Meet Ugo Laffolay of Luzia by Cirque du Soleil in Atlantic Station

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ugo Laffolay.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started training circus arts casually at the age of 6 at a local school in my hometown of Amien, France, training basic disciplines such as juggling and diabolo. It’s after watching the VHS of Cirque du Soleil’s production Saltimbanco that I decided I would want to become a professional circus artist. At 10 years old, I started focusing seriously on acrobatics, hand balancing and hand-to-hand, training 6 hours a week while in elementary school, and 8 hours a week once I got to high school.

In 2007, I was accepted at the National Circus School of Montreal for a major college degree in Aerial Straps and a minor in Hand Balancing. I had a blast at the school, working with experienced coaches and building a network of contacts that helped me kick-off my professional career smoothly, never having to look for opportunities.

I started performing professionally in 2011 with a company called Au Vol in Toronto, performing 4 outdoor shows a day. It’s during this first contract that I learned to do Hand Balancing at the top of a tower of canes – discipline that I now perform in LUZIA. Cirque du Soleil’s Casting department has been in touch with me for various positions through the years, but timing never seemed to work out. They called me again in 2015 as they were looking for a Hand Balancer who would be able to perform up to 20 feet in the air to take part in the creation process of LUZIA. I didn’t hesitate and jumped on the opportunity of having the chance to perform a solo act at Cirque du Soleil. I’m very proud of my act as it allows me to goof around with the audience while performing big impressive tricks using my strength and skills.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a professional circus performer requires dedication and a lot of hard work. I spend most of my days working out in the gym to keep my body in shape for my performance, and working on maintaining and improving my skills. The days are long and we perform 8 to 10 shows a week from Tuesday to Sunday. The challenge is to find the proper balance between training and performing that allows me to stay in perfect shape and ensures a smooth run of my act without overworking my body. It’s a lot of work but I love it! Being on stage and bringing amazement to the audience doesn’t feel like work.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Luzia by Cirque du Soleil – what should we know?
LUZIA is a beautiful acrobatic show filled with exciting surprises and physical feats that will blow your mind away. The show makes the audience travel through an imaginary Mexico; each act is set in different setting, from the desert to the ocean, from a cabaret to the jungle. Some of the acrobatic acts are even performed under pouring rain. My act is very playful/comic and represents a movie set of the 1920’s. My character is a lead Mexican actor who plays a strong lifeguard in a scene the middle of the ocean. I gradually build two rows of flexible canes on top of a buoy on which I perform a series of figures, sometimes balancing on one hand, sometimes doing push-ups, sometimes holding an iron cross position. I do crazy tricks at 20 feet above the stage; it’s an amazing feeling.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel I succeeded when I’m having fun on stage and I see the audience is having as much fun as me. Circus isn’t about fame, it’s about sharing with the audience and making them forget about their reality. When I see them giggle, gasp and smile, I know I’ve succeeded.