KÀ By Cirque Du Soleil Celebrates 8,000 Captivating Shows At MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, September 23

In a year of milestones, including Cirque du Soleil's 30th year in Las Vegas, KÀ by Cirque du Soleil celebrated its 8,000th performance at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Saturday, Sept 23. Known for its electrifying martial arts and gravity-defying aerial feats, the epic production redefines storytelling with its heroic journey of love and conflict set within a dynamic theater that transforms the stage into an enthralling empire, taking adventure to an all-new level.

“8,000 shows on the Las Vegas Strip is an astounding accomplishment, made possible by our incredibly talented cast and crew over the past 18 years,” said Eric Grilly, President, Resident Shows Division and Affiliate Shows Division at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “We look forward to many more years of astonishing audiences with the incredible story of KÀ.”

Since opening on February 3, 2005, KÀ has been hailed as a technological marvel with its state-of-the-art Sand Cliff Deck, a 360-degree rotating stage that is reactive to touch and boasts 5,500 capacitive points. The $165 million production was on the forefront of touchscreen technology, debuting two years before touchscreen cell phones became popular in 2007 following the release of the iPhone.

Here's a few facts to know about the one-of-a-kind production:

• KÀ is the first Cirque du Soleil show to feature a storyline from start to finish.
• More than 960,000 fireballs and 720,000 pyrotechnic devices have been fired over the course of 8,000 performances.
• If all 5,000 speakers were stacked on top of each other, they would be taller than MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
• Over 880,000 arrows have been shot through the air.
• 2,000 pounds of granulated cork are used to mimic sand in the beach scene in every show.
• There are more than 500 individual props and 7 larger-than-life puppets in the show. 1,300 hours went into creating the crab puppet.

KÀ performs Saturday – Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. inside MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit cirquedusoleil.com/ka.