Cirque du Soleil's "Totem"

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TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations. Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of species. Somewhere between science and legend, TOTEM explores the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his infinite potential.
                                                     --TOTEM website 

I've heard of Cirque du Soleil before but this was the first time that I was actually going to watch its show... and under a circus tent too! TOTEM was a good choice for our first Cirque du Soleil experience, I think, since it's about Man's evolution. And so I trooped to the AT&T Park in San Francisco with my parents and my brother. I just wish that our sister, Anna, was here with us as well. We're sure she'd enjoy the show as much as we would.

Because the Grand Chapiteau was smaller than I expected it to be and we were seated somewhere in the middle, I felt like we were very close to the acrobats. The proximity allowed us to see the facial expressions of the characters all throughout the show. It also allowed us to see the costumes properly: it was amazing to see how intricate the details were on the bodysuits worn by the cosmonauts and the unicyclists, for instance. And who could forget how shiny and sparkly the costumes of the Crystal Man (who lit up the world) and of the Crystal Ladies (who emerged from the fiery core of the Earth) were?



Then there's the set. Aside from the turtle shell and the reeds (which also hid the live band), the visual effects made the stage alive. The lighting made the colors and the sparklies pop from the performers' clothes. 

TOTEM's interpretation of the story of Man's evolution did not follow Darwin's outline but this was briefly touched before all the monkeys and hominid characters went bananas, and before the businessmen started going up the pole. Instead, it injected elements of origin myths from what appeared to be Native American Indian cultures. 

I enjoyed watching TOTEM immensely. After seeing this, I am now looking forward to see KA, another Cirque du Soleil production that I'd be seeing on this trip.

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