You've heard of Cirque du Soleil's mesmerizing acrobatic feats: their signature hand-to-hand acrobatics, soaring trapeze displays, and performances interwoven with jumping, spinning, and flipping. Maybe you've even seen them yourself.
Now imagine these gravity-defying stunts on ice.
For the past eight years, the Canadian entertainment company has been showcasing its talented performers in a one-of-a-kind production that combines the art of acrobatics with the precariousness of ice skating.
Crystal is Cirque du Soleil's 42nd arena show and its very first acrobatic experience on and above the ice. The show first blew audiences away in late 2017 as acrobats seemed to effortlessly fly through the air above the ice on trapeze. It's still wowing viewers during this year's grand finale tour, but that's about to wrap up. Crystal's very last performance ever before entering the annals of Cirque history takes place inside the Spokane Arena this weekend.
"The show is beautiful," says Emily McCarthy, an aerial stunt specialist cast in the show's lead role, a young woman named Crystal. "It combines the beautiful gliding on ice with the incredible acrobatics that Cirque du Soleil stands for."
In the show's story, Crystal feels misunderstood and doesn't fit in with the rest of the world. One day, she runs away to a frozen lake to skate away her frustrations, but the ice breaks beneath her and she falls in. Crystal enters a dreamlike world not unlike Alice's Adventures in Wonderland where she meets her own reflection. This version of herself helps Crystal unlock her creativity, embrace her true self and eventually leads her back to the real world.
Hailing from Leeds, England, McCarthy was just 16 when she first started working with Cirque du Soleil in 2012 on its show Varekai. By the time she joined the Crystal crew, a creative team had already been working on the show's vision for over a year. Production on Crystal then began back in April 2017, when Cirque hired 22 ice skaters and 22 acrobats.
"They really needed our help to bring that vision to life," she says. "It was really awesome for us because they gave us a lot of trust and freedom to put our own ideas and vision into the show. The act that I perform every single night, a lot of my own ideas are in there."
Although she's a skilled acrobat, McCarthy had never done hand-to-hand trapeze before joining the Crystal cast. She also had to learn how to ice skate.
Because of its unique melding of two highly specialized athletic endeavors, Crystal's professional ice skaters had to learn acrobatics, while the acrobats had to learn how to figure skate.
"Learning to skate was quite a challenging process at first," she says. "Obviously, I had been very used to using my body, and my balance was always quite good, but then putting the blades on my feet and the boots, I really struggled at first to understand how to balance on the ice."
McCarthy says she and the team were trained by high-level skating coaches who took safety very seriously. Crystal's cast also underwent weekly emergency training to ensure they'd be prepared in case something went awry.
When they're not skating in the show, Crystal's acrobatic performers wear special shoes with more than 50 small spikes on the bottoms called crampons. The shoes give better grip, allowing performers to move quickly — running, jumping and spinning — on the ice with ease.
"What's wonderful about Crystal and the ice element is that everything moves so gracefully and fluidly," McCarthy says. "It's so fast and exhilarating, and even though it's had its challenges, it's been a wonderful object to help elevate the whole level of the show."
The show itself features seven traditional circus acts, including trapeze, banquine (an acrobatic act in which two or more people on the ground propel a "flyer" into the air), aerial straps, juggling and hand balancing. Crystal also features visual projections, machine-made snow, and a soundtrack blending Cirque's traditional background music with songs like Sia's "Chandelier" and Beyoncé's "Halo."
"My favorite part of performing with Crystal is actually being able to tell the story," McCarthy says. "I really get to perform the struggle that she's been through and let the audience feel the frustration of what she's been through and how ready she is for the next step."
As Spokane's run of Crystal marks the last performances of its current finale tour, it's spurring some bittersweet feelings for the cast.
"I just feel so lucky to have been part of Crystal's journey from the beginning until the end," McCarthy says. "It's a very special show, and I think when the audiences of Spokane see our show, they'll really be able to connect with the story and see how much passion has gone into that production."
Cirque Du Soleil: Crystal • Thu, May 1-Sat, May 3 at 7 pm, also Sat, May 3 at 3 pm and Sun, May 4 at 1 pm • $38-$157 • All ages • Spokane Arena • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • spokanearena.com
