Photos: Performers prepare to present Dralion

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Performers who will depict a dragon practice crossing a teeter totter while standing atop a 400-lb wooden ball during training for the Cirque du Soleil show Dralion on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 14, 2015, at Sullivan Arena. Trampoline artists at left practice on the backdrop, a Chinese village wall. The troupe of 52 representing 19 nationalities will present eight shows Wednesday evening through Sunday at Sullivan Arena. The show’s name is derived from the dragon, symbolizing the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West.

Cirque du Soleil performers prepared Wednesday afternoon to present "Dralion," at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

Sean McKeown, artistic director for the long-running Cirque du Soleil's production, was looking forward to bringing the show to Fairbanks and Anchorage for its final performances.

"Dralion" began its run in 1999. The production blended Eastern acrobatics and Western influences, weaving a story of elemental harmony.

In 2010, McKeown said, "Dralion" was reworked and adapted from smaller-scale venues to actual sports and entertainment arenas.

"We didn't make the show more compact, but we made it more versatile for the touring reality of the arena," McKeown says. "What we have to do in an arena is re-work the stage so it's more portable. We re-stage what's going on in the scenario itself so we can reach the people further from the stage."

Dralion runs Wednesday evening through Sunday in Anchorage in its tour finale.

Video: Backstage at Cirque du Soleil's Dralion