Cirque du Soleil returns to Allentown with one of its signature productions, “Varekai,” for seven performances, Nov. 9 - 12, PPL Center.

“Varekai” performances are: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9; 4, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, 11; 1:30, 5 p.m. Nov. 12.

Tickets: PPLCenter.com; 610-347-TIXX; PPL Center Box Office.

“Varekai” showcases an acrobatic extravaganza with the theme of Icarus for an amazing display of high-level acrobatics and performers ready to accomplish gravity-defying feats.

“Varekai” takes place in a forest at the summit of a volcano. A young man parachutes into the magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world imbued with fantastical creatures.

The word Varekai (pronounced ver·ay·’kie) means “wherever” in the Romany language of the gypsies. The production, directed by Dominic Champagne, pays tribute to the nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition.

Piecing together genres, arts, and disciplines, with original music, costumes, set design, choreography, live vocals, video-art, and make-up solutions, the show maintains circus arts in all its manifestations, starting from street performances to high-tech and awe-aspiring aerial acts.

The international cast of “Varekai” consists of 50 performers from 13 countries, including six musicians and two singers. In addition, there are 50 crew members on tour, coaches, performance medicine therapists, wardrobe employees, stage managers, technical specialists and administrative personnel.

Cirque du Solei began as a group of 20 street performers in 1984 in Québec, Canada. The company has approximately 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has performed for more than 180 million spectators in more than 400 cities in more than 60 countries on five continents.

PPL Center seats more than 10,000 for concerts and more than 8,500 for Lehigh Valley Phantoms professional hockey games. The venue hosts more than 150 events each year, including the Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the NHL Philadelphia Flyers; concerts, family shows, trade shows, figure-skating events, youth sports, high school and collegiate events, “Disney on Ice,” conferences, and graduations.