ROANOKE, Va. – Cirque Du Soleil is back in Roanoke, but this time they’re on ice.
The Berglund Center is Cirque Du Soleil Axel’s 6th stop on this tour.
Opening night was Thursday and there are multiple shows throughout the weekend, concluding with a 5 p.m. show Sunday.
You may be familiar with the extravagant stage set up, costumes and acrobatics of a Cirque Du Soleil show, but Axel was designed to take it up a notch.
“We have 41 artists, skaters and acrobats. Acrobats had to learn how to skate and incorporate wearing skates while they do some of their aerial fleets and skaters had to learn how to do some acrobatics as well because they fly,” said Julie Desmarais, the show’s senior publicist.
Husband and wife skating duo Andy Buchanan and Robin Johnstone have been performing for years. They even performed together in Cirque Du Soleil’s first ice show, Crystal. They said getting to do it again in Axel is a dream come true.
“The standard and quality of Cirque Du Soleil is better than anywhere. The talent, the lighting, the atmosphere, everything they do, they do it at top level and to be part of that and to be mixed into that is a huge honor,” said Buchanan.
For a list of showtimes and tickets, click here.