By: Franciney Horodyski

According to Wikipedia, Amaluna is said to have been loosely inspired by William Shakespeare's, The Tempest. The story takes place on an island governed by goddesses. During a storm, a group of men are washed upon shore. The queen's daughter falls for one of the young men, and the trials of their love are the elements composing this production.

This is the fourth Cirque Du Soleil I have been to. From past events, I knew that this would be good; I just did not know how good. 

We were situated in a tent on the grounds of The New York Mets home, Citifield. The parking cost was $22, which was a fair price for this venue. It was raining and cold, but upon entering, the temperature inside the tent was just right.  Some people were complaining that the rain was seeping through, but the attendants were very kind, and accommodated them accordingly.

I first noticed the scenery; very simplistic, but beautiful and natural.  There were lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling, created by piping and paper maché flowers.  On the stage there was bamboo, and a cylindrical apparatus with water.  Soft lighting helped to create a very subtle, two-dimensional mood. After sometime, the actors started to wander through the crowd, with serious glances. Their costumes were truly amazing.  There were peacocks, warrior princesses, and a lizard who playfully engaged the audience by sitting in the rafters and throwing popcorn. This helped to create the atmosphere and allow the audience to be into the show. A few minutes before show time, a soft roar of rock music filled the air performed by a live band. 

The first act: Icarians and Water Meteors, with Xinyue Chen, Zhao Qian, Gaoyun Zhao Yanling Zheng, Min Zhuang, Yulun Wang, Lei Fu and Sijiang Liu.  This was the most jaw-dropping, astounding performances I have ever seen.  I was amazed and stupefied.  I could not take my eyes off the stage, and neither could the audience as they clapped and “woo-hooed” the whole time.  It really was such an inexplicable performance.  This was followed by some beautiful couple acts; which transformed the ideas of the whole performance.

Another act I was transfixed by was Water Bowl, performed by Iuliia Mykhailova.  This young woman showed her flexibility and outstanding movement in and out of the water; A very talented, young lady.  The whole performance was very surreal and mesmerizing. 

Afterward there was a highly original uneven bars act created by some very skilled females, followed by an all-male teeter board act.  As if we had not seen enough astonishment, Lili Chao graced us with her balancing act.  When I say balancing, it is not something you can even imagine.  This was done with such grace, panache, and an astounding level of confidence and beauty.  You could not hear a pin drop.  The audience stayed quiet as Ms. Chao placed her pieces together, and slowly rotated.  We wanted her to succeed. 

One of the main characters, Edouard Doye, who played the love-stricken male, did a gorgeous pole dance.  It was at times scary, but elegant and done with passion.  And if I say juggling, you may think of clowns and innocence, but the next act was not innocent at all.  Viktor Kee did an amazing act of juggling balls that came from the sky, and he even juggled a ball on fire. 

Every performer showed just how much time and effort they put into their roles and acts.  Even the so-called clown act for the event was done with love.  They added some adult humor as well; but nothing too racy. 

This was definitely my favorite Cirque Du Soleil by far.  I hope that the elegance of this show becomes more main stream.  I would recommend anyone to go see this with their family.