M arch 21-25, Cirque du Soleil will present Dralion for the first time in College Station. A fusion between the 3,000-year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts and the multidisciplinary approach of Cirque du Soleil, Dralion made its premier in 1999 in Montreal, Canada.
Since then, it has entertained more then seven million people worldwide. The name Dralion is derived from its two symbolic creatures: the dragon, representing the East; and the lion, representing the West. Drawing its inspiration from the Eastern philosophy, Dralion strives to express its never-ending quest for harmony between humans and nature.
“It is a very high quality show with lots of energy, edginess and passion,” according to Julie Desmarais, Dralion publicist. “The whole visual experience is an aesthetic feast for the eyes! The show marks the fusion of ancient Chinese acrobatics and the avant-garde style of Cirque du Soleil. You will see on stage some of the most unique acrobatics ever presented. One of the things that make Cirque different is that no two Cirque shows are alike. We reinvent ourselves for every new creation.”
Dralion embodies each element of air, fire, water and earth by representing the elements with their own evocative color. Air is blue, water is green, fire is red, and earth is ochre. Each of the four elements is brought to life to express how man and nature are one and balance is achieved. Dralion features 50 international acrobats, gymnasts, musicians and singers.
“All our performers are real people performing unreal things,” says Desmarais. “We scout our artists from all over the world and all of them trained their whole lives to become world-class performers. In Dralion, you will see a combination of traditional acrobatics to out-of-the-box acrobatics.
“Cirque is very conscious of developing new markets throughout North America and the world, and College Station is a market we believe has potential. We hope to continue presenting shows there in the future.i
WHAT
Cirque du Soleil presents Dralion, a fusion between the 3,000-year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts and the multidisciplinary approach of Cirque du Soleil.
WHEN
There will be seven performances March 21-25. Wednesday through Friday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Performances on Saturday begin at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Tickets for adults range between $35 and $80; child tickets (12 & under) range from $29 to $66; military, senior and student tickets range from $32 to $68.
WHERE
Reed Arena, Texas A&M University
HOW
Tickets for the general public are available at cirquedusoeil.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE(24443). To access advance tickets, special offers and exclusive behind-the-scenes information, join the Cirque Club membership for free at CirqueClub.com.
