Cirque du Soleil returns to Saskatoon with OVO – Saskatoon

Christoffer Søgaard comes to work in shorts and a T-shirt. In a few hours, he will put on a colorful costume and start tumbling in front of thousands of people.

“My first show was in 2016 in Atlanta City with OVO,” Søgaard said.

The Danish Cirque du Soleil artist is still with OVO.

This summer, the traveling arena show is making a stop in Western Canada, bringing its high-energy acrobatics to delight fans in 11 cities.

“They can expect a lot of energy, expect fun and be amazed,” Søgaard said.

Although Cirque du Soleil is known for its clowns and acrobatics, OVO focuses on curious insects who are amazed by a mysterious egg.

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Behind the scenes of Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo

Artists wear handmade costumes and are responsible for their own makeup. It’s just another part of life on the road.

“We live and work together, hotel together, backstage together. On stage, I step back and watch them play. It’s not for everyone, but if you like that lifestyle, it’s fun because we’re in different cities every week,” said artistic director Fabrice Lemire.

While 52 people are on stage, there are almost as many backstage. Each time OVO arrives in a new city, 100 people are hired locally to help load and unload the 20 tractor-trailers full of equipment.

OVO has staff and artists representing 25 different nationalities, but for a Canadian artist, touring her home country is something special.

« We’ve done a lot of North America, South America and Europe, but being back home and in our home country – it’s really fun after the pandemic and being able to see different places where I don’t never been before, » Camille Santerre-Gervais said.

Each city is a new adventure for the artists, but most of the time the routine is the same.

« Come in, work out, do body rehab, maybe go for physio and do shows in the evenings, » Søgaard said.

OVO is at the SaskTel Center from Wednesday, July 27 through Sunday, July 31 before moving to Winnipeg.