Last night I had the joy of attending Cirque du Soliel Corteo in Atlanta. And, I even had the chance to go backstage to check out the rehearsal, warmups and some of the props and wardrobe. It’s not too often that I get invited backstage to a Cirque du Soleil show, in fact, it’s never. As a long time fan of the world-famous show name, going backstage for me was basically like one of the coolest things I’ve ever done (and I’ve done some pretty cool things).
Before I arrived at the Infinite Energy Arena in Atlanta where the show is being held until September 2, 2018, I had never seen a Corteo performance. I saw the press kit and read through the press release, but you just can’t truly grasp a Cirque du Soleil performance until you see it unravel before your eyes. And this time, leading up to the performance, I had the chance to see it all unpacked before the show.
About Cirque du Soliel Corteo
Created by Guy Laliberté Corteo first premiered in Montreal in 2005. Since then it has performed in more than 60 cities in 19 different countries as a Big Top show before transforming into an arena show in 2016. Now, in 2018, more than 8 million people have been captivated by the dream world of Corteo.
There are 15 different nationalities represented by flags which make up the cast of Corteo. Performers are from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States and Uzbekistan.

Cirque du Soleil Corteo Backstage
Interview with Corteo’s Publicist Maxwell Batista
I didn’t have a whole lot of time backstage, but I did get to see some pretty cool stuff and have a great chat with the show’s publicist Maxwell Batista. We talked about the performance, logistics, safety, and even a super cool tunnel system.
First, we talked about the story of Corteo which follows a clown named Mauro who is having a very vivid dream about his funeral which takes place in a carnival setting. And while that might seem macabre, it’s actually a celebration of his life. To turn a live performance into a dream, there are a lot of whimsical acts which involve floating, wardrobe, and four different languages.
Corteo, which means “cortege” in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.” -Press Release Cirque du Soleil Corteo
