Visitors to the Pittock Mansion on Tuesday afternoon were treated to a sneak peek of the Cirque du Soleil show, "Varekai" as the show's costumed performers danced, leaped and flipped on the mansion's grounds.
Four of Varekai's cast members were being filmed for a pair of videos promoting the show's upcoming tour stop at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, May 6-10.
"We knew that we wanted to do video or photography to share that Cirque was coming to Portland," explained Kali Huebner of R/West, the local PR agency working with Cirque du Soleil. "We thought it would be fun do a kaleidoscope video, bringing the Cirque performers to different iconic locations around Portland," she said.
To make the films, R/West partnered with the Art Institute of Portland.
"Right now we are in production for what will be a five-minute and thirty-second promo spot for the upcoming show here in Portland," said Ethan Derner, faculty instructor at the Art Institute of Portland.
Derner adds, "It's great to have the opportunity to work with these performers and it's a great opportunity for the students to interact with a really high professional organization."
A crew from the school's "Digital Short" class ran the three-hour production. They shot footage at three different locations---Pittock Mansion, Crystal Ballroom, and an outdoor mural at the corner of SW 11th Ave. and SW Washington St. in Portland.
At the Crystal Ballroom, the crew filmed with a kaleidoscope lens attachment built by student Travis D'Ambrogi. The attachment, made of cardboard and a triangle of mirrors, is placed in front of the camera and multiplies the image to create an edgy visual effect.
"We haven't used the kaleidoscope before but I'm sure it will look great," said Derner.
The footage will be compiled into two final products. A 30-second spot will be shared with local media and distributed through social media. A longer video will be shown at an art gallery on May 7th for First Thursday.
At Pittock Mansion, Jenna Blakemore and her friend Melissa Casey stood on the sidelines of the action, watching the colorfully clad actors perform stunts and dance around in front of the cameras. Blakemore, of Gresham, was rapidly snapping photos with her phone. She has seen two previous Cirque productions and was excited to get a glimpse of Varekai.
When the performers joined the women to take a selfie photo, Blakemore blurted out, "My friends are going to be so jealous!"
"This pretty much sold me on going to see this one," she added with a smile.
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