Cirque du Soleil’s Allora Leonard talks Songblazers
By Nick Blevins
Photos courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
Allora Leonard is a Texan-born, ranch-raised singer and songwriter; and one for whom the country roots of famed performance art troupe Cirque du Soleil’s newest sensory experience, Songblazers, are true to form. With a musical career that started with a rendition of the national anthem at a rodeo, to having recently taken top honors in a 2023 Ranch Horse Versatility event, you’d be forgiven for imagining that the Cirque folks might have created Allora’s role with her already in mind. Not many others are so uniquely suited for the rigors–musical, physical, and technical–involved in those performances, the fruits of which San Antonians will get the chance to witness for themselves at the Majestic Theatre, beginning Wednesday, August 21st.
Scene in SA got the opportunity to chat with Allora about her journey to the stage, some of her favorite experiences with Songblazers, and how her horses like her singing back home at the ranch.
Scene in SA: How has the Songblazers tour been so far?
Allora: It’s been such a fun experience for me. It’s really allowed me to grow and you know, learn new skill sets that I don’t think I would have had an opportunity to learn before. So I mean, just being surrounded by an extremely talented group of people and getting to learn from them has been such an amazing experience!
S: Any experiences you didn’t foresee? Has anything unexpected happened?
A: Definitely. Um, probably a lot of it kind of happened within the first week that I was in Montreal for training, back in April. I knew they hired me to be a singer, to be a musician, and to play a character, essentially. I was ready for, like, dancing, choreography if that was needed, but I wasn’t sure to what extent: so I mean, within the first week, like the first day I was hanging off the front of the strongman, playing guitar at the same time! [laughs]
S: Oh, whoa–
A: So, learning stunts like that; I mean we had a wrestling coach come in for the first time, so I’d never done, like, stunts or fighting or anything like that, so that was very fun to do. That was a big icebreaker for everyone, and then you get line dancing lessons, and then… I’ve also learned some acrobatics myself, which you’ll see later on in the show. It's been super fascinating to learn about and to get to have a little taste of it, because I never would have done it before.
S: Wow. That is incredible. But I guess you’re no stranger to that, having taken awards, like, what, as recently as 2023 in [ranch horse] versatility, is that right?
A: Yeah. I've grown up with horses all my life. I started competing when I was about three years old, and so I did rodeo for a very, very long time; and that morphed into doing reined cow horse and cutting events, or ranch horse versatility as well. So I kind of dabble in all of it. They're all related in some way. The past several years, my music career and that career have kind of gone hand in hand in some way, shape, or form. It's been really cool doing this show because I'm able to pay homage to my heritage and the way that I grew up, you know, on a ranch and just with that lifestyle. It's really cool that I get to embody that and represent my family, really.
S: What a unique experience. And it's like, how do you even foresee those two coming together, you know?
A: Yeah. I mean, a lot of the music that I write, you know, even prior to this, and even while I'm in the process of doing Cirque, I'm still writing a lot of my own music. And I always try to connect those two worlds in some way, because it’s part of who I am, and that's something that I'm very proud of. I'm so glad that Cirque and Songblazers have been able to see that as one small part of country music, because there’re so many facets to it, and I'm glad that I'm able to really use that.
S: Having experienced all these new aspects of performance and the demands of Cirque du Soleil and that whole presentation, what has been like your favorite part of this process?
A: I mean, I could go on and on about so many different things, but I think what makes the show so unique, especially in comparison to maybe other Cirque shows that have, you know, been seen by the public before, is that there is such a heavy emphasis on the music–I mean, 30% of our cast are musicians–and so it's really cool that we're able to really bring that forward.
You see the musicians on stage a lot, same with the band itself, you know, whereas other Cirque shows, a lot of times they're in the band pit and you can't really see them; they're there, but you can't really see them. So it's really cool that we're able to bring that to the front and almost make it as big a part of the story as the acrobatics are. That's something that I feel is really unique about the show, is that the music and the acrobatics really, really go hand in hand. I would say they're very equal in this show.
S: So I was reading through your bio. I saw that you’d been performing since you were 12, but it seems like you've been suffused in music your whole life. Was there like a specific moment that made you think like, OK, you know what, music is the thing?
A: Yeah. I mean, I've always loved music. It was something that was always playing in my house and even at rodeos that I competed at. I mean, that was where I first started singing was like singing the National Anthem at a rodeo. But I think the moment that I realized, “OK, I want this to be my career. This is what I want to do.” I think I was like a freshman in high school, and my parents for my birthday decided to take me to Nashville. Never been there before. And they took me to the Ryman, which is super, super historic in country music. I mean, just getting to see that and see the artists that were represented, it really, really touched me and it was the moment that I realized. That's what I want to do. That’s what I love about music, is that it's able to reach people and touch people emotionally in a way that I'm not sure many other art forms can. I love that Cirque has really leaned into that with this show and that we're able to come up with some really, really beautiful scenes and numbers that are just really, really fun and really touching. One of my favorite performances is from one of our acrobats doing a steer wheel and she does this beautiful, beautiful act to “Traveler”, which is one of my personal favorite songs. And so getting to have that music and that art form of acrobatics and really bring that together; It's a beautiful thing, and I think that's something that's so unique to Cirque du Soleil and to the show as well.
S: Not to ask too much of like the secret sauce or whatever, but do you get to see these performances being like iterated? When you see them do that final move, and it’s been workshopped, it's been transformed, and they might have had a different narrative in mind for that piece, you know?
A: Sure. And that was such a fun process to be a part of, because I've never gotten to be part of a creative process like that. Anytime I've done theater, typically it's like, OK, the show's already been written. It's done. Here's your part. Go do it. Off you go. And so what was so cool about this process is that as the artists, we were also given leeway to make our own, you know, kind of interpretations of what, OK, well, what if I did this in the scene? OK, well, here's a crazy idea. How about this? And the directors took that and they were like, yeah, sure, let's try it.
Any idea was welcome. And that went from the music, to the choreography, to the acting that's in it, and especially the acrobatics. It was super fun to watch the entire process of the show come together and where it started, how it developed, and where it is today. And I think the fun thing about Cirque and this show is that it's still developing, too. So, I mean, you might see the show one way in one city and maybe we'll make a few small changes six months down the road. So I think as a performer, it's really fun to have that because you're almost not doing the same show every night in some way, shape or form. And even if you are, there's always some kind of new element that we have to tackle, whether that's a smaller stage or maybe the sounds can be a little different, or my in-ears got unplugged or something. You know, there's always a new element and a new challenge and that makes it so fun.
S: I hear you. I've definitely stomped my guitar cord out of my guitar on stage before and that's always fun.
A: Oh yeah. I've gone out on stage and whacked my guitar neck before I [went] out. So I'm like, well, this is going to sound awesome!
S: I was looking at all the tour stops and it looks like a plot of just the country's best barbecue spots. Have you already been checking stuff out?
A: I mean, as soon as we got here to Texas, I immediately went to Whataburger. I think I've had barbecue like two or three times in the last week. Yeah. We're sampling the best for sure. And I know, especially when we're in Texas, we'll continue doing so. I've been enjoying introducing some of our friends from overseas to our barbecue.
S: Oh, I bet. So, I mean, you're on the tour right now. What's been your favorite pastime so far? What do you like to do on the tour when you're not practicing?
A: I think I'm definitely guilty of binge watching something on Netflix. I'm like, I just need to relax. I'm going to watch this. But, I mean, I know when I was in Nashville on my days off, I would try to find some live music to go see. When I've been here, you know, I hit the gym, you know, just try to stay fit and things like that. I love listening to music, truly. And so, whether that's in the form of going to see live music or listening to it in my car or anything like that, I'm always learning and growing with things like that. So, I spend a lot of time doing that.
S: Are you a car singer?
A: Oh, yes. Oh, absolutely. I mean, even though I'm a real singer, I'm still going to belt it in the shower and in the car.
S: I mean, the acoustics don't get better.
A: That's what I'm saying! I try to record the whole album in my bed! [laughs]
S: So, I wanted to kind of circle back. Growing up on the ranch, you sang songs to your horses. Do you still?
A: Definitely. I haven't been able to see them since I've been on tour. I'll go home in a couple of weeks and I'll get to see them. I mean, that was how I got started was competing in rodeo, and I was just singing to my horse at the warm up pen before I went. And the staff heard me and they're like, you need to get this little girl up to sing the national anthem. So, I mean, that was how that got started for me. I would sing to my horses. And I definitely still do that.
S: Are they pretty good, pretty generous judges?
A:Well, they seem to like it. They never told me any different.
S: Allora, I had just one more question for you. And again, I thank you for your time. So for all of the preparation, all of this work that you've put into Songblazers, is there one thing, one experience, one takeaway that you want attendees to leave with after they've seen this performance?
A: Absolutely. The story of this show and the journey that we take through country music and where it started, really, and just seeing that grow throughout the show is a really cool thing to see. I love that the history has been represented in such a wonderful way. And also just, it's a story of friendship, really, and how that grows and evolves over time. And I think that's something that anyone can relate to. I mean, the highs and the lows of people changing. And, you know, sometimes you may not end up the way you thought you would. But it's the journey that's so beautiful. It's not about the destination. It's how you get there. And so I love that the show really follows that, and really highlights the people that you meet along the way to your goal, whatever that may be. I love getting to see that and to play a small part in that.
S: Well, I think that's going to come through as soon as audiences get to see! Again, thank you for your time. ■
Songblazers is currently running in Austin before making its way down 35 to San Antonio at the aptly-named Majestic Theatre for premiere night on Wednesday, August 21st, at 7:00 PM.
Get your tickets now at www.cirquedusoleil.com/songblazers
This interview has been edited for clarity.
