I saw Cirque du Soleil (Alegría) in about February 1995 (at 4 or 5) and that became a defining interest of mine. Cirque was so different, so stunning, and I was especially mesmerized by the voice of Francesca Gagnon. We played that CD at almost every family party while we were out by the pool, and dad played it in the car a lot, too. I went on to see other shows as they opened and eventually joined Cirque Tribune around 2004. When I was 13, Zumanity came out and would transcend everything else. It's difficult to describe this, as it's a bit odd for a kid to love an adult show.
When your favorite show is an adult show, that is instantly "the reason why you like it" - according to everyone else. This isn't true, at least for me. Everything about Zu interested me. I was first intrigued by the idea. Then, I saw photos of the costumes which were immensely expensive and elaborate. The theatre was absolutely beautiful, that dimly lit, gorgeous, extravagant perfection of a theatre that it was. The website was fun and I loved the flash games they came out with later. I love the emphasis on characterization in the show. I love the idea of having the cast out in the lobby meeting people before the show. I love the stories behind the acts. I love how interactive the theatre was, from the Amsterdam room, to the ministage with the bed, to the peepholes, to the whispering in the restrooms. In 2004, they came out with that new program with the absolutely beautiful photography - all that smoke in the background; I loved that. Then someone sent me recordings they had of the music of the show and I absolutely fell in love with the band, Lonnie, Corinne, and Joey. I wove all of this together in my mind and, when I finally saw the show, my own interpretation of it in my head wasn't very far off. Seeing the straps act in person, which was to become my favorite act, was especially amazing (although I love the entire show, naturally).
In 2005, I became "ZumanityDelights" to the fanbase world. I followed the show for a little bit almost every day of its entire run. It was my Chicago Bulls, Beatles, Star Trek... I was/am interested in learning anything about it, especially creation and the early years. The wiki and database owners started coming to me for info about new acts and changes to stay up-to-date. Eventually, the show closed and took a big piece of me with it. I keep it alive with my memories, but the thought of never seeing this show again is such a dark place. I find it immensely unfair that it was my show that didn't get a DVD, a live CD, a hundred YouTube videos, a warning to see it before it closed, or much to remember it by at all. My fear is that one day, in a couple of decades, my memory will fade like it has for other things.
While I love Cirque, my favorite period for the shows is 1990-2004. I get especially excited any time something ends up online from the early days of one of the shows, like Mystère. Finally seeing the acts for Rumeurs, Caravena, and Pokinoi, and seeing things again like Ibis and Kalandéro after so many years was purely amazing. Thank goodness for the internet. I also have a huge interest in Zaia. My biggest dream is seeing the original Zu cast, absolutely.
Why I'm here? I was told about this website from a Zumanity friend and came to help out with the main page. :)
