Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM

Last week Donica and I celebrated our 8th commitment-anniversary together (tomorrow--but my dad's Memoriam is reserved for then), by going to Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium." There's no way in the world I can do it justice by my words or photos. So the simplest thing to say, after all is said and done, is GO, if you ever have a chance.

If you've been to any of C du S's past productions, I don't need to tell you that they cannot be compared to anything you've ever seen before. Unique is a word that totally fits them.


This particular show is not like the tradional Cirque show in that it's in an arena (not in their trademark Big Top tent) and stays for only two days instead of the usual several weeks. While it still has acrobatic feats, it's more a "multimedia/theatrical production that features remixes of existing Cirque music and reinterpretations of performances."

The story of sorts is about a man (main character) who clings to his Ego, wandering from one world to the next, seeking his identity in a journey where he meets myriad characters and cultures. His journey attempts to answer 3 questions:

• How can we live in a world that is contantly changing before our very eyes?
  

• How can we keep our feet on the ground and our head in the stars?

• How can we open our eyes to the world around us and reconnect to our reality?

What's hardest to explain about the show is the use of see-through screens/veils that allow for layers of multimedia shows at different times against the live-action show. There can be scenes that appear to be under water, for instance. Or, as in this photo below, hands reaching out. At one point, two huge hands actually appeared to be pulling back the "curtains." The mix of theater, dance, music and media has been specially designed to show that Delirium is a pursuit of balance in a world that is out of touch with reality. Talk about timely!

The grand finale was the "Alegria" theme song, which is probably my favorite of all their shows. Alegria (JOY) indeed! Nothing but PURE Alegria! Reality, journey, energy, heartbeat, fusion of the dimensions, inspiration. And ALEGRIA! Never forget the Alegria!

Circus of the Sun! DELIRIUM. Does the main character ever let go of his Ego? Hmm. Now that wouldn't be very nice of me to tell, would it!

A.K.A. Boots

True to the promise from my last post's comments, here's the story about why my family does NOT call me Ginnie. And this photo from almost 61 years ago is living proof.

Held by my maternal grandmother in late summer, 1945.

Mom says my due date was July 7, 1945. Her doctor, however, was going to be on vacation then and told Mom he wanted to induce me beforehand. Mom had only 2 children at that point and had no clue back then that she should/could have objected. She just went along with the story.

Of course, I knew all along that I was a Gemini (NOT a Cancer), so as far as I was concerned, I was supposed to be born on June 13th. So I was. However, at 5.5 lbs. I was considered "premature" and had to be left in the hospital for 3 weeks before they'd let me go home. I laugh about that now because today a 5.5 lb. baby would hardly be considered a premie!

By the time I got home, which was Lynchburg, VA, it was already July and hot (the South!). But Mom says she couldn't keep my feet warm. Any booties she put on my feet were too big and kept falling off. She eventually took the socks from the last doll she had kept from age 12 and put them on me. They went all the way up to my hips but stayed on.

When a nurse friend came by to see me for the first time and saw me in the doll socks, she starting laughing and exclaimed, "Why, she's all boots!"

From that point on, my family called me Bootsie (or my preference, Boots). My teachers, classmates and church family all called me Virginia (and still do if ever I see them). But from college on, I had everyone new call me Ginnie.

To this day, if anyone in my family calls me Ginnie (like my sister Ruth in her comments), it feels totally weird. If Donica calls me Boots around my family, THAT feels weird. But if YOU called me Boots just for the halibut, I'd probably walk around with a big grin on my face!

Ahh. The stories we know and the stories we tell :)