蜜柚直播

We鈥檙e not talking the frozen tundra of the troupe鈥檚 native Quebec in January.

The ice rink, like the one beneath the floor at 蜜柚直播 Arena that鈥檚 home to the 蜜柚直播 Roadrunners and University of 蜜柚直播 Wildcats hockey teams.

The company best known for its high-flying, adrenaline-rushing acrobatics is taking the show on the ice with its first-ever ice show, 鈥淐rystal,鈥� coming to 蜜柚直播 Arena on Thursday, Feb. 29-Sunday, March 3.

鈥淚t is crazy,鈥� admits the show鈥檚 artistic director, Crystal Manich. 鈥淟ook the very nature of what we do with Cirque du Soleil; it鈥檚 very impressive to people because it does seem very extreme.鈥�

Add ice into the formula, and you have a spectacle that will have children and adults alike oohing and aahing from the opening act to the grand finale.

鈥淎udiences love this show. The message is universal, it鈥檚 comprehensible,鈥� said Manich, who joined the show last fall. 鈥淧eople really connect to so many different aspects. And what鈥檚 great for me is to see how many kids come, and to see how kids audibly react to what鈥檚 going on. It鈥檚 really an incredible opportunity to have a show that is family friendly but it doesn鈥檛 pander at all. Kids get out of it what kids get out of it and adults get a deeper message.鈥�

鈥淐rystal鈥� is a coming-of-age story about a girl struggling to understand her parents and friends and the world around her when she falls through a crack in the ice that deposits her into an underwater world. That鈥檚 where she meets her reflection, which gives her a writing implement to rewrite her story and create new adventures that help her find her voice.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a coming-of-age story and it鈥檚 a very simple concept, but I really think that it鈥檚 one that a lot of people connect to,鈥� said Manich. 鈥淲e all can relate to that.鈥�

This is a second round with Cirque du Soleil for Manich, a Puerto Rico-based director, writer and producer who works in film, stage and opera. She was with the company in 2009-10 as an assistant artistic director on 鈥淨uidom.鈥�

鈥淚 decided to leave always knowing I would want to go back,鈥� she said.

Fast-forward a baker鈥檚 dozen years when she was brought back as artistic director on 鈥淐rystal,鈥� a show the company launched in 2017 that already has had more than 1,000 performances in 21 countries.

鈥淚 am so glad. I really love the company and I really love the work that I am doing,鈥� said Manich, who made her feature film directing debut with 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 鈥淭he Copper Queen鈥� in 2021.

In addition to being its first-ever ice show, 鈥淐rystal鈥� also is the first time in its 40-plus shows that Cirque du Soleil has used video projections. Manich said images from 28 projectors will help 鈥渢ell the story of the inner world of a character. The projections create emotion, and that goes with lighting as well.鈥�

Narration from the titular character also moves the story along, the director added.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really beautifully written. It鈥檚 Crystal鈥檚 voice,鈥� she said. 鈥淐rystal herself does not speak but you hear her voice all the time as she鈥檚 going through her journey. It is a really cool way to tell the story and it makes it really clear to the audience what鈥檚 going on.鈥�

Then there鈥檚 the action, the twisting, twirling, flying through-the-air acrobatics that has defined all of Cirque du Soleil鈥檚 shows over the years.

In addition to its acrobats, the cast for 鈥淐rystal鈥� features dozens of professional skaters, including a few Olympians, Manich said.

鈥淭he beautiful thing about this show is the combination of acrobats and skaters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great combo because they learn from each other.鈥�

The skaters hold skating lessons for the acrobats, who are all required to learn to skate if they can. Those who can鈥檛 skate are still part of the action on the ice, performing with shoes that have been outfitted with spikes to allow them to walk on ice.

Here are some other fun facts about 鈥淐rystal鈥�:

About the show

鈥淐rystal鈥� has hit 135 cities in 21 different countries since its launch in 2017 in Lafayette, Louisiana, before taking a two-year hiatus in 2020 courtesy the pandemic. To date, more than 2 million people have seen the show, which marked its 1,000 performance in Perth, Australia, last September.

About the shoes

Some of those acrobatic feats, such as banquine, where a group of three or four performers serve as the base for one or more flyers (the person who is lifted, tossed or otherwise airborne), are nearly impossible to do on skates. And wearing their shoes on the ice will result in slips and slides and who knows how many twisted ankles, torn ACLs and other disastrous injuries. Which is why the performers鈥� acrobatic shoes have been developed incorporating small metal spikes and crampons in the soles that make it easier to walk, slide, run, jump and do other crazy signature Cirque du Soleil moves on ice.

By the numbers

97 鈥� the number of people in the cast and crew; 44 of them are performers, from 25 countries speaking 23 languages

80 鈥� the pairs of skates (hockey and toe pick); each artist wears as many as four pairs of shoes per performance

48 鈥� loads of laundry by the wardrobe team before the show opens; the team will do another 10 to 12 loads daily through the run

15 鈥� hours needed to set up the show; it takes four to five hours to break it down

8 鈥� disciplines you鈥檒l experience at the show in addition to ice skating and ice dancing: banquine, hand-to-hand, acro/tumbling, juggling, trapeze, poles, chair balancing and aerial straps all performed on the ice

What happened to 鈥楾he Copper Queen鈥�?

Manich made her 蜜柚直播 debut directing 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 film 鈥淭he Copper Queen.鈥� The opera, which 蜜柚直播 Opera commissioned, was supposed to have its staged world premiere in the 2020-21 season, but thanks to the pandemic, the company pivoted to film.

Manich already had signed on to direct the staged version so when they presented the idea of filming it instead, she was eagerly on board to make her feature film directing debut.

鈥淚t opened me up to different possibilities of storytelling through music,鈥� said Manich, who won an for a work she and composer Laura Kaminsky are writing for Pittsburgh Opera; Manich is the librettist. 鈥淚 wish I could do 鈥楥opper Queen鈥� all over again. It was one of the great joys of my life to do that project. And I鈥檇 like to do another filmed opera at some point. For me, the possibilities have opened up quite a bit since that experience.鈥�

鈥淭he Copper Queen鈥� was shown in Harkins Theaters throughout the state in 2021 and streamed on 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 website (). The piece, written by composer Clint Borzoni and librettists John de los Santos, made its in June 2022 with Marble City Opera in Knoxville, Tennessee.