ELYSIAN PARK, Calif. – There is a lot of unique talent on display in Cirque du Soleil’s Volta, and that means a lot of unique costumes.
“I can’t give you an exact number, but there are a lot," Karen Tushaus said.
As Head of Wardrobe, Tushaus is responsible for keeping the performers looking dazzling, meticulously maintaining, and overseeing roughly 800 different costume piece and props – each piece as original as the acts themselves.
RELATED l British Tradition Panto Theatre Coming to American Audiences
“It’s all handwoven, kind of macramé style," Tushaus said, pointing out one colorful article.
The costumes were designed by Zaldy, who has dressed Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and RuPaul. For Cirque, though, the outfits are as much about function as fashion, often with hidden safety features built in.
“The audience isn’t necessarily aware of those elements," Tushaus said. "We do customize the costumes depending on the needs of the artist.”
Like Marie-Lee Guilbert from Quebec City. “The costume brings a lot," she said. "A lot of color. A lot of energy.”
Guilbert one half of an act that combines two disciplines: unicycle and hand to hand. She is constantly in motion, but her costume shouldn’t be.
“For me, I need something that is going to be very sticky because we do things that I turn around his head and everywhere," Guilbert said, "So if the costume moves, I’m going to end up almost half naked.”
She spoke while Tushaus was braiding her hair, another one of her responsibilities. Tushaus also makes sure the artists – who apply their own makeup – don’t stray from the original design. For Guilbert, that process takes about an hour.
“I have a step by step of like 20 pages," Guilbert said.
This is kind of a homecoming for Cirque. The Canada-based company came to L.A. in 1989 for their first ever performance in the United States. It is a homecoming for Tushaus, too. The Glendale native studied at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles and worked at many theatres around SoCal before joining the Cirque family in Las Vegas 11 years ago. She has spent the past five years on the road with them and she loves it.
“It’s fun to work with people from all over the world and to be able to travel with them," Tushaus said.
Even so, Tushaus is looking forward to stepping foot on her home turf when the circus rolls into town in January.
VOLTA will perform under the Big Top at Dodger Stadium from January 18 through March 8, 2020. After that, the circus moves on to the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa where it will perform through April 19.