Gadgetory

this is Oh one of Cirque de Soleil s most spectacular shows set in on and above a 1.5 million gallon tank of water if you think Cirque de Soleil is just about circus performers in weird make up think again this is one of the most technical shows on the Las Vegas Strip Bob salia has been working on Vegas shows for decades and it's his job to make sure everything works perfectly it's changed tremendously in theater back in the old days if you enrolled at a university you would be building your whole entire set now you've got automation you've got people who you have to know welding afternoon hydraulics pneumatics there's electronics all of that starts with the high-tech stage itself separated into four sections that move up and down thanks to four massive scissor lifts the stage drops 17 feet to reveal a huge pool during the show swimmers can spend as long as 90 seconds at a time below the surface a labyrinth of hoses pump air underwater and every swimmer has their own regulator with 14 safety divers underwater throughout the entire show all the crew except the wardrobe department are certified scuba divers and no one misses a cue down here the music is played through underwater speakers keeping everything in perfect time but it's not just about what's going on down below it wouldn't be a true Cirque show without death-defying feats on the high wire and because this is Vegas Oh takes it to a whole new level high above the stage a massive mechanical carousel suspends aerialists and trapeze artists above the water while high divers plunge from 60 feet in the air into the water below in the control booth to automation consoles run the show to military precision every element of the show can be controlled to the last inch the metal bat oh that swings above the stage the aerial hoops the hanging props if one of the aerial acts stop moving then the crew here can isolate the problem and keep things running smoothly so the audience never knows just like a high-tech magic act the wizardry here keeps what's really going on a mystery to ohs audience think of it as the swan of the Vegas theatre scene graceful on the surface but plenty going on underneath the water