Cirque Du Soleil's VOLTA Is Pure Entertainment

By Darlene Donloe

And then there was VOLTA. 

Cirque Du Soleil never disappoints. There is always a mouth drop moment. There is always a “how did they do that moment and then another and then another.”

Cirque Du Soleil shows are always spectacular, mesmerizing, exciting, thrilling and pure entertainment. There is so much happening, that you don’t know where to look.

VOLTA, the latest Cirque Du Soleil show opened January 21 at Dodger Stadium. The 15^th Big Top to visit Los Angeles, it is yet another stunning spectacle of bodies doing the seemingly impossible. It’s athleticism personified – always with a hint of danger.  The show is written and directed by Bastien Alexandre.  He writes about a young man named Waz, a contestant who doesn’t win the Mr. Wow Show.

To be honest, it was hard to follow. The storyline was missing in action, but it really didn’t matter because of the razzle-dazzle happening on stage. I actually lost the story of Waz and just focused on the performances. I do know that at the end of the show, Waz was apparently wherever he was supposed to be and had accomplished whatever he was supposed to accomplish.  

The first sports-inspired show, the creators of VOLTA drew inspiration from the spirit of adventure that pervades the world of BMX, street sports and acrobatics. There are bikes hopping from rooftop to rooftop, and double-dutch rope skipping.

The double-dutch was cool to watch but to be honest – three little black girls from the hood would have put that act to shame.

The acrobatic aerials were fantastic.  Hair Suspension featured a woman who was literally hanging by her hair. It was spectacular.  There was a segment on a giant revolving ladder that was a crowd-pleaser.

In Washing Machines funny moments happen at a laundromat where the clothes have taken over the asylum – jumping out of the washers at will.

The Trampowall where the performers bounce back and forth against a wall had to take an incredible amount of choreography. It's incredibly eye-pleasing. 

Shape Diving was also a fan-favorite. The artists were literally jumping through hoops to please the crowd. The shapes and heights of the hoops varied.  Sometimes the artists would fly through the hoop feet first – only occasionally knocking down the apparatus. I think those were planted into the show as a way for the audience to root for him to complete his task.  It worked. We hooped and hollered and applauded vigorously

There is a definite urban sport influence.

The show’s finale features a full-blown BMX park mounted on stage giving a truly in-your-face experience.

It was exciting and seemingly dangerous as the performers zoomed around the stage at top speeds stopping just before falling off the stage. The riders go up the jump boxes and perform air tricks before landing and leaping off the ramps again, crisscrossing and spinning their bikes in midair in a spirit of brotherhood.

The first show presented in Los Angeles was Cirque Reinvente in 1987.

Great costumes by Zaldy Goco. Also great lighting by Martin Labrecque. 

In the end, VOLTA is a hit!

VOLTA, Cirque Du Soleil’s first sports-inspired Big Top show plays under the Big Top at Dodger Stadium through March 8, 2020, followed by Orange County Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa, March 18-April 19, 2020; Tickets start at $49 and are available for purchase by visiting cirquedusoleil.com/volta or calling 1-877-9CIRQUE (1-877-924-7783).  BEWARE: Parking is a whopping $25.

On the DONLOE SCALE:  D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent) VOLTA gets an E (excellent).