Cirque du Soleil performs Dralion in Cape Town

Famous globetrotting circus troupe swings back into the Mother City

Cirque du Soleil, the world-renowned circus company, is set to swing back into Cape Town and mesmerise audiences again, this time with its Eastern-inspired show, Dralion. For a handful of performances only, from Tuesday, 5 to Sunday, 17 March 2013, the critically acclaimed circus troupe will take centre stage (from the floor to the ceiling to be exact) at GrandWest Casino’s spectacular Grand Arena.

After their breathtaking debut in South Africa last year with the highly successful Saltimbanco, the colourful clowns and aerial artists are returning with another pulse-raising performance. Displaying a multidisciplinary medley that fuses contemporary acts with 3000-year-old Chinese tradition, the show explores and exemplifies Eastern philosophy’s endless quest for finding a harmonious balance between humans and nature. The act portrays the four natural elements –earth, air, water and fire –through its elaborate and colourful costumes, set design and acts.

The name itself,Dralion, is a combination of two words that represent East (“dragon”) and West (“lion”).Similarly, the show explores the contradictions between these cultures through gravity-defying and hair-raising acrobatics that test the athleticism and agility of the human mind and body before reaching a balance.

The Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil, which was founded in 1984 with 20 street performers, has grown into a world -famous touring company of more than 1300 artists of different nationalities who regularly entertain and enchant audiences in more than 40 countries. Dralion, with its larger-than-life metallic backdrop that suggests a futuristic temple or plate of armour, colourful costumes  and high-flying feats has been wildly popular wherever it has toured.

Capetonian circus fans can expect a flurry of thrills from acts such as:

• Aerial hoop – Hibana
• Aerial Pas de Deux
• Bamboo poles
• Chairs
• Diabolo
• Dralions
• Hoop Diving
• Juggling
• Medusa
• Single Handbalancing
• Skipping ropes
• Trampoline

Tickets for the Cape Town leg of Cirque du Soleil: Dralion

Tickets for Dralion cost between R275 p/p and R495p/p, with discounted prices for the matinee performances as well as CirqueClub members, and can be bought through Computicket.com

The show times are as follows:

Tuesday, 5 – Friday, 8 March: 2013: 8pm
Saturday, 9 March 2013: 4pm and 8pm
Sunday, 10 March 2013: 1pm and 5pm

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Are your children masters of the jungle gym and superstars on the swings? Then read about Cape Town’s Zip Zap Circus School and consider enrolling them.

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