Month: January 2021

On the Las Vegas Strip people mill-about, go casino-hopping, or shopping, or stand around promenades and courtyards taking in the free shows offered by the casino-hotels. But for the real shows one has to pay well, and queue up early to get good seats. And none more so than the shows staged by Cirque du Soleil.

Right now, there are 5 Cirque shows running concurrently: Mystere at Treasure Island, KA at MGM Grand, Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay, “O” at Bellagio, and The Beatles LOVE at The Mirage. On this particular trip I planned to take in two of these world-class shows: Mystere and “O”.

I did a quick look-up of the history of the company behind these extravagant shows. In the early eighties, in a small town outside Quebec City in Canada, a street theatre troupe called Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers) emerged under Gilles Ste-Croix. After a few chequered years, one of the performers, Guy Laliberte, became the founder of Cirque du Soleil.

Guy and his cohorts dreamt big: to take the Quebec style circus/show travelling around the world. The rest as they say is history. They Group employs 4000 people, including 1300 artists, and has played to over 180 million spectators so far! Their productions have been staged in 450 cities in over 60 countries.

If there is one show you must see to experience Cirque du Soleil it is Mystere. Themed to ‘Life is a Mystery’ this acrobatic and energetic showcase combines athleticism, drama, theatrical effects, and lighting. The show bedazzles with the colourful imagery of life: dancing, singing, and playful but gravity defying stunts.

As for “O”, it is themed on water and inexorably linked with Venice. A circular blue watery dome forms the stage, designed to look like a submerged Baroque opera house. Acrobats, jugglers, strongmen, clowns, actors in Venetian courtly dress, gondolas, Russian swing artists, surreal landscapes, all blend into a jaw-dropping spectacle. There is almost too much going on to keep track of. Then there is Guifa, a representation of the ‘ordinary person’, who is slowly transformed by the magic of the circus.

We all feel that like Guifa at the end the show!

Over the years I have made numerous trips to Las Vegas, at times to attend business meetings or tech conventions, but many a time simply to enjoy some leisure time with friends, family, or by myself. While Vegas is famous for the glitz of its casinos situated in luxe hotels offering tempting prices for exquisitely appointed suites and all-you-can-eat-buffets, the access to world-class entertainment is what attracts me to the 4.2-mile-long strip.

There are more reasons for visiting Vegas: it is the gateway to The Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and Lake Huvasu City. It also only a day’s drive away from Black Rock City, home to the world-famous, annual, community festival, Burning Man.

In terms of out and out showbiz there is nothing like burlesque shows, circuses, and dance revues. Les Folies Bergere had a 49-year run at the Tropicana where showgirls brought cabaret, cancan, and a decadent Paris to a long-legged revue of adult pomp and fantasy. Cirque de Soleil with its circus-like shows like Mystere and O have captivated audiences with stunts without using any live animals. Burlesque shows like Fantasy, X Burlesque and Absinthe run to packed houses, twice daily, giving audiences a taste of old-fashioned vaudeville counterpointed with modern day striptease.

Over the years I have made numerous trips to Las Vegas, at times to attend business meetings or tech conventions, but many a time simply to enjoy some leisure time with friends, family, or by myself. While Vegas is famous for the glitz of its casinos situated in luxe hotels offering tempting prices for exquisitely appointed suites and all-you-can-eat-buffets, the access to world-class entertainment is what attracts me to the 4.2-mile-long strip.

There are more reasons for visiting Vegas: it is the gateway to The Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and Lake Huvasu City. It also only a day’s drive away from Black Rock City, home to the world-famous, annual, community festival, Burning Man.

In terms of out and out showbiz there is nothing like burlesque shows, circuses, and dance revues. Les Folies Bergere had a 49-year run at the Tropicana where showgirls brought cabaret, cancan, and a decadent Paris to a long-legged revue of adult pomp and fantasy. Cirque de Soleil with its circus-like shows like Mystere and O have captivated audiences with stunts without using any live animals. Burlesque shows like Fantasy, X Burlesque and Absinthe run to packed houses, twice daily, giving audiences a taste of old-fashioned vaudeville counterpointed with modern day striptease.

“When God was distributing portions of the world to all the peoples of the earth, the Georgians were having a party and doing some serious drinking. As a result they arrived late and were told by God that all the land had already been distributed. When they replied that they were late only because they had been lifting their glasses in praise of Him, God was pleased and gave the Georgians that part of earth he had been reserving for himself.”

– R. Rosen, The Georgian Republic

The Kakheti wine-growing region is testament to the natural beauty of Georgia. Abutting the region are semi-desert landscapes which come in all shades of brown and red dotted with grapevines, maple trees and wildflowers breaking the colour palette.

The town of Sighnaghi is reminiscent of many a Tuscan town with cobbled streets, fresh-painted houses, orthodox churches and vineyards nearby. All the roofs are in hues of red and the town stands on a hillside backdropped by white-topped mountains. The Museum of History and Ethnography is a delight and Nikala Pirosmani’s paintings come alive on its walls.

The nearby Bodbe Monastery (Convent) is a secluded nunnery lodged serenely in the surrounding hillside. St. Nino, responsible for spreading Christianity in Georgia, is buried here, and her tomb attracts visitors aplenty.

While God may have given his own sanctuary to the Georgians the sheer number of monasteries pockmarking the hillsides keeps God’s presence billowing in the wind.

The David Gareja Monastery, located in southern Kakheti, along the Azerbaijan border,  is actually a brace of monasteries, Udabano and Lavra, which in turn represent 21 hermitages in the area.

Around the 6^th century AD, when Christianity gripped Eurasia, the Mesopotamians sent St. David Garejeli, (one of the famed brigade of 13 Assyrian Fathers) to Georgia to spread the good word. These cave monasteries were carved into the hillsides, with frescoes and rock-hewn art adorning chapels, libraries, and common areas. More than a few hundred monks resided here, and soon these monasteries became an important centre of theology. The sheer number of relics, paintings, and manuscripts speak of their devotion, artistry and eloquence.