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Review: Saltimbanco by Cirque Du Soleil

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Saltimbanco Review

The current version of Saltimbanco, the oldest show from the Cirque Du Soleil stable, is currently touring Australia. This show is everything that you expect from Cirque Du Soleil’s shows. Acrobats, colors, drama, comedy, and of course, a sense of flight from normal.

Nearing 30 years in existence, Cirque Du Soleil has redefined, and reinvented, the art of the circus performer. Thanks to it, the once dying art of the circus has a new lease on life. Saltimbanco is every bit a manifestation of this art as much as an extension of it.

What is gripping about the show itself is that it grabs you from the start, even before everyone is seated. The comedy acts (calling them jokers in the traditional sense of the word would be a disservice) play with the audience while most of us are still groping about matching seat numbers on our tickets. The official show starts with an introduction and a welcome and then Chinese pole performers perform stunts that leave your jaw hanging.

An artistic cyclist, a juggler, a mime performer (whose act seems to drag unfortunately), and a duo of bola (kind of drums) performers round up act 1. A brief 20 minute interval is followed by more death defying acts, more comedy and more performances that can only be described as .. well impossible for normal human beings.

For locals, Brisbane born performer, 24 year old NATHAN DENNIS, is part of this talented cast. Look out for him in Chinese Poles, Swings and Bungee.

If you have little ones, try attending the shows that are in the afternoon. The night show that starts at 8 doesn’t finish till 10:30. It means you won’t get home till late.

If you are a family of four, it can cost you a bit. The cheapest tickets are $55.00 for a child and $69.00 for an adult (in Brisbane – more in other cities). But what you get is far more than a circus – it is an experience.

What: Saltimbanco by Cirque Du Soleil

When: In Brisbane: Till 17th July, then Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.

Where: Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Pay $10 for parking.

TICKETS: Ticketek on 132 849 or the website: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=CIRQUEDU11. From $55.

CraftGossip attended the show courtesy of Cirque Du Soleil.

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Lesson Plans – Moss and Lichen Unit Study

I guess moss and lichen are more things that you see in the spring than in the summer, but there are some deep shady parts of our yard that stay mossy all year, and summer is a fine time to look for plants that like to live in shady, wet areas.

Raising Up Wild Things has a really pretty set of printables to use for a moss and lichen unit study.

And just in case you’re like me and don’t really know the difference, moss is a plant that grows in damp wooded areas, while lichen is a combination of fungus and algae that live together. Lichen can live in different environments but are often found in places where you would find moss, too.

The printable includes drawings of some common moss such as sphagnum moss and wood moss, as well as common lichen shapes (crusty, leafy and shrubby). There are good sized images you can print out and laminate to use to compare to specimens you find when you are exploring nature.

There’s also a forest floor coloring page and a printable journaling page where kids can write or draw their observations and there are a few questions older kids can answer.

You can use these when you go on a walk in the woods (or the back yard) to talk about what you are seeing, or combine them with other resources to talk about things that live in the forest. Check them out at Raising Up Wild Things.

This PDF from the Morton Arboretum has a bunch of pictures of different kinds of moss and where to find them, which could also be helpful in your studies. Learn more about lichen, including what they are and what they are not, in this article from the US Forest Service.

[Photo: Raising Up Wild Things]