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The Place between Motion and Picture, between Light and Sound: Cirque du Soleil's® IRIS

Bonjour, madames et messieurs!

On June 16^th, 2011, in Hollywood (but of course), The Place was invited to get a sneak peek at a "phantasmagoria inspired by cinema". I couldn't have said it better myself. In celebration of the 27^th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil®, and the first official Cirque du Soleil Day here in LA, we stepped into the one-and-only KODAK Theatre and peered through our viewfinder for our first glimpse at IRIS: A Journey through the World of Cinema™...

Preview performances begin July 21^st. IRIS premieres September 25^th.

Lights, Camera, Action

IRIS is the latest in extraordinary productions crafted by the unparalleled Cirque du Soleil. Taking its inspiration from the world of film, it traces a fabricated journey that begins with the conception of cinema. We watch its evolution whiz by on busy soundstages, teasing our minds through optical effects, and touching our memories with film genres. Acrobats, aerialists and dancers intermingle with live video and film footage, and sometimes, performers even pass from the projected realm onto to the stage.
The story that unfolds follows two young heroes (Buster and Scarlett), immersed in "a place between motion and picture, light and sound, that shifts constantly between reality and make-believe, to explore the limitless possibilities of cinema". If that doesn't sound like pure magic, I don't know what is.

Débuts Modestes
That's "humble beginnings" au français, just so you know. And for me, its humble beginning is one of the most endearing facets of Cirque du Soleil. Twenty modest street performers began to dream in Montreal, Quebec in 1984 - and since then, they have gone on to perform in nearly 50 different countries, delighting audiences of over 100 million. And I hope they never, ever stop.

My first Cirque du Soleil experience was a traveling production of Dralion in 1999. Since then, I've had the honor and privilege to see Mystère, O, The Beatles LOVE (twice!), and most recently, KOOZA. But nothing could have prepared me for the kaleidoscope of sight, sound and sentiment that engulfed me during last week's sneak preview of IRIS.

(E)Motion
I'm not going to lie. From the moment I heard the first sweeping notes of Danny Elfman's grand/gorgeous/haunting score (come on, I could keep going with the adjectives, but it's ELFMAN! You KNOW how this works, and you know it's achingly lovely), the tears had already started streaming. I might be a wee bit more sensitive than some theatre-goers, but the poetic combination of Elfman as composer, Phillip Decouflé as writer/director, and the entire creative team and artists that make Cirque du Soleil the magical experience that it is, had my heart soaring before I even had the chance to take one breath. I'm sitting here getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

Needless to say, I'm literally counting down the hours until full-fledged preview performances begin. Plus, I guarantee you that I'll be back again once the show officially premieres. Living in Los Angeles means I already exist in a space sort of in between reality and make-believe, where the cinematic world of Hollywood blurs boundaries between who we are and who we want to become. And what better place for Cirque du Soleil's very first permanent resident production here in Los Angeles than the KODAK Theatre – home to that golden god of cinema we know so well, Oscar, and the Academy Awards?

Get Your Tickets Today
Preview performances begin July 21^st. IRIS officially premieres September 25^th. Seats range from $43 - $133 (VIP tickets are $253). Purchase online at cirquedusoleil.com/IRIS or call 877-943-IRIS. For parties of 12 or more, call 877-504-7164.

KODAK Theatre is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. #180, Los Angeles. Considered the "crown jewel" of the Hollywood & Highland Center, its the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. For more information, check out kodaktheatre.com.

Au revoir, mes amies!

Tags: Arts and Culture, Cirque du Soleil, Date Night, Family Fun, Hollywood, IRIS, Kodak Theatre, LA, Los Angeles, Places to Go in Los Angeles, More…Things to Do in Los Angeles

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Comment by The Nightowl on June 28, 2011 at 11:11am: @Michael: It's a treat, to say the least!

@Lydia: It truly was magical. But you'll have to credit Varius Batty for the awesome footage ;)

Comment by Lydia Sea on June 24, 2011 at 10:27am: What awesome footage, Nightowl! I have loved the Cirque du Soleil shows I've seen in the past. Truly magical.

Comment by Michael Maxsenti on June 23, 2011 at 4:36pm: Cirque coming to Los Angeles at the Kodak Theatre...how awesome is that? Can't wait to see the new show.

Comment by The Nightowl on June 23, 2011 at 9:41am: @Varius: SERIOUSLY! Danny Elfman. I thought I was going to lose my mind!!!

@Hailey: Me, too! Everything about them is magical. You HAVE to see IRIS!

@Stephanie: Just you wait till you see this latest masterpiece! I thought LOVE was the end-all, be-all of Cirque du Soleil. But there they go, making me fall head-over-heels all over again :)

Comment by stephanie platt on June 22, 2011 at 6:20pm: Cirque is so awesome!! We saw Beatles Love and O...excellent performance!!!!

Comment by Hailey Hicks on June 22, 2011 at 11:53am: Ahhh I love anything Cirque du Soleil! I saw LOVE in Vegas and LOVED it! I'm sure this will be just as exciting!