"Live It Up At La Nouba"

Orlando TravelHost
January 2002

Honestly, when was the last time you invoked your imagination, provoked your senses and evoked your emotions?

Once upon a time, a door opened and two worlds collided. Dreams clashed with reality. The mundane mixed with the marvelous. It was no longer possible to tell where one world began and the other ended.

This new place was called La Nouba.

Welcome to artistry and surrealism, impossible gymnastic feats and multicolored high drama. A swirling, morphing theatrical ride like no other, La Nouba at Cirque du Soleil is the story of the clash between the colorful Cirques (circus people) and the monochromatic Urbains (urbanites). From this encounter is born fear and ecstasy. From this encounter is born La Nouba.

La Nouba comes from the French phrase "faire la nouba", which means to party, to live it up. La Nouba transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, engaging the imagination from beginning to end with a magical ride of fantasy, movement and color. It challenges you to uncover passions you thought you had lost long ago. Here, anything is possible.

With its original musical score, extraordinary costumes, surreal sets, theatrical lighting and high-energy choreography, La Nouba weaves an unforgettable tapestry of art, life and high drama on an Elizabethan-style stage in a 1,671-seat theater designed to allow everyone an intimate view of the performance, engaging and delighting you in the process.

The cast is made up of funambulists, dancers, tumblers, trapeze performers, equilibrists, clowns, actors, acro-gymnasts, cyclists, musicians, vocalists and circus artists. More than 70 artists from 10 different countries take part in this exciting performance.

"We have a team working to achieve something artistically and emotionally satisfying to the audience," says Jacques Marois, general manager of the Americas Division of Cirque du Soleil. "At the same time, there is this very thrilling element that keeps people on the edge of their seats."

La Nouba premiered on December 23, 1998, in a brand-new theater, custom-designed and built for Cirque du Soleil. This state-of-the-art theater is located in the heart of Downtown Disney West Side in the Walt Disney World ® Resort. Set Designer Michel Crête of Cirque du Soleil, Michel Aubé of Scéno Plus, Walt Disney Imagineering, and the architects of the Rockwellgroup of New York collaborated on the overall design of the building.

Cirque du Soleil, adjacent to the House of Blues and DisneyQuest, presents the 90-minute performance (no intermission) twice daily Thursday through Monday, at 6 and 9 p.m.; dark on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Tickets are $67 for adults (plus tax) and $39 for children ages 3 to 9 (plus tax). Tickets can be purchased at the Cirque du Soleil box office, or by calling (407) WDW-7600 or a travel agent.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.