Rodeo, Cirque are like twin entertainers — well, fraternal, anyway

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 | 2 a.m.

They seem not at all alike, these performers and performances. One is a carnival of dancers, gymnasts and acrobats famously donning sequined Spandex costumes, their faces painted in brightly colored makeup.

The other is Wrangler and Resistol, chaps and spurs, Pendleton whiskey and Dodge pickups — the stuff of a thousand country songs, many of them written and sung by Garth Brooks.

But there are similarities in what Cirque du Soleil and the National Finals Rodeo put on display here in VegasVille. The two forms of entertainment and competition are soaring simultaneously this week, with Cirque — already gripping the Strip with seven resident shows — unrolling “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

And back in town at the Thomas & Mack Center is the National Finals Rodeo, the city’s most dependable sellout show since Elvis performed 837 sold-out concerts at the International and Las Vegas Hilton.

Other than their wide appeal and indisputably positive economic impact on our region, Cirque and the NFR would seem to have little in common. But commonalities abound, which you recognize if you’ve spent (cough) dozens of hours observing each. What Cirque and the NFR share:

• Performers who are pitched airborne (which is a good thing in Cirque, but not always a good thing in rodeo).

• Clowns. In Cirque, they are called “clowns,” but not so in rodeo. There, they are bullfighters. You would trust a bullfighter with your life; you would trust a Cirque clown to mishandle an umbrella and soak a row of spectators.

• Restraints. Bungee cords are favored by Cirque performers; lassos by rodeo contestants. You must learn to operate these tools to perform on either stage.

• Humble beginnings. Both started humbly, displaying their craft before small-but-dazzled audiences.

• Tie-down roping: In rodeo, one of the events is actually called tie-down roping. What happens each night in “Zumanity,” too, can be likened to tie-down roping.

• Resiliency. Performers hit the ground and bounce back instantly … most of the time.

• Physical durability. Cast members and contestants work through injuries and maladies the audience never knows about.

• An affection for varied music styles. Whether in quick bursts or full-scale soundtracks, their spectacles are sometimes played to music of the Beatles, Michael Jackson and Elvis.

• An absence of size restriction. Many of the greatest stars are the smallest people.

• A capacity to have fun. Those who are onstage are known to work hard and play hard, never above a shot of whiskey after the audience files out.

• Fitness. Performers and contestants are typically in incredible physical condition. “Body fat” is a foreign term.

• Inspired leadership. At the top of their respective organizations are two visionaries who believe in Las Vegas fervently, without whom the city would not be hosting any of their shows: Guy Laliberte of Cirque and Shawn Davis of the NFR.

• Universal cultural appeal. The performances can be enjoyed whatever language you speak, even Sign.

• Extraordinary physical prowess. The term, “This is nothing like golf,” applies to both.

• A sense of acquired taste. Those who don’t understand it, often, have never seen it. The more you watch it, the more you get it.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.