St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) has partnered with Cirque du Soleil, the world’s largest contemporary circus producer, to conduct research that investigates the physical performance characteristics of the show’s acrobatic artists.
"Corteo" is one of Cirque du Soleil’s longest running shows and has recently had a 10-week residency at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington.
The performance medical staff at Cirque du Soleil approached St Mary’s as they were interested in quantifying the physical characteristics of their artists and how these changes over the course of a 10-week show.
Dr Alex Bliss, Associate Professor in Strength and Conditioning at SMU and Lead Researcher said, “We are really excited to be working with Cirque du Soleil. This opportunity came to us through a recent graduate from the MSc in Applied Strength and Conditioning Science where I am Course Lead. Considering the visual complexity and physical intensity that is apparent when watching the performers in the show, relatively little objective data is available that describe aspects of their physicality such as their strength and/or power characteristics. Even less is known about what effect repeated performances for extended durations has on these physical qualities.
"Given the performers often complete multiple shows each day and have limited time off when in residency, it makes for an interesting research environment. My colleagues Shaun Joffe and Sam Callaghan (Senior Lecturers – Strength and Conditioning) and I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Royal Albert Hall with the artists and collect data.
“We hope our findings will be interesting and useful, allowing for the artists and their performance support staff to have objective information to support their decision-making processes. We are excited by this introductory project and hope to have a long and fruitful relationship with Cirque going forward.”
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