Cirque du Soleil’s Kamloops performance will turn a funeral into a celebration

Like most Cirque du Soleil shows, the talent showcased comes from all over the world.

“In Corteo we have 52 performers, from 18 different nationalities,” Batista says. “They have a big variety of backgrounds. We have some musicians, actors, actresses, people coming from circus school, gymnasts. So it’s a really mixed group.”

Included in the international group is juggler Johan Juslin, originally from Finland, who got his start at a young age.

“I saw Cirque du Soleil on TV, and the juggler in the show was just mesmerizing,” Juslin says. “There was something with the juggling that made me super interested with the whole thing. So when the show was done, I went to my backyard with three tennis balls and started practicing, and I’ve been juggling since then. So, 17 years now.”

Preparations for each city’s show are no small endeavour either, which performer Marie-Christine Menard says can take a full day of rehearsing and setting up.

“On Wednesday, every city, it’s always a long training day,” Menard says. “Everybody gets here super early, and then we slowly get through the day to be ready for the evening.”

The first performance starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Oct. 24, and the Sandman Centre will be hosting the show until Sunday.

by Dylana Milobar

Cirque du Soleil’s Kamloops performance will turn a funeral into a celebration

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