The circus is coming to town, ladies and gentleman, but this one doesn't have a thing to do with Britney Spears.
Saltimbanco, a Cirque du Soleil arena touring show, will perform for the first time in Gainesville from May 7 to May 10 at the O'Connell Center.
Saltimbanco comes from Italian "saltare in banco," which literally translates "to jump on a bench," and creative director Carmen Ruest said the show was created to push people to jump to another bench, to go further in life.
"It's a metaphor to say don't be afraid to try something else, to go somewhere else if you have to feeling, just go for discovery," she said. "It can be positive and can bring you a lot more than you thought."
Ruest said Saltimbanco is one of the best shows to experience because it is visually clear and pleasing.
Featuring amusing acts, outlandish characters and audience participation, it's a great show for everybody, said head coach Michael Ocampo.
It started in 1992 and is currently the longest-running Cirque du Soleil show.
It has fewer technical elements because of its age, so its simplicity makes the story easy to figure out.
The concept of evolution is universal and timeless, which is why it's lasted so long.
"There's no referral to time at all," Ruest said.
"But we do still have the costumes in lycra."
The staging represents urbanism and is set like an imaginary park full of vibrant colored lighting and even more eye-catching costumes.
The costumes are fashioned specifically to character as each emerges throughout the development of the show.
In 1991, a new color chart was developed, allowing the Cirque team to design brilliantly vibrant and bright costumes with primary colors.
And though there won't be any elephants in the ring, there will be nine high-level acrobatic acts that relate to the themes of the show.
For example, Peruvian juggling is a tribute to what many juggle in their everyday lives.
But there will also be a duo trapeze, which Ruest calls "so dangerous," an acrobatic leaping act on Chinese poles representing skyscrapers; a solo bicycle act unlike any ordinary bike ride in the park; a Russian swing act where characters will fly on their imaginary playground up to 30 feet in the air; and a gravity-defying bungee performance "like four little white birds" to conclude the show.
All of the acts are performed to a wide range of elegant music from funky to opera, which musical creator Rene Dupere said will give rise to different emotions in each spectator.
Ruest started working with Saltimbanco in 1996 after spending her time on La Nouba, the Cirque show in Orlando.
In 2007, Saltimbanco was reconfigured for large arenas, and its new tour will stop in about 40 cities each year to spread its message of pushing the barrier.
"How will it leave the audience?" Ruest asked.
"I hope that they will go back home with a new light in their head and a beautiful smile, and that they will feel that all dreams are possible."
Tickets are about $30 to $80 for adults and $24 to $64 dollars for children.
