World’s Best Circus: Cancun, Mexico
Blog
It’s 34 years old and hails from Quebec, Canada. Without animal acts, it has become the most successful circus in the world, ever, reinventing the genre entirely. My wife and I were lucky enough to discover that Cirque du Soleil has a permanent presence just outside Cancun, and we decided to splurge and see it.
“We didn't reinvent the circus. We repackaged it in a much more modern way.” - Guy Laliberte, co-founder.
We bought a pair of next-to-cheapest tickets online and took public transport to the venue and were indeed transported into a different world. The water-reflected, night-lit buildings and landscape themselves let you know that you are Somewhere Else, a place of magic where anything is possible. The main hall seats only 600, with two evening shows at $80-200 per seat. So the feeling is somewhat more intimate than perhaps at a larger venue. Having checked online about photography rules, I left my camera at home—only to discover that I would have been able to use it here! So I had to use what I had, which was my wife’s cell phone, better than nothing in the situation, but not much.
“Our approach was very simple. It was about creating a universal language. A show that will be attractive for every person coming from all over the world. And that was a big thing.” - Guy Laliberte, co-founder.
From a slow, struggling start, for some years nearly not making it, the show has burst onto the scene all over the world and changed forever the way circuses are done. No more allegations of animal exploitation or cruelty; a single story which runs through the entire show of an hour or more; use of the entire audience space as well as the stage; excellence on every level, from the decorations to the costumes to the live music and vocals to every act, carefully auditioned from the world’s best, and tough-lovingly fitted together into the seamless whole.
“Inside every adult there's still a child that lingers. We're happiness merchants - giving people the opportunity to dream like children.” - Guy Laliberte, co-founder.
We were dazzled from beginning to end, with all the ingenuities, the humor, the pathos, the care and devotion evident all around. We let ourselves be drawn in and played with, played for all we were worth. The outside world and its worries fell away.
“The sun stands for energy and youth, which is what I thought the circus should be about.” - Guy Laliberte, co-founder.
The acrobatics and contortions, the gymnastics and strength, were all beautiful, nothing grotesque, though plenty was startling. How do they DO that? was the question at every turn.
“I am blessed for what I have, but I believed in it from the beginning. Today, the dream is the same: I still want to travel, I still want to entertain, and I most certainly still want to have fun.” - Guy Laliberte, co-founder.
The experience is unforgettable, and I recommend it to everyone. If you have the chance, save up some money if necessary, and just go, treat yourself to the show of a lifetime.
“I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible — I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical.” - Stephen Colbert.
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 1800 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:
www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
By Tony Hanmer