Soleil de Minuit: A Celebration
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Two homegrown cultural institutions, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and Cirque du Soleil, are joining forces to celebrate their anniversaries and show their thanks to the people of Quebec, to whom they owe so much of their success.
Next July 11, as part of the Grand Evénement General Motors at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the streets of Montreal will be transformed into a place of music and art, a celebration paying tribute to the 20 years of Cirque du Soleil and the 25 years of the Jazz Festival. The free show will get underway at 9:00 p.m. and be aired on both CBC Television and Radio-Canada’s French-language television starting at 9:30 p.m.
“Our ties with L’Equipe Spectra go back to our beginnings,” said Guy Laliberté, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cirque du Soleil. “The Jazz Festival had already existed for five years when Cirque was born. The festival’s international profile, its mixing of cultures and the way in which it takes over the streets have always impressed me. Alain Simard and André Ménard have succeeded in making it one of the most popular events in the world. We share the same passion: developing two of Quebec’s greatest natural resources, creativity and culture. I liked the idea of this free show right away because it will take place in the very heart of the city, right in the street! It will also be an excellent showcase for the music we have created over the last 20 years.”
Alain Simard, President of L’Equipe Spectra and Founder of the festival International de Jazz de Montréal, is just as delighted with the anniversary show: “It is a little like a coming-together of the sun, which symbolizes Cirque du Soleil, and the moon, which represents jazz. This once-in-a-lifetime event will take place here, in Montreal, on July 11. Soleil de minuit will be a major milestone in both of our histories. We conceived of this celebration as a gift to the public and a token of our affection for the people of Quebec, as well as a tip of the hat to the tribute we paid to Cirque du Soleil’s music in 1995-without a doubt the most memorable event in the Festival’s history. Cirque du Soleil has always been an inspiration for us, and we are proud to be able to share its magic with festival-goers. We also wanted to honour Cirque du Soleil for its remarkable success on the international stage, and especially for its limitless creativity which continues to dazzle spectators all around the world.”
Soleil de minuit – Created by Victor Pilon and Michel Lemieux, Soleil de minuit is the story of an idealistic and visionary dreamer who lives alone with his old-style gramophone and, at times, has premonitory dreams.
Eager to celebrate the conjunction of the sun and the moon, he sends out thousands of invitations to the four corners of the globe, and tribes of musicians and circus performers answer the call. Soleil de minuit is a poetic eclipse, a joyous gathering, a tribute, and a celebration where musicians, circus artists and the public are all guests of honour.
A live performance and a television program – In order to let as many people as possible join in the celebration, Soleil de minuit will also be aired on CBC and SRC television on July 11. Vincent Gagné, Cirque du Soleil’s Vice-President of Multimedia, and Luc Châtelain, Vice-President of the film and television division at L’Equipe Spectra, are the program’s executive producers.
“It is a big challenge, but a very exciting one! This will be our first live shoot. We are expecting a record audience and over 130 circus artists, entertainers and street performers on stage, as well as 60 musicians. We hope to be able to capture all the emotion and excitement of this magical celebration,” explained Vincent Gagné.
“We started working on this project a year ago, and Radio-Canada and CBC showed an immediate interest. As a partner of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and Cirque du Soleil, SRC/CBC wanted to be a part of this major cultural happening and to celebrate this historical moment with us,” declared Luc Châtelain.
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – Now getting ready for its 25th edition (from June 30 to July 11, 2004), the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presents approximately 500 concerts each year, three-quarters of which are free of charge. More than 2,000 musicians from close to twenty countries are warmly welcomed by nearly two million enthusiastic festival-goers from around the planet. Over the years, the Festival has become the international rendezvous for the world’s jazz community and has helped launch a number of careers. Not only have its founders’ dreams been widely surpassed, but all signs point to continued success for the Festival for years to come.
Cirque Sought By Broadcasters Worldwide
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More than ever, Cirque du Soleil’s television presence is having an impact on the organization’s worldwide activities. Whether it is the demand for productions by Cirque du Soleil Images, Cirque du Soleil’s multimedia division, or partner and media interest in Cirque du Soleil content, television is playing a key role in the organization’s growing visibility.
In 2004 alone, Cirque du Soleil-related television programs will air on eight networks (Bravo, CBC’s French network SRC, Rai, TF1, A2, BBC, NBC, Channel 9) in more than ten countries (including France, Italy, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Belgium and Switzerland). An estimated 40 million viewers will see these programs, which total almost 65 hours of content.
“Our presence on television networks around the world hasn’t stopped growing, and it’s leading to other requests. The widespread accessibility of the Cirque du Soleil brand has allowed us to make substantial inroads in developing new markets for our shows. It has also helped us to pursue our wish to introduce as many people as possible to ‘the Cirque du Soleil experience’ and to showcase our expertise internationally,” declared Daniel Lamarre, Cirque du Soleil’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
The T.V. series “Solstrom,” currently shown on the U.S. network Bravo, is a major ratings success for Cirque du Soleil’s partner and broadcaster of choice. The series can also be seen on the SBS network in Australia. “Solstrom” has been sold in other countries as well, and will air in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Finland and Romania, among others. Passengers on airlines including Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Lanchile Airlines, Aero Mexico and Air Canada will be able to enjoy the series during their flights.
In December 2003, BBC1 aired a 90-minute special called “Dale’s Adventures with Cirque du Soleil,” which was seen by almost 5 million viewers. It was the first time that a Cirque du Soleil resident show (La Nouba) had been featured in such a high-profile television program. La Nouba has now been filmed, and will be aired on the SRC network on May 30. Other countries will also have the chance to see La Nouba on television, since a number of foreign broadcasters have purchased distribution rights for the program.
In 2004, variety shows from around the world have been clamouring for Cirque du Soleil. In January, the appearance of Varekai artists on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was so popular with viewers that an encore performance was a must. During the week of May 10, the famous host of the program taped a show in Las Vegas and once again asked Cirque du Soleil to be a part of it. Viewers were treated to excerpts from Mystère and ZUMANITY on May 13 and 14.
In Australia, a six-minute Cirque du Soleil act was presented at the Logies, an awards gala honouring the Australian television industry and its stars, on Channel 9.
In Italy, it was Saltimbanco’s turn to take the spotlight at the opening of the San Remo Festival, broadcast on Rai 1 last March. France also aired acts from Saltimbanco on television: first on the program “Vivement Dimanche,” hosted by Michel Drucker on TF1 (in February), and then on Patrick Sébastien’s program entitled “Le plus grand cabaret du monde” on France 2 (in March). Patrick Sébastien was so dazzled by the artists’ performance that he rebroadcast the segment on his show in April.
Finally, on May 2, Rai 3 presented a half-hour documentary featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Cirque du Soleil and its show Saltimbanco, attracting 600,000 viewers.
In the works: a team from CNN’s documentary unit is currently preparing a 30-minute special report on the Cirque du Soleil phenomenon. It will be aired this summer and again this fall on the entire CNN world network, as part of the program “People in the News.”
Cirque du Soleil has thrilled over 42 million spectators in almost 100 cities on four continents. With its International Headquarters in Montreal, the organization will be presenting 10 different shows around the world in 2004. Cirque du Soleil has been the recipient of such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gemini, Félix, and the Rose d’or de Montreux.
Zumanity’s New Seven Sinful Pleasures
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For those who like to misbehave on the right side of the velvet rope, ZUMANITY will now be offering the chance to indulge in seven guilty pleaZures through one premiere seating package. ZUMANITY, ANOTHER SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, offers guests a new way to see the show with the introduction of Z PleaZure Package, an unparalleled seating experience featuring plush sofa accommodations and VIP treatment.
Reinventing the art of seduction, Z PleaZure Package offers guests premium seating, exclusive VIP benefits, unlimited food and beverage…and “Z” experience of a lifetime. Tickets for Z PleaZure Package are priced at $195 and sold in pairs.
The guilty pleaZures will include:
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Desire… Yearning for some time with the gorgeous cast? You’ll have the chance to get up close and personal with
some of the outrageous ZUMANITY performers.
ZUMANITY, ANOTHER SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL can currently be seen Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30PM and 10:30PM at the ZUMANITY Theatre in New York-New York Hotel & Casino. As of June 18, the show will be running Friday – Tuesday at 7PM and 10PM.
For more information on the Z PleaZure Package, or to reserve yours now, visit www.zumanity.com, www.nynyhotelcasino.com or contact the ZUMANITY box office at 1-866-606-7111 or (702) 740 6815. Z PleaZure
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