Under the Big Top: Cirque du Soleil’s latest show to come to Laguna Hills

Penelope Elena is a hair suspension artist and insists her practice is not a trick.

“It is an ancient discipline, a circus discipline,” Elena said. “People always think it’s fake, but you actually really hang all your weight from your hair.”

Elena has been doing dance and gymnastics since she was 4 years old and at the age of 8 began specializing in contortion. She went on to master aerial silks and hoops. About seven years ago she began to develop her hair suspension discipline.

“People always asks if it hurts and yeah, it hurts the first time you hang, but then you get used to it,” she said.

Penelope Elena, a hair suspension artist featured in the upcoming Cirque du Soleil “Echo” show in Laguna Hills, demonstrates her flexibility.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Elena is among the talented performers featured in Cirque du Soleil’s “Echo,” coming to Laguna Hills from May 23 to June 29, when the world-renowned circus arts show raises the Big Top at the former site of the Laguna Hills Mall.

“Echo” is Cirque du Soleil’s 20th tented, or Big Top, show, taking place under a large-scale circus tent rather than in a theater or stadium. It tells the story of a young girl named Future and her best friend, the Dog, as they explore a fantastical world with a mysterious cube at its center. The two friends discover how their actions shape the world while their story celebrates the bond between animals and nature.

Each Cirque du Soleil show is unique with its own narrative and style and for “Echo,” the creators aimed to build a new modern universe for a Big Top presentation.

“I think the aesthetics of ‘Echo’ is very different, it has a very contemporary design,” Elena said.

“Echo” includes new acrobatic feats, musicians, dancers, circus performers and jugglers.

“[The show] is really accessible for all ages,” said Henrik Veres, a juggler featured in Cirque du Soleil’s “Echo.” “Every act has something that certain ages can relate to.”

Like Elena, Veres began honing his talent at a young age.

Juggler Henrik Veres and hair suspension artist Penelope Elena are among the performers featured in the upcoming Cirque du Soleil “Echo” show in Laguna Hills.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“I was actually born in a circus family,” Veres said. “I am the sixth generation of circus performers in my family.”

By the age of 12, Veres had focused on the discipline of juggling and was performing in front of a live audience by the time he was 14. He joined Cirque du Soleil in 2018 and has been on tour with “Echo” for two years.

Elena and Veres spent a recent afternoon visiting various Laguna area landmarks, including the beach and the Sawdust Festival Village, in full makeup and costume for photos to promote the upcoming show. They are excited to bring the tour to Orange County and look forward to inspiring audiences with their very real talent and the “Echo” story.

Penelope Elena and Henrik Veres, from left, carry a surfboard-shaped sign promoting the upcoming Cirque du Soleil “Echo” show in Laguna Hills.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Every Cirque show has a message and this one kind of has the message that every action causes a reaction,” Veres said. “I hope when they watch something like this they get inspired enough to know that everybody matters and doing good deeds in life will bring some good back to you as well.”

Most regular tickets for Cirque du Soleil’s “Echo” cost $78 per person, with some shows priced at $68 and the 1 p.m. June 1 show priced at $83. There are also special group rates and VIP packages. Visit cirquedusoleil.com/echo for details.