KA by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas

The inspiring saga of Cirque du Soleil began in a small town in the vicinity of Quebec during the early 80s. It was then that street performer Gilles Ste-Croix and some companions started a theatrical troupe the in time specialized in circus acts like juggling and acrobatics.

After a successful street performer's festival in 1982, Laliberte, one of the members of the circus, proposed that the band create a circus show called Circus of the Sun in celebration of the country's 450th anniversary. The show combined theatrical performance with circus and focused the attention on a more mature audience than on kids.

The music, costumes, skilled performers and the originality of the circus made it a rousing success.

It was not long until the now popular circus united its destiny with the equally risky industry of gambling. This relationship started when Steve Wynn first brought a show of them in Las Vegas and it sold out instantly.

The company first was hosted by the Mystere hotel, then the Bellagio to the MGM Grand, their present home.

In the search for new shows, the Cirque developed KA which now attracts thousands of people to the MGM Grand every night. Specialty critics consider it a breath of fresh new air for Las Vegas, a ground breaking production that dazzles the spectators' visual and auditory senses.

You can sense the difference from the moment you step foot inside. There is no curtain and spectators are drawn in the action of the show with the help of strange dramatic catwalks that spread on multiple directions and levels.

If you are accustomed to the Cirque productions, you should know that you have to be there early if you don't want to miss the "pre-show". That is the action that starts the show as the audience is just taking their seats.

Aside the curtain that doesn't exist, you will immediately notice that there is no actual stage either. Instead of a floor you have an empty space that occasionally bursts into smoke or real flames. You can even feel the heat of the flames from the seat.

As opposed to the conventional Cirque productions, KA follows a linear storyline. The story takes place in ancient China and follows the destinies of a brother and sister-twins that get separated by two tribes at war with one another. They have to find each other again with the help of the secondary characters in the play.

Instead of on the traditional stage, the play is acted out on a giant platform that can move up or down, spin 360 degrees or flip to one side.

Additional mobile platforms create the sets in which the action takes place. The production style and story looks like it's inspired from the old Chinese martial arts flicks. The overall parts of the play come together to tell a story that stays with you for a long time after the show is over.

This show comes to prove against those who said that the city has had enough of the Cirque and can only be summarized as a masterpiece from all points of view.