Quidam in Dubai

I watched Quidam today, Cirque du Soleil's first performance in Dubai; supposedly.

For starters, and unlike the TVC and the radio spots, this is NOT Cirque du Soleil first performance in the Middle East ever. ITP brought them about 4 or 5 years ago to one of its events. I think it was for The Arabian Business Awards.

It doesn't matter, at least they are here. It’s time now for my impressions.

There will be two types of people attending the Show. People who have been to previous Cirque Du Soleil shows; and people who have not – obviously.

If you belong to the group of people who attended previous shows, then don't expect much from the stage, the sound and the lightening effects. You see, one of the things that make Cirque Du Soleil such a fantastic show is the stage and everything related to it.

Compared to the shows I attended in Vegas this summer, the stage they set up in Dubai can only be described as amateur-ish. Sound wasn’t that great and you can have better and more comfortable seats in the local Al Wasel football stadium, if you were ushered to the right seats in the first place that is - all that and we had VIP tickets!

Having said that, the best way to enjoy Quidam in Dubai is to isolate yourself from any element that is or can be attributed to a Dubai based organization such as event management, logistics, venue or pre-event preparations.

Forget all about the lousy seats, the random ushering (we -and several others- were usherd to the wrong seats at the begining) and the distorting noise levels from the huge AC compressors that killed those dreamly silent moments of the show.

Sit there and keep your hands on your thighs, because if you move them as much of an inch in the wrong direction and beyond the contour of your body outline, your hands will -most likely- end up on the shoulders of the person in front of you or on someone else's lap.

Isolate the noise of kids screaming, people side-talking, Pepsi cans popping, nacho crunching and cracking, candy plastic bag wrinkling and unwrapping, ketchup/mustard from hotdog sandwich squirting, mobile screen flashing, the occasional camera flash blinding AND the feet crushing and knee banging - courtesy of people constantly walking …

Isolate all that and focus on one thing: The show.

Brace yourself for a fantastic journey and a celebration of human capability that goes beyond your wildest imagination. If I ever wanted to run away and join the circus, it will be to join Cirque du Soleil.

The show is original, refreshing and rich with culture and authenticity - something that Dubai's leisure and entertainment business desperately needs.

I hope they are here to stay.