Cirque du Soleil continues its two week South Florida run at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise from July 18-21 to perform Corteo, a parade imagined by a clown, in the arena where The Florida Panthers play hockey.
The press release promises, “In a Cirque du Soleil first, the stage is central in the arena and divides the venue, with each half of the audience facing the other half, giving a unique perspective not only of the show, but also a performer’s eye view of the audience.” Tickets are available by clicking here.
Corteo features 55 performers from 28 countries and an additional 55 crew members to bring the show to life. Two members of the troupe, the Finnish juggler Johan Juslin and the Mexican singer Sofia Montano, hopped on to the Jitney to share their stories and tell audiences what they can expect if they attend Corteo.
How did you get involved with Cirque du Soleil?
Johan Juslin: Everything started at ten when I saw it on TV. I thought the juggling was mesmerizing. I went in my backyard and juggled three tennis balls and I’ve been doing it for 23 years. I worked at Circus Helsinki (in Finland) for years where I learned the basics in acrobatics. In 2011 I auditioned for the National Circus School in Montreal, but didn’t get accepted. In 2013 I was accepted. Cirque du Soleil is right next door and I was invited to join in 2017.
Sofia Montano: I auditioned for many years. I finally had an amazing audition and did my first show in 2019. I trained in musical theater which gave me a lot of skills to interpret the songs. The music in Corteo is very theatrical and playful so the training helped.
What kind of training do you need to put on the show?
Johan: We practiced in the headquarters for months. The jugglers created a passing act. We all came from different backgrounds and the show has a lot of cues to remember, so it took about three months for us to create this arena version. I usually juggle about two hours a day, but when I started I would juggle five to eight hours a day.
Sofia: We need to keep healthy and always train. I do a lot of vocal warm-ups to keep my voice healthy because we do a lot of shows.
What is it like to be a member of a circus?
Johan: Better than expected. It’s a dream come true. Every arena we play at is different with different challenges. So every day you do your training, you rest before your show. Then you put on your make-up, perform, then repeat.
Sofia: We move around every week on Sunday or Monday. We get to experience all these cities. Because we’re a big company with 110 people it’s like its own village.
What can audiences expect from Corteo?
Johan: Lots of acrobatics on the floor and in the air. There’s live music and a nice stage. There’s two sides, so people on one side will see something completely different from the other side.
Sofia: It’s an amazing production. There’s beautiful images and a very human side to it as we say goodbye to a character. There’s lots of depth. It’s very emotional, but at the same time very fun.
Johan, what are some of the items you juggle in the show? And what are the craziest things you have ever juggled?
Johan: In the show I juggle balls, rings, clubs, and an hourglass shaped plastic that I juggle with strings. Outside the show I’ve juggled six lit torches. I haven’t juggled chainsaws yet but I’m thinking of trying it.
