Cirque Du Soleil Anniversary Collection (1984-2005)
Cirque du Soleil'sAnniversary Collection 1984-2005is a 12-disc retrospective of the Canadian troupe's distinctive brand of performance, involving the fantastic feats of acrobatics and athleticism, balance and contortion; the single-ring techno circus; the multicolored lights and costumes; the abstract story lines of fantasy and self-discovery; the music that fuses rock, New Age, and various world influences; and the madcap clowns that prey on their live audiences.  The programs included areLa Magie Continue(1986);Cirque Reinvente(1989);Nouvelle Experience(1991);Saltimbanco(1994), the 1994 documentary retrospectiveA Baroque Odyssey; the Amsterdam-setQuidam(1999);Allegria(1999), the live Sydney show; the Chinese-influencedDralion(2000), in its standard, non-Superbit release; the relatively short IMAX filmJourney of Man(2002);Varekai(2002), from Toronto;La Nouba(2003), from Walt Disney World; andMidnight Sun, strikingly staged outdoors at the 2004 Montreal International Jazz Festival.That's a lot of aerial feats, tricks, and tumbling, but the set is not designed to absorb in one sitting.  Rather, viewers can sample both the simpler early shows and the stunning later performances that, with their 5.1 sound and widescreen pictures, are perfectly suited to home theaters. Compiling 12 previously released DVDs in space-saving Thinpaks at an economical price, theAnniversary Collectionis nearly all the Cirque du Soleil you could ever want, but completists should note that the set does not include the feature filmAllegria: An Enchanting Fable, the bonus disc ofVarekai, the reality-TV showFires Within, and the 13-part variety seriesSolstrom.--David Horiuchi