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As part of Cirque du Soleil’s latest dynamic show “Bazzar,” out performer Xander Taylor is taking the audience (and himself) to new heights and leading them through another magical Cirque du Soleil experience. The veteran aerialist chatted with us about the story behind “Bazzar” and the passion that comes from following his high-wire dreams. Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
How has the Cirque du Soleil “Bazzar” experience been so far?
It has been a rollercoaster of a ride. It’s been a little over a year since we relaunched the show after the pandemic, and we were touring South America before that. I had never been to South America so to get the impact of all of the cultural differences there and performing for a crowd of South Americans was amazing. I don’t think that I have had moments on stage like that before, where the scream of the crowd is so intense that you wonder whether or not you can make it up onto the stage through the intensity of the screams!
We were really fortunate to be able to tour the show there and now we are premiering it in North America for the first time doing our first English-language version of the show, which is nice and a learning experience. We go to different cities and adapt it to the local customs, terminology, slang, and what’s popular in that area. Right now, we are just getting to know every new place and right now, the Greater Philadelphia area is that area!
What is it like becoming part of the Cirque du Soleil family?
My first foray with Cirque was when we graduated from circus school. We did our graduation show, and on the night of our last performance, we had someone in the audience who was looking to cast one of the Cirque shows that was on Broadway called “Paramour.” That was a huge thing because the day of our graduation, we had someone who needed to fill this role and thought two of us would be perfect for the position. I had done a year in theater school and dropped out. Now I am graduating from Circus School, getting this opportunity to perform on a Broadway stage with Cirque, and going to a place beyond what I thought I would achieve as an actor and as a circus artist.
Everything was surreal at that point. You are launched into the biggest city of the world, with big expectations and huge expectations. Being launched into that was a lot, and [it was] a huge opportunity, and I learned so much. That was the first of three shows we have done with Cirque. “Bazzar” is our third one. It’s been really interesting going from opportunity to opportunity. We get these interesting milestones in our career and stand there and try to take in the moment. This is what can happen when you follow that inner voice that says do the thing that you enjoy and invest and work hard at it. Sometimes, things come through. We have been really fortunate that things have lined up and we have found ourselves with this company, learned so much, and been exposed to these opportunities.
Following your inner voice is an absolutely crucial part of following your passion as a whole. With audiences all over the world, you have so many young faces and burgeoning artists that may want to take on circus and trapeze artistry themselves. Have you ever encountered anyone who took this on as a result of seeing you perform?
I have and I think that is one of the most fulfilling things about this. It is really nice to perform and be in that spotlight but for me, a lot of being on a stage is sharing the experience. You’re in this real, raw, live, vivid place where you are sharing an experience with the audience and your cast and you are living something that you want to express to people.
One of the things I love about social media is the ability to talk to people that come and see the show and hear how it has impacted and inspired them. There are people that have said they would love to do the kind of circus work that I have done, and that is amazing. People see my work, solo and partner, and I have people that have started careers because they have seen my work. I want this community to grow, especially in the trapeze world. I am such a huge avid fan of it and I love to see that joy and passion spreading to other people. I think one of the cooler things for me is seeing people that don’t make that choice to be a circus artist, but the people that feel that they have had an escape from something. They may contact me and say, “Thank you for allowing me to forget life’s troubles” or “Thank you for giving me ideas to tackle the difficulties in my own life.”
One of the amazing things we do in circus is to allow people to think outside of their own boxes, and if it’s not an escape, they see people in life or death situations and people are still able to flourish. To take something from that into your own life, I think, is amazing afterwards. I am really glad with social media that I can have these dialogues with people and share what they have gotten from my performances and I can say how good it made us feel also. I am never on autopilot. I get something very different from every show and audience and it’s really great to hear that.
People get so much inspiration from the show and I see that that is very reciprocal. What do you want people to get the most from “Bazzar?”
I think it’s so individual — what people get from this. If you are looking at what is happening as a whole, with this maestro that wants to do big orchestral performances, it’s a big daunting task from the get go. Then, catastrophe happens at the beginning and we reconstruct these big orchestral performances. I hope people can find lightness and joy within the show. Whatever they are going through, this can remind them that there is always some lightheartedness that we can find in the difficulties of life. Find the light in the dark in a sense.
Follow Xander Taylor on Instagram at @zanyxany Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR is currently playing through Oct. 22 at Under the Big Top, Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave, Oaks, Pa. To purchase tickets, visit cirquedusoleil.com.