A date that hits all the right marks… and doesn’t cost the equivalent of an emerging nation’s GDP.

Dinner is passé - and definitely not advisable for a first-ever face-to-face meeting (if there’s no chemistry, you’re stuck). Movies don’t exactly foster conversation (not until afterwards anyway) and coffee… well, sure, but no one ever sent a breathless email to pals about having coffee.

And don’t even get us started on the potential perils of cocktails which can quickly morph from handy social lubricant to insanely awkward mistake while sending your Visa bill skyrocketing with precious little but a blazing headache to show for it.

Conversely, few things are as consistently thrilling as productions by Quebec’s famed Cirque de Soleil. With its latest venture - the female-centric Amaluna – the company not only upholds the tradition but handily provides would-be paramours with what might be their best night out in eons.

Featuring 50 incredibly fit performers from 15 different countries and filled with the heart-stopping, mind-blowing acrobatics that have made Cirque a sensation the world over, Amaluna (a fusion of the words ama or “mother” and luna or “moon”) is flat-out riveting, and ‘adult’ in the best way possibly (as in smart and sexy, not skeevy).

Here’s the official blurb… and don’t let the frou frou description put you off. This production is rock solid even if the storyline runs distant second to the physical prowess on display.

"Amaluna invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Their queen, Prospera, directs her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony in a rite that honours femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance which marks the passing of these insights and values from one generation to the next.

"In the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a group of young men land on the island, triggering an epic, emotional story of love between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor. But theirs is a love that will be put to the test. The couple must face numerous demanding trials and overcome daunting setbacks before they can achieve mutual trust, faith and harmony."