CirqueTech – “KÀ Tech Specs, Part 1/4”

By
Richasi
Published: Feb 2, 2007Posted in: CirqueTechTags:

Cirque du Soleil has been, over the years, very guarded about the technical aspects of its productions and in the past it was quite rare to receive a glimpse into what made each show tick. But no longer. Today we can explore the many facets of these shows, from its theme to the brand of speaker or light shining overhead; including this list provided by Cirque du Soleil. In this edition of CirqueTech, we explore the first of four of these KÀ Tech Specs: the Sand Cliff Deck and Gantry Crane, the Tatami Deck and the Stage Lifts.

KÀ Tech Specs, Part 1:

SAND CLIFF DECK AND GANTRY CRANE

  • The Sand Cliff Deck is an enormous performance space measuring 25×50 feet with a six-foot depth and weighing 80,000 pounds.
  • It is supported and controlled by an inverted gantry crane, which is essentially a giant mechanical arm attached to four 75-foot long hydraulic cylinders, that run along two support columns.
  • The gantry crane can lift the sand cliff deck up and down, rotate 360 degrees and tilt from flat to 110 degrees–all at the same time.
  • The gantry crane and Sand Cliff Deck are powered by five 250hp pumps and a 3500 gallon oil reservoir.
  • The Sand Cliff Deck and gantry crane have a combined weight of approximately 350,000 pounds.

TATAMI DECK

  • The Tatami Deck is another major performance space used in KÀ. It measures 30×30 feet and weighs between 75,000 to 100,000 pounds.
  • The Tatami Deck can slide forward almost 50 feet at full travel, like a giant sliding drawer. At its full extension, it appears to float over the abyss.
  • It runs on two electric motors and uses hydraulic brakes.

STAGE LIFTS

  • There are five stage lifts used to create the performance space and move props and artists during the show.
  • Each lift is raised or lowered by four to seven spiral lifts, depending on its size.
  • The stage lifts move a maximum of 25 feet from bottom to top.
  • Four of the lifts have a maximum speed of 20 feet per second, and the fifth can move at 60 feet per second.
  • The largest lifts cover 1400 square feet each.

{ Source: Cirque du Soleil Press Room }