Correction appended

Families coming to Penn State for Parents and Families Weekend can not only visit traditional landmarks like Beaver Stadium and Old Main -- but they can also see trained performers twist and throw their bodies into nearly impossible positions.

Cirque du Soleil is performing its Alegría arena tour at the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) through Oct. 4. Ticket prices range from $40 to $95 for adults and $32 to $76 for children, although there is a special $27 price for Penn State students and their families for every show except Friday evening's and Saturday.

Alegría falls on Parents and Families Weekend, which was intentional, said Bernie Punt, BJC director of sales and marketing. Cirque du Soleil performed Saltimbanco during Parents Weekend in 2007, which was a "smashing success," he said.

"For college students, it's great," Punt said.

"Your parents come into town, and it's like, 'Oh, is there anything I can do?' and it's a great experience for the parents."

Punt said the show provides family bonding and world-class entertainment.

"It's a little different than just a bunch of elephants marching around," he said. "This isn't Ringling Bros."

The bigger, the better

The monumental show includes 92,000 pounds of stage equipment, 18 tractor-trailers, 101 crewmembers, and will take up 60 percent of the arena -- dwarfing previous shows at Penn State, Punt said.

"It seems like this is twice the size [of Saltimbanco] as far as equipment that will be hanging from our building," publicist Maxime Charbonneau said. "There are 4,500 seats available in a 15,500 seat arena -- that just shows you how much area they're taking over with all their equipment."

The set is topped with a giant dome and decorated with columns and balustrades, alluding to powerful institutions, such as churches, city halls and libraries.

The lighting follows suit, portraying the nostalgic atmosphere of a 17th-century ballroom with autumnal tones.

The musical score by René Dupéré moves between jazz, pop, tango and klezmer. It includes acoustic instruments, including an accordion, and voice and synthesizer arrangements.

Alegría features 55 performers from 17 countries, Charbonneau said. The show showcases many classical circus traditions, including contortion, trapeze, the long trampoline, flying acts, Russian swinging and gymnastics.

"They do things that us normal people wouldn't be able to do, so it's quite amazing to see them bend in positions that are almost impossible or fly in the air 30 feet off the ground," Charbonneau said. "I think it's the combination of incredible acrobatics, light, music, sound and costumes."

Charbonneau wants people to come to the arena for two and a half hours and forget about all their little worries.

"You'll be touched, you'll be moved, some moments will make you smile, some moments will touch you in a different way," he said.

"You definitely get the 'wow' factor."

And best of all, no two nights will be the same, Charbonneau said.

"On Saturday evening, you may not see the same show that you would on Sunday," he said.

The traveling circus

Alegría began under the big top 15 years ago as a much bigger show situated in a permanent location. It has recently become an arena tour and is now smaller and travels to different venues.

It's also totally different from what Penn State saw two years ago in Saltimbanco, Charbonneau said.

According to the press kit, the world of Alegría is inhabited by minstrels, rogues, beggars, nobles, children and clowns -- the only characters able to adapt to changing times. Alegría, named for a Spanish word meaning joy and jubilation, is based on the concept of a kingdom without a king -- a world where everyone is imbued with power.

"It's a general feeling you get when you watch the show -- the word describes what it is. It's a beautiful emotion," Charbonneau said

Charbonneau said Alegría has a lot of audience participation: The clowns will get into the audience and bring some audience members onstage.

Alegría is one of the shows that puts Cirque du Soleil on the map all over the world, Charbonneau said. It premiered in Montreal on April 21, 1994, and toured for 14 years before starting its current arena tour. Ten million people have seen it worldwide.

There are currently 19 Cirque du Soleil performances around the world, including regular shows in Las Vegas, Europe and Canada, Charbonneau said.

Cirque du Soleil is based in Quebec and performs in more than 200 cities on five continents.

The group has received many awards, including five Emmy's and multiple individual honors, Charbonneau said. Many performers have competed in the Olympics, and a performer in Alegría's aerial bar act competed in the NCAA gymnastics championships and on the U.S. men's gymnastics team.

For a typical circus show, it usually takes nine days to set up the infrastructure and two and a half days to tear it down. But with Alegría's arena tour, setup will take only nine hours and teardown will take only two, according to the press kit.

Unlike other circus shows, there are no animals in Cirque du Soleil. Shows are based on human performance, an eastern European influence on the craft, Charbonneau said.

The Cirque meets the Valley

In 2007, Cirque du Soleil performed seven shows of Saltimbanco at the BJC. Alegría is a larger show and will hold eight shows, Punt said.

Penn State student Kate Farley attended Saltimbanco in 2007 and said she thought the show was unique.

"It was appealing to all of your senses, seeing things going on, the sounds going on, and it was funny and breathtaking and impressive and artistic," Farley (senior-environmental resource management) said.

Farley said Cirque du Soleil was unlike other circus performances. She said it was more visionary, whereas other shows are just about cool tricks.

"Two girls were basically flipping each other around on this bar and something could easily have happened, but it was always so precise, and that to me was just really impressive," she said.

Farley said that she saw the show with her parents and that a Cirque du Soleil show is something people should plan to see with their family members.

"It's all ages, that's what's great about this -- you see small children, and then you see your grandparents," Punt said.

Charbonneau said State College will become one of Cirque du Soleil's regular stops for its arena tours.

"Every two or three years we will most likely stop in the city with a new production," he said.

Correction: This article incorrectly states the time for Thursday, Oct. 1's show. The correct time is 7:30 p.m.