THE BALLOON MAN

Behind the scenes at Cirque du Soleil

 

from: myfoxtampabay.com
By: Chris Chmura, FOX 13 Consumer Reporter
Nov 13, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - All eyes are focused either on the three women whose bodies are intertwined or the men riding a bicycle across a high wire. Later, the audience is glued watching the couple doing acrobatics aboard a unicycle.
 Cirque's guests follow the glare of the spotlight, but the real show goes on in the shadows, backstage.
 As Cirque du Soleil's traveling troupe set up to perform a show named Kooza at Tropicana Field, it granted a rare peek behind the curtain – a surprisingly candid glimpse at what really goes on when Cirque comes to town.
FRENZIED TENT RAISING
 "One, two, three," shouted a foreman, sparking a sudden footrace that would bring to life the traveling circus's center stage.
 Several dozen men and women collected under the limp tent. They swiftly sprang simultaneously outward. With their arms wrapped around towering poles, the workers heaved the tent's support system upward into place.
The Big Top shot 60 feet into the pristine blue sky within seconds. Then they panted.
 The white canvas is an icon and Cirque du Soleil's public face. A few feet away, however, more private operation was also digging in.
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