Setting the Stage for a Spectacular Cirque du Soleil Show
We provided engineering design for the company’s first big top, brought to Canada from France, to ensure it met all the safety codes and standards; structural design of stage floors, stage lifts, aerial rigging and sets for tours and permanent venues; permit requests in several USA municipalities; and structural reviews of big tops and grandstands for various tours.
Zarkana is a quintessential Cirque du Soleil spectacular featuring a cast of 70 world-class acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, high-wire and trapeze artists. It was launched at Radio City Music Hall in New York, travelling on to Madrid, to the Kremlin in Moscow and back to Radio City before establishing its permanent home at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The infrastructure for the show is impressive. It includes a self-supporting technical grid on two levels which slides into place on columns; a steel wire suspended between two pivoting towers which disappear under the stage after the performance; and a demountable stage floor containing trap doors, anchoring points and several moving parts.
Our services included design and validation of all elements of the infrastructure and acrobatic equipment; review of the preliminary analysis carried out in the UK and recommendations for modifications required to conform to the North American standards; adaptation of the infrastructure, equipment and building interfaces for the different venues; and technical support, inspection and monitoring the manufacture of the equipment.