Circus performers excited for Vancouver, to inspire locals

With hundreds of shows in cities they've never been to, it's fair to say the performers of Cirque du Soleil shows love being on (or above) the stage.

This fall, they'll bring that passion to Vancouver as its touring show Echo arrives at the big top by False Creek. Set to open on Oct. 9, preparations are underway for the incoming show, as it completes its run in Gatineau, Que.

Two performers came to Vancouver to talk to the media about the incoming show, which debuted last year in Montreal and has only toured a handful of cities so far, including Toronto, Atlanta, and Miami.

Inspiring the crowds

Both Penelope Elena Scheidler and Henrik Veres are long-time performers inspired by their parents (and in Vikers' case, several generations) who grew up in Central Europe and have never been to Vancouver.

Echo will follow Future (a protagonist with an unlikely name) and her dog Ewai as they enter a cube and explore. Vikers (born and raised in Hungary) plays Ewai and has a secondary role as a juggler. Being on stage is something his heritage prepared him for.

"My parents were also circus performers," he explains. "I think I am a sixth-generation circus performer," he adds, sharing that his mom checked the entire family tree.

"It took her a long time, but it led back all the way to the 1870s."

Having been performing in front of crowds since he was 14, he's very much in tune with the audience.

"We did Toronto just a few months ago, and it's interesting to see how people have a little bit of a different energy, but you can always see the smiles, and that's what I love to see," Vikers says.

"At the end, when people stand up and cheer and clap for us, it's why I stuck with this and do what I'm doing because it's so nice to see how they appreciate what we do."

Scheidler, from Austria, grew up with a dancer as her mother, so flexibility was always a part of her life. In Echo, her performance includes a dual hair-hanging act, and it's exactly what it sounds like. She and her partner also hang by their mouths.

"Basically, yes, we both bite onto a piece of leather that is connected to each other, and we fly," she tells V.I.A.

While it's an unusual day job, she says she started out like millions of others around the world, dancing and learning gymnastics. Her passion carried her on.

"Through my whole life, I was like, 'I'm gonna do this and nothing else, like no matter what, like I'm just gonna keep doing that' and it worked out," she says.

Scheidler says her main goal is to inspire people through the performance.

"I always hope to inspire people, especially young ones," she tells V.I.A. "When I see small kids, especially in the front rows, just looking, it reminds me of myself when I was that age and I watched my first Cirque show."

However, she's hoping the inspiration goes beyond the acrobatics Cirque du Soleil is famous for.

"No matter what, like in any way, you can be creative, right?" she says. "So it's whatever you want to do: there's juggling, there's dancing, there's contortion, there's aerials, there's even like, if you want to make costumes, then maybe you're going to become an amazing costumer or a mask creator."

"The show has a lot of different levels."

Discovering Vancouver

While the show will be a new experience for Vancouver audiences, Vancouver will be a new experience for the show's cast.

Neither Visker nor Scheidler have been to Vancouver before and only know a little about the city Both are excited to explore it while Echo is in town from Oct. 9 to Dec. 15.

Scheidler is looking forward to nature and the ocean—the only things she says she's been told about Vancouver—and warmer temperatures than Montreal, where she spent time last winter.

"At least it's not going to be like minus 40 or so," she says.

Scheidler says she hasn't heard about Vancouver being dubbed "Raincouver." Visker also says he hadn't heard Vancouver can be rainy, but he's looking forward to a few aspects of the city.

"I really love museums," he says. "And I heard from some of my friends that, for example, there's this science museum here. I just want to discover as many, like, interesting (museums and galleries)."

He's also hoping to find art outside of local galleries.

"I love to discover these graffiti artists hidden in some parts of the cities, and most cities have it," he says. "And it's always an exciting thing to discover a new artist. And maybe you can find them afterwards, like somewhere online or on Instagram."

"It always makes me feel that it's such an interesting, obscure form of art, which is totally different from, let's say, commercial entertainment."

Locals might also be able to spot Vikers and other Cirque du Soleil performers at independent coffee shops, as they like to hang out outside of shows.

"I like small, small places where it feels just welcoming and cozy," he says.