Acrobats, jugglers and performers in helium balloons, enter the magical and poetic world of Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo. Corteo, meaning cortege or a joyous procession in Italian, follows the mystical journey of the clown Mauro as he envisions that his own burial will take place amid a carnival atmosphere and be attended by tender angels. This enigmatic show contrasts the grand with the intimate, while emphasizing the imaginative strength and vulnerability of Mauro and as well as his humanity. We caught up with Marie-Christine Menard Bergeron, one of Corteo’s dynamic acrobats, and Johan Juslin, a super talented juggler whose role in the procession is mind blowing.
Q: Being a performer in a circus seems like a really exciting yet niche job. How did each of you make the choice to become a circus performer?
Marie-Christine (MC): I used to do diving and was competing at the provincial and national level but I never really enjoyed the competition, however, I adored the sport. So my coach suggested I do diving shows in Canada and the United States. I started doing these shows when I was 17 and from that moment I fell in love with the audience. Getting their feedback and connecting with the audience made me fall in love with performing. From there I went to Quebec circus school and down the line, I began doing special events with Cirque du Soleil and from then on I joined Corteo in 2013.
Johan: My dream to be a juggler started when I was ten years old and saw Cirque du Soleil on TV. The juggler always stood out to me. He was amazing! I learned how to juggle in my backyard, after that I joined some schools back home in Finland and would practice often. Then I heard of the National Circus School in Montreal and decided to attend. There, I did a two-year program and after graduation I auditioned for Cirque du Soleil in 2016 and a year later I got the offer to be in Corteo and I’ve been with the show ever since.
Q: I read that you both started with Corteo as your first show with Cirque du Soleil. Do you still feel the initial excitement you felt when you began performing?
MC: Always! Because a really important part of the job is connecting with the audience. It doesn’t matter if we have done the show a thousand times, for the audience this might be their first time seeing the show and so we have to put on the best possible show. If we don’t feel that passion or respect for the audience, our jobs wouldn’t be possible.
Johan: I agree, the audience makes the job possible, without them this show wouldn’t happen. They make it possible for us to travel the world, so we have to give back to them a hundred percent.
Q: What can you tell me about your acts in Corteo?
MC: I have three acts in Corteo. My main act is the “Bouncing Bed” which is a very joyful act. There are four jumpers, two girls and two guys, we have two giant bed trampolines and we pillow fight and jump. It is a light act full of energy and joy, so that is something that the audience really connects with because at some point in their life everyone has jumped on a bed. Then I am part of the “Roue Cyr” act which is a very poetic and mystical act. We have giant rings, there are five of us, and we spin and it has a very hypnotic feeling. My final act is the “Golf Ball” and to understand that you have to come see the show.
Johan: In the show I am dressed as a harlequin juggler and I work in a team of three people and what we do is we juggle with different probs. We have balls, we have rings, and we have the diablo which is made with discs on strings and we do tricks. For example, me and Svetlana, my partner, we juggle up to nine clubs between us and try to get the audience to experience their wow moment. The best part of the show is when I am dressed up as a horse and the audience loves it. To understand more about the horse you have to come see the show!
Q: What are your favourite parts of the show?
MC: One of my favourite parts of the show would be the first act, the procession. It features everyone in the show, every acrobat, juggler, and character goes by and does their tricks and comes and says thank you to the audience and it brings the audience straight into our world.
Johan: A special moment for me would be when Anita, one of our performers, is in a helium balloon and bounces around and the audience gets to push her and really interact with the act. It’s a fun experience for the audience.
Q: Why should people go see Corteo?
MC: Cirque du Soleil shows are always magical and impressive, but what makes Corteo fun is that people can connect to us on a human level, we are celebrating life. What we show on stage people can identify with the acts, like my main act. It’s really going to create great moments for people to remember and they can relate to.
Johan: Another cool feature is the stage itself. The stage is two-sided, so the show can be experienced in two ways. So if you come see the show twice, you can experience different atmospheres. But, it’s always an intimate show.
See the show for yourself!
Corteo | until Dec. 31
Rogers Place | 10220 104 Ave.
