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"Dralion" -- What's in a name
Published: 12/12/2012 3:19 PM
Last Modified: 12/12/2012 3:19 PM


Jonathan Morin rides the Crossed Wheel in "Dralion."

“Dralion,” the latest Cirque du Soleil show to come to Tulsa, gets its name from mashing together the words “dragon” and “lion.”

It’s also the name of one of the acts that close out the first half of this show, as acrobats in elaborate outfits – large Chinese dragon-style headpieces with lion-like bodies – traverse around the circular stage atop large globes that look to be at three, maybe four feet in diameter.

“Dralion” is the fourth Cirque du Soleil production to come to Tulsa, after “Saltimbanco,” “Alegria” and “The Immortal.” It officially opens at the BOk Center this evening – that would be Wednesday, 12 December 2012 – but I was able to see the show when it was in Topeka, Kansas, last week, in the course of doing interviews with members of the Cirque du Soleil cast and crew.

As with every Cirque du Soleil show, there is a definite theme to “Dralion,” and as with every other Cirque du Soleil show, it doesn’t affect one’s enjoyment at all if you have no knowledge whatsoever of said theme.

Concepts in Cirque du Soleil are like McGuffins in Alfred Hitchcock movies: they may be very important to the characters in the film and the designers of the circus acts, but they have no real bearing on what the audience is there to see.

And what the audience is there to see at “Dralion” are feats of strength and skill, balance and flexibility, people who defy laws of gravity and physics with a casualness born out of years of training.

Oh, yes – and clowns.

So, if you’re planning to attend one of the seven performances of “Dralion” between tonight and Sunday, here are some of the things you can expect to see, based on the way the show was presented last week in Topeka.

First, let me stress that if you had the chance to see “Dralion” in Topeka at the Kansas Expocentre, were unable to attend and now must go to the BOk Center, count yourself lucky. I’ve sat in some less than comfortable seats in my years of going to shows, but rarely have I spent a more excruciating time than I did in Section 103, Row A, Seat 5 of the Kansas Expocentre. The seats at the BOk Center are veritable Barcaloungers by comparison.

The theme that underlies “Dralion” is the conflict and congruence of Asian and Anglo cultures, and how harmony is represented by the four elements of the ancient world – Fire (Dante Adela), Air (Amanda Orozco, who also performs as an aerialist), Earth (Dioman Gbou) and Water (Tara Catherine Pandeya).

The set, with a back wall that looks like something inspired by a samurai’s armor, echoes the theme, as does the cast, which predominantly features acrobats from China.

But what you will most likely take away from “Dralion” are such images as the superbly muscled Jonathan Morin as he fluidly rolls around the stage inside the Crossed Wheel (an open sphere made of two metal hoops), the fiercely whirling contortions of Marie-Eve Bisson in the Aerial Hoop, the playful juggling of the Diabolo performers, and the wild flights of the quintet of performers on trampolines, who launch themselves to the top of the stage’s 26-foot wall, or stroll casually up its vertical incline before allowing themselves to fall gracefully backwards.

Basic acrobatic skills such as tumbling and jump roping are put to extreme use in the Hoop Diving and Skipping segments. Acrobats dive and roll and flip through a series of small hoops, or create human pyramids that jump over long yellow ropes as one man.

And then there are the clowns – a trio of less than bright mischief makers whose antics are silly, surprising and best left for those attending to experience for themselves.

One thing that seems to distinguish “Dralion” from other Cirque du Soleil shows is its sense of speed. Part of the difficulty and artistry in some of the other performances by this company that I’ve seen is the deliberate way the performers move, maintaining tight control of their bodies as they slowly, carefully do what at first glance look to be impossible things.

In “Dralion,” however, things move at a more rapid pace. There are some slower moments – the aerial duet with the two performers acting out a kind of love story with the help of two trailing lengths of blue silk – but for the most part, “Dralion” is a highly kinetic evening, so that, as full of wonders as it is, it almost seems to pass too quickly.

“Dralion” performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at the BOk Center, 200 Civic Center. For tickets: 866-726-5287, tulsaworld.com/bok




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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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