RIYADH: One of Riyadh Season’s newest shows, Cirque de Glace, has proved a hit with audiences at the International Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City, one of the festival’s 14 zones.
Extravagant costumes, choreographed numbers, and special effects all tie together the show’s theme of the journey of human development.
Cirque de Glace performer, Alfonso Campa, told Arab News: “Cirque de Glace is an astonishing show with an amazing cast. All of the skaters are international and are all professionals performing an amazing show now in the Riyadh Season here in Saudi Arabia.”
The show’s organizers noted that Cirque de Glace was a separate French entity inspired by the Canadian circus, Cirque de Soleil. The ice show has been touring for more than 12 years around the world in 14 different countries including Saudi Arabia, India, the UK, Argentina, America, and Australia, and takes visitors on a journey through time of the planet’s evolution.
Campa from Mexico and Mery Acevedo from Argentina are two of the performers behind Flying on Ice, a figure skating duo who are the aerial performers in Cirque de Glass. The two have been performing together for more than 10 years and have brought their expertise to the ice in Riyadh.
Acevedo said: “I am a figure skater, but my main role is the aerial act with my partner, it’s a very tricky number, and people love to see skaters flying through the air.
“The audience is great, it seems like they’re really enjoying it, and just the smiles on their faces is what makes us happier and all of the work that goes into it is worth it,” she added.
The cast of 29 skaters that make up the show have been traveling around the world performing and made their debut in Riyadh Season on Dec. 27.
Campa is a fourth-generation circus performer and has been skating, juggling, and performing circus skills such as trampoline and acrobatics globally since the age of three.
On the Riyadh crowds, he said: “They get so excited when they see us flying and skating at the same time. We think the audience here is just amazing.”
Tour manager, Rob McClelland, said the show had been staged for years but due to the coronavirus pandemic many of the original cast had changed.
“We’ve been developing Cirque de Glace shows for about 12 years now, and we’ve traveled the world with our international team,” he added.
McClelland said: “Communication and equipment are the most challenging, whether that be the ice or lighting, but this has been a really good show for us here, and it’s been really easy to get on with it.
“We have taken the show to more than 14 countries, and it’s been a real pleasure to come to Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season with the General Entertainment Authority.”
The show is in its final week as a part of Riyadh Season and Campa thanked festival organizers for their support and hospitality.
“We just want to say thank you to Riyadh Season for bringing this amazing show to audiences in Saudi Arabia, and we hope to come back soon,” he added.
