Acrobats audition for spot in Cirque du Soleil shows

Angie Wagner

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000 | 9:34 a.m.

There are no elephants, no ringleader and definitely no peanuts in the gallery. This is Cirque du Soleil, where doing the odd and the daring may just get you a spot in one of its international shows.

Acrobats, divers, rope climbers and those with talents that seemed like they don't belong in any show auditioned Monday for a spot in one of Cirque du Soleil's seven shows.

"I think Cirque du Soleil has taken the circus world to a new level," said Andre Vallerand, acrobatic scout and trainer for Cirque du Soleil. "It's not only being a clown and having a red nose. You have to do all those things and more."

Ron Coons, 29, of Las Vegas hopes balancing and hopping on his BMX bicycle is an act Cirque du Soleil can't refuse.

"I enjoy performing," Coons said before his audition. "I want to explore a little bit different outlet of riding."

But does riding a bike belong in Cirque du Soleil?

It just might.

The show thrives on the bizarre and hard to explain acts.

This isn't the circus you went to on Saturday afternoons. Try diving, synchronized swimming and climbing ropes. The show "O" at the Bellagio hotel-casino features acrobats in water, which gives divers retired from competition a chance to perform.

And you don't join this circus, you have to be selected to audition. Even then, the few who make the final cut are put into Cirque du Soleil's bank of performers. They may be put into a show when a performer decides to leave or they may never perform at all.

But that doesn't keep athletes from trying out. Hundreds attend auditions held all over the world each year. About 30 auditioned in Las Vegas Sunday and Monday.

"I think people like what the Cirque does," Vallerand said. "People want to be a part of the magic."

Elena Serafimovich, 28, of Belarus, Russia, twisted her way in, out and around a hoop suspended in the air for her talent. She put her legs behind her head, balanced on the hoop by just her ankles and seemed to fold in half backward.

It was an impressive routine, but Vallerand told her she looked too beautiful.

"I want you to show me a little emotion on the trapeze," he said. "I want to see ugly. Use your voice. I want to hear you now. Become a monster."

Serafimovich tried, but couldn't seem to make the transition.

She was disappointed in her performance.

"I was nervous," she said.

After several more strength tests and more scrutiny, Vallerand will decide whether Serafimovich will fit into Cirque du Soleil's mold.

"You need to have this desire to really entertain, to bring the magic to the people," he said. "If the person has no spark or no personality, it's difficult for us to take that person."

A group of street performers began Cirque du Soleil in Quebec in 1984. Now more than 500 performers from several countries perform in Cirque du Soleil shows in Orlando, Fla.; Biloxi, Miss.; Europe; two traveling shows and two shows in Las Vegas.