Enter the World of LUZIA
Journey with us through the vibrant and surreal world of LUZIA, in an imaginary Mexico where grand visual surprises and breathtaking acrobatic performances await you.
Somewhere between dreams and reality, LUZIA cleverly leads you through the places, faces and sounds of traditional and modern Mexico, from urban settings like an old movie set and a smoky dance hall to the natural worlds of the ocean and arid desert.
The Key Characters
The Clown
The curious Traveler jumps into view in search of adventure. Parachuting into a land of Cempasuchil flowers (yellow marigolds), the unwitting Traveler sees a gigantic metallic key.
Little does he know that a turn of the key will thrust him (and you) into the imaginary world of LUZIA, to a magical time and place somewhere between dreams and reality.
The Running Woman
As the morning sun rises, the Running Woman and a metallic horse run together to greet the Traveler and awake this imaginary Mexico.
In a majestic display of grace and strength, the Running Woman spreads her wings in tribute to the annual migration of the monarch butterfly from southern Canada to central Mexico. With this simple expression, show creators found a subtle and artistic way to link the Canadian-based Cirque du Soleil with the nation of Mexico.
The Acts
This tableau combines hoop diving with two giant treadmills in a soaring tribute to agility and speed.A group of acrobats wearing hummingbird costumes,complete with wings and a long beak, jump through hoops a mere 75 centimeters (less than 30 inches) in diameter.
In a nod to the golden age of Mexican cinema, this hand-to-hand act unfolds in a smoky dance hall reminiscent of Salon Mexico.
Three porters proficient in the art of “flinging acrobats in the air” hurl a flyer above their heads where she performs intricate flips. Sometimes the porters hold her by the hands and feet, turning her into a human skipping rope.
With cacti silhouetted against the setting sun, two young women dance on stage in large majestic hoops as if in a dream.
Rolling among the quiotes (agave plants), the women are joined by a trapeze artist who performs a series of original figures, in a captivating performance that finishes in the rain.
After riding his bicycle through the mountains in direction of the beach, the traveler stops to drink water out of his canteen…which is unfortunately empty. He finds an abandoned beach ball which allows him to break the fourth wall and engage in a competitive ball match with the audience.
A lifeguard struts about on a buoy among the waves in a tribute this time to Mexican cinema of the 1920s. He gradually builds two rows of flexible canes on top of his buoy. Under the command of an overzealous film director, the artist performs a series of figures, all the while flaunting his great physical strength. He builds his tottering structure to an impressive 6 meters (close to 20 feet) above the stage.
This youthful act pays tribute to the modern ritual sport of football, highly celebrated in Mexico. Two men try to outdo each other by deftly manipulating a ball with their feet and head. They make the ball bounce, roll and spin using their knees, feet, soles and the back of their neck.
In a dreamlike setting that recalls experiments with peyote (a plant with hallucinogenic properties), acrobats climb up and down vertical poles and criss-cross in the air while leaping from one pole to the other.
In a nod to the very popular Mexican sport of professional wrestling called lucha libre (or ‘free fight’), an artist wearing a luchador mask and costume climbs onto a swing. Under his own power he makes the apparatus swing higher and higher until he reaches the tipping point and the swing makes a full turn.
During Aerial Straps, an artist representing a demigod of rain emerges from the pristine waters of a cenote, recalling the natural sinkholes Mayans believed were gateways to the afterlife.
In this graceful aerial and water performance, the artist encounters a puppet resembling a life-size jaguar, an animal that has become a mythological figure of Mexican culture.
In a tribute to the art of speed juggling popular in Mexico, an artist manages to juggle seven clubs at breakneck speeds. The clubs whirl so fast they become a metallic blur just like the propellers of an airplane. The juggler engages in a dialogue with the marimba, a musical instrument typical of the Veracruz region in Eastern Mexico.
An artist enveloped in a mystical aura amid glowing candles puts his body in knots with astounding ease and flexibility. He twists his body in unimaginable positions, and even manages to touch the back of his head with his pelvis!
Under a luminous red moon, artists perform a stunning Russian swing act. For the first time at Cirque du Soleil, the two swings are mounted on a turntable so that the audience can enjoy the performance from all angles. The pushers demonstrate impeccable timing by flinging their partners up to 10 meters (33 feet) in the air.
Your Performers
On the spectrum of human flexibility, 30-year-old Aleksei Goloborodko a “world-class contortionist.” Originally from Tula, Russia, the Bronze Clown winner—the circus world’s equivalent of the Oscars—is currently crisscrossing the globe (and his body) on tour with Cirque du Soleil’s production of Luzia. Find out the details of the most flexible man's training regimen; the dietary restrictions imposed by chronic bendiness; and his advice for anyone else who aspires to take the coolest Instagram photos imaginable.
The Music of LUZIA
LUZIA’s music transports audiences through a vibrant and imaginative Mexico, mixing lively cumbia rhythms, brass-driven banda, and the deep tones of norteño. Influences from flamenco, Caribbean, and tribal music further enrich the score.
True to Cirque du Soleil’s tradition, LUZIA features a live band and vocalists who elevate the performance with dynamic and emotive music, integrating both traditional and contemporary styles.