======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ '/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ '/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) T h e U n o f f i c i a l C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r ------------------------------------------------------------ E X P A N D E D I S S U E ------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================= Issue #19e "Live to Cirque; Cirque to Live" March 2003 ======================================================================= Hallo und willkommen! Ciao e benvenuto! Dobrý den a vítám! Bonjour et bienvenue! All the languages can only mean one thing - editor Ricky Russo has returned to the asylum! We have some exciting news and features this month, including information about the music featured in Cirque du Soleil's docu-series "Fire Within" - it's been a hot topic in the forums! We also hear from the Techie Geek, and of course the continuing adventures of our editor in his latest installment of "Le Grand Tour". And more! So what are you waiting for!? /// EXPANDED ISSUE: Originally appearing as a link in the ON THE WEB section this month, an interesting paper on the language and images present in Cirque du Soleil shows up and disappeared. Thankfully, we've been able to rescue the text and present it in this expanded issue of Fascination. You'll find it under the EXPANDED SELECTION column in our monthly FEATURES Section. /// ============ Contents: ============ * Cirque Buzz: News, Rumours & Sightings * CirqueTV: Cirque du Soleil On-Screen * Oyez, Oyez!: Cirque Online * Itinéraire: Tour/Show Information * Historie: This Month in Cirque History * Anniversarie: Birthday Wishes to Cirque Alumni * Cirque Musique: "The Music from 'Fire Within'" (By: Keith Johnson) * The Cirque Connection: "Cirque's Inspiration on Télévision" (By: Paul Roberts) * Behind the Curtain: "The Techie Geek" (By: Jen Waldman) * Beyond the Big Top: "Le Grand Tour: A European Flair" (By: Ricky Russo) * Le Spectateur: "Kumbalawé: Discovering Cirque" (By: Wayne Leung) * Special Engagement: "Le Grand Tour: Saltimbanco!" (By: Ricky Russo) * Expanded Selection: "Crossing Borders: The Multimodal Language of Cirque du Soleil" (By: James Skidmore) * Parting Quote * Next Issue * Subscription Information * Copyright & Disclaimer ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ: NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= John Gilkey says Goodbye? ------------------------- We've been made aware of a news article in the Mercury News of San Jose, CA, featuring an interview with clown extraordinaire John Gilkey. The big scoop here is that John Gilkey will be leaving Varekai (and Cirque du Soleil) very soon. According to the article (and confirmed to us in a quick phone call with the writer), after taking a short sabbatical John will join Franco Dragone to work on the Dragone-directed new show at Steve Wynn's La Reve Casino in Las Vegas. But he won't be appearing in the show, instead John will be casting, training, and directing the shows' clowns. Check out the full article below... # # # Whether topped by a tuft of hair in the shape of an arrowhead or a coif that's more feather duster than fashion statement, performer John Gilkey's rubbery mug has become synonymous with Cirque du Soleil. The Los Altos native, who originated the role of the emcee six years ago in Cirque's "Quidam," stars as the fuzzy-headed Skywatcher in "Varekai," the company's latest show, which opens in downtown San Jose on Thursday. In "Varekai," Gilkey plays a shirtless, gibberish-gushing inventor who scurries around his "sound machine" like an over- caffeinated satyr. As he pulls levers and punches buttons, perfectly timed sound effects seem to spout magically from that post-modern calliope. A former juggler and acrobat for the Pickle Family Circus, Gilkey is a multitasker who can do a soft shoe, contort his face and pull off a perfectly timed Buster Keaton tumble with an air of total spontaneity. The Cirque vet, who also appeared on the East Coast leg of the "Dralion" tour, is in his element in these productions -- even if he still wonders how he ever became a career clown. "Being a performer is really antithetical to who I am," says Gilkey, who, out of character for an interview at a San Francisco cafe, is as animated as a mortician. "I was not going to be a performer. I'm too shy and introverted for that." Gilkey, 36, has spent the past 16 years convincing fans otherwise. Entertaining thousands, he has asked for a little more from his audiences than does the average clown. In "Varekai" (which means "Wherever" in the Romany language of the Gypsies), Gilkey isn't just gunning for laughs. He wears only pants, shoes and some "foliage" jutting out from his waistband to emphasize vulnerability and suggest the flute-playing man- goat Pan. His character was inspired, in part, by Robert ParkeHarrison's photo montages merging machinery and nature. "A lot of my stuff is a little abstract and esoteric," Gilkey says. "I think activating the public should be one of the roles of the artist, not just taking them away from everyday life. I think we also have a responsibility to pose questions." Gilkey has been pushing the creative envelope ever since his older brother Jeff introduced him to juggling at age 10. John became an accomplished and obsessed performer in high school, working with balls, oranges, bowling pins and later, much to his mother's dismay, torches and swords. "I came home one day, and he was standing on his partner's head juggling swords . . . in the back yard," says mom Cynthia Gilkey, a massage therapist and retired circulation and marketing manager at Sunset magazine, "and he said, 'But Mom, they're not sharp!' I knew he was serious about it in high school," she says, "but I didn't think it was going be a lifetime career." Although his interests included filmmaking and astronomy, Gilkey dropped out of the University of California-Santa Cruz after his freshman year in 1986 to establish himself as a professional juggler. Within eight months, he was hired by the Pickle Family Circus, where he worked for 4 1/2 years. There, he learned acrobatics and clowning and, most important, performing for an audience. "That was my college," he says. Gilkey's skills were never questioned by his Pickle associates. But actress, clown and former troupe member Joan Mankin says she sensed that Gilkey was more than a "juggler nerd." At a preview performance in 1988, Gilkey, Mankin and their partners flubbed a club-tossing routine. Furious at himself, Gilkey slammed his equipment to the ground as soon as he got off the stage. "I looked at him and said, 'That guy really cares about doing it right,' " Mankin says. "From that moment on, I looked at him differently." Jeff Raz, director of the clown conservatory at the Circus Center of San Francisco, briefly worked with Gilkey in the Pickle Family Circus in the late '90s. He, too, recognized that Gilkey was somehow different from other performers. "How his brain works does not intuitively make sense for a clown," Raz says. "Clowns tend to be a little more all over the map. He takes the craziest idea and sees if it goes somewhere, and then has this determination to see it happen." Like most great clowns, Gilkey can make difficult stunts look easy. In "Varekai," the performer drives the two-wheeled "mancycle," which always seems to be in danger of rolling off the stage. He designed both the sound machine and the cycle himself. "All of his stuff is really hard to do," Raz says, "and it doesn't always look it. He's so skilled that, when he's on that weird bicycle thing spinning around that guy's head that pops up on the stage, there's not a lot of room for mistakes." Gilkey will continue to expand his artistic horizons after "Varekai" closes in San Jose Feb. 16. He will join former Cirque director Franco Dragone in his new circus at Le Reve, Steve Wynn's $2.5 billion hotel-casino scheduled to open in Las Vegas in 2005. Rather than perform, Gilkey will develop, cast and direct up to 15 clowns in that show. "You begin performing often as a way to impress people," he says. "I'm going through a transition out of that and into inspiring people, into pushing buttons and getting them to think differently." First John, Now Eugen --------------------- It was first reported in the first weeks of February that John Gilkey was leaving Varekai (see news statement above), then word came that Cirque fans have lost another venerable character - Eugen from "O". Eugen Brim, who plays the mysterious guardian of the theater, has left the show to pursue other interests. A replacement, whose name is unknown to us, has already begun to perform. So long Eugen... we shall miss you. [Source: Adirabazin, www.cirqueforum.com; Ricky Russo] And Possibly... Olga? --------------------- There have been many rumors floating around that Olga Pikhienko, hand-balancer for Cirque du Soleil's Varekai, is due to leave the show at any moment. While there has been no official announcement from the show or Cirque du Soleil, Cirque has quietly been looking for a handbalancer/contortionist to fill her role through their casting site - < http://casting. cirquedusoleil.com >. Must we also say goodbye to Olga so soon? [Source: Martin Frenette; Cirque du Soleil; Ricky Russo] Saltimbanco in... Paris? ------------------------ Cirque du Soleil once set up their big top in Paris with a production of Le Cirque Réinventé, but it largely failed to capture the Parisian's attention. Almost 15 years later Cirque du Soleil is poised to try again with Saltimbanco, which is currently on a second European Tour. Rumor has it the show could grace the Ile de France beginning 2004. [Source: Martin Frenette; Ricky Russo] La Nouba Celebrates 2,000! -------------------------- This month there's much to celebrate! On March 14th at 6:00pm, "Cirque du Soleil will celebrate a milestone at [the] Walt Disney World Resort, as the cast of La Nouba marks its 2000th performance at the Cirque du Soleil theater at Downtown Disney West Side." Tickets can be purchased directly at the Box Office or by calling (407) WDW-7600 (there is no online-ticket availability). Tickets are tier-priced as follows: Category 1: Adults - $82.00 ($86.92 w/tax) Children (3 to 9) - $49.00 ($51.94 w/tax) Category 2: Adults - $72.00 ($76.32 w/tax) Children (3 to 9) - $39.00 ($41.34 w/tax) [Source: LaughingPlace.com, Cirque du Soleil; Keith Johnson; Ricky Russo] La Nouba 20% Off! ----------------- If you're a Cirque du Soleil fan and a Walt Disney World Passholder then you're in luck - from now until April 30th enjoy La Nouba for 20% off the regular Category 2 price! The offer is good for performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays only until the end of April, so act now! Limit two tickets; Category 2 seating only. You may purchase tickets 14 days in advance. [Source: Walt Disney World; Ricky Russo] Cirque Alumni NOT at Beau Rivage -------------------------------- In our last issue we reported that both Chris Lashua (German Wheel - Quidam) and Elena Lev (Hoops - Alegría) had returned to the circus scene in Balagan, a production of Dreamcast Entertainment currently performing at the Beau Rivage. While it is true they have performed with the company in the past, Chris and Elena are not currently performing with Balagan at the Beau Rivage. Thanks to Katie who contacted Dreamcast Entertainment. Elena Lev is said to be in Las Vegas performing at gala events. Cirque & TLC ------------ The Learning Channel (TLC) and Banyan Productions have paired to produce an 8-episode half-hour series entitled "A Dating Story". These new episodes of the popular TLC series will feature a variety of Las Vegans," from Elvis impersonator Trent Carlini to [Las Vegas] Review-Journal reporter Frank Curreri. The series will follow individual daters' daily routines, activities and various attractions the show will put the couples through. What makes this interesting to us is the fact that a Cirque du Soleil performer (as yet unnamed) is to take part in this series. Read the original article as it appeared in the Las Vegas-Review Journal at this address: < http://www.reviewjournal.com/ lvrj_home/2003/Mar-03-Mon-2003/living/20792228.Html > [Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal; Katie Valadez; Ricky Russo] Monte-Carlo Festival Corrections -------------------------------- We got some of our info incorrect in our article last month about the Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. The prize Zhau Yashi's handbalancing act won, called the "Prix de l'Academie du Cirque" is also called the "Prize of the Circus Art Academy of Switzerland." And while we got the Golden Crown winners correct, we need to restate the Silver and Bronze Clown winners. They are below... Silver Clowns - Victor Kee/Cirque du Soleil - juggling, Alexander Lacey (England) - lion and tiger training, The Acrobatic Troupe of Shanghai (China) - Russian Bar, Jigalov, Konstantin & Csaba (Russia) - Clowns. Bronze Clowns - Franko Knie and Franco Knie Jr. (Switzerland) - Seven Elephants, Theatre Bingo (Ukrane) - charivari (acobatic tumbling), Makie & Jorg Probst (Germany) - animal acts featuring baboons and farm animals. [Source: Keith Johnson] Quidam Tour Correction ---------------------- In our January issue, we reported that Denise Gonzalez will be touring with Quidam through the Japanese tour. Denise will be leaving Quidam this June. Cirque is currently casting her replacement. ======================================================================= CIRQUE TV: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ON-SCREEN! ======================================================================= Fire Within continues to be the focus for Cirque du Soleil appearances on BRAVO, their U.S. Network affiliate. Visit the official site of BRAVO - www.bravotv.com - for up-to-date scheduling information. All times are listed in Eastern and Pacific. Check your Cable or Satellite TV provider for exact channel. * CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: FIRE WITHIN ----------------------------- Episode 9: Episode 12: Mar 3 @ 1:00am Mar 17 @ 9:00pm Mar 18 @ 12:00am Episode 10: Mar 18 @ 7:30pm Mar 3 @ 9:00pm Mar 20 @ 10:00pm Mar 4 @ 12:00am Mar 21 @ 1:00am Mar 4 @ 7:30pm Mar 23 @ 4:30am Mar 9 @ 12:00pm Mar 24 @ 1:00am Mar 10 @ 1:00am Episode 13: Episode 11: Mar 24 @ 9:00pm Mar 10 @ 9:00pm Mar 25 @ 12:00am Mar 11 @ 12:00am Mar 25 @ 7:30pm Mar 12 @ 7:00pm Mar 28 @ 1:00am Mar 13 @ 4:30am Mar 30 @ 12:00pm Mar 16 @ 12:00pm Mar 31 @ 1:00am Mar 17 @ 1:00am Episode 1: Mar 31 @ 9:00pm Apr 1 @ 12:00am ======================================================================= OYEZ, OYEZ(*)!: CIRQUE ONLINE ======================================================================= This Month at Cirque Club (By: Keith Johnson) ------------------------- Children, honors and love are on tap this month. CirqueClub devotes a new section to their Cirque Du Monde social action program, with lots of information. There's also a Press Release concerning a documentary being made about the program. The Club has several bits of coverage about the Circus Festival of Monte Carlo and the awards they won there. In addition, there's mention of another award they won at a festival in Paris. And to top it off, an article about Brian Dewhurst winning the "2002 British Circus Personality of the Year" award from "World's Fair" magazine. We can only say nobody deserves it more! And in an appropriate Valentines Day touch, there's a fun article about love and marriage within Cirque cast and crew. We were hoping for more - evoking emotions is part of the Cirque credo, and Valentine's Day being a very emotional holiday we were hoping for some Cirque-inspired E-Valentines - but perhaps next year. Two last minute articles feature the raising of the Grand Chapiteau in Houston, Texas and the premiere of Quidam in Tokyo, Japan! On the Web (By: Ricky Russo) ---------------------- 1) < http://web.tampabay.rr.com/witek/ > He's witty, he's bald, and he's one of the four nuttiest characters to ever grace a Cirque du Soleil stage - Witek Biegal, a Les Con from Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba. Take this link to his personal website where you can learn about his past, his hobbies, where he came from, and various other whimsical things about this Polish acrobat. 2) < http://www.ucfv.bc.ca/esl/cirque.htm > From the University College of the Frasier Valley comes a course in Cirque du Soleil Reading Comprehension. The pages are old and the links are broken (as they point to pages from the old Cirque website) it is interesting to find that even schools use Cirque du Soleil to teach certain values. In this case, it's teaching English as a Second Language or ESL to students. Can you answer some of the questions the teacher poses about each show? Try them all and see! 3) < http://www.ktv.co.jp/quidam/ > & < http://www.tnc.co.jp/quidam/ > These two sites are in Japanese only but offer some great new images and information regarding the Japanese Tour of Quidam. The first is Quidam in Osaka and the second is Quidam in Fukuoka. ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE: TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= [Touring Shows] Alegría: * Houston, Texas -- at George R. Brown Convention Center Dates: Mar 6, 2003 to Apr 13, 2003 * Austin, Texas -- Next to George R. Brown Convention Center Dates: Apr 24, 2003 to May 11, 2003 * Calgary, Alberta: Spring-Summer 2003 * Vancouver, BC: Summer 2003 * Portland, Oregon: Summer 2003 * Seattle, Washington: Fall 2003 * San Francisco, California: Fall 2003 Dralion: * Raleigh, North Carolina -- at Triangle Town Center Parking Lot Dates: Mar 13, 2003 to Apr 5, 2003 * Baltimore, Maryland -- at Harbor Point Dates: Apr 11, 2003 to Apr 27, 2003 * Montreal, Quebec -- at Jacques-Cartier Pier Dates: May 15, 2003 to Jun 15, 2003 * Cincinnati, Ohio: Summer 2003 * Hartford, Connecticut: Summer 2003 * St. Louis, Missouri: Summer 2003 * Nashville, Tennessee: Fall 2003 * Tampa, Florida: Fall 2003 * London, United Kingdom: Winter 2004 Quidam: * Tokyo, Japan Dates: Feb 7, 2003 to May 5, 2003 * Nagoya, Japan Dates: May 21, 2003 to Jul 6, 2003 * Osaka, Japan Dates: Jul 19, 2003 to Aug 31, 2003 * Fukuoka, Japan Dates: Oct 22, 2003 to Dec 7, 2003 Saltimbanco: * Bilbao, Spain -- at Zorrozaurre Dates: Feb 26, 2003 to Apr 6, 2003 * Geneva, Switzerland -- at Plainpalais Dates: Apr 18, 2003 to May 16, 2003 * Cologne, Germany -- at Cologne-Deutz Dates: June 5, 2003 to June 29, 2003 * Oostenade, Belgium -- To Be Determined Dates: Jul 24, 2003 to Aug 17, 2003 * Zürich, Switzerland -- Glatt Shopping Center Dates: Sep 19, 2003 to Oct 12, 2003 Varekai: * Atlanta, Georgia -- at Cumberland Galeria Dates: Mar 6, 2003 - Apr 13, 2003 * New York, New York -- at Randall's Island Park Dates: April 24 to June 15 * Chicago, Illinois: Summer 2003 * Los Angeles, California: Fall 2003 * Orange County, California: Fall 2003 [Resident Shows] La Nouba: * Two shows Nightly - Tuesday through Saturday. * Times: 6:00pm and 9:00pm * Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando. * No performances on Sunday and Monday. * 2003 Dark Dates are as follows: - March 23rd through 25th - May 11th through 25th - July 13th through 16th - September 7th through 9th - October 26th through 29th - December 7th through 15th Mystère: * Two shows Nightly - Wednesday through Sunday. * Times: 7:30pm and 10:30pm * Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas. * No performances on Monday or Tuesday. * 2003 Dark Dates: - March 2nd through 5th - April 13th through 15th - June 2nd through 10th - August 3rd through 6th - October 5th through 8th - December 1st through 16th "O": * Two shows Nightly - Friday through Tuesday. * Times: 7:30pm and 10:30pm. * Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas. * No performances on Wednesday or Thursday. * 2003 Dark Dates: - April 21st through 24th - June 18th through 26th - August 11th through 14th - October 13th through 16th - December 3rd through 18th ======================================================================= HISTORIE: THIS MONTH IN CIRQUE HISTORY ======================================================================= * March 01, 1988 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Santa Monica (3rd Time) * March 04, 1999 -- Quidam European Tour Began in Amsterdam * March 04, 1999 -- New Tour Name Released -- "Dralion" * March 06, 2001 -- Alegría opened Melbourne, Australia * March 06, 2002 -- Dralion opened Los Angeles, California * March 06, 2003 -- Varekai opened Atlanta, Georgia * March 06, 2003 -- Alegría opened Houston, Texas * March 09, 1995 -- Saltimbanco opened Amsterdam (European Tour Began) * March 11, 1994 -- Saltimbanco Japan Tour Began (ends 9/11) * March 13, 2003 -- Dralion opened Raleigh, North Carolina * March 14, 1999 -- Alegría: Le Film showcased in Santa Barbara * March 14, 2003 -- La Nouba celebrated 2000th performance (6:00pm) * March 18, 1999 -- Saltimbanco opened Sydney, Australia * March 22, 1996 -- Alegría Japanese Tour (until September 8, 1996) * March 23, 1993 -- Nouvelle Expérience CD Released * March 23, 2000 -- Alegría's 2000th performance (8:00pm/Biloxi) * March 24, 1998 -- Cirque du Soleil Collection CD Released * March 24, 2002 -- Cirque performed at the 74th Academy Awards * March 28, 1995 -- Alegría opened New York City * March 29, 2002 -- Quidam opened Charlotte, North Carolina * March 30, 1993 -- Saltimbanco opened New York City ======================================================================= ANNIVERSAIRE: BIRTHDAY WISHES TO CIRQUE ALUMNI! ======================================================================= * March 02, 1968 -- Daniel Boyer (Cycles/La Nouba) * March 04, 1976 -- Andrei Yakovlev (Body Skating/Varekai) * March 05, 1973 -- Roman Polishchuk (Banquine/Quidam) * March 06, 1970 -- Piotr Matula (Old Bird-FastTrack/Alegría) * March 08, 1975 -- Sergiy Bobrovnyk (Russian Swings/Varekai) * March 08, 1975 -- Fua'au "Junior" Faitau (Fire/"O") * March 09, 1962 -- Igor Arefiev (High Wire/La Nouba) * March 09, 1964 -- Craig Jennings (Singer/Quidam) * March 12, 1967 -- Yuri Maiorov (Silk/La Nouba) * March 14, 1974 -- Begoña Gomex (Les Frères Velasquez/Quidam) * March 15, 1963 -- Erik Karol (Ex-Singer/Dralion) * March 18, 1969 -- Nicole Sieger (Singer/Saltimbanco) * March 22, 1969 -- Miguel Herrera (Ex-Juggler/Saltimbanco) * March 25, 1966 -- Andriy Vintilov (Adagio/Saltimbanco) * March 28, 1967 -- Alain Bergé (Drummer/Saltimbanco) * March 29, 1987 -- Maria Silaeva (Manipulation/Alegría) * March 30, 1973 -- Nathalie Bollinger (Cadre/"O") * March 30, 1945 -- Nikolai Terentiev (Clown/Alegría) ======================================================================= LE SPECTACLE: "The Music from 'Fire Within'" (By: Keith Johnson) ======================================================================= Ever since the series debut in both Canada and the US, one of the hottest topics concerning "Fire Within" has been the music used in the series. "Who did this song?" "That sounds like a Cirque song, but..." and "Where can I find it?" have all been posted to discussion boards at one point. Once again, Fascination! steps up to the plate to provide the info! Though perhaps not in a format that'll work for everybody. Naturally, the series makes very heavy use of Cirque du Soleil music, but also uses music composed especially for the series. Violaine Corradi's tracks get the most usage, and it's interesting to note that most all of the tracks are from "demo" work tracks done for the show before the Nitin Sawhney-produced "soundtrack." From what we understand, it is one of those demos, "Vova," that is used as the closing credit music. Rene Dupéré has the honor of the Opening Credits music, "Icare" from Alegria. Benoit Jutras is also well represented here. Also interesting to note is an "Alegria Remix" used in Episode 7. We'd love to hear that one in its entirety! Four outside performers are also frequently used. Jesse Dorsey, Daniel Toussaint, a group called Moufette, and a trio including Jason Breckenridge each have several compositions used in the series. Many of these look to be written specifically for the project. Several other tracks are used once or twice, the most popular of these being a remix of a song called "Plug In Time" by Walken, which also looks to be an original composition. Since we got this list late, we haven't yet had time to research to see which songs might have been released commercially. And since you may want a list by episode, we've put an episode-by-episode breakdown in the Files section of the Fascination! site (check it out by logging into: < http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CirqueFascination/ >). This list was provided to us by a very kind source at Galafilm (www.galafilm.com - the Montreal-based film company that co-produced the series along with Cirque du Soleil). We've presented it below primarily by composer, as Cirque composers Dupéré, Jutras, and Corradi are used frequently. Below them are some other frequently used composers, followed by songs used occasionally. All the songs are followed by notation showing in which episode they appeared. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing which songs go with which scenes. So if you're looking for the song used in the scene where Stella meets her boyfriend, or Ashley is on the phone to his mother, I'm afraid we can't help you. And we also don't know if this music was used in the French-language version of the show - the list here is for the US "International" version. Still, the list is interesting for some of the artists used, and the "work" names given to songs later used in Varekai. Cirque du Soleil Musique ------------------------ Written by Violaine Corradi Créations Méandres Inc. Cirque du Soleil Musique * "Abduction" (w/Hélène Dorion) - Episode 12 * "Amours 1" (w/Hélène Dorion) - Episode 7, 10 * "Avancée ouverture" - Episode 1, 8, 9, 12 * "Bamboo" - Episode 4, 5 * "Célébration 1" - Episode 6, 7, 12 * "Contrebasse" - Episode 12 * "Duduk" - Episode 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 * "Fall and Wings" - Episode 2, 10, 11, 12 * "Filet" - Episode 10, 11 * "Georgians" - Episode 8, 9, 10, 12 * "Gitans" - Episode 10 * "Icarians" - Episode 8, 9, 10, 12 * "Octavio Jug" - Episode 10 * "Olga" - Episode 11, 12 * "Music Box" (w/Hélène Dorion) - Episode 12 * "Parade des Musicos" - Episode 9, 10, 12, 13 * "Patzivota" - Episode 13 * "Rain One" (w/Tina Grace) - Episode 13 * "Slippery" - Episode 1 * "Stella Errans" - Episode 4, 13 * "Straps" - Episode 12 * "Swing to Swing" - Episode 12, 13 * "Triple Trapeze" - Episode 12, 13 * "Vova" (w/Hélène Dorion) - Episode 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 Written by Benoit Jutras Créations Méandres Inc. Cirque du Soleil Musique * "Hervé" - Episode 7 * "Isabelle" - Episode 5 * "Jeux d'Eau" - Episode 5, 8, 10, 13 * "Marelle" - Episode 10 * "Rivage" - Episode 10 * "Simcha" - Episode 5 * "Steel Dream" - Episode 10, 11 * "Terre Aride" - Episode 4, 8 Written by René Dupéré Créations Méandres Inc. Cirque du Soleil Musique * "Boléro" - Episode 6 * "Icare" - Episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 * "Ibis" - Episode 7, 8 * "Il sogno di volare" (w/Franco Dragone) - Episode 5 * "Méandres" - Episode 6, 7 * "Pokinoï" - Episode 6 * "Rideau" - Episode 5, 8, 9, 13 * "Taruka" - Episode 7 * "Valsapena" (w/Manuel Tadros) - Episode 6, 7 Créations Méandres Inc. Cirque du Soleil Musique * "Africa" - Traditional - Episode 12 * "Alegria Remix" - Written by Claude Amesse / Franco Dragone / Manuel Tadros / René Dupéré - Episode 7 Featured Artists ---------------- Written/Performed by Daniel Toussaint * "Damn Bouka" - Episode 8, 10, 13 * "Fire Music" - Episode 4 * "Love Theme" - Episode 5 * "Set Dance" - Episode 5 * "Osmose" - Episode 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 * "Stella's Dance" - Episode 4 Written by Jesse Dorsey JWD Publishing * "Artus" - Feautured in Episode 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 * "Marcus" - Episode 1, 8 * "Long Way" - Episode 2 * "Wrong Way" - Episode 2 * "Summer Assault" - Episode 9, 10, 13 Written/Performed by Jason Breckenridge/Tiago Conceição/Alexandre Desilets * "11.11" - Episode 9, 10, 11 * "Desert" - Episode 9 * "Happy Dog" - Episode 4, 13 * "Livin' Flow" - Episode 1, 3 * "On veut ton corps" - Episode 1 Written by Stephan Durand and Ariel Engle Performed by Moufette * "Chew Your Heart" - Episode 6 * "Face the Sun" - Episode 9 * "Little Forest" - Episode 7 * "When Will it Be" - Episode 7, 9 * "Ghost" - Written/Performed by Jorane Avalance - Sound Publishing - Tacca Musique/DKD - Episode 2, 3, 8 * "Hello" - Written and performed by Bullfrog - Bullfrog Productions - Ropeadope Records - Episode 3 * "Immemory" - Written by Robin Rimbaud - Performed by Scanner - Published by Big Life Music - Sulphur Records UK - Episode 4, 11 * "Installation" - Written by Akufen - Force Inc. - Episode 9 * "Love Rack" - Written and performed by Tony Babinski - The Foxglove Concern - Episode 3, 4 * "Love Shack" - Written by Pierson/Schneider/Strickland/Wilson - EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC. (BMI) - Episode 2 * "Mire Jaka / Borki" - Written by Erasmo Treglia - Performed by Acquaragia Drom - Finisterre - Episode 2 * "Multipass" - Written by Steve Beaupré - Force Inc. - Episode 9 * Music from "Nemesis" - Written and Performed by Scanner - Episode 13 * "Pineapple" - Written by M. Graca and S. Tremblay - Performed by Miguel Graca - Beyond Music - Bombay Records - Episode 4 * "Plug in Time (Post War Mix)" - Written/Performed by Walken - JWD Publishing -Episode 1, 3, 4, 8 ,9, 10, 11 * "Quand les hommes vivront d'amour" - Écrite par Raymond Lévesque - Gracieuseté de Patricia, Semi Société - Episode 5 * "Reverse Psychology" - Written by James Sobers - Performed by Bullfrog - Bullfrog Productions - Ropeadope Records - Episode 4 * "Sonnenlicht" - Written by Robin Rimbaud - Performed by Scanner - Published by Big Life Music - Sulphur Records UK - Episodes 2, 11 * "Târgul de Oameni" and "Cazuta de Mâine" - Written and performed by Adrian Berinde - Episode 5 * "Think" Written by Theodore White and Aretha Franklin - Fourteenth Hour Music Inc. - Episode 1 * "Ussa Sa" - Performed by Acquaragia Drom - Finisterre - Episode 4, 5 * "Who Needs It?" - Written/performed by Bernie Berns - Episode 1 ======================================================================= THE CIRQUE CONNECTION: "Cirque's Inspiration on Télévision" (By: Paul Roberts) ======================================================================= {Inspired by Tara Roberts} "Fire Within" is nearly 75 percent through and after each episode I crave the next. But what really tickles me is when Cirque du Soleil references appear on other television shows. The first one I recall came on a show, circa 1997, called "The Strip" that was based on a crime fighting tandem in Las Vegas. One of the crimes to be solved included the murder of a contortionist from Cirque du Soleil (the show name was never revealed, but it must have been Mystère since "O" had not yet been created). If I remember correctly, her jealous twin sister, also in the Cirque du Soleil show, had turned out to be the killer. Around the same era, Frasier Crane (played by Kelsey Grammer) on the show "Frasier" mentioned that his ex-wife, Lilith (Bebe Nueworth) had dated a contortionist from Cirque du Soleil. Once again, jealousy played a role. "The King of Queens" had an episode where Carrie (Leah Remini) purchased tickets for a Cirque du Soleil show-probably Dralion because of the timing-but her husband, Doug (Kevin James), exclaimed "I don't wanna see Cirque duuuuuuuu (he made it sound like he was gagging) Soleil." A funny episode of "Yes, Dear" featured Greg (Anthony Clark), Jimmy (Mike O'Malley), and Greg's hapless father (Tim Conway) in Las Vegas. His father kept getting lost and Greg became upset because he did not want to lose out on seeing the Cirque du Soleil show he had planned for them. He mentioned it twice as he tried to keep tabs on Dad. "Gilmore Girls," one of the best shows on television, has had two Cirque du Soleil references. Last season, Rory (Alexis Bledel), reluctantly agreed to attend a debutante ball. While backstage, she spoke to primping, nervous girl whose future depended on her making a good impression. Rory asked her, "What happens if you trip?" The girl nearly had a heart attack. Rory quickly added, "Oh no, you won't trip, I bet I'll trip, it will probably be a Cirque du Soleil kind of night." Of course, the prim and proper girl nearly fell down the steps during her entrance. On a recent episode, class vice-president, Rory had a tiff going with president Paris (hilariously played by Liza Weil) where Paris approved a student council yearbook photo that showed Rory sneezing with her head turned. Rory confronted Paris: "We took 90 pictures and there wasn't one other picture good for the group that didn't have me looking like I'm in-slight pause, eyes rolled up-Cirque du Soleil?" With the myriad of reality series shows in full bloom, the Fox Network created "Thirty Seconds of Fame" that included three actual Cirque du Soleil veterans: Ray Wold, the hobo-on-fire from "O"; Chris Lashua, the former German Wheel performer from Quidam; and Denis LaComb, the trampoline conductor from Cirque du Soleil's first two shows, who nearly got booted off the stage by the clueless audience. Several other performances had circus/performance art overtones, but the mainstream acts almost always won the grand prize, such is the ruling of the general public. I repeatedly find myself watching figure skating shows in hopes that a skater or two will use Cirque du Soleil music to accompany their presentations. Recently, I happened to turn on the television just as the lovely Nicole Bobek had taken to the ice. Before I could say, "She's wearing a mask that would be perfect for Mystère," the bird noises and opening organ chords to "Kalimando" graced my speakers. Luckily, I had the VCR remote nearby and taped most of her beautiful skating performance. When she finished, the announcer said, "Nicole is graceful and elegant...she feels her music...included were moves of flexibility as you would see in Cirque du Soleil." Speaking of music, in the early 1990s I must have received a premonition while watching a wonderful show called "Northern Exposure." An episode where a quirky circus came to the Alaskan town included a music piece that mesmerized me, so I copied the circus portion to a music-video tape that I had created. I dejectedly felt that I'd never discover the musical artist. About a year ago, while scanning through the tape, I immediately pressed play when it came to this segment. I nearly fell off the couch when I recognized the song: "Boléro" from Nouvelle Experience. One of the strangest Cirque du Soleil connections on television appeared several times during the show "Rosswell." Anytime that alien Max (Jason Behr) had an eerie vision, the exact backward-masking voices heard between Quidam's soundtrack songs of "Atmadja" and "Incantation" played in his head. These spooky "woah and wah noises" sound like they were groaned by Mathieu Lavoie (current singer in Varekai). And rarely does an episode of "CSI" not include a glimpse of The Bellagio's "O" sign. There are many aspects of Cirque du Soleil that have made guest appearances on television. The most incredible was last year's appearance during the Oscars, where the tribute to movie special effects wowed the stars of Hollywood. I also know of three late night visits: In late 1996, Jay Leno featured the Mystère troupe performing a microcosm of Mystère in the studio to a revised version of "Finale." Mark Ward, who is now John in Quidam, played a Taïko drum. The night following the Oscars, Leno also brought in Dralion artists to perform the Ballet on Lights to a combination of "Ballare" and "Hinkò." Jay's other guest, Arsenio Hall, carried Oceane (Amrapali Ambegaokar) around the studio during the closing credits. David Letterman, had the Dralion rope-skipping troupe on his show performing to "Kamandé" and afterwards he seemed unimpressed with the performance by saying, "That was pretty good, huh?" The next night he exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, we had Cirque du Soleil on the show last night!" Apparently, like myself and many others, he had found himself disillusioned after witnessing Cirque du Soleil. The luckiest host to ever feature Cirque du Soleil was Joan Lunden on her "Behind Closed Doors" show. One of her most exciting adventures included Ms. Lunden training to become a comet in "O" to help swing the boat apparatus in the Bateau act. The "O" performers initiated her by throwing her into the liquid stage. Regis Philbin also did a feature on "O" where he faked diving into the pool from a Russian Swing, but he did swim in the pool. In 2000, Geraldo Rivera hosted a show about Las Vegas and interviewed Stella Umeh as she entered McCarren airport on her way to her Mystère premiere. Stella is now one of the main characters in "Fire Within," who had a little trouble getting used to the trapeze art. In Mystère, however, she was able to put her gymnastics background to better use especially in the Korean Plank act. But, you know you've really made an impression when two of the greatest cartoons of all time, create parodies of Cirque du Soleil. "South Park" had an episode that portrayed the boys attending Cirque du Cheville, or as Cartman pronounced "Sock duh so blah." The circus featured many Cirque du Soleil personalities. A clown begins the show holding an umbrella that brings rain. The show's singer is similar to Dralion countertenor, Erik Karol, singing a song much like "Stella Errans." The La Nouba German Wheel Bilodeau-like twins roll in the background. A headless Quidam-like creature, wearing a monocle, gets his arm pulled off by a green John. A group known as the Contortion Romanian Quintuplets escape-not wanting to go back to their life in Romania-to a tune that sounds a lot like "Querer." The boys decide that they need to cash in on the excitement and begin to train as contortionists. The Romanian girls end up living with them while on the run. "The Simpsons" really slams our beloved Cirque du Soleil when a circus comes to town called Cirque du Purée with The Eighty Dollar Circus written on the big top's banner. While being escorted to their seats, Lisa reads "As French Canadians, they don't believe in refunds or exploiting animals for entertainment. As the blasé usher sits them, he says, "Enjoy the show, for one day we will die." A clown soon appears looking for an audience member to open his jar of rainbows and picks a gentleman in a nice suit. The man, with a heavy French accent, says: "Me? Why, I'm just a local merchant from this town" and flies away after opening the jar. Marge says, "They always pick the guy with the wires." While a group of Chinese Pole acrobats perform, Marge gets a dreamy look on her face and says, "Those exotic positions; watching those women is giving me ideas." And we see her thoughts of doing household chores in contortionistic positions. Then Homer is terrorized when a juggler's bulging crotch is just inches from his face. Many familiar characters march in a parade, such as a Saltimbanco Cavalier, a streamer twirler like in Alegría, and a ball walker from Dralion while a group of Banquine performers contort into an elephant. Soon, a high wind rips apart a section of the tent and blows a trapeze artist into a tight rope walker sending them through the air. The Banquine troupe then erects a kite and flies into a tree as the crowd flees the big top, but Homer demands that the show must go on. They have surely made an impact on the entertainment industry evident by their frequent references and appearances in the world of television. Apparently like so many of us normal people, TV writers, directors, producers, and actors are fans of the World's Greatest Spectacle: Cirque du Soleil. ======================================================================= BEHIND THE CURTAIN: "The Techie Geek" (By: Jen Waldman) ======================================================================= Hi there. Today's column is a very detailed one about lighting. Ben asked a really great question: Did I know what lighting fixtures (both intelligent and conventional) and control systems Cirque used for their shows? The answer: No, I did not. But I begged some people for answers, and got them (thanks Andy and Robbie!), so we have a list for Alegría, Quidam, and Dralion. But first: What does "intelligent" and "conventional" mean in regards to lighting fixtures? "Intelligent" fixtures are those that are robotically controlled from the console for certain functions such as panning, tilting, focusing, coloring, etc. "Conventional" fixtures cannot be controlled robotically. Most of them are placed and focused before the show and are not moved again. Follow spotlights are considered conventional because a human being is needed to keep the focus steady. All right. Now that we have those definitions, let me begin by saying that Quidam, Alegría, and Dralion all run on a Micron 4D used with an ETC Sensor Touring rack. Micron 4D is the console from which the shows are run (you can find a photo and information at http://www.compulite.com/compulite/micron4d.htm). The ETC sensor touring rack is a portable dimmer rack, which is an apparatus used to control a large amount of electronic dimmers, which are individual apparati used to control the intensity of light. (http://www.etcconnect.com/products/products.asp?27) Ready? Let's move on to... Quidam's intelligent and conventional lighting fixtures include ETC Source four ERS 19-50 Degrees is hard for me to explain. A notation of "19 degree" would mean that the beam of light would spread out from its lens at a 19-degree angle. The Source Four is one of the most commonly used lighting fixtures today (http://www.etcconnect.com/ products/products.asp?1) will provide some information. These fixtures use a lower wattage lamp and a strong reflector, which means that the fixture produces less heat and is less damaging to lighting accessories. Strand 2K Fresnel, which is a short and squat but heavy instrument. The mechanism of a Fresnel allows its light output angle to be adjusted by actually moving the lamp within the fixture closer or further away from the lens. The closer the lamp is to the lens, the wider the light angle; the further the lamp is from the lens, the more narrow the light angle. PARS 64-46-20: "Par stands for Parabolic Aluminum Reflector. That is, the reflector is in the shape of a parabola. Sometimes the light is referred to with a number following its name, PAR 64, PAR 56. The number indicates the number of 1/8th inches in the lens' diameter. That is, a PAR 64 has 64 1/8th inches in the diameter of the light. Thus, the light is 8 inches in diameter." That definition was taken from a technology magazine, and explained it better than I could. Beam Projector: Have you ever seen those "sky-sweeping" lights that announce the opening of a new car lot or furniture store? The beam projector is a similar idea. The "conoid" of light emanating from the lighting unit is a beam, and a beam projector projects beams of light into the air or onto a surface. And yes, often the projector allows the beams of light to move. Csy Iris is an arrangement of thin, movable, heat-resistant metal plates that form an adjustable circular opening. These can be used for adjusting the diameter of a beam or manually dimming the beam. Clay Paky Superscan zoom is a lighting unit with a "zoom focus" optical system, which allows for adjustment so that beam pattern diameters may increase or decrease in size. Clay Paky Superscan is the brand name. CL-3 Chroma-Q Scrollers are motorized apparati that can be placed on the front of a lighting unit. They are controlled from the console so that one of a number of color filters can be placed in front of the beam at any time. Dralion uses ETC Source four ERS 19-50 Degrees, Strand 2K Fresnel, Desisti 5kw Fresnel (uses a higher wattage than the 2K), Source Four Par, Par 20,Clay Paky Superscan zoom 1200W HMI, Clay Paky Stage zoom 1200W HMI, CL-3 Chroma-Q Scrollers, CL-6 Chroma-Q Scrollers (all explained above). A Strand Coda far cyc unit is a cyclorama light placed at a distance from the cyclorama (a vertical surface used to form the background for a theatrical setting) A Compulite Whisper (5K) is another color scroller. Gam Twin spin gobo rotator: A "gobo" is a pattern of cut-outs (usually made of metal, sometimes glass) placed on the lighting fixture over the beam of light, and the twin spin is a motorized apparatus that allows the projected gobo pattern to rotate on its surface. And finally, Alegría uses our old friends the ETC Source four ERS 19- 50 Degrees, the Strand 2K Fresnel, the PARS 64 and Source Four Par, PLUS--MR-16 Par (another variation of the "par" family of lighting fixtures, information can be found at http://www.unipar.com) Altman Micro Ellipse: A lightweight-framing spotlight used for narrow to medium beam spreads. Altman Sky Cyc: An even-wash lighting fixture used for cycloramas or overhead drops. That is the most up-to-date information that I could get. I hope that this helps you, Ben, and that it is of interest to other readers as well. My friends and I had fun researching it! As usual, if you ever have a technical question regarding Cirque, send it to techie_geek@anonymous.to and I will do my best to answer it. ======================================================================= SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT: "Le Grand Tour: A European Flair..." [Part 1] (By: Ricky Russo) ======================================================================= "Mind the Gap... Mind the Gap... Mind the Gap..." With my daypack on my back I threw my suitcase across the gap between the platform and the train, minding that gap as the recorded message advised, and joined the pack inside the train just before the doors swooshed shut and the train sped off to its next destination. I cleared the sweat from my brow then, wiping it off with my sleeve, and let out a sigh of relief. It had been a long journey from the airport to the Underground but I was finally there - an American in London indeed! How I got to London and why I was there is a bit of a story but let's not rush things. First, I have to be honest and say I was extremely excited to be in London, or anywhere for that matter, considering what could have been a disastrous turn of events for this leg of the Grand Tour - my untimely unemployment. But let me just say that it couldn't have come at a better time! I turned what could have been a nightmare into one of the best trips of my life - a full month in Europe. And it all started right in London! I have to be honest and say that the journey from the States to the United Kingdom was my first Trans-Atlantic journey and the first time I ever stepped foot off of the North American continent. Having confessed that I will tell you that this trip will not be the last time I step away from my country and leave the North American continent behind. There was too much fun to be had in Europe and while I didn't get quite enough time in all the stops my friends and I ended up making, I had fun just the same exploring what I could. And that's what it's all about, no? For the record my flight departed Orlando in the late-afternoon hours of Friday, January 17th with an arrival time at London-Gatwick the following morning at about 9:30am (with a stop-over in Atlanta, but that's not exciting). Being that this was my first flight across an ocean I was a bit apprehensive. I mean, what if something would happen? Even if it did I don't think I'd get a chance to use the seats as a flotation device (like the card in the pocket in front of me said). Honestly, I didn't think about it... even if it was the longest non-stop flight I'd ever taken in my life (that is, from Atlanta to London, just about 7 hours). What did I do? Well, for the most part I fiddled with my laptop whenever appropriate - writing notes about future Fascination! articles and other interesting things I'd like to research. I also looked out the window a lot, but even that wasn't so interesting as it was quite dark by the time I left Atlanta. But even so catching the outline of the United States in electric light does rate as something cool to see. I tell you one moment I saw towns and cities interconnected along routes of light and then... nothing, it was total blackness. Everything was consumed by the darkness of the water. By then all I wanted was to be consumed by the darkness of my eyelids, which proved to be harder than anything else! I tried at least, but it's hard to sleep in "economy class". As I said before I'm not a contortionist after all. Thankfully though salvation came about 7:30am London Time when a nice meal was served: a warm croissant with a banana, bread, crackers, orange juice, a fruit bar, and preserves. I completed the ensemble with a spot of tea. Well, two spots actually, but who's counting. Before long the plane was on the ground at Gatwick and the next adventure was about to begin - immigration, customs, and baggage claim! But in order to do that I had to first get to the terminal. It seems most incoming flights to Gatwick have the plane pull into what I've dubbed a "parking spot" out in the middle of the tarmac where passengers depart by walking off the plane the old fashion way - down a flight of stairs. Once you were on the tarmac you were ushered into a bus and shuttled to the main terminal where you'd go through customs and immigration followed by baggage claim. Quite an ordeal just to arrive, no? I was all set with everything I needed to get myself quickly and painlessly through immigration, but do you know I had to get an arrogant Brit? One who was just hell-bent on making someone's life miserable? Indeed I did! He questioned everything and had rude remarks for just about every answer I gave him. If it weren't for the fact that there were signs everywhere stating that hitting an immigration officer landed you in hot water (geez, it's no wonder they have those signs... they're irritating!) I would have done it - he was that irritating and rude. But after showing the information he needed my passport was stamped and I entered the country - finally. I collected my belongings in baggage claim after and booked passage on the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, a hub of rail, Tube and coach. Victoria Station opened up the world of London to me where I could get to my final destination but let me not bore you with those details. What you're interested in, I'm sure, is how Europe was? Am I right? Okay, okay... to tell you the truth I never wanted to come back from Europe at all. Last time I mentioned a whole slew of cities that were on the itinerary to visit - London (UK), Edinburgh (UK/Scotland), Paris (France), Basel (Switzerland), Geneva (Switzerland), Nice (France), Florence (Italy), Pisa (Italy), Rome (Italy), Venice (Italy), Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Brussels (Belgium), but in reality I would only make it to a hand-full of them - there wasn't enough time! Of the cities listed above, my friends (Cedric and Maya) and I made it to London, Paris, Firenze (Florence), and Praha (Prague) for any extended period of time (approximately 5-7 days in each location). I ended up visiting Pisa and Roma (Rome) by myself for day-trips and we did change trains in Vienna and Frankfort, but we never left the train station so I didn't really get to visit those cities. So, how did I find the cities I was able to visit? They were brilliant! For those who have been to these countries and the cities I speak of, you know the culture and history that is in abundance there. For those who haven't I can't explain to you what I felt being amongst buildings that are older than my county or explain to you the amount of history that exists there. Every city has its own history and it was so wonderful to experience it all. Well, I tried to experience as much as I could and with the time allotted, I saw and experienced some wondrous things: I climbed up all 530 steps to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral, saw the Egyptian, Roman and Greek collections at the British Museum, walked across the Tower Bridge about four times, saw and heard Big Ben, ate at the Original Hard Rock Cafe (where I got to hold one of Jimmi Hendrix's old guitars), found myself in the middle of an Anti-War March, and took a train out to see one of the most magnificent stone monuments there is: Stonehenge. Nothing can prepare you for seeing Stonehenge... it's a magnificent sight to behold (even in the rain, which was how I experienced it). In Paris, I rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower, saw priceless works of art at the Musee du Louvre (including Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa), walked through the Tuileries and down the Champs-Elysees (enjoying the Virgin Megastore there), stood atop the Arc du Triumphe, tried to visit the underground lake at the Paris Opera House (see "Phantom of the Opera" lore), paid my respects to Victor Hugo at the Pantheon and watched out for Quasimodo while in the Bell Tower at Notre Dame. I even made it out to Disneyland Paris where the best Pirates of the Caribbean ride exists and bid my farewell (again) to the Main Street Electrical Parade! Firenze, the birthplace of the Renaissance, was our third stop. It was amongst the Italians that I saw the statue of David at the Academia (Big Guy!), met up with my biological father whom I had not seen since I was about 12 years old (I'm 25 now, you do the math), saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, walked through Boboli Gardens on a beautiful sunny day, and went to Roma completely on my own taking in the Colosseum, St. Peter's Square, Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum Ruins. That's quite a bit of history already... but we didn't stop there. In Praha, the famous Charles Bridge, Prague Castle the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square awaited me. The Clock, which is a very sophisticated 15th Century clock, not only shows the time but the revolutions of the sun, moon, and stars. It also consists of "12 medallions representing the months of the year and the 12 medallions of the zodiac." Quite a fancy clock and a must see on anyone's trip to Praha. As you can tell I was quite taken by it, and I won't even give away what it does every hour! Europe was everything I thought it would be and more. I had such a wonderful time that... I'm already planning my next visit. I'm not sure when that will be because I have a lot of places that I want to see and experience within the next few years, but I hope it is soon. What I do know is that Europe opened up a thirst to complete another goal of mine, one I set at the onset of this Grand Tour - the globe. And thus the Global Tour is on. Where it will take me is unknown at this time, though I have my sights set on Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and South Africa among many other interesting destinations. Next issue will be the last you'll hear from me regarding the Grand Tour, but I want to take the opportunity to sum it all up. To give it meaning and to answer any last minute questions anyone may have regarding it. I may even have an answer to the question I posed last summer - what more is there for me to do in the world of Cirque du Soleil? ======================================================================= LE SPECTATEUR: "Kumbalawé: Discoverying Cirque du Soleil" (By: Wayne Leung) ======================================================================= "What the heck is Sal-tim-ban-co?" I wondered as I walked home one evening in the summer of 1998. An enigmatic ad I had just glimpsed on the side of a city bus piqued my curiosity. That night, while perusing the local newspaper's "Arts" section, I saw another ad for Saltimbanco and discovered that it was a show created by the Cirque du Soleil that was coming to town. "Oh yeah," I thought to myself, "Cirque du Soleil is that Québec circus that doesn't use animals. I remember watching their television specials on the CBC as a kid." Conveniently, my cousin's birthday was coming up and I knew that she was a fan of the performing arts so I thought I would surprise her with tickets to Cirque. A few weeks later we drove up to the Cirque du Soleil's gleaming white big top. Anticipation was high. I had the vague notion that Cirque was an artistic take on the traditional circus but I didn't quite know what to expect. We walked into the entrance tent and browsed the souvenirs and concessions. "This is going to be a classy show," I said as I surveyed the well-dressed crowd. Soon we made our way into the Grand Chapiteau. The stage was covered in a white sheet and soon fancifully dressed characters emerged and interacted with the crowd. Then, the lights dimmed and the white sheet was swept away to reveal the most colourful stage I had ever seen. I knew that I was in store for a whimsical fantasy. On that stunning Technicolor stage came act after act of stupefying human ability. I marveled at the flexibility and agility of the Adagio Trio, was blown away at the strength and coordination of the first group number, Chinese Poles. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief at the display of strength and balance that was Hand-to-Hand act. The comedy of the show was some of the most inspired I had ever seen. I laughed loud and heartily at the antics of the mime who played the "Eddy" character and I was in stitches during the audience- participation cowboy gun-slinging routine. Throughout the evening I was entranced by the eclectic and ethereal music; an inspired fusion of Jazz, rock, and opera. The singer absolutely captivated me with her expressive soprano voice. After the intermission, the fun continued with the wild celebration that was the Russian Swing number. How I longed to climb on board and hurtle myself through the air with the acrobats, it just looked like so much fun! Then, the most ethereal moment of the show came as four performers clad in white bodysuits flew from trapezes in the breathtakingly beautiful bungee ballet. Strains of an operatic aria filled the Big Top and romanced my soul as these beautiful birds soared over my head. It was an absolutely sublime moment as I imagined myself drifting up from my seat and flying through the air with those glorious white birds so that I too could experience the exhilaration and sheer freedom of flight. But alas, as Cirque du Soleil shows often go, it was over all too quickly and I once again found myself back on earth. I left with a joyous feeling in my heart and hummed Kumbalawé all the way home. I was blown away. I had finally discovered Cirque du Soleil and realized that it was not mere entertainment but a feast for the senses, a treat for the soul and an anecdote to daily despair. A performance troupe with the ability to transport you back to your childhood to the realm of fantasy and folly. After my inaugural Cirque du Soleil experience I realized that I adored this performance troupe and would be a fan for a long time to come. ======================================================================= SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT: "Le Grand Tour: Saltimbanco!" [Part 2] (By: Ricky Russo) ======================================================================= A trip to London is never complete without taking in the West End - the theater district. My journey was no different and while in London I took in Phantom of the Opera (at Her Majesty's Theater), The Lion King (at Lyceum Theater), and Les Misérables (at the Palace Theater). And while Phantom and Les Mis were wonderful productions I am certain you are most anxious to hear about the original reason I ended up going to London in the first place - Saltimbanco. Saltimbanco, currently Cirque du Soleil's oldest touring show, is described as being a "celebration of life" and I heartily agree. Its colorful kaleidoscope of images, characters and themes continue to weigh in on the times, providing us all a new vision of what life can be: optimistic and peaceful. I found Saltimbanco within the formidable Royal Albert Hall, a venue built in 1871 as a concert hall. Set amidst this posh, expansive performance space was the familiar playing field of Cirque: the stage, musician's platform and multi-colored ceiling. As I took my seat along the far side (with Cedric next to me and Maya in the row ahead of us) I was able to observe my surroundings - and its shortcomings - with greater ease. I looked out across my viewing field and sighed, it was anything but excellent. It appeared that I was in a makeshift seating arrangement on the floor of the Hall - the front of the stage was not as close as I would have liked and my side view was cut off because the sides of stage rose above my head. I would have been able to see under the stage (or walk under it, it was up that high!) if it hadn't been curtained off with black felt-like material. Even there I was denied and it was painfully obvious that I was being punished. Here I was stuck in the corner with the opportunity to see the semi-circle of the stage only! To make matters worse, directly in front of me was a rigging apparatus. It wasn't a pole so it was easy to see through, but the ropes that ran down to it traversed my viewing field. In a sense I'd be looking at the show through bars. I felt trapped in my seat and the limited viewing capability it brought. I could barely see the musicians play! What a way to see a show for the first time... Before long the pre-show festivities began. Like all Cirque du Soleil shows, a variety of characters and clowns make the rounds of the big top to "be of assistance" to those seeking their seats or just to cause a commotion. Saltimbanco was no different in this regard... perhaps with one exception - there were more characters and much more mayhem! Neither Cedric nor I knew what characters had made their appearance because the laughing and carrying-on were happening on the other side of the stage in a location we couldn't see. But soon we'd snap our necks to our immediate right when we heard shuffling underneath the stage. Something was about to happen... we just didn't know what! And then I saw it... a sneaker. Then two. They were small and white and tapping. What they were doing behind the black curtain was beyond the two of us when - pop - out came a face; it was a "worm"! And then another! And another! One by one the masked "worms" came out from under the stage and invaded the theater, each waving, nodding and generally looking around in confusion. From the other side of the stage then were the Saltimbanques, the partygoers of Saltimbanco. Together these characters created such chaos throughout the theater that Cedric and I heard laughter for the rest of the pre-performance! At one point, the Saltimbanques commandeered a row of seats in the front seating section and sat down. When the ringmaster, propped upon the multi-colored ceiling, voiced his opinion on the matter, they all yelped back and held up tickets! What a riot! But I tell you; once the real show started we were treated to a wonderful performance - and that bad seat I was in melted away. From the moment Kumbalawé began to the ending of Horéré Ukundé, I was entranced by the music and enthralled by the movement. Below are some observations I made about the show (and don't forget it just so happened that next to me was a doorway into the underworld of the show!) - Saltimbanco was originally supposed to follow a specific "running order" of: Opening, Adagio, Chinese Poles, Clown, Double Wire, Juggler, Boledoras, INTERMISSION, Russian Swing, Duo Trapeze, Clown, Hand to Hand, and Bungees. Unfortunately the Duo Trapeze and Double Wire did not perform. Instead, in the place of the Double Wire was the one-man Diabolo act and in place of the Duo Trapeze was the Solo Trapeze performance. - An energetic fellow performed the Diabolo act by the name of Mitchell Head and at first sounds rather strange to be a one-man act - especially in a Cirque setting. But the performance was very well done and quite thrilling! One of the tricks this artist performed was an overhand catch of the diabolo using only the sticks and rope strung between them. It was so quick that if you blinked you would have missed it! The act was performed to a piece of music I had never heard of before. - The Single Trapeze was performed by a young artist named Anna Ward to a piece of music entitled Cantus-Mélopée. Her performance was a slow sensuous dance routine perfectly timed with the slow melody of the music. I loved the costume and I loved the music but her performance did not capture the audience, or me. And that's a pity. - The cover to the service platter that is brought out at the beginning of the show did not contain the blue and yellow stripes of a big top. The dome was a representation of the Royal Albert Hall instead! - There's only one thing I can say about the clown: Oh my God. While it would have been a blast to see Rene Bazinet perform Eddie, Jesko Von Den Steinen from Germany played him brilliantly. Not only did he have Rene's signature squeak down but he was so hilarious that he had the entire hall in stitches. He performed this "stuck in a bathroom" routine that simply brought the house down! And, of course, the gun fight. - The Juggler was an energetic young woman who performed quite well and pleased the audience. Though, her act came right after the Diabolo act and it seemed as if there was too much "juggling" like acts in a row. Especially since Boladeras followed her. - The Hand-to-Hand performance by Andrezej Piechota and Tomasz Wlezien was top notch. This pair performed many maneuvers I had not seen before in a duo Cirque act such as this... and it was a refreshing performance to see. Watch out Lorador Brothers... these guys can give you a run for your money! - Russian Swing was infectiously fun. Even if it isn't as spectacular as the version in "O" or the daring version in "Varekai", the Russian Swing in Saltimbanco is still very, very fun. - Intermission came right after the Boladores and it didn't seem right. There was no ceremony of sorts to introduce us to the fact that there was an intermission coming, like in Quidam (with the balloons) and Alegría (with the snowstorm). So it was very strange to have the lights suddenly rise after the act had ended. I can tell you I was very confused and even had to consort the free show guide that was stuck in my seat. - Watching the riggers do their job throughout the show was a real treat. All the checks and re-checks I watched them go through were simply mind-boggling. All the safety wires seemed hand-controlled and the ropes that raise the performers from stage to sky were also at the hands of the riggers. I remember vividly watching the rigger during the entire Single Trapeze act - the pulling and letting go of her safety rope during the performance and the riggers' bobbing up and down as she dismounted, providing her a smooth descent to the stage floor. Even some of the performers (on their off moments) came down to help with the rigging. And that I thought was very cool! - Speaking of the rigging, the center structure must have taken quite a bit of thought and time to construct. The ceiling is awfully high in the Royal Albert Hall and there was no construction or support for them to build from. The result was a series of cables cris-crossing across the ceiling that supported the central bar and foundation for acts like the Trapeze and Bungees to work from. Saltimbanco was a magical performance and I was thankful that I could finally see it live. Unfortunately, I have to agree with some and disagree with others to say that the show is ready to have its final curtain call. It's a beautiful show do not get me wrong, but it is a show that has been eclipsed by many other great Cirque shows in form of theme, technique, presentation and acrobatics. Perhaps it was the fact that the venue didn't seem to suit Cirque at all. Or, perhaps it was the poor viewing seat I had. Regardless of the view I hold of the show at least the three of us had a great time - Maya most of all, as she had one of the Saltimbanques sit next to her during the show's finale! "I am noble and rogue, mortal and sorcerer, fire and water, power and grace. I am celestial and eerie, playful and mischievous, subtle and striking, magnificent, androgynous. I am spirit and body, shadow and light, sublime and grotesque, somber and afire. I entrance and mesmerize, fusing madness and wisdom, primordial chaos - soaring, teetering, slithering. I am fluid, poetic, hypnotic, dancing, whirling, and flying. I am rebellious, defiant, and explosive. I am one, I am many. I am as we are - eternal, out of time. I am science and magic, chimeric, ethereal. I come from nowhere. I come from everywhere. I am a creature of neither fantasy nor reality, neither incantation nor dream. I am neither man nor woman, god nor demon, song nor story. I am no one. I am legion. I am Saltimbanco." ======================================================================= EXPANDED SELECTION: "Crossing Borders: The Multimodal Language of Cirque du Soleil" (By: James Skidmore) ======================================================================= Originally appearing as a link in the ON THE WEB section this month, this interesting paper on the language and images present in Cirque du Soleil shows up and disappeared. Thankfully we've been able to rescue the text and present it in this expanded issue of Fascination! # # # Cirque du Soleil was created by a small group of street performers in Baie St. Paul, Quebec in 1982. Modelling themselves after a form of European circus known as New Circus, Cirque du Soleil fashioned a circus without animals or death-defying acts. In lieu of elephants, camels, and perilous routines they built productions dependant on themes and motifs, which tell a story or convey an idea. The concepts portrayed within a Cirque du Soleil performance are not complex, typically the topics have been about releasing emotions or freeing the imagination. What is complicated, however, is the multimodal performance language created by Cirque du Soleil. Spectators exiting their circuses have been overheard saying “it was a wonderful show, but I don’t understand what it meant.” This statement infers that the circus performance they witnessed held meaning, but as audience members they were unable to interpret the message or theme presented within the circus ring. Therefore, these spectators did not possess the necessary tools needed to comprehend the signs and conventions they had witnessed in the show. The language of a Cirque du Soleil performance has rarely been based on a spoken word model, but rather as a multimodal construct, which relates to the audience through visual and aural signs and conventions. Through a conscious fashioning of their mise en scène, Cirque du Soleil has been able to relate themes to their spectators by employing various morphological elements found within a modern circus ring. This includes the lighting, costuming, make-up, props, set design, soundscape, sound track, fanciful language, choreography, and style of performance. As with any verbal mode of communication, the multimodal language of Cirque du Soleil is only comprehensible to an audience that has been provided with a model to apply in the interpretation of their performance text. The version being presented in this paper examines the use of signs or conventions within specific performances, acts, and shows, and explains how signs and use of conventions inform the spectator as to what theme or motif is presented within the circus ring. It utilizes a basic semiotic model, which begins with the assumption that the circus performance has a message to convey. Logically it follows that it is the responsibility of the circus artist to communicate meaning to the spectator, whose task it is to decode or interpret the performance. The model of semiotic analysis utilized is one defined by Fernando de Toro in his book Theatre Semiotics. This paper will focus on two aspects of his paradigm: the use of conventions and the types of signs, which operate within a performance space. Toro defines three types of conventions: general, particular, and unique (Toro 55-56). General conventions assume the spectator realizes that he or she is situated within a performance arena, watching an artifice, which is distinct from the outside or real world. It asks the spectator accept certain parameters delineated by the circus artist and ring as relevant to this fictional construct. A circus takes place within a tent, under stage lighting – these are general conventions that an audience must believe in order to accept what takes place in the performance. General conventions ask an audience to suspend their disbelief, they are put in place to distinguish a circus or theatrical event from an occurrence in the exterior world. Particular codes, in the case of the circus, include the circus ring, the ringmaster, and the clown. These are signs of the circus style and there is either an expectation for them to exist in this genre, or a prior knowledge of their association in this specific artistic forum. The circus spectator is not surprised to see characters wearing red noses, for example, and identifies them as clowns. Unique conventions arise out of specific performances and are only understood through their context. Therefore, they rely on other signs surrounding them to build meaning and may even be in the form of other unique conventions. In one Cirque du Soleil production, Alegría, the lighting and costuming were combined in order to allow for an interpretation of a series of unique conventions displayed in the trapeze routine. Gobos (metal patterns that create lighting patterns) were placed in lighting instruments, which projected the image of bars over the trapeze display. This was both appropriate and informative, as it suggested to the spectator that the acrobats were caged. This metaphoric lighting motif was additionally supported by the other morphological component mentioned, the costumes, which further marked the acrobats as birds. This was accomplished through the use of feathers, costume pieces shaped as wings, and aviator caps worn on the head. The aviator cap served as an index (see below), which was easily identifiable to the spectator. It was literally the key object, which identified this collection of otherwise unique conventions. The spectator related to the caps as headwear worn by pilots from the age of Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, or World War I aces. The trapeze artists, therefore, were identified as flying things or acrobats that flew. Upon making this connection, the other less familiar signs became identifiable as other icons and symbols of flight. The crocheted costume piece flung over the shoulders, for instance, was recognizable as a symbolic representation of wings. The combination of the performers dressed as birds and the juxtaposition of lighting in the form of a coop, coupled with an aerial act, allowed the spectator to read the trapeze artists as birds in a cage. Thus, a unique convention cannot be understood in and of itself, but only through its relationship with other signs, which surround it in the circus ring. Signs on stage (or in the circus ring) are broken down into three categories by Toro: the icon, the index and the symbol (Toro 73-77). The easiest way to understand these three terms is through a simple example employing the clown nose (Toro 70). The red nose is an icon that substitutes for a real nose, though in a representative fashion. The clown's nose, therefore, is recognizable as the facial feature that it stands in for on the face of the clown. Concurrently, it acts as an index revealing that the character wearing the red nose is a clown. Spectators are familiar with the convention that a clown wears a red nose and so when they see a red nose on a performer they are able to identify this character as a clown. Red noses can also be read as symbols of humour since a clown is considered to be a comedian who provokes and illicit laughter from the circus audience. The red nose, which identifies a performer as being a clown, also indicates that the entertainer is to be laughed at by the audience. Icons can be either indexes or symbols, though a symbol or an index cannot be an icon. Symbols can also be indexes, though the reverse is not true. The interpretation of icons, indexes, or symbols in the circus, as in other performing arts, demands an active engagement between the observed sign, the object to which it relates, and the interpreter of the sign. A relationship must exist, or be created, between the spectator and the sign on stage in order for it to be understood. Thus, ongoing and active decodification of symbols within the Cirque du Soleil circus ring, as well as of the theme or message presented is necessary for comprehension of the sign. A context or framework within which to place the various morphological objects viewed on stage is necessary in the deciphering of symbols illustrated within this paper. A structure can be provided for the spectator by studying the relationship of one sign to another within a performance. Alternatively, it may be obtained through prior experience of specific information, which allows interpreters or spectators to read and decode the performance they are viewing on stage. Cultural baggage or amassed knowledge that is acquired through education and social upbringing is one tool that the spectator can utilize in the interpretation of signs. To fully understand the icons, indexes, and symbols found within a New Circus such as Cirque du Soleil, the spectator needs to be familiar with the archetypes of the traditional circus, such as the ringmaster and the clown. Many of the characters found within the Cirque du Soleil sphere have evolved out of archetypes or stereotypes found in the traditional circus. One first needs to understand the significance of the original ringmaster found in a circus such as Ringling Brother's and Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show On Earth in order to understand the construction of the evolved ringmaster, such as Monsieur Fleur (Rénald Laurin), from Alegría. Original, in this context, means the Ringling ringmaster is modelled after an archetype that the average spectator would be familiar with from excursions to the circus. The lighting, costuming, props, setting, and other morphological elements that surrounded Monsieur Fleur on stage provided a context to assist in the interpretation of his character. These morphological characteristics were woven together into a harmonious mise en scène, which aided the spectator in their reading of Monsieur Fleur. His staff, which had a light on its tip, informed the audience that he possessed an elevated status within the hierarchy of the ring. In fact, the illuminated end was used to focus attention on his character. When the lights dimmed, for example, the eyes of the viewer were drawn to the one remaining light on stage, on the top of his staff. The traditional ringmaster uses either a whistle or a whip in order to draw the attention of the audience. By blowing on the whistle or snapping the whip all eyes are drawn to this character. They are examples of indexes that represent tools operated by a person of authority. They also represent the power held by the ringmaster over acrobats and clowns. The staff held by Monsieur Fleur was a symbol of authority, not unlike a sceptre held by a king. The ringmasters of Cirque du Soleil, however, combine aspects of both a traditional ringmaster and a clown. The rod held by Fleur can be read as both a sceptre and a bauble, the instrument of the jester or fool. When it would light up, or when Fleur stamped it on the ground, he would draw the attention to himself. As well, by stamping the staff Fleur indicated to the performers on stage to follow his directions. Monsieur Fleurs’ scarlet red tailcoat was also similar to the costume worn by the archetypal ringmaster, as it was of a similar cut as that of his predecessor’s outfit. His clothing concurrently identified him as a rooster as he had feathery fringes around his cuffs, his chest was puffed-out, and characters who dressed and moved like chickens were subservient to Monsieur Fleur throughout the performance. Clearly, the construction of the various signs upon the stage also worked at a metaphoric level, with the circus ring representing Monsieur Fleur's roost. In both the circus and theatre, the interpretation of signs takes on an added significance. Toro states that, "in theatre the theatre object refers to itself simply because it is on-stage, but it also refers to a real object ... (de Toro 87)". In other words, the theatre or circus sign has a double meaning because it is found in an artificial world. This is why context becomes so important in the interpretation of symbols, indexes, and icons found within the circus. The sign may have one meaning outside of the circus tent, but takes on a new signification as a general, particular, or unique convention within the circus ring. Again using Monsieur Fleur as an example, out of the context of a circus performance, he was still a rooster, identified by his costume, but he was not a ringmaster. Within the confines of the mise en scène constructed for Alegría, the audience was forced to accept Monsieur Fleur in the role of ringmaster. By placing him within this environment and displaying him as the figure of authority within the circus ring, the spectator was compelled to further interpret his objectified character, that of rooster, as ringmaster. Thus, a solidly constructed sign on the stage leads the viewer to an even deeper and more exact meaning of an adjoining index. The clown act created by Slava Polunin known as the Snowshow, also performed as a number in Alegría, provides another example of how the spectator can interpret a Cirque du Soleil performance through a reading of the signs and conventions on the stage. At the beginning of this routine, the Russian clown Serguei Chachelev pulled a rope ladder, used for ascending to the trapeze, across the surface of the stage in a semi-circular pattern. The rope ladder can be read as a climbing device used by acrobats, but when another Russian clown, Yuri Medvedev (playing the role originated by Slava) later walked along it with his suitcase in hand it was then identifiable as an icon, which represented a train track. This idea was further supported by the sound of a train's whistle blowing and by Medvedev who was wearing a top hat, which blew smoke out of its top as he ran along the tracks thus constructing himself as the train. The rope ladder was a unique convention, only identifiable by a series of other unique and particular conventions that surrounded it in the circus ring. The train whistle sound effect, for example, was a particular convention, which aided in the interpretation of the ladder as track. Medvedev, stopping to rest along the rails, lay down his suitcase. When he opened it, out flew two white balloons with red ribbons tied around them. The balloons signified moths and signified that this was a memory play and that time had passed and eaten away at the fabric of this story. The red ribbons attached to the white balloons presented a mystery to anyone who had not seen Slava perform this act himself. As the creator of the interlude, Slava had instilled the scene with meaning, which pertained to his personal clown character. While the red ribbons retained no significance in the Alegría production, in his Snowshow (which Slava also tours around the world) it was obvious the ribbons were actually threads from the red scarf that Slava wears around his neck. Medvedev’s valise, therefore, was not simply a suitcase, but the baggage or memories that he carried through life. Medvedev pulled out a black jacket from the case and a vibrating, red tuft of material fell from it and moved around in a frenzied pattern. Once again, the meaning was lost without reference to Slava himself, for this was one of his fuzzy red slippers (Medvedev wore black leather shoes), which having fermented, took on a life of its own. Medvedev hung the jacket on a rung of the vertical section of the rope ladder, held in place by a hanger and returned to his case. He pulled out a hat, which was covered in dust, and brushed it off. Similar to the way one recalls memories, these actions were all part of the thought process, and a further clarification that this story originally took place long ago. Medvedev placed the hat above the jacket, on another hanger shaped like a human head. He then dusted the hat and slipped his arm through one of the jacket’s sleeves. Magically, the jacket came to life and Medvedev was as surprised as the audience to see this transformation take place. Next, the coat dusted him and stroked his face, displaying to the audience that this was the spectre of his lost love come back to life. To clarify, the coat became animated only as an extension of Medvedev’s body. Again, it was his own arm that stroked his face in this scene, however, he made it appear that the arm belonged to the owner of the jacket, and thus, to his lover. Through simple gestures and a few rudimentary props, the clown was able to stir this jacket to life, such that the spectator saw a clown embrace a woman. While the clown's lover held him, she secretly slipped a note, on a piece of simple white paper into his pocket. The sound effect of the train’s whistle was heard again off in the distance and Medvedev re-packed his bag and exited the stage. When he returned, he had become the physical manifestation of the train. He wore a top hat that spouted smoke out of its top, as did the rear of his suitcase. Medvedev also had an air horn on his case, which when blown simulated the sound of the train. He raced along the track until he reached his destination, where he sat down -- exhausted. Sitting upon his case, Medvedev extracted his handkerchief, at which point the letter fell out of his pocket. As he read the note, the audience determined from his expressions that it was obviously a Dear John letter and could see he was devastated by the words that he read. He ripped the letter up into tiny little squares of paper and threw them into the air. As they flitted to the ground, thousands of similar scraps of white paper fell from the ceiling above, interweaving with those he had thrown into the air -- together, they fell like (iconographic) snow around him. Time seemed frozen, an effect accentuated with a strobe light, which slowed all of Medvedev’s motions down to a crawl. The backdrops, which revealed the night sky, were turned to display mountains covered in snow. Medvedev tried to negotiate through the snow (the flakes symbolized his lover's words and his life) but he was not capable of going any further. The audience heard the sound of ice cracking, representative of the breaking of his heart. Medvedev turned (upstage) to face his misery and was hit by a barrage of snow (white scraps of paper blown by huge fans) in a dramatic, theatrical effect. The audience was also bombarded with incredibly bright, blinding lights and snow whipping in their faces. The spectators became literally immersed in his misery, as the snow and wind enveloped them. Medvedev ran towards (or into) the light, an obvious metaphor for the end of his life, but he was able to weather the storm -- black out. Medvedev sat frozen on the edge of the stage, the season was now summer. When the lights came up again he saw a butterfly flying near the brim of his hat, an effect that was achieved by attaching the insect to a wire on his bowler so that it fluttered as he moved. Like the butterfly, having survived his tragedy Medvedev was reborn a fuller, more beautiful being. A simple allegory, the story warned against despair and the power of words on an individual. Nevertheless, it counselled that suicide was not the answer. If one found the strength to survive the most horrible circumstances, they would be able to find beauty in their lives. This was understood through a reading of the various signs and conventions employed in its construction by Slava. The scraps of paper, for example, took on new meaning when they fell like snow with the soundscape of wind playing in the background, and the backdrop rotated to look like snow covered mountains. The audience was able to comprehend the meaning of the “snow” paper by the signs that surrounded these objects floating through the air. Quidam, another circus created by Cirque du Soleil, contained the most cohesive mise en scène of any of their productions. This was because the show's central motif, the freeing of emotions, possessed a strong through-line the audience could follow throughout the production (the spectator literally followed a red ball or balloon through the show). The performance also played with many visual signs, such as imagery from The Wizard of Oz, children’s playgrounds, and the surreal art of René Magritte, but in the end, these themes always supported the central idea of setting emotions free. The art of René Magritte played a central role in the mise en scène, in particular his 1964 painting The Son of Man. This picture contains a suited man wearing a bowler hat, but his face is blocked by a large green apple. This obstruction forces the viewer to imagine what is behind the fruit, making the invisible visible (Paquet 77). Quidam played with this well-known image in its construction of a headless character wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella. At the beginning of the show, this headless man entered the home of a young girl (played by Audrey Brisson-Jutras) and left her his bowler hat. The ringmaster (John Gilkey) placed the hat on the young child’s head, metaphorically transporting her into a world of imagination. In this context, the bowler became emblematic of the brain, specifically, a brain filled with ideas. Therefore, the headless man was a call for creativity and wildness, for imagination. Other bowler hats appeared on the heads of various characters at other points in the show as well, most poignantly during the German wheel performance of Chris Lashua. Each time the bowler surfaced, it was used to further strengthen the metaphor of the hat as a symbol of the brain. By having Lashua wear a bowler hat, it was suggested that his German wheel signified the inner workings of the mind. The act immediately followed the placement of the bowler on Brisson-Jutras’ head, thus the obvious connection was the hat represented her brain in motion. The hat of the headless man was not his only significant symbol. The umbrella, which he also carried, was ripe with meaning. The umbrella was used to protect the headless man’s head from rain, only he did not have a head. The umbrella, present in every Cirque du Soleil show, has taken on the status of trademark, a symbol the audience has come to expect when watching this circus. It has served many purposes: as a juggling device in Nouvelle Expérience, as a balancing mechanism and a place to hide a microphone in Saltimbanco, and as a parachute in Dralion. Ultimately, the umbrella is reminiscent of a miniature circus tent exemplifying the portability and itinerant nature of the circus. The headless man, so full of imagination, was emblematic of Cirque du Soleil as a whole. It is ironic that he was headless, yet his head was filled with so much imagination. Quidam also contained an homage or two to The Wizard of Oz within its production. The ringmaster, John Gilkey, put on a pair of sparkling, silver shoes right after he gave Brisson-Jutras the hat. The colour of the shoes was reminiscent of the costume worn by the good witch in The Wizard of Oz, and they designated Gilkey as the guide for “Dorothy”, or rather Audrey. The fact that it was a little girl’s journey (who also sang) also drew parallels between this show and The Wizard of Oz. The most obvious link between the two shows was the presence of "Tin Men", in the guise of the diabolo artists, solidifying the idea that these two worlds were interwoven. The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz was in search of a heart, an obvious symbol for emotion, something that Brisson-Jutras was also searching for in Quidam. The diabolos, which the Tin Men played with, were integrated into the production’s playground theme. If the acts were not centred directly on the emotions, they were based around games found in a schoolyard. Hence, they were games typically filled or created with a child’s imagination. The diabolo is a less obvious illustration of a playground toy, since it is not familiar to most modern audiences. However, it is a toy played with by many Chinese children in the East, and was a game commonly played by European children in the last century. Modern Western audiences related to it as a child’s toy through its resemblance to the yo-yo. It was an apt game to choose for this show as an illustration of the imagination of children. This is true because diabolo tricks are filled with complex throws and catches, spins, and cat’s cradle manoeuvres. Other children's games incorporated into the show at various points included skateboarding, playing with dolls, skipping, and swinging on the cloud swing. All of these concepts (playground games, The Wizard of Oz, and the work of Magritte) were subordinate to the central theme of releasing emotions. This idea was linked to the previous Cirque du Soleil show Alegría through the use of a birdcage. Emotions were symbolized in this production primarily as a red ball or balloon, although at times feeling appeared simply as the colour red. The families' feelings were enclosed in a domestic birdcage at the top of the show. It was obvious from the image it was the parent’s emotions trapped in their own worlds, as the father disappeared into his newspaper, and the mother into her radio. Both were unable to communicate or express themselves to each other, or to their child. When the bowler hat was placed on Brisson-Jutras’ head, it served as a means to open the channels within not only the family, but within its individual members, as well. There were two major categories of acts within this show, routines displaying internal emotions, and numbers revolving around children playing. The sand lot games were the latter, while acts such as the Spanish web, German wheel, aerial hoops, and statue examined the inner feelings of the family. In each of these acts, the inner workings of a particular character were revealed to the audience. The German wheel portrayed the thought process of Brisson-Jutras’ mind; the Spanish web (performed by Isabelle Chassé) bared the mother’s soul; the statue or Vis Versa act revealed the parents finally dealing with their raw emotions; and the aerial hoops act included costumes with the hearts ripped out. Throughout the show, the audience was constantly faced with the parents' struggle to grasp and display emotions. This idea was revisited all through the evening. With the imagination and playfulness of their child, they were able to change from a dysfunctional family to one full of love and courage. One of the most powerful images in the production was that of the father, harnessed high above the stage onto one of the grid sections, which pulled him out towards the audience. He appeared to be walking on air, oblivious to the world around him. Although he appeared to be reading his newspaper, in fact, his head was literally surrounded by the paper. His head actually poked through the front page, with his face sticking out towards the audience. The paper had become such a crutch; he was actually entrapped and did not know how to escape. By the end of the production, his character had shredded his paper and was able to share his love and emotions with the rest of his family. In their various productions, Cirque du Soleil present straightforward ideas constructed with a complex series of signs and conventions. The reading and comprehension of a circus performance, in general, is an active process demanding participation by both the performer and the spectator. In the final analysis, however, it is always up to the audience members to assemble the various signs they have witnessed during a performance (whether in the form of sound, lighting, costuming, performance style, etc.) to find both coherence and completeness within the performance text (De Marinis 59-60). This is key when viewing and reading a Cirque du Soleil production in order to understand the underlying themes presented. This paper has established that the spectator begins by seeking out familiar and recognizable signs. These signs must be reassembled in an orderly fashion by the spectator in order to grasp the theme or message conveyed. By identifying and assembling the various pieces of the thematic puzzle(s), the spectators are empowered with the ability to complete the performance text, providing a coherent summary of the action within the ring. As Marco De Marinis states in his book The Semiotics of Performance, "the performance text is a performance unit which the analyst's intention (or the intention of the ordinary audience member) designates as semiotically complete (59)." Although, it is not solely the responsibility of the performer(s) to explain what is shown, the onus is on the spectator to read, analyze, or re- write the performance text in such a way that it takes on a comprehensible meaning and wholeness. Bibliography Albrecht, Ernest. The New American Circus. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1995. Balint, Michael. Thrills and Regressions. Ed. John D. Sutherland. London: The Hogarth Press, 1959. Bouissac, Paul. "Technological Innovations and Cultural Semiosis: The Ritualistic Appropriation of the Bicycle by the Circus." Kultur Evolution: Fallstudien und Synthese. Ivan Bystrina, Heiko Karnowski and Marlene Landsch, ed. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1992: 169-197. de Marinis, Marco. The Semiotics of Performance. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. de Toro, Fernando. Theatre Semiotics: Text and Staging in Modern Theatre. Trans. John Lewis. Ed. Carole Hubbard. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995. Paquet, Marcel. René Magritte 1898-1967: Thought Rendered Visible. Hamburg: Benedikt Taschen, 1994. Paquet, Marcel. René Magritte 1898-1967: Thought Rendered Visible. Hamburg: Benedikt Taschen, 1994. Performances: Alegría. Dir. Franco Dragone. Vienna, Aus., 22-25 Oct. 1997. Alegría. Dir. Franco Dragone. Dusseldorf, Ger., 14-16 Nov. 1997. Quidam. Dir. Franco Dragone. Toronto, 25 Aug. 1996. Quidam. Dir. Franco Dragone. Chicago, IL, 7 and 8 Aug. 1998. Slava’s Snowshow. Perf. Slava Polunin. The Princess of Wales Theatre. Toronto, 6 Jan. and 29 Jan. 1998. ======================================================================= PARTING QUOTE ======================================================================= "You've got to believe that you're going to live in a better future... and that you can be part of that future." - Gilles Ste Croix on Saltimbanco ======================================================================= NEXT ISSUE... ======================================================================= There's always something cookin' for the next issue of Fascination. Be sure to check out the next issue, our 20th, in April! Have a comment, question or concern? Email the Fascination! Newsletter staff at: < CirqueFasincation-owner@yahoogroups.com >. 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