Sometimes even the best art benefits from reinvention. That’s why Cirque du Soleil has added new acts to its La Nouba, which has run consistently at Walt Disney World Resort for a dozen years.
The title—which literally translates from its French origins to “to live it up”—is held in a big top theater with performances and costumes that invigorate all the senses and will no-doubt set off even the most dormant gaydar.
“Come on, we’re in white silk with gold beading. How flamboyant is that?” asks out performer Justin Osbourne, who plays one of the four Les Cons. “We each have our own character on stage. I think because we’re all over the place and we are so loud, it comes off as [flamboyant]. Everybody interprets it differently. I personally take it as a compliment.”
Les Cons, or “The Nuts,” look like extras from Erasure’s “Always” video. Dressed in all white, this quartet is ever-present throughout the show. They find themselves in the middle of everything and often participate in different ways. Neither true performers nor merely spectators, they bumble their way through with naive innocence and feminine mannerisms.
While most of the female performers are costumed in spandex or muted tones, quite a few of the men don pleated silk and stretch velour, elaborate collars, head ornaments, leather and tutu skirts. The entire show is set in a magical and enchanted environment where even the lead male singer can be seen high above the stage in an ostentatious feathered headdress and elaborate robe.
More than 60 artists, creators, designers, and technicians from around the world have collaborated to bring this fairy tale to life. Performers come from Russia, Canada, United States, Ukraine, China, Brazil, France, Poland and Belarus.
As found in a “traditional” circus, clowns, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists and a juggler are part of the entertainment. However, unlike any other circus, Cirque du Soleil offers a multi-sensory experience that is androgynous, astonishing and poignant.
Osbourne joined Cirque du Soleil when he was 16. Before joining the company, the Canadian gymnast-turned-tumbler finished second in the world at a World Age Group Championship. He then spent five years with Mystére, toured with Alegria and has been performing in La Nouba since its inception 12 years ago.
It was also while on Mystère that he decided to take up a cause that was near and dear. He had a 30 year-old fan with Down Syndrome who used to come and see the show on a regular basis. In 2002, Osbourne and his friend, Marian Malensek, decided to host a “special friend for the day” at La Nouba. By virtue of a special arrangement, Justin invites two guests (a child and his or her parent or legal tutor) from the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida (DSACF.org.) to see La Nouba each month.
The son of teachers, Osbourne is also a comedian, having studied drama and musical theatre in high school. The combination of his tumbling and acting skills made him an ideal fit as one of Les Cons when the time came to cast La Nouba. He says the transition wasn’t difficult coming from a competitive career.
“The great thing about Cirque is that artists and acrobats like us have something to go into after our competitive career is done,” Osbourne says. “Most of us have been in the gym since we were three years old, so when our competitive career is finished, it’s not like we’re going to go sit in an office. This is an opportunity for us to make some money and make a living out of what we’ve been practicing our whole lives.”
Looking for the same buzz, Olympian and gymnast Claire Wright joined La Nouba a little over two years ago. As a trampolinist, she takes ordinary trampoline and power track performance to a new level. The stage is set on fire in a high-energy acrobatic display of phenomenal timing and spatial awareness. This high-energy spectacle has performers literally bouncing off the walls and through the windows and roof of a three-dimensional building. Technology and the power track take the trampoline to new heights.
Just how fast-paced is the PowerTrack/trampoline number at La Nouba? In seven minutes and thirty seconds performers present 394 flips and 62 twists!
Gymnastics is in Wright’s blood. Both of her parents were leading international coaches. After competing in trampoline for 22 years, then competing in the 2008 Olympics, Wright decided to retire. Having been approached by talent scouts from Cirque du Soleil over a long period, she finally agreed, quite literally, to take the plunge.
“I was pretty much ready to finish with the competitive trampolining but I loved training and bouncing around,” Wright says. “So, [La Nouba] was the perfect transition for that. I can still perform in front of people but I don’t have the extra stress every four years of having to perform perfectly for those few seconds.”
The UK native says she loved training in Montreal for six weeks, getting to learn acting and performing. Although, Wright and Osbourne stressed that not everyone with an acrobatics or gymnastics background is able to make the transition. Osbourne says consistency and being well-rounded are integral.
“A good work ethic is essential,” adds Wright. “You’re performing every night, ten shows a week, 470-something shows a year. So you’ve got to really want to do it. Besides that, you’ve got to have some fun in you.”
You’d think with such demanding training and performing schedules, it would affect their social lives. However, it’s been quite the opposite says the performers. Osbourne has been with his partner for eight years and since joining the cast, Wright has come out.
“I didn’t have a social life before I started here,” Wright explains. “I was training five hours a day, then coaching. Then, I was studying to get my degree. Now, all my efforts go into working evenings. I have until 5 o’clock everyday for myself.”
Osbourne says the experience has heightened his social life.
“You’re around people that do the exact same thing,” he says. “Sometimes when you move into a new job, it’s kind of hard; you don’t know anybody. With Cirque, you have 60 instant friends that you have a lot in common with.”
Among the 60-plus performers, two new acts were inspired by the playfulness of youth. Last January, a juggling act was added in place of the chair balancing act. With the help of the Green Bird, the Juggler throws balls, hoops and clubs in the air in unprecedented numbers at amazing speeds.
In July the opening act was redesigned to feature the joy and technicality of skipping ropes in place of the German Wheel act. An exciting discipline for the house troupe, this act gives way to vibrant dance, acrobatics and a steady stream of solo, duo and group jumps and formations. Skippers combine artful moves, exceptional agility and impressive speed that far exceed child’s play.
The unparalleled skills, thrilling acrobatics, and awe-inspiring performers make the show nothing short of mind-blowing.
see+hear
WHO: Justin Osbourne and Claire Wright
WHAT: Cirque du Soliel’s La Nouba
WHERE: Walt Disney World Resort
WHEN: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
TICKETS: 407-WDW.SEAT or CirqueDuSoleil.com/LaNouba
