The trend of contemporary circus and live performances of art is not much which it used to be in the past. According to a survey in Australia, the audience of circuses and physical theatres decreased by more than 60% in 2018.
But still, the world’s largest contemporary circus producer is organizing circus and art performances extremely often, and people love it. Twas the Night Before by Cirque du Soleil is a great example.
That is why they have again come up with a Christmas show at the end of the year. So, get ready because here you will get to know almost everything about “Twas the Night Before”:
An Overview of Twas the Night Before
This was what you can say a complete show for Christmas. Everything was to the point and making sense. Twas the Night Before was well directed by James Hadley under the production of Cirque du Soleil. The best thing about the show that has impressed us is that the show was presented by 25 artists from 12 different countries. The diversity in the crew members was a heart-touching thing. Those 12 countries were:
- USA
- Ukraine
- Canada
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Spain
- France
- Italy
- Belgium
- Guinea
- Russia
- Taiwan
This is the first-ever Christmas show of Cirque du Soleil, and the team decided to fill it with all feelings and emotions, from fun to love. And unsurprisingly, they have done what they wanted; everyone who witnessed it live loved it. The show was premiered this year in New York in Madison Square Garden right before Christmas on the 9th of December.
But this was not the first time when this show was performed. This show was first performed in 2019, and then Cirque du Soleil decided to do it every year. But in 2020, they had to take a break due to the pandemic, but at the end of 2021, they finally did it full of energy.
New York, NY – December 9, 2021: Finale act during media dress rehearsal for ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… by Cirque du Soleil at MSG Hulu Theater
Inspiration of the Show
If you have guessed that this Cirque du Soleil’s show is a fictionalization of a famous poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, then you have nailed it. A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore was famous for its first line: Twas the Night Before Christmas.
And the director James Hadley took the concept of the imagination behind the wordings “Twas the Night Before.” This show was initially created because of James Hadley’s thoughts about the poem.
He decided to retell and fictionalize the poem and represent it more creatively by taking some parts of the poem. And let the performers do their magic.
The Story of the Show
As obvious from the name, this show was created to represent kids’ curiosity about gifts and Christmas fun before Christmas on the last night. And here comes the main character “Isabella,” a super curious girl filled with excitement the night before Christmas.
The act and story started when the girl’s dad read a poem for her. Yes, you have guessed it right; he read “A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore” and then, as she was a curious girl full of imaginations and existing. Hence, she started thinking about Christmas fantasies.
And that’s where some other tale characters joined her and took her to a magical Christmas world, a Winter Wonderland. And now, her dad also followed her and came into the world of magic, where they both enjoyed and learned magic.
They had a lot of fun in the new world, and that’s where the audience got emotional with the story. But after some time, Isabella also learned the magic. She used it sufficiently, and they both got home before Santa Claus arrived. Then they welcomed Santa, and that was when this comprehensive performance said goodbye to the audience.
New York, NY – December 2021: Twas the Night Before –Cirque du Soleil
Performances and Performers
Now, let’s get a bit deeper into the show and go through almost all performances, acrobats, and performers:
Combo of Straps
Here, Karyna Konchakivska and Suren Bozyan (performers) came into play when Isabella got into the new world of the poem.
Juggling
Probably one of the most parts of this play was performed by Miguel Gigosos Ronda.
Dance With Light
A mischievous tale character dances with the spark of light around Isabella. This was performed by:
- Jenna Beltran
- Kalila Hermant
- Samuel Moore
- Cario Darang
- Shannon Kelly/ Bianca Vallar
Acrobatics
A hilarious acrobatic act by Quentin Greco, Jean-Marc Giese, Roberto Alvarez, Sekou Camara, Lucas Gabriel Morales Bravo, and Evan Tomlinson Weintraub (children) when they get excited by the anticipation of Santa’s arrival.
Gifts Act
Masha Terentieva (performer) was dissatisfied with his Christmas presents, but she shared them with Isabella after some time.
WonderLand
Here comes Winter WonderLand, where Isabella was surrounded by many performances, and that scene was extravagantly performed by the Kinjaz Dance Crew and Cast members.
New York, NY – December 2021: Holler Zavatta Bogino and Kimberly Zavatta Bogino perform Roller Skaters
Skating
In WonderLand, Holler Zavatta Bogino and Kimberly Zavatta Bogino showed their talent with roller skates.
Isabella and her Dad
That was the point when Danila Vieira Bim made Isabella remind of her dad’s present and his love for her.
Clown
Miguel Gigosos Ronda came into play as a clown. She made Isabella enjoy more and more, and all were waiting for Santa.
Some other Performances
This was not the end as they fought with snowballs and then enjoyed bike acrobats. Every performer showed their class, some with ariel lamps while others with hoop diving.
The End
In the end, Jolly (a Christmas elve) revealed that he was the real Santa Claus. And that was the time when the audience gave them a huge round of applause with a cheer of Merry Christmas.
