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Gracie Valdez has spent much of her career bringing “Luzia” to life, but its return to the area carries special meaning. Seven years after visiting with the production, she is eager to introduce the show to a new generation of local families.

Valdez has served as the show’s artistic director for just over two years. She has worked with Cirque du Soleil for 16 years and has been involved with “Luzia” on and off for nine of them.

Her path began with dance. After moving to Vienna at age 8 and growing up there, she performed at a middle-school arts center and taught dance in high school. She later attended George Mason University.

“Dancing was my entry into this world,” Valdez said.

She eventually realized that her strengths were behind the scenes, where she could manage people and apply the organizational and project-management lessons she learned from mentors.

As artistic director, Valdez oversees the production’s overall quality and works to keep its performers and crew properly motivated. More than 2,500 shows have taught her to expect the unexpected, from illnesses among cast members to technical problems.

“I have a beautiful team, but sometimes technology doesn’t want to behave,” she said. “I’m a problem solver.”

For Valdez, working at Cirque du Soleil fulfills a lifelong ambition. She attended its shows while growing up, including performances in California before her family moved to the area, and became an enthusiastic fan.

“When I understood I could work here, I knew I was the luckiest person in the world,” she said.

Her previous local visit with “Luzia” came seven years ago. Friends who saw it then now have children old enough to attend, giving Valdez the opportunity to share the experience with them.

Her favorite moment arrives just before the final bow, when the entire cast gathers onstage for an emotional scene that she said nearly brings her to tears every time.

From outside the tent, Valdez said, audiences might never anticipate the world waiting within it.

“People come to the circus to escape,” she said.