On the morning of Cirque du Soleil's first Baton Rouge performance, a focused silence settled around show rehearsals on the production's large, intricate stage. Suspended pole artist Stephanie Waltman delicately stepped out of the shadows and made her way to the center, grabbing a fallen pole from above.
“Ready?” a voice shouted from the surrounding darkness.
Waltman nodded. A blaring flamenco guitar broke her silence and she turned to leave.
As her pole began to rise into the air, Waltman coiled around it, twisted and turned her body, dangling from below and extending from the side. By that time she was about 20 feet above the ground.
There was no padding underneath and no wires above.
This week, the world-famous touring production arrived in town to play shows at the River Center from Thursday through Sunday. This is the first time Cirque du Soleil has visited Baton Rouge since 2019.
Telling the dreamlike story of Mauro the clown, Corteo is one of Cirque du Soleil's most popular shows, a magical and mystical performance featuring 53 actors, over 80 costumes, and a revolving stage. is.
The production has a decidedly international feel, with a cast from a variety of regions including Uzbekistan, Japan, and Brazil. Corteo has been on the road for 19 years, said senior publicist Alexandra Gaillard, who is originally from Paris.
“We're based in Montreal, but our real home is on the road,” she said. “Seven artists from the original cast are still performing and 10 million people watched it. It's the best family show of the year.”
Hectic schedule
Head coach Michael Ocampo watched intently from the sideline as Wollman practiced his high fly routine. When Waltman eventually relaxed to the ground, Ocampo looked at her, smiled, and gave a faintly recognizable nod.
Afterwards, he said that although the routine seemed dangerous to the untrained eye, there were many safety procedures in place before and during the performance.
“Safety is built in in a different way,” he said. “However, it's not always something you can see right in front of you. It's often somewhere you can't see.”
Ocampo has been coaching with Cirque du Soleil since 2005 and with Corteo since 2019.
Until then, he was also a performer himself.
“Think of me as your gym coach,” he said. “I'm always thinking about whether something needs to be improved or improved. During the show, I look backstage, sometimes I look at the screen, and sometimes I peek through the curtains.”
Corteo typically rotates 10 weeks on/2 weeks off. The show runs weekly, arriving in town on Monday, unloading on Tuesday, premiering on Thursday, and finishing on Sunday before loading up and leaving for the show again.
The schedule is dizzying. Ocampo joked that Sunday went round and round again for him as he plotted his way through any arena. Then it was time for him to move to a new place and get lost again.
Showtimes vary.Friday shows are at 7:30 p.m., Saturday shows are at 3 and 7 p.m., and Sunday shows are at 1 p.m.
Tickets typically range from $55 to $125 and can be purchased at the River Center box office or through the website.
Rehearsals began and the other performers took to the stage. One person performed an almost unbelievable ladder act. Artist Romain Munin was alone on center stage, climbing up and down a freestanding ladder, walking around, climbing to the top, and climbing down from the other side.
He threw it away, chose something even higher and began climbing to the top, then walked across the stage like on stilts to a rope hanging from the ceiling. He tied himself to the rope, dropped the ladder, and smoothly pulled into the wing, continuing to wave his hand at the invisible crowd.
As they say, 10 million viewers can't be wrong.