This is one evening I can truthfully say was not wasted. A fantastic show not to be missed on any account. Colour,costumes, music, dance, acrobatics brought together with panache and professionalism. I liked very much the aerial displays which gave the show a new dimension and added a touch of magic to the presentation. Chinese acrobats have to be seen to be believed. Standing on shoulders five high and flying backwards through the air, the Chinese seem to defy gravity as they are catapulted up and back. How do their feet find their mark on the next pair of shoulders? Maybe it was me but I did not find the clowning of the comedians particularly funny despite the fact the audience seemed to enjoy every idiotic moment. The dralions on the other hand had a superb cheekiness in their faces and with their frolicking about the arena gave the show a great lift. Having said all that,I gave top marks to the juggler who seemed to have absolute control over each and every ball, flicking them with his head and neck or jetting them through the air with a quick movement of his foot. A superb performance beautifully choreographed making full use of the juggler's lithe strong body. And what a splendid exit....a flurry of silk...a puff of smoke and he was gone!
8 Reviews
Fantastic! It left me without words.
Araka1614 January 2006
This whole show is excellent. I bought this movie when I was visiting Las Vegas in October, and I have not grown tired of watching it since.
From the moment the child comes out with the hourglass to the last moment of the finale with everyone on-stage, I was completely entranced.
Each act can only be called stellar, and one of the only reasons it didn't rate higher was because of the camera men. There were many moments that it focused on one part of the stage when I would've liked to also see the action going on at the other side of the stage. A good example of this would be the pre-finale dance involving the four main dancers of the show. I have no idea what some of them were doing 80% of the time because the cameras keep flying to the drums, or to Agnes, or to "Azala", who was amazing, mind you. I'm just slightly disappointed that we didn't get to really see what % a" and "Oceane" were doing.
I found the comedic acts of the show to be delightfully hilarious. My particular favorite has to be the last act involving all four clowns, I personally think that one is hysterical.
Highly recommended.
From the moment the child comes out with the hourglass to the last moment of the finale with everyone on-stage, I was completely entranced.
Each act can only be called stellar, and one of the only reasons it didn't rate higher was because of the camera men. There were many moments that it focused on one part of the stage when I would've liked to also see the action going on at the other side of the stage. A good example of this would be the pre-finale dance involving the four main dancers of the show. I have no idea what some of them were doing 80% of the time because the cameras keep flying to the drums, or to Agnes, or to "Azala", who was amazing, mind you. I'm just slightly disappointed that we didn't get to really see what % a" and "Oceane" were doing.
I found the comedic acts of the show to be delightfully hilarious. My particular favorite has to be the last act involving all four clowns, I personally think that one is hysterical.
Highly recommended.
All in all, a good show (Warning: Spoilers)
Cheetara28 April 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Unlike Quidam, which revolved around a girl escaping into another world, Dralion really has no plot. Of course, most people go to a Cirque du Soleil show to see the incredible acrobatics, and Dralion does not disappoint. This is a sampling of some of the acts. (These are not listed in any particular order.)
Single handbalancing(3 1/2 stars): The lighting was great, I loved the music in the background (Erik Karol has such an awesome voice, more on that later.),but whoever did the editing and/or shooting for that act needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. It is worse than any MTV music video (Assuming they still show music videos. Flash! We're looking at the girl's face. Flash! Her hand! Flash! A small child in the audience! For the rest of the show, they (camera people) manage to control themselves, but it seems in this act they got a little trigger happy.
Juggling (4 1/2 stars): Nearly every review I've come across, good or bad, has loudly praised this act. Their praise is not unfounded. Viktor Kee 's dance moves provide a new spin on a traditional act. You will be amazed as he deftly handles seven balls at once. The only flaw is the background music.After such songs as "Let me Fall" and "Alegria" which stuck in your head long after the show, "Kee Momma" is bland and generic. It's about as memorable as a trip to the 7-Eleven.
Teeterboard (5 stars): One of the best acts in the show! A group of impossibly strong girls come out and perform feats of acrobatics involving (Of course) a teeterboard. This act is normally an all-male act simply because of the strength required to pull off this act. However, Cirque du Soleil took it a step further and made the act an all-women one. One of the more curious things about this act is that none of the performers look extraordinarily strong. They are rather small and of slim build. If you were to see them out in public, you would never guess they were a part of this show. A word of caution, keep your tylenol handy; this act is probably the most charley horse inducing acts in the show. You will wince and clutch yourself in pain when you see some of the stuff those girls do. (One such pain inducer is when a girl flies through the air, lands in a chair that is balanced on the shoulders of another girl, who is standing on the shoulders of a girl balanced rather precariously on stilts.) You have been warned.
Double Trapeze (3 stars): This is by far one of the most disappointing acts in the entire show. The only reason why I didn't go lower than 3 stars was because it wasn't mediocre enough. It dwells on that middle ground between excellent and just plain painful. Normally under most circumstances, I am an absolute sucker for aerial acts. There is something about watching people soar through the air and just barely being caught by the porters. The problem with this act is not really the performers; They're capable and they get the job done. The problem with this act is that the crucial sense of danger is missing. The flyers have cords about their waists. Now while I don't want them to fall to their death or anything like that, the sight of those cords completely kills the sense of danger.
Ballet on Lights (4 1/2 stars): Ballet on lights is an entirely new act to Cirque du Soleil. In this act, five girls dance en pointe on light bulbs. This is a wonderful act with good music, perfect lighting, and graceful performers. However what keeps this act from getting the perfect 5 stars is its length. The act ends just as it apparently was getting warmed up. I heard somewhere that a live performance of Dralion is two hours long. This video is an hour and a half, leading me to wonder if maybe some of this act was cut out.
Aerial Contortion in Silk (5 stars +): This act pegs out the star meter. It is completely and totally critic proof. The act begins with the haunting "Miracula Eternalis" sung by Erik Karol. During this song, male and female couples perform a beautiful ballet in which the females soar above their male partners. The way the lighting is set up makes the performers almost appear to be ghosts. Finally, the silk fabric descends and the beautiful act involving a male and female couple begins. Words cannot truly express the beauty of this act, so I'll quit now.
Music (4 1/2 stars): What makes this show memorable is the vocal work of Erik Karol and Agnes (I really wish I knew her last name). While they may not be on par with Francesca Gagnon or Mathieu Lavoie, their voices balance out nicely with the eclectic score. Karol's voice is a real surprise. Possessing a countertenor voice, he can sing in a usually high register for someone of the male sex. (That's him singing the song "Stella Errans" during the single handbalancing.) Agnes puts in a good performance, but it is Karol who is the real star.
Overall (4 stars): Despite its flaws , Dralion is a good watch. I wouldn't advise watching it with small children since the show drags at times, but for the older set it is fine viewing. It's certainly a lot better than some of the dreck they're releasing these days.
Single handbalancing(3 1/2 stars): The lighting was great, I loved the music in the background (Erik Karol has such an awesome voice, more on that later.),but whoever did the editing and/or shooting for that act needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. It is worse than any MTV music video (Assuming they still show music videos. Flash! We're looking at the girl's face. Flash! Her hand! Flash! A small child in the audience! For the rest of the show, they (camera people) manage to control themselves, but it seems in this act they got a little trigger happy.
Juggling (4 1/2 stars): Nearly every review I've come across, good or bad, has loudly praised this act. Their praise is not unfounded. Viktor Kee 's dance moves provide a new spin on a traditional act. You will be amazed as he deftly handles seven balls at once. The only flaw is the background music.After such songs as "Let me Fall" and "Alegria" which stuck in your head long after the show, "Kee Momma" is bland and generic. It's about as memorable as a trip to the 7-Eleven.
Teeterboard (5 stars): One of the best acts in the show! A group of impossibly strong girls come out and perform feats of acrobatics involving (Of course) a teeterboard. This act is normally an all-male act simply because of the strength required to pull off this act. However, Cirque du Soleil took it a step further and made the act an all-women one. One of the more curious things about this act is that none of the performers look extraordinarily strong. They are rather small and of slim build. If you were to see them out in public, you would never guess they were a part of this show. A word of caution, keep your tylenol handy; this act is probably the most charley horse inducing acts in the show. You will wince and clutch yourself in pain when you see some of the stuff those girls do. (One such pain inducer is when a girl flies through the air, lands in a chair that is balanced on the shoulders of another girl, who is standing on the shoulders of a girl balanced rather precariously on stilts.) You have been warned.
Double Trapeze (3 stars): This is by far one of the most disappointing acts in the entire show. The only reason why I didn't go lower than 3 stars was because it wasn't mediocre enough. It dwells on that middle ground between excellent and just plain painful. Normally under most circumstances, I am an absolute sucker for aerial acts. There is something about watching people soar through the air and just barely being caught by the porters. The problem with this act is not really the performers; They're capable and they get the job done. The problem with this act is that the crucial sense of danger is missing. The flyers have cords about their waists. Now while I don't want them to fall to their death or anything like that, the sight of those cords completely kills the sense of danger.
Ballet on Lights (4 1/2 stars): Ballet on lights is an entirely new act to Cirque du Soleil. In this act, five girls dance en pointe on light bulbs. This is a wonderful act with good music, perfect lighting, and graceful performers. However what keeps this act from getting the perfect 5 stars is its length. The act ends just as it apparently was getting warmed up. I heard somewhere that a live performance of Dralion is two hours long. This video is an hour and a half, leading me to wonder if maybe some of this act was cut out.
Aerial Contortion in Silk (5 stars +): This act pegs out the star meter. It is completely and totally critic proof. The act begins with the haunting "Miracula Eternalis" sung by Erik Karol. During this song, male and female couples perform a beautiful ballet in which the females soar above their male partners. The way the lighting is set up makes the performers almost appear to be ghosts. Finally, the silk fabric descends and the beautiful act involving a male and female couple begins. Words cannot truly express the beauty of this act, so I'll quit now.
Music (4 1/2 stars): What makes this show memorable is the vocal work of Erik Karol and Agnes (I really wish I knew her last name). While they may not be on par with Francesca Gagnon or Mathieu Lavoie, their voices balance out nicely with the eclectic score. Karol's voice is a real surprise. Possessing a countertenor voice, he can sing in a usually high register for someone of the male sex. (That's him singing the song "Stella Errans" during the single handbalancing.) Agnes puts in a good performance, but it is Karol who is the real star.
Overall (4 stars): Despite its flaws , Dralion is a good watch. I wouldn't advise watching it with small children since the show drags at times, but for the older set it is fine viewing. It's certainly a lot better than some of the dreck they're releasing these days.
Timeless and wonderful.
martymaster23 February 2002
I never get tired of this show neither do the rest of the people who has seen it,acording to reviews. Everything in this show has a purpose and it is so incredible well mixed together,the music,atmosphere,acrobatic and lighting. Cirque du soleil has made two shows that really stands out and that is Quidam and Dralion.The shows has won plenty of awards and hearts all over the world.They have managed to creat something that you have never seen before. Some of the best acts in Dralion are the "single hand balancing","The juggler" and the "air acrobatic". Go buy this on dvd or see it live,I guarantee that you won't be disapointed.
A jewel!
Sup_Kitty2 October 2003
Dralion is an amazing and enthralling piece of work. It is a magical journey into the colorful world of Cirque du Soleil. The acts are breathtaking and the costumes are fantastic. The music of Dralion is also a brilliant work in and of itself, it sets the tone for this enchanting world they have created, in which you are brought face to face with the eccentric and delicate characters of this story. I have found this performance to be a moving and awe inspiring masterpiece.
Mixed Reaction
kaela-barnett13 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen a lot of what Cirque du Soleil has done, and for the most part, enjoy them enough to watch them over and over. This one, though, is not quite up to par. It wasn't nearly as good the second time around as they usually are.
The male singer was the most incredible part of the entire show. His vocal range in amazing--to the point that I spent a good bit of time trying to decide if he was a woman with a range that extended lower than usual, or a man with a range that extended upward. That said, I think the camera spent far too much time on the singers. They rarely do anything that requires your visual attention, but the cameras were constantly cutting to them, and holding far too long.
I agree completely with the above assessment of the cameramen--they jumped around far too much, especially with the first portion of Aerial Contortion in Silk. It looked as though with would have been incredibly ethereal, as a whole, but when the camera was jerking between one flyer, then to the singer, then a flick of the entire stage, then back to a single flyer...that performance should have been a graceful dance, and the camera work chopped it up into something more suitable for the MTV generation of music videos. It didn't seem like the cameramen ever figured out that fast, staccato performances can use fast camera movements, but slow, graceful performances need slow, graceful camera work.
The clowns also left something to be desired. The parodies were too overacted, and they slapped the audience in the face with the jokes. While most of the clowns in the performances I've seen use a bit of subtlety in the humor (I'm thinking specifically of John in Quidam), these had absolutely none.
Of the performances themselves, only two really stood out to me--the juggler and the trapeze bit. The control the juggler had over both his own body and the balls was incredible. He used his back, head, and feet with as much skill as his hands. The trapeze, I felt, was good (rather than excellent), and improved by the music selection. The thumping heartbeat rhythm in the background, speeding up as the performance went on, was the perfect choice for the performance, and did much to improve the sense of anxiety.
The male singer was the most incredible part of the entire show. His vocal range in amazing--to the point that I spent a good bit of time trying to decide if he was a woman with a range that extended lower than usual, or a man with a range that extended upward. That said, I think the camera spent far too much time on the singers. They rarely do anything that requires your visual attention, but the cameras were constantly cutting to them, and holding far too long.
I agree completely with the above assessment of the cameramen--they jumped around far too much, especially with the first portion of Aerial Contortion in Silk. It looked as though with would have been incredibly ethereal, as a whole, but when the camera was jerking between one flyer, then to the singer, then a flick of the entire stage, then back to a single flyer...that performance should have been a graceful dance, and the camera work chopped it up into something more suitable for the MTV generation of music videos. It didn't seem like the cameramen ever figured out that fast, staccato performances can use fast camera movements, but slow, graceful performances need slow, graceful camera work.
The clowns also left something to be desired. The parodies were too overacted, and they slapped the audience in the face with the jokes. While most of the clowns in the performances I've seen use a bit of subtlety in the humor (I'm thinking specifically of John in Quidam), these had absolutely none.
Of the performances themselves, only two really stood out to me--the juggler and the trapeze bit. The control the juggler had over both his own body and the balls was incredible. He used his back, head, and feet with as much skill as his hands. The trapeze, I felt, was good (rather than excellent), and improved by the music selection. The thumping heartbeat rhythm in the background, speeding up as the performance went on, was the perfect choice for the performance, and did much to improve the sense of anxiety.
Utter load of drivel
novide-801-40780225 September 2013
I saw this show on the opening night in Doha and it is an utter load of drivel. Please save your money and don't bother! I can't understand why this show has so many good ratings. The main acts/tricks are padded with lots of rubbish time fillers, the worst of which are three clowns/jokers aren't at all funny. The acts themselves were tiresome with a few exceptions, most notably the trampolining and hula hoop girl.
The auditorium/seating area was less than half full (maybe 33%) and I got so bored that I left my seat during the first half of the show. I could still see the show from where I was standing after I left my seat, but waited for my friends to come. Truly awful.
The auditorium/seating area was less than half full (maybe 33%) and I got so bored that I left my seat during the first half of the show. I could still see the show from where I was standing after I left my seat, but waited for my friends to come. Truly awful.
Impressive
softballchick8719 July 2003
It was an impressive show. I didn't tire of watching it. However, I only saw approximately 2/3 of it. I was sick when I saw it live and I fell asleep because while it was frigid and January, they made that tent awfully warm. The acrobatics were amazing. I would see it again in a second.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
