Cirque du Soleil Goes Steampunk

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about circuses in the past couple of years, it’s that it’s no longer enough to trot out some clowns or launch a human cannonball or two and expect the ticket sales to flood in. People don’t want to see mistreated animals and tired routines. Cirque du Soleil helped to move the dial on this quite a bit; they’ve been pushing the circus envelope since the mid-’80s, starting with elaborate productions and very bendable humans, then making their way up to narrative spectacles. Their latest, “Kurios,” is an exotic steampunk affair, complete with their usual mix of precision acrobatics and contortionists, and topped off with an exhilaratingly macabre selection of novelty acts including an invisible circus and a surreal dinner party/balancing act. Take it all in at Lone Star Park (1000 Lone Star Parkway, Grand Prairie) opening at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, with ongoing shows through March 26. Tickets are $25 to $250 at cirquedusoleil.co.