DANNI SIEMENS
Arts Writer

Many would not stop to think about how much effort goes into a single production of Cirque de Soleil’s Alegria, but before any production, a huge amount of preparation takes place to make the show possible, and much of it is done by the performers themselves.

Behind the scenes of Cirque de Soleil, performers are putting on makeup and doing sound checks. Soon, hundreds of people will flood in to watch them perform their individual talents, from firespinning to juggling and acrobatics. Despite being able to do these amazing feats, the performers are strikingly humble and regular people.

Trudy McIntosh, an acrobat from Perth, Australia, spoke of her beginnings as a gymnast, a background shared with a lot of other performers.

“It offers a different route for athletes to take if we’re bored,” she said. “And it’s an opportunity for people who have had injuries and are no longer competing.”

New recruits to Cirque de Soleil go to Cirque school for six months before they join a touring group. “We took different classes, including acting, dancing, and singing classes,” said McIntosh. “It’s really fun.”

The performers range in age from early 20’s to late 30’s, the youngest being an 19-year-old acrobat.

“We have all live music,” said publicist Geneviève Laurendeau. “The musicians watch the performance, and take their cues from the director. He knows the routines. If something is off, he’ll slow down the music and give the performers more time. . . . It makes everything much smoother. If the audience notices that something is off, it ruins the mood we’ve worked so hard to create, and the world of Alegria.”

Besides the music to set the mood, costumes and sets help create the ambiance. Performers all learn to do their own makeup ahead of time, which, with all the glitter and layering involved, can take hours. As for costumes, entire trucks of costumes and equipment follow the troupe around, not to mention a fleet of seamstresses and costumers.

“We hire many local seamstresses and tailors,” mentioned Laurendeau with a melodious french accent. “It helps out the community,
and takes some stress off of our costumers,” she said with a laugh.

As for what they do in their downtime, while they were in Saskatoon from Aug. 4 to 8, many of the performers took time off to check out the Fringe.

“We stopped to watch the street acts. We really enjoyed ourselves, and they were very good,” said Laurendeau.

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Image: Katherine Benson