Why I wasn't at Derby Practice last night.

Last night, by some miracle of rockstar bartending and general coolness, my brother-in-law Zach managed to score free tickets AND BACKSTAGE PASSES to Cirque du Soleil "Quidam!" I went with him, so did Mom and Toni and the kids. I didn't take any pictures, it's verboten, but OH MY GOD!
I saw Dralion a couple years ago and was so swept away by it. I knew what was in store for me, but no one else had been to a Cirque performance before. The best part was watching their faces.
Quidam is the darkest of the Cirque shows. It is a sort of Alice in Wonderland story about a little girl who changes her reality and gets sucked into the world of Quidam. The performers were amazing. Acrobatics, clowning, people flying through the air. The music is spooky and unreal. The costumes, well, it's Cirque du Soleil. The costumes are always unearthly and amazing.
After the show, Stephan, the guy who gave Zach the tickets, took us on a backstage tour. He's one of the technicians for the show. He runs all the machinery that hoists and drops the performers. He took us around and showed us how the tents are set up, how the scaffolding is set up, how all the machines work, the computer program that synchronizes everything and the dressing rooms for the performers!
I saw the wardrobe closet, the mask storage, giant skeletal wings, and all the shoes lined up! He took us back, behind the tents and showed us the cast and crew shower trailer, the kitchen and all the generators that create the power for the show.
He explained how the tents are set up, and broken down. Stephan also told us that when this engagement in St. Louis is over, everything will be packed into shipping crates and sent overseas to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a tour that starts in December.
Nothing has ever moved me like watching a live Cirque du Soleil performance. I've been twice now, and I must say, afterwards, you feel like you can fly.