Toruk – The First Flight


Toruk – The First Flight was a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in December 2015, and was inspired by James Cameron's film Avatar. It depicts a world before the events depicted in the film. The show began its development in Montreal, Quebec, and then moved in August 2015 to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, where rehearsals took place until the show premiered. The CenturyLink Center was chosen because the massive set of the show did not fit in the Cirque du Soleil studios in Montreal.

Plot

The translation for the official teaser trailer from the constructed Na'vi language is the following: "I am the last living member of the Anurai clan. When I connect with Eywa, I hear the voices of our distant ancestors; I hear the time when their lives were threatened. This is that story."
Toruk is the central character of the show, and is brought to life as a life-sized puppet, along with Pandoran animals such as the Direhorse, the Austrapede, the Turtapede, and a Viperwolf.

Production

The Pandoran animals are brought to life through large-scale puppetry. Toruk itself is a 'reverse string puppet' while the Austrapede, Turtapede and Direhorse are 'lived-in puppets' and the Viperwolf is an 'in-view puppet'.
The set of Toruk is made of inflated rubber and steel, making the huge set easier to transport from city to city.

Reception

The Chicago Tribune praised the show's production values saying that "The designers of this piece — a group including Carl Fillion, Patrick Martel, Kym Barrett, Alain Lortie — combine with other superb artists to create the eye-popping landscape of the world of the 'Omatikaya,'... all making stunning use of the still-new ability to project very high-quality graphics over any surface, however large. Not only does that include the entire floor of the United Center, but the audience as well. For some folks in your life, especially fans of Avatar or of high-graphics gaming, such design and tech wizardry will likely be more than enough." The review also said "Boring is not the word for this show — too much greets the eye. But your soul won't ache for humanity."
NZME wrote that "The play succeeds and fails in the same ways as the film did... While everything was ridiculously impressive to look at, the pacing felt off and the story simply wasn't intriguing enough to justify it."
The National wrote that "It is true Toruk is not full of the heart-stopping acrobatics that defined previous shows. But the thrill is replaced with heart; the environmentalist message coursing through the show is delivered by the soulful performances of the dancers whose facial expressions run the gamut from hope and joy to fear and ultimately resilience."
BroadwayWorld wrote "Overall I would recommend this show to people who would appreciate a story-telling art piece that's visually very appealing. But to the Cirque du Soleil-admirers who prefer some more action like a Ká/Zumanity/O vegas-show, they will be disappointed because the energy level is at an immensely low point."
Gulf News wrote that the show "is a visually ambitious piece of entertainment, with 40 projectors creating a world that feels alive — movements, sounds and scents included... Overall, the show does not occupy itself with continuous acrobatic acts that will leave your heart lodged in your throat. Instead, it lends itself to onstage transformations, where the expansive world of Avatar is re-explored in the flesh."

Acrobatic Acts

Toruk features 5 speciality acrobatic acts and general tumbling skills in order to capture the other worldly skills of the inhabitants of Pandora. Each tribe has their own unique apparatus and discipline, reflecting their tribal values and skills which Entu and Ralu will need to learn in order to tame Toruk. The following lists the acts, correct as of the first Asia Pacific Tour. Several acts were added following the premier of Toruk, and hence are not included in the official DVD recording. Those featured at the premier :
  1. "Omaticaya Clan"
  2. "Lu Aw Navi"
  3. "Shaman Story"
  4. "Tawkami Clan"
  5. "The Anurai Clan Sanctuary"
  6. "Viperwolves and the Tipani Clan"
  7. "Direhorses"
  8. "Kekunan Clan"
  9. "Hallelujah Mountains"
  10. "The Toruk"
  11. "Luminous Reunion"
The following tracks are included in the show but are not on the CD:
  1. "Inside Hometree"
  2. "Weaving Song"
  3. "Earthquake!"
  4. "The Vision"
  5. "The Clearing"
  6. "Tree of Voices"
  7. "River & Desert"
  8. "Lava & Flood"
  9. "The First Toruk Makto"

    Vocalists