Cirque Du Soleil Comes to the Metro

By Audrey Esther, News9.com INsite Team 

Cirque Du Soleil comes to Oklahoma City for the first time with its signature touring show Saltimbanco.

"It's really what you expect Cirque Du Soleil to be," said Emile Nadeau the Saltimbanco spokeswoman. "Everything you have in the show will make you laugh will make you entertained for the whole night."

Saltimbanco explores the urban setting by taking spectators on a journey into the heart of an imaginary city. It is the first Cirque Du Soliel touring show to be presented in arenas like the Ford Center. Its stop in Oklahoma City is one of about 40 this year.

"It takes about eight hours to set up and three hours to remove everything," Nadeau said. "We have twelve different trucks that travel through the states with all the equipment."

The artist's costumes are as impressive as their performances. All costumes are handmade and tailor made in Montreal, Quebec. It takes more than 50 large wardrobe cases to move more than 1,200 costumes from city to city.

"What they do on stage is created also not just by themselves but what by their costume so it's quite a big part of the show," Tanya Jacobs, head of wardrobe, said.

Each performer also get's several pairs of custom-made shoes. Most get repainted after each performance; a process that takes several hours.

Hungarian native Gergely Boi has traveled with the show for five years. The 28-year-old circus school graduate said performing for Cirque Du Soleil is a dream come true.

"A lot of conditioning involved and a lot of training but it's worth it," Boi said. "You have a lot of freedom for improvisation and other things to do. It's not really set and I really enjoy that."

Saltimbanco performances continue at the Ford Center until Sunday December 7. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cirquedusoleil.com or by calling 1-866-448-7849. Tickets range in price from $40 to $90 for adults and $32 to $76 for children under the age of 12.