Quite possibly the world’s best-known circus act, Cirque du Soleil is set to return to Dubai this year from September 16 to 24 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Bringing their signature show Varekai to the stage, you can expect everything you usually would from a Cirque du Soleil show – high-flying acrobatics, death-defying stunts, and some severely sweaty palms on your behalf.

The show’s name, Varekai, translates from Romani to English as ‘wherever’, giving a nod to the nomadic lives of circus performers and the gypsy lifestyle.

Cirque du Soleil

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The names of the stunts alone are enough to give us vertigo, with the Flight of Icarus, Aerial Straps, Russian Swings and the Slippery Surface among the impressive gravity-defying feats we can expect to see. That’s along with more standard circus acts such as Baton Twirling, all given that distinctive Cirque du Soleil touch.

The Flight of Icarus involves daring aerial dives from the inside of a net, the Russian Swings resemble some kind of extreme see-saw, while the Slippery Surface involves performers flying around and intertwining as part of an ice-skating illusion.

It’s not just all impressive physical feats though; Cirque du Soleil are renowned for the story-telling element in their shows – with the story of Varekai being the continuation of that of Icarus, a tale from Greek Mythology. According to the Varekai legend, after Icarus flew too close to the sun on his home-made wings and fell from the sky he landed in a lush forest full of exotic creatures, all of whom seem to have incredible circus abilities. That’s where Cirque du Soleil’s story picks up.

Since the iconic entertainment troop began more than 30 years ago, they’ve had more than 1,300 performers in their act from over 50 different countries – performing to a total audience of over 160 million people.

Tickets can be purchased from TixBox, nearer the date with a 10 per cent discount if you pre-register and purchase your tickets during the pre-sale period.

Pictures: Cirque du Soleil