Ezuru

By Chris Thacker — Where Y’at – (Published June, 2005)

This spring, you can catch all the excitement, mystery, and high-flying entertainment you can handle at the Beau Rivage Theater in Biloxi, MS. From the creator and producer of Balagan, Matorin, and the Las Vegas production Mystere comes Misha Matorin’s new show, Ezuru. Based on the wildly popular nouveau circus event, Cirque Du Soleil, Ezuru combines interpretive dance, multitalented musicians, high-flying acrobats, contortionists and of course, the clowns in an exciting and dramatic family friendly event.

Creator and producer Misha Matorin is President of Dreamcast Entertainment and the man responsible for the success of many art nouveau circus style events and was a performing member of Cirque Du Soleil. Born in Russia into a family of circus performers, Misha is a graduate of the Moscow Circus School. After some years of touring with the Moscow Circus in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, England and Siberia, he brought his creative genius to America to develop his own unique style. His talents have been featured on television shows like “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Entertainment Tonight” and the E! channel among others. Now the Gulf Coast plays host to Ezuru, his most recent creation.

The show itself has a post-modern, industrial style with unique, contemporary costumes, body paint, and hairstyles. The narrative theme of the interpretive dance and acts is rooted in traditional Eastern yin and yang dualities while the musical composition reflects that of similar Cirque style shows. All the performers in the event are straight from Russia and China, and their performances reflect their traditional and modern cultural heritage. The name “Ezuru” comes from the large Chinese dragon, made up of various mythical beasts, which is used in the opening act and operated by a handful of men.

The show begins with the clowns of course, engaging the audience with silly props and vaudeville style music and dance, a “ballet du comedie” if you will. These two guys reappear between acts to distract you while the stagehands set up for the next round of performers.

Highlights of the show appeared to be affected by the amount of stage space to work with. Such acts as the bicycle routine were made even more dramatic as too many people to even count piled on to each bike and teams of riders would weave into, out of and around each other in a graceful display of skill. Those seated in the front rows are fully aware that one wrong turn will send riders into the audience. The flying trapeze act is dramatic and entertaining but would probably benefit from a larger stage.

Stage space had little effect on the other acts, but nothing can take away the awe and perceived pain of the contortionists. Trained and conditioned from a very young age, these Chinese sweethearts defy the limits of human ability and imagination. Almost too painful to watch, the girls bend in half and balance each other in a human stack, somehow without snapping their spines. This, if nothing else, is one of the main reasons to see Ezuru. You may never have the opportunity to see live contortionists again.