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To catch a breathtaking Cirque du Soleil show, one must usually wait until the renowned contemporary circus makes a visit to their city. But while global citizens are staying home to self-isolate, the company has made their shows available online to keep you entertained. The shows available to watch on the company’s dedicated platform, Cirque Connect, includes 'Zed', which was created exclusively for Tokyo. You can also watch the performance now on YouTube for free.
‘Zed’ premiered at Tokyo Disney Resort in 2008 and continued until December 2011. The show was inspired by tarot cards and their Major Arcana, with characters representing The Fool, the Magician, the Devil and other figures from the tarot deck. It’s typical for Cirque to incorporate celestial themes into their performances, but this particular production that unites mythical beings of the land and the sky is especially fitting for the magic overtones of the Tokyo Disney Resort.
The show, accompanied with music composed by René Dupéré, features a host of awe-inspiring acts that you never thought were humanly possible. While you might be sitting under the high wire like the audience, the distance between the ground and some of the performers will have your mouth agape as the trapeze artists and acrobats gracefully swing through the air.
The performance will no doubt leave you wondering about the work that goes into the production behind the scenes – lucky for you, there are also plenty of videos recorded backstage before the curtain rises. They include step-by-step face painting tutorials by makeup artist and acrobat Kyle Cragle, as well as one that peeks into the extraordinary day-to-day lives of the cast and crew.
If seeing all those mid-air stunts motivated you to get in better shape, there are even CirqueFit videos to help you get in a good workout from your own living room. The circus aspect of the exercises makes it a lot more fun than doing your usual push-ups.
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