May 29th, 2008 pkuan
Get your Cirque du Soleil Macau tickets HERE
Her name is ZAIA.
And she is the star of the US150 million Cirque du Soleil Macau production which will be a permanent addition to Macau’s entertainment scene from August, it was announced at the official press conference today.
The press conference for Cirque’s first permanent show in Asia was held in an 1,800-seater custom-built theatre in The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, which is now the permanent home of Cirque Macau. After the official launch in August, there will be 2 performances a day, 6 times a week.
The Gala premiere on August 28, will not only celebrate the official launch of Cirque Macau, but is even more likely to be a star-studded affair because it coincides with the 1st anniversary of The Venetian itself. But while the stars have to wait until August 28 to see any part of the show, we were one of the the lucky few who got to attend today’s press conference were treated to a sneak preview of ZAIA.
ZAIA is the name of the young female heroine who journeys into space. The director Gilles Maheu got his inspiration from a postcard, which had a drawing depicting a young girl in an astronaut outfit sitting down on the moon.
So ZAIA is about “a young girl who journeys into space on a strange, yet familiar voyage of self-discovery. As she travels, she encounters the beauty of humanity and eventually brings it back with her to share with the inhabitants of earth”.
It doesn’t matter if the synopsis sounds rather airy fairy and fluffy. You don’t go to the circus for a complex storyline and character development (watching a movie costs a lot less and is more likely to do the job). Cirque has attracted a crowd of 80 million spectators worldwide because it combines jaw dropping acrobatics, amazing feats of strength, grace and beauty, stunning choreography and beautiful sets and special effects.
If what we got to see in the preview is an indication of what to expect in terms of the quality of the show – ZAIA certainly delivers the goods.
Cityscapes is the name of the first segment and will be the opening of ZAIA. Talk about starting things off with a bang. From an empty stage, skyscrapers, literally, rise out of the ground. It did remind me a little of Wynn Macau’s Rotunda golden tree, which rises out of the ground every half hour or so.
Cirque’s stage is actually 80 foot high, which is why props hidden underneath can suddenly rise out of the ground.
So from this –
- to this in a matter of minutes.
You have your strong men, break dancers, clowns, dancers, skateboarders, tap dancers – just your typical city crowd really, who all happen to be wearing outlandish costumes and make-up and all have fantastic bodies.
In typical whimsical Cirque style, there were cyclists suspended from the ceiling, pedaling away – upside down.
A huge sphere suspended from the ceiling drifted out from the back, and hanging from it by a piece of silk - a female performer, dancing through the air.
Just your average day - hanging around
A huge sphere suspended from the ceiling drifted out from the back, and hanging from it by a piece of silk - a female performer, dancing through the air.
The second act which we got to preview was of a male and female performer doing some amazing acrobatic work while being swung around and up and down by pieces of stretcy rope from the ceiling.
Though the performers were petite and lithe, they twirled and spun through the air as effortlessly as petals blowing in the wind.
How any guy could look graceful skimming through the air like superman, suspended 20 feet in the air by rope wrapped round his arms clenched by his side is beyond me. How he does it with a woman riding him like a surf board, is just mind blowing.
I only knew he was human because I saw him panting a little at the end of the act.
The backdrop, which has 3,000 fiber optic lights was created apparently, to accurately depict the night sky, and all its stars. I wouldn’t be able to point out Mars, Venus or any constelations, and I definitely wouldn’t be able to tell you if they were in the right place. But I do know it makes a pretty amazing background, especially when you have confetti streaming down.
Kudos to the 65 technical crew and 75 artists who must have worked and trained overtime to get ready for the event.
Preview performances begin on July 26.
Tickets are on sale from tomorrow for shows from July 26 to Oct 5.
Click HERE to get yours and stand to win VIP passes.
May 22nd, 2008 pkuan
So, the gauntlet had been thrown down. Macau.com’s very own feisty editor happens to think of herself as something of a hotshoe behind the steering wheel, and gamely offered to prove it on the track with a little race against yours truly.
If you know Sue well, then you know that this was no idle challenge. Despite the flawless skin and lilting voice, the girl packs a mean Muay Thai punch, loves motorcycle riding and is fiercely competitive at any human activity that could be termed ‘sport’.
Me, I’m Ju-Len - her would-be challenger. I happen to write about cars for a living in Singapore, and like all motoring journalists, largely consider myself the lost love-child of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Er, if such a union were ever physically capable of producing offspring, that is…
Anyway, what better venue for a little race than the Macau Motor Sports Club (MMSC), where for just MOP100 a pop, the track’s 1.2km of sinewy, undulating tarmac is yours for the conquering.
After a short bus ride to the track, Sue and I climbed the uphill approach to the facility and found our trash-talking interrupted when we encountered the impressive scale of the place. The large welcome area and spacious grandstands gave it the air of a serious motorsports arena, which kind of put our little friendly competition into perspective.
While I was deeply impressed by the MMSC’s karting facility, however, one thing did give me pause to reconsider our race. It had been drizzling all day, meaning the track would have been sprinkled with the sort of light pitter-patter that lifts oil right to the surface of the tarmac.
That, in turn, produces the kind of greasy conditions that spit overzealous, wannabe raicing drivers like myself off the track in embarrassing fashion..
While I tried to think up excuses to offer Sue (“Maybe we should come back another time. We don’t want your nice coat to get all splattered?”), I caught sight of how her eyes lit up when she saw the track itself. “That looks like fun!” they seemed to say, and I knew was in for a fight.
After helmeting up and being given a suitable briefing (in English, courtesy of the friendly Filipino mechanics on duty that day), we slipped into the karts and headed onto the track separately, with a good headstart for Sue. Ladies first, after all.
I soon discovered, however, that whatever she was doing, I would have my hands full just keeping the kart on the track. It wasn’t just slippery out there, it was so greasy I wasn’t sure a mountain goat could have wandered around the place without ending up toppling over onto its back, four legs kicking at the sky.
The track itself is properly challenging, too. After a flat-out left kink the wide track funnels into a tight downhill hairpin that requires you to stand on the brakes while fighting to keep the kart from swapping ends on you..
After a lap it was here, actually, that I came across Su facing the wrong way on the tarmac, after an overenthusiastic exit to the corner had seen her spin her kart all the way around
I drove past, slowly but in control, and could almost hear her cursing above the blat of the engines.
With Sue thus dispatched, I drove my own race trying to learn the various lines around the track. The key to a quick time in karts for non-racers like me, I’ve learnt, is usually to find the smoothest way through the corners, the path that lets you carry the most momentum through the last few bends.
That said, it wasn’t easy at the MMSC. The track is one of the most challenging I’ve driven on, with plenty of places where you can lose time, either because of ham-fisted charges through corners that tighten up, or in places where you’re fooled into going too slowly because the next bend hides behind a sudden crest.
And as with the great racing circuits of the world, it’s the undulations that make the MMSC track such an interesting one. The final right-hander with its long climb past the main grandstands, in particular, really punishes clumsy driving by making the kart work hard to haul you all the way up the hill if you didn’t carry enough speed
I ended up lapping Sue one more time, passing her around the end of the back straight which fearless drivers like her attack at full throttle.
“I kept spinning around!” she later protested. Well, that’s what happens when you let bravery triumph over self-control. And, with no little modesty, I should add that it’s what happens at a place like Macau’s karting track, which places a premium on skill.
So for now it’s Singapore 1, Macau 0. Sue, of course, is dying for a rematch and perhaps the next time we’ll try it out on the double-seater karts, so I can show her the right lines to take around the track.. It’s probably the only way, too, she’ll be able to stay on the same lap as me… 
Kart blanche
May 14th, 2008 pkuan
No, Pacha Macau isn’t opening - but a former resident or Pacha, Space, and Amnesia is going to be spinning in Macau this Saturday at a new nightclub called Show Time.
Located just opposite Fortuna Hotel, Show Time is already popular with professional dancers, those in the know and fans of house, electro and techno beats. Let’s hope this place takes off and become the top place to get down to dance music.
Saturday’s guest DJ, Dee McAuley from the UK, has had residencies at Renaissance at Amnesia, Pacha, Space and Café Mambo Pacha, Ibiza. As half of the production team Montero, he released ‘Captain Hook’ (Renaissance 2005) which hit the DJ Mag Hype Chart at No.1 in 2005, and carried onto be the most downloaded tune on DJ Downloads to date.Doors open at 11pm, and McAuley is scheduled to play a 3-hour set starting from about 2am.Supporting him are local CJs, D’mond, Peptus and Del Mischa.
Dee McAuley (Montero) UK
Show Time, opposite Fortuna Hotel
Rua de Cantao 38c 2 Yee On Kok Building
Tickets: MOP60 (advance sales from 9pm at Showtime) or MOP100 at the door
Both tickets inclusive of 1 free drink
For more info call +853 6613 2267
May 5th, 2008 pkuan
I never considered myself to be a total scaredy cat. I hate using the brakes in go-karts, love the freedom of motorcycles, contact sports and martial arts, traveling to undeveloped countries by myself and telling parents of unruly kids that they should take lessons on parenting.
But looking down on skyscrapers (yes, down on skyscrapers) from the outer platform of the Macau Tower, I felt my stomach lurch. Yes, it was 223 meters above the ground, and but I wasn’t about to go anywhere lower than where I was. There was a sturdy steel cable securely attached to my waist – I had no hope of going anywhere. So why did I feel so ill while my two male friends were gleefully leaping around the circular platform, pretending to dive off and dangling limbs off the edge?
Look Ma, no hands!
At one point, the guide from AJ Hackett asked me to pose with my feet dangling over the edge. I inched 1 centimeter at a time, until I reached the edge, and then willed myself not to look down, with what I felt was a brave smile on my face.
Our guide tried to reassure me by saying that a fear of heights is easily conquered. Apparently he used to suffer from it, but got over it after working at AJ Hackett for a couple of weeks. I’m wondering what sort of person with a fear of heights would sign up for a job 223 meters above ground?
He also added that only 1 person has fallen off - a 200pound man who accidentally slipped and dangled while several staff to pull him up. I’m not sure I would have gone out after witnessing that.
Deep breath, check. Fake smile, check.
My companions later announced to the rest of the group that my face was pale, and I looked like I was about to faint. Yes, I have a fear of heights, and I only have admiration for those who dare to throw themselves off the highest bungy jump in the world.
A friend told me that it is a surreal feeling to look down, and see you knees involuntarily quaking beyond your control. And she was jumping in New Zealand, over water.
Even if I was offered a free jump, I’m not sure I’d dare to take up the offer. I’m told that 99 % of bungy jumpers jump within the count of 5-4-3-2-1, with a small percentage requiring a second countdown. I’d hate to raise up their statistics unnecessarily.
It’s not that anyone has ever died before doing an AJ Hackett Bungy Jump. I was told that Charlize Theron and P Diddy have been up there, although I’m not sure if they actually took the plunge. Charlie, the manager of AJ Hackett in Macau told me he’s done it over 200 times and still gets a rush.
I wonder if being scared of heights something which is inherited, shaped by environment or just dished out on a purely random allotment. And is it a true measure of how gutsy a person is?
After all, some people are terrified of roaches, yet have no problems climbing Mount Everest or enjoy getting into a ring gloved up to try and knock someone out (although that could be due to pure stupidity).
While I have no problems with mice, or rats, I will shriek if I come into contact with a cockroach or any insect larger than my fingernail.
March 19th, 2008 pkuan
Canadian diva Celine Dion loves her LV.
The reed-thin singer with the huge voice reportedly gave the security staff of The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel quite a headache - and not by warbling an emotional ballad that went on and on and on…
In Macau for her Taking Chances concert, Celine, who performed to a full house at The Venetian’s 15,000 capacity Arena last Saturday apparently got a little emotional when her precious Louis Vuitton luggage was going through the standard security check - fearing that her designer bags may be scratched.
But hey, give the girl a break, she works hard for her money (she was performing 5 times a week for 5 years at Ceaser’s Palace in Vegas, taking in an estimated US400 million before ending her run in December).
The girl loves to shop - and she has a sense of humor. After paparazzi accosted her outside Cartier, where she had just bought some jewellery, the ever-friendly Celine quipped: “I do damage wherever I shop.”
We say, let the girl have her bling!
You gotta love a girl who admits that audiences at her Las Vegas shows were often tired, drunk, sick and in some cases asleep.
And you won’t find her dishing out lawsuits or getting teary on talk-shows over being ridiculed for her stage movements, conservative behavior and emotional songs - even when it’s her own fellow Canadians.
Maybe it comes from having actual talent, and a whopping 5-octave range, but Celine says she actually feels flattered that people take the time to impersonate her.Heather Mills should take a leaf out of Celine’s book.
Like the title of her hit of Titanic proportions, Celine’s heart really does go on. Forbes voted her one of the top 10 most generous celebrities in Hollywood in 2006, after raising more than US$1 million for UNICEF’s Tsunami Recovery Fund, and spending decades supporting charities.
Stay tuned for the concert review…
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