Alessandra Gonzales Cirque du Soleil Quidam Interview

Cirque du Soleil is returning to Australia with Quidam, one of the company's most loved, classic shows. The Quidam arena tour will commence in Canberra on 11 December 2015 and will then travel on to Wollongong, Hobart and Newcastle with limited seasons in each city.

Tickets are on sale now at www.cirquedusoleil.com/quidam. Since premiering under the Big Top in Montreal in 1996, Quidam has captivated millions of people across five continents. Now Quidam has embarked on a new journey, with the same spell-binding production being performed in arenas around the world. The international cast features 46 acrobats, musicians, singers and actors who present a showcase of spectacular aerial feats, astonishing human agility, and heart-warming emotion.

Young Zoé is bored. Her parents ignore her. Hidden in the crowd of today's modern society, her life has lost all meaning. Seeking to fill the void, Zoé slides into an imaginary world, the world of Quidam, where she meets a host of curious characters who encourage her to finally free her soul.

Cirque du Soleil

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 4,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 155 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.

Quidam by Cirque du Soleil

Canberra – 11 to 20 December 2015, AIS Arena
Wollongong – 23 December 2015 to 2 January 2016, WIN Entertainment Centre
Hobart – 6 to 10 January 2016, Derwent Entertainment Centre
Newcastle – 15 to 24 January 2016, Newcastle Entertainment Centre

Tickets (Premium, Level 1, 2 3): Tickets $75 to $165 with discounts for children aged 2 to 12 years and Groups 12+.
For complete show and ticket information, please visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/quidam.

Interview with Alessandra Gonzales, Zoé (Character, Singer)

Zoé is an average little girl. She is bored yet curious, and she longs for the fun and excitement she believes lie just beyond her reach.

Alessandra Gonzalez has been singing and dancing for as long as she can remember. Daughter of an opera singer, she started ballet at six years old (classical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, jazz, funky, etc.) took piano lessons at nine years old and started seriously studying singing at fourteen. To complete her musical background she also took acting classes.

Her diverse artistic training naturally led her to main roles in Musicals on stage in her native Italy. Amongst others, she portrayed Satine in Moulin Rouge, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Wendy in Peter Pan.

It is through Cirque du Soleil Facebook page that Alessandra heard about a casting call for the Zoé character in April 2010. She sent in her application and was called to audition in Montréal at Cirque du Soleil's International Head Quarters. The day after she got a call telling her she was, out of 2,000 applicants, chosen to play Zoé on Quidam

Alessandra joined Quidam in 2011 as Zoé, the Main character and female vocalist, a role that is bringing her to tour in North America for the very first time.

In her spare time she practices web and graphic design and is also part of a mediaeval reenacting group. She masters historical fencing, archery and of course renaissance music.


Question: How would you describe Quidam?

Alessandra Gonzales: Quidam is a nameless passerby. He could be anyone. He appears one day at Zoe's door to take her in to his magical world and helps her to find happiness in her life.


Question: Can you talk about how you get into character, prior to the show?

Alessandra Gonzales: I feel my personality is really close to this character so there's not so much I usually do right before the show. I like to joke a bit with my colleagues, wish them good luck and after grabbing my stage Mama and Papa's hands, I take a deep breath and I'm ready to go.


Question: What do you enjoy most about your role of Zoe, in Quidam?
Alessandra Gonzales: It's always fun to play a role like Zoe. She is a complex character as her journey takes her through many intense emotions. As I grow older portraying this character I enjoy being able to reconnect with a younger self and get lost in this imaginary world playing with my talented friends/colleagues and being carefree for a few hours everyday.


Question: What inspired you to audition for the role of Zoe?

Alessandra Gonzales: When I first read the description of the character I really thought they were looking for me: 5 feet tall, soprano and able to portray a 12-year-old girl. Then I opened the audition kit with the songs to prepare for the audition and I fell in love with the music.


Question: Do you know who or what originally motivated you to begin singing and dancing?

Alessandra Gonzales: My father was an opera singer so I have always enjoyed singing. My mom was also a dancer in a Mexican Folk Group so I come from an artistic background and that inspired me to take up singing and dancing from a young age.


Question: Could you explain your daily training for your role?

Alessandra Gonzales: I usually warm up for an hour before the show every day. It's very important to maintain a healthy voice to be able to perform up to 10 shows a week.


Question: What is the best thing about being involved in Cirque du Soleil?
Alessandra Gonzales: It's a great environment to be in. It's like big family, sharing knowledge, passions, helping each other out in moments of need. It's hard to be away from home and loved ones but here we're never really alone.


Question: What difficulties have you had to overcome to perform in Cirque du Soleil?

Alessandra Gonzales: First of all the language. I didn't speak English very well at the beginning. Now I actually find it harder to speak Italian. Also, to perform on a Cirque du Soleil stage can be intimidating. I've been with the show for almost 5 years and it has been a precious learning experience.


Question: What advice would you give someone hoping to join the Cirque du Soleil community, one day?

Alessandra Gonzales: Keep practicing and never stop believing in yourself. You never know what the future holds for you.


Question: What's a typical day like for you during the performing season?

Alessandra Gonzales: I'm not really a morning person so my alarm doesn't usually go off before 11am. I start the day going to the gym then I'm off to the arena. Since I joined Quidam I started taking classes of aerial tissu, cerceaux and handbalancing so once I'm on site I train in these disciplines. The first day in every new city I have an hour sound check with the band then it's time for make up, warm up and I'm ready for the show.


Interview by Brooke Hunter
Photo: Al Seib and Matt Beard
Costume: Dominique Lemieux Cirque du Soleil