Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18670 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-11-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 89 minutes

From Amazon.com
The Chinese consider the lion a symbol of good luck, so it's a half-dragon, half-lion--a dralion--that is the symbol of the East-meets-West fusion of this Cirque du Soleil show, in which 36 Chinese acrobats join the renowned Canadian troupe. Celebrating the four elements as represented in four colors-- blue (air), green (water), red (fire), and ochre (earth)--Dralion combines ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil's usual stunning elements: the techno-oriented single ring; the multicolored lights and costumes; the music that mixes rock, New Age, and various world influences (though not Chinese); and the madcap clowns that pull a victim out of the audience (he turns out to be a terrific sport).

But of course the main reason to watch a Cirque du Soleil show is the acrobatic stunts, those eye-popping displays of agility, balance, and strength. You'll see an acrobat balancing on one hand, a brawny juggler, a high-flying teeterboard act, a double trapeze, contortionists, a parasol turned and tossed atop a foot, furiously synchronized hoop-diving, unbelievable rope-skipping, and more. While nothing can match the experience of seeing this troupe live, the video does offer some choice close-ups that you would never get from your seat, and you can't ask the live performers to repeat your favorite stunts over and over again. And you'll want to see them over and over because Dralion is a dazzler. --David Horiuchi

Additional Features
The DVD includes "In the Heart of the Dralion," a 23-minute making-of documentary. Director Guy Caron discusses the challenges of traveling to Kunming, China, in order to create a new show, Dralion, with the Chinese, and choreographer Julie Lachance, costume designer François Barbeau, composer Violaine Corradi, and set designer Stéphane Roy provide various insights into the show. Also included are four scenes (single-hand balancing, teeterboard, dralions, and skipping rope) that can be viewed from three different angles each. Note that this multiple-angle option is available only as a special-features addendum, not when viewing the regular program.

Amazon.ca
La finesse et le perfectionnisme de l’Asie sont conjugués à la fougue et à la sensualité de l’Afrique dans Dralion, septième spectacle du Cirque du Soleil, filmé au cours de quatre représentations à San Francisco. La rencontre entre ces deux mondes prend forme autant par la musique, qui combine chanson chinoise et échos des tam-tams, que par la panoplie de numéros extraordinaires. Jongleur manipulant langoureusement les balles sur la surface de son corps élancé, jeune femme faisant tourbillonner des parapluies au bout de ses orteils, acrobates multipliant les culbutes, vêtus de costumes mi-dragon mi-lion, pas de deux exécuté au moyen de longs pans de tissu qui descendent du ciel comme des lianes dans la jungle : autant de moments pleins de grâce et de magie, entre lesquels des clowns hilarants viennent rappeler de leurs pitreries les origines classiques du cirque. Lauréat de plusieurs prix Emmy, Dralion crée l’impression d’être partout à la fois, allant parfois jusqu’à effacer la frontière entre artistes et spectateurs, et nous fait profiter de tout ce que le Cirque du Soleil donne à voir. --Julie Sergent