recommend it as a truly worthwhile evening of top notch entertainment. I can only hope this is just the begining of their expanded touring stops as I look forward to seeing as many more performance by Cirque Du Soleil as I can!

For more information on the acts appearing in Saltimbaco, follow the links below!

The Acts

• Adagio
• Artistic Bicycle
• Boleadoras
• Bungees
• Chinese Poles
• Duo Trapeze
• Hand to Hand
• Juggling
• Russian Swing