Cirque du Soleil LUZIA Delights Ottawa with a Dreamlike Celebration of Mexico

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From monarch butterflies to a shimmering cenote, Luzia delivers stunning visuals and extraordinary artistry that makes every moment feel magical.

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Cirque du Soleil 's Luzia has flown into Ottawa under the Big Top! If you've never been to a Cirque show before, you're in for a special treat. In my mind, there is no other experience that quite compares to it. Luzia , like all other Cirque shows, is so much more than circus acts performing death-defying, daredevil feats - although, I assure you, there is plenty of that as well. What makes Cirque du Soleil stand out is the sheer scope of the production. Beyond traditional circus performers, the artists also include gifted musicians and singers as well as professional clowns. The integration of live music, fantastical costumes, projections, atmospheric lighting, and an overarching theme creates an otherworldly, multi-sensory experience. Cirque du Soleil does not use any live animals in its performances. All animal interpretations are done by humans through costumes and puppets.

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I was given the opportunity to tour behind the scenes with Cirque’s Christine Achampong before the show. Achampong was so generous with the information she shared to help make me understand the inner workings that make the show run smoothly and feel so magical. I’ll share some of that information with you here so that, even if you have seen a Cirque show before, you can look at Luzia through a new lens.

On opening night, the crowd was electric with anticipation. There were traditional Mexican dancers and musicians performing outside the Big Top to welcome guests as they arrived and set the tone perfectly for the show. Inside the Big Top, sightlines are excellent from all angles, and the intimacy of the tent heightens the impact of Luzia’s dreamlike staging.

Luzia’s theme is “a waking dream of Mexico”, and the show frames itself as a cultural experience, showcasing various elements of the entire country. The “Running Woman” opens the spectacle; with monarch butterfly wings flowing out behind her as she runs across the stage, illustrating the connection between Canada and Mexico through the migration of millions of monarchs every year. The Running Woman is accompanied by a huge industrial looking metal horse, which symbolizes the power of the Mexican people (and that takes two puppeteers inside to operate!) Thus, the dream emerges. All kinds of Mexican animals from sea to sky take the stage at varying points in the performance, including a swordfish, a snake, an armadillo, and even a cockroach! Luzia utilizes over one thousand pieces of costume and almost two hundred pairs of shoes in each show to make it come alive.

Cirque du Soleil ’s performers are incredibly talented individuals. Their backgrounds are diverse; some were former Olympic athletes and some, like Cyr Wheel artist, Sarah Torgni, were born into circus families. Torgni is a fifth-generation circus performer whose ancestor was an elephant tamer in 1800s Italy.

The first traditional circus act is the adagio, an elegant balancing act that is so gracefully performed that it belies the strength and dexterity required to achieve and hold the poses. Other acts include roseate hummingbirds jumping through hoops, made even more extraordinary by the fact that they use a treadmill to gain even more speed. A vintage style vignette set in the 1920s shows swimmers in the water with stylized waves; a lifeguard ascends on ever-increasingly high poles on which he balances to observe the swimmers below. Luzia has the most impressive solo contortionist I have ever seen, Aleksei Goloborodko; he twists himself into ways that are seemingly impossible.

Two scenes were the most visually striking to me. In the first, two performers spin inside Cyr wheels while a trapeze artist weaves her way through a curtain of rain falling from the sky as the sun sets behind them. As it falls, the water takes on various forms. I assumed this visual effect was achieved using projection screens; however, Achampong told me that the effect is not driven by computer technology at all. Rather, it is the turning of 174 individual nozzles to create pressure points that make the shapes in the water. Knowing this makes the waterfall even more incredible to see.

The second is my favourite scene in Luzia . At the beginning of the second half, a giant lantern rises to reveal a cenote. Emerging from the water is an aerialist. He rises above the water and comes face to face with a jaguar (beautifully operated by two puppeteers). The artistry of the lighting design makes the staging feel cavernous, as if we are deep in the depths of the cenote with them. The interaction between the aerialist and the jaguar is touching, highlighting the respect Mexicans have for the king of the Mexican jungle.

I asked Achampong how the water on the stage is managed, and she told me that the stage floor has thousands of tiny holes and that the 3,500 litres of water used in each show is then filtered and recycled night after night. Furthermore, while the audience is distracted by the clown, giant shammys on wheels are used in the darkness behind to mop up excess water from the stage to ensure it is safe for the next act.

The clowning, while charming and technically purposeful, doesn’t always land with as much emotional resonance as the acrobatic acts. Some of the comedic interludes feel more functional than narratively essential and seem to run a bit long, although one scene where the clown is scuba diving, is unique and cleverly done.

The music, composed by Simon Carpentier , draws on styles of music from across Mexico, while infusing a contemporary flavour into the score, resulting in a soundscape that feels simultaneously modern while remaining an homage to Mexico. The band performs mostly from behind the stage within four soundproof booths, although they do also appear on stage during the show. While backstage, they can see the performers on video screens. The relationship between the musicians and the performers is so unified that the music can be altered in real-time depending upon not only the actions occurring on stage, but also through cues arising from body language or facial expressions. These almost imperceptible gestures allow the performers to communicate silently with the musicians. We got to see this firsthand on opening night. One of the hoop jumpers missed her mark and the hoops crashed to the floor. She decided to reattempt the jump and the music shifted and even gave her a little drum roll in the lead up to her second attempt (which was flawlessly executed). It was so seamless that I would never even have noticed had it not been for Achampong.

Luzia’s vocal performances are extraordinary; some scenes are enhanced with the sounds of nature integrated into the musical landscape. The result is a gratifying feeling that you are celebrating not only the beauty of Mexico, but a celebration of life in all its glory.

Although Luzia is overwhelmingly successful in its artistry, it isn’t without minor imperfections. A few transitions feel slower than the rest of the show’s otherwise seamless flow, and some comedic beats don’t achieve the same emotional impact as the acrobatic pieces. However, these moments are brief, and Luzia’s strongest sequences, like the cenote tableau, rain curtain and its extraordinary contortionist are so captivating that they easily eclipse any criticisms. Luzia is a perfect introduction to Cirque du Soleil , capturing the essence of a country that is already familiar to and beloved by many Canadians. Having now seen Luzia twice, I can say it is one of my favourite Cirque shows. Whether you are seeing Luzia for the first time or this is a repeat visit, you will always find something new to appreciate in the show.

Luzia is under the Big Top at St. Laurent Shopping Centre through October 18, 2026. Click here for more information about the show or click the link below to purchase tickets.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/ottawa/article/Review-Cirque-du-Soleils-LUZIA-Dazzles-Ottawa-With-a-Waking-Dream-of-Mexico-20260913)._