The annual and wonderful Auckland Arts Festival is with us again and it kicked off in style at the Spiegletent with the sexy and effervescent cabaret/cirque show La Ronde.
The evening consisted of a series of cirque vignettes accompanied by a great soundtrack of recorded music as well as some live songs performed superbly by the sultry and golden-voiced Generis.
The cast were young, talented and very international, hailing from Europe, the Americas and even across the Tasman.
All cirque shows include the aerial arts and this team were incredibly skilled in them. Moscow born Svyatoslav Rasshivkin with chiseled physique and boyish charm was flawless and executed the perfect tumble to wide applause. Zoe Marshall was exquisite and her first solo performance involved being lifted into the air by her hair while spinning and swinging above the audience. It wasn’t just straps and Spanish web used in the act – both Maria Moncheva and Philipe Reyes at one point actually used chains, a novel and thrilling addition to the programme. Philipe also provided some extra thrills by using a flaming baton in one of his aerial routines and later demonstrated incredible strength while hand balancing.
Humour was present throughout the show – Adam Malone added a touch of flamboyance to his moments and some upside down balancing on a trapeze while wearing high heels. He knew how to work the audience and we appreciated it.
The show’s resident clown was Nate Cooper and his numbers included a variety of props including balloons, a whip, a pogo stick and a hula hoop. His first time on stage also involved a clever and surprising costume change for which I won’t provide a spoiler.
All up, La Ronde was a fun, exciting and happy show – the perfect way to kick off the festival.
LA RONDE
Spiegeltent – Aotea Square
5-22 March 2026