Cirque Italia makes splash at CrossIron Mills

North of Calgary, in the parking lot of Crossiron Mills Mall, another Cirque tent is glimmering,

Cirque Italia’s secret weapon is water.

“We have a custom water stage, so during these amazing acts, water is shooting out, it’s raining down. If you sit close enough, you get splashed a little bit, and it just really ups the amazement on the show,” said Kelly Ayala, an aerialist with the travelling show.

She is also the only native English speaker, and so gets put up for all of the interviews.

The troupe brings together performers from Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and beyond.

“There is about 16 performers, and we represent about seven to eight different countries,” Ayala says.

Performing on slick wet fabric adds its own challenge.

“We definitely slip a lot more than we would normally,” she says. “But it’s really fun. And when it’s really hot, it cools you down.”

Her favorite act? Flying high, with no net.

“I’m about 30 feet up in the air, and I also swing on the trapeze too, with no safety line,” Ayala adds. “A lot of people have seen trapeze before, but when you’re there watching in person, and I don’t have a safety line and everything, I think it’s really amazing.”

On stage, it all comes together in a 1950s dream sequence: clowns, contortionists, acrobats, balancing acts — “Everything you would expect that you’re going to see, just better,” she says.

Ayala and her castmates just wrapped a run in Edmonton and are heading next to Medicine Hat. But for now, Calgary has two weeks to see the spectacle.

“We are here for two weeks, so there’s plenty of opportunities to see the show,” she says.

Cirque Italia is at Crossiron Mills until Sept. 29.