Dubai: When Alexander Stroyonov, the chief creative at Le Petit Cirque first conceptualised The Imagineer, a high energy show that will combine the experience of cinema and a circus, he had the Las Vegas audience in mind. Not surprising as the experimental acrobat and theatre ensemble is based in Vegas.
But as luck would have it, the venue changed continents following a chance trip to Dubai.
“Alexander was playing around with the script almost a year ago when he took a trip to Dubai and instantly fell in love with the culture and its people,” said Halili Gashi who plays the lead character.
Where cultures meet
The next thing he knew, Stronyonov got in touch with a regional consultant and designed the sound and visual support for the show, tailoring it to a completely different audience.
According to Stronyonov, “Dubai represents a true and harmonious melting pot of many cultures, influences, backgrounds and most importantly tastes. My humble opinion is that the Dubai audience would appreciate and understand the true meaning of the show i.e. limitless boundaries to the imagination. Dubai itself is a manifestation of such limitless thinking.”
Gashi said: “Without giving away too much, The Imagineer, which will debut in Dubai’s Meydan Imax Theatre on April 17, is a high energy circus show set in the surreal fantasy world of the lead character’s imagination. What makes this show different is that it mixes raw acrobatic elegance with modern technology to deliver stunning performances that immerse the audience into a dreamscape reality.”
He said the story takes the audience into the imagination of the protagonist – The Imagineer. “We take the audience on a journey that will showcase world class acrobats, coupled with stunning visuals projected onto the Meydan screens – the largest in the Middle East and Asia. The audience will be left with a visual impression never before seen in the region.”
He said: “We’re very excited to showcase what we’ve all been working on for the last couple of months and believe we have something truly unique for the Dubai audience.”
He said the team of Le Petit Cirque, translated as the little circus, is a collaboration of acrobats, dancers, choreographers and contortionists that have performed around the world. “We are part of such a project for the sole aim of bringing a new perspective and refreshed creativity to the age-old art of circus. The Imagineer is a product of this kind of experimentation, wherein we’ve combined the experience of cinema with circus acrobatics,” said Gashi.
So how will the cinema screens add value?
“The Meydan screens play an important role in augmenting the performances that play out on stage. The show is choreographed to have milliseconds of precision coordination between on-stage and the visual production that takes place off the theatre screens, but I believe the final output will be breathtaking for the audience,” Gashi said.
Details:
When: April 17, 5pm
April 18-19, 5pm, 8pm
Where: Meydan Imax Theatre, Dubai
Tickets: Dh150, Dh250, Dh400
Call: 052-931 8599
