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The smell of popcorn and anticipation greet you under the big tent, as parents, punters and press sip wine and chat excitedly before the premiere of Cirque Du Soleil’s AMALUNA in San Francisco. Amaluna is directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus, and it is female-driven, nail-biting action. It may just inspire you to run away and join the circus.

Parents beware, if you bring your children to this show, you may leave promising them gymnastics, aerialist or ballet lessons. Also, there is a strong ‘teenagers run off and get busy in a hot tub’ vibe to the show’s story. More on that later.

The most impressive performances for me, were the female aerialists of this show, Kristina Ivanova (Russia), Mei-Mei Bouchard (United States), & Lais Gomes da Silva (Brazil). Flying 40 feet above the stage, spinning 40 miles per hour, with no net, no harness, just a strap of the wrist, powered with technique, expertise and pure nerve. The acrobats are also world class in this show, the gymnastics too. The term ‘breathtaking’ is probably the most overused of adjectives in reviews these days, but in Amaluna’s case, it was literally the case. The gasps in the audience were very real.

The plot of Amaluna is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” it takes place on a mysterious island ruled by goddesses. After her daughter’s coming of age ceremony, honoring femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance, Queen Prospera causes a storm. A group of young, shirtless men wash up on the island, triggering an epic love story between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor.

The Hot Tub

The Acrobats

The Electric Guitar

The Magic

There is a lot of electric guitar power ballads throughout the show, by a live all-female band, as the princess and suiter embrace, dive, dance and swing in their fight to stay together. Director Diane Paulus is a Harvard grad, Broadway and Opera directing bad-ass, and after viewing Amaluna, I am convinced she was inspired by a hot night, in a hot tube sometime in the late 80’s, with hair metal playing in the background.

For you fans of dance, Eira Glover leads the ballet in the show and she is sensational, a performance worthy of a goddess. And lastly, a fun fact to impress your date with; the word Amaluna is a fusion of the words ama, which refers to “mother” in many languages, and luna, which means “moon”.

Ballet

Cirque du Soleil will not disappoint you this winter, the circus is back. The big tent is in the parking lot outside the SF Baseball Park (Oracle), and runs NOVEMBER 7, 2019–JANUARY 12.