Cirque du Soleil returns to Europe with a light show, after the pandemic

Light, energy, magic and emotion is what Cirque du Soleil wants to transmit to the public with “Luzia”, ​​the show with which the Canadian circus company returns to Europe after the pandemic and which premieres this Thursday in Barcelona.

“Today’s premiere is very important for us, because it means resuming tours in Europe after the very difficult Covid period,” the president of the company, Stéphane Lefebvre, told Efe.

“Luzia” is a macro circus show, in which more than a hundred people of 25 different nationalities participate, including technicians and artists, which premiered in 2016, but until now has not been able to reach Spain due to the restrictions of the last two years. .

Mexico inspires this production, which will be in Barcelona until May 15 and then will travel to Alicante (eastern Spain) and Madrid.

The show begins with the sound of a plane fading away and a parachutist falling into a field of yellow marigolds surrounding a gigantic metal key.

By turning the key, the traveler begins a magical journey that will take them, through jungles, deserts and movie sets, to an idealized Mexico.

«It is wonderful how this show connects with the public after the pandemic. I think it is because it is very bright, as well as surprising and innovative,” reflected Lefebvre.

One of the main innovations is the use of water, which makes its first appearance in the cyr wheel and trapeze act, in which two women dance with enormous hoops while a trapeze artist performs surprising figures, sometimes suspended only by her heel. .

For the rain effect of this number, Cirque du Soleil has built a pond under the stage and water curtains have been created.

Created and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, “Luzia” goes from water to the mirages of the desert, passing through the set in which tribute is paid to the golden age of Mexican cinema.

In this scene, the scenery evokes the ballroom from the movie “Salón México” and three porters, masters in the art of throwing, throw the acrobat towards the heights so that he can perform pirouettes in the air.

“The world of acrobats is like that of athletes, they improve themselves day by day and now do things that were unimaginable just a few years ago,” said Lefebvre, who believes that the future of the company lies in enhancing these spectacular numbers and for increasing the connection with the public.

“The pandemic has taught us that contact with the public through social networks is very important,” he added, “but also face-to-face interpersonal contact.”

Cirque du Soleil is already working to offer digital content that complements the show, in line with what it did during the pandemic, when they were forced to cancel all tours and artists connected with the public through social networks and showed how they trained at home and what techniques they used to not lose skills during confinement.

“It was a very difficult time – Lefebvre recalled -, surely the worst in the entire history of the company, but fortunately we have been able to solve the financial problems and we are back on track.”

EFE

Related