“…[T]en thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert – in anything.” Daniel Levitin

* I had the incredible honor of having Arthur (an Outlier in his field) fact check this article.  Since his comments meant so much to me I left them in blue, so you could gain more of his perspective, too!

The creativity of Cirque du Soleil is impossible to commit to paper.  It defies description.

Couple that with attending a Cirque evening with the most creative person I’ve ever known, my nephew, Arthur Davis III, and I could write a book about it.

Arthur was inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame last year (as his Aunt I’m entitled to brag a little) .  I’ve included a clip from America’s Got Talent where he performed with his partner, Shenea.  Their skill level is unparalleled in the acrogymnast’s world.

We joined Arthur at a Cirque premier and crawled into his head for a bird’s eye view of what HE was thinking while watching the show.  He has worked with Cirque in the past and is currently moving into the arena of choreography and artistic direction.

My dear friend peppered him with multiple questions.  He loved the fact that she showed an unbridled interest in his perspective and he willingly educated us on the art of the performance.

He explained which acts were most difficult and why.  For example, the unicyclist who not only held a trusting partner on his shoulders (who weighed at least 100 pounds) as he pedaled in circles.  While cycling he began to twirl her around and around his body as if she were a limp noodle.  The act is extremely difficult, much more so than it looks.  It is the job of a good creative director to choose acts that ‘wow’ the audience, and entertain them.  This act was an interesting  choice, because it is very difficult, but does not leave the audience with this appreciation.*

Arthur went through the years of training and the dedication to their art that the performers endure to stay at the top of their game.  One girl who laid on the floor, put her legs over her head and proceeded to walk them around her entire body.  Arthur had worked with her during a show when she was no more than 12 years old—ten years ago.  I didn’t think her act was humanly possible!

He pointed out the different countries the cast members came from:  Russia, China, Canada, to name a few.  Their backgrounds included the circus, gymnasts, comedians, magicians, clowns and actors.

As a choreographer, the transitioning between acts was of unique interest to him.  He made this comment during intermission, and I looked at the second half of the show with a different perspective on where the directors chose to center your focus.  For example, you are watching an “unwilling” participant being pulled from the audience while the next act is being set up.

He talked about how difficult life on the road of a traveling show is.  There is constant change … never having the luxury of having permanent home, as the show moves locations every three months).

A friend queried about how often people were hurt.   Arthur explained that following a series of accidents across the board in different Cirque shows, the audience complaints of being scared and worried were rumored to have added to the implementation of the safety net on the tightrope act.

The Wheel of Death Act is one of the most electrifying acts, as it does the job of completely wowing the audience by actually seeming harder than it  is.  Not that it is easy or without risk, by any means. This is one of my favorite acts, because it is so effective in it’s entertainment value and creation of disbelief.

It comes near the end of the show and there are times when you are literally holding your breath while you watch these two guys go in circles on gigantic wheels.

The palms of my hands were wet throughout this act.  At one point I grabbed the friend beside me, thinking that the actor on top was stumbling and about to fall to his death!  While it is a little on the dark side, here’s a video of that act.

The evening reminded me of the book “Outliers:  The Story of Success” where Malcom Gladwell studied the successful people in all walks of life.  He defines outlier as “A place that lay outside everyday experience, where normal rules did not apply.”

This was truly one of those experiences.  It taught me to sit back, relax and enjoy the creative experience as viewed through an Outlier’s eyes.

How often have you taken the opportunity to look at the world through someone else’s perspective?  What has it taught you?  I’d love to hear one of your experiences of “crawling into someone’s head” and the insight you gleaned from it.  Please share your experience in the comment section below.

To Our Massive Success,

Dar