Alex Reis Cirque du Soleil
From a young age, Alex Reis has had a passion for music. At the age of six growing up in Santo André, Brazil, he began playing drums, piano and even threw in a little guitar. His father was a HUGE fan of ‘The Beatles’ so Alex grew up around a lot of music even though a majority of his family had more white collar careers such as doctors, lawyers and such. Alex jokingly refers to himself as the “black sheep” of the family while he gives a little laugh. By the time he was 11, Alex had already been hired on as a percussionist to not only local acts but also a few popular artists in South America. Quite an amazing feat if you ask me for an 11 year old boy. When talking to him about his music, you can hear a distinct happiness and a deep love for what he does.
Alex has been a teacher since the age of 17 and continues to teach students the art of percussion. He focuses his studies on meditation while drumming. The meditation while playing allows you to focus and concentrate better on the flow of the music as it pulses through your veins. He would know all about meditation being a Coach of the Chinese martial art Taichi Chuan. Alex says “The power of the music is complete once the percussion is added” and I could not agree more! If you have ever been to a Cirque performance, you will understand just how true that statement can be. The beat from the drums coupled with the acrobatic skills can make for a very moving experience. “Music involves people in a subconscious way” …. Indeed it does.
When teaching his students, one lesson he goes into is how to create your own soundtrack to a movie or scene by turning off the sound and playing what you feel the music would sound like according to what you see. To do this, Alex says will help to generate a better understanding for the correlation between what you hear and what you see.
In 2008, he was recruited into Cirque du Soleil for his percussion skills. In 2010, he had his first official performance in the Cirque show ‘Dralion’. This led to him “Running away with the circus” off to travel the world and partake in all of the different cultures. His love for music had created the ultimate life for him. He has seen 19 countries on the road with Cirque. One could only imagine just how beautiful some of those places were. On March 3rd, Alex will be starring in the debut of ‘CORTEO’, in which the focus of the movie is on the percussionist, a first for Cirque du Soleil. If you are interested in seeing this show you can click here to find out when the tour will be in your city and to read a bit more into the plot of the show.
Alex ended our interview saying “I invite everyone to come watch the show and to be involved in such a beautiful story”. I would encourage you to check it out when it comes to town. May 24-27 CORTEO will be in Broomfield, Co at the First Bank Center. Utilize the website link above to purchase your tickets and reserve your seats!
I want to give a special thanks to the cast and crew of Cirque du Soleil for always allowing us these little glimpses into the lives and behind the scene of our favorite touring performing arts act. Stay tuned for a behind the scenes sneak peek just before opening night of CORTEO and hope to see you all there!
Ciao,
Bella