Alegría aesthetics show up in Cirque du Soleil-inspired culinary experiences
Food-loving circus-goers in Vancouver can add flavour to their trip to the Big Top
Alegría, Cirque Du Soleil.
Cirque du Soleil presents Alegría at Concord Pacific Place until June 5.
ALEGRIA IS A Cirque du Soleil classic, the 1994 show having put the Montreal-based circus troupe on the international map. To celebrate the spectacle’s 25th anniversary (which occurred just prior to COVID) and the return to live performance, Cirque has remounted the iconic production, complete with new acts, musical arrangements, lighting, and costumes. But it still has the same effect that attracts audiences worldwide: the kind of daring, dazzling, seemingly impossible movement that makes you gasp.
There’s a fire-eating Samoan dancer who whirls flaming knives all around him; acrobats who dance a kind of airborne ballet, bouncing on and off of bendy vaulting poles held horizontally by sturdy cast members (a never-before-seen discipline); and a muscular gravity-defying solo on a spinning German wheel. Trapeze and aerial straps make for sky-high duets, while some of the clowning around happens amid thousands of falling snowflakes. Marching musicians play strings, snare, and accordion; two singers’ vocals are so powerful they could blow the top off the Big Top; and there’s a drum solo that would make Neal Peart proud. Contortion and so many Hula hoops are among Alegría’s other highlights.
Alegría, Cirque Du Soleil.
For food-loving folks who appreciate the culinary arts as much as circus arts, there are options to take the Cirque experience to the next level both inside and outside the tent.
Cirque’s VIP Experience is one. Ticket-holders have access to a private suite with indoor and outdoor-terrace seating, where cocktails, drinks, and canapes are served for an hour prior to curtain (those who arrive early have the chance to meet some of the cast members) and during intermission. (The package also includes a prime parking spot, premium seats, a souvenir program and other Alegría keepsakes, and, to munch on during the show, popcorn with real butter.)
Mia Messier, kitchen manager of Alegría, has created a diverse menu of savoury and sweet dishes that reflect Cirque du Soleil’s origins. Vancouver’s offerings include a butter-squash potage with a hint of vanilla, topped with crème fraiche and a little crouton; chickpea loaf with tahini sauce and micro-herb salad; tataki of red tuna with a pop of ponzu sauce, shredded daikon, and micro herbs; and teriyaki filet mignon with peanut, coconut, and teriyaki sauce. Rounding out the appetizers are fresh ravioli with pomodoro-basil sauce and fried garlic; mini wild-mushroom tarts with truffle oil and fresh chives; and assorted charcuterie and cheese plates complete with condiments, crackers, and crusty baguette slices.
Then there are darling desserts: individual apple-crumble cups, 70-percent dark-chocolate mousse served in small glass vases; mini lemon tarts with torched Italian meringue; and the most adorable little profiteroles with caramel salted butter.
Cirque Du Soleil, Alegría, Vancouver.
“I created the menu to be an extension of the Cirque du Soleil experience,” Messier tells Stir. “When audience members come to a Cirque du Soleil show, they know they are in for a treat, and I wanted our variety of dishes to reflect the excitement that comes with walking into the Big Top. I wanted the mix of flavours to take guests on a culinary journey that would appeal to all palates. I also wanted the menu to be influenced by flavours from around the world, as our cast and crew come from 25 different nations. The result is a festive yet accessible menu with accents from Asia, Europe, and North America. Alegría takes audiences into a fanciful yet rich visual universe, and I wanted to offer the same richness in terms of the diversity and the number of savoury and sweet options on display.
“As I grew up in Canada–I’m originally from Quebec, like Cirque du Soleil–I wanted to include a sophisticated version of dishes I grew up eating, like the butter squash potage or the apple crumble,” Messier adds. “It’s my nod to my roots and the company’s.”
Messier also adapts the menu based on each city or country the company is performing in and is guided by the season. Unique to Vancouver, for instance, is the tuna tataki. “I wanted a fresh fish dish given we are close to the coast,” Messier says. “I’ve also stayed away from fried bites to prioritize fresh flavours as we move into spring and summer.”
It’s all the culinary artist’s way of taking guests even deeper into the Cirque world. “For me, the menu I’ve created should be adding taste to the list of senses the Cirque du Soleil experience provokes,” she says.
Cirque du Soleil-inspired Afternoon Tea, Shangri-La Vancouver in collaboration with Emelles Catering.
Beyond the blue and yellow tents, Shangri-La Vancouver has partnered with the performing-arts organization for an exclusive Cirque du Soleil-inspired Afternoon Tea in collaboration with Emelles Catering. The “to-go” concept means people can enjoy the repast anytime, anywhere; it comes complete with a three-tier, foldable, cardboard tray you can set up on a table or picnic blanket.
Here, too, the food is clearly inspired by the themes and aesthetics of Alegría. Consider the “Big White Top” profiterole, with its swirl of smoked-salmon mousse topped with cream-cheese glaze and lemon-zest twist; a dense and deeply chocolate-y Black Forest tart with a “clown nose” (cherry) topper; Purple Velvet Cassis macaron, in a beautiful hue that evokes the costumes of some of the show’s kingdom-dwellers; and, in an ode to the old-fashioned circus, crunchy, sticky caramel-popcorn balls. There’s also a deviled quail egg “Trapeze Duo” on brioche with avocado cookie; flame-grilled, rare beef-tenderloin roulade on crisp taro chip; and finger sandwich “duet”—poppyseed-edged white bread with curry chicken salad and bread rounds bedecked with Boursin and cucumber. Citrus-drop scones can be enjoyed with spoonfuls of spiced apple butter, French honey, and Devon-style cream, which come in diminutive jars with teeny spoons. To sip, there’s Darjeeling black tea or Sri Lankan peppermint tea. All of the food and fixings come in elegantly packed boxes replete with bright spring blossoms.
Cirque du Soleil-inspired Afternoon Tea, Shangri-La Vancouver in collaboration with Emelles Catering.
Nicole Burke, Emelle’s director of catering sales, says the collaborative experience is all about giving people the chance to eat with their eyes and mouth.
“We work closely with the team at Shangri-La, using inspiration from Cirque du Soleil – Alegría: colours, performances, and the familiar tastes of the Big Top to guide the menu creation.
“The food experience isn’t just about taste, but how it captures our senses and creates an emotional reaction,” Burke says. “The phenomenon that is Cirque du Soleil is the perfect opportunity to pair that sensory experience. To create this menu, it was all about having fun with food. We considered the vibrant colours, strength, and flexibility–in flavour profile–and the wow factor that we associate with Cirque du Soleil.” (Shangri-La Vancouver is also offering 10-percent off Alegría tickets and a room package called the Ultimate Cirque du Soleil Escape.)
Cirque du Soleil-inspired Afternoon Tea, Shangri-La Vancouver in collaboration with Emelles Catering.
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