Las Vegas Weekly

April 8, 2011 · 2:53 PM

Slowmo Wushu

By Rick Lax

KA's Imperial Officers. Quick tip: Don't mess with 'em.

Photo: Eric Jamison / Cirque du Soleil Inc.

My college buddy Ryan teaches martial arts. Shaolin Kung Fu, T’ai Chi, Wushu, Chinese weapons, open hand—you name it, Ryan studied it. He visited me in Vegas this week, so I, of course, took him to KA.

What most impressed him? The slow motion scenes.

“A lot of Kung Fu movies speed up fight scenes because it hides flaws,” Ryan said. “But in KA, they really slowed it down, so you could see the technique. You could see the Capoeira mixing with the Wushu.”

“And those are traditional Chinese martial art forms…”

“Capoeira’s Brazilian. But it wasn’t all traditional. Throwing spears across a group and kicking them back isn’t part of stage combat, but the show was about blending the old with the new. A lot of the humor actually reminded me of Jackie Chan movies. But I guess even that come from the Beijing Opera tradition…”

Ryan loved KA. But will you? Maybe. To find out, consult Cleverboy’s No-Fail, 100% Guaranteed, Constantly Updating Cirque Recommendation System:

KA: Cirque for guys

O: Cirque for adults

Mystère: Cirque for kids

BeLIEve: Cirque for red states

Zumanity: Cirque for people who have already seen Absinthe

LOVE: Cirque for baby boomers

Viva ELVIS: Cirque for the elderly, for overseas tourists, and for people who like seeing Cirque’s B material.

Or, if that’s too tough to remember, then consult Cleverboy’s Abbriviated Cirque Recommendation System:

See KA and O.

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