‘Matsuri’: These acrobatics to be enjoyed, not pondered

Leila Navidi

“Matsuri,” a Japanese import being featured in the Imperial Palace showroom, is a high-energy collection of stunts performed by 18 dancer-athletes. It has no dialogue, plot or message, but that’s the point. “Matsuri,” which means “festival” or “holiday” in Japanese, previously played the Riviera and Sahara, albeit with more performers.

By Joe Brown (contact)

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

There seems to be only one word uttered throughout “Matsuri,” and that’s the title itself.

The whole show, in fact, can easily be boiled down to a single word.

It’s very ... bouncy.

A Japanese import that has played the Riviera and the Sahara, “Matsuri” combines many of the acrobatic stunts you’ll find in other Strip shows, and offers them without words, message or story line, just a swift succession of entertaining antics presented with an astonishing abundance of energy.

Shouting and stomping, the performers frequently race through the aisles and around the banquettes — it’s as if a convention of anime cheerleaders suddenly commandeered the showroom at the Imperial Palace.

The troupe has been scaled down for this visit from 33 to 18 dancer-athletes, but they are in such constant ricocheting motion it seems there must be more of them.

The performers career from vaulting headstands to springboard leapfrogs, from a karate tango to a ballet with giant silver Hula-Hoops. There’s a very well done “weightless” act involving black light, lots of intricate foot drumming, hand clapping and stomping, and it all concludes, most impressively, with a human jump-rope.

The acts are linked by a diminutive female clown who cutely waddles and prances like a blond baby chick, then astonishes with an uncountable series of back springs and cartwheels.

The stunts are uniformly first-rate, but garnished as they are with grinning and fist-pumping, the overall effect is kind of kooky. The only irritation is the loud, relentless, prerecorded soundtrack that sounds as if it was composed on a slot machine.

“Matsuri,” by the way, is the Japanese word for festival or holiday — it’s certainly a cheerful and invigorating vacation from thinking.

I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying “Matsuri,” and children, in particular, will surely never forget some of these elegantly simple images, although they probably shouldn’t try them at home.