Cirque du Soleil O History

Cirque du Soleil O - About the Show

As the only aquatic show in the Cirque du Soleil repertoire, Cirque du Soleil O explores an underwater world of fantasy and imagination, exploring nature’s basic elements – air, fire, earth, and water. In fact, the name of the Las Vegas Cirque show “O” comes from the French word “eau,” which means water. Cirque du Soleil O features a variety of above-ground as well as underwater acts performed by a cast of 85 SCUBA certified performers, including world class acrobats, synchronized swimmers, and a cast of divers.

Cirque du Soleil O - Creative Team

Cirque du Soleil O was written and directed by Franco Dragone, who is also known for his work on Cirque du Soleil “Mystere” in 1993, Cirque du Soleil “Alegria” in 1994, Celine Dion’s Las Vegas spectacular “A New Day” in 2003, and “Le Reve” in 2005. From 1995-1998, Franco Dragone directed 10 Cirque du Soleil productions, merging theater and the circus together flawlessly. Cirque du Soleil O would not exist without the creative team, which includes Guy Laliberté (founder and chief executive of Cirque du Soleil), Gilles Ste-Croix (director of creation), Michel Crête (set designer), Dominique Lemieux (costume designer), Benoit Jutras (composer), Debra Brown (choreographer), Luc Lafortune (lighting designer), Jonathan Deans (sound designer), and François Bergeron (sound designer).

Cirque du Soleil O - O Theater

Nestled inside Las Vegas, Nevada’s Bellagio Hotel and Casino is the 1,800-seat, Baroque-inspired Cirque du Soleil O Theater – home to Cirque du Soleil O since the show opened back in October 1998. Designed like a European opera house, O Theater boasts tiered balcony seating and a domed ceiling, but sitting center stage is a massive 25-foot, 1.5 million gallon pool. If you order Cirque du Soleil tickets in the “splash zone” in the front, take heed that you might get slightly wet, which just adds to the Cirque du Soleil O experience.

In order to maintain the temperature of the pool at 88 degrees Fahrenheit, there is an invisible wall separating the pool from the audience, who enjoy a cooler, air-conditioned temperature. The pool features an underwater communication system and regulators that help Cirque du Soleil O performers breathe underwater. Also, there is a platform stage inside the pool that rises and falls with ease since there are thousands of tiny holes in the surface of the stage, helping the sets in Cirque du Soleil O seamlessly change from a pool of water to a flat surface, representing “land.”

Cirque du Soleil O - The Acts

Cirque du Soleil O delivers a number of different acts – both above ground (on land) and underwater, including (but not limited to):

Fire, wherefire and water come together in this Cirque du Soleil visual act that features fire stunts performed worldwide, including Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia. In Synchronized Swimming, the synchronized swimming team is comprised of 17 world-class swimmers who perform graceful routines and represent the essential link between nature’s elements – fire, earth, air, and water. Russian Swing represents the “honeymoon celebration,” using swings to send divers “flying” through the air at 32 feet. The Cirque du Soleil O Cadre act resembles a playground jungle gym (suspended in mid air) as “zebra” characters perform gymnastics, constantly trying to realign themselves in a stormy universe. In the Barge act, a floating raft acts as the world-champion acrobats’ platform to perform gymnastics, circus acts, and balletic adagio. The traditional circus act Aerial Hoops ties the sky together with water as aerialists perform powerful choreography and gymnastic routines. In Bateau, a steel-framed ship floats above water for a unique display of acrobatic timing and strength, featuring the parallel bars for the first time. In the Cirque du Soleil O High Dive act,world-class high divers tower 60 feet above the ground and dive into a small section of the pool. There are a variety of trapeze acts, including Duo Trapeze, Solo Trapeze, and Trapeze Washington.

Cirque du Soleil O - The Music

Cirque du Soleil O’s haunting yet beautiful musical score is performed by a live orchestra, which includes percussion, cello, guitar, keyboards, saxophone, flute, vocals, and a variety of exotic instruments, such as the Chinese “erhu” – a bowed string instrument, Colombian guitar, African guitar and harp, cello, ancient woodwinds, and percussion instruments from around the world. Glass enclosures protect the orchestra and the instruments from getting wet from all the splashing water. After you buy Cirque du Soleil O tickets, be sure to pick up the Cirque du Soleil O soundtrack, which is available for purchase, featuring the music heard in the Cirque du Soleil O Las Vegas show.