TOTEM Cirque du Soleil

After seeing the Michael Jackson Cirque and Ovo, I was a little hesitant to watch Totem, but a girlfriend of mine had an extra ticket that she couldn’t get rid of. This is where i stepped in.
I’ve seen a handful of shows prior to those two disappointing ones, including the ones in Vegas and they’ve all been fairly spectacular and Totem did not disappoint.
What’s great about the Bay Area cirque shows is that you can pretty much sit anywhere in the tent and have a good view (unless you’re sitting behind a pole or a super tall person)
Great music and great performances as always and if you don’t feel like walking to your car, there’s always the guys who ride the bicycles to pick you up. Parking is kind of pricey so I wouldn’t recommend driving there.

This review was for our visit on 3÷10÷2012, and unlike the other reviewers my review is based on my personal preference from past shows.
Totem was not the best show I’ve seen from Cirque du Soleil. I had seen Varekai years ago and the elements of the show was much more whimsical.
To be honest mainly I felt that theme of Totem was not at all interesting, the evolution of mankind included acts from foot juggling duo’s, hoop dancers, unicyclists which is nothing I have not seen before from previous Cirque du Soleil shows.
The main thing that disappointed me was the unattractive costumes (ugly frogs and earthy brown costumes… I like colors!) I paid extra moolah to sit in the front dead center of the show and was disappointed.
Long lines at the restroom stalls and expensive merchandise items available everywhere you go during the intermission. I’d suggest arriving early to grab parking without paying but hey we were running late so $ 10 was not a big deal to keep your car safe.
Overall, I’d watch their shows again but to be safe from now on I reserach first to read about the story-​line/​theme before purchasing my tickets :)
P. S. Amaluna is playing in SJ from Jan. 22 and runs through March 2, very excited about this particular show after reading reviews online. I’ll be there!

This would have been a way better show if I wasn’t sitting right behind a giant pole the whole night. We particularly saw this one in San Jose when Totem was traveling through. They set up and built a mini circus area with cute little tents! The set itself was beautiful, and even walking into the bar/​snacks/​merchandise area looked very pretty as well. There was also so much going on throughout the show, your head is turning left and right, which was how I managed to still get a grasp of what was going on behind the pole. Overall, I had a great time and was very pleased. A Cirque du Soleil show will never disappoint!

As a very pleasant surprise, my boyfriend decided to buy us tickets to my first-​ever Cirque du Soleil show under the big top in San Jose. To top it all off, we sat in the third row, dead center.
I was completely mesmerized the entire time. All of the sounds, lights, and acrobatics had me captivated during each minute of the show. My favorite parts were the aerial stunts. I don’t want to give the story away since it’s definitely worth watching, but just know that the aerials were amazing!
There was also a brief intermission in the show, so we were able to fill up our snacks and drinks. The time passes so quickly during a Cirque show and it’s really unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
Needless to say, my very first Cirque experience was amazing and one that I will never forget. It has been followed by many other Cirque shows. :)

So I’ve only been to two other Cirque show before seeing Totem (Kazoo and Ovo) and this was my most favorite out of the three, so far. I won’t bore you with the details or recap the show. I love it when Cirque comes to town because all the shows under Le Grand Chapiteau have such an intimate feel to it, and nearly every seat in the house is a GREAT seat (unless you’re behind a pole of course– make sure you check out the seating chart when booking).
Tips:
— Bring cash for parking.
— Check out sites like Travelzoo or Goldstar for deals on discounted tickets (usually on shows on a weekday)

Came in with low expectations given this was our 3^rd Cirque and the last show we seen was O @ Bellagio (the water stage is incredible). Wasn’t to sure how Totem (under the tent and all) would top that? Well it didn’t but by the end of the night both Mrs G and I were pleasantly surprised.
While Totem is more «juggling» acts. The acts still have world class talent. I recognized the «Chinese plate balancing on a unicycle girls» from the GS Warriors halftime show. Mrs G liked the Latino roller bladers. The Warriors team doesn’t have world class talent like this.
Our tickets were $ 80 each (middle depth and to the right of the stage). If I spend $ 80 at a Warriors game, I get to sit in the lower section and cheer a crappy bball team that’ll end up losing at the end of the night.
Notes —
I’d recommend facing the stage head on for the best view. The show lasted about 2 and half hours and there was easy and convenient parking lots a block away ($ 10). Come as you are.
Pics from their website.
Pretty cool — from Mongolia? (
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Chinese jugglers (
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Dizzy? (
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These guys were cool (
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Came here for my belated bday present, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Surprisingly, for Totem, there were some comedy skits, allowing performers to transition to different scenes. I did enjoy these funny, non acrobatic scenes, but I personally felt like they dragged on too long.
Regardless, I really enjoyed the «beach boys.» They were in tip top shape! All 3 boys had 6 packs – so event 8 packs!
A few of the acts were new, but a good portion of them were repetitive (like the AWESOME Asian girls with the teacup act). Don’t get me wrong, they were amazing, but it would be nice to see an entire new act.
The «Native American» acts were interesting, but not my favorite.
This is my second time attending a «tent» show, and I would highly suggest waiting for Deals on travelzoo or other websites. You would feel much happier when you know you received a great deal :).

I have seen every single Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas and every single one that made it to SF and South Bay in the past 7 years. The only thing I can say is that Cirque Du Soleil doesn’t stop surprising me. Totem is definitely not the best one of their shows, but it is pretty good one. My 7-​year-​old liked it a lot. I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Great stunts and tricks!

Eh. Many parts were boring. This it the third Cirque show I have been to, and it was my least favorite. The theme didn’t make sense, and honestly, half the acts were boring.
The acrobatic pieces were good, especially the one with the two lovers on the trapeze. Also, the ladies on the uni-​cycles was fun. But, nothing was a WOW moment.
Definitely not worth the money. In fact, a friend of mine left early.

The first Cirque du Soleil experience was in Las Vegas, Mystere. I was blown away. I vowed, from that moment on, to watch every Cirque du Soleil show when it is in town (San Jose or San Francisco –preferably San Jose). Sure enough, months before they were actually in town, I purchase 2 tickets to the TOTEM. Perfect timing too, this time around I brought a date for his birthday.
It was my first tent circus show so that itself was pretty exciting. For him, it was his first Cirque du Soleil show. I remember him mentioning that he never saw a Cirque show and always wanted to. Perfect! You just made my life very easy. Bam! 2 Tickets in the 3 from the front row.
Upon entering the main area of the tent with gifts and foods, I was already loving the scenery. We dropped by a few areas where they were selling gifts, accessories, tourist stuffs and all. Given the fact that I wasn’t crazy about spending $ 100 on a very cool top, I just glanced at it and imagine how sexy I would look in it… then walk away. =]
I bought the Boyfriend a booklet with costume and performers details written in it. «Sold,» I said to him.
Then we headed to our seat. At this time, I felt a little silly because I forgot how close the seats that I bought were. When we sat right in front, I was like, «wow.» «Good job, Boo,» he said to me. He sat there in awe while I sat there admiring the colors, lighting and at the same time looking for a random character to walk amongst the crowd to get them going. «You’re such an awesome girlfriend,» said he. I gave him a peck and started to chat about the colors and lighting and peoples. (So I guess you can say, this is an awesome birthday present)
As I predicted, here come a few characters from the show worked their way through a crowd and started to have crowd (unexpected) participation. It was awesome, I heard the Boyfriend laugh.
From the very first act to the very last, everything was breathtaking. My eyes notice 2 small mistakes, but they bounced right back to their act which was fantastic.
The costumes were beautiful and extremely detailed. I notice the make up exaggerated their features which makes them very animated and cute. I guess you need to do that so that the crowd could see your expression from affar. Their strength, control and fitness is admirable. They make everything seem so easy, and you know that it is so incredibly hard.
The Boyfriend and I especially love the clowns. Never thought a clown can make me laugh, but these did.
Overall, it is a show you must see. Although I Mystere is my favorite, TOTEM receive the same respect and applaud for their breathtaking acts, costumes, coordination, dedication and their drive to do this for a whole month straight. and travel to another city, state, country and do it all over again.

This was a fantastic show. I think I liked last year’s Ovo a teeny bit better but I think only because the costumes were SO gorgeously colorful and they had the bouncey routine :)
But this show is definitely fantastic and very much worth seeing. I must admit I am not entirely clear on the premise (I thought it was different than what I thought it was about… if that makes sense!) but the costumes and sequences were all fantastic. I cringed several times because I thought for sure someone was getting worked! But nope — all safe and sound and unbelievable! The roller skating Native American themed act stressed me out! But all of the performers were GREAT.
We had front row center seats but looking around during intermission, I doubt there is a bad seat in the house. They do a good job with that.
I am now convinced that the show I saw years ago that turned me completely off to Cirque du Soleil was an anomaly (Mystere) as I have enjoyed every one since, once I got over that and was able to drag my husband back to them. :)
I personally think the location is good. It’s basically right off the freeway so no navigating downtown San Jose. And the parking was also very easy — plenty of lots and cheap (for bay area event parking $ 10.)

WOW. As most people who write about Cirque this is not our first and definitely not our last. We’ve been to a handful of shows and this one now ranks in the #2 slot.
We were fortunately to take the plunge on the Tapis Rouge package which gave us front row seats and access to the VIP marquee.
We were somewhat apprehensive about what we got but I did want to treat my wife to a good seat so the rest sort of came along for the ride. My underestimation, the initial venture into the marquee with shrimp shooters, Tai chicken with candy floss and a man serving prime rib sandwiches through a picture frame just sets you up for an unforgettable experience.
The show was fantastic, the monocycles, the business men and the dating ritual on the trapeze were my favorites.
One alarming thing happened where one of the guys holding a bendy pole while catapulting performers into the arm suddenly dropped to the floor right in front of us.
They stopped the show, had scores of medical staff on the scene in seconds and nursed the guy over a 5 minute tense period to his feet followed by a standing ovation from the crowd and they resumed for the finale.
If you haven’t seen this one I suggest you book, if you wondered if the Tapis Rouge was worth it, I can assure you it was.
My wife was like a kid in a candy store, she kept telling me this was her best birthday ever and it wasn’t even hers, it was mine

I have always been hesitant in whether or not I wanted to go to Cirque Du Soleil Shows that were touring other than the ones in Vegas. The last one that I went to was Ovo, and it really didn’t deliver to the point where I dozzed off for a bit here and there. My friends decided to go to Totem this time around for a girls’ night out and I said «wtheck, I’ll go.» It was cheap thanks to Travelzoo deals. Thankfully, it was definitely better than Ovo!
The show was 2.5 hours with a 30 minutes intermission. You would think the 30 minutes intermission is a bit long but it is a good amount of time to fool around and take pictures under le grand chapiteau.
I really enjoyed the acts with the chinese girls on unicycles, and the men on the poles. The costumes were interesting and totally went well with the theme of the show and special effects. The first half of the show was definitely better than the 2^nd half. From my experience in the past, I wish that they keep it as good as the 2^nd half. Don’t die down on us just because it is almost the end!!!
Recommended if you have never been to a Cirque Du Soleil show since it is local and it is definitely not as expensive as the ones in Vegas.

I loooooooooooooove Cirque Du Soleil and I definitely was not disappointed with Totem. I found Totem to be one of the most family-​friendly shows but it did not disappoint for the older generation.
We headed to the tent under the bridge on Wednesday night with my brother and his gf, and 2 of our friends. It was a first for a few of them (who may have seen the Vegas shows, but never the travelling Cirque) and I’m glad that they started with this one. Like I said, I’ve never seen a BAD show, but there are some that are better than others.
Without revealing too many details, I LOVED the stage that was set. Their ability to make the stage look like a gushing volcano, a river, etc – amazing! My favorite act had to be the ladies on the unicycles, just because of the precision and skill that they must have involved.
As far as the overall experience, the show was amazing. I was a little less amazed by the annoying people behind us (one lady actually had the nerve to ask my brother’s gf to switch seats with someone because «she [my bro’s gf] is too tall»… WTF who does that?!?) but I refused to let them take away from my experience. The bathrooms were better than I remembered, and I have to say – they were very clean! I did not get the «portapotty» feeling at all! The food was cheap (for buying food at a show, that is) and I was able to get 2 hot dogs, 2 drinks, and a large popcorn for $ 23. Considering I’ll probably pay $ 30+ for the same food at the Warrior game tonight, I think that’s a steal!

If you’ve seen a cirque du soleil show in Vegas, you know that performaces are amazingly awesome. For a traveling show, totem is still mind blowing. I had many «ooh, ahh» moments and tons of «wows». YOu have got to see a cirque du soleil show and if you can you have got to check this (totem) out. Crazy acrobatics, a tentful of insanity, and filled with fun. Gist of story is evolution from monkeys to cavemans to the present day business man to spacemen… pretty cool but Dont want to spoil your experience with too much info…
One thing tho: i highly recommend to get the Tapis rouge experience! My beloved and I went a la Tapis Rouge… and oh em gee!!! I felt spoiled — tix include vip parking literally across the street (names got to be on the list to get it) — 1hour before showtime, and during the ½hr intermission, tapis rouge members are welcomed into an exclusive tent where the complimentar drinks pour freely, food is plentiful, the temperature is warm and cozy, the decoration is crazy pretty, tons of seating and little tables… the whole ambiance is off the hook. OH, and youre pretty much guaranteed seats with front stage viewing (not the sides)…also, I felt like the staff were top quality (i would compare to Four Seasons, only they dont address you by name hehe). Trust me, tapis rouge is worth the extra $$$.
ON our drive home, boo & i agreed, we’ll always do the tapis rouge from here on out… (didnt have to pay for parking which is further away, didnt have to buy any food or drink, didnt have to be cold, didnt have to wait in a absurdly long line to bathrooms, didnt have to find a secret spot to smoke as there was a dedicated v. decked out section for us that do, didnt have to fight the crowds at the end to exit etc)
=) SO HAPPY WITH MY CIRQUE TOTEM EXPERIENCE NOW YOU TOO SHOULD GO… GET YOUR HAPPY ON!!!
(i cant wait for future traveling shows)

Totem was a truly amazing show. The stage itself was a work of art and engineering genius. The lighting, perfection. I cannot believe they made the stage look like water. Freaking nuts! And the moving bridge that became a speedboat, a pathway, a doorway to the imagination. Wow!
I loved the humor aspect of the cheezy Italian guy. He did a fabulous job! There were moments though when it was a little much. And the story line didn’t really follow a line so much as a spiral or zig zag. Still, jaw dropping acts and amazingly beautiful performances throughout.
I would say, hands down, the first half was far better than the second. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t into the juggling funnel act and it seemed like there was more acting and talking than acrobatics and stunning performances in the second half.
The process of getting in and out is smooth. As is the getting food/​drinks and bathrooms. I will warn though, the lines for the bathrooms during intermission are long. It’s moves pretty well.
Overall, an amazing show. Far better than others I’ve seen. I would highly recommend this show if you’ve never seen a Cirque Du Soleil before. It’s worth it. Oh yes!

Throughout the show I kept a proper, fervent yet subdued look on my face. It was after all, a lovely evening for a date night with the huzbeau and rare are the nights I get to slow down and be a lady instead of my routinely crazy-​busy-​mom grind. But these are the real thoughts that ran through my head as we witnessed Totem’s display of amazing athleticism, haunting music and bewildering props and stage effects:
— Whaaaat the EFF?!
— Oh no she didn’t!
— That is so EFFIN’ awesome!
— Oh Hell NAW!
— OMG, s/he’s gonna effin’ fall and die in front of all these childrens!
— THAT. Sh*T. CRAY.
…and many more that are much more difficult to PG-​13nate, but you get my drift. We have seen many a Cirque show and this one did not disappoint and had all the elements for a captive audience. The stage kept morphing. Bodies twisted and contorted where you can’t tell where one ends and the other one begins. Crazy stunts, beautiful costumes, wildly creative use of light and projection kept me engaged the whole time. Just when I thought the last act was the highlight of the show, another crazy one came next and knocked my socks off.
Some other notes to help plan a nice evening out:
— parking is across the street, $ 10
— attire is casual, and nice an cozy inside despite the tent venue.
— popcorn, candy, soda and alcoholic beverages available at the usual crazy prices and CC’s are taken (and like the other Unilocalers say its a good idea to get a bite and booze before the show)
— plenty of lit and decent port-​o-​potties, also sinks with soap & running water
— there is a 30 minute intermission
Compared to the the grand Cirque shows you see in large theatres in LV like «O» and «Ka» where the stage is huge and you can easily launch a real space rocket for the wow factor, I realize that the creators of the traveling Cirque shows must dig a lot more deeper to develop a fantastic show in a small, limited space. and it was a fantastic show indeed. Small venue also means most seats will be great no matter where you end up. I can readily call this one my favorite. We’d easily consider bringing the kids and pay our own way for a second round (Thanks for the preview tix, Unilocal!).
Don’t miss them while they are in town!

I had wanted to see Totem and being able to watch it before it opened to the SJ public was totally awesome! Thanks to Unilocal for their special Elite event, I RSVP’ed and received tickets for me and a +1.
Our seats were in Section 101, Row F, which are among the front seats and we got the best view of the show! Being that this was not the official open night, the place was not crowded, but was filled up with a pretty good size crowd. I looked around and the whole tent was not huge like a stadium, so I can see that even the back seats can get a pretty good view of the show. Therefore do not get discouraged if you can only get seats on level 2 or 3 as I can assure you, you will totally enjoy the show no matter where you sit.
Now to the main point: I would give 10 stars to this world-​class production and performance if Unilocal allows! Seriously, some of their crew members are like Olympic athletes and the acrobat was just amazing. The stage was beautifully designed and set up based on the story line about the human race evolution, and the costume, music and choreography was just stunning. With that main theme, the show was borken down into segments, each one performed by a crew of talented athletes pushing the limit of what human body can do. There was gymnastic (bar routine, somersault, you name it), dancing mid air (special equipement required), native Indian dance, skating, pole-​balaning, mono-​wheel biking, and all sorts of stunts. I wish I could describe better each segment but words simply are not enough to do the job. Plus cameras and videos are not allowed during the show, so you’ll just have to go see it yourself! The show finished about 10:15 pm with a 30-​minute intermission. I did not realize the show ran for at least 2 hours as there was not a dull moment and the time just flew by fast!
We got there around 6:30 pm while the show started at 7:30pm. There was not any restaurant/​eateries within walking distance so we just went in and got hot dogs inside for dinner. They also sell soft pretzels, Doritos, juice, water and there is a small bar selling alcohol. You might want to eat dinner first before you go there. The designated parking lot is only one small block down and is $ 10 for the night. We got there early so we park at the metered parking by the road and it was free after 6pm. I was also surprised at how nice the bathrooms are. There are flushable toilets inside each of the mobile bathroom and there is water outside to wash your hands too!
Thanks Unilocal again for such a rare treat and my friend and I were totally thrilled last night and had a great time! If you haven’t seen the show, go get the tickets as I am sure they will be selling out fast! Such a high caliber performance is definitely worth every dollor you pay!

I went to see Cirque Du Soleil Totem during their dress rehearsal Thurs 3÷1÷12. It’s in a parking lot in giant yellow & blue tents. It’s across the street from the SJ Police Station, & there’s some metered parking that’s FREE after 6pm. Closest light rail is Civic Center about 2 short blocks away or so.
FREE photo taken sponsored by Infiniti. Get a photo code & wait 24hrs to see it.
My showtime was 7:30pm and it’s a 2.5hr show with a 30 min Intermission. Our seats were pretty good: Door 3, Section 103, Row BB, Seat 9 & 10, 2 rows from the front. Of course I get a big guy in front of me, so had to move left & right of him to see. Bring your own snacks & water bottle cuz they only have like popcorn, chips, & drinks at high prices. I recommend eating dinner Before going to the show.
They got people dressed up as frogs during circus stunts, men climbing poles, acrobats all over the place jumping, etc. I found it mildly entertaining, my friend loved it.
Bathrooms: Lots of port-​a-​potty with flushed toilets, troughs outside for hand washing & there’s soap, paper towels until they run out.
Programs: $ 15 if you want a souvenir, CDs — not sure cost, cups, etc. I didn’t buy anything.

NOTE: this show starts in San Jose on March 2, 2012. I’ve seen it in December in San Francisco!
Cirque du Soleil has two types of shows:
1. permanent (all Las Vegas shows)
2. travelling
I personally think that good Cirque shows have two main components– an interesting story and great acrobatics (Cirque costumes deserve a category of its own). By these standards, Ka in Las Vegas is the best show in Las Vegas that I have seen. Totem was by far the best traveling show I’ve seen– I’m comparing it to Kooza and Ovo which were both in the Bay Area a while ago. Ovo can be summarized as a show that had practically no story and a lot of insects dancing with 2 – 3 acrobatic acts (it was great for kids, not so good for adults).
Totem takes the audience on a journey of human evolution that starts with a spark igniting the circle of life and ends with our travel to space. The acrobatics (separated by acts) are AMAZING:
If you want to get a unique gift for family and friends, tickets for this show are a great option.