Joyà

Joyà
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Company	Cirque du Soleil
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Resident show
Date of premiere	November 8, 2014
Creative team
Director of creation	Richard Dagenais
Director	Martin Genest
Set and props designer	Guillaume Lord
Costume designer	James Lavoie
Composers	Guy Dubuc Marc Lessard
Sound designer	Jacques Boucher
Lighting designer	Jean Laurin
Choreographers	Harold Rhéaume
Acrobatic choreographer	Philippe Aubertin
Acrobatic and rigging designer	Pierre Masse
Makeup designer	Nathalie Gagné
Other information
Preceded by	Kurios (2014)
Succeeded by	Toruk (2015)
Official website

Joyà is a 70 minute long, resident show at the Vidanta resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico produced as a collaboration between 45 degrees and its parent company Cirque du Soleil. It is Cirque's first resident show in Latin America. Joya premiered on November 8, 2014 inside the custom-built Joyà theatre, which seats 600 guests at capacity. The exterior design of the theatre was inspired by organic forms in a clearing surrounded by trees. The story, set in a naturalist's library which transforms into other exotic locations, follows the journey of a "rebellious young girl [who] is sent by her mischievous grandfather on a fantastical quest spanning generations".

Unlike other Cirque du Soleil productions, Joya is an "intimate theatrical and culinary experience" in that patrons have the option to enjoy the show along with a specially designed degustation menu at private tables around the stage, or simply have a glass of champagne with canapés on top of the show ticket. The show also incorporates smell into the acts, providing an all-around "feast for the senses".

Acts

• Juggling: One performer throws large, glowing red balls (attached to strings) on the dimly lit stage and manipulates it such that the balls look like they are being impossibly moved by some form of magic.
• Icarian games: One of the performer lies on his back and flips, twirls and spins another performer on his feet whilst on a specially designed chair.
• Duo trapeze: Two artists swing over the stage on one trapeze tossing each other in this high energy act.
• Hand to hand: Two strong, flexible performers slowly assume positions impossible without an impeccable sense of balance.
• Pupetry: Artist manipulate large puppets onstage, including a giant angler fish.
• Hand balancing: An artist performs hand balancing on three canes set up on a small stage amongst the diners' tables to bring the action off the main stage.
• Aerial straps: Artists, hanging in the air from straps, fly above the stage in a series of acrobatic stunts.
• Trampoline wall: Performers literally bouncing off a trampoline at the base of a wall-like structure, allowing them to 'run' up the wall and do twists and turns through the air and even jump into the windows of the wall.

Acts in rotation

• Aerial ring trio: Three women performs stunts using a hoop each that is suspended in mid-air.

Music

The soundtrack to Joya was released in the show boutique on 24 December 2015 before being release online on 15 January 2016. The tracks are as follow:

1. Naturalism (Opening overture/Juggling)
2. Comedy of Errors (Icarian Games)
3. Renais En La Penumbra (Duo Trapeze)
4. Adventure at Sea (Pirates arrival/Hand to Hand)
5. The Dive (Puppetry)
6. Profunda Belleza (Hand Balancing)
7. Legacy (Aerial Straps)
8. Nueva Era (Trampoline wall/Skipping)

Further reading

• Feldberg, Sarah. "Cirque du Soleil's experiment in the Mexican jungle". USA Today. December 22, 2014.
• Young, Josh. "Joya Opens As Cirque Du Soleil’s First Immersive Dinner Show". Theme Park University. December 29, 2014.
• Frederick, Brittany S. "Review: Inside Cirque du Soleil And Grupo Vidanta's New Production 'Joya'". Starpulse.com. December 3, 2014.