Displaying items by tag: Ice Skating

Like any good Chicago March, the city cannot make up its mind about what season it is in. This weekend a storm swept into Chicagoland that blanketed the roads and rolling fields in fluffy white snow. For many, it was an unwelcome, albeit expected weather pattern. But to me it wouldn’t be March without a snowstorm that trailed sunny, 60 degree days. If the winter blues has you feeling down, I encourage you to not despair but to celebrate the final snowy days as we look forward to Spring. What a more fitting way to wait out this winter weather than to see the spectacular Cirque de Soleil Crystal now playing through this Sunday March 24th at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates.

Cirque du Soleil Crystal follows the story of Crystal, a misfit with her head in the clouds, a dreamer looking for something more in her life. One day, feeling misunderstood and out of sync with the world, she ventures out on a frozen pond and falls through the ice. In this underwater world of her own imagination, she has a vision: she sees a reflection of herself – her alter ego – that guides her, showing her a distorted version of her life. Her Reflection tries to wake her up to her own genius and creativity. Through her writing, Crystal releases the potential of her hidden talent and transforms the world around her with stroke of her pen. Having summoned the strength to face reality, Crystal ultimately breaks through the ice, stronger than ever.

Cirque du Soleil Crystal is more than just an ice show. It explores the artistic limits of ice for the first time in the company’s history. This unique production pushes the boundaries of showmanship and athleticism by combining stunning skating and acrobatic feats that defy the imagination. From the opening sequence, ‘Tempête’ where acrobatics and skating collide in a high-energy number, to ‘Big City’ where Crystal tries to escape the  life-size maze in the underwater world of her imagination, the story brings in all elements of the contemporary circus. There is truly something for everyone. jugglers, clowns, acrobats, aerial performers, swinging pole stunts and tap dancers (on ice skates!),  stunters, waltzers, break dancers, and hockey players (go Hawks!). In the midst of many talented numbers, the most beautiful and captivating sequence had to be Ballroom, where Crystal imagines an dancing with her love in a beautiful ballroom. He appears to her from above and whisks her off on aerial silks, performing a spellbinding aerial-skating pas de deux that blurs the boundaries between ice and sky. The trust and chemistry the performers have is truly breathtaking. The entire show could have been just the two of them with the live musicians and it would have been the most magical and spectacular show I’ve seen all year.

Truth be told, Cirque du Soleil is not for everyone. Many in attendance voiced that they could not understand the plot, or worse, that the incredible athleticism on the ice and in the air simply didn’t impress. What makes the modern and contemporary circus spectacular are the feats themselves and how the company consistently pushes the boundaries of what the human body is capable of. Hailing from our neighbors to the North, Cirque du Soleil originates in Quebec, Montreal, Canada. Founded in 1984, the Canadian entertainment company is the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. In Cirque du Soleil Crystal, gymnasts and skaters performs acrobatics on the ice and in the air, melding both worlds together. Disciplines such as swinging trapeze, aerial straps, and hand to hand are fused together with disciplines such as synchro, freestyle, figure, and extreme skating on ramps, with a dash of all-out speed skating. Cirque du Soleil Crystal is about looking at things from fresh angles, peeking through the veneer of everyday life, reframing one’s daily reality to see what one might have missed. Sometimes the only way to appreciate things is to look at them sideways. Discovering one’s individuality and uniqueness requires venturing out on thin ice.

As the 100 days of summer looms within our purview, we will look back on cold winter weekends with envy of being able to snuggle under a good blanket and binge entire seasons of our favorite shows. If we waited for the perfect weather, I doubt many of us would venture out of our homes. While you are whiling away the winter blues, breakthrough with Cirque du Soleil Crystal. Cirque du Soleil Crystal is playing for a limited time at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. Tickets are available for purchase here. Hurry to secure your seats today before this show and the snow melt away. 

As a theater critic who used to travel to Las Vegas twice a year to review some of the most unusual shows, I have seen a lot of amazing Cirque De Soleil productions. Crystal, now being performed at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, is the first Cirque show I have seen incorporating ice skating as well as the acrobatics and great dancing I have come to expect from Cirque de Soleil performance. Cirque shows are unique in that they include performers from all over the world and include some of the most imaginative acts ever seen.  

Crystal was no exception. I was thoroughly impressed with this unique show's high production value, up to date personal, empowering story line and superbly multi-talented performers. 

Crystal is a family friendly show that will also appeal to adults with its seductively yet tastefully clad dancer/skaters aerialists and powerful live music. In fact, some of the musicians actually take to the ice while playing their instruments!

Crystal tells the story of a young girl who is very sensitive to the negativity she faces all around her in everyday life including the monotony of school days, the threat of bullying because of her own uniqueness and the sadness that comes from watching her parents also crushed by the difficulties of daily life and simply "going through the motions" of love. 

Crystal wishes she could skate away from it all and doing so gets her wish when she falls through the ice and into a parallel universe where she meets another wiser version of herself and receives a great gift to help her through life by expressing her deepest thoughts and feelings - the gift of writing!

Crystal's delightfully rebellious and complex character is played by a few different dancers and with the help of stunning lighting effects, breathtaking stunts and a soaring musical score, the audience gets to see Crystal's magical journey similar to that in Alice in Wonderland in three never before seen dimensions. 

The audience I was with gave the performers a well-deserved standing ovation. The show includes amazing ice skating stunts along beautifully choreographed Olympics-caliber performances. There are also high-flying acts by talented aerialists that are breathtaking, stunning acrobatics, colorful costumes and a good amount of humor.

I highly recommend this mystical and exciting production for adults who'd like to see a really special holiday show and children who will be blown away by the grace of the dancer/skaters, the nail biting scariness of the aerialists and the humorous beaks by several characters which also include ice skating stunts and jumps that will have you catching your breath with suspense. 

Crystal is performed at Sears Centre Arena through November 19th.