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Zumanity, performed in Las Vegas’ classic New York, New York, was my first venture into the acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil, the brainchild of Guy Laliberté. The show opened in 2003, and in the past four years, it has reached a stage of perfection. Brilliantly melding sensuality and the classic acrobatic/dance style, it’s a show that will make the timid blush and the adventurous aroused.

The pre-show activities were enough to get us all in the mood for naughty fun. The performers interact with the audience, waving dildos around and finding seats on audience members’ laps. Laughter flowed freely, hyping everyone up for the main event.

The first main act featured Marcela, Queen of the Wind, a slight woman who resembles an African. Her hypnotic dance left jaws dropped to the floor and women transformed into little girls wishing they were ballerinas. Her body’s movements were vigorous and intense, moving with an energy that rightly matched the African beat that backed her up. This type of dance continued throughout the show, proving that Zumanity’s performers were a talented bunch whose bodies were trained rigorously for the parts they played.

My favorite act featured two gorgeous contortionists gliding through the water of an oversized waterbowl. Their bodies fluidly flowed across each other’s as they performed amazing and difficult backflips, striking physically challenging poses that pushed them to the limits of what their bodies could do. Julia Kolosova is another amazing performer who used hoops as her tools in her act. She swiveled the dozens of silver hoops up and down her small body, controlling them with an intensity that was mind-blowing.

Throughout the rest of the show, the performers pushed their bodies to the limits with insane acrobatics, contortions and dances that reeked of brilliance. The final act is rightly called “Orgy,” featuring the entire cast of performers on the stage. They brought audience members into the fantasy of Zumanity, leading them on stage to blend in with the performers themselves.

While one would expect sex and nudity to be the main draw of a show like Zumanity, the true show-stoppers are the performers themselves, not their nudity. With that much talent on stage, it was difficult to leave the theatre

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