Visitors and residents alike say there is no place on earth like the surreal, picturesque landscapes of Mexican deserts - a land of extremes that’s been the stage of countless journeys of initiation and experimentation for countless generations. As such the desert is a route of escape, transcendence, and exploration – living proof that thirst comes in many forms. With cacti silhouetted against the setting sun, two young women dance on stage in large majestic hoops as in a dream. Rolling among the quiotes (Agave plants), they are soon joined by a trapeze artist who performs a series of original figures, sometimes hanging only by one heel. The performance culminates in the rain.

Like a mirage, two young women (Rachel Salzman and Angelica Bongiovonni) materialize on stage and dance with majestic rings among the living, breathing cacti and quiotes, the trunk-like stalks of the maguey plant that adorn the stage.

They are later joined in the air by a trapeze artist (either Enya White or Emily Tucker) who takes flight above in the soothing rain – the first time we’ve experienced the magnificent rain curtain (keep an eye out for the Running Girl, who comes out to summon the rain) – and the image the scene evokes is nothing short of spectacular. Brava! The element of water enabled the creators to take the Cyr Wheel out of its usual context. Two artists perform on the apparatus on water and in the rain, which is, at first glance, unthinkable. In order to solve the adhesion issue, a bicycle tire was mounted on the wheel rim.

Our journeyman returns to us after, riding through the countryside on a bicicleta, huffing, puffing, and in need of a drink of water. But when he stops to take a swig from his canteen, he finds it’s just as empty as before. But that doesn’t dissuade him from exploring his surroundings; rather, when he finds a huge ball nearby he decides to have some fun with it (and the audience) by setting up a make-shift game. He tosses the ball into the audience and away it goes. Meanwhile, on stage, the trees are now gone (removed as the stage rotated around to give the impression our clown was riding through the countryside), and specialized equipment has been brought out to dry the surface. But don’t pay any attention to that... play the game!