Cirque du Soleil is coming to Baltimore for the sixth time with Quidam, the introspective and emotional story of a young girl’s escape into an imaginary world. Quidam (pronounced “Key-dahm”) has been running internationally since 1996, recently integrated into Cirque’s arena division and will be performed from August 24th-28th at 1st Mariner Arena.
I was fortunate enough to see a demonstration of the skipping ropes act from the upcoming show courtesy of 27-year-old Hungarian born Adrienn Banhegyi, who has been practicing the art for over half her life. Her charisma and talent were unscathed by the demanding media schedule; of course this is common for her. After a layover in Philadelphia and a 4:00 AM wakeup call for makeup, (not to mention a full morning of interviews) Adrienn was ready to give us a special preview on the rooftop terrace of the Ritz-Carlton Residences Inner Harbor.
To witness the dynamics of a Cirque du Soleil performance is one thing, but to appreciate the athletic demands of the performer is another thing entirely. Overlooking the harbor with the Legg Mason building looming in the background, she gave us a good idea of what that means, all the while making it look effortless as we subsequently became part of an interactive skipping routine that surely was a product of Adrienn’s teaching background.
Accompanying Adrienn was Francis Jalbert, the Assistant PR Manager for Cirque’s arena shows. Francis described Quidam as having a differentiating human element that is a “reflection of society”, timeless in its message and relatable subject matter. I was able to sit down with Adrienn and Francis to talk a little about Quidam and the demanding process of becoming a Cirque Du Soleil performer.
TRR: Tell me about what happens after the audition. What is the process of becoming a candidate for Cirque du Soleil and the steps to becoming part of a show?
AB: Normally after the audition, they tell you whether you’ve qualified as a candidate or not, then you can expect a contract within the next five years. You have to update your files frequently so they know how you’re improving and keeping yourself in shape, then it might take some time until they find a show to put you in. They also look for character, not just skills… other things they take into consideration are how tall you are, your expressions etc.. It also depends on the topic of the show. In my case, not all the shows have skipping acts. The company tries to keep the employees that they’re happy with so it doesn’t happen every month. You have to be patient and wait, sometimes five years. I did the audition together with my sister, she’s the one who has been doing Quidam. She got a call from Cirque after 4 months so in her case it was quick. Of course when they call they ask if you’re still available, then you go to Montreal to train and of course you negotiate your contract.
FJ: All artists have a different path. The skills that Adrienn has are very particular, there aren’t that many people who can do that, so her integration in the show was quite easy. Usually, what we do is take athletes from a competitive background. We invite them to Montreal for six months for general training to learn different artistic skills like acting, singing, connecting with the audience but also learning different circus disciplines. After this training they become part or our pool of candidates and when there’s an opening on a show – sometimes we have new shows where we’re looking for people who can fit a new creation – but when it’s for existing shows we’re looking for people with a certain body type and height because it’s to replace somebody on the show. In her case it was really quick.
AB: They also look for people who are consistent in what they’re doing. That’s why they look for top athletes, because after the results of a competition they assume you are able to sustain a certain level. In a show that is very important because you have to do it every day.You have to remain focused all the time. In my case I had to spend two weeks in Montreal in training where I learned the choreography and they took all my measements for the costumes. Shoes, wigs, makeup are all designed for the artists. After this two weeks where you learn acting, choreography and your place on the stage, they have to put together your routine. Then you get to the place where you’re going to perform. But it also takes a little time because you learned everything in Montreal, tomorrow you’re going to do the show and it takes a few days, weeks sometimes to integrate. You have to work with a lot of people. You have to have staging, which means you try everything on site. If you’re lucky, there will be a dress rehearsal which means that in the arena show there’s time for the cast to get back into a regimen. Of course, if it’s your first time doing that particular show you might feel a little bit nervous. It’s a nice experience for sure… and a long journey to the show.
Needless to say, we are all very excited about Quidam which boasts a cast of 52 acrobats from 18 different countries. Our deepest thanks go to Adrienn Banhegyi and Francis Jalbert for their time with us and for the privilege of watching Adrienn perform.
TRR Commentary and Intervue by Michael Parsons
[...] If you have not read our interview with performer Adrienn Banhegyi, click here QUIDAM INTERVIEW [...]