Cirque du Soleil’s OVO is a headlong rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life. Insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion. When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck. They are intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. It’s love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community. A fabulous ladybug catches his eye and the feeling is mutual. OVO is overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew.
The Acts
Ants – The hardest working insects in the community are the bright red Ants. As soon as they’re awake they spend their day gathering food: On the menu today—kiwis and corn. But it’s not all work. They play with their food, too, with their feet, in an astonishing display of precision juggling that climaxes with ants juggling ants.
Orvalho – A Dragonfly performs a graceful balancing act in and out of the slender stalks and twisting tendrils of an elegant plant. It takes extraordinary control and strength to transfer his weight from one hand to the other as he maintains equilibrium upside down on top of the foliage.
Diablos – In a mix of high-speed diabolo and seemingly impossible juggling a firefly sends one, two, three and finally an astonishing four spinning spools arcing very high in the air and back to earth in perfect coordination.
Creatura – Part Slinky, part insect, the Creatura dances to a tune that is all his own. He’s a bendy, twisty knot of stretchy limbs in constant motion.
Web – One of the funny spiders reveals her sensual side when she attracts the attention of a group of Crickets by weaving her body over, under and through the strands of her web. She’s soon joined by another bright, dazzling spider contortionist who casts a sensual spell of her own.
Acro Trio – Combining elements of dance, acrobatics, athleticism and sheer agility, three yellow and red fleas fling themselves through the air and come together in graceful, perfectly balanced sculptural formations.
Slackwire – In a tour-de-force performance a Spider defies gravity and physics in a succession of seemingly impossible feats of strength and balance as he traverses a wire that appears to give him no support. At one point he hangs at a 45-degree angle over the ground, some 15 feet below, and he tops that with an upside down unicycle act. And the wire is in almost constant motion up and down, adding to the degree of difficulty.
Wall – This act features a dozen artists running, jumping, and walking across and straight up a vertical wall without artificial support. Air mat and trampolines give them the speed, lift and momentum to take flight. Their athletic ability, physical strength and team coordination take care of the rest.
Cocoon – Combining agility and grace this soon to be Butterfly performs a solo contortion on aerial silk showcasing her theatrical metamorphosis.
Scarabs – In a stunning aerial act, a group of scarabs soar high above the stage, from both edges to the middle. A distance of 6 meters separates the catchers!
Butterflies – Merging hand-to-hand, ballet and aerial contortion in an impressive flying act, this pair of Butterflies performs a pas-de-deux on aerial straps that allows them to swoop and land, leap and fly in perfect unison.
The name OVO means “egg” in Portuguese. This timeless symbol of the life cycle and birth of numerous insects represents the underlying thread of the show. Graphically, OVO hides an insect in its name: The two “Os” represent the eyes while the letter “V” forms the nose.
You can but tickets to this show here.
