With The Greatest Of Ease

Currently Listening To :: Show Me Your Soul :: P. Diddy, Lenny Kravitz and Pharell Williams

You have a man flying through the air suspended by a bondage-esque harness, stark naked except for a very painful looking leather cup covering his genitals. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he flew an arms-length above the crowd, flashing us with every swing of the rope, electonic beats and Argentinian drums crashing into the crowd as we looked up in awe. What's this you say?

Theatre + Dance Party + Carnivale = De La Guarda

From the ambient introduction, to the intense energy with which the performers ran up the walls, played the drums and flew around in suits, De La Guarda is if nothing else, and experience like no other. While I was at times confused by what it all meant, at the same time I was absorbed by the electicness of it all (if there is such a word).

Having no prior knowledge of the show, it was interesting to see how the crowd reacted. Just like humans faced with any situation that pulls you out of your comfort zone (and believe me, this one pulls, pushes and downright catapults you out there), some stood back and watched, some got involved to a degree, while others went full tilt, abandoning themselves to the lure of the beats and the roar of the drums.

Mans age-long (yet sometimes failed) urge to fly, to soar above everything else, seems to be the main theme here. Not to mention the wild celebration of flying, be it alone, in pairs, or a group of people strapped together, flying through the air as if caught in the eye of a hurricane.

But let us not give too much away here. For those who haven't seen it, I suggest you book a ticket to De La Guarda while flights are still available. While it's one of those things that may not appeal to everone, it's something that, like living life itself, can only really be experienced first hand.