A scene from Le Noir.
Soaring, skillful, seductive, sensory, spectacle. There are many words to describe Le Noir, but just one to sum it up: sensational.
You don't see this production, you exerience it, in every possible sense.
Performers dip in and out of the crowd, brushing by in a blur of fringing, fishnets, lace and leather.
As the show descends deeper into darkness, acts become increasingly daring and the air more electric.
Audience members sit, eyes glazed and fixated, hands cupped to mouths, stifling collective gasps. It's all part of the plan to shock and awe.
Neil Dorward's choreography hints strongly at The Dark Side of Cirque, but the storyline is helped along by some clever costuming.
The cast move through distinct stages - donning pure white, then racy red before emerging in a sea of black.
There's no trickery here, no cut corners, just raw talent. Talent which defies gravity and pushes boundaries of physicality to new limits.
Saucy showgirls fanning feathers and muscled men in slacks add a slightly superficial element but exist only as a dazzling screen to the main attraction.
Picture a single suspended hoop rising through the air as a petite blonde writhes from one breath to the next.
A shirtless man spins at a dizzying pace inside a 1.5m hoop.
Two men twist and mould their bodies together like puzzle pieces in a show of pure strength, and Lycra clad daredevils revel in death defying leaps on a double ended contraption dubbed 'the wheel of death'.
There are many more noteworthy moments ,from a breakneck speed skating segment, to sky high acrobatics and spinning shapes.
There's even a smattering of comedy thrown in for good measure, instigated by an excitable clown with a questionable French accent.
However, the easiest laughs come at the expense of four unwitting male audience members shunted like startled deer into the stage.
In a test of co-ordination most fail, but blokey confidence prevails with humourous results.
While the odd heavy handed expression of sensuality feels a little forced, any inauthenticity is completely overshadowed by the impressive show of athleticism.
These guys are ultimate professionals, they know exactly how to make the impossible look easy.
If it weren't for their absolute precision and attention to detail it wouldn't be half the show.
Le Noir is captivating, clever, cleanly choreographed, and an absolute crowd pleaser.
What: Le Noir
Where and when: The Civic, Auckland, until November 8
The director donned gumboots and a Russell Crowe T-shirt to get the festivities started.