Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO is now running in Calgary under the Big Top at Stampede Park until Oct. 19.

The nature of a Cirque show is visual spectacle. But on the other side of the 20-tonne cube dominating the stage, is a full village supporting the 53 performers from 22 different countries, each with their own story.

One of them is Penelope Elena Scheidler, former Austrian farm girl who ,three years in, still finds herself in disbelief.

“Since I watched my first Cirque du Soleil show, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Seeing my face on the posters and seeing my face on the screens and stuff like that, it’s unreal,” she said. “Even though it’s been three years now, I’m still processing it and stuff like that.”

If you’ve seen the show, you remember Scheidler. She is one half of the

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