Totem: A Cirque du Soleil Spectacle

When bend over, I can't touch my toes.  I have to use the yoga bricks when I do yoga (once every other year), I was the only person on the dance team who couldn't do the splitz, and I failed the sit and reach in elementary school.  Growing up I was in dance and gymnastics. I had to quit gymnastics because I was scared of walking on the tall balance beam.  There are a few things that scare the beejesus out of me and plummeting to my death from a balance beam is one of them.

 It has taken a little emotional healing but I know that I will never be in the olympics, a backup dancer for someone awesome, a yoga instructor, or most likely ever touch my toes when I bend over.  Lately my exercise has consisted of bending over to pick up the t.v. remote when it falls on the floor or sometimes I reach really far to get my glass of water or snack on the side table in the living room.  Needless to say, I was pretty dang impressed when we went to see Totem yesterday.

Totem is the Cirque du Soleil show that is currently in Montreal.  Montreal is the home of Cirque and for some strange reason I didn't have this on my bucket list but was very happy that I got to go.  Cirque has set up a tent, well many tents in the old port.  The yellow and blue stripes beckon people from the street to step right up and see the greatest show there ever was.  And that is just what we did.



Leah and Angela

 The show is about the evolution of the journey into mankind.  Totem traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly.    And fly those acrobats did.  Everything was mesmorizing from the set and costumes to the performers who would flip and twist and land on a little plank in the air.  It is amazing how fearless the performers are.  Everytime someone did a stunt I said a silent prayer as I watched grinding my teeth down to nubs.

All of the acts were well choreographed, my favorite being the trapeze.  How anybody was able to create a show like that was beyond me (I am also creatively challenged).  The show was definitely in the top three of my favorite things I have done in Montreal.