CLEVELAND - Cirque Du Soleil began with 20 street performers in 1984. Since then, their shows have been viewed by 180 million people in 60 countries. Their latest show to hit Cleveland, Corteo, is about a clown picturing his own funeral. However, with Cirque Du Soleil, the storyline is only the beginning.
Their shows use many different performers from a wide range of backgrounds. Freddy Umali, for example, has been training to be a Cirque performer since he was a wee lad. Even though he didn’t know it at the time.
“It took me all my life to be able to prepare my body to do the things that I do,” says Umali. “I was a gymnast for the United States since I was about 6 years old.” After gymnastics, Freddy was looking for another career path to use his talents and found a home with Cirque Du Soleil. Umali says, “It led me here.”
Freddy is joined onstage by everyone from actors and acrobats to dancers and aerialist to make up the spectacle that is Corteo. The show, which originated back in 2004, even uses synchronized swimmers in the cast. All the performers, like Freddy, have been training for years to perfect their disciplines.
All told, the show uses over 50 performers from 18 different countries and about 60 others working backstage and behind the scenes. Umali says, “ These productions take years of planning to create. About 110 people that travel just with this show, technicians. stage management, lighting, sound and we even have a catering staff that follows us around.”
The show is very demanding of the performers with its fast pace with precision timing. When you add in the lights and music, Umali says it creates an intimate extravaganza that he looks forward to each and every night.
“We’re not hidden behind lots of makeup or masks. I feel it’s a much more intimate type show,” says Umali. He continued, “I love performing in it so much.”
Corteo has 6 performances at Quicken Loans Arena between November 15TH and November 18th. For ticket information, click here.