Mystic Showroom to Present VIVA NOEL – A HOLIDAY CIRQUE!, 11/29-12/15

Viva Noel - A Holiday Cirque! will debut at Mystic Lake with matinee and evening performances in the Mystic Showroom November 29 through December 15. The new show's theme celebrates passion, imagination and the holiday spirit.

Pushing the boundaries of imagination, Viva Noel - A Holiday Cirque! features aerial performers, interactive jugglers, rapping carolers, high-energy dancing and soul-stirring vocalists. Showcasing the talents of acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists, hand balancers and daredevils, the show is a surreal voyage into the imagination of a whimsical elf named Elfie who crash-lands inside the Mystic Showroom. After wandering about the room, our elf takes the audience on an exciting and surreal holiday journey.

Conceived and directed by Fernando Quevedo, the show highlights his talents as a performer, music composer, writer and choreographer in this one-of-a-kind production created specifically for Mystic Lake. "The show is a holiday spectacle seen through the prism of a cirque-style show. We use the arts of the modern circus: aerialists, hand balancers, juggler, acrobats, highwire artists, etc., and we frame them inside a Christmas story which allows us to present a totally unique show," says Quevedo. "When you see a woman balancing on the shoulders of man who is fifty feet up in the air and balancing himself on a one-inch wire, or an aerialist using her body to fly through the air, you know that you are watching something that is truly happening in front of you," adds Fernando. "This is something totally amazing that you can't see just anywhere."

Music also plays a large part in the show. "Rather than play the same songs that you hear in the car, the office, the supermarket and the mall, we decided to re-imagine some of the holiday music. The result: a fresh soundtrack that is both nostalgic and contemporary," says Quevedo. "After all, Minnesota is the land of Prince and Bob Dylan. Playing back a bunch of Christmas tracks seems, well . . . wrong. So we started looking into the music of the holidays and seeing what people liked about it. I also started thinking about mixing or [mashing up] a holiday classic with a classic pop song. Audiences get a kick out of it!"

Tickets to see matinee and evening performances of Viva Noel - A Holiday Cirque! Friday, November 29, through Sunday, December 15, in the Mystic Showroom are available for $28 and $36. Contact the Mystic Box Office at 952-445-9000 or visit mysticlake.com for details.