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.
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
A Week of Intense Learning and Collaboration
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 constantly reminded 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.
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!
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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.