Learning Something New At Cirque Du Soleil Is No Easy Task

DENVER (CBS4) - The seemingly effortless productions of Cirque du Soleil are actually the result of constant practice, and adding something new is no easy task.

CBS4's Critic at Large Greg Moody found that out while attending a performance of Cirque's new show "Amaluna" in Seattle.

For the performers in "Amaluna," each day is spent the same way -- stretching and practicing, and then practicing some more. But some days it's about learning something new. For aerialist Andreanne Nadeau, it's a routine of constant practice and the hope to just make it look easy.

"That's the magic part of circus, is although you do some trick that's very, very high level in difficulty or something, lower level, nothing has to show. It needs to be so fluid that the people don't notice," Nadeau said.

The need is to make it safe for everyone.

"It's pretty rare that we have three girls in the air at the same time flying different directions," Nadeau said. "That was a very long and cautious project of trying all the flights, making sure no accident would ever occur."

The challenge is to learn a new routine to hit each mark and each music cue, even though the orchestra has the biggest challenge there.

"The band is amazing. Actually, they're hitting the cues on us because we're doing the performance and the band is just following us," Nadeau said.

So they work and struggle, and work some more, all in the hopes of getting the routine down safe and perfect for both of the performers and the audience. Even with all the work it's still easy to do, because for Nadeau and the rest of the cast, it's something they simply love to do.

"If you asked me when I was a little girl, like, 'Do you think you could make a career of the thing you prefer the most doing?' Which is like acrobatics, twirling and dancing, I would have thought, 'No, because it's too much fun.' "

"Amaluna," the newest production of Cirque du Soleil, opens on July 18 under the big top on the grounds of the Pepsi Center. Tickets are on sale now at cirquedusoleil.com.

- Greg Moody is CBS4's Critic At Large. His reports on CBS4 News are featured on the CBSDenver.com Entertainment section.

- Also, don't miss Moody's entertaining bio, his Top Spots in Denver lists, and his frequently updated Moody's Picks page.