Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO, at Concord Pacific Place until Jan. 5, is just beautiful. (photo by Jean-François Savaria)
Beautiful. Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO, at Concord Pacific Place until Jan. 5, is just beautiful – the costumes, the movements, the music, the projected images. As with most Cirque productions, there is a minimal storyline. This one follows heroine Future and her dog Ewai as they try to restore balance to the world, between humans, animals and the environment. It is an optimistic, fantastical show, an uplifting break from a reality that sometimes seems hopeless.
The performance the audience sees under the Big Top is, of course, as much the result of many behind-the-scenes and front-of-house workers as it is the performers’ hours of practise and great skill. Every Cirque show is a highly orchestrated experience, international in scope. According to its website, since Cirque du Soleil’s creation in 1984, “more than 400 million people have been inspired on six continents and 86 countries. The Canadian company now employs more than 4,000 employees, including 1,200 artists from more than 80 different nationalities.”
One of those employees is Jewish community member Sarah Sananes, who was born in Florida but grew up in Montreal. She and her siblings attended Hebrew Foundation School for elementary.
“We learned to read, write and speak Hebrew, attended synagogue every Friday morning at Congregation Beth Tikvah, and learned both French and English at the same time,” Sananes told the Independent. “I was young, but I remember loving everything I did and learned during my time there, especially getting to eat TCBY [kosher yogurt].
“To this day, my father still uses the menorah I made, which consists of bolts to hold the Hanukkah candles. We celebrated Shabbat every Friday and attended synagogue for the High Holidays. It truly is a beautiful religion to celebrate. As I grew up, I still celebrate the High Holidays and attend Shabbat dinners whenever I can. I continue to educate myself on my religion even as I get older and don’t always have the chance to celebrate like I used to when we were younger.”
Sananes entered the workforce right out of high school.
“I was always more of an active kid than a quiet one who liked to sit in class. This led me straight into the hospitality industry, where I quickly fell in love with the fast pace,” she said. “I worked hard to climb the ladder into assistant manager roles, which led me to managerial positions. I take great pride in my work ethic and leadership skills, even to this day. This is one of the main things that led me to Cirque, and has kept me here. Whether you are presented with a happy guest or an angry guest, the outcome can always be positive, depending on the way you see and handle the situation. One of my favourite quotes is: ‘We can’t control the winds, but we can adjust the sails.’”
Sananes is now a guest experience supervisor with ECHO.
“I first began my journey with Cirque du Soleil in the summer of 2022. I was hired when I started working as the on-site manager on another show, named KOOZA, with the local staffing agency. Once the summer ended, I returned to my job as an entrepreneur,” said Sananes, who owns an employment agency.
“The following summer, I heard Cirque du Soleil was launching a brand new show and, sure enough, I returned once again to manage the local staff. As the Montreal run neared its end, the guest experience position on ECHO became available and, after my interview, I was asked to join the team!”
Sananes had so loved working on KOOZA that, she said, “When ECHO came out, I knew, if it was anything like KOOZA, I would love what I did, everywhere I did it.”
As to what her job entails, it’s a lot.
“The guest experience team is the team that manages everything that has to do with guests in the front of house. Our team is made up of nine supervisors across six departments, which are box office, concierge, merchandise, food and beverage, VIP, and usher,” she explained. “We also have an inventory supervisor and then myself. Each supervisor manages their respective department every day, whereas my role is more like the chameleon of supervisors. Each day, I morph into a different role. Within my time here, I have learned the ins and outs of every single department, being able to cover or assist any of my co-workers whenever and wherever needed.
“Another part of my role is being the direct link between our partnerships and our visibility departments at Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters located in Montreal and the tour,” said Sananes. “I make sure all our signage and branding are properly managed and set up. This includes physical signs and all digital assets. Lastly, due to my previous experience as an on-site manager, now being on the other side, I work closely with the local staffing agency and their on-site team to ensure they are able to deliver what we need to successfully operate our show call operations, day in and day out. Some markets are tougher than others when hiring and managing local staff, but it wouldn’t be fun and rewarding if it was always easy!”
Sananes has worked in many markets since ECHO launched in Montreal in April 2023. She has been with the show since the beginning, traveling with it from Montreal to Washington, DC, Atlanta, Ga., and Miami, Fla., before returning to Canada, with performances in Toronto and in Gatineau, Que., among other places.
“After five different cities, we landed here in beautiful British Columbia’s Vancouver,” said Sananes. “My plan is to remain on tour and continue to travel with the show for the foreseeable future. I’ve already got my cowboy boots ready for Houston, so I don’t plan to go anywhere just yet! One of the beautiful perks about being on tour is being able to travel to all these places I’ve never been before, some of which I probably wouldn’t have gotten to see at all.”
When asked if there was anything else she’d like to tell JI readers, Sananes expressed gratitude for her parents.
“My father was born in Jerusalem and my mother was born in Canada. They have both taught me very valuable lessons in life, from when I was little until this very day, and, I pray, for all the days to come,” she said. “Because of my mother, I am tough, courageous and kind. Because of my father, I am resilient, fearless and wise. To my mother and my father, thank you for teaching me the importance of being independent, while still being able to spread love to all those around me.”
For tickets to ECHO, visit cirquedusoleil.com.
