Lessons from Cirque du Soleil

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 at 5:00 am

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While I was at BlogWorld Expo this month, we were offered an opportunity to see a show by Cirque du Soleil. I had never been to a Cirque show before, although I’ve always heard they are amazing. I applied to be one of those selected, and actually was chosen. It was pretty exciting. All they asked is that we do a blog post about the show after we came home.

When I was two years old, according to my grandmother, I loved two things on television: Commercials and Elvis Presley movies. She said I would watch the entire movie just to dance with Elvis. I’ve always loved Elvis’ music, from the rock and roll to blues, and his gospel music is some of my favorites as well. That said, it wasn’t any surprise to those who know me that the show I picked was the “Viva Elvis” show. As I’ve reflected on the show, I realized there are some lessons we can all learn from the folks at Cirque du Soleil and thought I’d share them here with you.

It’s All About the Customer’s Experience

From the minute I walked up to the ticket counter, those folks were on the ball. Because I had complimentary tickets, I was sent to the “VIP line,” the one with no waiting. When it was time to be seated, each person greeted me with a friendly smile, and frankly really appeared to be excited to be there. One nice usher even took my drink in for me so I had a free hand to use the handrail down the stairs. They simply put a tone of excitement in the air that made me feel like I was in for something special. The show is in the Gold Lounge at the Aria Resort and Casino. It’s plush and gives you the feeling that you’ve stepped into Graceland. The designs used reflect the style in Elvis’ Graceland, and the name “Gold Lounge” was inspired by the color that was prominent in Elvis’ house and life.

As it nears time for the show to begin, the room becomes filled with girls dressed in 50s clothes, coming through the crowd, passing out memorabilia, and really building the excitement. As they talk about hearing “The King” was going to be there, it’s as if you’re transported to a time of Elvis’ early concerts. From the opening act with “Blue Suede Shoes” to the grand finale, it’s about assuring an awesome experience for the customer, and Cirque knows how to do this well.

In our own work, life is much the same. No matter what we do, it is still about the customer’s experience. Do what you can to make it awesome.

Teamwork Counts

The team of performers for this show were amazing to watch. They are constantly in motion and yet always in sync with each other. From times when there are only a few on stage to the times when there are 50 or more performers, they simply move as one. There isn’t one star, everyone is a star in the show. The acrobatics make you wonder how in the world it’s even possible, and there were times when I found myself wondering how they kept from running into each other.

In the performance of the song “Love Me/Don’t,” two 7 foot rings descend from the ceiling, and each ends up with a man and woman on them in an acrobatic performance that would take your breath away. They move in such a perfect connection with each other and yet you don’t really see them communicating in any way that disrupts the performance. They simply do.

We all have teams that we are a part of in life, whether at work or home. Unless each person plays their role, does their part, without caring who gets the credit, it just doesn’t work as it should.

Life Goes On Even When You Fall

There was one point in this show where a performer fell from a high location on the set. I’m frankly still not sure if he fell on purpose or lost his balance. The team clearly noticed, and yet the show went on uninterrupted. I did read in some of my research about Cirque that there are nets below, unseen by the audience, and that taking risks is encouraged. Still, the show continued.

So many times in our own lives, we’re tempted to stop and give up when we fall. That’s not the way to do it. When you fall, you have to stop and think about what your original goal was. In this case, the show’s goal was to complete their performance and provide an awesome customer experience. That meant no one stopped because they fell. You simply must get up and move on!

Life is Not All Work

Because this is a tribute to the life of Elvis Presley, it wouldn’t be complete without the story of his marriage to Priscilla and the life they had together. With the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” where the singer is atop a huge wedding cake, we see film clips of their life together. It was indeed a walk down memory lane. It was also a reminder that no matter how busy life gets or how much fame and fortune someone has, family is important. A life that is unbalanced and only focuses on work isn’t one that is healthy, for anyone.

So many times in our own lives, we just get too busy. Children of MTs are known to say they grew up “seeing the back of mom’s head” because she was always at the computer. Our spouses wonder if we are ever going to leave the computer to spend time with them, or often we go to bed at night only to find them already asleep. Take time to stop and really think about what’s important in your life. And then be sure that how you spend your time is really honoring those things you value.

Cirque Rocks

Sharing each scene with you would be impossible here. It really can be wrapped up in the two words above–Cirque Rocks! An absolutely amazing evening and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I won’t miss another opportunity to see a Cirque show and would encourage you to be sure if you have the opportunity, go! My thanks here to Jamie Helmick, who set up the tickets for me and was great to work with. The evening will be a fondly held memory of my time at BlogWorld Expo 2010.

Have you ever seen a Cirque du Soleil show? If so, what things stood out for you?

Tagged with: BlogWorld Expo • Cirque du Soleil • lessons learned from Cirque du Soleil • values

Filed under: Industry Updates • Simply Life

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One Comment

Libby Hopkins says:

October 26, 2010 at 9:24 am

In the past I was lucky to accompany my husband to Vegas annually for a convention. I have seen “O”, “Love” and “Mystere” – all amazing. My favorite of all was Mystere, because I was one of the lucky ones to be chosen from the audience to perform on stage. When they picked me they asked if I had ever driven a golf cart. The answer was “no,” and they said you’re about to learn really fast. This is the gas, this is the brake, now go. Less than 60 seconds of fame, but it was the highlight of that particular trip. I still listen to the music on my iPod when I walk. I echo everything Kathy said about the seamlessness of the performances. There are truly feats of daring that seem to defy all sense of what you know to be physically possible. If you ever get the chance you should go. Occasionally there are shows on TV which are really good, but like live theater, there’s nothing to compare with how amazing it is in person.

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