Cirque du Soleil from head to toe

Shades of Rapunzel

This headpiece, worn by a performer who plays an elf-like character, has long, thick, colorful strands of fabric about 2 feet long. "She's a flier, and does a high jump," Jacobs said. "And it's a lot of hair to be following you around when you're flying through the air. Getting the balance right on that was a challenge for us." Headpieces are her worst headache," she says. "When you're trying to fit one of the pieces on an artist and there's a problem, you can't see it, because it's under the hat. You only know what they tell you."