Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria" begins almost imperceptibly. Pastoral sounds of bugs chirping provide the soundtrack as a group of bizarre, almost grotesque characters enter the stage and its vaguely woodland setting. One appeared to be a ringleader, clad in bold red with a hunched back and a nasty attitude. The others appeared to be ancient bird people, bobbling about the curved stage, dusting objects, placing new ones, seemingly covetous of the youthful energy of the random performers that occasionally ran by. What was going on there? Were they freaks? Gods? Woodland nymphs? The entire scene had a strong "Alice in Wonderland" - "Midsummer Night's Dream" vibe. Was the entire night some kind of garden party created by someone's fever dream?

It's impossible to know, and that's not the point anyway. Cirque du Soleil is not about understanding. It is about appreciating the spectacle. And there is plenty of spectacle to behold in "Alegria." After the low-key non-opening, the show finally begins, sliding from act to act featuring jaw-dropping physicality, outrageous costumes, incredible musicality, and an immersive ambiance.

Cirque is essentially a traditional circus given a surreal spin. There are no animal acts, just human ability on display - and the results are literally awe inspiring. From acrobatics to balance acts, singing to dancing, gymnastics, juggling, and more, you will leave the show amazed by what the human body can do.

Certain acts I could have watched all day. Early in the first act the stage transforms to reveal two over-lapping runways made out trampoline-like material, and a squad of what looked to me like lizard people (they were greenish, with scale-like skirts) came out and did jumps, flips, and assorted other gymnastic tricks, each one topping the last. Even when one performer didn't quite nail his explosive multi-rotation flip, he was a consummate showman.

It's also amazing what the Cirque performers can do even without fancy contraptions. One young gentleman came out and performed a nearly 10-minute set, during which he balanced himself with his hands on two tiny wooden blocks suspended by poles. He rotated his body - at times coming nearly parallel to the stage - in a series of twists and turns that showed an incredible amount of control.

While the crowd spontaneously applauded in the middle of most acts, things were largely silent for the duration of the fire-juggling bit. I don't think that was due to a lack of interest - how can you not be impressed by two guys in loincloths rapidly spinning blazing batons, at times even balancing them on their bare feet?! - but rather a fear that any outside stimuli might distract them from their clearly very dangerous work. There were times they set the stage itself ablaze. Incredible.

Going in I was hesitant about the contortionist duo, as the ability to put one's head between one's feet just...doesn't seem right. But the two of them were almost hypnotic as they used one another as bases to perform increasingly complex, intricate, and most importantly lyrical movements that, when you disassociated and realized that you were watching a human being basically touch her ankle to her nose from over her head, really was remarkable.

The show stopper for me was, in fact, the final act of the show: the trapeze troupe. I'll confess that part of the allure may have had to do with the costumes (muscles popping everywhere), but mostly it was the spectacle of seven incredible acrobats performing jaw-dropping flips and launches from the actual ceiling of the Blue Cross Arena, each dismount getting more and more dangerous along the way. Even the construction of their apparatus was cool to watch.

That said, not everything worked. Specifically, the clowns. I'm not a huge fan of clowning to begin with; I find it juvenile. But even the entertaining bits went on entirely too long. I could appreciate the humor of two of the three, but the third clown, who I can only refer to as Sad Clown, nearly brought the entire evening to a halt with his seemingly never-ending bit. I got the story. I could appreciate the showmanship of what he was doing, and I certainly thought the eventual ending note was a really cool crowd moment. But the segment was interminable and, for the majority of it, soul-crushingly dull. I actually found myself mentally preparing a grocery list.

A last note: where was the crowd? I expected the roughly one-third of BCA used for this show to be packed, and I would estimate only 60 percent of the seats were filled. This is a big-deal show, Rochester. We don't get stuff like this very often. Do not allow yourself to miss out on seeing performances and artistry of this caliber.

Cirque du Soleil "Alegria"

Wednesday, September 23-Sunday, September 27

Blue Cross Arena, 100 Exchange Blvd.

Wed Sep 23-Fri 7:30 p.m., Sat 3:30 & 7:30 p.m., Sun 1 & 5 p.m.

$32-$95 | 232-1900, bluecrossarena.com, cirquedusoleil.com