We were at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay last Thursday for the premiere of Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Manila.
Saltimbanco – from the Italian “saltare in banco”, meaning “to jump on a bench” is Cirque du Soleil’s longest-running touring show and is in Manila for ten days of artistic acrobatic entertainment and we were lucky enough to be invited.
The show started at 8 p.m. sharp. We were seated at the Lower Box where we have the best view of the entire stage. Before the show started, the characters interacted with the audiences and warmed up with some clown acts. There were a number of funny clown acts during the show, highlighted by Eddie the clown’s performance (removed texts <spoiler>)
Cirque du Soleil is known for its highly extravagant production and Saltimbanco lived up to that brand. The visuals and colors are overwhelming – the beautiful costumes, the lights, the choreography and timing are flawless. The performers made it look really easy even when performing complex acrobatics. The show was highly entertaining and the music was really great, sometimes I have to stop watching the acrobats for seconds to find the lead singer or band’s soloist play.
I lost count of the number of acrobatic acts but I do remember some acts that acts left us holding our breath for seconds. It was great watching the acro dancers, contortionists, pole climbers (these guys climb and play around the poles like ninjas, bet it left a lot of pole dancers in awe 
) and jugglers but my favorites were the russian swing (where they send the acrobats tumbling in the air), bungee (high into the air balancing, swinging, flying and dropping), acrobalance / hand-to-hand (amazing strength, that is) and trapeze.
There was never a dull moment and even after a couple of hours’ performance I was still wanting for more.
The show ran from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with a 20 minute break and yep, you cannot take photos during the performance.
Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil in Manila will be performing from August 9 – 19, 2012 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Tickets are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/saltimbanco, www.hoopla.ph and www.smtickets.com or you can call +632-470-22-22 for ticket reservations
Meanwhile, check out Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Official Trailer below.
About Cirque du Soleil
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 300 cities on six continents. In 2011, Cirque du Soleil will present 22 shows simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Manila Show Information:
Venue:
Mall Of Asia Arena
Show Schedule (August 9-19, 2012):
| Thursday, August 9, 2012 | 20:00 / 8 p.m. |
| Friday, August 10, 2012 | 16:00 and 20:00 / 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, August 11, 2012 | 16:00 and 20:00 / 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, August 12, 2012 | 13:00 and 17:00 / 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday, August 14, 2012 | 20:00 / 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday, August 15, 2012 | 20:00 / 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, August 16, 2012 | 20:00 / 8 p.m. |
| Friday, August 17, 2012 | 20:00 / 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, August 18, 2012 | 16:00 and 20:00 / 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 13:00 and 17:00 / 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. |
Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Ticket Prices:
| ADULT | CHILD | |
| VIP | Php 10,500 | Php 8,400 |
| PATRON CENTER | 7,500 | 6,000 |
| LOWER BOX CENTER | 5,500 | 4,500 |
| PATRON SIDES | 5,500 | 4,500 |
| LOWER BOX SIDES | 3,500 | 2,800 |
| UPPER BOX | 2,500 | 2,000 |
| GA | 1,200 | 960 |
For more information, please contact:
Hoopla +63 2 302-9111, +63 2 302-9112, +63 2 302-9113, +63 2 881-0947