Queenslanders Helena Merten and Nelson Smyles are about to star and soar in Cirque du Soleil's new show, LUZIA, which opens in Brisbane this week, marking 25 years of Cirque du Soleil visiting the Sunshine State.
ABOUT Helena Merten in Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA
She started gymnastics at five years old on the Gold Coast. At seven, she knew she wanted to join Cirque du Soleil. She was an Australian Champion in Tumbling, and at 21, she became the youngest athlete to compete in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2015. Two years later in 2017, she joined Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA as a Hoop Diver, Swing to Swing and Acrobatic Pole artist. This September, Queenslander Helena Merten returns home, and she's bringing the show and it's 126 cast and crew with her! And now, she's one of the stars! When LUZIA premieres in Brisbane on September 26, marking 25 years of Cirque du Soleil visiting the Sunshine State, Helena will perform for the first time in front of her friends and family.
"I've dreamt of this since I was seven years old when I saw my first Cirque du Soleil show QUIDAM in Brisbane. Now in returning home to Queensland, to where it all began, and I am beyond excited to perform in front of my hometown crowd," said Helena. "I've been on the road for so long. I started doing overseas shows when I was 18, so it's great to come home to Australia and have all my family and friends finally see what I have been doing and why I've been away for the last 10 years."
Born on the Gold Coast, Helena was always going to be a star. She was a super talented mover, and grew up training and competing in Artistic Gymnastics, Tumbling, Sports Acrobatics and Diving. As a teenager, she was Australian Champion in Tumbling and finished second at the Sports Acrobatics Nationals as a flyer in women's pair. She competed with no fear and loved the feeling of flying. At 18 years old, she joined the cast of The House of Dancing Water, a large-scale water-based production in Macau as a general acrobat and tumbler. It was her first taste of stage performance, and she fell in love with the energy exchange with the audience that happened every show. While perched in the air on aerial apparatuses or somersaulting into the show's giant pool, Helena reconnected with the discipline of diving, and so she was trained as a high-diver – jumping off platforms 25 metres above the stage/pool. She loved it. So much that at 21, she became the youngest athlete to compete in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at the 2015 Texas Cup. She finished 2nd at the FINA High Diving World Cup 2016, 2nd at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Azores (POR) & Mostar (BIH) in 2017 and ranked 2nd overall on the 2017 circuit. She was ready to make her childhood dream come true, and so, in 2017 she sent her videos to Cirque du Soleil with fingers and toes crossed. Almost immediately, Cirque du Soleil invited her to join LUZIA as a Hoop Diver and Acrobatic Pole Specialist, two disciplines she had never specialized in. The Casting and Coaching teams believed she had the acrobatic background needed, and after training in Montreal, Helena joined the cast of LUZIA in Los Angeles. Coming back from the Pandemic, Helena was cast as the Running Women in LUZIA, and continues in Hoop Diving, Acrobatic Pole & Swing to Swing.
ABOUT Nelson Smyles - Hoop Diving/Up Clown
Nelson started training gymnastics at the age of 4, before getting into springboard/platform diving at the age of 10 at Southport Diving School. As a teenager, Nelson fell in love with Parkour – the discipline of moving through a complex environment in fastest and most efficient way possible. Through Parkour, Nelson realized becoming a circus artist would allow him to make a job out of his passion for sports, movement and acrobatics. At the end of his High School studies, Nelson joined the College program of NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts) in Melbourne to specialize in Hoop Diving, Clowning and Group Acrobatics. For three years, he worked at perfecting his acrobatic and artistic skills to become a full-rounded circus professional. Towards the end of his studies, Nelson sent a video demo to various companies, including Cirque du Soleil in hopes to get a job as quickly as possible. Never would he have thought his first contract would be with the renown Canadian circus company! Eleven weeks before finishing his circus degree, Nelson signed his contract for LUZIA. Nelson joined LUZIA in December 2017 on tour in Los Angeles, CA, after a few weeks of acrobatic training, costume fittings and make-up sessions at the Cirque du Soleil Montreal Head Quarters.
ABOUT LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil, CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA
LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil opens in Brisbane on September 25, under the iconic Big Top next to the Royal Queensland Golf Club, off Curtin Ave East. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, LUZIA invites people to an imaginary Mexico, like in a waking dream, where light ("luz" in Spanish) quenches the spirit, and rain ("lluvia") soothes the soul. In a series of grand visual surprises and breathtaking acrobatic performances, LUZIA takes audiences on a surrealistic journey through a vibrant world filled with wonders, playfulness and striking artistry. Rich in awe-inspiring moments, LUZIA enchants by incorporating rain into acrobatic and artistic scenes – a first for a Cirque du Soleil touring production.
With extraordinary acrobatic performances, LUZIA brings traditional and contemporary circus disciplines to a whole new level. Cyr Wheel artists perform the unprecedented feat of rolling and spinning under the rain, while an aerialist suspended from a Trapeze flies and twirls through pouring showers. Hoop Diving is taken onto gigantic treadmills, expanding exponentially the speed and amount of daring leaps executed. Jaw-dropping highlights include a male contortionist skillfully twisting his body in the world's most unimaginable positions, a powerful Aerial Straps specialist defying the laws of gravity at the centre of a cenote (natural sinkhole), a juggler tossing seven pins at breakneck speed, and two football freestylers deftly mixing street dance with mind-blowing ball manipulation. LUZIA unfolds as a stunning kaleidoscope of colour, sound and gravity-defying feats, with 47 artists from 26 countries wearing some 1000 costumes.
Fun Facts:
- LUZIA premiered in April 2016 and is Cirque du Soleil's 38th original production since 1984.
- The word LUZIA is a mix of the word ''Luz'' in Spanish that means light and the word ''lluvia'' that means rain.
- LUZIA is the first touring production to incorporate rain into acrobatic and artistic scenes.
- More than 4.5 million spectators around the world have already seen the awe-inspiring acrobatics and uniqueness of LUZIA.
- In total there are 1,000 pieces of costume seen on stage in LUZIA.
- LUZIA travels with a team of 120 people, including 47 artists, from 26 different countries.
- LUZIA is the 10th Big Top show to visit Australia in 25 years.
LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil plays under iconic the Big Top
Curtain Ave East, Eagle Farm, next to Royal Queensland Golf Club
