Luzia reimagines Mexico through a Cirque du Soleil lens

Some kids dream of joining the circus rather than following in the family business. Ekin Hernandez managed to do both. From the age of five.

The third-generation performer from Columbia, who goes by the stage name of Tikin, is one of the highlights in Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia.

For the past five years, his high-speed juggling has dazzled audiences in the show, which is billed as “a waking dream of Mexico.” Bursting with lavish sets and bright, tropical tones, Luzia is a very different experience for the young performer than his previous gig.

“My grandfather started as a clown, then my father was a clown who moved on to animal acts with water buffalos and such,” said Tikin. “I began riding motorcycles inside a suspended spinning cage from age eight. Everyone who grows up in the circus learns a little bit of everything along the way, and you eventually will focus on what you are better at.”

It turns out juggling was his “thing.”

He notes that it’s extremely common for every artist in a circus family to understudy one other performer so they can sub in if something happens. The past five years working with Cirque have been very different. And the job, he says, is always very demanding.

“In a traditional circus, you just have to know another act well enough to jump in instantly if something happens,” he said. “It’s not for everyone, but I loved growing up and working with my father. Some people talk about their pet cat or dog, but I had a chimpanzee, tigers and more.”

While the downside of life in the circus can include having to muck out the big cat and elephant cages, Hernandez says it’s all part of fully understanding how a circus works, from top-to-bottom.

“It’s not just the performing you have to learn,” he said. “While the family would have people hired to do specific jobs like building the tent and so on, sometimes you had to pitch in. This meant that I really learned everything about my entire world, and that is something I liked very much that is sometimes hard to explain to people outside the experience.”

Within the cast and crew of Luzia, Hernandez says he has plenty of people familiar with this kind of life coming from circus families all over the world to share experiences with. Naturally, there will be graduates of circus school in the ranks, as well. Hernandez says everyone is excellent, but it’s possible to spot who came from where.

“The growing up in the circus kids just seem to have a certain kind of love of the complete circus experience at every level as they know them,” he said. “I began as a clown and on the trapeze. The school kids are absolutely amazing at what they do, but are often specialized and haven’t got the same range of experiences to draw upon.”

This is standard for any Cirque du Soleil shows, which always combine a host of different performances under a single banner.

Whether it’s the traditional Chinese art of hoop diving, acrobatics or feats of soccer skills, every act is shaped according to the script of the specific show. In Luzia’s case, this means showing it through a Mexican lens in some fashion.

“In Cirque, the presentation is always put together just perfectly and you can have these theatrical story lines you make the show around,” he said. “In the traditional touring circus in Latin America, things are much looser and not nearly as precision built.”