Cirque du Soleil La Nouba The show name La Nouba originates from the French phrase "faire la nouba," which means to party, to live it up. This creation is an unforgettable journey through our universe—at once threatening and exhilarating, frightening and familiar. La Nouba is the story of all stories, the site of all mysteries, where dreams and nightmares sleep side by side. La Nouba is memory, individual and universal. It beckons to us, challenges us to uncover passions we thought we'd lost long ago. Here, anything is possible. La Nouba features two groups of characters. Throughout the show, the magic and fantasy of the colorful Cirques (circus people) clash with the monochromatic world of the Urbains (urbanites). But as in fables, it is not so much this contrast as the interplay between the two groups which sparks our curiosity and feeds our imagination. From this encounter is born fear and ecstasy. From this encounter is born La Nouba.