The biggest athletes workshop of 2024 or... ever?

How Athletes Become Entertainers: Inside a Workshop with Cirque du Soleil Casting

A Rare Peek Behind the Curtain

For most, the path from competitive sports to the world of circus performance is a mystery, but this September, a talented group of athletes had a unique look at life with Cirque du Soleil through an immersive casting workshop with top coaches and advisors.

Hosted in collaboration with Acro Clube da Maia in Guimarães, Portugal, the workshop took place right on the tails of the 2024 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championship.

While most casting workshops involve roughly 20 people, this particular event drew 46! The five-day experience wasn’t just a chance for athletes to show off their physical prowess, but also a clear look at the path to becoming world-class entertainers.

pictures of the coaches

Training for Life Beyond Acrosport

Led by elite Cirque du Soleil coaches and advisors, every participant was guided through a blend of technical, artistic, and physical exercises tailored for the stage.

Coaches Yves Vander Donckt (NexGen Coordinator & Artist Coach at Acro Clube da Maia), Taras Shevchenko (Cirque du Soleil Casting Advisor), and Andriy Vintilov (Head Coach for JOYÀ) grouped the athletes by skill set, focusing on specific acrobatic roles such as porters and flyers.

This combination of coaching pedigree on hand creates an amazing opportunity for athletes. Typically you’ll see one Cirque du Soleil representative on site. This event featured two, plus the coordinator of the production space, which meant more one-on-one time for every participant.

Each session was structured to emphasize foundational skills, with insights into how Cirque refines competitive techniques for live performance, preparing these athletes for a potential new career in entertainment.

DISCOVER THE ATHLETIC DISCIPLINES IN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Training at Acro Clube da Maia 2

A Week of Intense Learning and Collaboration

From the start, each participant was immersed in stage training. They practiced everything from show choreography to specialized spotting techniques, undergoing rigorous physical assessment and gaining exposure to on-stage skills such as Banquine and Russian Cradle.

But it wasn’t all work all the time…

pictures Ovo Costume

Our group of 46 also learned the history of Cirque du Soleil, studying the most iconic acts, and enjoying daily Q&As on everything from the casting process to real-life show prep. They were even treated to a live demonstration of Cirque du Soleil’s costume design process courtesy of Cirque Atelier and Las Vegas Costume Workshop Manager, Veronique Breault. A couple of athletes even tried on a human-sized cricket costume from the show OVO.

Lessons in Adaptation and Artistic Growth

To focus their minds on show-performance goals (as opposed to competition), athletes were introduced to a modified acrobatic vocabulary.

Yves, Andriy, and Taras would constantly remind them about the realities of a live production. How physicality alone won’t compensate for the nuances of performance, and how a transition to entertainment requires a shift in mindset.

By the end, they learned that if you want to perform 350+ shows per year, you must tune your technical approach to endurance and consistency.

FIND OUT HOW TO APPLY HERE

By all accounts, the workshop was a rousing success, but our greatest thrill was watching how much these athletes supported and praised one another, despite competing against each other just one week prior. This is what circus is all about!

Group of Athletes

Want to find out where our casting advisors will be next?

At Cirque du Soleil, we surround our athletes with the support system they need to hone their talents, push their boundaries, and discover their next chapter on the stage.

If you’re ready to transform your athleticism into artistry, workshops like these are a great way to learn about life beyond competition, and if you’re ready to leap in now, sign up for Cirque du Soleil casting alerts and make sure your profile is up to date.