Gone are the days of Barnum & Bailey, of elephant teams and performing lions, of freak shows and fright.

Given our standards for the quality of life have changed rather significantly since 1900, this is no unhappy alteration, but the allure of the Big Top itself has never wavered. Circus remains one of the most enchanting and otherworldly of arts, and it’s no secret that Cirque du Soleil is at the forefront of the game. As the Australian premiere of Kooza draws close, we chat with assistant director Chris Houston about greasepaint and trapeze.

“There are so many shows,” Houston laughs (by my reckoning, there are at least 17 unique Cirque du Soleil productions currently performing across the globe). “Kooza is going to be the eighth Big Top touring show to come to Sydney, so [it’s] true in a sense that we’re constantly churning out different shows. Provisionally, we have shows touring all over the world. We have multiple shows in Vegas, where there are 110 employees and artists from many different nationalities. Together, that’s what makes it all so very special. We work to find the next level, the next breakthrough in performance art.

Kooza was first created back in 2007, and with my position, I get to then progress it to that next level. I give input: all the artists and fresh talent have input. We’re constantly trying to push the boundaries of inspired performing arts, and even though we’ve been around for a long time – the artists and directors and personnel – they feel like they’re a very small part of the equation, but that’s not really the case. Everybody gets to contribute on a day-to-day basis.”

It has been my fortune to have caught several Cirque productions as they’ve touched down in Australia, and without exception, every step I took towards that Big Top brought me one step closer to childhood; to that unblinkered delight of the strange and surreal, of characters, costumes and landscapes that seem summoned from a dream. Given nine years have passed since Kooza first opened, though, I wonder how much opportunity exists for reinvention here – how much freedom Houston and the others have to paint a different canvas.

“We try and take the concept as close to the original as possible,” he explains. “For example, yes, you are going to see those costumes that were created originally. Sometimes we will do what they call a revamp, where the creative team will come back and they’ll refresh the show. We’ve actually already done that a few years ago with Kooza. Certainly the artists are really the heart and soul of Cirque du Soleil, because they are the most exceptionally talented individuals that we can find. We have a fantastic casting department in both Las Vegas and Montreal, who scour the world for the cream of the crop. We have gymnasts who have done the Olympics, gymnasts who have medals from world championships, we have the highest class divers in one of our shows, we have the most exceptional solo quality professional dancers, and what they bring is their unique expression, their unique way of doing things.

“So every time we receive a new artist, it revives the role, and we’re always keen to see what they can add. That’s the exciting part for me: when we get those artists on site and see what they can offer, and what we can bring to them to help their own growth as an artist. But they are the heart of Cirque, they bring such astounding performances.”

The 38-year-old Houston has himself been active in the world of gymnastics and performance since he was seven, so he knows exactly what level of dedication and creativity is needed to bring such a colourful production to life. Having cut his Cirque teeth on Viva Elvis, Houston now has the ever-evolving task of teasing Kooza into new directions and encouraging fresh perspectives, but the true springboard for each show begins on the other side of the world.

“I had a bit of an insight into that creative process on Elvis, where I was part of the original cast and part of the creation. Everything begins in Montreal, and of course, we scout the planet for the best creative minds that we can possibly get our hands on. Together we come up with ideas, we keep asking the question of, ‘What is possible? How can we make this better?’ And that process can take years. People can be sitting down with their storybook designing scenery and scenes, and that part alone might take years. Once they feel they have something that they can work from, then the next step is to go out and find the talent that can actualise that concept.

“All of that happens in Montreal, and it’s kind of like creating a baby. We’re usually there for around six months, and then three months on site in Vegas, so we’re looking at a nine-month creative process. Once the show gets to the state that it’s supposed to be in, once it opens, then we discover all these other options. ‘Oh, we forgot about this, and look at this space here, that’s interesting!’ We keep building and building and building, so we’re never quite settled. We’re always trying to improve, we’re always looking for new ways to do things that have never been done before.”

[Kooza photo by Matt Beard Costumes by Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt]

Koozaruns Thursday August 25 – Sunday November 6 atThe Showring, Entertainment Quarter.

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