Cirque du Soleil makes many performers’ dreams come true—but it also happened to make a love story bloom with ‘Luzia’, the company’s dreamlike tribute to Mexico.
The show, which will be hitting the stage in the City of Brotherly Love this spring, is set around a surrealistic journey of bold costumes and striking colors, but behind the scenes, two of its performers also saw sparks fly.
Ohio native Olivia Aepli joined the touring production in 2022 after a leap-of-faith audition process and months of training in Montreal. Aepli traveled the world with the show — and, along the way, found Nelson Smyles, an Australian performer and member of the hoop diving team and the show’s backup clown. He was, at first, just a friend, but their connection culminated in a first date at a wine bar in Sevilla, Spain, while on tour.
“It was definitely like a movie,” recalls Aepli. “We laughed a lot and it was super natural. We were really good friends [at first], and then it just very, very naturally turned into something that was like, okay, this could be my partner for life.”
Both performers are on the hoop diving team with Cirque, so they train together, and sometimes share the stage.
“It's the same team, so we're kind of in the same act. And then he's also the backup clown, so when I'm the Running Woman, the butterfly in the show, we get to play together [at] those parts,” Aepli continues. “So that's really special because we're on the stage in some pretty important moments, and it's fun to do it together.”
‘Luzia’ itself bursts to life with dazzling colors, intricate costumes, and a set that incorporates water in ways few Cirque productions do. But at its heart, ‘Luzia’ is about connection — between performers, between the story and the spectators, and between art and imagination.
“What mostly stands out about [the show] to me is just the colors are so beautiful and the storyline is so good. We see the clown go through this whimsical Mexico that we've created... and there’s just so much connection and passion that we all have on stage together,” says Aepli. “We're a family on tour and we're all so close. I really think it comes across to the audience that we all really care about each other and that we really care about the show. And so when you put all that together, ‘Luzia’ stands out so much more.”
Aepli continues: “I definitely get most excited about the opening scene where I come out in these huge Monarch butterfly wings and I'm running on a treadmill. It's the run of my life every night. And all the water that's in the show, it's going to be so exciting for everyone to see, because it's one of our only shows that has [that] in it.”
‘Luzia’ (the company’s “waking dream of Mexico”) will be presented from May 7 through June 7, 2026, at the Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Tickets are now on sale for performances throughout the run, with prices varying by date and seating level.
“When they see it, I just hope [audiences] can escape from their reality,” Aepli finishes. “It's such a joy for us to perform every night on the show and do what we love. And I just hope that people can come and sit and forget about all their problems for a night, enjoy what they see on stage and just enjoy all the passion and the flips and the spins and the colors.”
For tickets and more information on Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Luzia’ at the Expo Center in Oaks (100 Station Ave), visit phillyexpocenter.com
