Dominic Cruz didn’t have to run away to join the circus. He was encouraged to pursue a life under the big top.
Cruz, 23, a former Vallejo and Benicia resident, has a featured role in Cirque du Soleil’s “Luzia,” which stops in San Francisco beginning Thursday and continuing through Jan. 8.
“Luzia” will be in San Jose in February for a run through March 3.
The performances will mark the first time some family and friends will see Cruz perform with Cirque du Soleil. For others, it will be the first time in several years seeing Cruz perform.
Born in Vallejo, he moved to Benicia in middle school. He left there at 17 to attend the National Circus School in Montreal.
Cruz expects a group of 35 in the stands Nov. 21.
“There’s no pressure there,” he said, with a chuckle.
During his first year of studies, he and childhood friend Marta Henderson created a duo hoop diving act.
Cruz graduated with a double major in hoop diving and Chinese pole in 2014.
Cruz and Henderson started their careers performing with Montreal-based company Cirque Eloize, the Chicago Midnight Circus and by doing special events with 45 degrees, a division of Cirque du Soleil.
The pair, and five other hoop divers, joined forces in 2015 to create their own circus troupe called Back Pocket. The name came from the group’s desire to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary, Cruz said.
“It could be something as normal as finding a movie ticket in a back pocket,” Cruz said. “It could mean so much to one person and nothing to someone else.”
Before Back Pocket launched its first project, the call came from Cirque du Soleil.
“Luzia” premiered in April in Canada. Since then, he’s done more than 200 performances. And, he’s loved every minute.
“We’re treated super well,” Cruz said. “We have so many amenities.”
During shows in Toronto, the performers were provided with apartments as well as public transportation.
“They really take care of us,” he said, noting that there is food provided by a on-site kitchen daily as well as physiotherapists around the clock.
While in the Bay Area, Cruz will stay in housing provided by Cirque du Soleil. The show wraps up about 10 p.m., he gets out about 10:30 p.m. and can walk to the provided lodging in San Francisco in about 15 minutes.
Doing as many as 10 shows a week, not having to commute is best, he said.
Cruz is the son of Annabelle Cruz, director of VOENA Children’s Choir (the name is an acronym for Voices of Eve ‘N Angels). That love of performing was passed on to Cruz and his brothers, who are also involved in the circus world.
He’s committed to Cirque du Soleil through the end of 2017. What happens after that remains to be seen, he said.
There’s also the possibility of continuing with Cirque du Soleil.
“They are very organized with negotiations,” Cruz said.
Back Pocket performers use treadmills in “Luzia” to launch themselves through hoops. Continuous movement with flying, is how Cruz describes it.
It takes Cruz about 40 minutes to get into makeup and costume. For “Luzia,” he wears a bird costume that was a “puzzle” in the beginning.
“They are ingeniously made,” he said of the costumes.
The show takes the audience to an imaginary Mexico. It features a cast of 44.
Cruz calls Canada home, but he misses the tranquility of Benicia as he travels around the world.
He loves exploring new towns. On his days off, he explores the performance city and sits down with his fellow “Luzia” performers at a coffee shop or bookstore.
“We make the city our own,” he said.
{ SOURCE: Daily Republic | https://goo.gl/49nblt }
