Ep. 47: Under the Big Top with Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR

[00:00:00] Mall of America for more than 30 years. It has been a retail leader and an international destination,

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[00:00:42] Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hello and welcome to this episode of So Much More,

[00:00:48] A Mall of America Podcast. We're so happy you're here joining us today. My name is Dan

[00:00:53] Jasper. I am your host for this show. And joining me today are two members of the fabulous Cirque du

[00:01:00] Soleil Bazaar show that is currently showing at Mall of America. It's right outside our north doors

[00:01:07] in our north lot under an immense, massive blue and white tent, the big top. It looks so exciting.

[00:01:14] The show features an eclectic troupe of acrobats, dancers, and musicians who work together to

[00:01:19] create a quirky, fun, exciting, one-of-a-kind world under the direction of the maestro.

[00:01:26] My guests today are Johnny Kim, who is the artistic director. Welcome, Johnny.

[00:01:30] Thanks for having me. And Xander Taylor, who is a trapeze porter in the show. Welcome. How are

[00:01:37] you today? Fantastic. Thank you very much for having us. It's good to have both of you

[00:01:41] guys here. I'm so excited that you're here. The show is incredible. So I've heard I

[00:01:45] haven't had a chance to see it yet. I'm going next week to see it. So I'm really exciting.

[00:01:50] But the Twin Cities are a buzz. The offices at Mall of America are a buzz because everyone who has

[00:01:56] gone to see the show say that it is fantastic. The energy level is so high and they were just

[00:02:02] so excited. They came out going, oh my God, you won't believe what you're going to see when

[00:02:05] you go to this show. So we're excited to have you here at Mall of America. Johnny,

[00:02:10] would you tell us a little bit about this show if you're a first time guest, even entering the

[00:02:15] tent? What is that experience like? I mean, for me, it's quite magical because it's in a big top.

[00:02:21] You can see it as a massive tent. But when you walk in, it feels like a purpose built place.

[00:02:27] So from the beginning, when you walk on site through that red carpet, through the

[00:02:31] entrance doors into concessions, you do feel like you're in a theater setting.

[00:02:35] And then when you walk through into the big top, it is this world where you feel like you're not

[00:02:42] under a canvas tent anymore. It feels like a theater. And so that part is quite magical because

[00:02:47] from the outside, you don't really know what to expect. And then when you go on the inside,

[00:02:51] it's completely different than what you expected. But I love the big top environment

[00:02:56] because shows that get presented in this way are so much more intimate and so

[00:03:02] different than when you watch television on Netflix and you stream at home.

[00:03:06] There's something about live theater that we all love. But in a big top setting with Cirque du Soleil,

[00:03:11] it is so much more magical because you truly feel like you're in the show with the artist because

[00:03:17] you feel their emotions. You see them eye to eye. You can see their expressions. It's just

[00:03:22] overall so beautiful. Even though you're in the big top, right? You feel like you're part

[00:03:30] of the show and part of everything that's happening. And there are no bad seats in that tent, right?

[00:03:35] It's so intimate and people are so close to the performers that they feel part of it.

[00:03:40] My favorite thing is when I watch children walk in. Oh, yes, absolutely. Because the

[00:03:45] magic for them, right? Any age loves the show but children. Talk about that really quick.

[00:03:50] Well, watching them and having their eyes glued to what's going on on stage and

[00:03:55] what's around them is cool. But they're so audible as well and that's my favorite part.

[00:04:00] It's because you can hear a child respond so viscerally, so on point and how they react,

[00:04:07] whether it's through words or sounds or laughter or oh my gosh or look mom. I mean,

[00:04:14] they are so attuned to things I think even more than adults. So watching it through their eyes

[00:04:19] is incredible because you can actually feel if you're telling the story correctly,

[00:04:24] if you can see that they're watching it and they're following along. And if they're not really

[00:04:29] engaged in following along, that means we've maybe had a little bit of a misstep. Yeah, I love it.

[00:04:34] And tell me the storyline a little bit. What is the story behind this performance?

[00:04:39] Well, it's a surrounding maestro. He is the main character but he also has a protege,

[00:04:46] mini maestro. And so we're in this world where he's creatively trying to find the

[00:04:52] elements that will capture his most perfect orchestra. And it will lead all the way up to

[00:04:58] the end when he has his big grand finale. And of course, through this ceremonious moment,

[00:05:05] he is also mentoring mini maestro and waiting for that moment where we can all gather together.

[00:05:11] It gets disrupted a little bit by another character called the Floating Woman. The Floating

[00:05:15] Woman? I've heard. She steals his maestro hat and then it kind of divulges into this side

[00:05:21] part where we're trying to fix it and bring it back together so we can get to that moment of the

[00:05:27] finale. But then going back to that environment of the big top, this is where we feel even more

[00:05:33] a part of the story because the audience plays a part of this as well. And so they become part

[00:05:40] of that symphony. And so when we get to the end and we have that big grand finale

[00:05:44] and we're making this magical musical moment with sights and sounds and acrobatics and dance,

[00:05:50] the audience is in fact a part of it. And then that baton gets passed to mini maestro.

[00:05:56] And I love that because it kind of just represents this moment of true collaboration.

[00:06:01] You know, when we think about everything outside of the stage and in life, you know,

[00:06:06] it just represents that with a community effort and working together as a unit,

[00:06:11] we can get anything done. And there's real truth to that, isn't there? It's a good lesson

[00:06:15] for everybody. You can be entertained and learn something about life. Xander, I want to learn a

[00:06:19] little bit more about your role in The Troop. You're an acrobat. Tell me about your act,

[00:06:26] what you find exciting about it and a little of your background if you would.

[00:06:29] Yeah. So I'm a trapeze artist in the show. So I'm kind of...

[00:06:31] I'm sorry, trapeze artist. I said that incorrectly.

[00:06:34] No, no, no. But acrobat is actually still very accurate as well. We are trapeze artists

[00:06:38] doing acrobatics. Wonderful.

[00:06:39] Wonderful. Love it.

[00:06:40] Many titles. But yeah, and I mean, within the show, I'm kind of one of the many instruments,

[00:06:45] let's say in the orchestra that Maestro has around him. So I'm kind of part of this

[00:06:51] escapade that we're all in to try to get Maestro up until this like final orchestral

[00:06:55] performance that he has. So for me, I do something called duo fixed trapeze. So

[00:06:59] a lot of people, if they imagine trapeze, they often think the flying trapeze,

[00:07:03] which is kind of from traditional circus, what a lot of people know with, you know,

[00:07:07] one person flying from one trapeze bar over to another in the space. But with my partner and I,

[00:07:12] Milani, we basically are on this bar and I'm kind of throwing her around, catching her hopefully.

[00:07:18] And basically kind of having this relationship between the two of us that we're showing a certain

[00:07:25] degree of intimacy between the two of us. And this number was really created with

[00:07:30] that in mind specifically. So there is a lot of acrobatics, a lot of tricks within what it

[00:07:34] is that we do on the trapeze, the aerial acrobatics. But there's also a very emotional and a very

[00:07:39] authentic story that we're trying to tell between the two of us to bring people into this really

[00:07:44] intimate getting to know one another and figure out how these two musical notes, if you might say,

[00:07:50] I kind of actually come together and work within Maestro's orchestra. So yeah, that's

[00:07:55] basically in terms of trapeze what it is that I do in the show. And then

[00:07:59] you asked a little bit just my background, I suppose. Yeah. But I've been doing this now

[00:08:03] for 13, 14 years. I was a high diver starting off, but I went to circus school in Montreal,

[00:08:09] which the best way kind of described that is Hogwarts for circus. You know, you go there,

[00:08:13] you have a little discipline that you choose to major in and then you have a minor two.

[00:08:18] And I did that for four years in Montreal. And since 2016 to today, I've been working

[00:08:24] on and off with Cirque de Soleil, but also in the circus industry as a whole.

[00:08:28] I love it. I could not tell you were from Canada. Just kidding. I love the accent.

[00:08:33] The out and abouts are strong. Exactly. Anyone from the southern half of the U.S. thinks I'm

[00:08:38] from Canada as well. Minnesota has a bit of an accent, not like yours, but so glad to have you

[00:08:43] here. You said you mostly try to catch your please tell me you've always caught your partner

[00:08:49] in the act. Oh no. Oh no, what happened? Well, I mean, to be completely fair,

[00:08:54] we have a pretty good record when it comes to performing shows. We've actually not fallen

[00:08:59] in performance, but I mean, part of learning anything in this industry comes with a lot of falls,

[00:09:05] a lot of, you know, wouldn't say accidents necessarily, but just, you know, things that

[00:09:10] go wrong. And, you know, we usually have a lot of safety equipment around. So when we do have

[00:09:14] the falls, then we figure out, oh, okay, maybe that wasn't the way to do it. And yeah, so

[00:09:19] it's been a process of just falling less, let's say. And now we're at the point where

[00:09:23] we're pretty consistent. So people don't have to worry too much about a young lass

[00:09:28] falling from the sky into their laps. I love that no one wants to worry about that.

[00:09:32] And the reputation behind Cirque du Soleil obviously is that your performers are so highly trained

[00:09:40] that the audience expects that everything will go well. And I heard an interview once that you

[00:09:47] gave Xander where you talked about the performance with your partner, and you really talked about

[00:09:52] facial expressions and eye contact that it's more than obviously your bodies are moving and

[00:09:58] it's hard, hard work. But you're telling a story through your face as well, correct?

[00:10:04] Yeah, the eyes are really, really big portion of what we work with. I mean, for me, I kind of view

[00:10:09] it as the easiest connection that you have into the soul and into what the inner workings are

[00:10:14] of another person. And so with Mel and I, we, for this number, use that as kind of a starting

[00:10:19] point. So when we were creating this act, we kind of thought, okay, well, if you have two

[00:10:24] people stuck on this trapeze up in the air, but then that don't necessarily want to look at each

[00:10:28] other. Well, what kind of dynamic comes with that? And there's something that I think people can

[00:10:35] find parallels into in perhaps meeting their partner for the first time, that kind of nervous

[00:10:41] energy that you have where you sometimes can't look the person in the eyes for the entire time,

[00:10:45] and just playing with that nervous energy and seeing how trust and confidence develops and how the

[00:10:50] depth of that eye contact and the confidence that comes with the connection can basically

[00:10:56] develop and flourish from that. But yeah, we use that as a starting point in this number.

[00:10:59] I love that. Johnny, talk a little bit about your background, if you would, how you got into

[00:11:06] your life with Cirque du Soleil and what led up to it. And then I'd love to hear a little

[00:11:10] bit more about what it is to be an artistic director for the show.

[00:11:14] My background's quite varied. I started off when I was younger as a classically trained

[00:11:19] pianist, but I also did gymnastics and then doing musical theater in my teenage years.

[00:11:25] It wasn't until college that I realized that I wanted to be a dancer. And so I danced professionally

[00:11:32] and did musical theater for a period of time. But having that gymnastics background is what made

[00:11:37] me stumble across Circus Arts. And so when I got into Circus, I kind of never left.

[00:11:44] I think that was in 2007. I kind of never looked back. And I think it's because

[00:11:48] Circus for me just involved all those things that I loved. There is movement, quality,

[00:11:53] like dance. There's musicality just like musical theater. You're telling a story,

[00:11:57] but physical acting more so than spoken word. And so it encapsulates all the things that

[00:12:04] I grew up doing all in one. And so yeah, that's my background.

[00:12:08] And your role as artistic director, I don't think a lot of people know exactly what that

[00:12:12] means, but you are the caretaker of everything. It kind of falls under your purview. Talk about

[00:12:19] that a little bit. That's a big responsibility. It is because I think it's one of those positions

[00:12:25] that even for me, I've had a hard time over the years trying to describe it in one sentence.

[00:12:30] And I always have this idea that if it takes more than one sentence to say what you do,

[00:12:35] then you don't really know what you're doing. But at the same token, being an artistic

[00:12:40] director for Circus kind of encompasses so much because you're taking care of and leading

[00:12:45] a cast of wonderful artists from around the world. And you're trying to create an integrity

[00:12:51] and a high production value so that audience members that come to see us

[00:12:55] see the highest possible quality that they can night after night if they were to come multiple

[00:12:59] times. But with that comes a lot of different variables as far as the cast's health, their

[00:13:04] mental well-being. But it's what you see too. We have to work hand in hand with the

[00:13:09] technical departments to make sure that how we fly the artists are safe and on time,

[00:13:14] that the musicality is matching, that the costumes look good, that the makeup design

[00:13:19] is still on point, that the lighting design is showcasing the acrobatics in the best way,

[00:13:24] or showing the staging of how we want to tell the story and what we want to say. So

[00:13:30] it involves so many different departments that kind of rally together with me to

[00:13:34] create that vision that we want to carry forward. And then while we're on tour,

[00:13:39] we try our best to transcend that. And that brings me up to the next topic, which is

[00:13:45] you live your life on the road. I mean 40, 45 weeks a year, whatever it is. It's a lot,

[00:13:50] correct? Yeah. That you travel internationally to perform for audiences. I would love to hear

[00:13:58] a little bit with that. It's got to be difficult, hotels, air B&Bs, wherever you stay and

[00:14:04] you're not around your loved ones, your families. Talk about the challenges and the opportunities

[00:14:09] that come with that. I'm going to start with Xander on this one if I can. Yeah. I mean,

[00:14:13] nomadic life is definitely not for everybody. It has a fair few difficulties within it. So

[00:14:20] for me, for instance, I have a long distance relationship with my partner who's off in Germany,

[00:14:24] also a circus artist. And with that, I mean we're very lucky in the sense we both understand

[00:14:29] the realities of what this industry is a lot of the time. So you can find jobs that are permanent

[00:14:35] in one place, but they I would say it's more common to find nomadic touring structures. So

[00:14:41] it's a tricky thing to try to just have the contact and the time with your loved ones and

[00:14:47] with your friends and to keep that nourished. Also the realities of our jobs, I mean we

[00:14:52] are at the tent a lot. We are working very hard behind the scenes and rehearsals to

[00:14:58] always be able to put the best show together that we can for that night. So it is tricky and

[00:15:04] Cirque de Soleil, I have to say that we have a lot of things that really help out with that. So

[00:15:08] we have a kitchen that comes with us on tour, which is fantastic because not every job

[00:15:13] will provide that with you. Sometimes you get what's called a per diem to just go off to the

[00:15:17] nearest fast food place and get your meal for the day versus us where we have a team that

[00:15:22] follows us full time and that is creating different meals day after day to try to

[00:15:27] recreate the home comforts. And then also with hotel life that can also fluctuate a little bit.

[00:15:33] Sometimes you're a little bit more comfortable, sometimes a little bit less. It just depends

[00:15:36] on where you are. But I think that yeah in terms of the difficulties it sometimes for me it's

[00:15:43] outweighed still by just the pleasure of going to these new places and it's a in terms of

[00:15:48] going out and physically experiencing a new place and exploring it. It's fun. But it's

[00:15:52] super fun just to be able to see the world and there's a lot of places that I wouldn't

[00:15:56] have personally gone to for a vacation but that I do go to for work and I get very surprised

[00:16:02] sometimes with these places that I really enjoy and the things that I get to see. And so like

[00:16:07] for instance here, I didn't realize that Prince had that recording studio home and

[00:16:13] like I haven't gone yet but that's on my list. And so there's these little kind of golden nuggets

[00:16:17] that you discover in the places that you tour to. And at the same time within the show

[00:16:22] part of the fun too is getting to know a different kind of public night after night.

[00:16:26] Yes. Cities definitely have a vibe to them and a feel to them. You have different feelings to

[00:16:31] an audience that you always are kind of changing the show to a little bit and always adjusting because

[00:16:37] as I think Johnny would say this, it's a conversation we're collaborating with them.

[00:16:41] And so there's a pleasure even on stage just to figuring out how it is that we

[00:16:46] basically get to know an audience from one city to the next. Now I need to know the

[00:16:50] real scoop. What is the vibe of the Twin Cities audience? Please tell me it's good.

[00:16:56] No, it's great. It's lovely. Yeah. You know we've had the whole gamut from all the places that

[00:17:02] we've been to but you know being here in the Twin Cities like they know their theater and they

[00:17:08] also just respond very well. You can feel it on stage when people it's not just about the

[00:17:14] clapping and the loudness of it but it's the response that we get in very specific moments

[00:17:20] that are nice because then you know we feel that everyone knows Good Theatre. Fun fact,

[00:17:25] I don't know if you knew this and this used to be the case. I believe it still is. Outside of

[00:17:30] Manhattan, the Twin Cities has the most theater seats per capita in the United States of America.

[00:17:36] It makes applis. Absolutely. We have a lot of theater here right and people appreciate

[00:17:40] everything from the Guthrie right to traveling Broadway shows to small community theaters.

[00:17:46] It's big within our culture and we really appreciate we have a thriving artistic community in the

[00:17:52] Twin Cities so I think they love coming out and seeing you as well. And then Johnny,

[00:17:58] I just wanted to hear a little bit about being on the road what that's like for you

[00:18:02] as well and what are some of the fun things? Well the fun things similar to what Xander

[00:18:07] was saying is that it's not like a common job as we know but with that being said touring to a

[00:18:14] place like let's say we'll use Minneapolis as an example we're here sitting down for five weeks

[00:18:19] but then we have 10 days off so who has a job that always works five weeks on,

[00:18:25] 10 days off, five weeks on, 10 days off. So that pro is great because when you are

[00:18:31] missing your loved ones then like for example for me it's really easy for me to just pop back

[00:18:35] home to San Diego to see my parents or go up north to see my sisters and my niece and nephew.

[00:18:43] So I really really enjoy that but amongst all of it I am such a travel kind of person.

[00:18:50] I love seeing the world experiencing different cultures and understanding the people and the

[00:18:56] language and the cuisine so for me the travel aspect is actually the best part about being

[00:19:01] a part of this aside from the art that we get to do every day because I just feel

[00:19:07] I don't know I just feel like you become so more attuned to the globe itself when you're able to

[00:19:12] travel to different places around the world. I love it. We talked a little bit about the plot

[00:19:18] of the show and I'd love to hear a little bit more about some of the specific acts before

[00:19:21] we do that how long is Bazaar at Mall of America here in the Twin Cities? You're in the

[00:19:28] middle of a run right now it goes until June 16th. June 16th still time to get tickets and come out

[00:19:33] enjoy the performances correct? Absolutely yes. And where can and please do it's amazing where can

[00:19:39] folks find those tickets? Oh they can go to www.cirque-de-sole.com and click on Bazaar and

[00:19:45] they'll be able to get tickets there for sure. And listeners to the podcast you can also go

[00:19:49] to mallofamerica.com because it's on our homepage you'll see an ad right there a block with

[00:19:55] the photo from Cirque-de-sole Bazaar. Click on that you can get your tickets right from there at

[00:20:00] Leagee to your website as well so very easy to get tickets some great seats available would love to

[00:20:05] have everyone come out and watch this performance. Talk really quickly if you would just about

[00:20:11] some of the acts that are in the show so people get a sense of beyond what you do Zander what

[00:20:17] some of the other acts are. Yeah we have a multitude of things so I mean we have a roller

[00:20:22] skating duo that skates on a small circular platform and spins round and round and that gets

[00:20:28] me every time you know we and we have new things like Malacum it's a it's an Indian sport turn

[00:20:33] into an art that derives from India. We have old old kind of acts that are kind of new now

[00:20:42] based on the generations that come to watch like hair suspension and we have a new iteration

[00:20:48] of you know the traditional tight wire kind of act in what we call slackline. Yeah we have

[00:20:55] plenty of things we have trapeze obviously with Zander and Mal. I'm guessing I would never qualify

[00:21:01] for the hair extension thing. For those who don't have video I'm just saying right

[00:21:09] everything that I've heard when the people that I've talked to that have already seen the

[00:21:13] performance they came out and they talked about that every act was it seemed like every act the

[00:21:19] next one was like wow here's an even they were all so good they were flabbergasted by them.

[00:21:24] They also all mentioned the maestro kind of saying how he pulls it all together

[00:21:29] and and brings everyone together and the ending is what they all spoke about so I'm excited to

[00:21:35] I'm excited to see the show in this coming week as well. What I'd love to ask you next

[00:21:41] is have you had a chance to visit around the Twin Cities yet during your time here and if so I know

[00:21:46] you're Zander you already said you have a place you want to visit. Have you seen anything yet in

[00:21:51] the Twin Cities including Mall of America that you've experienced that surprised you? I think

[00:21:57] Zander might have seen more than me because when I arrived and by the time we got up and running

[00:22:02] I actually then left because oh every year we have this thing called the Artistic Directors

[00:22:07] Forum and we go to the International Headquarters in Montreal so I actually left and I've been

[00:22:12] gone for this entire last week okay and I just arrived yesterday so I haven't seen much but I do

[00:22:18] have to say I went to an amazing restaurant called I think it's called Ohamni. Okay yeah

[00:22:23] yes the indigenous one that's right by the water and I loved it so it was really nice to

[00:22:28] like experience that as one of my first really good meals here in Minneapolis

[00:22:33] but as far as seeing the sights I haven't really gone out to do that yet. That's right you have time.

[00:22:37] This coming weekend you know I'm gonna be out there. Zander how about you? Well it can sometimes

[00:22:43] be tricky in show biz when you have the Mondays and Tuesdays off because often when you want to

[00:22:48] go and you want to maybe experience museums or other shows they kind of operate to a similar

[00:22:53] schedule so it can be tricky. I did I was lucky enough to go and see MJ the musical when

[00:22:58] it was in town at the Orpheum Theater I think. So that was lovely to see also because a Tuesday night

[00:23:05] seeing a packed house from everyone here in this city being able to like go and support a show like

[00:23:10] that was pretty cool and also a fantastic show but I went to the sculpture garden as well.

[00:23:16] Which is fantastic. I went to that too. One of my favorite places to take my grandkids.

[00:23:20] Yeah I love it. Yeah that cherry uh that like aquatic cherry is cherry on the spoon. Cherry on

[00:23:26] the spoon was pretty cool and then I really like to just get lost in the city. So for me I put away

[00:23:32] my phone I literally just walk around aimlessly and try to purposefully get lost and you tend to

[00:23:38] see some really fun things like I think I went to a neighborhood near that sculpture garden which

[00:23:43] is full of super rich houses. Yes. You know I don't know what that neighborhood's called exactly

[00:23:48] but it was really interesting walking around seeing a house that looked like it was an Italian

[00:23:52] villa next to one that looked like a very kind of classic American style and then all of a sudden

[00:23:57] a tutor looking house. So yeah for me it's a lot of kind of aimless wandering but it brings me a lot

[00:24:03] of joy when I can just kind of walk around and get a feeling to a city just without knowing exactly

[00:24:08] where it is that I am. I love it that that neighborhood is called not Dan's neighborhood.

[00:24:15] The place Dan would love to live. That's what it's called. We're getting close to our time

[00:24:20] here. Just want to remind guests that if they would love to come and see the show that I would

[00:24:26] encourage them to do that they can go to Cirque de Soleil dot com go to mallofamerica.com to get

[00:24:31] your tickets as well. So I'm going to just ask a couple of quick questions from both of you.

[00:24:36] Quick one word answer don't even think about it now I don't even have these written down so

[00:24:39] I'm just going by what I want to ask. So in one word how would you describe the show?

[00:24:45] Johnny. Just one word? One word. Magical. Xander. I'm going to cheat and say two colorful intimacy.

[00:24:55] Okay I love it and then from the viewpoint of a young child what do you think their

[00:25:02] takeaway from the show would be Johnny? I would say immense joy in life. I love it Xander.

[00:25:10] Possibility. Possibility and then from a grandparent somebody who seasoned who may see the show

[00:25:18] what would their takeaway be? I'm going to start with Xander on this one.

[00:25:24] Rejuvenation. Yeah and I was going to say forever young. I love it. It's a lively

[00:25:29] show it's really really cool. Now I have to see this so bad. Absolutely. One okay so favorite

[00:25:37] favorite food concession that people buy at the show. Favorite food? Well I think it's quite common

[00:25:43] that they get popcorn just like in the movie so that what's probably the most popular I think.

[00:25:48] Yeah I mean based off the artist I would say popcorn too because we sometimes steal some after

[00:25:51] the show as well. I love it and having traveled the world your favorite place to travel Xander.

[00:25:57] Oh that's a hard one. That is the hardest yeah maybe you go first Johnny. Well it's not where

[00:26:02] we toured to but we toured somewhere close to where I had the opportunity and I went to

[00:26:06] Reykjavik Iceland and it was otherworldly and I just I want to go back it's so cool. Love it Xander.

[00:26:12] Honestly I think I'll say Brazil. We went there with the tour in South America and just like the

[00:26:18] natural beauty that I found there was pretty gobsmacking so yeah Brazil. Wonderful I love it.

[00:26:24] Thank you both so much for taking the time to join me today. I appreciate it so much.

[00:26:28] We're excited to have Cirque du Soleil here at Mall of America. We're excited to get lots of people

[00:26:33] there to enjoy the show and so for all those who are listening please be sure to check out

[00:26:39] Cirque du Soleil dot com go to Mall of America dot com to find out more information about the show

[00:26:44] to get your tickets you will not believe when you drive up and you see the tents that are

[00:26:49] outside our north entrance they are massive they are beautiful they're inspiring and they

[00:26:54] will bring you joy and they will bring you hope so that will do it for this episode of So Much More

[00:26:59] and I just want to thank both my guests so much for taking the time to be here with me today.

[00:27:04] Thank you for joining me. Thank you. It was a pleasure. Thank you for tuning in to today's

[00:27:08] episode of So Much More. If you want to hear more be sure to subscribe to our podcast wherever

[00:27:14] you find your favorites including Spotify, Apple or Google Podcast and you can also watch

[00:27:19] a video cast on YouTube. Go to podcast.mallofamerica.com to leave a review, ask a question or give us

[00:27:26] an idea for the show. Until next time thanks for listening. So Much More is presented by the

[00:27:32] Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau the official destination marketing organization for

[00:27:37] the city of Bloomington Minnesota. Before your next trip to Mall of America visit bloomingtonmn.org

[00:27:43] for answers to all your travel questions deals and packages for hotel stays and So Much More.