Cirque du Soleil has always been a stunning exploration of islands, planets and sci-fi destinations where talented acrobats, mystical creatures and beautiful colors merge together to produce an incredible live show.

Right off the heels of Cirque du Soleil – Amaluna, which was held at the Sam Houston Race Park in February 2015, Cirque returns again with its latest hit, TORUK – The First Flight.

With its North American tour already underway, TORUK catapults its way into Houston on February 11-14 at the Toyota Center. Inspired by James Cameron’s film AVATAR, TORUK is a mythical tale that takes place thousands of years before any of the events that happened in AVATAR. The show is narrated by a “Na’vi Storyteller” with a captivating blend of Cirque’s production prowess and Cameron’s fantasy world, which creates a great two-hour performance.

As part circus, part adult theater, Cirque du Soleil always delivers a great show, and TORUK seems to be no exception. Recently, I was able to speak with Elizabeth Gagnon, an acrobat in the show, about her role and what fans can expect.

JMG: How did you become part of the Cirque du Soleil production?
Elizabeth Gagnon: I was a gymnast when I was growing up. I did gymnastics from the age of eight to 16. And as I was doing gymnastics, I was involved with other dance classes and community theater. When I went to my university in San Antonio, I was cheerleading, so that was a good mix of acrobatics and school spirit. And I started performing when I was 20 at a San Antonio theme park. With each show I was a part of, I tried to learn something new, and that took me to the world of diving. So, I kept with the audition process and this year it landed me my first job with Cirque de Soleil. It’s been really exciting.

What makes TORUK different from the rest of the Cirque du Soleil shows?
Well the big difference that people are going to notice first off is that this show has a storyline. So, there’s a narrator and it takes you through a journey that these three kids go on, and it’s an excellent storyline driven show. That’s going to be the biggest difference. The other difference is that we’re using multimedia to really immerse the audience into the show with a lot of projection, and a beautiful set that makes you feel the journey because we’re able to change the setting of the show with projection technology.

As a performer, how do you prepare for a Cirque show?
For me, preparation for this show was a lot of character research since we have the movie to draw from. They really wanted us to immerse the audience and believe that we’re on the moon of Pandora. So, a lot of character research went into it like how they moved, how they walked, how they moved their heads. And then, of course, there’s the physical preparation and practicing for the acrobatic element, and a lot of that is just maintaining good physical conditioning.

 What’s the most challenging aspect about being a part of the show?
I think the most challenging thing for me personally is maintaining the character that they want me to be. It takes a lot to stay in character on stage and all the time. As an acrobat, dancer, gymnast, you kind of go back to what’s natural to you with your training as a child. They don’t want to see us sticking to landings with a nice finish. It’s more like how would a Na’vi interact with a fellow cast member on stage. And that’s been one of the biggest challenges, I think, for myself. Once you’re in character, you really have to let the audience believe their joining us on this journey.

What do you hope people take away from seeing the show?
I think that the show of TORUK has a great message about being connected in the world that we live in. I hope the audience members take that with them. They wouldn’t have to have seen the movie in order to enjoy the show. I really hope they can immerse themselves in the world of Pandora for two hours while we’re performing for them, and they really feel like they were taken on a journey with the cast.

For ticket information visit HoustonToyotaCenter.com.