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Disclosure: Thank you to Walt Disney World for #hosting my daughter and I by providing tickets to a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba and also providing us with dinner at Splitsville in Disney Springs after the show. All opinions in this post are original and my own.
Eight years ago alone time with my daughter was all day every day. Even when my husband was there it seemed as though it was just her and I experiencing life for the first time. To say that I was slightly obsessed with my first child is an understatement. My daughter fulfilled every single bit of longing I had for a pure mother/daughter relationship. As the years have gone by and two more kids have entered the picture we have had less one-on-one time. It is normal and natural so I don’t believe that either of us have suffered any damage as a result, but it doesn’t mean that we miss our alone time any less. Whenever an opportunity comes up for her and I to have a special experience together, I leap at it! Especially when it involves the magic of Disney.
I was extremely lucky recently to have been hosted by Walt Disney World to a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba at the newly renovated Disney Springs. I knew it was the perfect opportunity for my daughter and I to bond over a new experience. At eight years old, the wonder and artistry of this special show was exactly what I love to share with her. We made a really big deal out of getting dressed up and “ditching the boys” as we ran off on our date night.
Right as we approached the beautiful white tent that houses the 1671 seat theater it began to storm. My daughter prematurely opened the umbrella and screamed as it flew out of her hands and across the parking lot. We chased after it, caught it, and got soaking wet! It is a memory that I will take with me for a lifetime. That sort of silliness and whimsy was the perfect way to start our evening. After we grabbed tickets we got some snacks and sat down. Little did we know that the clowns in the preshow would send my daughter into such a fit of giggles that she would never cover long enough to eat any of the popcorn we were holding.
The show is described as, “…an unforgettable journey into a world at once threatening and exhilarating, frightening and familiar. La Nouba beckons to us, challenges us to uncover passions we thought we had lost long ago; to frolic in her childhood dreams and enter place is extraordinary transforms and overcomes the ordinary.” Though it is hard to put into words the experience of La Nouba (which comes from the French phrase “faire la nouba,” which means “to party,” or “to live it up”) it is easy to say that it takes you on a wild ride. At the start of the pre-show there are two “clowns into “that feel more like friends the guide you through as you follow and every day “Urbain” (Urbanite) cleaning woman who walks through a creaky door and into the world were “Cirques” (Circus people” come to life against the bleak backdrop the Urbain cleaning lady is familiar with. As we experience with her nonstop exotic creativity and feet of scale and strength that only Cirque du Soleil provides you will find yourself becoming immersed in the pulsating, hunting, and invigorating music, dramatic lighting, and breathtaking vocals of a world that draws you in more and more until the crescendo will make you late to your feet for an inevitable standing ovation.
Recognized the world over, Cirque du Soleil has constantly sought to evoke imagination, invokes senses, and provoke emotions. See it before the show closes on New Year’s Eve of this year (12/31/2017). With tickets starting at $49 it is one of the most affordable options for entertainment in Orlando. Disney Springs is located about a mile away from the four main Disney Parks. Disney transportation services provides free transportation between the Parks, Resorts, and the Disney Springs area. Most Sundays and Mondays there are no shows but because of the variety in the schedule, you should visit their website here for more specific information that may fit in with your vacation plans.
After the show we headed over to a wonderful pizza buffet provided by Splitsville at Disney Springs. If you are looking for something fun to do outside of the Parks for everyone in your family Disney Springs offers many options with shows like La Nouba to a place like Splitsville that offers a high-end twist on good old fashion bowling, billiards, food, and fun.
La Nouba – Fun Facts
- La Nouba premiered in Orlando on December 23, 1998. It was the third resident show ever created – after Mystère and “O” in Las Vegas. La Nouba will take a final bow on December 31, 2017.
- La Nouba celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a special appearance from Disney Pals, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.
- La Nouba comes from the French phrase “faire la nouba,” which means “to party,” or “to live it up.”
- Since launch, La Nouba has entertained over 11.1 million guests and has performed over 8,600 shows.
- The 1,671-seat theater is the first freestanding permanent structure ever built for Cirque du Soleil. Set Designer Michel Crête of Cirque du Soleil, Michel Aubé of Scéno Plus, Walt Disney Imagineering, and the architects of the Rockwell group of New York collaborated on the overall design of the building.
- There are 1730 audio cables – if placed end to end they would span 865,000 ft or 164 miles.
- Over 1200 lighting fixtures are used for each performance of La Nouba.
- The La Nouba Stage Managers have said “go” over 1million times.
- The most expensive item sold at the La Nouba Boutique was a bronze Le Titan Sculpture that sold for $12,500.
- Since launch, the wardrobe department has handled over 21,510,000 costumes and headpieces.
- Most of the 65 artists performing in La Nouba wear three different costumes per show.
- 600 rhinestones are hand applied to each of the three Le Cons costumes; 8 costumes are worn each night.
- Since the launch of the show, La Nouba has used over 43,500 balloons in the show.
- There have been over 2.8 million flips in the PowerTrack act since the show launched.
- During the PowerTrack act you will see 394 Flips and 62 Twists in seven minutes.
- There has been 285 miles traveled by the little train used by the imaginary frog in the show – more miles from Orlando to Miami.
- Six musicians play 22 instruments in the show – live, each night!
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This is awesome Angela! Love the fun facts at the end. Thank you so much for sharing!C