Criss Angel, star of the hit show Mindfreak, has signed a contract to do an unbelievable 10 years worth of performances in a new grand-scale production show in collaboration with the production company, Cirque du Soleil. So how exactly do Criss Angel’s illusions and Cirque du Soleil fit together? Well, that’s exactly what Angel and Cirque are taking almost a year of rehearsal time to find out. The show, set to open this fall, will have a permanent residency at the Luxor. Angel is in the process of creating a whole new style of illusions that will not only show off his skills as a magician, but also complement the skills of the acrobats that will be performing along side him.

Criss Angel has always had an instinctive love for magic. He grew up in Long Island, New York. His parents were of Greek decent and he was even an alter boy in a Greek Orthodox Church. He began performing magic tricks when he was as young as 6 years old. As a teenager, he performed professionally at parties and events. Angel later performed small shows throughout New York, including World of Illusion at Madison Square Garden in 1998 and his self titled Criss Angel Mindfreak, which he performed off-Broadway. However, his big break came when A&E decided to pick up his act as a regular series on the network. The show was based mostly on street performances and audiences absolutly loved it. The show was a huge success and Criss Angel soon became a household name. The first two seasons of the show were filmed at the Aladdin and the third season was performed at the Luxor. Angel has also opened a retail shop in the Luxor which has become one of the most popular shops in the hotel. He has performed several of his grand scale illusions right on the streets of Las Vegas. He has levitated above the Luxor hotel and made a Lamborghini disappear in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip with large crowds standing close by.

The directors of Cirque du Soleil have admitted that they have always wanted to include illusions in one of their shows. Since Cirque du Soleil performers can do things that already appear impossible, the show would only be intensified if actual illusions were mixed into the already unbelievable feats of athleticism.

Criss Angel was awarded the Magician of the Year Award for 2008; this was his fourth time winning the award. He is the only magician to ever win the award two consecutive times. There have also been rumors that Angel will be given the Magician of the Decade Award later this year. Angel markets much of his magic as psychic or supernatural abilities; and since his street magic is so unbelievable there have always been rumors circulating that he is actually psychic and not performing tricks at all. However, he has disproved these rumors in some more recent candid interviews. He has said that he believes no one is actually psychic and that all his illusions truly are just illusions, no matter how impossible they may seem.

His new Cirque du Soleil show has a contract of 10 years, which is one of the longest contracts anyone has ever signed for a live stage show in Las Vegas. Tickets are available now for CRISS ANGEL Believe - Cirque du Soleil.