Aramco Expats

Cirque du Soleil's KÀ

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Author: Theresa Carpine (Aramco ExPats Staff)
Released 16 October 2008

Imperial Twins
Photo by Tomas Muscionico; courtesy Cirque du Soleil

Since 1984, the words Cirque du Soleil have become synonymous with breathtaking feats of acrobatic arts, outlandish costuming, and dramatic music, all coming together to captivate audiences in highly stylized productions.

In 2008, seventeen unique Cirque du Soleil productions will be staged simultaneously throughout the world. Along with touring and arena shows traveling across four continents, five resident shows currently make their home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among them is KÀ, the featured Cirque show at MGM Grand, which Aramco ExPats staff had the privilege of viewing during Jabal Las Vegas 2008.

The show premiered in February of 2005 with 80 performance artists in the cast. The set, costumes, and performance style create a world that is neither past nor future, drawing musical and dance influences from locations across the globe—New Zealand, Brazil, and China, just to name a few.

Boat
Photo by Tomas Muscionico; courtesy Cirque du Soleil

KÀ, created and directed by Robert Lepage, takes its name from the ancient Egyptian belief in an invisible spiritual duplicate of the body. The duality of KÀ is represented in every aspect of the show, as the central story follows the journey of twins, a brother and a sister, who find themselves separated and pursued by an army of archers and spearmen.

On their journey toward adulthood, the twins encounter a variety of trials—some dangerous and some whimsical—and characters—some friendly and some dastardly—in a show that displays adventure, sorrow, humor, and romance with impressive dance and acrobatics routines, the trademark of all Cirque du Soleil shows.

What sets KÀ apart from previous productions is its innovative use of set and stage. Nearly each scene takes place on a different performance area, emerging from 208-foot deep orchestra pit. The versatility of these movable stages allow for scenes to take place atop a rainforest canopy, under the depths of the sea, and through the air over mountains. The unique set even enables a scene of a sea storm and a sinking ship, right before the audience’s spellbound eyes.

Most impressive of all is the show’s innovative use of a Gantry crane to raise and lower a 25 x 50 x 6 foot stage known as the Sand Cliff Deck. This marvel of theatrical engineering is also able to move diagonally and vertically. As the deck rotates through the air, moving 12 degrees per second (according to the show’s official website), a dynamic chase up—and down—a mountainside is simulated, with no harnesses in sight. The climatic final battle also takes place on this surface with the sixteen performance artists suspended in the air as they fight on the stage set perpendicular to the audience, providing a bird’s eye view of their gravity-defying stunts and dance.

Battle
Photo by Tomas Muscionico; courtesy Cirque du Soleil

The lack of a traditional stage also brings the performance out into the audience. A number of events take place on the rim outside the stage, just a few feet from the crowd. Elaborate lattice-work catwalks over the sides of the stage also jut out over the audience, as artists swing out over the spectators and keep time on drums overhead.

With each scene, KÀ blends the horror of war with the powerful hope of love, turning destruction into art, emphasizing the resemblance between a dance and a swordfight. In the KÀ Theatre, prepare yourself for to find poetic beauty in a scene of drowning and witness a celebration of fireworks to herald the end of a battle and the return of peace.

 For more information about KÀ and Cirque du Soleil, visit the official websites.