PHOTOS: BRC Imagination Arts

Limited by a small physical footprint, the European Union (EU) had a big challenge nevertheless: sell European attendees on the idea that the government entity can help bring the EU's often-fractious 500 million members together for the common good. Attendees lining up for the presentation first encounter family photographs and mementos of the "The Golden Ear's" two main characters, Sylvia and Alex, chronicling them through the years. The Instagram-like look into their lives is followed by a visit to the preshow room modeled after Sylvia's modern apartment and Alex's traditional farm house, where LCD screens set in picture frames and projection-mapped walls chart the star-crossed couple's early lives and conflicts. The story fully unfolds in an auditorium where a 4-K animated film and a variety of 4-D effects – including wafting scents, misty rain, and vibrating floors – bring the story of enmity that ends in amour to profound life.

photos: 45 Degrees

Invited by Expo 2015 organizers to create a unique show dedicated to the culture of food, Cirque du Soleil's special events company, 45 Degrees, crafted Allavita! ("To Life!"), brimming with a melange of awe-inspiring acrobatics and show-stopping costumes to convey the deep union between food and life. The show begins with actors handing out seeds to the audience, then shifts from the seats to the stage, where Leonardo, a teenage boy, is gifted with a magical seed of wheat by his grandmother. From the seed sprouts Farro, an imaginary friend, who guides Leonardo on a journey of courage and hope – as well as trampolines, bungee cords, and giant puppets. Held in Expo 2015's Open Air Theatre, each show required 47 players employing 500 costume items to create 175 different looks during the 60-minute performance. Their artistry was crowned at each of the show's 80 performances with Luciano Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma," from the Puccini opera "Turandot," whose melody streaked across the sky like a meteor.