Cirque du Soleil made a special appearance this past Monday at Denver’s very own North High School. Only 50 children were chosen to attend this most amazing event in which a few performers from the upcoming Cirque du Soleil performance ‘VOLTA’ came to give a little demonstration and chat with the kids about what being in the circus is all about.
As the kids filed into the gymnasium, the performers were stretching and getting in the zone. Today’s guests for the kids were Joey Arrigo and AJ Anaya. Both from two different worlds when it comes to performing arts but that’s what makes ‘VOLTA’ so special. Joey Arrigo comes from a very classically trained dancing and performing background whereas AJ Anaya is a world-renowned BMX rider, well known in different aspects. ‘VOLTA’ focuses on the differences between us and encourages us to embrace those differences. Synergy is the key.
Joey Arrigo had a major roll in creating the storyline for ‘VOLTA’, one he can truly identify with as a human. Having grown up feeling very similar to the lead character WAZ, Joey fully embodies his persona and takes him on this magical adventure of finding himself. Today, Joey performs a beautiful dance for the students, many are mesmerized much as I am as we watch him gracefully perform this semi-private dance for us. You can see the passion even in this short clip and it increases my excitement for the upcoming show in April.
Along with Joey and AJ are some of the jump rope acrobats who perform some tricky maneuvers with their ropes, double dutch and more! These guys (and girl) can jump rope at 7 steps per second, that’s pretty fast in case you were wondering. I would surely have fallen countless times trying to jump that fast but it was amazing to see so close up.
AJ Anaya gave a speech to the kids which then opened up to a bit of Q&A from the crowd. The kids had some really great questions and you could see all the cast excited to answer them all. What a treat today was for not only the kids but for all the performers as well.
Don’t miss your chance to see VOLTA when they make their way to the big top this April 30th-June 7th at the Pepsi Center parking lot! Get your tickets by following the link below!
Stay tuned for more from VOLTA including interviews with AJ Anaya and Joey Arrigo and behind the scenes walkthru of the big top!
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Ciao,
Bella
Photos provided by Alex Lamb
