Celestial bodies: Daring & dazzling, Cirque du Soleil comes to the Mullins Center

By Kathleen Mellen
Staff Writer

Published on August 29, 2008

Cirque: It's a simple word, really. In French, it means "circus" - any circus. But add the words "du Soleil," and the ensuing phrase translates (if not literally) to "whopping-big performing-arts empire."

Based in Montreal, Cirque du Soleil (literal translation: "Circus of the Sun") was founded in 1984 in Vaie-Sainte-Paul, Canada, a small town near Quebec City, by two street performers, Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier. The two banded together with other such performers in the early 1980s, and roamed the town on stilts - juggling, dancing and breathing fire. Together with 20 other artists, the two eventually created what proved to be the forerunner to Cirque du Soleil: ￉chassiers de Baie-Saint Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), which was based on classic circus shows, but sans rings and animals.

Nearly a quarter-century later, Cirque du Soleil is a trade-marked phenomenon with nearly 4,000 employees (including more than 1,000 performers) that represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25 languages, and a roster of 17 shows that play concurrently somewhere in the world. To date, more than 80 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents have taken in the performances that feature spectacular circus feats of daring, mind-bending sets and lighting design, costumes that famously weave colors and fabrics into striking patterns, and dazzling makeup.

So far, in 2008 alone, over 10 million people have seen a Cirque du Soleil show somewhere on the globe. On Wednesday, Cirque's longest-running show, "Saltimbanco," comes to Western Massachusetts for seven shows at the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

"Saltimbanco," which literally means "to jump on a bench," explores what organizers call "the urban experience," featuring acts based the creators' impressions of the hustle and bustle of city living. The cast includes 49 artists who hail from Canada and 20 other countries. One of them is Michael John Ocampo, the 36-year-old head acrobatic coach for "Saltimbanco."

Ocampo performed as an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil for 10 years, including five years as a performer with "Saltimbanco." In 2004, he made the move from performer to coach. Now, after nearly two years as a coach with the Cirque show "Quidam," and another as a studio coach at the group's international headquarters in Montreal, Ocampo is back on the road again with "Saltimbanco," this time as its head coach. In that role, he says, he oversees all the acrobatic acts in the show, running practices and helping out with performers who are attached to safety wires as they do their tricks. In charge of safety, Ocampo watches every single performance, looking for ways in which to improve the show.

The Gazette caught up with Ocampo by cell phone recently. In a pronounced French-Canadian accent, he talked about his work in between shows in Kansas City, Mo., where he was in the middle of a seven-show run. Below are edited excerpts of that conversation:

Q: Did you perform as an acrobat before joining Cirque?

A: I started performing [with Cirque du Soleil} when I was 21. It was my first, and only, professional job. I've been with them my whole professional career. Well, I did once work for H & R Block.

Q: How did you get picked to be in Cirque?

A: I've been a gymnast since the age of 6. At 18, I went into power tumbling and trampoline. [He was on the Canadian National Team and competed internationally.] At one of the national championships, someone from Cirque asked me to audition. They had scouts at big competitions - still do.

Q: So, you decided to run off and join the circus?

A: [Laughs] Well, I didn't know that much about it then - it was a much smaller company at the time. I went to the audition for fun, to see what comes of it. They called me and ... a couple of months after that, I was in Montreal. Nowadays, people in acrobatics aspire to be in Cirque. I think it's an amazing outlet and opportunity for people coming from gymnastics, an athletically competitive sport, for them to continue acrobatic careers.

Q: Why did you stop performing?

A: It can be hard on the body. I developed lower back problems.

Q: Were you ever injured during a performance?

A: The only big injury I got was when I was coaching. I was holding a safety wire for the acrobats and went I flying into a metal rail. I had a bone-chip fracture in my knee. ... It was the most painful thing ever. I nearly passed out. I hope that never happens again.

Q: How does it feel to be back on the road with "Saltimbanco?"

A: I love "Saltimbanco." It's one of my favorites.

Q: You've seen the show hundreds of times. Do you have a favorite part?

A: I'm pretty partial to the final acro-bungee number. [In it, four artists perform an aerial ballet, while "flying" on bungee cords.] When I saw the show for the first time, I remember it through my whole person. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, with my mouth open. It brought me into another world. It was very dramatic, a high-flying, very beautiful bungee ballet.

Q: Why do you think Cirque du Soleil is so engaging, so popular with audiences worldwide?

A: Cirque du Soleil shows are a blend of many different types of performances. Not just traditional circus; not just dance. All this brings together clowns, theater, acrobatics, costume, lighting - all put into one thing that is most pleasing - something [the audience] has never seen before. It's very touching and very surprising.

Kathleen Mellen can be reached at kmellen@gazettenet.com.