N.L.- born teen in youth portion of Pan Am Games opening
Joshua Snow felt a little out of place amongst all the gymnasts, cheerleaders and dancers.
His forte is acting and singing, but there he was, smack dab in the middle of about 450 other youth auditioning for Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical production company in the world.
They were all there trying to land a spot in Cirque du Soleil’s opening production being planned for the Pan American Games hosted by Toronto in July.
The company was not looking for singing or speaking talent. They were looking for people who could portray emotion without words.
Snow, who moved to Aurora, Ont., from Corner Brook in September 2013, was undaunted. His emotive dancing was good enough to get the nod as the judges whittled the aspiring performers down to a final field of 133.
They will begin rehearsing for their eight-minute part in the two-and-a-half-hour opening ceremonies production in late April.
“I thought I was going to get cut with all those gymnasts and dancers doing flips and all these things,” he said. “But I didn’t. I just went on and it was great.”
His look may have helped, too. Cirque du Soleil was looking for youth standing no taller than 4- 10 — the exact height Snow stands — and who were 12 or older but who looked only eight to 10 years old — a look Snow matches.
The 15-year-old knows this is a chance of a lifetime and he’s excited about getting ready for his big moment in Cirque du Soleil.
“I want to pursue the arts and thought this was a great opportunity to have a big audition in front of people and, if I got in, to be able to perform in front of millions of people,” he said.
The televised opening ceremonies for the Pan Am Games will take place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto July 10.