Month: January 2016

Today, Disney is sharing more of the incredible details behind the main story point of Disney Springs. At the heart of Disney Springs is a bubbling spring located in Town Center that represents not only the power and beauty of nature, but optimism and possibilities. In the backstory for the project, more than a century ago, this spring attracted the first settlers and over time, the town of “Disney Springs” grew around the spring, eventually creating three additional neighborhoods: The Landing, Marketplace and West Side – each with its own distinct charm.

But how do you build a representation of an authentic Florida spring? The answer: research, technology and artistry. In this video, you can see the level of detail the project team went to in recreating a natural Florida spring like the ones they visited on their many research trips. In it, you’ll see how Imagineers used various shades of bright glass pieces as accent colors to make the springs glitter; how nearby live oak and cypress trees were incorporated into the design of the spring’s bank; and how sculpting added even more depth to the area.

As part of the show’s ongoing evolution, La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil has introduced two new acts recently: B-Boy, commonly referred to as breakdancing, and Aerial Bamboo, a technique mastered by only a handful of performers worldwide. The acts join the recent additions of uproarious clowns and a breathtaking juggling rolla bolla act.

For the first time in any Cirque du Soleil show, a B-Boy trio is featured in their own electrifying act. B-Boying is a physically demanding form of dance, in which performers execute acrobatic tricks and moves, including flips and spins, to music. The La Nouba artistic staff scoured the globe for its three inaugural B-Boys: Josh Ortiz (“Incredible Josh”), Jean Carlos Lloret (“Bebo”) and Dmytro Li (“Flying Buddha”). The three hail respectively from the Bronx, N.Y., the Boston area and Ukraine and are performing together for the first time. All three have been dancing since their youth and bring their own unique styles to the act.

Performing their act for the first time in the United States, Russian couple Alexander and Ekaterina Abramov bring the rare performance of Aerial Bamboo to the La Nouba stage. An art form originating in China, Aerial Bamboo involves a pole-shaped apparatus suspended from the ceiling, with attached loops used for a variety of tricks and stunts. Originally, the pole was made of bamboo, giving the craft its name, but is now made of stainless steel. The act requires extreme trust as for most of the performance, Ekaterina is held only by Alexander – his arms, his feet and even his teeth – as he himself hangs by his feet or arms high above the stage.

To seamlessly integrate the new acts into La Nouba, the show brought back original choreographer Debra Brown, original composer Benoit Jutras and original lighting designer Luc Lafortune to apply their individual crafts and create original Cirque du Soleil acts unlike anything audiences have ever seen before.

To preface my review, I had actually never been to La Nouba. It’s one of those things we had talked about going to see at least a hundred times, but we had just never managed to go see it. Also, I’ve never seen a Cirque show in-person before, but I am familiar with what they are.

In short, I was really blown away. The new acts were great and the show overall was very enjoyable. In fact, the new Aerial Bamboo act was my favorite part of the entire show. It’s definitely not something I personally would see every trip to Walt Disney World, but if you haven’t made time to see La Nouba, you really should. I think it’s a really nice way to cap off an evening at Disney Springs and I can’t imagine a scenario where you would be disappointed.