The Daily Collegian

Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: Arts & Living

Media Credit: P.J. Staney/Collegian [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: P.J. Stanley/Collegian

The Mullins Center has seen its share of variety.

Flying ice chips and the sound of hockey pucks drowned out by the sound of taunting chants, generally directed at Boston College.

Sneakers squeaking around the court and the swish of the net drowned out by the sound of taunting chants, generally directed at BC.

A return to the age of dinosaurs, a pop-country diva and a buffet full of samplings from around the University of Massachusetts.

But nothing has compared to the breathtaking, jaw-dropping display of agility, focus and performance that was seen this past Wednesday through Sunday.

Cirque du Soleil's "Saltimbanco," the company's longest-running touring show, performed seven shows in five days. An awe-inspiring blend of colors, sights and sounds appealing to every sense, "Saltimbanco" hails back to the early days of the big-top circus.

Amo Gulinello, the clown for "Saltimbanco," grew up in Cambridge, attended New York University and auditioned for the show while studying physical theater in Paris.

"It's definitely been my dream to be in a circus as a kid," he said. Seeing "Saltimbanco" inspired him to continue pursuing that dream. "It's a recapturing of that classic run-away-with-the-circus dream. It's a very playful, upbeat show - it really encourages audience involvement."

This was evident from about 10 minutes before the opening-night show started. Baroquely dressed characters entered into the audience, teasing on-lookers and even going so far as to pick up one young lady, carry her onto the stage and swing her upside-down.

The show officially started with the entire troupe welcoming the audience. The first act saw a "family," Anna Kachalova, Dmitri Shvidki and Viktoriya Zherdyeva, balancing on one another and contorting themselves in ways that did not seem remotely possible.

Next up were the Chinese poles - four sticks being held by nothing more than wires being scaled by a number of neon-colored acrobats. It was virtually uncanny that they actually let go of the poles, clinging by only their legs while, visually, using no muscle at all. At times, the effect was literally jaw-dropping.

Through the first act, which included Gulinello's foolish clown, a bicyclist and a juggler, the word "wow" was involuntarily uttered in what seemed like surround sound. Anyone watching was riveted, afraid to turn their eyes for even a second for fear of missing something incredible.

Act 1 closed with a performance entitled "Bolas." Luis Lopez and Adriana Pegueroles emerged from the back of the stage, simultaneously banging a drum. A raised platform was set up by some of Cirque characters and Lopez and Pegueroles made their way onto it. Their unbelievable drum solo would have been sufficient entertainment.

Soon, however, they set their drums aside and began a sort of flamenco dance in concert with wooden blocks they were swinging from a rope. Their feet and their weighted ropes were their drums. When their feet were tapping, the rope was in the air, coming down to the stage with a sound that rocked the audience. The synchronicity was remarkable - they were one artist.

The two would take turns; one would solo as the other drummed and vice versa. At one point, Lopez swung his rope around so fast it looked as though he was encased in a white bubble. The audience was so intensely focused there was no noise in the entire Mullins Center except the whipping of the rope through the air.

The intensity grew so vehemently that when Pegueroles joined on the drums, the whole audience could feel the release like a giant wave.

After this stunning act, the lights came up, giving the audience a 20-minute break.

If people were overwhelmed by the first act, it was nothing compared to what was seen in the next hour.

They began with a Russian Swing. The acrobats flew off a pendulum-style bench swing, propelling themselves at least 25 feet in the air, landing on the shoulders of the top of the human pole that had formed in front of them. This, combined with the vibrant colors and live music, made the whole act seem like a frat party where people are doing stupid stunts - except 20 feet higher, and much cooler.

One of the highlights of the night was the Duo Trapeze. Ruslana and Taisiya Bazalii, two young women, were carried onto the stage. They were identically dressed with long blonde hair and moved in tandem until they mounted the trapeze.

There are no other words to describe this act besides unbelievable. Maybe heart-stopping. The girls would swing far over the audience, one sliding down the other, being caught solely by the other's foot. The audience emitted audible gasps almost every time the girls moved.

After such a radiant yet tense performance, it was nice to unwind with Gulinello's second appearance of the night. He welcomed an audience member on stage, teaching him the ways of the mime, ending in an Old Western-style shoot out. The new mime was an exceedingly good sport, eliciting as many laughs as Gulinello himself.

Gabor Czivisz and Andrey Zhadan displayed Hulk-like strength in their hand-to-hand routine and the last act of the night was the gracefully mesmerizing bungee.

The troupe ended the show together onstage, bidding the audience farewell to music by the live band and singer, both of which performed throughout the night and were phenomenal.

The cast of "Saltimbanco" bid adieu after a night of performing that was unlike many in the audience could have imagined.

Needless to say, they got a standing ovation.

Stephanie McPherson can be reached at smcphers@dailycollegian.com.

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