How do Mexicans dream? That was the question of Canadian circus company Cirque du Soleil asked itself when composing Luzia, its most recent show, which arrives in Barcelona on March 17. 

Conceived as a journey to an imaginary Mexico through the people, places and stories that define the country, Luzia is an all-out circus show that includes everything from acrobatics and contortionists to tightrope walkers and clowns. 

"Luzia is the story of how Mexicans dream," explained the show's creator, actor and playwright Daniele Finzi Pasca, in an interview with Catalan media.

With a series of great visual surprises and impressive acrobatic performances, Luzia cleverly brings to the stage multiple places, faces and sounds of Mexico taken from tradition and folklore to the most modern urban world. 

Finzi explained that Luzia, which premiered in 2016 and stopped for two years because of the pandemic, was conceived as "a love song" to Mexican culture and explores various themes linked to Mexican culture, history and mythology. It is intertwined by light and rain, two elements whose fusion gives the show its name and whose meaning creates the dreamlike atmosphere that its director was looking for when conceiving the show. 

To convey this "love song" to Mexican culture to the audience, the company has focused on "making things emerge" and not on explaining them properly.

"It may be that those who know the culture will be too 'apapachados,'" Finzi said in reference to the Mexican expression used to give affection.

Having lived in Mexico for 10 years, the creator made a show that seeks to move away from the more folkloric aspects of Mexican culture to focus on the magic and the small details. 

"The roots, the depth of a nation and a culture. Of all the Mexicos there are," he said.

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The show revolves around four major thematic blocks. 

Monumentality – Visitors to Mexico may experience a certain light-headedness when faced with the staggering beauty of the country’s landscapes, forests and nature, but also with the richness of its culture and the splendor of its architectural wonders. 

Speed – It is natural to associate Mexico with the idea of speed. One needs only call to mind the uncanny ability of certain people in Mexico, such as the Tarahumaras, who make seemingly superhuman efforts on a daily basis, deriving great strength from their deeply spiritual perspective of life. 

Rain in all shapes and forms – In Mexico, there are as many types of rain as there are clouds that produce it – from the refreshing showers of Coyoacán, an iconic neighborhood at the heart of Mexico City, to the torrential rains that sweep across Baja California, to the plentiful Autumn rains, as violent as they are sudden. In the diversified geography of Mexico, rain is part of the collective consciousness and has a narrative force all its own. 

Surreal menagerie and a poetic vision of reality – the fascination of Mexican people for the animal world is as evident in the country’s traditions and mythology as it is in its traditional arts and crafts. This special connection with nature and animal life stems from a poetic – and even magical – vision of reality. This is apparent in the Mesoamerican concept of the Nagual, according to which the spirit of an animal lives in every human being from birth. This spirit protects and guides the individual throughout their life.

The show, which comes from London, can be seen in Barcelona until May 1, after which it will travel to Geneva, Alicante and Madrid.