The world’s only touring cast of Cirque du Soleil’s OVO is currently in Kazakhstan. El.kz correspondent attended an exclusive behind-the-scenes press tour at the Barys Arena one day before the official premiere.
The company was founded in Canada in 1984 and currently has 17 different productions touring simultaneously.
The stage the audience doesn’t see
When you step behind the scenes of the Barys Arena, the first thing you realize is that the show begins long before the lights go down.
The 9-meter-high stage structure is assembled and dismantled from scratch in every new city.
The performance floor itself is raised 1.33 meters above the ground and measures 19.5 meters wide. There is no wasted space: every meter of the stage is utilized in acrobatic acts, some of which are performed at a height of 7.5 meters without safety harnesses.
Janie Mallet, official spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil, explained the company’s fundamental principle of working without animals since its inception.
"It has been 42 years since we reinvented the circus without animals. We show the world what the human body is capable of," she said.
800 costumes and five caretakers
A dedicated section of the backstage area is the wardrobe department. Approximately 800 costumes are used for a single performance. If there are three shows in one day, the total number of sets reaches 2,400.
All costumes are manufactured in Montreal by a team of 200 specialists. Each piece is custom-made for a specific artist and their role, taking into account their body measurements, movement style, and the height of their jumps. On tour, a team of five people maintains this massive inventory, using their own washing machines and drying units right behind the stage.
The artists apply their own makeup. Trampolinist Dmitry Fedorovsky shared that at the start of his career, this took him an hour and a half to two hours; now,it takes about 10 minutes. According to him, it is actually more convenient: you sit with your headphones on, concentrating, with no distractions.
Fear asa tool
Acrobat Ezmira Kulieva, who plays the role of a moth, has been with Cirque du Soleil for only three months. Despite having 18 years of experience in circuses across Europe, she calls this contract her first truly "major" one. When asked about fear, she answers without hesitation.
"I get nervous every time, my hands shake, but this fear helps me. I control the situation because of it," Kuliyeva says.
According to her, an artist without fear simply loses control over what is happening. Aerial gymnast Artur Dudov, who performs in a duo with his wife, puts it differently.
"I wouldn't call it fear. It’s excitement. Adrenaline. It gives you extra energy; you feel alive on stage," he explained.
The couple works without safety lines. Dudov describes the most physically demanding element as the moment he maintains a "horizontal" position, balancing his own weight while simultaneously supporting his wife on his neck.
A World champion as a grasshopper
Dmitry Fedorovsky joined Cirque du Soleil after 19 years in professional sports as a World and European champion in trampolining. He applied after retiring from his competitive career and joined the troupe almost immediately. He now plays the role of a grasshopper, performing trampoline stunts and running up a 7.5-meter vertical wall.
"If you aren't nervous before an act, that’s bad. Nervousness forces you to concentrate. Without concentration, you make a mistake, and a mistake can lead to a serious injury," Fedorovsky says.
This is his first time in Astana, and he admits the city surprised him with its modern architecture, wide roads, and sports complexes. As for Kazakh cuisine, he has tried horse meat and tea with milk both discoveries were unexpectedly pleasant.
The show features performers ranging from 19 to over 50 years old. Fedorovsky believes that age is just a number : as long as you are in physical shape and do your job, no one will stop you.
