Toledo, OH (Top40 Charts) On February 2nd, audiences can witness the magical artistry of cirque performers with the Toledo Symphony.
Resident conductor Jeffrey Pollock leads the TSO in this unique performance at the Stranahan. This beautiful and family-friendly program of popular classics soars to new heights on the wings of aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, strongmen and more!
The cirque performers featured include aerialists
Alexander Streltsov, Christine Van Loo and Aloysia Gavre; contortionist Elena Tsarkova; juggler/mime Vladimir Tsarkov; and performing astonishing feats of strength the hand balancing act Darek and Jarek.
Reviews across the country have been stellar. More information and videos can be found at https://www.cirquedelasymphonie.com. Performers are listed below. This collaboration is a first for the Toledo Symphony.
Tickets are on sale at https://www.toledosymphony.com, www.top40-charts.com or by calling the box office at 419-246-8000 M-F from 9-5pm.
Toledo.com is the media sponsor for this performance.
About Cirque de la Symphonie:
Cirque de la Symphonie is an exciting production designed to bring the magic of cirque to the music hall. It is an elegant adaptation of some of the most amazing cirque performances witnessed anywhere, and it showcases many of the best artists in the world. The audience is thrilled and bedazzled by aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmen. These are some of the most accomplished veterans of exceptional cirque programs from across the globe. They include world record holders, gold-medal winners of international competitions, Olympians and some of the most original talent ever seen. Their performances are uniquely adapted to stage accommodations shared with the symphony, and each artist's performance is choreographed to the music arranged in collaboration with the maestro. When the artists of Cirque de la Symphonie perform in front of the full orchestra, an incredible fusion of these two great art forms takes place. The aerialists and acrobats turn the concert into a three dimensional entertainment extravaganza, and the orchestra seems to play with enhanced enthusiasm. Veteran concert-goers and new patrons alike are thrilled by the exhilarating cirque performances combined with the majesty of a live symphony orchestra.
Alexander Streltsov is a Russian aerial artist who started working with famed cirque choreographer Pavel Brun and producer Valentin Gneushev when he was only twelve, performing on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater. The same year he won the gold medal in the competition among international cirque artists at the prestigious Festival Mondial Du Cirque De L'Avenir in Paris. His combination of natural strength, artistic expression, and grace sets his performance apart from other aerialists. Also known as "Sasha," he has performed for three Russian presidents and the Bolshoi Ballet, numerous symphonies in the US and Europe, and elaborate theater and stage productions worldwide. He has made many television appearances, such as the star-studded ABC-TV special "Christopher Reeve- A Celebration of Hope" and the PBS nationwide broadcast of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Fourth of July Celebration. He continues to be a favorite at music halls, where he soars out over the audience in a spectacular display of aerial artistry or when he sets his riveting spinning cube act in motion.
Christine Van Loo is a 7-time consecutive
National Champion, Female Olympic
Athlete of the Year, and
Athlete of the Decade in acrobatic gymnastics. She was inducted into the USSA (acro-gymnastics) Hall of Fame and the World Acrobatics Society Gallery of Honor. As a professional aerialist and acrobat she has performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, at two Grammy Awards (with
No Doubt and with Ricky Martin), at the American
Music Awards (with Aerosmith), the Miss Universe pageant, and Paul McCartney's European tour. She was a trainer and performer with NBC's Celebrity Circus, and she choreographed the aerials for
Britney Spears World Tour and the Stars on Ice US tour. Christine provides spell-binding performances of aerial silks, rope, lira, and trapeze with Cirque de la Symphonie.
The mind-boggling strength and agility of Jarek and Darek's "Duo Design" provides one of the most powerful acts to be included in Cirque de la Symphonie's captivating program. This dynamic and exciting balancing act consists of Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski, former Polish national hand-balancing champions. They have competed and performed throughout
Europe and the United States, winning championships in Evian, France and Sarasota, Florida. Over the past few years, these prolific performers have thrilled audiences at several NBA halftimes, Cirque du Soleil, Circus Circus, Busch Gardens, and the national tour of Cirque Ingenieux. Their Cirque de la Symphonie performances have left audiences stunned and amazed at music halls everywhere.
Aloysia Gavre is another incredible aerial performer from the Ecole
National de Cirque, Montreal, with early training from Master Lu-Yi and the Pickle Family Circus School. Her aerial acrobatics and graceful maneuvers on the aerial hoop, suspended high above the stage, add three-dimensional excitement to the symphony and the music hall. Aloysia was the Special Prize Winner at the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo. A veteran of stage and theater performances worldwide, Aloysia is best known as a veteran of Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam" and "O." Her five years with Quidam established her as one of the best aerial artists in the world, and today she shares that experience with others as choreographer for Cirque Mechanics and Troupe Vertigo and as director of Cirque School in Los Angeles. Aloysia's regular performances with Cirque de la Symphonie and live orchestras take aerial acrobatics to a new level.
Vladimir Tsarkov provides a spell-binding performance with combinations of mime and juggling feats. A favorite of the younger members of the audiences, Vladimir's Red Harlequin act features rings, balls, and batons, and he's even been known to teach the maestro a trick or two! He is a veteran of Circus Circus, Cirque Ingenieux, and various Cirque de la Symphonie performances. Vladimir graduated from Russia's prestigious
State College of Circus and Theater Arts and won the gold medal at the Cirque de Demain International Festival in France. His performance with the symphony is pure entertainment and guaranteed to please audiences of all ages.
Elena Tsarkova, the "Lady in White," is a graduate of the famed Moscow Circus School and first-place winner of the prestigious
National Russian Circus Festival. From her "Master of Sports" in gymnastics, Elena developed into a unique and graceful performer with the Big Apple Circus, Switzerland's Circus Knie, and Germany's Circus Roncalli. Her combination of contortion, balance, and graceful dance moves has made her a major star with Cirque de la Mur in Florida and Circus Circus in Las Vegas. She is also a master quick change artist and other magical acts involving her partner, Vladimir. Elena's experience with many major stage and theater productions offers a professional background that allows for a truly unforgettable and elegant performance with the live orchestra.
