Having never attended a Cirque du Soleil my expectations of their current hit tour Totem were purely based on repeated viewings of many of their performances on DVD. And while it has always seemed almost magical on screen, watching it on stage is a different experience altogether.
Tracing the near mystical journey of human evolution, the eccentric Cirque du Soleil touch is felt from the point of humanity’s origin as colourfully costumed amphibians, acrobatically escaping the confines of our ancestors’ genetic carapace as we developed into our earliest tribes when people were closest to nature before the rise of our domestication and urbanisation at the behest of Darwinian hypotheses and discoveries culminating in mankind’s deep-seated desire to achieve flight.
Transcending both science and legend, Totem‘s use of music and acrobatic performances allows it to surpass much of its peers, dazzling the audience with not just that which is one stage but the intricate choreography and pacing of an ever-present but never blatant story.
Punctuated with brilliant of comical acts that also served to warm up the audience before the show began, Cirque du Soleil‘s Totem might very well be the epitome of live performances.
All of the stunning acrobatics and airborne wonders aside, though—the true star of the show was the Amerindian Hoop Dance. Inspired by the Native Americans’ deeply spiritual culture and drawing direction from different tribes, the Hoops Dance sequences switched between being a performance of stunts and athleticism to one of intense grace and fluidity performed to perfection by Shandien Sonwai Larance.
Having been the highlight to many for Totem, Larance is the sister of Cirque du Soleil‘s original Hoops Dancer Nakotah Raymond Larance. And both brother and sister seem to have a flare for stealing the show. While I regret not having been able to see him perform live (thank Joss for YouTube!), Sonwai Larance more than makes up for it with a display nothing short of perfection.
Tickets can be booked via Sistic for the following performances under the Big Top, next to Marina Bay Sands’ Convention Centre:
Now to Sunday, 13th December 2015
Tue-Fri: 8pm
Sat: 4.30pm & 8pm
Sun: 1.30pm & 5pm