Cirque du Soleil’s “CRYSTAL” combines seven traditional circus acts — all adapted to be on ice — with a thematic story about a young woman named Crystal. (Photo by Olivier Brajon/CRYSTAL by Cirque du Soleil)  

To label Cirque du Soleil’s “CRYSTAL” as merely a circus on ice would be rather misleading.

The world-renowned entertainment company’s latest production, its first on ice, is much more than that.  

Combining seven traditional circus acts — all adapted to be on ice — with a thematic story about a young woman named Crystal, the show features an international cast of figure skaters, extreme and freestyle skaters, as well as acrobats, musicians and The Clown, a comic character serving as Crystal’s helpful, imaginary friend.  

On the road since 2017, “CRYSTAL” has been performed in more than 135 cities across 15 different countries. The show, suitable for all ages, comes to Rockford’s BMO Center for performances at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. Sunday.  

Acts include trapeze, hand-to-hand, banquine, aerial straps, hand-to-trapeze, juggling and hand balancing. Eye-catching scenes include hockey on a pond that becomes a giant pinball machine, tap dancing on skates, and pole-to-pole jumps. It all blends together to tell the story of Crystal, who feels misunderstood and out of sync with her stoic, suburban family.  

To escape her reality, Crystal ventures onto a frozen pond and falls through the ice into an underwater world of her imagination. Her journey results in a new outlook, and Crystal finds her true self as she returns to reality.  

On the road since 2017, “CRYSTAL” has been performed in more than 135 cities across 15 different countries. (Photo by Matt Baker/CRYSTAL by Cirque du Soleil) 

“This is the most commitment we’ve made to a storyline,” said “CRYSTAL” Artistic Director Boris Verkhovsky. “You can do more tricks with a traditional circus, and it works there. But when you want entertainment to take you somewhere else — to make you think — the story becomes a solid anchor. You don’t want to be too literate … You want the audience to be transported to another world they can relate to.”  

Producing “CRYSTAL” required many of the performers to work outside of their comfort zones in combining multiple disciplines together. For example, figure skaters learned how to be pushers on Chinese poles, some circus artists learned how to skate, and extreme skaters learned figure skating moves.  

“We knew we would have a challenge on ice,” Verkhovsky said. “Acrobats are phenomenal learners, but an acrobat learning to skate can be a limitation, and skaters learning to be acrobats the same. So, we split the cast with acrobats and skaters.”  

Verkhovsky said the company developed special shoe soles, called cramp-ons, for the show’s non-skating acrobats, allowing them to perform the show’s physically demanding acts to the best of their ability.  

“There are screws put through the shoe, sticking out about a half inch,” he said. “Otherwise, they would be sliding on the ice.”  

Among other challenges the company faces in performing “CRYSTAL” concerns the ice itself, which varies in condition from venue to venue.  

“Some of the time the ice is very hard, so the skating is different,” Verkhovsky explained. “In our case, we manage it, but if there is a degree of softness, it takes more effort. For some of the tricks, that presents a challenge. City to city, there are a lot of adjustments.”  

A support staff travels with the troupe to help navigate the obstacles and keep the show running as smoothly as possible. That includes medical personnel, strength and conditioning coaches, recovery and preventive care, and chefs to prepare meals for the crew.  

Scenes include hockey on a pond that becomes a giant pinball machine. (Photo by Olivier Brajon/CRYSTAL by Cirque du Soleil)  

“All of those things together provide an environment that’s healthy,” Verkhovsky said. “It helps us put the best level of our work on stage — and sustain it. We want the performers to be healthy during the contract and after. For many of them, by and large, it’s not common to have full kitchen and medicine departments. That is unique, and the artists really appreciate it.”  

Added Verkhovsky: “You could have every single element go perfectly — that might not happen — but the magic of the story can always happen.” 

To purchase tickets for “CRYSTAL” at the BMO Center, and for more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/crystal.