JULY 30, 2007
The skies are currently dark and threatening as I write this. There is thunder and lightning all around, but not a drop of rain. It continues to be hot and steamy in Shanghai, the average temperature being around 95 degrees. This weather reminds me a bit of Florida in the summer. The clouds appear every afternoon and threaten precipitation, but often it is simply that ... just a threat. Definitely a tropical sort of climate, but I suppose we should consider ourselves among the fortunate. China is full of news of death due to rain and floods in other parts of the country, to the southwest, I believe. I suppose we should feel fortunate that we know we'll survive hot and steamy.
I wanted to post as soon as possible after this weekend so as not to forget the events of the weekend. Randy and I joined our friend, Mike, for an afternoon at the circus .... Cirque du Soleil to be exact.
Mike had mentioned getting tickets early last week, so Randy called and reserved three tickets for us for Saturday afternoon. Mike had never taken the subway in his 14 months in Shanghai, and the Cirque was performing very near one of the stations on our line, so we headed out into the sauna of the afternoon around 1:00 on Saturday for the three-block walk to the station nearest our complex. The subway is nice and cool during the summer both being underground (at least the line upon which we live) and air conditioned. We arrived fairly quickly at the Science and Technology Center station and disembarked. A quick check of directions and a short walk, and we arrived at the "big top" ... an actual circus tent erected to stage the performance of "Quidam," the current production of Cirque du Soleil which is in Shanghai for about a month.
Mike had attended a couple of performances of Cirque stateside, and wondered aloud where the midway was. Apparently, other Cirque troupes do indeed set up a midway complete with amusement park rides, but Shanghai only had a few tents set up for snacks, beverages, and souvineers. After a short wait, we found our seats and were delighted to find it comfortably cool in the big tent. Upon reflection, we realized that it was surely a necessity for the health of the performers.
A description of the Cirque du Soleil is certainly going to tax my writing abilities ... it almost defies explanation. It is certainly something the likes of which I have never experienced. I said to Randy upon conclusion of the show that it is indeed akin to the circus ... a circus on steroids and LSD (don't worry, Mom ... I have zero experience with either.)!!!
The stage was circular in shape with the audience seated almost entirely around it, save for a section towards the back that housed the orchestra and "wings" from whence the performers entered and exited (unless of course they were coming down from the ceiling or popping up through the floor which also happened frequently). There were clouds superimposed upon the ceiling, and speaking of thunder and lightning, there also was often a sound effect of the same (unless of course it was real .... never thought of that until just now).
From start to finish, there was always something moving upon the stage to hold one's attention. The performers moved gracefully as dancers and ballerinas, and often wore bizarre and garish costumes, and the music varied from ethereal and macabre to loud and silly (like a regular circus). The mood often smacked of performance art theatre, but was always very interesting. A couple of characters that graced the stage need to be noted: a ten-foot tall, headless man wearing a trenchcoat, carrying a bowler derby and a bright green open umbrella over his missing head ... a fellow who reminded me of a bald Beetlejuice wearing boxing gloves and periodically letting out a most frightening bellow. Often, the majority of the performers were wearing what appeared to be white, Tyvek head-to-toe body suits (my friends at Kauamgraph will call them "pressroom" suits). They appeared somewhat ghostly at times, and at other times, goofy like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
This particular show is called "Quidam" pronounced "key-dam," which is a Latin word for an anonymous passerby, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past, living lost amidst the crowd. Certainly, this performance captured the essence of this word. During each segment of the show, there would be someone standing or sitting off to one side (or sometimes hovering from above) observing somewhat quizzically the comings and going, often one of the above mentioned figures.
The acts were imaginative and fascinating! There were four Chinese women who held a foot long stick in each hand with a line tied between the sticks. Each would spin and twirl what appeared to be a large spools, often throwing them high into the air. They did some amazing things with these spools, as well as with their bodies acrobatically.
There were some traditional acrobats, jugglers, and high flying artists, as well as a couple of gals who performed on hoops suspended from the ceiling as well as men and women performing amazing feats upon large, long ropes. A jump rope exhibition (yes, I said jumping rope) was probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. There were 15 or 20 people in every configuration of single and multiple jumping rope in a most imaginative and creative way. I told Randy I want to meet the person who envisioned that because he or she is certainly a truly artistic engineer.
The "clown" routines were clever and hysterically funny!! There was a fellow who portrayed a film director who very carefully chose his "cast" from members of the audience. It was to be a love tragedy, a women torn between two lovers. Ultimately, one lover shoots the other, and the heroine kills herself (well, actually, the director grows weary of her overacting and shoots her ... but I digress). But not before the director has them performing over the top antics all to the delight and howls of the audience. Truly, a talented individual, this "director" ... the next Jim Carey, I would say.
I could go on and on, but as stated above, this performance was indeed difficult to describe in a worthy manner. It is not something we will soon forget.
We came out of the tent to find that it had indeed rained while we were inside enjoying the show. We joked about a nice, cool, summer rain, but this rain only had the effect of creating the sauna-like conditions about which I've whined ad nauseum. The steam was literally rising from the pavement and asphalt.
It was decided that we'd try a new restaurant called California 101. It is located in a huge mall called Cloud Nine, and one of the subway stations on our line is in the lower level of this mall. We had a heck of a time finding the restaurant (the 7th floor finally), but it was well worth the effort. California 101 is a grand buffet type restaurant. For a set price, one can visit a dozen different prep stations to fill your plate with every imaginable kind of seafood, sushi, sashimi, salads, soups, various meats-on-a-stick type BBQ, pizza, fruit and dessert, as well as soda, juice, beer, and wine (yes, beer and wine WERE included). The decor is all crystal, silver, and modern leather modeled in a nautical theme (as they are well-known for their seafood). We ate ourselves silly!!
After a wonderful meal, we decided to walk back to the apartment in spite of the heat so as to justify our overeating. Actually, it seemed a bit cooler, perhaps it only seemed that way just because it was dark. Our walk brought us to the Suzhou Creek which runs right behind our apartment complex. There is a new marina on the river, and if they ever get any boats in there, it is going to be a really lovely area. There are quite a few new walkways and parks to stroll, but it appears to be a recent renovation that just hasn't gotten off the ground just yet. We lingered and watched a rather large barge navigate the narrow, winding passage, and disappear into the darkness, and planned our next adventure.
I wanted to post as soon as possible after this weekend so as not to forget the events of the weekend. Randy and I joined our friend, Mike, for an afternoon at the circus .... Cirque du Soleil to be exact.
Mike had mentioned getting tickets early last week, so Randy called and reserved three tickets for us for Saturday afternoon. Mike had never taken the subway in his 14 months in Shanghai, and the Cirque was performing very near one of the stations on our line, so we headed out into the sauna of the afternoon around 1:00 on Saturday for the three-block walk to the station nearest our complex. The subway is nice and cool during the summer both being underground (at least the line upon which we live) and air conditioned. We arrived fairly quickly at the Science and Technology Center station and disembarked. A quick check of directions and a short walk, and we arrived at the "big top" ... an actual circus tent erected to stage the performance of "Quidam," the current production of Cirque du Soleil which is in Shanghai for about a month.
Mike had attended a couple of performances of Cirque stateside, and wondered aloud where the midway was. Apparently, other Cirque troupes do indeed set up a midway complete with amusement park rides, but Shanghai only had a few tents set up for snacks, beverages, and souvineers. After a short wait, we found our seats and were delighted to find it comfortably cool in the big tent. Upon reflection, we realized that it was surely a necessity for the health of the performers.
A description of the Cirque du Soleil is certainly going to tax my writing abilities ... it almost defies explanation. It is certainly something the likes of which I have never experienced. I said to Randy upon conclusion of the show that it is indeed akin to the circus ... a circus on steroids and LSD (don't worry, Mom ... I have zero experience with either.)!!!
The stage was circular in shape with the audience seated almost entirely around it, save for a section towards the back that housed the orchestra and "wings" from whence the performers entered and exited (unless of course they were coming down from the ceiling or popping up through the floor which also happened frequently). There were clouds superimposed upon the ceiling, and speaking of thunder and lightning, there also was often a sound effect of the same (unless of course it was real .... never thought of that until just now).
From start to finish, there was always something moving upon the stage to hold one's attention. The performers moved gracefully as dancers and ballerinas, and often wore bizarre and garish costumes, and the music varied from ethereal and macabre to loud and silly (like a regular circus). The mood often smacked of performance art theatre, but was always very interesting. A couple of characters that graced the stage need to be noted: a ten-foot tall, headless man wearing a trenchcoat, carrying a bowler derby and a bright green open umbrella over his missing head ... a fellow who reminded me of a bald Beetlejuice wearing boxing gloves and periodically letting out a most frightening bellow. Often, the majority of the performers were wearing what appeared to be white, Tyvek head-to-toe body suits (my friends at Kauamgraph will call them "pressroom" suits). They appeared somewhat ghostly at times, and at other times, goofy like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
This particular show is called "Quidam" pronounced "key-dam," which is a Latin word for an anonymous passerby, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past, living lost amidst the crowd. Certainly, this performance captured the essence of this word. During each segment of the show, there would be someone standing or sitting off to one side (or sometimes hovering from above) observing somewhat quizzically the comings and going, often one of the above mentioned figures.
The acts were imaginative and fascinating! There were four Chinese women who held a foot long stick in each hand with a line tied between the sticks. Each would spin and twirl what appeared to be a large spools, often throwing them high into the air. They did some amazing things with these spools, as well as with their bodies acrobatically.
There were some traditional acrobats, jugglers, and high flying artists, as well as a couple of gals who performed on hoops suspended from the ceiling as well as men and women performing amazing feats upon large, long ropes. A jump rope exhibition (yes, I said jumping rope) was probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. There were 15 or 20 people in every configuration of single and multiple jumping rope in a most imaginative and creative way. I told Randy I want to meet the person who envisioned that because he or she is certainly a truly artistic engineer.
The "clown" routines were clever and hysterically funny!! There was a fellow who portrayed a film director who very carefully chose his "cast" from members of the audience. It was to be a love tragedy, a women torn between two lovers. Ultimately, one lover shoots the other, and the heroine kills herself (well, actually, the director grows weary of her overacting and shoots her ... but I digress). But not before the director has them performing over the top antics all to the delight and howls of the audience. Truly, a talented individual, this "director" ... the next Jim Carey, I would say.
I could go on and on, but as stated above, this performance was indeed difficult to describe in a worthy manner. It is not something we will soon forget.
We came out of the tent to find that it had indeed rained while we were inside enjoying the show. We joked about a nice, cool, summer rain, but this rain only had the effect of creating the sauna-like conditions about which I've whined ad nauseum. The steam was literally rising from the pavement and asphalt.
It was decided that we'd try a new restaurant called California 101. It is located in a huge mall called Cloud Nine, and one of the subway stations on our line is in the lower level of this mall. We had a heck of a time finding the restaurant (the 7th floor finally), but it was well worth the effort. California 101 is a grand buffet type restaurant. For a set price, one can visit a dozen different prep stations to fill your plate with every imaginable kind of seafood, sushi, sashimi, salads, soups, various meats-on-a-stick type BBQ, pizza, fruit and dessert, as well as soda, juice, beer, and wine (yes, beer and wine WERE included). The decor is all crystal, silver, and modern leather modeled in a nautical theme (as they are well-known for their seafood). We ate ourselves silly!!
After a wonderful meal, we decided to walk back to the apartment in spite of the heat so as to justify our overeating. Actually, it seemed a bit cooler, perhaps it only seemed that way just because it was dark. Our walk brought us to the Suzhou Creek which runs right behind our apartment complex. There is a new marina on the river, and if they ever get any boats in there, it is going to be a really lovely area. There are quite a few new walkways and parks to stroll, but it appears to be a recent renovation that just hasn't gotten off the ground just yet. We lingered and watched a rather large barge navigate the narrow, winding passage, and disappear into the darkness, and planned our next adventure.
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
11:37 PM
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