‘Crystal’ puts acrobatic, synchronic stunts that Cirque du Soleil is known for on ice

Since its founding in 1984, Cirque du Soleil has been known to push the boundaries of theater and acrobatics.

The show “O,” which has played at the Bellagio in Las Vegas since its premiere in 1998, features acrobats, synchronized swimmers and divers performing above, and in, a 1.5-million gallon pool.

“Kà,” which has called the MGM Casino home since 2004, replaces a traditional stage with moving platforms and lifts, while “R.U.N.,” which ran from October 2019 to March 2020 at the Luxor Las Vegas, brought movie-style stunts to the theater.

Then there are newer shows like “Mad Apple,” which brings the Big Apple to life with new-to-Cirque elements like stand-up comedy and basketball dunks alongside the thrilling acrobatics audiences have come to expect from the world-renowned theatrical company.

Leaving no stone, or element, unturned, the troupe added ice to its resume with 2017’s “Crystal,” which blends traditional circus acts like trapeze, aerial elements and juggling with ice skating.

“They wanted to find the new element, the new level of risk, and ice came into the picture,” Cirque du Soleil’s senior publicist Roberto Larroude said.

“Crystal” brings Cirque to the Spokane Arena from Thursday through Sunday. The show follows Crystal, a young woman who feels as if she doesn’t quite fit in with those around her at home or at school.

After falling through a frozen pond, Crystal is transported to an underwater world where she meets her reflection. Crystal’s reflection hands her a pen and tells her to draw and use her creativity, which Crystal does, bringing to life a variety of characters including jugglers, clowns, office workers and hockey players, all of whom perform during the show.

Through this journey of self-discovery, Crystal becomes more connected with her family and more confident in herself.

Before the show, a Cirque clown will skate around the ice and interact with audiences. Keeping with the wintry setting of the story, the clown will throw real snowballs (Cirque crew members make around 300 snowballs each week) at the audience. Those who catch a snowball will have the chance to throw the snowball at a bullseye the clown is holding or back at the clown themself.

When casting the 45 acrobats and skaters currently in the show, Larroude said the team looked for skaters and acrobats who were willing to learn the other skill.

Acrobats were taught to do flips on ice and to skate, though not to the full extent of a trained figure skater who can execute jumps and spins. Those trained figure skaters, likewise, were taught basic acrobatics, though not to the extent of acrobats with trapeze and aerial know-how.

“They had to find skaters for specific parts of the show,” Larroude said. “They have to have chemistry. They have to have synchronicity. They put each other’s life in their hands. They do it with sharp blades on their feet.”

Ice isn’t the only new-to-Cirque part of “Crystal.” The team has brought in 28 projectors to bring images to the ice that help tell the story as Crystal and the other performers move from location to location.

Every performer’s costume features an infrared sensor that connects the skaters with the projection and makes it look as if the performers are interacting with the environment as they skate by.

The show’s spotlights are also connected to the sensors on the costumes and automatically follow the performers through their runs, flips and tricks on ice.

While ice rinks work well for the projections, they also add a degree of difficulty, as Cirque and the “Crystal” team must ensure a venue’s ceiling isn’t too high or too low. With the former, aerial elements might swing too much. With the latter, the performer doesn’t have the height they need to safely and successfully perform the stunt.

The team also had to design special crampon-like shoes for the acrobats so they could run, flip and land safely on the ice.

Finally, “Crystal” is also the first Cirque show to feature covers of popular songs, by Sia, Beyoncé, Nina Simone and U2, along with music written for the show.

“ ‘Chandelier’ is for the swinging trapeze, so it makes sense,” Larroude said. “ ‘Halo’ is a romantic moment. ‘Sinnerman’ is the office, so the rhythm is very appropriate, and ‘Beautiful Day’ is at the end, so it’s a beautiful day.”

Sometimes after performances, Larroude will walk out with audiences so he can hear their reactions to the show. It’s often along the lines of “Did you see that part? Did you see that trick?”

If he has time or there are just a few audience members left, Larroude will introduce himself and ask if the audience member would like to learn how the trick was done.

“It’s a show for the whole family,” he said. “Teenagers will relate to it because she’s a teenager. She’s not connecting at home or at school, and she goes in the pond. Everybody’s been through that phase in life where they’re not connecting. Adults will have jaw-dropping moments. They’ll be catching their breath every few moments of the show. It’s for the whole family, and those reactions come with every performance.”