Cirque du Soleil preparing for its return to New York City after 6-year hiatus: Exclusive
RANDALL'S ISLAND, Manhattan (WABC) -- It's all hands on deck, a carefully-orchestrated operation involving 126 metal poles, as Cirque de Soleil makes its grand return to the Big Apple.
The world-renowned production is returning to New York City next month for its "Luzia" show full of high-flying performances.
"It's a really cool, just coordinated dance to pop in and pop out and do that and move over there and get the tension and go," said Sarah Morales, the show's assistant technical director.
Eyewitness News got a sneak peek from Morales as the preparations began on Randall's Island. Morales, who has been with the show for nine years, spoke about the never-ending excitement that the job brings her every day.
"I love that my job takes me new places. Like, I don't have to think about where my I want to go on vacation, they are like hey, next year you're going to go here, here, here and here," she said.
"Luzia" opens on March 5, marking the first stop of their North American tour.
The show has a team of 124 people, including 47 artists, who never disappoint. This specific production also incorporates rain.
Roughly 2,600 gallons of water, kept at 82 degrees, drains through about 95,000 holes in the stage. The water is recycled for the entire run of show in each city, which features other mindboggling special effects.
"When you think you've seen it and you're like wow that's cool, then later it does something else," Morales said.
There are multiple steps to the production. It takes seven days to set things up, and just three days to tear it down.
Cirque du Soleil last performed in the city in 2019, and the group just wrapped up nine months of shows in Australia. Morales says the production is a world wind experience.
"It's super fun to see, you kind of forget when you've switched countries. You're like, oh yeah, here they don't do a standing ovation, there they do, here they stomp, here they clap," she said.
Spectators attending the show can soon expect all of the above and then some under the Cirque du Soleil tent.
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