WATCH: Cirque du Soleil wows Kelowna

• Check out these trapeze artists prepare for big night
• Excitement to be back in front of crowds

Prospera Place is teeming with insects … sort of.

It was quite literally a hive of activity as the Cirque du Soleil team made final preparations ahead of opening night in Kelowna for OVO, an extravagant stage production that centres around a day in the life of insects.

Fifty-two acrobatic and aerial artists bring spiders, crickets, ladybugs, and dragonflies to life on stage through dynamic, immersive performances.

Kelowna10 and Ara from 103.1 Beach Radio got a sense of the preparation and professionalism that goes into such a big production.

When we visited, the Russian Cradle act was practicing their trapeze maneuvers.

“It requires a lot of strength and conditioning,” strap artist and conditioning coach Alixis Trudel explained. “So, a lot of weightlifting, especially for the guys, to prevent injuries.”

The trapeze artists were showing off some new moves to add to their repertoire, and for those, they were fitted with a harness.

For Trudel, he’s delighted to be back in front of live audiences after the pandemic layoff.

“It’s amazing, really. It makes you appreciate everything more to feel the crowd and the people.”

A team of 100 travels with the show and has representation across 25 different nationalities, showcasing the talents of the “cream of the crop” from around the world.

Every available piece of space was being used backstage at the arena. Seamstresses were preparing the elaborate and fantastical costumes that are a major aspect of the show. The crew travels with a whole bank of washing machines just for the clothes. They are then air dried by special fans.

The backstage area includes the obvious lighting and sound equipment, but also a ‘blue mat’ zone for the performers to properly warm up before heading into the spotlight.

The opening show was Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., with six other shows running through Sunday.