PORTLAND, Maine — The world-famous Cirque du Soleil will make a stop at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland this weekend, performing its show: "Corteo."
Dozens of artists will perform high-flying acts, show off juggling skills, while the crowd learns more about the characters and thinks about the deeper message.
“I’m sure you can recognize yourself in every character, which is super cool," juggler Svetlana Tsarkova said Thursday morning. “This show actually shows you the real value of your life.”
The first performance has been scheduled for Thursday night, with four others taking place through Sunday. You can find event times and ticket information here.
Artists like Tsarkova trained for years before hitting the stage with Cirque du Soleil. The Russian native said she went to two different circus schools and used to train for up to eight hours a day for six days a week.
Besides the hard work the performers put on behind the scenes, the work of the crew is almost as impressive.
Tour officials told NEWS CENTER Maine it takes about 12 hours to unload dozens of costumes, hundreds of shoes, equipment, and their own washing machines and driers. The crew also includes wardrobe artists, a medical team, and performance staff.
Technicians also use tracking technology to follow around the characters on stage to ensure they are in the proper lighting and the music is cued up perfectly.
"Corteo" has been performed for nearly 25 years, and the operation is nailed down to a science as the tour moves from city to city each week for up to 10 weeks at a time.
The crew and performers spend a lot of time together, but Tsarkova said spending all that time with everyone created a family-like environment and everyone supports each other.
You can learn more about the show, the characters, and the acts by following this link.
