Normally Cirque du Soleil performs under the big top.
This time they were on top.
The famed circus company, whose Alegría show is currently set up downtown, took to one of Vancouver's most iconic roofs for an acrobatic performance earlier this month, and is sharing it online. It shows four different acts flipping, throwing and contortioning.
"A drone operator and camera crew captured the awe-inspiring performance featuring acrobats of Alegría being tossed into the air, tumbling across the roof, bending their bodies into intricate positions and performing powerful choreography," the circus company says in a press release. "All of this was set behind a 360-degree view of False Creek and downtown Vancouver featuring BC Place’s iconic white-domed roof and the snow-capped mountains of the North Shore."
The return of cultural events to Vancouver is exciting says Royce Chwin, the president of local tourism agency Destination Vancouver.
“Cirque du Soleil always creates a buzz when they come back to Vancouver. And using the roof of BC Place as their newest performance space is an extraordinary way to do that,” he says in the release.
The group is happy to have the stage.
“Vancouver has always been very supportive of Cirque du Soleil which is why we chose the city as our first Canadian tour stop after the hiatus caused by the pandemic,” says Alegria artistic director Michael Smith. “Being able to bring happiness and live entertainment to audiences again has truly been a rewarding experience, and this partnership with BC Place has brought it to the next level."
Alegria is running in Vancouver under its own roof until June 5.
