Cirque du Soleil OVO performance at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas on February 23, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Upon its Montreal debut in 2009, OVO became Cirque du Soleil's most audacious and virtuosic new circus show to date. A trio of principal characters: Master Flipo, Foreigner and Ladybug, keeps this arena spectacular in constant motion, as awestruck insects become intensely interested in a mysterious egg's sudden appearance. OVO teems with life, and Cirque du Soleil's talented cast mirrors the insect world's natural abilities to fly, balance and leap with a lifetime of practice and precision.
During one of the company's largest flying acts, 10 scarab beetles on three platforms toss a single beetle back and forth. A colorfully costumed dragonfly flits about, red ants juggle chunks of kiwi and corncobs with their feet, and butterflies cling gracefully to one another as they float through the air. For OVO's grand finale, the large span used for brilliant lighting effects transforms into a two story climbing wall onto which trampoline-powered crickets are hurled as though onto a vertical stage. Cockroaches, grasshoppers and other insects serve as supporting characters throughout the evening's dozen acrobatic tours de force.
The name OVO means "egg" in Portuguese. This timeless symbol of the life cycle and birth of numerous insects represents the underlying thread of the show. Graphically, OVO hides an insect in its name; the two "Os" represent the eyes while the letter "V" forms the nose.
OVO is a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion. When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives.
It’s love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye, and the feeling is mutual. OVO is overflowing with contrasts; the hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic.
Costumes
Liz Vandal, the costume designer for OVO has a special affinity for the world of the insects.
“I’ve always had passion for them,” she says. “When I was just a kid I put rocks down around the yard near the fruit trees and I lifted them regularly to watch the insects who had taken up residence underneath them. I petted caterpillars and let butterflies into the house. So when I learned that OVO was inspired by insects, I immediately knew that I was in a perfect position to pay tribute to this majestic world with my costumes.”Liz’s first challenge was to imagine a way to evoke insects without copying their actual anatomy.
“The solution was to connect with the feeling of being face to face with a spider, a cockroach or a butterfly,” she explains. “Then I made detailed drawings of designs that interpreted their morphology. For example, the dragonfly’s wings are evoked by pants made of veined lace, and the mosquito’s stinger by a ‘Mohawk’ of fine red stems. The idea of the shell also became a metaphor, since the word ‘insect’ refers to ‘sections’. This revelation consolidated my approach.”Liz drew on the wealth of experience and know-how of Cirque’s costume shop to put it all together.
“Together we developed techniques of pleating fabrics to provide three-dimensional muscle, volumes and shells,” she says. “The result is a sort of organic origami. The most obvious example of that is the crickets’ costumes. The team also explored the textures of wings and shells using the sublimation technique to poeticize them and give them an evocative texture.”Liz Vandal took her inspiration from many sources, including certain fashion designers such as Pierre Cardin, who focused on graphic lines and geometric shapes. She was also inspired by the slashed sleeves of Renaissance garments. Liz and her team in the costume shop have exploited the permanent pleating technique developed by Japanese designer Issey Miyake, which gives a certain rigidity to material and creates an organic effect.
“We pushed this technique even further,” she says, “by printing on colored materials, sublimation and eroding the fabric not only to stiffen it, but also to give it a metallic sheen.”
- Most characters have two versions of their costumes: the first, more lightweight and functional, for their acrobatic performance, and the second, more richly detailed and heavier, for their life in the community.
- The initial cricket costumes required 75 hours of work each because of their complexity and the need to give them rigidity while maintaining the flexibility and expandability of the material.
Music
To create the musical score for OVO, Berna Ceppas combined the sounds of bossa nova and samba with funk and electro music. As you might expect from a Brazilian, there is a lot of percussion in the score. Berna Ceppas sampled actual insect sounds to combine with the music directly from the keyboard. He also assigned instruments and individual themes to specific characters. The 7-piece band includes a bandleader / drummer, bass and double bass player, percussionist, violinist, wind instruments player, keyboard player, guitarist, plus one singer.
In almost all of Cirque du Soleil shows, the music is performed live. Unlike musicals, the music needs to adapt to what is going on stage and not the other way around. To do so, the band leader, the musicians, the singers and the sound staff are in constant communication via headsets and microphones.
Set Design
Designer Gringo Cardia drew inspiration from the structures that certain species of insect create when they establish nests and colonies. Gringo has worked closely on many dance productions with OVO’s director Deborah Colker and they are used to a cross-pollination of ideas. He has contributed content to the show and she has brought ideas to the set design—neither approaches their role in isolation. The overall setting of OVO is a stylized habitat that is home to the insects. At times it is a forest, at other times, a cave, or it could even be a house. Gringo’s objective was to create an organic environment that could lead to many other places.
In a minuscule world the show starts with a gigantic egg on stage, obscuring much of the performance space from view. The mysterious object from the outside world is an inexplicable enigma in the eyes of the insects. The largest set element is the wall, which is set against the rear of the stage. The performers climb on it, disappear into it and use it as a stage, a platform and a launching pad.
Cirque du Soleil worked with 4U2C to integrate projections thru all the show. It took over 40 days of shooting of a miniature forest. The forest was built from real plants and represented a miniature world of table 24 feet X 8 feet. A team of 30 Artist where involved in the production of the content.
There are almost no straight lines to be found anywhere in the set. True to the organic inspiration of the show, the wall is curved, and so is the stage. There is one exception; the spider’s Web, since Real spider webs are made up of straight lines, so this is a case where art imitates life with a nod towards geometry.
An enormous 30 foot mechanical Flower appears on stage. The flower blooms and becomes much more than an over scale prop, it’s a character in the show. Part sculpture, part puppet, part robot, it is seen from the insects’ point of view as a towering, inspiring feature of their environment. Tall poles rising high above the insect world represent the strands of flowers. The performing artists climb them and appear at various levels above the stage.
- A completely new stage and acrobatic structure have been fabricated for OVO arena tour. A good portion of the original design had to be adapted for that matter.
- The Wall measures 64 feet wide by 30 feet tall and is a giant projection surface that will be used all across the show.
- In the remount process, from the Big tent to the arena, new acts have been added to the Ovo show with a small adaptation to the original story line.
- The Egg, which is inflatable, measures 28 feet wide by 22 feet tall.
- The acrobatic structure is at 45 feet from the ground and weigh over 22,000 pounds.
Incredible performance. The strength and agility of the performers was almost unbelievable. Thoroughly worth the admission price.The opening show at the HEB Center was on Wednesday, February 23 with other shows through Sunday, February 27. Cirque du Soleil OVO continues across the United States with the last stop at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California March 16 - May 1, 2022.
Amazing athletes perform feats of Olympic worthiness. I have always loved Cirque shows since first saw one in the 60's in Vegas. It is hard to believe the performers are so athletic and can bend their bodies into incredible shapes.
Worth seeing. We thought the show was brilliant in every aspect, costumes, performances, choreography. Suitable for adults and children.
Amazing! I bought my tickets two years ago and OVO was definitely worth the wait! My family has seen multiple performances and this one did not disappoint in any way. It was amazing! This was my grandsons first time to see a cirque performance and at 4 years old he was enthralled and amazed! Cannot wait for our next adventure into the world of Cirque!
Absolutely incredible! We went to Cirque Du Soleil with my husband and our three young children. I was worried our children would be bored (they are all 3 and under), but they loved it! Our 3 year old son was on the edge of his seat laughing and smiling for the entire 2 hour performance (excluding the 20 minute intermission)! The acrobatics, the lighting, the live music, the costumes, and the performances were all incredible. We received these tickets as a gift, and we could not be happier with our experience!
Fantastic show, a must see! Amazingly talented performers, beautiful artistry with live music. Get your tickets and experience a show like none other.
About Cirque du Soleil
Originally composed of 20 street performers in 1984, Cirque du Soleil completely reinvented circus arts and went on to become a world leader in live entertainment. Established in Montreal, the Canadian organization has brought wonder and delight to more than 200 million spectators in more than 450 cities in over 60 countries on six continents.
Cirque du Soleil OVO
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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