By Meg Hodson
It's rare that I get a chance for a fun weeknight outing that doesn't conflict with sports practices or other kid activities. But it happened last night when I headed with my boys to the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon to witness and enjoy Cirque Du Soleil's newest production, Crystal.
Crystal by Cirque Du Soleil had it's opening night Wednesday, April 5, 2018 in Portland. It had been awhile since I had gotten the chance to see a Cirque Du Soleil performance (my last one was the Beatles Love in Las Vegas). Plus, I was bringing my two young sons and I knew they would love it.
Crystal, as the name suggests, takes place on ice. Knowing the dynamic and daring acrobatics that usually take place at a Cirque Du Soleil show, I was definitely intrigued to see what Crystal had in store.
The first thing that stood out and that I loved was the intricate, carefully planned light show on the ice. It created special effects and the performers integrated the displays into their ice skating movements. It was really cool and honestly, I couldn't pull my eyes away.
While I thought the show got off to a somewhat slow start in regards to feeling "Cirque-like", it definitely caught up when the hockey players took to the ice. Performing acrobatic moves on ramps, what felt like a skateboard show left me awestruck knowing this was on ice!
Intermission soon followed, with the most daring acrobatics taking place in the second half of the show. In quintessential Cirque Du Soleil form, performers came out with long poles and did a series of tricks and flying stunts on them. All the while, dynamic ice skaters circled them with entertaining moves.
My favorite part of the show was the aerial performance to the song Halo. Absolutely mesmerizing! I'll have the video on YouTube just as soon as I can (the app is being glitchy and won't let me upload; sad face!).
Crystal by Cirque Du Soleil runs at the Moda Center in Portland through April 8th, 2018. You can read more and get tickets here.
