Amaluna

Updated on Dec 10, 2023

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Genre Contemporary circus Director of creation Fernand Rainville Costume designer Mérédith Caron Director Diane Paulus Producing company Cirque du Soleil		Show type Touring show Set and props designer Scott Pask Date opened 19 April 2012 Company Cirque du Soleil

Date of premiere April 19, 2012 (Montreal) Choreographers Karole Armitage, Debra Brown

Cirque du soleil s amaluna takes stage in denver

Amaluna is a touring show by Cirque du Soleil, created and directed by Diane Paulus. It premiered in Montréal, Canada, on April 19, 2012. 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 up on shore. The queen's daughter falls for one of the young men, and the trials of their love are the basis of the show's main narrative through-line. The show is notable for having a cast that is 70% female.

Amaluna Cirque du Soleil Amaluna Royal Albert Hall Theatre in London

The title, Amaluna, is the combination of two words. "Ama" which refers to mother in many languages, and "luna" which means moon. The moon is a symbol of femininity, which is part of the reason it was chosen for this production.

Amaluna 1000 images about AmaLuna on Pinterest

Amaluna by cirque du soleil director diane paulus la metteure en sc ne

Set and technical information

Amaluna Cirque du Soleil39s Amaluna Vancouverscape

Scott Pask created a set that was inspired by nature, using branches resembling bamboo that frame the set and reach out to the audience. The set is open yet immersive at the same time. Trees tower near the edge of the central stage and lower, denser flora are visible further upstage. The trees are handcrafted and are not treated to look like wood, yet still suggest a natural look.

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The principal colors seen throughout the stage are those found in peacock feathers. Lighting is used to create a sense of danger and heightened awareness, using the set to cast shadows.

Amaluna Amaluna a Phenomenal Touring Show Cirque du Soleil

The center stage in Amaluna has a mechanism allowing it to revolve, as can the carousel suspended above the stage. The set design has very few moving parts. This allows for greater attention to the performers.

There are 174 branches in 534 sections (90 in the canopy and 84 upstage) making a total of 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi).

There are three models of branches in the canopy and 35 in the upstage.

The 25-foot (7.6 m)-diameter carousel weighs 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg).

The grid weighs 8,600 pounds (3,900 kg) and includes three acrobatic winches, each able to lift loads up to 400 pounds (180 kg) at 10 feet (3.0 m) per second.

The acrobatic winch in the centre of the carousel can lift up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) at 10 feet (3.0 m) per second.

The waterbowl is 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) in diameter, and weighs 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) when filled with water.

Acts

Magic Pageant - The Goddess Prospera calls all the people of the island together to celebrate her daughter Miranda's journey into womanhood through this opening dance sequence.

Unicycles: Two artists would perform tricks on short unicycles together, tossing each other and the unicycles around.

Aerial straps - Three Valkyries soar over the stage and the audience with the Storm Goddess as Prospera conjures a storm that brings in a group of men, including Romeo, Miranda's new love.

Clowns: Mainha, Miranda's childhood nanny, and Papulya, Romeo's manservant, fall in love throughout the show.

Peacock dance - The Peacock Goddess meets Romeo in the forest, and does a gentle yet haunting dance that symbolizes the purity of love.

Vocal Aerial Hoop - The Moon Goddess bestows her blessing on Miranda and Romeo in a haunting song as she contorts herself on the coerce (aerial hoop).

Water bowl/Hand balancing on canes - Miranda plays in the water bowl, coming up to do amazing contortions on canes outside the rim of the water bowl. Romeo finds her and the two play and tentatively kiss for the first time.

Uneven bars - The Amazons, the fierce warriors of the island, show off their skills when flipping and jumping amongst four bars of uneven height

Teeterboard - The men have been captured, and they use a Teeterboard to propel themselves upward, escaping gravity and their prison.

Manipulation - The Balance Goddess emerges and balances palm fronds of various sizes on one another, before removing the smallest stick and everything tumbles down. This represents the delicacy of balance and trust in a relationship.

A Thousand Arms and Sticks: During this transition/dance sequence, a line of performers move in sync but at slightly different intervals to create the effect of peacock feathers.

Chinese pole - Romeo performs feats of strength to impress Miranda on a single upright pole whilst other men dance around the base holding bamboo sticks.

Juggling - Cali, Miranda's pet lizard sheds his skin and performed an amazing act of juggling balls which are at times on fire, all whilst on top of the water bowl.

Banquine - An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body. The artists perform a sequence of feats and human pyramids with their perfectly synchronized movements.

Rotational acts

Cyr wheel: An acrobat performs tricks within a large metal ring known as a Cyr wheel.

Diabolo: The peacock goddess manipulates diabolos (i.e., Chinese yo-yo), which are two sticks linked by a string on which a wooden spool balances.

Retired acts

Tightrope: Four artists (two male and two female) would jump and dance across a series of tight ropes strung just above the stage floor, using peacock feathers as fans.

Hula hoop: An artist would manipulate LED hula hoops all across her body simultaneously.

Fixed Trapeze Duo: Two artists would perform stunts, using each other for support on a still trapeze over the stage.

Water Meteors/Icarian Games: Whilst balancing on the feet of an artist lying back on the specially designed chairs, another artist would spin and juggle water meteors.

Hoop Diving - The lizards dive and do backflips through hula hoops held out by one member before a finale where they jumps through fixed rings, with up to 6 hoops being stack on top of each other.

Icarian Games - Prospera invites the male troop to celebrate love and harmony. Artists flip, turn and throw each other into the air using only their hands and feet whilst lying on their backs.

Music

The music in Amaluna is contemporary, using guitars. Bass, drums, cello, vocals, keyboards, and percussion support the guitars in delivering the music. Amaluna is the first Cirque du Soleil show with an all-female group of musicians.

Track titles as they appear in order on the CD (the items in parentheses reflect the act correlated with each song):

All Come Together (Opening, Finale)
Elma Om Mi Lize (Water Meteors-Icarian Games, Aerial Straps)
Tempest (The Storm-Straps)
Enchanted Reunion (Suspended Poles, Peacock dance)
Fly Around (Uneven Bars)
Hope (Vocal Aerial Hoop)
O Ma Ley (Waterbowl-Handbalancing)
Burn Me Up (Teeterboard)
Whisper (Manipulation)
Running On The Edge (Tightwire) / (Cyr Wheel)
Ena Fee Alyne (Unicycles) / (Hula Hoops) / ("Diabolo")
Creature Of Light (Chinese Pole, A Thousand Arms and Sticks)
Mutations (Juggling)
Run (Aerial Straps, Clowns)

Tour

Amaluna began its Grand Chapiteau tour in North America which lasted for 3 years before it moved on to tour Europe where it converted into arena format twice when it performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:
EU Europe NA North America SA South and Central Americas AP Asia/Pacific OC Oceania AF Africa

References

Amaluna Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA