Cirque du Soleil has planted its European flag in Berlin (Germany) with ALIZÉ, marking a historic milestone as the company’s first-ever resident show on the continent.

The production, which opened back in November (2025) at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz, represents the 22nd resident Cirque du Soleil show worldwide and introduces what creators call “Acromagic” – an entirely new artistic language that fuses traditional circus acrobatics with the techniques of Magie Nouvelle, or New Magic.

Without transportation constraints, resident shows can use larger, heavier set pieces and props. They can also employ more intricate costume and makeup designs that don’t need to withstand constant packing and travel.

With a permanent home, designers can completely reimagine the theater space. ALIZÉ’s set includes architectural elements that “envelop the entire auditorium,” creating immersive environments that would be impossible in temporary venues that host different shows.

The show follows a quiet dreamer, swept away by the wind, into surreal worlds where imagination blurs the boundaries between reality and the impossible. Through themes of resilience, transformation, and interconnection, the production employs cutting-edge invisibility systems, levitation, and holographic (Pepper’s Ghost) technologies to create what directors Valentine Losseau and Raphaël Navarro describe as a poetic exploration of wonder.

Losseau and Navarro, pioneers of the Magie Nouvelle movement with over 20 years of collaborative work, have built ALIZÉ on three technological pillars: invisibility, levitation, and holographic technology. The result challenges audiences to question where reality ends and imagination begins.

The production features 43 artists from 21 countries speaking 15 languages, performing acts ranging from aerial silk performances and high wire crossings to contortion sequences where performers appear to teleport and vanish. One signature moment, called “Pareidolia,” showcases contortionists who fade in and out of visibility mid-performance.

Presented and co-produced by Live Nation, the show has transformed the Theater am Potsdamer Platz – designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano – into what set designer Chloe Lamford describes as a portal beyond the visible. The venue’s renovation incorporated pieces of the original stage, repurposed into an inspiring table for the theater’s conference room.

Technical achievements include a 12-tonne trampowall and 172 dandelions integrated throughout the performance. The costume design balances technical requirements for high-level acrobatics with contemporary visual identity, using specialized fabrics including the world’s lightest material and Musou, an ultra-light-absorbing velvet that remains invisible to audiences.

The Theater am Potsdamer Platz, which seats approximately 1,800 guests and regularly hosts the Berlin International Film Festival, now joins Las Vegas, Orlando, and other global destinations as home to a permanent Cirque du Soleil residency.