Cirque du Soliel ECHO. Photo by Jean-François Savaria

It took some doing and a leap of faith, but, finally, Cirque du Soliel chose to make its Denver debut in 1995 with Saltimbanco.

But what’s a little showbiz without a lot of risk?

The company which formed in 1982 from a talented bunch of street performers had two things in common. Vision and heart. At the time, they were part of the Quebec street performer movement, which was busy introducing circus as a performance art to a nation that was sans-cirque.

Their first public performance was held at Baie St. Paul’s “La Fête Foraine,” a multi-day fair combining food, games, attractions, and entertainment. Their collection of 75 public entertainers enraptured not only the festival but the whole town. Even Mother Nature gave its thunderous approval to the troupe on the final evening with an electrical storm and deluge that did anything but dampen the exuberant performers.

Instead, it propelled them.

What started in the streets quickly moved under the Big Top as their brand of entertainment grew in popularity. From a single city to a Canadian tour and then…to an even bigger stage with higher stakes. Los Angeles.

The troupe put it all on the line. With little more than the shirts on their back, pennies in their pockets, and one gigantic tent (which they would have to hock to get home if they failed), they traveled to California to headline the L.A. Arts Festival in 1987.

Big risks. Bigger rewards.

With rave reviews, they expanded their US appearances, but it wasn’t until 1995 that they, after much convincing, arrived in Denver.

For some years, then-DCPA Director of Media Relations & Publications, Sylvie Drake (who, as former Theatre Critic of The Los Angeles Times, had been among the first people to review Cirque du Soliel when they debuted in the US), had been encouraging the troupe’s leadership to travel to the Mile High City. What was then still perceived as a “Cow Town” most decidedly had an interest in culture. With sold-out engagements of The Phantom of the Opera, national touring premieres such as Sunset Boulevard, and support for culture at an all-time high with the 1994 reauthorization of the SCFD, Cirque du Soliel was convinced. Denver was named to its touring circuit.

Spanning from 1995 to 2025, Cirque du Soliel has had a 30-year history in Colorado including 20 engagements of 14 unique show such as Alegria, Quidam, Delirium, Corteo, KOOZA, and Ovo.

And now comes Cirque du Soliel ECHO. For those fortunate individuals who have seen more than one Cirque creation, this may seem old hat. But stop to consider…can you do that?

I didn’t think so.

Hours and hours of meticulous rehearsal, literal death-defying acts, and mind-blowing skills always have audiences gasping at the derring-do. Yet the whimsical clowns, nonsensical music, exceptional lighting, and cheerful performers reassure audiences that all is well under the Big Top.

Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar, Author and Director of ECHO, explains that this show “is about connecting everybody together, and working together to create the world we want to live in.”

These remarks are reminiscent of those from Cirque du Soliel Founder Guy Laliberté who, upon the troupe’s 10^th anniversary, described their dream: to live “in a better world.”

As Mukhtar explained, ECHO is a story of connection — one that explores the bond between humans and the animal kingdom.

The story opens with Future, our protagonist, and her companion Ewai, a dog-like creature portrayed by an actor who later amazes the audience with his juggling skills. They encounter a large, glowing Cube, a two-story structure that incorporates audio, visual, and tactile media. According to Mukhtar, The Cube is meant to be interpreted. “It’s not just as literal as ‘this is the world,’” he says. “It could be anything: a relationship, love, something you cherish…. It could represent the world, or the planet, but it’s really a symbol. The more we take away from it, the emptier it becomes, and the more we put into it, the fuller it becomes.”

In the opening act, a procession of performers donning all-white animal masks encircles The Cube, scaling the object to perform mesmerizing ariel feats. This is an introduction to the cast of 52 artists representing 19 different nationalities who offer 13 astounding acts. These performances are accented with video projections, six vocalists, and an array of musicians.

Soon, Future and Ewai embark on a journey and encounter The Cartographer carrying an oversize protractor and drafting compass. He offers a solo ariel act in which he appears to fly over the audience on bungee straps without the benefit of a net. At times suspended by one arm while performing astounding spins and flips, he ultimately leaves the audience gasping when he plunges downward from seemingly the uppermost spire of the Big Top tent. He is approached by performers who hand him building plans, which, along with the protractor and compass, illustrate that we are all architects of our world.

Scene after scene continues to amaze featuring two artists who offer an ariel act while suspended by their hair, 12 acrobats who stand atop one another’s shoulders and flip another individual forward and backward with effortless ease, while Future performs her own ariel acrobatic routine.

After intermission, a two-man, slackwire act takes to the stage. Suspended within The Cube, the performers make wire that is likely no wider than half-an-inch seem substantial — walking on it as if it’s a sidewalk, lounging on it as if it’s a hammock, spinning and flipping as if they are gymnasts on a 3” balance beam. Their performance is a dizzying display of talent, trust, and grit.

From high-flying poles that suspend not one but two performers above the stage to a contortionist whom you don’t know to watch or look away from (but watch!), to another ariel performance by Future who balances on her head while suspended over the crowd on a flying trapeze to 12 performers on three teeterboards who flip and sail high above the stage, the talent is extraordinary.

But Cirque would not be Cirque without its clowns. Called Double Trouble, the highlight of their antics is on full display in an act that is brilliant in its simplicity. Stacking boxes. They bring onto the stage a stack of large boxes. At first, it’s a competition to see who can stack them higher, faster while stealing from one another. But then, together, they create one stack that grows box by box to practically scrape the rafters. In all, they managed to stack 23 boxes, perfectly balanced despite their antics below. They were charming, beguiling, and absolutely riveting. They also illustrated that by working together, we can achieve great things (until, of course, someone tries to balance the stack on their head…).

“I think it’s important when people come to ECHO to be blown away by the performances and acrobatics,” said Mukhtar, “and at the same time, I want them to leave feeling empowered.”

As the evening concluded and The Cube was restored to its original brilliance, the full circle of life was on display for the audience, inviting them into the story and entreating them to feel their connection to our environment. Ultimately, the creators want the. Nightly audience of more than 2,600 awe-struck patrons “to understand that empathy and compassion can restore our relationships with animals and the natural world, and ultimately lead us to a space of hope, love, and connection.”

As Laliberté said in 1993 upon the 10^th anniversary of this extraordinary troupe:

“Today, we have our place in the sun and a roof over our heads, but once upon a time the street was our home. Then, we wanted to change the world. But we learned, through the years, that nothing is ever settled, and that tending our own garden is a lot of work in itself.

“Welcome to our world — of a thousand and one fantasies.”

Clearly after 43 years captivating audiences in more than 60 countries, Cirque du Soliel continues to cultivate its garden and achieve its goals. Their performances connect us. Their storytelling empowers us. Their artistry changes the world…and it is fantastical.

Cirque du Soliel ECHO plays under the Big Top at Ball Arena through August 17, 2025. Tickets: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/usa/denver/echo/buy-tickets

Quotes from Cirque du Soliel Founder Guy Laliberté and supporting historical material originally appeared in the Cirque du Soliel, a souvenir book published on the troupe’s 10^th anniversary with principal text by Sylvie Drake, former theatre critic of the Los Angeles Times and former Director of Media Relations and Publications at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.