Cirque du Soleil

NEW YORK -- Inside the tent, four young women soar through the air, legs hooked around trapeze bars, one hanging only by an ankle. Dropping deftly to the floor, they critique the performance -- in Russian, Italian, Portuguese, English.

Near a trampoline, three boys are conversing in Chinese.

It's backstage at Canada's touring Cirque du Soleil -- French for circus of the sun -- in town with a new show called "Varekai." That means "wherever" in the ancient Romany language of the Gypsies -- as in, wherever on Earth the nomadic race wanders.

The spectacle is set in a rain forest of magical creatures whose adventures unfold in heart-arresting acrobatics and exotic theatrics. Through early July, Cirque is playing to audiences on Randalls Island, in the East River off Manhattan. From there, "Varekai" goes to Chicago and Los Angeles.

Every walk of life

For the 56 performers plus crew, life imitates art: Natives of 19 different countries, they travel wherever the Montreal-based troupe pitches its blue-and-yellow striped tent.

"We're from every walk of life, from different cultures -- but somehow, we manage to build a show together," says Stella Umeh, a 27-year-old trapeze artist from Toronto.

"We're like a family, with parents and children sometimes screaming at each other, and lots of gossipy, humorous things happening," says Umeh, who was a member of Canada's 1992 Olympic gymnastics team.

On a spring afternoon, Cirque performers wander in and out of their "green rooms," outlined by canvas walls. One woman warms up by bouncing on the trampoline; on a floor mat, a man bounces a partner's body into the air with his feet.

A physical therapist is ready to help anyone battling pains and soreness from performances that look deceptively effortless.

"The hardest part of our job is performing with blisters, or burned skin. You have to work on top of that," says trapeze artist Raquel Karro, 27, who comes from Itaqui, Brazil, and joined Cirque eight months ago after a three-day audition by its globe-trotting talent scouts.

Founded 19 years ago by Guy Laliberte, a street-performing fire-eater, Cirque de Soleil is now a billion-dollar-a-year operation. It hits the road with 1,000 tons of equipment in 52 trucks. Back at its Montreal headquarters, performers' measurements are kept on file so that costumes can be created and sent to any location.

An hour before a Thursday matinee, Karro relaxes in one of the big top's 2,000-plus seats. She's watching a series of gravity-defying moves by British trapeze artist Zoey Tedstill, who has rejoined the troupe after months off to heal an injury.

"Wow! Brava ragazza!!" Karro calls out in Italian. "Good girl!"

Neither is Italian, the nationality of their teammate, Susanna Defraia Scalas. But for the Cirque du Soleil "Gypsies," all languages seem to meld into one, a special onstage lingo called "Cirquish."

In the wings, a table holds headdresses mounted on bald mannequins, some graced with feathers or shells that transform human forms into beasts of land and sea. The mannequins bear the names of the performers who wear them: "Igor," "Vadim, "Ivanov."

Performances like theater

About a third of the "Varekai" cast are Russian; a handful are from the former Soviet republic of Georgia -- naturals for "Georgian Dance," a fiendish, gyrating takeoff on ancient war dances from that country.

Cinthia Beranek, a trapeze artist from Sao Paolo, Brazil, is fine-tuning the men's moves: "You have to look at each other. You're doing the right thing, but at totally different times!"

From a shallow offstage "pit," seven instrumentalists and two singers produce the show's live music on violin, bass guitar, keyboard, percussion and woodwinds. The musicians use video monitors to track the performers and play to their moves.

Wayne Hankin, a New Yorker and the show's only American, plays 40 instruments laid out on a table. Hankin is also a master of the "nose flute," a piece of plastic that literally fits into his nose and produces a haunting, exotic sound.

The performers think of their show as theater. And with tickets going from $52.50 for children, to as high as $195 for an adult VIP seat, a Cirque du Soleil performance is closer to The Great White Way than The Greatest Show On Earth.

But after all, spokeswoman Chantal Blanchard says, Cirque "is like a Broadway show."

The Associated Press

GETTING THERE: The Cirque du Soleil site on Randalls Island can be reached by NY Waterway ferry from the following departure points: Pier 11, Wall Street; East 34th Street on the East River; and East 90th Street. For a schedule and to reserve ferry tickets, log on to www.nywaterway.com and check the "Special Events" page, or call (800) 53-FERRY.

A special X80 bus leaves for Randalls Island from Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street, accessible via the Lexington Avenue subway lines 4, 5 and 6, or from the Metro North 125th Street Station. Buses run starting at least 70 minutes before showtime to 30 minutes following the performance, about every ten minutes.

By car, Randalls Island is accessible from Manhattan via the Triborough Bridge in the East River, following "Cirque du Soleil" signs after the toll plaza. Parking is available at the Cirque site.

WHEN TO GO: Until July 6 in New York, there are shows Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are also 4 p.m. shows; and on Sunday, there's a 1 p.m. and a 5 p.m. show.

No performances are scheduled for June 10 and 17, and July 1. And on July 4, the performances are at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

In Chicago, Cirque du Soleil's "Varekai" is scheduled for July 17 to Aug. 17.

In Los Angeles, "Varekai" starts on Sept. 12 and runs through Oct. 5.

TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased through the toll free number (800) 678-5440 or online at www.cirquedusoleil.com.

Ticket prices range from $52.50 for children to $195 for an adult VIP ticket that includes a pre-show wine reception and intermission dessert; non-VIP adult tickets range from $75 to $95, with student and senior prices starting at $67.50.