Fifty-two performers from 14 different countries will perform for 2 1/2 hours at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center when Cirque du Soleil comes to Gainesville next month.
UF will host "Dralion" (pronounced "dra-lee-on") for three shows from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. each night. Tickets range from $31 to $90.
"Dralion" audience members will see 10 acrobatic numbers, including clown comedy, contortionist acts and live musical performances, said Julie Desmarais, spokeswoman for the show.
Performers use equipment like trampolines, a 50-foot-by-26-foot metallic wall and about 1,500 costume pieces.
Cirque du Soleil last came to campus in May 2009 when the O'Connell Center hosted six performances of the "Saltimbanco" show, said O'Connell Center director Lynda Reinhart.
Reinhart's staff started working to figure out when the company could return almost immediately following their visit.
For "Dralion," Reinhart expects 3,000 to 4,000 people to attend per night.
Jennifer Sato, a 19-year-old business sophomore, is looking forward to "Dralion."
"I've always wished that I could be able to do some of the contortion and acrobatic moves that the performers do," Sato said.
