Back on the road again, B.C.-born circus performer Domenic Taylor is headed to Prince George with Cirque du Soleil’s OVO where he will embody the role of the black spider.
Taylor started in circus when he was about 10 years old, eventually training and going onto school in Montreal before auditioning for Cirque.
From 2015 to 2019 he toured internationally with Toruk: The First Flight which is Cirque du Soleil’s Avatar-inspired James Cameron collaboration.
After the pandemic brought everything to a halt, Taylor is now back on tour with OVO – his second show with Cirque and will be seeing his family in the audience when the show stops at CN Centre.
“It was two years of everyone waiting to go back, and also wondering too if there are other avenues we want to explore, so it was a great time that we had a little bit of a break but coming back and being back with our Cirque family it was really exciting,” said Taylor.
“It was a new character for me I felt really grateful to be back and meet the team and really develop the relationship here with everyone.”
Taylor said it was a bit intimidating coming into his second show with Cirque, but everyone from artists to the technicians and stage management get along like family.
“For us, we are really lucky we have a great group, and everyone is so comfortable with each other and trusting and collaborative and onstage it is fun for us every night, so it is a very great experience for us to be in OVO.”
The name OVO means “egg” in Portuguese and is a circus show inspired by the movement and life cycles of insects.
Taylor plays the role of the black spider which is a slightly re-imagined role from when OVO first launched as an arena touring production in 2016 as it was originally cast as a female part but has now been changed to a male role.
“The show is based all on insects and bugs so everyone in the show has a different character,” said Taylor.
“For me, mine is the black spider character, and the spiders really have an edge so we worked with choreographers in Montreal and dancers help us use our bodies to help us emulate the character of an insect,” explains Taylor.
“But every night you are finding new creative ways to kind of move in the way you would think the spider would move or move in the way an ant would move so for us it's very playful and very fun.”
Despite travelling to over 30 countries with Toruk and now travelling again with OVO, Taylor said this leg of the tour is special because he’s able to invite his family.
“It's not my first time in Canada touring but it is my first doing some cities like Prince George and I actually have family in Prince George, so I am excited,” said Taylor.
Since he’s originally from Vancouver, Taylor said a lot of his family are able to see him perform with OVO when the show stops throughout B.C.
“I have been travelling for seven years now so it is a bit chaotic, and you can’t always catch me because I’m moving so fast with the shows so it is going to be fun where my family can come and see the show and it will be great to see them again.”
OVO is currently touring Western Canada and will be in Prince George at the CN Centre from June 30 – July 3, 2022 for seven performances.
Taylor says he’s been enjoying the Western Canadian tour, especially getting to see smaller cities where he’s never been before.
“Why would I ever have the chance to visit Lethbridge or Medicine Hat, but these cities turn out to be really exciting and everyone is really excited to see the show and it is great for them, especially after the pandemic,” added Taylor.
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