My Beginning Adventures in 'LOVE'.
By Maggie Mart, 16th September 2008
My name is Maggie Mart. I am twenty-two years old and am an Acrobat for Cirque Du Soleil in the show ‘LOVE’. On April 5th I performed for the last time with La Nouba and on April 6th I arrived in Vegas. I remember stepping off the plane seeing so much advertisement for ‘LOVE’ and for all of Cirque Du Soleil, it was overwhelming. I remember thinking “I finally did it.” I am finally a performer in a huge Las Vegas Show. Little did I know that was just the beginning of the excitement to come.
Right away the training began. Learning bungee was a blast. After the first training on the stage I remember thinking “Am I really getting paid to do this? This is too much fun?” The best part was the fun didn’t stop there. I soon learned I would perform a cue called the “High-Striker” in an act called “Mr. Kite.” I am harnessed in and hung on a very fast motor that pulls me up and down and eventually takes me to the grid. I was to act like a puppet and scream as I went up and down. After performing it for the first time I remember thinking again “Am I really getting paid to do this?” I think I must have thought that to myself at least fifty times. Running around like a groupie, screaming, dancing, bouncing trampoline, yah... I am having a blast.
Of course it wasn’t all fun and games the entire time through out the integration. I remember once I came to a “Drive My Car” rehearsal. There is a lot of dancing in this act and they had yet to teach me the choreography. They showed me where to go on stage and then they played the music. I soon realised everyone knew the choreography but me. I felt helpless, lost, and very frustrated. But that’s all just part of learning a new show and only one of the minor issues that had to be dealt with and learned from.
Before I knew it I was in the basement ready for my first show. I had so much on my mind. “How was my make-up? Is my wig going to stay on? I hope I remember the choreography?”... Only minutes later I was strapped in ready for my entrance on bungee. Music blasting I was raised into the air. Lights were going everywhere and huge smile was on my face. My routine went great. My wig stayed on. I remembered everything. I was so happy and was ready for the next show so I could do it all over again.
It has been a little over a month of me being in the show now and I am having an absolute blast. I am growing more and more into my characters that I play on stage, and I am getting integrated into different cues all the time. It was hard for me to say good-bye to my “La Nouba” family and all the leaving artists from ‘LOVE’, but because of them I am here today. I so grateful and happy to be here.