Years and years ago, I remember hunting for a birthday present for my mom at a Borders Books. I ended up finding that I imagined would be a daughter-of-the-year level gift: a DVD copy of a Cirque du Soleil show. I want to say it was Alegría? At any rate, mom was thrilled — she had been enamored of Cirque my entire life.

The DVD, while enchanting, left something to be desired. Cirque productions are the type you need to see in the flesh. If you cannot feel the fear, the awe, the panic, the relief —  then I’m afraid you miss the magic.

A few years ago I was about to be married, and mom treated me to a single day in Las Vegas as a bachelorette party. She booked a room at the Bellagio and two seats for “O,” Cirque’s permanent installment in that grand hotel. It wasn’t until we were on our flight to Nevada that I found out mom had never, despite all her fangirldom, had a chance to see a Cirque show live. That performance ended up being one of the most memorable and transformative theatrical experiences I’ve ever had — and heaven knows I have seen more theater than the average bear. (Here’s us, realizing our seats were front-dang-row.)

Now I’m counting the days to Corteo, one of Cirque’s traveling shows. Corteo spends 4 days in Broomfield and another 4 in Loveland. From Cirque’s description:

CORTEO, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.
[Trailer]

Right up my alley!