Cirque du Soleil is back in Tysons.
After visiting George Mason University’s Eagle Bank Arena last spring, the Canadian circus will once again open up its Big Top at Lerner Town Square (8025 Galleria Drive) for a new show, starting tomorrow (Saturday).
Set to run until Oct. 19, “Luzia” seeks to conjure up an “imaginary Mexico” that exists “between dreams and reality” with Cirque du Soleil’s signature acrobatic performances, elaborate sets and its first incorporation of rain into a touring production, according to a press release.
Cirque du Soleil previously brought Luzia to Tysons in 2018. Currently in the middle of a North American tour that has also included New York City and Montreal, the show’s return to Fairfax County also represents a homecoming for artistic director Gracie Valdez, who grew up in Vienna and obtained her bachelor’s degree in the arts from GMU.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to present LUZIA to the generous Northern Virginia audience after 7 years,” Valdez said in a statement to FFXnow. “It’s extraordinary to share this experience once again with friends and family, and to see a new generation encounter the magic for the very first time. From the vibrant colors, mesmerizing tableaus, extraordinary talent, and unforgettable music, LUZIA offers a much-needed escape for all ages.”
Deriving its name from the Spanish words for “light” (luz) and “rain” (lluvia), Luzia combines traditional and contemporary circus acts to take audiences on a journey that ranges from an old movie set and dance halls to the ocean and a desert, the circus says.
More from the press release:
Cyr Wheel artists perform the unprecedented feat of rolling and spinning under the rain, while an aerialist suspended from a Trapeze flies and twirls through pouring showers. Hoop Diving is taken onto gigantic treadmills, expanding exponentially the speed and amount of daring leaps executed. Jaw-dropping highlights include a male contortionist skillfully twisting his body in the world’s most unimaginable positions, a powerful Aerial Straps specialist defying the laws of gravity at the center of a cenote (natural sinkhole), a juggler tossing seven pins at breakneck speed, and two football (soccer) freestylers deftly mixing street dance with mind-blowing ball manipulation.
Tickets are still on sale for dates throughout the show’s run, including for tomorrow’s premiere, which will begin at 7 p.m. Prices start at $60 for weekday performances but climb up to $100 for Saturday shows in October, with one evening show starting at $264.
A few of the October times have sold out, including both of the final shows on Oct. 19.
Cirque du Soleil has regularly used Lerner Town Square as its D.C.-area base over the past decade. In July, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals approved its request to extend a special permit allowing it to perform on what’s currently a parking lot through 2030. Without the extension, the permit would’ve expired last October.
With Cirque du Soleil at Eagle Bank Arena last year, Lerner Town Square instead hosted Circus Vazquez — a family-owned production that started in Mexico and previously presented its shows in Spanish — last fall.
