Symphony benefits from gymnasts' acrobatics

You won't hear Ravel's "Bolero" in quite the same way after you've seen a man painted gold balancing on another man's neck.

But that's what Sioux City Symphony Orchestra goers got Saturday night when members of the Cirque de la Symphonie performed to a handful of classics.

Not quite Cirque du Soleil (though the performers probably wouldn't mind the confusion), the show consisted largely of solo acts hanging from silks, rings and ropes while the Sioux City musicians went through their paces. Surprisingly, the acrobats' timing was impeccable, matching the scores' intensity with their own dramatic moves.

Of the bunch -- some eight in all -- Christine Van Loo and Alexander Streltsov were most impressive. Both worked on bolts of fabric, dropping, posing and floating in time to Rachmaninov, Saint-Saens and Wagner. During "Ride of the Valkyries," Streltsov flew out over the audience, conjuring thoughts of what the Broadway Spider-Man musical must be like.

Of the more grounded acts, Jarek and Darek's strong men routine had the most thrills. They performed to "Bolero," balancing on various body parts while contorting the others. At one point one of the two practically dug a finger into the other's eye in order to do a handstand on his head. Painful -- and powerful.

Vladimir Tsarkov -- the group's comedian -- kept the show moving with a variety of juggling bits. He also performed a piece of magic that involved Elena Tsarkova (a great contortionist) and conductor Ryan Haskins. She was tied up in ropes. Haskins joined her in a black tent. In seconds, she emerged -- still in ropes -- wearing Haskins' jacket. Even better? Haskins got a later laugh asking for his wallet.

What we learned from Saturday's show was that classical music needn't be boring. Even though die-hards might insist the gymnastics detracted from the music, I'm pretty sure they helped introduce new audiences to the classics.

To its credit, the orchestra played several selections without the diversions and, yes, they were fine -- particularly Strauss' "Thunder and Lightning Polka."

Several musicians -- including the concertmaster -- got solos that were just as attractive as the folks in front.

Aloysia Gavre, working on an aerial hoop, moved perfectly with the Bacchanale from "Samson et Delilah." She suggested much of what was built into the dance and scared with her own daring moves.

Up close you could appreciate the intensity that went into her -- and the others' -- work. While Streltsov's spinning cube didn't come close to his aerial stuff, it was nice to hear Bizet's "Carmen" suite. Trade-offs, no doubt, but mutually beneficial.

Cirque du Soleil could learn a lesson from this experiment: You don't need weird music to appreciate skilled athletes.

And symphony officials could realize something, too: The house will fill if you shake things up once in a while.

Saturday's production was both fun and satisfying -- an ideal marriage, you might say, of art forms.