OVO By Cirque Du Soleil Brings Gravity-defying Acrobatics And Romance To Hertz Arena

By D. K. Christi / Photos by Marie-Andrée Lemire and Sanjeev Velmurugan

 

OVO by Cirque du Soleil, a vibrant and visually awakening stage performance, soars into Hertz Arena for a limited run from July 31 through August 3, bringing with it a cast of world-class athletes, acrobats and actors that embody an entire ecosystem of brightly costumed insects magnified to human size.   A seven-piece orchestra provides the original music.

After touring more than 40 countries and performing for over 7 million fans, OVO (“egg” in Portuguese) now brings its unique fusion of physical artistry and emotional storytelling to Southwest Florida.

At the heart of OVO is a playful exploration of life in the insect world, complete with a love story between the Ladybug and a quirky blue fly known as the Foreigner. The surprising arrival of the unusual Foreigner and his equally strange egg to a dazzling colony of bright and diverse insects is disturbing and curious.

Olympic champions and winners of national and international titles in gymnastics and acrobatics also mastered dance and acting for this engaging show. Among them is Nansy Damianova, who represented Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in artistic gymnastics. In OVO, she plays a scarab beetle and thrills audiences in the aerial cradle act — a high-flying performance that demands precision, trust and power.

“I found that Olympic notoriety at 19, and my youth spent in preparation was a sort of high-intensity bubble,” Damianova said. “The reality of settling into completing university education along with NCAA competitions and then entering the world of work left a gap. I had retained contacts with Cirque du Soleil. Nothing fills an emotional gap like the joy and awe in the faces of young and old alike or the actual gasps at the scary edges of aerial throws or trapeze flights from a joyful and appreciative audience.”

Neiva Nascimento from Brazil plays the Ladybug, bringing warmth, humor and emotional connection to the role. Raised in a circus family, she has been performing since age 7 and now charms audiences with her expressive clowning and comic timing.

“For me, it’s something I’m really proud of,” she said. “Playing this role lets me bring out my personality. I can share emotions with people — that connection means everything, especially when I hear the kids in the audience. It’s amazing. Their reactions are so honest and pure.”

After the clown scenes, Nascimento and the other clowns talk about how the audience responded.

“The kids’ laughter is contagious,” she said. “Sometimes I have to remind myself to stay focused, or I’ll start laughing too!”

Behind the scenes, over 100 professionals representing 25 nationalities travel with the show, including performers, riggers, technicians and managers. Senior Publicist Janie Mallet coordinates their schedules, logistics and travel across countries and continents.

“They are living the career and life they love while also experiencing different cultures, ways of life, architectural styles and all the nuances of an international life,” Mallet said. The demands are great — equaled by their devotion to their art.

Each costume in OVO is tailored to evoke the appearance and personality of a specific insect. Designed to move seamlessly with the performers’ bodies, the outfits reflect the intricacies of nature under a microscope as perceived by humans.

“Costumes are custom-made to each insect’s particular traits, bursting with colors and details to distinguish each character,” Mallet said.

“They are made to move with the performers effortlessly, a feat accomplished by exact fittings of fine materials that truly evoke a recognition of the insect,” Damianova added. “As the acting butterflies soar above the stage, their wings give the perfect illusion of flight — a feast for the eyes.”

Actors are taught to apply their own makeup, the finishing touch to a bigger-than-life replica of their character. 

With over a dozen distinct acts, OVO features tumbling crickets, foot-juggling ants, trapeze-flying butterflies, and a live seven-piece band performing Brazilian-inspired rhythms among a steady stream of acrobatic and gymnastic jumping and flying.

 The crickets perform intricate acrobatic wall jumps. Ants juggle with their feet. Creatura, a slinky-like character, adds levity with physical comedy. Butterflies perform elegantly above the stage, and Red Spider spins through aerial silks.

The production’s storyline — a metaphor for embracing diversity and finding unity — resonates across generations. A 3-year-old child who finds bugs amazing sees them come to life in human size and laughs with glee. Teenagers and adults enjoy the risks, theme of first love and pageantry. At a deeper level, a global world of diversity and caring is modeled by these charming bugs.

“The love between different bugs, different species — it shows that it’s possible to be different and still live in harmony,” Nascimento said. “No matter the color, the background, the religion — what really matters is love. For the Ladybug, everyone is welcome. She doesn’t judge; everyone is welcome in her eyes.”

While the sets and costumes bring a whimsical world to life and a feast for the eyes, the daring acrobatics performed are real, requiring absolute trust and precision across the cast members’ many languages and life experiences.

For many, it feels like a family.

“When we are taught a new skill, the practice is in steps to move past the risk horizon, and when perfected, there may be a moment of fear before taking the leap without safety straps,” Damianova said. “The joy of performance and thrilling an audience takes over from there, fear left in the past.”

See OVO at Hertz Arena July 31–Aug. 3. Tickets are available at cirquedusoleil.com/OVO.