WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderSaltimbanco comes to MetroCentre

Saltimbanco comes to MetroCentre

By Marissa Alter

ROCKFORD (WREX) - The "how do they do that?" factor is high for Cirque du Soleil's "Saltimbanco"whether it be the Russian swing act, bungee performers, or hand to hand artists. That's why I couldn't wait to peek in on Saltimbanco's dress rehearsal and figure out the secrets.

We arrive at the MetroCentre six hours before showtime and find the chinese pole dancers hanging around. With all the lights on, you see there are no strings helping them defy gravity. It's all muscles and determination.

"I'm actually pretty calm," says performer Anna Ostapenko, "not nervous or anything because I've done it for 6 yrs already.  So it's just another day at work for me."

Right--except while most people sit at a desk all day, Anna catapults through the air, flips, and twirls. She's from Ukraine, one of the 20 different countries represented in the show's cast.

"We have 50 different artists and sometimes it's a challenge," says Artisitic Director Adam Miller. "English is our official language, but I do speak a little French and a little Russian and that helps a lot. And then there's something universal about movement and demonstration."

As artistic director, he works to keep the production fresh but still true to the creator's vision.

"Saltimbanco has kind of a raucous, exciting, urban kind of feel to it," he explains. "It's a very high energy piece that has kind of a sense of rebelliousness and chaos and yet intense control. It has a huge variety of things that encompass all the circus arts but at the same time that cirque du soleil combination and melding of all the theatrical elements."

And that includes humor, something he thinks most audiences don't expect in a Cirque show.

"Saltimbanco has something that has to do with life," adds perfomer Anna Ostapenko. "And it's really colorful. You have the opportunity to open yourself as a character, as an artist, to find new roads for yourself in life."

Anna's certainly traveled new roads since joining Cirque. The Saltimbanco arena tour stops for a few days in one city; then it's off to the next town. 12 53-foot trailers transport all the tour's equipment from place to place. It takes about 9 to 10 hours to unload it all and set up the stage at each location.

"We're like a traveling village, " explains Adam. "Not only do we have stage crew and people who do the rigging, but we have everything from an IT person to a payroll person, and all these people travel with us."

As the dress rehearsal winds down, some artisits work out the last minute kinks, cheer each other on, or goof off. But everything shifts as the clock ticks down to performance time.

"When it gets closer to the show--15 minutes, 10 minutes--you just feel your mood is changing right away. You just get into this acting sort of mood. And it's pretty cool when you see all the people, you just change your character."