Cirque du Soleil Takes to the Ice in North Texas — Acrobatics and Real Snow Come Together For the First Time

Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil will be skating through North Texas this February. The first stop for the ice skating and acrobatic performance of CRYSTAL will be at Frisco’s own Comerica Center (which also serves as the practice rink for the Dallas Stars) with seven shows scheduled for February 7 through February 11. That will be followed by six shows from February 15 to February 18 at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena, which will be transformed from hosting the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo into a true winter wonderland.

This marks the first time that Dallas and Fort Worth audiences get a chance to see this unique Cirque performance.

It is Cirque du Soleil’s 42nd original production overall, but CRYSTAL is the company’s first creation that incorporates real snow. The production team produces approximately 300 snowballs each week. The combination of mesmerizing acrobatics with ice skating is achieved with large-scale interactive projections and an integrated spotlight tracking system.

There will, of course, be a swinging trapeze, aerial straps, hand-balancing, banquine and pendular poles. Only this time, it will all be performed on and above the ice. Going way beyond any circus performance you’ve likely ever seen.

Preparing Cirque To Perform On Ice

― Cirque’s wardrobe team adapted the 5,000 pieces of costume to withstand the rigors of the ice and the strenuousness of each performance.

― Porters — the Cirque performers designated to catch the acrobats who are tossed into the air — must wear special padding on their shoulders, as well as gloves made of Kevlar to absorb shock and protect them from the razor-sharp skate blades.

― All costumes are designed with water-resistant and non-absorbent materials allowing the performing artists to gracefully slide and glide on the ice without getting wet.

― Specially made shoes have been constructed with small metal spikes in the soles to enable the acrobats to perform high-level flips and tumbling on the ice.

Tickets for CRYSTAL in both Frisco and Fort Worth will be available for the general public to purchase beginning this Monday, August 28. Go here for more info and to get tickets.

The big top never felt so cool.