Get into KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities with Cirque Du Soleil

In an alternate yet familiar past, in a place where wonders abound for those who trust their imagination, a Seeker discovers that in order to glimpse the marvels that lie just below the surface, we must first learn to close our eyes. In his larger-than-life curio cabinet, the Seeker is convinced that there exists a hidden, invisible world – a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await. A collection of otherworldly characters suddenly steps into his makeshift mechanical world…KURIOS.

When the outlandish, benevolent characters turn his world upside down with a touch of poetry and humor in an attempt to ignite the Seeker’s imagination, his curios jump to life one by one before his very eyes. What if, by engaging our imagination and opening our minds, we could unlock the door to a world of wonders?

KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities

Our family was lucky enough to visit the cabinet of curiosities this week. The kids hadn’t been to a circus… really, of any kind. I introduced the show as an artistic acrobat circus; a way that Scarlett could understand it. While expectations were then set, I wasn’t prepared for her reactions. While Red thoroughly enjoyed himself, clapping and smiling the whole time, the littlest of our family howled, shouted encouragement, and clapped the hardest of anyone. She was blown away by the art, the daring feats, and the storyline of the show.

She wants to go back immediately.

I hope your family enjoys this world-class (and world-famous, to be honest) show, here in Atlanta until December 24, 2022. Grab your tickets for this theatre-in-the-round circus of wonder and curiosity!

KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities is Cirque du Soleil’s 35th production since 1984. Cabinets of curiosities are the ancestors of museums, also known as cabinet of wonder in Renaissance Europe. Aris- tocrats, members of the merchant class, and early practitioners of science formed collections of historical relics, works of art or mysterious travel souvenirs or artefacts. KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities has a cast of 46 artists from 16 different countries. About 60% of the artists have already worked with Cirque du Soleil before.

Kurios Costumes… what’s in the dressing room?

THE CURIOUS ATTIRE OF A HYBRID WORLD

A fitting tribute to the power of the human imagination, the costumes of KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities are the result of a visual exploration of the beginnings of science, of the discoveries and inventions that led to the industrial revolution of the 19th Century – from the steam locomotive to electrical power to electro-magnetic waves. They embody and celebrate the advancements of science, but in an imaginary, parallel world. While the visual references may seem self-evident, the show’s curious yet familiar characters and costumes transport the audience to a time suspended somewhere between past and future, in an alternate reality, as if science had evolved without the internal combustion engine and as if the golden age of the steam engine had continued on, uninterrupted.

HYBRID FORMS AND OVERSIZED SHAPES

The costumes of the Visitors from another world (Mr. Microcosmos, Klara and Nico) are the result of unusual blends and odd associations: e.g. the attire of the Seeker Assistants (the Kurios) – oddball half-human, half-mechanical characters built from scraps and recycled parts by their ingenuous and ingenious creator.

Costume Designer Philippe Guillotel explored unusual shapes that have affinities with the Bauhaus costumes or of Alfred Jarry’s Father Ubu to create startling and often amusing characters. Mr. Microcosmos – The “bigger is better” ethos that drives the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the show is on the opposite side of the spectrum of the miniaturiza-tion that characterizes the electronic era. A case in point is the costume of the potbellied Mr. Microcosmos. “He’s like a mechanical Obelix [from the Franco- Belgian cartoon characters Asterix & Obelix], but instead of holding a tiny dog in his arms, he lugs around a small lady in his belly wherever he goes, and he’s hardly aware of it,” says Guillotel. Mr. Microcosmos carries Mini Lili, his intuitive counterpart, inside his costume using a sling not unlike a baby carrier.

Antanina Satsura, the artist who plays Mini Lili, is 3.2 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. She lives inside her host’s overcoat.
Through the door in Mr. Microcosmos’ belly, we can see the furnished interior of Mini Lili’s quarters, which include an armchair as well as other essentials of a Victorian home. At the beginning of the show, an extension of Mr. Microcosmos’ coat unfolds into a locomotive out of which emerge a swarm of travelers from the 19th Century. Nico the Accordion Man – Nico’s accordion costume allows him to bend very low or stand straight up so he can be at eye level with absolutely everyone. His pants are folded like a piece of origami from an unwoven textile (like the material normally used in shoe lining) and are inspired by the early photography camera darkrooms.

Klara the telegraph of the invisible – Klara wears an antenna skirt made of hula-hoop-type rings. By swirling around and pointing her apparatus in various directions, she can receive invisible electromagnetic waves. Her hoop skirt is inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and is shaped like early parabolic antennas. The print on her leotard evokes electrical circuits and connections.

KURIOS COSTUME CLOSE-UPS

• During the Russian cradle duo act, the costumes worn by the two “mechanical dancers” that emerge from the box like Fabergé jewels evoke a pair of wax dolls. The cut is inspired by early sportswear and vintage circus costumes. The materials, however, are quite modern and highly sophisticated (velour effects and faux leather appliqués in gold).
• The costumes in the acro-net act are an allusion to the way film director Georges Méliès imagined Martians; hence the scales as well as the fin and fishtail.
• The rola-bola specialist wears a translucent aqua-colored overcoat. The fabric is reminiscent of the first plastics such as Bakelite and Rhodoid.
• Mr. Microcosmos’ belly alone weighs a little over twenty pounds and has its own independent systems for lighting and ventilation.
• More than a hundred costumes were created to dress the cast.
• All costume elements that come in contact with the artists’ skin are washed every night. Two people spend 2 hours every day, 6 days a week, for a total of 24 hours a week, doing the laundry!!

Visit https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios to purchase tickets for your family!