Cirque du Soleil's Kooza - A treasure chest under a big white tent

"Oh, dear."

"Oh, my gosh."

"No way!"

"Oh, sh*t"

"That is hot."

Those were probably the most consistent phrases out of my mouth all night as my eyes filled with astonishment and my mouth occasionally gaped wide open with Cirque du Soleil's opening night of Kooza.

Kooza is inspired by the Sanskrit word "koza", which means "box", "chest" or "treasure", and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a "circus in a box".

POP! Out jumps the Trickster like a jack-in-the-box with a leap so high that you just wonder...how in the heck...did that just happen?  It was so clean, crisp and precise.  Much like the entire night; yet, embraced with warmth, laughter and some soul...and some really great audience participation.

Immediately, you are embraced with laughter and amazement.  And, then, confronted by fear, innocence, excitement and more in the form of an androgynous character that resembles the uncertain and unknowing that we all face from time-to-time.  Even the seemingly fearless performers of Cirque du Soleil must feel that way...or do they?  They have the bodies of creatures that appear to have no limits but are still able to show the human side of enjoyment, imperfection, fun and absolute entertainment.  

One thing I also noticed was everyone was fixated on what was going on before them and you saw nary a lit up smartphone either texting or taking pictures. It was such a lovely, non-intrusive few hours that I can't wait to experience again.

The idea of the circus has filled our minds with wonder and awe since childhood.  Some of us still want to run away with it...


Circus entertainment has entertained many generations before. Even in 2012, you still have elements of performances that have carried on over time like clowns, the wheel of death, Vaudevillian theatrics, double high wire, contortionists and balancing acts of all sorts.  There's a reason -- because people enjoy watching it.


It is truly worth your time to go, get out from the typical hum-drum of checking our email and opening file cabinets.  Go see some magic before your eyes, fill your mind with wonder (were there magnets on those chairs? My engineer friend and I pondered. The non-engineer said yes, ha ha) and go feel like a kid again.  I think I need some Cirque once a year! And, some more yoga and exercise.


Cirque du Soleil Kooza
Through September 2nd
Sam Houston Race Track
Twitter: @Cirque
Tickets and more info