Cirque Du Soleil performer loves her job

Ruta Jasiukaitis glides across the stage twice a night as one of six dancers in Cirque Du Soleil's "Mystére" at Treasure Island. The dancer was born 24 years ago in Sunrise Hospital -- a first generation American, born to two parents of Lithuanian decent.

As a 3-year-old, she began dance lessons.

"I would run down a hallway and trip over my own two feet and my mother insisted that ballet would make me graceful. But my father was the one who went the extra mile and learned ballet terminology and tried to correct me as I went," she said.

In junior high school, she studied with the Academy of Nevada Dance Theater, now known as the Nevada Ballet Theater, as an apprentice. At 16, she left Chaparral High School to go to the Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding school for the performing arts in Northern Michigan.

"I begged my parents to send me to a school similar to Fame and it was Interlochen we chose. They told me as long as I received a scholarship I could go. It was a late entry in the year, so they thought, no way, their baby was going to stay home, but I was determined to get that scholarship and I did get a partial scholarship. With that I was able to go," the dancer said.

After graduation, she came back to Las Vegas to dance in the Stardust's "Enter the Night."

"I didn't have to be topless, I stood my ground. I could just imagine my parents. I was very fortunate. I was one of only four girls who didn't have to go topless in that show," she said.

Then Jasiukaitis tried modeling in New York. She did print and television ads for companies such as Mastercard, Hawaiian Airlines, Paul Mitchell, Armani and Studio 54.

"That went well, but modeling is just a harsh industry. Modeling is tormenting on women. It creates complexes. Finally, I lied to my agent and said I was going on vacation to Utah. But I stayed in New York and took up dancing again, Broadway dance. I realized I had to get back to it. Within two weeks I came back home," she said.

Jasiukaitis's only other experience with Cirque Du Soleil before auditioning was as an audience member.

"For my 18th birthday, my parents bought myself and three friends tickets in the very front row center at "Mystére." I remember seeing the dome dance and thinking it would be phenomenal -- a dream to be in the show. And then I thought, OK back to reality, what are the chances of that."

Even at the four-day open auditions, Jasiukaitis didn't think she had much of a chance.

"There had to have been at least 80 to 100 people in the studio in just one of the four days. I had just begun warming up when I looked around and thought what did I get myself into. I decided to go with the flow and just have fun. It was like an intense workshop on Cirque. It was the hardest, most outgoing (on both our parts) audition I have been in and I would do it all over again. It was intense. It was from 8 in the morning until 5 p.m. each day. All that for an audition."

Technique and form were only part of the challenge.

"Unlike any other show where there are standard routines in counts of eight, we have a lot of freedom to be creative here. We have to respect the artistic values and the musical timing, but we can play around with the characters and the movement a lot. In fact they encourage you to keep changing and evolving always."

"Mystére" publicist Pien Koopman said the plot has remained the same over the years, but thanks to creative performers like Jasiukaitis, the show will always be in a constant state of change.

"We work with such creative people and it's not just the team of creators, but also all these artists with different backgrounds, different upbringings, different nationalities. I'm sure a dancer, or a gymnast or an acrobat from Russia works very differently compared to someone who is from Canada. And there is so much going on onstage every time you come, even if you come two times a year, you'll notice something different," Koopman said.

Performers are encouraged to break outside their specialities and try out new things. Jasiukaitis said she's tried the high bar and the trampoline.

"I was very unsuccessful with it, but it makes you appreciate what every person here has to go through. You physically don't realize what they have to go through until you try to do it yourself and then reality sets in."

Jasiukaitis said something as simple as the lizard dancers who descend from the ceiling climbing head first, is a lot trickier than it looks.

"It looks effortless, but when everyone starts training, they're flopping around. Eventually it's fine tuned and they look great," she said.

Most nights Jasiukaitis arrives at the theater at 5 p.m.

"I have to be here early because every artist here puts on their own makeup. It can take from 30 minutes on a quick day to an hour if you're actually taking your time."

Most performers don't get out of the theater until after 12:30 p.m. Performing is brutal on the body and careers are often cut short by injury or fatigue, but Jasiukaitis still feels this is what she was meant to do.

"I'm very happy here. A lot of people don't get to do what they love. I do. I perform and it's different every night, completely different. My routine changes too based on the audience reaction. It's hard, but at the end when you get a standing ovation, then you know it's all worth it. It's amazing to look at this theater and see how huge it is and to see all of those people standing up. It's a great feeling."


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