The world of insects leaps to life as only Cirque Du Soleil can do it, under the Grand Chapiteau on the Stampede Grounds. Ovo takes the audience into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love. When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives.

"When Guy Laliberte asked (creator) Deborah Colker to create a show for the 25th anniversary of Cirque Du Soliel, he asked to do something about biodiversity. She realized that you can do a lot with insects. You can explore that crickets can jump five times their size, so it would be interesting to experience that with performers and trampolines. It had never been done in Cirque Du Soliel history, so that is how it came about," Marie-Claude Asselin, OVO publicist told GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine.

"The entire process is two years to create a Cirque du Soleil show. First the creative teams are working together to pitch ideas on paper and make sure the show will be good. It has to live 15 years before it retires, so the concept has to be strong enough to survive all those years. A year prior to opening the artists come together in Montreal. We have a big studio here and we rehearse to create the show. It opens in Montreal as a work in progress, we need to make sure that the show is good enough and strong enough to go on tour."

Setup began August 28th with over 200 workers erecting the main tent. It is a fast-paced 10 days to set everything up for the show, Asselin explained.

"This is quite a process. Normally we have only 1 week to transfer, but we needed more time on the road to transport the equipment from Chicago to Calgary. When the show closes Sunday night we tear down as much as we can. Packing it takes about three days and we hit the road to the next city. 61 trucks had to go through customs to come to Canada. We are currently setting up the stage, it takes two days to set up the concession stand. We have to put the chairs in the big top and do the artistic tent - the small tent where the performers rehearse. Our artists start training the Friday before in Calgary to be ready for the opening September 7th."

Calgary has long embraced Cirque Du Soleil coming to the city. The love is mutual, both in the energy between audience and performers, and how the show positively impacts Calgary’s economy. To spend a month in a city is really enjoyable.

"There are cities that just love Cirque Du Soleil and we do love the audience in Calgary. Every time it is a warm welcome and it is important to go back to those cities that truly appreciate our work. Everybody is super excited, it has been a long time since we have been in Canada for Ovo. We hire almost 150 local people to help us. We have people helping us with set-up, and local people help in ushers, box office, merchandising, VIP tent... We also hire people to run the follow spot, in wardrobe, in the kitchen. It is really important for us to help the economy of a city, and we can’t travel with that many people so in every city we do hire local people. A Cirque Du Soleil show is always a great date, so before going to the show people go to restaurants. We source locally to feed all the performers and staff, they stay in hotels or apartments, we are buying public transportation passes and doing a lot of tourist activities in the city. We are travelling with 170 people going to restaurants and shopping and spending money. Plus people travel from other cities to see a Cirque Du Soleil show so it is a big advantage for tourism. We are doing a lot of shows, we like to be close to the audience that comes to see the show. So for the performers, to be able to explore the city allows them to know about the people from here. The performers do shows six days a week, so we have Mondays off. Don’t try and call a performer that day, because they are all out around the city. We also try and organize tour activities where we can just explore the highlights and check out the must see. Banff is my first thing to do; I have never been to Calgary so I am super excited."

When asked which of the nine acts is her favorite, two immediately stood out for her.

"It is difficult because it depends on your mood, your favourite acts will change. The first one that comes to mind is the last act of the show, it is 11 crickets jumping all over the stage. We have three big trampolines and they are bouncing around full of energy and colour. My second favorite is the six Chinese girls as ants that do foot juggling. They juggle kiwis, oranges, eggplants and each other. They are crazy, they have been rehearsing together since they were six years old, they do incredible things with their feet."

From Montreal to Vegas to worldwide tours, Cirque Du Soleil is renowned for their spectacular shows. Ovo is another in their list of must see shows.

"It is a very family-friendly show, not only for kids, it will amaze even grandparents and forty year old people will find their kid at heart. It is the first show created by a woman, she is from Brazil so the music is influenced by that and you will want to dance on your chair. To see the giant insects, the costumes, the beautiful energy of the performers, I haven’t seen anybody leave without a smile on their face. It is a feel good show."