Amazing.

That’s the word I used over and over again as I watched my first Cirque du Soleil this past week. I saw Amaluna with my daughter, my son’s girlfriend and my friend the balloon guy. My son couldn’t make it because he had mid terms.

Amaluna is playing now through October 20th at the Mall of America. Click here for showtimes and ticket information.

My daughter is 10 and she loved it. My son’s girlfriend is in her early 20s and she loved it. I’m in the northern 40s and I loved and my friend the balloon guy is in his 50s and he loved it.

I think it’s safe to say that this show can be enjoyed by all ages.

The show in a nutshell:

Amaluna (ama is “Mother”, luna is “moon”) invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Their queen, Prospera, directs her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony in a rite that honours femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance which marks the passing of these insights and values from one generation to the next.

In the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a group of young men lands on the island, triggering an epic, emotional story of love between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor. But theirs is a love that will be put to the test. The couple must face numerous demanding trials and overcome daunting setbacks before they can achieve mutual trust, faith and harmony.

Your typical love story with lizards and Amazons all told while flying through the air on the flying trapeze or three.

There are several acts to this modern day rock opera and I don’t want to give any of it away. One of the best things about this show was how the amazing talent just sneaks up on you.

If you go you’ll catch yourself holding your breath repeatedly.

You might also find yourself experiencing a little sympathetic pain as the performers twist and bend and make their bodies do things that most of us can’t do.

It was almost distracting — how flexible and strong these people were. The younger ones in my group weren’t think it but the balloon guy and I were both feeling a little out of shape while watching this performance.

I’m not sure if this was on purpose (because we saw the show in Minnesota) or if it was due to my own bias (being a Minnesotan) but the show felt as if it had a strong influence from our own Prince. The musical performances sounded like they could have been lifted from 1999 and the musicians were even dressed in the infamous long purple coat made so famous by Prince. Even the hairstyles of the all female orchestra reminded me of Prince and The Revolution, so much that I wondered if they weren’t Wendy and Lisa.

Even one of the clowns had a distinctive scandahoovian accent.

It was an absolutely amazing event. If you’d like to attend the October 18th performance of Amaluna at the Mall of America please say so in the comment section. I have 4 tickets to give away for the 8 o’clock performance of Amaluna on Oct. 18th. For an additional chance to win you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and like the fan page for my up coming book Minnesota Nice.