Finding the right footwear was a challenge

Julie O’Brien, head of wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal, notes that her department takes care of everything from wigs to costumes to shoes. In the case of Crystal, the footwear includes skates.

In the show, the performers wear figure skates, ice-dance skates and hockey skates. Each artist has three or four costumes, and there are lots of quick changes throughout the show. All costumes come with full-length zips that run from ankle to ankle, which allows the performers to change out of them without taking off their skates.

Shoes were a challenge for the wardrobe department, because they had to be suited to walking on ice. The Cirque produces its own shoes, churning out some 1,200 pairs in its Montreal workshop every year, and they are adapted to each show.

The dilemma was the shoes had to have something metallic on the soles to dig into the ice, but the performers often land on one another’s hands, so they had to come up with something that wouldn’t cause injuries.

“I’ve done shoes before, but it’s very difficult with ice,” said O’Brien, who has worked in the London theatre scene for 20 years. “I really had to think outside the box. It’s completely different. With Cirque, our No. 1 priority is safety. They need to be stable, but we also need the performers not to be stabbed. It was a big challenge to figure out how to do it.”

The performers also have gloves with a piece of Velcro across the palm, and a plastic plate that has crampons attached so that they can put their hands right on the ice and breakdance.

I’ve done shoes before, but it’s very difficult with ice. I really had to think outside the box. It’s completely different. JULIE O’BRIEN, head of wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal