Lou Malin is 1½ years old and she’s already lived in 11 cities. More, if you count her time in utero. This week, she adds another city to her list: Seattle.
Both Lou’s parents work for Cirque du Soleil Echo, and she was born on tour in 2024. Her dad, Clément Malin, is one of two clowns in the Double Trouble act. Her mom, Mylie Maury, is a wardrobe technician. The family moves every two months with the circus. Lou has spent her entire life on the road.
Next stop is Redmond, where Cirque du Soleil Echo runs Jan. 30 to March 22 in Marymoor Park. Echo is Cirque du Soleil’s new touring production that debuted in 2023, and this year will be its first staging in the Seattle area.
Clément Malin, Mylie Maury, and their daughter, Lou Malin. (Image courtesy Clément Malin and Mylie Maury)
Cirque du Soleil is essentially a mobile village with a blue-and-white big top. The 158 people traveling with the show include professional acrobats, musicians, clowns — plus nine kids, ranging from 3 months old to age 11, growing up surrounded by this circus family.
“The most stable thing [Lou] knows is a tent. Home is a tent,” Malin said. “When she comes back here, it’s the only thing that hasn’t moved inside.”
Lou was born during Cirque du Soleil’s Miami stopover. Two weeks later, her family hopped in the car and drove to their next show, in Toronto. The biggest challenge? Taking a passport photo of a newborn with her eyes open.
Mylie Maury with her daughter, Lou Malin. (Image courtesy Clément Malin and Mylie Maury)
“Everything was so quick, we didn’t have time to think that much,” Maury said. “We didn’t have time to question ourselves.”
(Two weeks post-partum, and a cross-continental road trip with a newborn? I don’t know about you, but when I was a new mom, going to the mailbox was the big adventure of my day.)
Bianca Kalvesmaki, Olli Torkkel and their 5-year-old daughter, Lumi Torkkel, also tour with Cirque du Soleil Echo. Kalvesmaki is the guest experience director; Torkkel is a swing technician and a former artist. Between the three of them, they own 10 suitcases, two bikes and a bed for Lumi. That’s it.
At the end of each city, Lumi tries on her clothes, and anything that doesn’t fit gets donated. Santa came, of course, and they made room for the new toys. One bag is filled with books in English and Finnish; Lumi was born in Finland, her dad’s home country.
Bianca Kalvesmaki and Olli Torkkel with their daughter Lumi Torkkel. (Photo courtesy Bianca Kalvesmaki Olli Torkkel)
“We often think kids need stability and a routine,” Torkkel said. “I think kids need parents. That’s the only thing they need. That’s what we’re able to offer her, nonstop. There’s no time we would be away from each other.”
‘It’s like a big family’
It was in Montreal, at the start of the Cirque du Soleil Echo tour, when Maury, who is French, found out she was pregnant. The first doctor she saw said, “Oh no, you can’t go on tour. What are you going to do? Are you going back to France or are you staying in Canada?”
“I think I got quite afraid at the beginning,” Maury said. “Having a baby is a huge change in your life. Even if I was at home, I would have gotten stressed.”
Malin is one of two clowns in the Double Trouble act. (Image courtesy Clément Malin and Mylie Maury)
Fortunately, Maury had an easy pregnancy. With each new city, she brought a pile of documents from the previous doctor. She wrestled with morning sickness while cleaning costumes at work. Then Lou was born, and Lou slept backstage with baby headphones, and Maury would come nurse her between shows.
“Everybody is understanding and helped us out,” Maury said.
“It’s like a big family,” Malin added. “We feel really supported.”
With their 5-year-old, the challenge now for Kalvesmaki and Torkkel is getting Lumi into activities and hobbies. It’ll take planning and carving out the time, then restarting with every new city.
Guest experience director Bianca Kalvesmaki with her daughter Lumi Torkkel. (Image courtesy Bianca Kalvesmaki and Olli Torkkel)
Torkkel, after all, started gymnastics when he was 5 or 6. He was a professional gymnast before being scouted by Cirque du Soleil, and performed as an acrobat on a previous tour. (Yes, he does get some funny looks from moms when he and Lumi are at the gym.)
“There’s all kinds of different people of different backgrounds, 150 people on tour who we are friends with,” Torkkel said. “That makes the community really different. The opportunity to learn from all those people. We really wanted to give that experience to our child.”
“She sees the creative world constantly,” Kalvesmaki added. “It’ll be interesting to see what she lands on as she gets older. I don’t know if she wants to be an acrobat. But she’s definitely dramatic.”
If You Go
See Lou Malin and Lumi Torkkel’s parents at work!
- Cirque du Soleil Echo
- Where: Marymoor Park, Redmond
- When: January 30 to March 22, with shows Wednesday through Sunday
- Cost: Tickets start at $59
