Dancer’s Unlikely Path to Becoming a Cirque du Soleil Aquatic Performer (Exclusive)

Fernanda Morales spends a lot of time in the pool — the pools built into the new Cirque du Soleil theater at VidantaWorld in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, to be exact. 

However, her stage used to look a lot different. Morales tells PEOPLE that she was a dancer her whole life, until 10 years ago, when she had knee surgery. During her break from performing, she turned to yoga, and from there, discovered the sport of free diving after moving to Tulum, Mexico.

“I fell in love with being in the water. It was just like an insane new world that I hadn’t explored. It felt so comfortable and so peaceful and so quiet,” she shares. “It was a mental state and calmness and clarity that I needed at the time.”

“I started free diving, and I started training free diving, and I went all in,” she continues. “I became a free diving instructor, and water became my life.”

Since Morales has “always had the heart of a dancer,” it helped her “move in the water and dance in the water in ways that I was not able to do as much on land.”

“It brought me back this spark and joy and creativity of being in a new medium, still doing what I loved,” she adds. “It started evolving … I got really amazing, cool projects. I missed that in my life. The creative aspect of the magic of being in a show.”

Earlier this year, one of her friends in free diving heard about a new Cirque du Soleil show that was looking for diving professionals for various aquatic acts.

“I did the audition, and I had to send like nine videos, underwater, above water, in between acting, not acting, dancing, creating a character,” she says.

A few days passed, and she learned she had been cast as an aquatic troop performer — and immediately got to training.

Morales and the other aquatic performers had to master the art of finding calmness and holding their breath for at least 45 seconds. They also took scuba diving classes to familiarize themselves with scuba gear, which would be used throughout the show. 

Morales says one of the hardest things was learning to understand her own buoyancy and how to balance her body weight with diving weights. 

“Buoyancy is key to being able to move comfortably in the water because you don’t wanna be floating, or sinking,” she says. “You wanna be neutral or heavy in different parts.”

“In the creative process, it was really technical and we had to really understand what we needed, in terms of how much air we take for some moments, how much air we don’t take for some other moments, how much weight we take out, how to put the weight, where in our bodies it also changes our buoyancy,” Morales adds.

During the performance, Morales dances in the water, spins upside down, and showcases her diving and dancing skills in one of eight aquariums that were built into the theater.

A typical rehearsal day means being in the water for up to 12 hours, usually in increments of two to three hours. While she sometimes goes in and out of the water, other times she remains in the pools the entire time with breathing assistance.

However, spending that much time submerged has taken a toll on Morales’ hair, she admits. When possible, she tries to wear swimming caps and applies “bottles and bottles” of hair masks and coconut oil at the end of the day.

Before she performs, Morales starts with a “very strong ginger tea” to warm herself up in anticipation of spending hours in the aquariums. From there, it typically takes her an hour and 15 minutes to do her makeup. 

“We do our own makeup, which is amazing because it’s a time where you get to focus on yourself,” she shares. “It’s really nice, and it’s calming, and we have our friends there, so sometimes we put on music, we relax, put on makeup, and warm up.”

“I always try to warm up and sip on the ginger tea as much as I can, and pee before the show as much as possible,” she continues. “Every time I go in the water, I think I have to pee. Sometimes, in between, if I have time, I run to the bathroom.” 

Morales notes that, unlike some Cirque du Soleil shows, the choreographer and creative team welcome the performers’ opinions.

“A lot of the people that work with me have been in other Cirque shows, and a lot of them are already made,” she says. “Not a lot of people get to be in the creation part of the show. And it is very interesting because you get to put a little bit of yourself in the show. We’re a part of building this from the ground up. It’s beautiful and it’s super exciting.” 

For the Mexico native, creating something that honors and represents parts of her culture is “a beautiful thing.”

“Most of the inspiration comes from Mexico. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is perfect.’ I feel so proud, and I feel so blessed and happy that I get to experience my own culture through the show,” she says.

Cirque Du Soleil LUDÕ is now open at VidantaWorld.