VIDEO: Cirque du Soleil's Big Top Goes Up in New York City for TOTEM

Cirque du Soleil has arrived to Citi Field, its new New York City location, and is in complete set-up mode in preparation for the March 14 opening night of its awe-inspiring touring production TOTEM. The show's trademark blue-and-yellow big top was recently raised in the stadium's parking lot by a team of more than 60 men and women who worked for several hours to pound pegs, hoist more than 100 support poles, unfurl the canvas, and finally raise the roof of the acrobatic and theatrical experience that is TOTEM.

In the video, hear from Rowenna Jeffries, Tour Production Coordinator, and David Millman, Production Manager, of TOTEM from Cirque du Soleil talk about the Cirque du Soleil Big Top going up at New York City's Citi Field in Queens!

About the big top and the Cirque du Soleil village: The big top seats more than 2,600 people. The entire site set-up takes 8 days. This includes installation of entrance, hospitality and rehearsal tents, administrative offices and kitchen. The big top stands 66 feet high and is 167 feet in diameter. The 4 masts stand at 80 feet tall each. 550 pegs are required to hold the big top firmly to 48,500 square feet of asphalt. The big top, the VIP Rouge and artistic tents are all climate controlled with air conditioning in warm seasons or heating for colder seasons. TOTEM travels via 64 trailers, carrying more than 1,200 tons of equipment.

New York City marks TOTEM's 18th tour stop since its April 2010 World Premiere. In over two years and a half, more than 2 million people across Canada, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have been mesmerized by the TOTEM experience.

Written and directed by internationally-renowned multidisciplinary artist Robert Lepage, TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations.

Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of species. Somewhere between science and legend TOTEM explores the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his infinite potential.

Due to strong demand during the pre-sale period, Cirque du Soleil has added three weeks of performances to the limited engagement of TOTEM at Citi Field. Tickets for all performances from March 14 to May 12 are now available online at www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem.

Stay connected with TOTEM on Twitter: @Cirque #TOTEM, or follow the tour on Facebook: www.facebook.com/totem.