Getting into the swing of things
HE concentration is palpable. Two men sprint towards a seesaw and hurl themselves at its upward end, launching a woman into the air like a rocket.
She spins, twirls, and comes to rest in the arms of an acrobat – three metres above the ground, upside down and doing the splits.
It’s just another day at the circus.
But Cirque du Soleil isn’t just any old circus. From humble beginnings as the brainchild of two Quebec street performers, the company is now one of the largest theatrical producers in the world and has eight different shows on around the world.
That includes Auckland, where KOOZA has landed with its team of 121 people from 23 countries. The youngest is a 21-year-old tightrope walker from Colombia and the oldest a 69-year-old chair stacking coach from China.
Cirque du Soleil publicist Fredric Lapierre is as animated in real life as some of the performers are on stage, and says they’ve had to prepare themselves for a more reserved audience Down Under.
‘‘In South Korea, the crowds were so excited they were almost tearing their hair out,’’ Lapierre says.
‘‘We’ve been warned they’ll be a bit more subdued in New Zealand. It’s the Anglo-Saxon influence.’’
And even though Auckland’s opening night was only on Friday, plans are already underway for their next destination.
In two weeks, the company’s production coordinator will fly to Paris to arrange visas for their next stop in Valencia, Spain where they begin on May 13.
For anyone who goes to the show and wishes it was them on stage, the dream might not be as far-fetched as you’d think, Lapierre says.
One of the performers didn’t consider doing gymnastics until she saw KOOZA for the first time as an 18-year-old back in 2009.
After enrolling in circus school, she turned the dream into a reality and now travels the world with the troupe.
Because, sometimes, you’ve just got to let go of the trapeze and trust to fate and training.