The C irque Life

Marisa O’Neil

Running away with the circus isn’t what it used to be.

Gone are the days of train cars packed with elephants, horses and

bearded ladies, of performers living in rickety trailers, huddling

over a glowing campfire at night.

Performers for Cirque du Soleil, whose production “Varekai” is in

town until March 7, live in corporate apartments. They don’t have to

wash down any livestock and are just as likely to come from a

national athletic team as from a family of roving performers.

But the idea of leaving behind an ordinary life for that of an

artistic nomad, of performing 10 shows a week in a different city

every couple months, still has an exotic appeal for some.

“It’s romantic,” Chantal Blanchard, spokeswoman for “Varekai” said

of traveling with a circus. “You live a different lifestyle.”

Cirque du Soleil’s performers come from all over the globe --

Russia, China, Western Europe, South America and North America. The

company employs 30 scouts to find new talent from other circuses,

dance troupes and world championship competitions in sports like

gymnastics, synchronized swimming and diving, Blanchard said.

Other hopefuls send in videotaped auditions, hoping to catch a

casting director’s eye. But a good singing voice or nimble body are

only two factors that enter into a director’s mind when casting a

part and hiring someone to go on the road.

“Personalitywise, this is a life that fits the right people,”

talent scout Carmen Ruest said. “They have to be available and have a

situation in life that permits them to go on the road. We need people

who are good with long-term commitments. Each new production needs a

two-year contract but some people have worked for us seven or 10

years nonstop.”

Three of their newest artists, Olena Khomenko, Olena Durnyeva and

Maryia Kanatnykova, were competing on the Ukrainian national team for

acrosports before being cast in “Varekai’s” Body Skating act.

Acrosports combines elements from gymnastics, dance and acrobatics,

making it perfect preparation for the handstands and human pyramids

they perform on a slippery surface for the act.

The women, all in their 20s, waited for the call for three years

after first auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. At the time, a scout

told them they needed to work together and mature a little more

before they would be ready for the company.

“I thought it was almost impossible,” Kanatnykova said of waiting

to get hired. “It was only a dream because it’s so hard to [get a job

with Cirque.]”

Working for the company meant leaving home, moving to a new

country and improving their limited English skills. All were made

easier, they said, with the help of other performers on the tour,

most of whom are in the same boat.

“It’s very good to be on tour,” Kanatnykova said. “You get to see

a lot of cities. It’s not boring, [we’re not] in one place. Before

[joining Cirque] we hadn’t been in the United States.”

But some people have a tougher time fitting into the global

village that is the circus.

“You come into this milieu with all these different

nationalities,” Blanchard said. “Either people can adapt really well

or have a tough time with it.”

The trio’s regimen includes 10 shows a week, six hours of

practice, stretching and Pilates exercises. In return, they get a

paycheck, free room in corporate apartments, food in the circus’s

upscale canteen -- called the cuisine -- and a chance to see the

world.

The artists can even get weary muscles massaged by a

physiotherapist on site.

“You’re taken care of, but at the same time it’s difficult,”

Blanchard said. “It’s two-and-a-half hours per show, 10 times a week.

Some people, after three months or six months, realize: ‘it’s not the

life for me.’ That doesn’t mean they won’t come back, just that

they’re not ready.”

On a cold, rainy morning last week, 15 circus enthusiasts decided

they were ready to try the circus life. They showed off their skills

at a Cirque du Soleil talent show at Fashion Island, the first of its

kind.

Dancers, acrobats, contortionists and comedians took the stage and

put on a show for a panel of Cirque du Soleil judges, including

Ruest, hoping for their big breaks. Winners took home “Varekai”

tickets and CDs and the hope that they made a lasting impression.

“I wanted to see what I could do to impress the crowd and the

judges and see what happens,” said third-place finisher Lamonte Goode

of Fullerton, who did a break dancing routine.

A videotape of the event will go back with Ruest to Cirque’s home

base in Montreal. From there, performers who catch her eye go into a

massive database of potential artists to replace ones who have moved

on or to staff new shows.

Two new shows are planned -- a permanent show at the MGM Grand in

Las Vegas this summer and a touring production to start in 2005,

Blanchard said. Currently Cirque has five shows touring three

continents and four permanent shows in Las Vegas and Orlando.

If he gets the call to go on the road with Cirque in one of those

shows, Goode said, he’ll be ready with some reservation.

“It probably would be tough,” he admitted. “But a lot of people

sacrifice for their passions. Sometimes it has to be done.”

Travis Hill, a 15-year-old from Redlands whose acrosport

demonstration with 10-year-old Devyn Aguilar won the competition,

likes the idea of running away with the circus. His mother, Beki

Hill, is a little more hesitant.

“His mother wouldn’t want him to,” she said, giving his shoulder a

loving squeeze.

“I would love to do it, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he said then

glanced at his mother. “But I’d have to finish school first.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.