Ice breakthrough
Cirque du Soleil brings new touring show ‘Crystal’ to Oklahoma
Over the past three and a half decades, Cirque du Soleil has become renowned for colorfully showcasing nimble acrobats, high-flying aerial artists, deft jugglers and other astonishing circus acts.
For its latest trick, the bustling Canadian entertainment enterprise is adding ice.
“The marriage of acrobatic elements and the elements of the ice really suits … to create something exciting and interesting. So, it’s why I think the company dreamed in that direction,” said Fabrice Lemire, artistic director of “Crystal,” Cirque du Soleil’s new arena show, which also happens to be its first ice show.
The new production is skating into Oklahoma City for seven shows Wednesday through Nov. 4 at the Cox Convention Center, before tumbling into Tulsa for seven more performances Nov. 7-11 at the BOK Center.
Melding fantastic feats
“Crystal” takes some of Cirque du Soleil signature circus acts of strength and skill — trapeze, balancing and juggling, among others — and melds them with all sorts of ice escapades, from synchronized skating and ice dancing to extreme skating and hockey.
“From the start, when you sit around the table and you really come up with the seed, the idea of the content, the concept as well as the plot, you bring experts — so we have. We have done 30 years of expertise in acrobatics … and then you go outside and you bring in a second force, which is people who RIGHT: The new arena show “Crystal” takes some of Cirque du Soleil signature circus acts of strength and skill — trapeze, balancing, and juggling, among others — and melds them with all sorts of ice escapades, from synchronized skating and ice dancing to extreme skating and hockey. come from the ice world. So, that’s the specialty of skaters, that’s the element of hockey, that’s this notion of sometimes crushed ice, as well as skis and even skateboards,” said Lemire, who joined Cirque du Soleil in 2008 as dance master and assistant artistic director for the stage production “Zaia” in Macau.
“You seat those experts around the table and you just throw out ideas. And then, of course, will come the first wave of obstacles … and how do we
recreate what we’re good at and not lose the essence of the acrobatics.”
The “Crystal” creative team included Kurt Browning, a four-time world champion Canadian figure skater, and Benjamin Agosto, a four-time world medalist American ice dancer.
“There was a lot of scratching the heads to be able to create the same safe environment for the acrobatics to be performed while being on an ice floor. So, we’re exploring a new type of shoes … and the same thing with gloves. Performers have to have spikes on the gloves so they can do handstands, they can do tumbling, but then comes another obstacle: When you’re partnering and you’re grasping their gloves, well …,” Lemire trailed off, laughing. “So, there were so many questions that we had to tackle.”
Confronting challenges
Cirque du Soleil’s 42nd original production since 1984, “Crystal” officially premiered in December after preview performances began last October. “Since the show is a year old, we are evolving according to what we learn. … The beauty of doing a job like this is you never have two days the same, and you need to be open to the roadblocks and find ways around it, whatever they may be,” said Lemire, who began his career as a dancer.
“My personal experience is about the creative aspects of a project. Cirque has utilized me before this way for five different productions — sometimes I’m revising a show, and the last two, we’re collaborating in new directions, and I love it. I love every single step of the way. I love when I
have to troubleshoot and find solutions. I’m solution-driven, as well as my goal is really working on the floor, on the ground, with the performers, with my staff, with the crew, so we’re all working together for the same goal. So, the fun part — which is the challenging part— is evolving in a creative mind and bringing the show alive and keeping it fresh. It really is the side of me which comes from my past experience as a performing artist.”
In mounting the touring spectacle, figure skaters learned to be pushers on Chinese poles, while circus performers learned to skate. He said the learning curve for the production suits the show’s comingof-age story about the titular character, a teenage misfit who ventures onto a frozen pond and falls through the ice and into an underwater world of her own imagination, where her reflection becomes her alter ego and guide.
“People leave the theater or the arena, as the case may be, with really great satisfaction … and a smile on their face— for many reasons. It will touch the heart. There’s something very poetic about ‘Crystal,’ as well as something very raw and true to any of us,” Lemire said. “The story of ‘Crystal’ will resonate within yourself, I have no doubt.”