{"id":2193936,"date":"2025-12-10T19:33:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T19:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2193936"},"modified":"2025-12-10T19:33:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T19:33:18","slug":"exclusive-i-tried-out-for-cirque-du-soleils-wild-high-flying-holiday-show-heres-how-the-dizzying-experience-turned-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/exclusive-i-tried-out-for-cirque-du-soleils-wild-high-flying-holiday-show-heres-how-the-dizzying-experience-turned-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | I tried out for Cirque du Soleil\u2019s wild, high-flying holiday show \u2014 here&#8217;s how the dizzying experience turned out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F12%2Fcirque-du-soleil-hp-lifestyle-117101403.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When it comes to capturing the spirit of Christmas in NYC, there are few grander ways to celebrate than by seeing Cirque du Soleil\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-nyp-link-source=\"trackonomics\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/nypost_01638_nypost?p=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2025%2F12%2F10%2Flifestyle%2Fi-tried-out-for-cirque-du-soleils-wild-high-flying-holiday-show-heres-how-the-dizzying-experience-turned-out%2F&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%2F%3Fid%3D93051X1547088%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DNYPost-Content-Textlink-CirqueduSoleilMSG%26url%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Ftwas-the-night-before-by-cirque-new-york-new-york-12-10-2025%2Fevent%2F3B0062CEB75F0BD0&amp;author=Alaxnyp&amp;articleID=37884931&amp;event_type=click&amp;publishdate=december%2010%2C%202025&amp;linksource=web&amp;primarytag=cirque-du-soleil&amp;contentsection=lifestyle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">holiday show \u201c\u2019Twas the Night Before\u2026\u201d<\/a> at Madison Square Garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The seasonal spectacle, based on Clement-Clarke Moore\u2019s classic poem \u201cA Visit from St. Nicholas,\u201d features 26 artists, plucked from a global ensemble of 1,200 world-class acrobats, who go through grueling training to perfect the high-flying, dizzying and just plain dangerous stunts in the shows.<\/p>\n<p>So when I was asked to \u201ctry out\u201d for the MSG troupe, my first thought was that I hadn\u2019t done gymnastics since the fifth grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Post reporter Allison Lax, shown with Cirque siblings Dylan and Asia Medini, laces up for her \u201caudition.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;TWAS the Night Before... Official Trailer | Cirque du Soleil\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p3tiBTMP7Iw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Yet as I watched <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bR_33wSiPyQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clip<\/a> after <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gwGLBiKeaR8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clip<\/a> of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p3tiBTMP7Iw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cast members catapulting<\/a> and somersaulting through the air with an ease I\u2019d typically reserve for flipping through Netflix, my second (surprising) thought was: <em>Let\u2019s do this!<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Show writer and director James Hadley, while impressed with my gung-ho attitude, confirmed that my glaring lack of athletic prowess was atypical of an aspiring Cirque artist, who must have \u201ca variety of acrobatic skills,\u201d such as being able to tumble and \u201cflip off\u201d a surface, like a table.<\/p>\n<p>With no tumbling (much less flipping-off-a-table) skills to speak of, I had no idea how I would make it through, much less keep all my limbs intact.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Day of my \u2018audition\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lax had her show-ready makeup applied by skating artist Asia Medini. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I woke up the morning of my tryout excited, albeit with more than a few butterflies in my stomach for what lay ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe amount of strength that they have to have is absolutely phenomenal, and the trust that they have to have with one another as well,\u201d Hadley told me.<\/p>\n<p>After going through one of the performers\u2019 entrances at Madison Square Garden (I felt like a star already!) and finding the costume-filled dressing rooms backstage, I met Asia Medini, the 31-year-old rollerskating acrobat who performs as half of the \u201cDisco Lovers\u201d duo with her 29-year-old brother, Dylan Medini, five days a week and up to three performances a day. <\/p>\n<p>Asia taught me how to apply the same makeup \u2014 blue eyebrows, a hot-pink eyeshadow design, loads of crystals and glitter \u2014 that she uses to be seen from the theater\u2019s farthest rows. The process, she said, typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>With blue eyebrows and hot pink lips, Lax felt ready to try out for Cirque du Soleil. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the last crystal glued into place and my lips painted a dazzling shade of pink, I hit the stage, looked out at the vast sea of 5,600 seats, and wondered if the cast still felt nervous before executing their complex routines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen performers do have nerves, I always tell them that if you sort of focus that into your performance, that\u2019s how you\u2019re going to get through this,\u201d said Hadley. \u201cUsually, it just brings more excitement to their performances.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>First act: hoops<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Antler-clad Cirque \u201creindeer\u201d reach new heights in the show. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Hoops artist Nicolas Nieto Teusa and Lax pose through a large hoop used in the \u201c\u2019Twas\u201d performance. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>First, I would be diving through the upper of two stacked, golden hoops and tumbling onto a foam mat below, an act performed by eight antler-clad acrobats, who depict Santa\u2019s reindeer, bounding through one after another.<\/p>\n<p>Nicolas Nieto Teusa, 28, who portrays one of the prancing, diving animals, first walked me through a backstage warm-up used to get muscles limber before shows, and then he gave me my first, seemingly simple instruction: to somersault.<\/p>\n<p>I took a breath, tumbled forward and landed hard on the mat \u2014 which, thankfully, was softer than expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lax practices a tumble before heading to the hoops. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAgain,\u201d Nieto Teusa commanded, instructing me to put my hands forward as though I were pushing against something, which made it easier. <\/p>\n<p>For our final step, Nieto Teusa said we would jump through the hoop, too, and told me, \u201cPretend it\u2019s not there.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>I laughed out loud, and actually thought, \u201cYeah, <em>right<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The beginning of Lax\u2019s hoop diving journey. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Somersaulting through the hoop was more difficult than Nieto Teusa made it look. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After he flawlessly flipped through, I fumbled a few times before successfully passing through, though less gracefully.<\/p>\n<p>My practice wasn\u2019t perfect, but it was fun to engage in the hoop-la.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Second act: straps<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Roman Tomanov and his partner, Sarah Knauer, gracefully hang from the aerial straps.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Second-generation, 36-year-old circus performer Roman Tomanov soars and spins from aerial straps at unnerving heights with partner Sarah Knauer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes a lot of upper body strength,\u201d said Tomanov, who implements \u201ca lot\u201d from gymnastics and has been continuously involved with Cirque since he was 18.<\/p>\n<p>The cotton straps hang from the ceiling and allow a performer to dangle from mere inches to 25 feet off the ground. <em>Gulp<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>After I slipped my wrists through the loops, Tomanov instructed me to hang low, like I was \u201con the monkey bars,\u201d in a seated position with my legs outstretched in front of me.<\/p>\n<p>Supporting my weight with my arms above my head, I quickly discovered, was no easy feat, and I started swinging out of control in a sort of circle.<\/p>\n<p>Not exactly graceful \u2014 but a heck of a lot of fun.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lax gives the straps a try while hangin\u2019 around with artist Roman Tomanov. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lax, pictured alongside Tomanov, was \u201cheels over head\u201d trying out for Cirque. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For our other trick, Tomanov helped me flip myself upside down, a position that (in my humble opinion) I held for an impressively long time!<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps my top-notch performance on the straps would pull me through to cast-member status? <\/p>\n<p>A gal can dream.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Third act: roller-skating<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cDisco Lovers\u201d duo Asia and Dylan Medini execute their whirlwind routine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s fun to perform with my sister,\u201d Dylan Medini said of the feat he does with his sibling. \u201cBecause we know each other, we feel when something is wrong or something is good. So we are on the same page all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By this point, I was feeling extra sure of myself \u2014 maybe even a little cocky. I already had basic roller-skating skills from childhood; how hard could this actually be?<\/p>\n<p>Turns out, pretty darn hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Roller skates feel quite different from inline skates (the latter being my standard choice when I go to a rink once in a blue moon), and my unsteady self had to be gently guided to the center of the stage by hand, my balance somehow maintained but my ego trailing close behind.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Asia Medini looks on as her brother Dylan assists Lax. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once there, the younger Medini instructed me to stretch out my arms, palms up. He then took my hands and spun me around in a circle, just as he does with his sister during performances.<\/p>\n<p>I was much slower and a great deal clunkier than their polished duet, and I emerged from our loop feeling dizzy and disoriented \u2014 the same sensation the Medinis have to shake off before breaking into dance as part of their routine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine spinning fast, upside down, whatever, and then going down and then (continuing to) skate and keeping pace with the music, and then more steps,\u201d explained Asia. <\/p>\n<p>Oh, I could imagine.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lax was all smiles, though a bit dizzy. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once finished, I rolled off stage triumphant, if slightly wobbly. I had just tried out for Cirque du Soleil to the best of my ability, and I was still somehow standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On skates, no less.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The verdict<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>This writer\u2019s Cirque dreams were quashed, though not from a lack of trying. <span class=\"credit\">Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While this severely uncoordinated writer won\u2019t be joining the cast of Cirque du Soleil anytime soon, I got a first-hand glimpse of the astronomical talent required.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a Cirque du Soleil artist demands a high level of strength, flexibility and discipline,\u201d said Tomanov. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople often see the beauty on stage, but behind every moment is years of training, repetition, conditioning and constant improvement.\u00a0It\u2019s also about body control, mental focus, creativity and evolving your skills and pushing your limits.\u201d (I think I found my limits.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The talented cast of \u201c\u2019Twas\u201d shows off what they do best.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hadley added that the show\u2019s \u201cfresh, new perspective\u201d on Moore\u2019s poem offers a \u201cvery modern way of looking at many of the Christmas classics that we\u2019ve all come to love over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while I couldn\u2019t agree more, viewers thankfully won\u2019t see this klutz flying through the air at MSG.<\/p>\n<p><em>Cirque du Soleil\u2019s limited holiday engagement \u201c\u2018Twas the Night Before\u2026\u201d runs through Dec. 28 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to capturing the spirit of Christmas in NYC, there are few grander ways to celebrate than by seeing Cirque du Soleil\u2019s holiday show \u201c\u2019Twas the Night Before\u2026\u201d at Madison Square Garden.\u00a0 The seasonal spectacle, based on Clement-Clarke Moore\u2019s classic poem \u201cA Visit from St. Nicholas,\u201d features 26 artists, plucked from a global [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2193937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[22116,355501,21741,25404,360855,21818,306299,25879,344940],"class_list":["post-2193936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-christmas","tag-cirque-du-soleil","tag-entertainment","tag-exclusive","tag-gymnastics","tag-lifestyle","tag-madison-square-garden","tag-metro","tag-theaters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Exclusive-I-tried-out-for-Cirque-du-Soleils-wild.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2193936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2193938,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193936\/revisions\/2193938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2193937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2193936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2193936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2193936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}