======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================= VOLUME 10, NUMBER 10 October 2010 ISSUE #81e ======================================================================= Bonjour et bienvenue! Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. It's been a rather interesting month to say the least, wouldn't you say? Cirque du Soleil officially announces its next two productions - IRIS in Hollywood, California (set to debut Summer 2011) and "Radio City" in New York City, New York (also set to debut Summer 2011) - but there's also rumblings about the closure of one of its newest productions - BANANA SHPEEL. At press time the premature closure of BANANA SHPEEL has not been officially announced; however, its scheduled stop in San Francisco has been officially canceled without news on the show's future. So interesting times indeed. That being said I'd like to thank Wayne Leung for allowing us to include his review of Banana Shpeel in Toronto, which provides a well thought out analysis of the good, the bad and the ugly of BANANA SHPEEL. Also inside this month we've got the latest news items posted to Fascination! Web and, of course, all the pertinent posts on Cirque du Soleil's various social widgets in our OUTREACH section. So, let's get started! Join us on the web at: < www.cirquefascination.com > Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information * Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues * BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau * Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre * Venue Shows -- Venue & Seasonal Productions o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets * Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub * Networking -- Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Flickr o) Compartments -- A Peek Behind the Curtain * Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque * Historia -- Cirque du Soleil's History o) Fascination! Features * "My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} * "Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED] By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander o) Subscription Information o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= OYEZ OYEZ - Banana Shpeel - Canceled! {Oct.05.2010} ----------------------------------------------- According to the Examiner.com, Banana Shpeel, Cirque du Soleil's new style vaudeville show, just cancelled its San Francisco engagement. The show, currently running in Toronto through October 10th, was to play the Golden Gate Theatre October 16 through November 14, 2010. Patrons who have purchased tickets for Banana Shpeel performances through SHN Theaters will receive a full refund. They will be contacted by SHN Audience Services or they may call 888-SHN-1799 directly. Banana Shpeel was also set to play to audiences in Orange County, California following the San Francisco engagement. Information pertaining to that engagement or the show's immediate future has not beenmade available. La Nouba's New Rope Act [EXPANDED] {Sep.02.2010} ----------------------------------------------- Dewayne Bevil, the Orlando Sentinel's self-proclaimed "Theme Park Ranger" writes today about the recent changes to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, performing nightly at Downtown Disney West Side. To tweak "La Nouba" requires more than a hop, skip and a jump. The Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney's West End now sports a skipping-rope segment that involves two new Japanese artists as well as many troupe members - including trampoliners, trapeze artists and women who normally dangle high above the stage floor from red ribbons. Skippers Yusuke Funaki, 29, and Shoichi Kasuo, 24, arrived in Orlando in June to prepare for the new act, which was placed near the beginning of the show in July. They were inspired by a performer in another Cirque show - Nori, a skipper in "Quidam." "My first impression was 'What a fun thing to do,'" Funaki says through a translator. At the time, he was an aerospace engineer on weekdays and skipped rope on weekends. "It's not about transition," he says of his career path. "It's more like the priority has changed." "La Nouba" marks the first time the skippers have performed on any stage, although Kasuo earned three jump-rope titles in Asia. In the show, the duo descends from the rafters — in hooded black costumes with day-glow designs— and break into individual routines. Some parts are rapid-fire skipping (Kasuo completes four rotations on a single jump). Some parts are more like rope tricks — one spins the rope matador-style, one is more like a whip-cracking Zorro. Eventually, the act expands into double-Dutch with acrobats sailing through the ropes. A triangular formation with three ropes, three turners and nine jumpers is a logistical challenge. The skippers skip from rope to rope — three women going clockwise, six men going counterclockwise. Kasuo says his favorite part is called "jumpline," where nine men stand shoulder-to-shoulder and he skips once with each of them in rapid succession. (Audience tip: Don't blink, it's that fast.) "Then, at the end, everything stops and then the big applause," Kasuo says via translator. "This is a risky part of the act because it's really difficult to make it perfect. "We all hold our breath." Even more of the cast is roped in for a final push of the five- minute act. "We had to do a lot of work with technicians backstage on the setting of ropes, because we have a lot of ropes backstage of various different lengths and various different thicknesses," says Nicola Roberts, general stage manager. "We need to make sure they're all in the right place at the right time." With more folks on stage — the ropes bit replaced the German wheel act — there were more cues to learn and reprogramming of the elaborate stage. Earlier this year, juggler Anthony Gatto was added in the middle of the show. Members of the troupe are doing more multitasking now. Tumbler Vladislav Dunaev, 38, who has been with "La Nouba" since it opened in 1998, is now one of the turners in the triangle. "It's very important to be consistent, to do the same thing, to watch with both eyes … to watch both partners," he says. The ropes are not timed to the music because the beat is too fast, Dunaev says. The troupe trained for a few months before the ropes were added. A professional skipper from Cirque's headquarters in Montreal came for that. "It's fun to learn new, to go beyond what you used to do," Dunaev says. "For athletes like we are, it's easier to learn. We know the rhythm, we know the tricks, we know the tips. For the person from the streets, it's not as easy to do." Expect more rope work. "We're still continuing to perfect the act," he says. "We started with the simplest thing to make it clean on stage for right now. Then, as we grow as performers in this act, we're going to add more stuff." {SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel} Cirque Announces Radio City Show! {Sep.14.2010} ----------------------------------------------- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TO PREMIERE A MAJOR NEW SPECTACLE AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL IN SUMMER 2011 Cirque du Soleil announced today that it will debut a major new acrobatic spectacle next summer at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York. Proudly presented by iShares(r), the new show, whose name will be announced in the coming weeks, will be directed by acclaimed film and theatre director François Girard (The Red Violin, Silk). Previews will begin for the new production in June 2011, with the premiere date to be confirmed shortly. Directed by François Girard, the new showtakes place in an abandoned theatre and follows a magician who has lost his love and with her, his magic has disappeared. As he cries and begs the Gods for her return he is plunged into a world inhabited by surreal creatures. The diverse cast of 71 international artists transports the audience into a fantastical and suspenseful world, blurring the boundaries between the real and imaginary. Along with François Girard, the creative team consists of 12 creators under the artistic guidance of Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté: François Girard - Writer and Director One of Quebec's most highly-regarded creators, François Girard is equally at ease in cinema (Silk, The Red Violin), opera, visual arts and theatre and has earned an enviable international reputation over the years. A keen music lover, he is particularly known for the hybrid worlds he creates in which music plays a predominant role. His works are recognized for their great musicality, both in terms of sound and image. This will be his second creation for Cirque du Soleil, following ZED, the Tokyo resident show. Line Tremblay - Director of Creation Line Tremblay has worked in many capacities for Cirque du Soleil since the company was founded in 1984. Starting in 1992 she worked as the assistant to the director for the creation of the shows Mystère, Alegría, Quidam, "O" and La Nouba. Line also contributed her talent to Quidam as Artistic Director and was Director of Creation for the Corteo and ZED. Stéphane Roy - Set and Props Designer Stéphane Roy has worked as both a set designer and artistic director on over 100 productions in Montreal and abroad. While primarily active in theatre and dance, he has also worked in film, television, advertising and variety shows. Stéphane designed the sets for the Cirque du Soleil shows Dralion, Varekai, Zumanity and KOOZA. Alan Hranitelj - Costume Designer Alan Hranitelj has participated in many group exhibitions and fashion shows both in Slovenia, where he's been living for the past 25 years, and abroad. In 1991, he designed haute couture collections in Milan, but he soon quit catwalks and returned to his first love, stage. He mostly designs for drama, opera and film. This is his first show for Cirque du Soleil. Nick Littlemore - Composer and Musical Director Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as frontman of acclaimed electronic act Pnau (with Peter Mayes) and one part of electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun (with Luke Steele). He is also a member of art-rock band Teenager (with Pip Brown a.k.a Ladyhawke). As a producer he has worked with Sir Elton John, Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams, Flora Purim and many others. This new production will be his first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. Sir Elton John will be guiding his protégé Nick Littlemore through the creative process of this new production. Debra Brown - Choreographer Dancer and choreographer Debra Brown is internationally-renowned for her unique body of work blending acrobatics and dance. Ever keen to diversify and reinvent, Debra has forged her impressive and unconventional creative path, working with artists and groups from a wide variety of disciplines. She worked with François Girard on ZED and this new production will be her eleventh production with Cirque du Soleil. Elena Kolyadenko - Choreagrapher Elena Kolyadenko has been active in the artistic world in Ukraine and Russia for many years. For the past seven years, she has created and has been managing the Ukraine dance group FreedomBallet. She has worked on a number of productions on many capacities: casting, staging, musical orchestration, and costume design. Moreover, she has been a ballet coach for the Shchepkin Theater (Ukraine), as well as manager and choreographer for the Art Classic Ballet. This will be her first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. Alain Lortie - Lighting Designer More than 25 years ago, Alain Lortie began working with multi- talented Quebec artists such as Michel Lemieux, Marie Chouinard and Edward Lock, and has since collaborated on many variety, opera and music shows both in Quebec and Europe. He also designed the lighting for several productions in Asia. Alain has worked with many Quebec stage directors including Robert Lepage and François Girard. He created the lighting design for the Cirque du Soleil shows Soleil de Minuit and DELIRIUM. Raymond St-Jean - Image Content Designer Director, video designer, writer and editor Raymond Saint-Jean began his career directing music videos and short films. Since then, he has turned to dramas, documentaries and films about the performing arts. Raymond has made his talents as a "video set designer" available to a number of artists and companies in the arts world across North America. Raymond previously worked on the Cirque du Soleil show, ZAIA, the resident show in Macau. Steven Dubuc - Sound Designer A self-taught creator with an adventurous mind, Steve Dubuc worked on a large number of artistic projects across the globe as a sound engineer, chief sound engineer and sound technician. He has worked as a technical director on various Cirque du Soleil shows. This will be his second Cirque du Soleil show as sound designer, following ZAIA. Florence Pot - Acrobatic Performance Designer With her university training in physical education and sports psychology, Florence Pot took on many projects in the world of gymnastics as a trainer and choreographer prior to joining Cirque du Soleil as an acrobatic scout and, later, chief scout. In 2006 she accepted the invitation to become Acrobatic Performance Designer on the Cirque du Soleil resident show ZED in Tokyo-a role she reprised on the big top show TOTEM. Danny Zen - Rigging and Acrobatic Equipment Designer Danny Zen first arrived at Cirque du Soleil in 1990 to work as a welder in the company's workshops, and then worked as mechanic, head usher and tent technician before becoming head rigger on Quidam in 1996. Danny also worked at Montreal's National Circus School and later participated in the development of aerial acrobatic elements at Cirque du Soleil. Danny was on the creation team for the big top shows Corteo and KOOZA. Eleni Uranis - Makeup Designer Eleni Uranis joined Cirque du Soleil in 1989 as assistant to costume designer Dominique Lemieux. This led to many other projects and in 2004 Eleni's career took a new direction with the Cirque du Soleil makeup department, creating designs for the touring show Dralion. She has also designed the make-up for the Tokyo resident show ZED and the New York seasonal holiday show Wintuk. iShares(r) is the presenting sponsor of this new production. American Express(r) is the official sponsor. {SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil} BANANA SHPEEL Reviews in Toronto = Not Good [EXPANDED] {Sep.20.2010} ------------------------------------------------------ Although a recent review from the Toronto Star have been rather glowing of Cirque du Soleil's "Twist on Vaudeville", other media outlets in Toronto haven't been as nice on their take of the show: From The Toronto Sun: More than two decades after successfully reinventing the circus, the folks at Cirque du Soleil have apparently been overcome once again with an uncontrollable desire to take something old and magically make it new again. Or at least, make the attempt. In this case, the focus of their reawakened creative juices is not on the circus ring but the dress circle as they move up entertainment's evolutionary ladder from the big top to the theatrical stage -- or more specifically, the vaudeville stage. But despite their best efforts, first in New York and then in Chicago, it doesn't seem that they've managed to do for the borscht belt what they did for the big top, at least judging by the production of Banana Shpeel that pulled into the Canon Theatre Sunday for a Toronto run. Put succinctly, Banana Shpeel doesn't so much serve to usher in a thrilling vaudeville renaissance as introduce us to a heightened state of ambivalence with a show that walks a new kind of tightrope, managing in the end to be neither bad enough to hate nor good enough to love. That it is not traditional Cirque fare is to be expected, even celebrated -- and indeed, that isn't the problem, for if anything there are far too many of the big, bold Cirque acts on offer, re-thought and reconfigured for the proscenium stage. In fact, the impressive roster of contortionists, jugglers, spinners and gymnasts on offer are all certifiably Cirque, even though their skills seem to be have been reined in to accommodate the diminished height and depth of the conventional stage. And then of course, there are the clowns -- a slate of seven of 'em, in fact, all of them seemingly convinced their form of comedy is interchangeable with the stand-up skills of great comedians who once spent years honing their skills on the vaudeville circuit. And indeed, they just might be, for Danny Rutigliano, Claudio Careiro, Patrick de Valette, Shereen Hickman, Daniel Passer, Gordon White and Wayne Wilson are all hugely talented. But under the direction of writer David Shiner, they get precious little chance to show it -- at least to their advantage. Instead, they are charged with carrying the full weight of a second-rate narrative that Shiner has imposed as seeming justification for forsaking the big top for the theatrical big- time. And frankly, that's where things start to fall apart; for in attempting to hitch a ride on vaudeville's rather shabby coattails, the folks at Cirque seem to have overlooked the audience on whose collective imaginations Cirque's success has been built. Over the years, Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix have consistently refused to simply tell a story, instead setting scenes that force every member of their audience to impose his or her own narrative -- a brilliant way to draw an audience into a show. Now, with a narrative served up on a platter -- Shiner takes the whole premise of the Ed Sullivan Show and almost succeeds in converting it into the Dead Sullivan Show as a Schmelky Spectacular, overseen by impresario Marty Schmelky, played by Rutigliano -- it all just seems a little tedious, as he tries to pass an amuse-bouche off as a main course. In the end, one has to be grateful for the artistry of choreographer Jared Grimes, whose tap numbers fairly sparkle, and designers Patricia Ruel and Bruno Rafie, whose respective sets and lighting are often delightfully breathtaking. But ultimately, though no one is killed in this collision between Cirque and vaudeville, no one really walks away uninjured either. From The Globe and Mail: Despite rough rides from critics and disappointing ticket sales in Chicago and New York, Banana Shpeel, Cirque du Soleil's new vaudeville-inspired comedy, dance and circus show, has hit the road, starting with a stop in Toronto. The New York Times may have written that this variety show "will go down as one of the most frustrating failures in Cirque's history," but the Quebec- based entertainment giant has, characteristically, just shrugged the naysaying away. Demonstrating a stubbornness one can't help but respect, if not always admire, Cirque du Soleil never says die. (Actually, the performers rarely say anything else either - one of the clear benefits of staging most of your shows in gibberish.) Since Banana Shpeel's New York run, only minor changes have taken place. The show still seems like, if I can quote myself, "a reinvention of The Muppet Show with clowns in the place of Kermit and his cohorts" that works in its own idiosyncratic way, but never feels entirely worth the effort. On a second viewing, I was (banana) split in two about whether the show is worth the skins you have to peel out of your wallet to see it. On the one hand... The five circus acts interspersed through the show are as stunning as you'd expect. Dmitry Bulkin, who performs an impossible gymnastic pole routine that must be the front-runner for next year's Nobel Prize in physics, is still the standout, combining athleticism with artistry in time-honoured Cirque du Soleil fashion. But on the other hand... There is something lost in presenting circus acts behind a proscenium arch. As with magic, physical feats are more impressive when all angles are visible - even if you can't see all the angles yourself. Just as Shakespeare works wonders on a thrust stage, circus comes to life best in the big top. In the glass-is-half-full department... This clown-heavy show features skilled miming and physical comedy. Against your better judgment, you will enjoy the silly antics of the long-haired human gecko Patrick de Valette; the flirtatious, gap-toothed Claudio Carneiro; and the sputtering Gordon White. But from the half-empty perspective... The scripted jokes fall pretty flat much of the time. Perhaps, in retrospect, it was unwise for Cirque to hire a mime (David Shiner) to write and direct their first show with proper dialogue. On the one hand... A Cirque du Soleil show with a plot? What an idea. But on the other... Plot may be too strong a word. Banana Shpeel's throughline is the emotional journey of producer Schmelky (Danny Rutigliano) from crank to hippie to some sense of inner balance. With Rutigliano struggling to find the truth to play in the shtick, it doesn't resonate and drags the show down. And yet, on the other other hand... I did very much love Shereen Hickman as Schmelky's besotted emphysemic assistant. She delivers a soft prick to the heart, while the other characters are all busy introducing foam hammers to the groin. But then again... The foulness of the language and the sexual jokes are a poor fit with this colourful show. Sure, they would hardly raise an eyebrow in a teen comedy, but in the context of Cirque's otherwise uplifting aesthetic, the crassness (a character calling another "retarded", an "elderly" clown shaking like he has Parkinson's) seems tasteless - even, perhaps, sacrilegious. On the bright side (literally)... Bruno Rafie's rich lighting is gorgeous, illuminating Patrica Ruel's often-inspired sets. But on the less-appealingly bright side... Dominique Lemieux's shiny, spangly costumes are the definition of gaudy. Particularly appalling are the neon and glow-in-the- dark flapper outfits - they look like the early Nineties doing the Twenties. And another thing... Simon Carpentier's songs are a mish-mash poorly matched with the dance sequences. Jared Grimes's tap numbers are all about clatter, speed and athleticism, but leave subtlety in the wings. They're the equivalent of watching Bulkin do 1,000 push-ups: impressive, but what's the point? Line up the pros and the cons and the latter are definitely more numerous. There is no shaking the fact that Banana Shpeel is a disappointment compared to most other Cirque entertainments that have passed through town. It's glossy and fun enough - and Cirque du Soleil has a strong enough track record - that this flawed experiment will probably find an audience on the road, however. {SOURCE: Toronto Sun & Globe and Mail} Well, Someone Liked Banana Shpeel [EXPANDED] {Sep.20.2010} ----------------------------------------------- All’s well that ends well. That’s what the gang at Cirque du Soleil can say to themselves after the opening of Banana Shpeel Sunday night at the Canon Theatre. (This reviewer saw it at its final preview the same afternoon.) A show that was practically run out of Chicago and yawned to death in Manhattan is now a highly entertaining way to spend a couple of hours in the theatre. No, it’s not perfect yet and we’ll get to that later — maybe for the benefit of audiences still to come — but if anyone wants to hurl rocks at this brightly coloured bauble of an out-to-make- you-happy show, they should be ashamed of themselves. It’s not going to hurt anyone and I think it’s likely to give a great many people a lot of pleasure. What you have to do first is banish the notion from your mind that it’s like the other Cirque du Soleil shows you’ve seen, either here on tour or in Las Vegas. We’re dealing with something very different. A conversation I heard between two dads in the men’s room at intermission summed it up. “This isn’t like the things I saw in the tent.” “Naw, it’s more of a dance show.” “I think it’s more of a clown show.” “I think we’re both right.” “But I like it.” “So do I.” Banana Shpeel is a new-style vaudeville and even if some of the jokes are very old school, the whole presentation has a kind fresh pizzazz that’s highly welcome. You might think it’s never going to get started, because the opening “welcome” duologue between the two central clowns, arrogant John Cleese-esque Daniel Passer and put-upon Dudley Moore-ish Wayne Wilson, seems to go on forever. But once we swing into the world of “Schmelky Spectacular,” with its arrogant boss, the eponymous Marty Schmelky, all is well. It doesn’t look quite like any variety show you’ve ever seen, mainly because designers Patricia Ruel (sets), Dominique Lemieux (costumes) and Bruno Rafie (lights) seem to be taking their cues from Bob Fosse. This is a world full of slightly menacing shadows, sex going on in the wings and everyone out for themselves. Most of the entertainment consists of scenes between the various clowns interspersed with Cirque-style acts. The most successful include a spectacular sensual woman named Vanessa Alvarez who does what she calls “Foot Juggling” and I call illegal in some prairie provinces and many American red states. There’s also a great juggler called Tuan Le, who keeps six hats going in the air all at once, and it wouldn’t be a Cirque show if there weren’t three Asian female contortionists. This time around they’re from Mongolia and they’re pretty impressive. We also get to see a lot of dance, pleasantly enough performed, but it tends to lean heavily on ensemble tap, which can get repetitious if you don’t have Busby Berkeley behind you ramping up the spectacle. But, unlike other Cirque shows, this one works best when they send in the clowns. In addition to our interlocutory duo (Daniel and Wayne) and our driving demon Schmelky (well performed by Danny Rutigliano), there’s the long suffering secretary, Margaret, beautifully sketched in by Shereen Hickman as a cross between Erin Davis and Carol Burnett. We also meet three hysterical losers. One is “the oldest mime in the world” brought to deliciously decrepit life by Gordon White. How old is he? When he does the famous “walking against the wind” routine, he breaks more wind than he walks against. Claudio Carneiro is hilarious as an arrogant would-be heartthrob who finally takes a random woman from the audience on a nightmare mime date. Then there’s my favourite, the “modern dancer,” Patrick de Valette. He weighs 90 pounds wringing wet, has the lankest, greasiest long blond hair you’ve ever seen and made me laugh every time he came onto the stage. There are times when the show’s “book” slows things down, but isn’t that true of many musicals? And there’s an infelicitious use of epithets like “fairy” and “retarded” that aren’t acceptable, even if the characters are supposed to be crass. But all in all, the great news is that — finally! — Banana Shpeel has appeal. {SOURCE: Toronto Star} Q&A w/Delphine Gaillard - "Julia" in LOVE [EXPANDED] {Sep.21.2010} ---------------------------------------------------- Delphine Gaillard is a lead performer in the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE. The show features lots of classic Beatles tunes as well as with some you might not recognise so easily. It’s an enormously challenging role for Delphine, but one that she relishes. Q. Hi Delphine, can you tell us how you got into this line of work? When I was a little girl I wasn’t really interested in dancing, although my mother wanted me to get involved. However, around the age of eight I became interested in the local circus school in Verdun, France, which is my hometown. I joined up and was training as a contortionist until I was about 13, when I became interested in the trapeze skills. From then I was training for this with pull-ups and so on. Q. Wow, I’m not sure I could even do one pull-up now! Well, many years of hard training followed and when I was 17 I went to Paris to start working as a professional aerial and trapeze artist. Eventually, when I was about 25, I heard that the Cirque du Soleil was hiring, and I travelled to Montreal, Canada, to audition for them. I spent some time working on their special events before they began to set up a new production show set around the music of the Beatles. Q. And how does that process work? Each show has a very long ‘creation’ process. For the Love show this meant nine months of preparation. This involves everything from the basic story, costumes and sets as well as the performers blocking in all of their moves and routines. For this show, the old ‘Siegfried and Roy’ theatre – which was unused after the accident [where one of the tigers attacked Roy and left him in a critical condition] was completely gutted and rebuilt specifically for this show. Eventually we were able to move into the Mirage theatre and finalise the show before opening in June 2006. The creation process as a whole cost over $150 million. Q. That’s a serious investment. How many people are involved? We have about 65 performers and 120 crew and management staff involved in each show. The show plays twice each night, and five nights per week – we get Tuesday and Wednesday off. With a couple of other gaps in the schedule this means we have 497 shows per year. Q. I understand there are 2,013 seats in the theatre – given that it’s pretty full every show I can start seeing how that big creation spend is justified. How much training do you have to do on an ongoing basis? The shows themselves keep us all pretty fit, but in some cases – mine particularly – the work we do is not very balanced. For example, my work in this show is entirely aerial and relying on my arms, so I have to train my legs doing various exercises to compensate. Q. And what exactly is your role in the show all about? I play Julia, John Lennon’s mother, who also stands within the piece as a representation of motherhood in general. My work is all aerial, so I’m suspended from the grid at the top of the theatre and ‘fly’ above the stage during several parts of the performance. I’m always either at the top of the building or down in the basement! My role is very unusual for a Cirque du Soleil show as it’s based specifically on a real person, while most of the characters are either abstract representations of imaginary people or entirely fantastical creatures. Q. And do the cast members back up each other’s roles? Within the company as whole, yes, most cast members are able to assume another role in case of injury or sickness, so they can rotate as required. My skill set is much more specific however – even the highly trained dancers and artistes within the company generally wouldn’t be able to step straight into my role. Even for the main team, it takes a pre-trained Cirque performer about two months to be ready to take on a specific role within a show as demanding as this one. Q. Do you all tend to stick together outside of work? Well, yes, our schedules help that to happen. When you finish at 2am and all have the same days off it tends to help define your social life. The good thing is that in Vegas there are always lively places to go, at any time of the day or night. It’s kind of like a big family, and although there are over 20 different nationalities in just this one show, we do tend to stick together. We might all head round to someone house at 2.30am for a barbecue or a few crepes. Q. Crepes at 2.30am – if I didn’t already know you were French, I think I’d know now. What kind of places do you hang out in Vegas? Lots of the people I’ve interviewed tend to avoid the Strip outside of work. Not when there’s so much great shopping to be done! We go to all kinds of places; a couple of our favourites are Firefly, a really relaxed Tapas spot near the Hard Rock casino and Brio, down at Town Square. Q. And how did you find moving to Las Vegas? I’d been here on vacation before and never thought I’d want to live here. Once I arrived though, I changed my mind; it’s a wonderful place to work in a trade like mine, especially being open all night to relax after the shows. It’s like another planet here, although if I didn’t do this job I’m not so sure I’d like it so much. Q. And do you gamble at all? No, I don’t even know how! I was in a gas station the other day and they even had slots in the toilet cubicles. This place is crazy. Q. Do you get to see the other Cirque shows in town? [There are currently seven in Las Vegas, including ‘O’ at Bellagio, Zumanity, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil at New York New York, Ka at MGM Grand and the newest attraction – Viva Elvis at Aria Resort.] Yes, I’ve seen them all. Occasionally people transfer between shows if the roles suit them or if they want a change of scene. Q. Finally, have you had a chance to meet anyone famous through the show? Absolutely, on the opening night of Love (30 June 2006) and on the first anniversary of the show we met the Beatles themselves. Paul and Ringo, plus Paul and George’s wives Yoko and Olivia came to see the show with their families. Love is a partnership with the Beatles’ corporation, Apple, so everything about the show is approved by the band members and wives. As you can imagine it was amazing to meet the inspiration behind the performance. { SOURCE: Gambling Online } Hollywood 2011 is - "IRIS" {Sep.22.2010} ----------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil announced today that it will debut a brand new production, IRIS, exclusively at Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards next summer. The name The word "iris" refers to the adjustable opening-or diaphragm- that controls the amount of light that passes through a camera lens. The word also refers to the colored part of the eye. IRIS will take a unique look at the world of cinema. Directed by French director-choreographer Philippe Decouflé, IRIS is a lyrical, fanciful, kinetic foray into the seventh art. Bringing together dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed sequences and animation, the show takes spectators on a fantastic voyage through the history of cinema and its genres, taking them into the heart of the movie-making process. From illustration to animation, black and white to colour, silent films to talkies, fixed shots to swooping camera movements, spectators witness the poetic construction/deconstruction of this art as an object and as a way of transcending reality. Along with Philippe Decouflé, the creative team consists of 13 creators under the artistic guidance of Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté: Philippe Decouflé - Writer and Director Trained in multiple disciplines including miming and circus arts, French dancer and choreographer Philippe Decouflé founded his own company - DCA - in 1983. His career path also led him to create videos and a series of outstanding advertisements during the 1980s. Teaming up with costume designer Philippe Guillotel, he staged the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992, which attracted considerable attention. Philippe Decouflé also created the show Désirs that has been running at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris since 2009. IRIS is his first show with Cirque du Soleil. Jean-François Bouchard - Director of Creation The signature of Jean-François Bouchard is associated with many interior design concepts (bars, restaurants, boutiques, etc.) brought to life in Montreal between 1985 and 1995. He joined Cirque du Soleil as a designer in 1988 to create the interior design of the boutique connected to the La Nouba theatre in Orlando. He later became one of the key players in Cirque du Soleil's special events team. IRIS is Jean-François Bouchard's first show as Director of Creation. Jean Rabasse - Set Designer Jean Rabasse has earned an enviable reputation in the world of film, theatre and dance as a set designer and decorator. He has been the resident designer for Philippe Decouflé's dance company DCA for more than ten years. His film credits include award- winning movies such as Vatel, directed by Roland Joffé, as well as Delicatessen and La Cité des enfants perdus, both directed by Caro and Jeunet. After Corteo and The Beatles LOVE, IRIS marks Jean Rabasse's third participation in a Cirque du Soleil show as Set Designer. Philippe Guillotel - Costume Designer After a decade in the world of fashion, designer Philippe Guillotel discovered dance, and through it, his true calling- costume allied to movement. His signature is associated with the works of some of the most prominent stage and film directors in France. Since 1985, he has worked extensively with renowned French choreographer Philippe Découflé for whom he designed the costumes seen in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. In cinema, Philippe Guillotel designed the costumes for the feature Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre, directed by Alain Chabat. He has also made his mark in the worlds of show business and music. IRIS is Philippe Guillotel's second Cirque du Soleil show following The Beatles LOVE. Danny Elfman - Composer Danny Elfman is a musician best known for composing music for television and cinema and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as singer/songwriter for almost 20 years. He is a frequent collaborator of long-time friend Tim Burton and has scored most of his films. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. He is also known for creating the main title theme for The Simpsons. IRIS is his first Cirque du Soleil show as Composer and Musical Director. Daphné Mauger - Choreographer Daphné Mauger has been active on the French artistic scene for a number of years. Former graduate of the Conservatoire de danse de Paris, she pursues her career as a dancer and choreographer on a number of productions. In 2008, she worked with Philippe Decouflé on the production Triton 2 ter. IRIS is her first collaboration with the Cirque du Soleil. Patrice Besombes - Lighting Designer Patrice Besombes began his training in theatre before he discovered dance. After joining Maison de la danse de Lyon as a technical director in the early 1980s, he worked with the emerging generation of French choreographers of the time. He became one of the official lighting directors of creators such as Carolyn Carlson and Philippe Decouflé. Patrice Besombes' credits as a lighting designer include the works On the Other Side for the New York City Ballet and Triade et Amoveo for the Paris Opera, both by choreographer Benjamin Millepieds. His work can also be seen in theatre and opera. This is Patrice Besombes' first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. Anne-Séguin Poirier - Props Designer For the past 10 years, Anne-Séguin Poirier has worked as a set and costume designer for theatre, circus, opera and exhibits. Since 2005, she has created sets for multimedia creators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, including DELIRIUM (Cirque du Soleil) and the Starmania opera they both directed. She has also designed costumes for choreographers and directors Peter James, Gypsy Rider, Shanna Carroll and Guy Alloucherie, at Montreal's National Circus School. Anne-Séguin Poirier's credits as a costume designer include the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games. IRIS is her first Cirque du Soleil show as Props Designer. Olivier Simola et Christophe Waksmann - Projection Designers Olivier Simola and Christophe Waksmann are both members of the dance company DCA founded by French director Philippe Decouflé, with whom they have worked closely for many years. Olivier Simola has worked on many productions either as film director (video and cinema), stage director or dancer. Christophe Waksmann works as a dancer, camera operator, director, film editor and image designer for numerous dance companies in France. IRIS is their first Cirque du Soleil show. François Bergeron - Sound Designer François Bergeron is a long-time collaborator with Cirque du Soleil. Since 1990, he has worked in Europe, Asia and North America for numerous museums and producers of variety shows, plays and musicals, including Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby, which toured or ran on Broadway from 1997 to 1999. He created his own company in Los Angeles that produces shows worldwide, including in Asia and the Middle East. François Bergeron took part in the creation of the Tokyo DisneySea theme park in Japan for Walt Disney Entertainment. Boris Verkhovsky & Shana Carroll - Acrobatic Performance Designers -- A former athlete in the Russian Men's National Team in Sport Acrobatics, Boris Verkhovsky immigrated to Canada from Byelorussia in 1978 following studies in physical education and sports (specializing in coaching). Later, he became head coach of the Canadian National Trampoline and Tumbling Team and, in 1993, was approached by Cirque du Soleil to consult on a proposed act for the show Mystère. Boris Verkhovsky was named head coach of acrobatic training and is currently director of acrobatic performance and training at Cirque du Soleil. He also contributes his expertise to the design of acrobatic acts for new shows. This is his first Cirque du Soleil show as an Acrobatic Performance Designer. Pierre Masse - Acrobatic Rigging and Equipment Designer Pierre Masse's career spans just about every genre of the performing arts. He was involved in major productions with the Opéra de Montréal, the Grands Ballets Canadiens and Céline Dion as well as a production of Les Misérables. He has collaborated with Cirque du Soleil since 1996 and took part in the creation of Quidam, Varekai, Zumanity, KÀ and CRISS ANGEL Believe. This is Pierre Masse's second Cirque du Soleil show as Acrobatic Rigging and Equipment Designer following TOTEM. "We are thrilled to have found such a spectacular home in LA," said President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Daniel Lamarre. "The city is at the forefront not only of film, but music, architecture and art as well. It is our hope that IRIS will be a welcome addition to Hollywood as a destination for visitors. " IRIS features a cast of over 72 performing artists from all over the world and will be presented exclusively at Kodak Theatre next summer. Tickets information Tickets are currently on sale for parties of 12 or more through Cirque du Soleil group sales by calling 877-504-7164. For advance ticket information, join Cirque Club at www.cirquedusoleil.com. For Preferred Seating and other American Express(r) Cardmember benefits, please visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/amex. Sponsors Infiniti and American Express are the official sponsors of this new production. {SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil} Viva Elvis: The Album Tracklisting Revealed! {Sep.29.2010} ----------------------------------------------- First Single, "Suspicious Minds," Mixed by Brendan O'Brien, Impacts Radio Monday, October 18 Legacy Recordings Celebrates Elvis' 75th Birthday Year with an Epic New Studio Work Inspired by "Viva ELVIS" by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas Viva ELVIS - The Album Available Everywhere Tuesday, November 9 NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Recordings, in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, proudly announces the release of Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music, featuring the voice of the king in a whole new context. Viva ELVIS - The Album will be available everywhere on Tuesday, November 9. Produced and arranged by Erich van Tourneau, with assistant producer and assistant arranger Hugo "Wedge Montecristo" Bombardier, Viva ELVIS - The Album is a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis through newly re-imagined versions of "Blue Suede Shoes," "That's Alright," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "King Creole," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Burning Love," "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Suspicious Minds" as well as instrumental interludes based on "Memories" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (piano interlude). Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS including "Suspicious Minds," the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen). Four of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau. Musicians on Viva ELVIS include Elvis Presley (vocals); Erich van Tourneau (bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards); Dea Norberg, Jennlee Shallow, Sherry St-Germain, Stacie Tabb (guest singers); Patrick Lavergne and JS "The Flash" Chouinard (basses); Mike Plant, Steve Nadeau, Martin Bachand and Paul Deslauriers (electric guitars); Olivier Goulet (acoustic guitar); Guy Belanger (harmonica); DJ Pocket (scratch). The album's horn section includes Jean-Francois Thibeault (trombone), Bruno Dumont (saxophone), David Perrico (trumpet), Jean-Francois Gagnon (flugel horn). When working on the music for Viva ELVIS, van Tourneau -- aided by Hugo Bombardier, Assistant Producer and Assistant Arranger on Viva ELVIS - The Album -- spent more than 3,000 hours reviewing countless albums, films, concert recordings, interviews and home recordings of Elvis. More than 17,000 samples of Elvis' songs - the raw material for the show - were made during the process. Working with tens of thousands of samples of Elvis' voice, van Tourneau and Bombardier often wove several sequences and sounds into the same songs, sometimes changing details such as the key and tempo. In creating Viva ELVIS - The Album, van Tourneau was looking to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of the songs with the incorporation of ragga, punk or hip-hop elements into classic recordings. In all cases, however, the goal was to respect and understand the essence of the original recordings. "I would like to acknowledge all of the incredible composers, musicians and technicians responsible for making this music with Elvis originally," said van Tourneau. "The album Viva ELVIS would not be what it is today if not for their remarkable contributions." The postmodern studio masterwork invokes the spirit and essence of Elvis from a contemporary perspective while furthering the revolutionary impulses of Elvis' sound. Viva ELVIS - The Album re-imagines the king's own vocal performances in a broad variety of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own versatility and ability to master all music genres, from Delta blues to rockabilly, from raw soul to gospel, from Southern folk to Vegas pop, while incorporating elements of garage rock, punk, urban and hip-hop. In celebration of all eras of Elvis' musical genius, Viva ELVIS - The Album includes songs from Elvis' rise to fame in the '50s, his movie soundtracks, his triumphant return to the stage in the "'68 Special," and his ground-breaking appearances in Las Vegas. Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, opened earlier this year in a specially designed 1,800 seat theater at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. A tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley, Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley. Significant moments in his life - intimate, playful and grandiose - blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Viva ELVIS - The Album is a 21st century venue for rock's first and biggest superstar. The King's Music Lives! Viva ELVIS - The Album - produced and arranged by Erich van Tourneau Track Listing ------------- 1. (Opening) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau) 2. Blue Suede Shoes (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 3. That's Alright (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 4. Heartbreak Hotel (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 5. Love Me Tender (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau) 6. King Creole (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau) 7. Bossa Nova Baby (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 8. Burning Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 9. (Memories) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau) 10. Can't Help Falling In Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 11. (You'll Never Walk Alone) (piano interlude) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau) 12. Suspicious Minds (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) {SOURCE: PR Newswire} ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Varekai} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {Saltimbanco, Alegría, Quidam & Dralion} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, ZAIA, ZED, Believe & VIVA Elvis} o) VENUE - Venue & Seasonal productions {Wintuk, Banana Shpeel, Iris, & "Radio City"} NOTE: .) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate touring dates and locations available, the information in this section is subject to change without notice. As such, the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of these listings. .) Dates so marked (*) are not official until released by Cirque du Soleil. For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts, please visit our website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. ------------------------------------ BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau ------------------------------------ Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=39 > Corteo: Kazan, Russia -- Aug 21, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010 Moscow, Russia -- Oct 9, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010 Brussels, BE -- Jan 4, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011 Vienna, AT -- Feb 11, 2011 to TBA Madrid, ES -- Apr 2, 2011 to TBA Valencia, ES -- Jun 16, 2011 to TBA Alicante, ES -- Jul 28, 2011 to TBA Sevilla, ES -- Sep 8, 2011 to TBA Paris, FR -- TBA Koozå: Vancouver, BC -- Jul 22, 2010 to Sep 5, 2010 Calgary, AB -- Sep 16, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010 Miami, FL -- Nov 12, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 Tokyo, JPN -- Feb 2, 2011 to Apr 12, 2011 Ovo: Washington, DC -- Sep 9, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010 Atlanta, GA -- Nov 4, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010 Dallas, TX -- Jan 28, 2011 to Feb 13, 2011 Houston, TX -- Mar 10, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011 Cincinnati, OH -- Apr 22, 2011 to TBA Chicago, IL -- Jun 30, 2011 to TBA Seattle, WA -- Nov 17, 2011 to TBA Quidam: Bogota, CO -- Oct 19, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010 NOTE: Begins Arena Tour after Bogota! Totem: Amsterdam, NL -- Oct 7, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 (*) London, UK -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011 (*) Charlotte, NC -- Mar 3, 2011 to TBA Baltimore, MD -- Apr 7, 2011 to TBA Pittsburgh, PA -- May 12, 2011 to TBA Montreal, QC -- Jun 16, 2011 to TBA Toronto, ON -- Aug 4, 2011 to TBA San Francisco, CA -- Oct 21, 2011 to TBA Varekai: Oostende, BE -- Jul 29, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010 Zurich, CH -- Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010 Barcelona, ES -- Nov 5, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 Taipei, TW -- Jan 20, 2011 to TBA ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=1831 > Saltimbanco: Granada, ES -- Sep 29, 2010 to Oct 3, 2010 Madrid, ES -- Oct 6, 2010 to Oct 10, 2010 Lisbon, PT -- Oct 13, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010 Prague, CZ -- Nov 12, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010 Zagreb, HR -- Nov 17, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010 Belgrade, SB -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010 Basel, CH -- Dec 1, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 Budapest, HU -- Dec 8, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010 Nurnberg, DE -- Dec 15, 2010 to Dec 19, 2010 Antwerp, BE -- Dec 22, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011 Lille, FR -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011 Paris, FR -- Jan 13, 2011 to Jan 15, 2011 Johannesburg, ZA -- Mar 9, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011 Cape Town, ZA -- Mar 23, 2011 to Apr 3, 2011 Perth, AU -- Apr 21, 2011 to TBA Adelaide, AU -- May 12, 2011 to TBA Melbourne, AU -- May 25, 2011 to TBA Hobart, AU -- Jun 15, 2011 to Jun 19, 2011 Brisbane, AU -- Jul 8, 2011 to TBA Newcastle, AU -- Jul 20, 2011 to Jul 24, 2011 Sydney, AU -- Jul 27, 2011 to TBA Wollongong, AU -- Aug 17, 2011 to Aug 21, 2011 Auckland, NZ -- Aug 25, 2011 to TBA Alegría: Honolulu, HI -- Oct 15, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010 Boise, ID -- Nov 4, 2010 to Nov 7, 2010 Houston, TX -- Nov 10, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010 Phoenix, AZ -- Nov 17, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010 Tucson, AZ -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010 El Paso, TX -- Dec 1, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 Oklahoma City, OK -- Dec 22, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010 Wichita, KS -- Dec 29, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011 Baton Rouge, LA -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011 Colorado Springs, CO -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011 Broomfield, CO -- Jan 19, 2011 to Jan 23, 2011 Loveland, CO -- Jan 26, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011 Laredo, TX -- Feb 2, 2011 to Feb 6, 2011 Hidalgo, TX -- Feb 9, 2011 to Feb 13, 2011 Corpus Christi, TX -- Feb 16, 2011 to Feb 20, 2011 Tulsa, OK -- Feb 23, 2011 to Feb 27, 2011 North Charleston, SC -- Mar 17, 2011 to TBA Knoxville, TN -- Mar 23, 2011 to TBA Charlotesville, VA -- Mar 30, 2011 to TBA Atlantic City, NJ -- Apr 6, 2011 to TBA Greensboro, NC -- Apr 13, 2011 to TBA Biloxi, MS -- Apr 20, 2011 to TBA Southaver, MS -- Apr 27, 2011 to TBA Roanoke, VA -- May 4, 2011 to TBA Columbia, SC -- May 11, 2011 to TBA Louisville, KY -- Jun 9, 2011 to TBA Nashville, TN -- Jun 15, 2011 to TBA Tampa, FL -- Jun 22, 2011 to TBA Jacksonville, FL -- Jun 29, 2011 to TBA Raleigh, NC -- Jul 6, 2011 to TBA Duluth, GA -- Jul 13, 2011 to TBA Sunrise, FL -- Jul 20, 2011 to TBA Charlotte, NC -- Aug 3, 2011 to TBA Estero, FL -- Aug 10, 2011 to TBA Quidam: Kingson, ON -- Dec 11, 2010 to Dec 14, 2010 Montréal, QC -- Dec 18, 2010 to Dec 30, 2010 Quebec, QC -- Jan 4, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011 Chicoutimi, QC -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011 Vancouver, BC -- Mar 9, 2011 to Mar 13, 2011 Everett, WA -- Mar 16, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011 San Jose, CA -- Mar 24, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011 San Diego, CA -- Mar 30, 2011 to Apr 3, 2011 San Francisco, CA -- Apr 6, 2011 to TBA Long Beach, CA -- Apr 20, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011 Ontario, Ca -- Apr 27, 2011 to May 1, 2011 Reno, NV -- May 4, 2011 to TBA Dralion: Trenton, NJ -- Oct 20, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010 Buffalo, NY -- Oct 27, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010 Reading, PA -- Nov 2, 2010 to Nov 7, 2010 Youngstown, OH -- Nov 10, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010 Windsow, ON -- Nov 17, 2010 to NOv 21, 2010 Oshawa, ON -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010 Worcester, MA -- Dec 16, 2010 to Dec 19, 2010 Philadelphia, PA -- Dec 21, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011 Boston, MA -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011 Grand Rapids, MI -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011 St. Louis, MO -- Jan 19, 2011 to Jan 23, 2011 Hoffman Estates, IL -- Jan 26, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011 Detroit, MI -- Feb 16, 2011 to Feb 20, 2011 Austin, TX -- Mar 10, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011 San Antonio, TX -- Mar 23, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011 Peoria, IL -- Apr 22, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011 Cypress, TX -- Nov 17, 2011 to TBA Beaumont, TX -- Nov 23, 2011 to TBA --------------------------------- RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre --------------------------------- NOTE: (*) Prices are in United States Dollars (USD) unless otherwise noted. (*) Ticket prices exclude the 10% Live Entertainment Tax, the $7.50 per-ticket processing fee, and sales tax where applicable. Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=40 > Mystère: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm 2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12): o Category 1: $109.00 / $54.50 o Category 2: $99.00 / $49.50 o Category 3: $79.00 / $39.50 o Category 4: $69.00 / $34.50 o Category 5: $60.00 / $30.00 (Limited View) 2010 Dark Dates: o September 4 - 8 o November 3 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm 2010 Ticket Prices: o Orchestra: $150.00 o Loggia: $130.00 o Balcony: $99.00 o Limited View: $93.50 2010 Dark Dates: o October 10 o December 8 - 21 La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm 2010 Ticket Prices (adults) / (child 3-9): o Category 0: $120.00 / $97.00 o Category 1: $105.00 / $85.00 o Category 2: $85.00 / $69.00 o Category 3: $69.00 / $56.00 o Category 4: $55.00 / $45.00 2010 Dark Dates: o September 21 - 24 o November 16 Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday Dark: Wednesday & Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm 2010 Ticket Prices (18+ Only!): o Duo Sofas: $135.00 o Orchestra Seats: $99.00 o Upper Orchestra Seats: $79.00 o Balcony Seats: $69.00 o Cabaret Stools: $69.00 2010 Dark Dates: o September 14 o October 12 - 13 o November 30 o December 1 - 14 2010 Added Performances: o September 16th o October 14th o November 29th o December 30th KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12): o Category 1: $150.00 / $75.00 o Category 2: $125.00 / $62.50 o Category 3: $99.00 / $49.50 o Category 4: $69.00 / $34.50 2010 Dark Dates o September 7 - 11 o November 16 - 17 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2010 Ticket Prices: o Lower Orchestra: $150.00 o Upper Orchestra: $130.00 o Lower Balcony: $99.00 o Middle Balcony: $93.50 2010 Dark Dates: o October 7 o December 3 - 13 ZAIA: Location: Venetian, Macao (China) Performs: Every Day, Dark: Wednesday One to Two Shows Daily - Times Vary 2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 2-11): o VIP Seating: MOP$ 1288 / MOP$ 1288 o Reserve A: MOP$ 788 / MOP$ 394 o Reserve B: MOP$ 588 / MOP$ 294 o Reserve C: MOP$ 388 / MOP$ 194 ZED: Location: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo (Japan) Performs: Varies One to Two Shows Daily - Showtimes vary 2010 Ticket Prices (Non-Peek / Peek Time): o Category 1 ("Premium"): ¥15,000 / ¥16,000 o Category 2 ("Stage-Side"): ¥12,500 / ¥13,500 o Category 2 ("Center"): ¥12,500 / ¥13,500 o Category 3 ("Wide View"): ¥9,500 / ¥10,500 o Category 4 ("Value"): ¥7,500 / ¥7,800 BELIEVE: Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm NOTE: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under the age of five are not permitted into the theater. 2010 Ticket Prices (all): o Category 1: $160.00 o Category 2: $125.00 o Category 3: $99.00 o Category 4: $79.00 o Category 5: $59.00 2010 Dark Dates: o October 12 - 16 VIVA ELVIS: Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2010 Ticket Prices (Previews / Regular) o Category 1: $149.38 / $175.00 o Category 2: $128.75 / $150.00 o Category 3: $108.13 / $125.00 o Category 4: $86.68 / $99.00 2010 Dark Dates: o September 14 - 16 o November 17 - 25 -------------------------------------- VENUE - Venue & Seasonal Productions -------------------------------------- Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=251 > Wintuk: Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City (USA) Show Schedule: Performances are held November 17, 2010 through January 2, 2011 from Wednesdays through Sundays. There are no performances on Monday and Tuesday (with the exception of December 21, 27 and 28, 2010). Ticket prices range from from $30 to $220 based on category and performance date. Please see the Cirque du Soleil website for ticket details: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/wintuk/ tickets/schedule.aspx > Banana Shpeel: Banana Shpeel is going on tour! Check out the show at these locations: Toronto, ON -- Sep 14, 2010 to Oct 10, 2010 San Francisco, CA -- Oct 16, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010 [CANCELED] Orange County, CA -- Dec 7, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010 [UNKNOWN] ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE'S SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= --- [ "O" ] --- {Sep.29} Take a glimpse into the auditions that were held in the "O" theatre a couple weeks ago! LINK /// < http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/sep/22/ cirque-du-soleil-auditions/ > {Sep.24} A few artists from "O" will be in the Gift Shop (in front of the "O" Box Office) signing autographs and posing for photos tonight from 6:30pm-7pm! If you are around, come say hello! --- [ ALEGRIA ] --- {Sep.30} Honolulu, Hawai'i: Special sneak peek into the world of Alegria and Cirque du Soleil @ Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, earlier today, Sept 29. Micah Naruo (Fire-Knife Dancer) talks about his experience on tour, Denys Tolstov (Hand Balancer) honoured the audience with his performance while the Old Nostalgic Birds amused the curious ones! LINK /// < http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/ story.asp?S=13241621 > {Sep.24} Group picture for the WALL OF FAME / Spokane Arena! FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 469706515745&set=a.132917855745.130630.38543815745 > {Sep.17} Recent photo shoot to capture new images from the Alegria Arena Tour FOTO [8] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid= 275905&id=38543815745&ref=mf > {Sep.14} This morning @ King5, New-Day NW: a special performance from Denys Tolstov, Hand Balancer... LINK /// < http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/A-special- performance-from-Cirque-du-Soleils-Alegria- 102836529.html > {Sep.09} According to this reporter, "The hardest part about reviewing any Cirque du Soleil production? Running out of adjectives." LINK /// < http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/ spectacular-spectacular/ > {Sep.09} In Victoria, BC, until Sunday! Here is a great behind the scene sneak peek with Alexander Dobrynin (Flying Man) and Trudy McIntosh (Power Track)! LINK /// < http://www.atv.ca/victoria/4994_73660.aspx > {Sep.04} Curious to know more about the music in the show? In this article, Frederick Kraai, Musician (Saxophone), talks about his role, the importance of the live music in the show...plus Micah Naruo, artist (Fire-Knife Dance), who loves performing on stage! LINK /// < http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/ the-joy-of-alegria > --- [ BANANA SHPEEL ] --- {Sep.30} Life backstage at Banana Shpeel is always interesting...Performances in Toronto through October 10 only. LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=479117861799 &set=a.336070321799.187634.153330866799 > {Sep.24} The contortion act performed live on Breakfast TV in Toronto. It's a very early start to the day, but it was fun! LINK /// < http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/610559991001. 000000/banana-shpeel-contortion-act/ > {Sep.19} Toronto audiences are great and very responsive to Banana Shpeel. Check out the artists backstage at the Canon Theatre. FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 474228531799&set=a.336070321799. 187634.153330866799 > {Sep.13} With Banana Shpeel previews starting Tuesday, the street team hit the Toronto International Film Festival to distribute popcorn in cool buckets. FOTO [23] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=488564 &id=346913040639&fbid=10150248174245640&ref=mf > {Sep.09} Great photos of Wednesday's rehearsals on the Toronto Star website. | Photojournalist Steve Russell covered the famous Cirque du Soleil troupe as they rehearse for their upcoming show "Banana Shpeel." Dancer Joseph Wiggan shows up for Cirque du Soleil rehearsal on Queen Street West for their upcoming show "Banana Shpeel" which will run from September 14 to October 10th. LINK /// < http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/ 2010/09/cirque-du-soleil.html > --- [ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ] --- {Sep.09} We're loving our new video which puts YOU right in the action of all seven Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas! Click the link below to check it out! LINK /// < http://bit.ly/99YW5N > {Sep.04} Hi friends of Cirque! Call it a late Spring break or an early Fall break, but it's still summer in Vegas so come see us between now and the end of October for $50! (http://promo- www.cirquedusoleil.com/las-vegas/summer-2010/index.htm) Thanks again to everyone who came to see us in L.A. a few weeks ago, some familiar faces even made it into the digital pages of LIFE Magazine! LINK /// < http://www.life.com/image/103544744 > {Sep.02} Cirque founder Guy Laliberté a happy birthday! --- [ DRALION ] --- {Sep.24} More, more and even more images of the Dralion cast rehearsing in Montreal. Only three weeks to go before the North American Premiere Arena show in Trenton, New Jersey Foto [13] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid= 506976&id=39340140194&ref=mf > {Sep.10} Still rehearsing in Montreal, the Dralion cast is getting familiar with the Arena stage. Curious to see them in action! VIDEO [0:30] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/ video.php?v=443709730352&ref=mf > {Sep.10} The cast just arrived in Montreal to rehearse for the upcoming North America Arena Tour FOTO [5] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=481610&id=39340140194&ref=mf > --- [KOOZA] --- {Sep.27} If you pass by Calgary, AB, don't miss the KOOZA window display at the Holt Renfrew tunnel inside The CORE/TD Square Mall LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 432346856338&set=a.71836936338.88957.34324811338 > {Sep.27} Interview with KOOZA Artistic Director Adam Miller - learn more about the show & artists! LINK /// < http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/video/index.html? releasePID=W1Pz2SiF2lWU7NI88zSd2PWAuq2n_Gku > {Sep.25} Did you know there is a school on KOOZA? Watch the video to find out! VIDEO /// < http://start.shaw.ca/Start/enCA/Videos/Featured Videos.htm?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7BA0BB5630-EAFE- 4F8B-9D52-78105E5D8967%7D&NRORIGINALURL=%2Fstart%2FenCA%2 Fvideos%2Ffeaturedvideos.htm%3FfvPgID%3D%7B764490F7-4F60- 465C-8686-CE55D51B52F7%7D&fvTitle=Kooza+School&href3 D171C4BD6BC=mms%3A%2F%2Fprdmediax1.shaw.ca%2FStart%2F ShawTV%2FCalgary%2FSept24%2F24kooz.wmv&NRCACHEHINT =Guest&fvPgID=%7B764490F7-4F60-465C-8686- CE55D51B52F7%7D&detection=declined > {Sep.17} REVIEW & PHOTOS: Cirque du Soleil brilliant under the Calgary Big Top! LINK /// < http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/ Cirque+Soleil+brilliant+under+Calgary+Photo+ Gallery+Review/3538764/story.html#ixzz0znWGoRrc > {Sep.17} REVIEW: Cirque du Hooray!! LINK /// < http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainment/ 2010/09/16/15367206.html > --- [ KÀ ] --- {Sep.25} Happy Saturday, KÀ fans! The majority of our artists and crew have graciously sacrificed their upcoming weekend to take a bunch of new photos of the show's characters, so check back here next week for a sneak peek of the new show photos! Also, in case you missed our appearance on "World's Toughest Fixes" back in May, you can stream it online on Netflix, check it out! LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 491560181928&set=a.176667951928.146847.31527171928 > --- [ LA NOUBA ] --- {Sep.30} Over the break our technicians, riggers and electricians had rope access training which allows them to work in a high area of the theater where access with a ladder, lift or scaffolding isn't possible. In this situation the ropes are the primary means of support, positioning and safety protection. It's serious stuff, but it looks like fun! FOTO [9] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=217729&id=16315569901&ref=mf > {Sep.16} La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil Our musicians made a rare daylight appearance this week. They were featured for an hour on WUCF, 89.9 FM and performed some amazing original music! FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=209463&id=16315569901&ref=mf > {Sep.09} La Nouba took to Twitter for a chat with Jennifer B. in the wardrobe department at La Nouba! See what she does here! LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=207437&id=16315569901&ref=mf > --- [ MYSTERE ] --- {Sep.25} Mystère by Cirque du Soleil Happy Saturday, Mystère friends! Our 8,000th performance on October 17th is right around the corner, and we're putting the finishing touches on an exciting change to one of our acrobatic acts. Stay tuned for more info and maybe a sneak peek. Here's a hint about which act it is, any guesses as to what the change might be? LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 469185969918&set=a.121054974918.123251.18155469918 > {Sep.18} Ever wonder what Mystère would look like performed in a cubicle? Well wonder no more! Earlier this week we paid a visit to some of the hard working men and women who are kind enough to sell tickets to our show. Please join us in thanking them for all of their hard work and enthusiasm! Mystère goes Corporate Casual! FOTO [50] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=277542&id=18155469918&ref=mf > {Sep.15} Mystère mega-fan John Hunt attended the show for the 69th time last night! Great seeing you John, as always! I think we've already asked how many times you've seen Mystère (and feel free to share), but to try to even the playing field let's add all Cirque du Soleil shows. How many times have you attended a Cirque du Soleil show - resident, big top and arena? LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 465176324918&set=a.121054974918.123251.18155469918 > --- [ OVO ] --- {Sep.17} Backstage at Cirque du Soleil's OVO LINK /// < http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/09/ backstage-at-cirque-de-soliel-s-ovo--10601.html > {Sep.16} Closer Inspection: Not-so-creepy crawlies - September 12, 2010 - Washington Post Magazine LINK /// < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/artsandliving/magazine/closer-inspection/ 20100912/index.html > {Sep.07} Learn how the OVO Blue and Yellow Grand Chapiteau is raised! LINK /// < http://dcstylespot.com/2010/09/03/ the-raising-of-le-grande-chapiteau/ > --- [ SALTIMBANCO ] --- {Sep.30} Almost sold out in Granada!! LINK /// < http://www.ideal.es/granada/v/20100930/ cultura/reyes-galaxia-circense-20100930.html > {Sep.28} Saltimbanco in Granada LINK /// < http://www.ideal.es/granada/20100923/local/granada/ cirque-soleil-llega-granada-201009231708.html > {Sep.24} Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil Reviews in Zaragoza! LINK /// < http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/ noticia.asp?pkid=611982#EnlaceComentarios > {Sep.24} El Circo del Sol en Zaragoza. LINK /// < http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/servicios/ galerias/galeria.asp?pkid=26128&page_IMG=2 > {Sep.22} Opening tonight en Zaragoza! LINK /// < http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/detalle/ saltimbanco_abre_telon_zaragoza.html > {Sep.06} Playing in Munich at the Olympiahalle until Sunday ! LINK /// < http://www.merkur-online.de/nachrichten/kultur/ cirque-soleil-imperium-kehrt-zurueck-901830.html > {Sep.01} Currently playing in Berlin!! LINK /// < http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/ archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2010/0826/ kulturkalender/0081/index.html > --- [ THE BEATLES LOVE ] --- {Sep.30} Behind the scenes look at LOVE with Vegas.com! LINK /// < http://www.vegas.com/vegasminute/ > {Sep.30} Here we are performing on America's Got Talent! VIDEO [5:41] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php? v=10100206589434999&ref=mf > {Sep.29} What would John Lennon have been like at age 70? Check out this story by Ivor Davies that talks all about Lennon and his life. LINK /// < http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/ Imagine+Beatles+John+Lennon+story+photos/ 3582677/story.html > {Sep.25} Check out this video made from LOVE dancer Cameron McKinlay! It's a behind the scenes look at LOVE's performance on "America's Got Talent"...enjoy....xoxo VIDEO [x:xx] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQOohXczC4 > {Sep.24} Oct 9 marks what would've been the 70th birthday of John Lennon... Yoko Ono and Mayor Bloomberg honour John Lennon with new documentary on eve of his 70th birthday. LINK /// < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article- 1314982/Yoko-Ono-Mayor-Bloomberg-honour-John-Lennon- new-documentary-eve-70th-birthday.html > {Sep.15} Thanks everyone for your support! In case you missed our performance on "America's Got Talent" (or you just want to watch it again!), check out this video link. PEACE AND LOVE! The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil on America's Got Talent FINALE VIDEO [x:xx] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1wB8nsUfkA > {Sep.15} LOVE on America's Got Talent, Sept. 2010 FOTO /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=198918&id=14653468665&ref=mf > {Sep.15} We're having a blast rehearsing for our performance on America's Got Talent tonight -- and we've got some pics! Don't forget to tune in! 8 pm on NBC! FOTO [13] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=198918&id=14653468665&ref=mf > {Sep.13} We are stoked for Carlos Santana's brand new album, "Guitar Heaven...The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time" in- stores Sept 21. The first single from the album is a stirring rendition of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," featuring India.Arie and Yo-Yo Ma! And we found the song on You Tube. Simply brilliant! VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DeOSLNbhfg > {Sep.11} The Beatles voted #1 in "Greatest Artists of All Time" Vh1 report!!! LINK /// < http://www.newsopi.com/showbiz/vh1-top-100-artists- of-all-time-list-of-greatest-artists-of-all- time/4177/ > {Sep.10} A great interview with Yoko from TIME magazine...she is one of the biggest supporters of LOVE, thank you for enlightening us with this interview, Yoko! LINK /// < http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/ 0,8599,2017363,00.html > {Sep.10} Neil Diamond and Herbie Hancock sing "Yesterday" in support of Stand Up to Cancer charity event LINK /// < http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/09/ neil-diamond-teams-with-herbie-hancock-for-a-good- cause.html > {Sep.07} Check out this cool video, all about the LOVE Skaters! Produced by original cast member, Daniel Ortiz. VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Lpldu3uQg+ > {Sep.07} A little history lesson by writer Bruce Spizer from The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show! LINK /// < http://www.beatlesagain.com/the-beatles- on-ed-sullivan.html > {Sep.04} Day 2 of rehearsals with Napoleon and Tabitha (aka NappyTabs) in preparation for LOVE's performance on the finale of "America's Got Talent" Sept 15. A special act for tv that is NOT currently in the show, and music by Giles Martin get excited!!! --- [ VAREKAI ] --- {Sep.22} Premiere of Varekai in Zurich - a real success! LINK /// < http://ch.tilllate.com/de/photoalbum/overview/1 0342970#p1 > LINK /// < http://zuerich.usgang.ch/picture.php?n=420392 > --- [ VIVA ELVIS ] --- {Sep.19} Here's a behind the scenes video of a photo shoot at the theater. This video was created by our talented performer Aaron Felske. The characters were photographed by Eric Jamison for our new show logo. What do you think of the new logo? VIDEO [1:25] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php? v=439505582001&ref=mf > {Sep.11} In case you missed our performance of Blue Suede Shoes on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJW-Nx573c > {Sep.03} On The Download: Cirque Du Soleil's 'Viva ELVIS' LINK /// < http://www.accesshollywood.com/on-the-download- cirque-du-soleils-viva-elvis_article_36455 > --- [ WINTUK ] --- {Sep.30} Ever wonder what the Wintuk characters do in the off-season? VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E188OVfbcFw > {Sep.28} Here's a look at what the Wintuk promo team was up to lately! FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=475966&id=98244255320&ref=mf > {Sep.27} On Sunday, Sept 26 in NYC, Cirque du Soleil participated in the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction hosted by Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. We'll be selling fun Cirque merchadise and auctioning a Vegas trip and Opening Night tickets to our new 2011 show at Radio City Music Hall. Here's Wintuk at the Broadway Flea Market! LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 10150270546850321&set=a.10150270546845321. 538895.98244255320 > {Sep.24} The Power Track artists are training in Montreal! VIDEO [0:06] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php? v=447116987995&ref=mf > {Sep.15} We've been having a blast at these events! Here's a look at what the Wintuk promo team was up to lately! FOTO [18] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=475966& id=98244255320&fbid=10150250545725321&ref=mf > {Sep.13} We're very excited to be starting the season soon! Here's a look at what's in store! VIDEO [0:40] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php? v=10100193476613199&ref=mf > {Sep.08} Check out the Photos of the Wintuk Promotional Team in action over Labor Day Weekend. FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=530893&id=98244255320&ref=mf > --- [ ZED ] --- {Sep.30} ZED is celebrating today its second year of life and fun together with the amazing team of artists, technicians and staff. Long live ZED! {Sep.26} Article about ZED on Mainichi Shinbun LINK /// < http://mainichi.jp/enta/art/news/ 20100921ddm013070106000c.html > {Sep.16} The beautiful Mai Sato- Our first Japanese female artist- introduced to the Japanese audience by NTV's NEWS ZERO VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQkTSyvLtSI > {Sep.14} Some voices from ZED on this NHK show. Enjoy! LINK /// < http://www.nhk.or.jp/50voice/movie/35/movie02.html > --- [ ZUMANITY ] --- {Sep.30} Gearing up for Gay Days Anaheim this weekend! We'll be performing at the Kingdom event on Saturday night with our fabulous Edie Entertainer and a scandalous performance from our show. If you still haven't purchased tickets, there's still time! Hope to see you there sex kittens! {Sep.21} It's official - we celebrated 7 fabulous years yesterday, Monday, Sept. 20! A special thank you to all of our supportive & wonderful friends. Some truly amazing moments over the years - see below for a new clip of some of our talented artists doing an interview with Las Vegas' summer campaign "Camp Vegas." LINK /// < http://www.pokerguideblog.com/uncategorized/camp- vegas-cast-interview-at-zumanity-cirque-du-soleil/ > {Sep.19} We're wishing our Facebook fans a relaxing weekend! See the link below for a sneak peak of our fun & fabulous Botero Sisters mingling with the crowd at our Mix & Mingle event during FABULOUS Las Vegas! More footage can be found a www.Vegas.com VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3EetYEpYVE > {Sep.18} Zumanity Out and About FOTO [2] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php? aid=160312&id=13931088846&ref=mf > {Sep.01} We're proud to announce that our beautiful and talented singer, PARIS RED, has won 2 awards at this year's Las Vegas Black Music Awards for Best Female Jazz Vocalist and Best Major Show Performer. Congratulations Paris! ======================================================================= COMPARTMENTS -- A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN ======================================================================= o) DIDYAKNOW - Facts at a Glance about Cirque o) HISTORIA - Cirque du Soleil History --------------------------------- DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque --------------------------------- o) Did you know the practice of foot juggling was transformed in 1840, when Richard R. Carlisle Risley got the idea of replacing objects propelled in the air with... a child? o) Did you know that before "Cirque du Soleil: Parade of Colors" (ISBN# 0-8109-4515-0) was published in 2003, Cirque had been looking to create children's books based on its productions? As far back as 1998, Cirque wanted to enter the publishing world with an illustrated children's book inspired by Quidam, Cirque's latest show at the time. o) Did you know that the German Wheel was invented in 1925 by Otto Fick, and was used as a Nazi propaganda device? That's right! The German Wheel actually became the most practiced sport by Hitlerian Youth during the rise of the Nazi Movement. During the 1936 Olympic Games, the Nazi propaganda machine even placed a Swastika in the middle of the wheel. When the Third Reich fell, the Wheel was banned worldwide. It was Israel, in the 1970s, which brought the Wheel out of obscurity and back into the light, making it the more dynamic and artistic sport we know today. o) Did you know that Alegria is the top selling Cirque album to date? Yes, with over 800,000 copies sold. Quidam is next with about 500,000 sold. o) The name of the spectacle, ZAIA, is inspired by a Greek first name meaning "the life" and points out mythical Gaïa, Greek goddess of the ground and symbol of planetary ecological balance. o) Did you know the forest in Varkeai consists of over 300 "trees" between 15 feet and 35 feet tall? The forest is also interspersed with twenty-odd "acrobatic trees" that its inhabitants can shinny up to see what's going on. Extending out of the golden forest is the stage, the terrain on which the characters move about. It's a golden clearing with a diameter of 42 feet. Specially designed for the show's aesthetic and acrobatic needs, the stage harbors five traps, two turntables and an elevating platform. o) Did you know that the ring-like apparatus used in Dralion to allow performers to fly around stage and to allow the singer to ascend to the stars is called "The Sun"? The Sun is one of three pieces used during the show. The other two are used as a catwalk and to encompass an enormous lantern. o) Did you know La Nouba has 20 motorized line sets, 1400 lighting instruments (of which 60 move) and 18 cameras that are automatically controlled? o) Did you know that 30 surround loudspeakers are used in "O"? They are distributed behind the balcony, on the face of the balcony but firing forward to cover the main floor, and there are some built into the side walls. The proscenium framing contains 2 loudspeaker clusters, with more along its sides. A series of compact loudspeakers contained in the stage lip bolster coverage to the first few seating rows not getting complete mid/high output from the clusters due to logistics. ------------------------------------ HISTORIA: Cirque du Soleil History ------------------------------------ * Oct.01.1996 -- Alegría opened Fukuoka, Japan * Oct.01.2002 -- La Nouba goes 2-tiered seating * Oct.01.2003 -- Varekai Premium CD Released (CDS/Musique) * Oct.01.2008 -- ZED Gala Premiere in Tokyo * Oct.02.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé opened San Diego * Oct.02.1990 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Paris * Oct.02.2003 -- Alegría opened Portland * Oct.02.2003 -- Dralion opened Mexico City * Oct.02.2007 -- Dralion celebrated its 3000th performance [Osaka, Japan] * Oct.04.2002 -- Dralion opened Sacramento * Oct.05.2010 -- Banana Shpeel's Tour is Canceled * Oct.06.1994 -- Alegría opened Santa Monica * Oct.06.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Madris, ES * Oct.07.2003 -- Region 01 DVD release: Alegría and Varekai * Oct.07.2004 -- Saltimbanco opened Rome * Oct.07.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Pittsburg, PA * Oct.07.2010 -- TOTEM opened Amsterdam, NL * Oct.08.1992 -- Saltimbanco opened Santa Monica * Oct.08.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Oslo, Norway * Oct.09.1992 -- The Saltimbanco CD was released in US (RCA/Victor) * Oct.09.2001 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Journey of Man (also VHS) * Oct.09.2009 -- Guy Laliberté will make an announcement from space concerning ONE DROP. * Oct.09.2010 -- Corteo opened Moscow, RU * Oct.10.1990 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Santa Monica * Oct.10.2001 -- Alegría opened in Adelaide, Australia * Oct.10.2002 -- Alegría opened Mexico City * Oct.11.1994 -- The Alegría CD released in US (RCA/Victor) * Oct.11.2000 -- Dralion opened in McLean, Virginia * Oct.12.1995 -- Alegría opened Washington DC * Oct.12.2000 -- Saltimbanco 2000 opened Tokyo, Japan * Oct.12.2007 -- Quidam opened Guadalajara, Mexico * Oct.12.2010 -- Viva Elvis CD Released (Planned) * Oct.13.2005 -- Alegría opened Tokyo, Japan * Oct.13.2009 -- ZED Album Released * Oct.13.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Lisbon, PT * Oct.14.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened in Washington DC * Oct.14.1998 -- Saltimbanco opened Ottawa (Special Performances) * Oct.14.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Philadelphia, PA * Oct.14.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Aalborg, DK * Oct.15.2004 -- Dralion opened Madrid, Spain * Oct.15.2008 -- Alegría opened Seoul, South Korea * Oct.15.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Honolulu, HI * Oct.16.2009 -- Koozå opened Santa Monica, CA * Oct.16.2010 -- Banana Shpeel opened San Francisco, CA (Canceled) * Oct.18.2005 -- KÀ CD released (CDS Musique) * Oct.19.1998 -- "O" premiered at Bellagio, Las Vegas * Oct.19.2004 -- "Tapis Rogue: Solarium" CD Released (CDS Musique) * Oct.19.2006 -- Dralion opened Frankfurt * Oct.19.2007 -- Alegría opened Brasilia, Brazil * Oct.19.2008 -- Guy Laliberte awarded honorary doctorate by Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec * Oct.19.2010 -- Quidam opened Bogota, CO * Oct.20.2003 -- "Cirque for Life" film even in Portlan, Oregon * Oct.20.2007 -- Zumanity celebrated its 2000th performance * Oct.20.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary screened in theaters * Oct.20.2010 -- Dralion Arena opened Trenton, NJ * Oct.21.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary released on DVD * Oct.21.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Reading, PA * Oct.21.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Copenhagen, DK * Oct.22.2003 -- Canadian premiere of Varekai on CBC * Oct.22.2003 -- Quidam opened Fukuoka, Japan * Oct.22.2006 -- Quidam NAT 3 Ended. * Oct.22.2009 -- Dralion opened Guadalajara, MX * Oct.23.2008 -- Dralion opened Canberra, Australia * Oct.23.2009 -- Quidam opened Belo Hoizonte, Brazil * Oct.23.2009 -- Varekai opened Moscow, Russia * Oct.25.1988 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Montréal * Oct.25.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Washington DC * Oct.25.2007 -- Varekai opened Antwerp, Belgium * Oct.26.1999 -- Dralion CD released in Canada (RCA/Victor) * Oct.26.2000 -- Quidam opened Frankfurt * Oct.26.2001 -- New Musical Director "O" (John-Paul Gasparelli) * Oct.26.2006 -- Corteo opened Washington, DC. * Oct.27.2005 -- Varekai opened Charlotte * Oct.27.2006 -- Alegría opened Madrid, Spain * Oct.27.2010 -- Dralion Arena opened Buffalo, NY * Oct.28.1997 -- Cirque Collection CD Released in Canada (RCA/Victor) * Oct.29.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Santa Monica * Oct.29.1998 -- Quidam opened Atlanta * Oct.29.2004 -- Alegría opened Tokyo, Japan * Oct.29.2007 -- Guy Laliberte announces One Drop Foundation * Oct.30.2001 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Le Magie Continue, Saltimbanco, Cirque Réinventé, and Baroque Odyssey. (Also released on VHS) * Oct.30.2008 -- Koozå opened Washington, DC. * Oct.30.2008 -- Quidam opened Brussels, Belgium * Oct.31.2002 -- Saltimbanco opened Madrid * Oct.31.2007 -- Dralion opened Nagoya, Japan * Oct.31.2008 -- BELIEVE gala premiere in Las Vegas * Oct.xx.2001 -- CirqueClub premiered ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= Within... o) "My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} o) "Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED] By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander ------------------------------------------------------- "My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} ------------------------------------------------------- When Cirque du Soleil "re-invented" the traditional circus the company transformed it into an art form. The creative minds at Cirque took a form of entertainment that was thought of as crass, tawdry and somewhat archaic and completely re-imagining it, infusing it with creativity and artistry to create something fresh, daring and avant- garde. Similar to traditional American circus, Vaudeville is an anachronistic form of entertainment rife with possibility for re-invention. The question with Banana Shpeel is whether or not Cirque du Soleil, a company whose mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world, would be able to successfully re-invent Vaudeville the way it re-invented circus. After all, the company successfully re-invented a genre of performance before so, theoretically, they could do it again. But, alas, they haven't. Banana Shpeel doesn't so much re-invent vaudeville as it regurgitates it. Now, I know some will inevitably decry that we die-hard fans have it out for Banana Shpeel because we never want Cirque to branch out and try new things, that's simply a false assumption. The disdain levelled at Banana Shpeel stems not from the fact that it's a different style of show from what we've seen before from Cirque du Soleil but that it is simply a poor show with few redeeming qualities and it by no means lives up to the expectations of the level of quality we've come to expect from the Cirque du Soleil name. With BS, the company has, in effect, broken their contract with their audiences or, to put it less politely, pulled the old bait-n-switch and cheated its loyal customer base. Cirque du Soleil is a well-established entertainment brand and some of the values associated with the brand are creativity, artistry and avant-garde physical performance. The brand has a reputation to uphold, people go into a Cirque du Soleil show expecting to be wowed, they expect their imagination to be invoked, their senses provoked and their emotions evoked. Performance quality, artistry, and attention- to-detail are all concepts that Cirque has conditioned us to expect of its performances. These are the core, inalienable values of the Cirque du Soleil brand. Consumers expect the company to uphold these values and anything less is essentially false advertising. That, in a nutshell, is why Banana Shpeel doesn't work. After all, any shmuck can take a few off-the-shelf circus acts, slap silly costumes on them and throw them on a stage. The schmuck in- particular responsible for Banana Shpeel is David Shiner who, with this endeavour, has proved definitively that he is incapable of directing a show that is not filled with asinine, juvenile, bathroom humour. Nor, apparently does he have a lot of new ideas; the clown car sketch from Quidam is re-hashed in Banana Shpeel and the black-light dance number that opens the second half of the show is suspiciously similar to Kooza's skeleton dance and a botched magic act also similar to Kooza's appears in Shpeel. Banana Shpeel represents a dearth of creativity and vision for Cirque du Soleil and the failures of the show rest largely on the shoulders of David Shiner who has proven that he is not ready for prime time. Hopefully Shpeel will be his swan's song with Cirque du Soleil, his style is incompatible with the Cirque brand. The following is my review/post-mortem of Banana Shpeel. CLOWNS First, let's talk about the clowns. Banana Shpeel is over-run with them, it is a show directed by a clown and the majority of the show's run time is occupied by clowning. Now, full disclosure here, I'm generally not a fan of clowns or clowning. They're at best a necessary evil in any given Cirque du Soleil show. I rarely find clowns funny, often find them tedious and sometimes find them downright annoying. The clowns in Shpeel land well in the "annoying" end of the spectrum. At best, clowns in Cirque du Soleil should be treated as the sprig of parsley garnishing a steak dinner; something that is there to complete the overall experience but that should be unobtrusive and easily tossed-aside to get to the meat. Creating a show based almost entirely around clowning thereby inverting the equation simply does not work and is doomed to fail. It would be akin to going to an upscale steakhouse, ordering the special and being served a large plate of parsley garnished with a few tiny shavings of steak. Firstly, the clowns use (insipidly written) English dialogue throughout the show which breaks what was formerly a cardinal rule of Cirque du Soleil that there should be no discernible language used in its shows. Another main pillar of the Cirque du Soleil brand is that it is international. The Cirque brand sells on the image that it is universal and based on the universal language of images, music and physical performance. More, specifically, Cirque sells in North America because of its image that it is esoteric, vaguely European- inspired and is a form of accessible high-culture. The use of English dialogue detracts from the universality of the Cirque du Soleil experience, it makes it too culturally-specific to North America and really gives it a sense that it is cheap, low-brow and crass which is completely antithetical to Cirque's established brand. The clowning is the usual David Shiner material similar to what we saw him do in Kooza; audience plants, inane dialogue and juvenile slapstick most of it asinine, annoying, tedious and unfunny. Banana Shpeel's humour is just so utterly stupid, the schtick so insipid that most of it is insufferable. The clown ensemble consists of Marty Shmelky (Danny Rutigliano) the cantankerous (read: loud and abrasive) theatre producer, his assistant Margaret (Shereen Hickman) she's the most tolerable of the clowns, the comic duo of Daniel Passer and Wayne Wilson (they have some semblance of a rapport with each other and Wayne is almost likeable as the straight-man in the clown ensemble) and the "audience volunteers" played by Gordon White, Claudio Carneiro and Patrick de Valette (each more annoying than the last, they're tiresome after their first appearance in the show and downright insufferable by the end). The problem here is the tone of the humour, one can be stupid and still be funny if you make clever use of self-referential humour or sly allusions (shows like Spamalot and The Drowsy Chaperone use this style of humour), one can also be crude and funny if the context of the crudeness is smart enough (Avenue Q works on this level). The problem with Banana Shpeel is that it is just full-on stupid. It's low-brow, asinine and insipid, without even the slightest hint of intelligence or even cleverness. The clowning just dragged on and on and made for an incredibly tedious evening. SET Some of the show's design elements are actually quite good. The set makes good use of the proscenium stage, the band is elevated on a bandstand, there's an LED backdrop used to create a variety of effects, various backdrops and set pieces are flown in from the fly space, a mechanical deck is employed up-stage that can tilt upward and transform into stairs for some of the dance numbers. Overall, the use of the proscenium stage is more successfully executed than in Wintuk although the creative team didn't even attempt to present a single aerial act in Banana Shpeel. COSTUMES The costumes in Banana Shpeel are hit-and-miss. Dominique Lemieux was trying to emulate the style of Vaudeville but it seems her only trick to putting a "twist" to the costumes is to cover them with massive amounts of sequins. She also misses the ball completely on some costumes; the hand-to-hand duo look like they're dressed in cheerleading outfits and the contortionists are dressed like Power Rangers. MUSIC The musical score of Banana Shpeel is entirely utilitarian, it mostly serves as background music. It doesn't advance a story, heighten emotion or create ambience. At best it's there to provide a beat for the dancers and fill in the silence during the acts. The style is typical of Simon Carpentier's work in previous Cirque shows; generic, brassy faux-jazz or throw-away pieces that sound like a mix between the music they play in the background of nature documentaries and the soundtrack to a softcore porn. The lead vocalist, Alexis Sims, does get a couple solos during the show but unfortunately there's just nothing noteworthy or remotely special about the score of Banana Shpeel, the music is just completely forgettable. CHOREOGRAPHY Unfortunately, the choreography of the individual acts is either non- existent or extremely basic. There are a few ensemble dance numbers in the show choreographed by Jared Grimes. They're big, splashy production numbers of the type you'd see in any sort of variety show. The dancers are obviously talented and the numbers are entertaining (though they tend to be a tad too long, they're still a merciful break from all the insipid clowning). Unfortunately, the dancing in Banana Shpeel completely lacks context. They're just splashy production numbers for the sake of having splashy production numbers; mildly entertaining but ultimately pointless. There are no intelligently thought out, integrated choreographic concepts in the show. It's just empty razzle-dazzle. ACTS Quite frankly, in the context of the other acts we've seen in Cirque du Soleil, the circus acts on offer in Banana Shpeel are pedestrian. There is next-to-no context supporting their inclusion in the show. It's not that the circus acts presented in the show are "bad", the performers are obviously talented. However, while the acts themselves are passable you can see similar acts performed at circuses, cabarets, variety shows and even at busker festivals anywhere. Without the artistry, performance quality and creativity that one typically expects of a Cirque du Soleil show there is absolutely no value added. Which begs the question, why would I pay over a $100 per ticket to see something that I could easily toss a couple bucks into a hat to watch on the street? The Foot Juggling act feels like something I've seen over and over in Cirque and although the performer is talented the act is nothing new. The inclusion of a Tap Dance Duo is a nod to traditional Vaudeville. While it's a first in a Cirque du Soleil show I found the act really kitschy. The Hand-to-hand Duo's act is average. The presentation leaves a lot to be desired. The act is not integrated into any sort of coherent concept and it's very chunky: skill - choreography - skill - choreography - etc. Tuan Le's hat juggling number is reminiscent of Octavio Alegria's in Varekai and he's at least given some dramatic pre-text in the show (he's a puppet come to life). The act is otherwise just a typical juggling number. The handbalancing act by Dmitry Bulkin aka "Dima Shine" is the highlight of the show. Dima plays a pierrot clown throughout the show and is revealed to be a sculpted Adonis at the start of the number. It's the only moment where an act in Banana Shpeel even resembles a real Cirque du Soleil act and the one instance where they try to establish any sort of mood for an act. The singer and trumpeter frame the handbalancer on stage and the music creates a dream-like ambience. The contortion act, despite being a crowd-pleaser, is definitely an old re-tread. The presentation of the act with the vaguely Asian- inspired music is a tired cliché, I've seen so many contortion acts like this in traditional Chinese circuses and the presentation in Shpeel presents us with nothing new or interesting and is one of the least interestingly presented contortion acts I've seen in a Cirque show. Its very inclusion in the show is a prime example of the lazy, cynical approach to production the company took with this show. "Oh no David Shiner, your show bombed in Chicago and NYC. People there thought it wasn't 'cirquey' enough? Okay, we'll fix it by throwing in one of our most tired clichés; an off-of-the shelf, run-of-the-mill contortion act. Problem solved." Banana Shpeel's spectacular failures in Chicago and New York are well documented. To Cirque du Soleil's credit they seem to have taken a lot of the criticism and acted on it, the show does not seem to be the absolute disaster it did in its Chicago and New York incarnations. However, it's too little, too late and the end result is still not a show that I'd be willing to pay to see or anything I'd be satisfied with had I bought a ticket based solely on the Cirque du Soleil name recognition. At this point the show is being kept alive only on Cirque du Soleil's own hubris. The higher-ups at Cirque are too stubborn to admit that the show is an awful representation of what the company is about and they're bent on throwing good money after bad, putting a show that is an embarrassment to the Cirque du Soleil name on tour, alienating its fan base. Cirque du Soleil is a big enough company to be able to take the financial hit and swallow the losses on Banana Shpeel. They could quietly close the show and try to save what little face they have left. Instead, the company seems bent on taking the show on tour to proscenium road-houses across the continent for one- or two-week stints, just long enough to sell tickets by using the Cirque du Soleil name and high-tail out of town before the bad press and word of mouth catches up with the show in any given city. It's a series of hit-n- runs and it can't be good for long-term sustainability of the company if it wishes to maintain the power of its brand. Perhaps my sentiments can best be summed up by a brief exchange I had after the show when somebody asked me if I enjoyed the "Cirque du Soleil" show. I responded, it's NOT "Cirque" . . . it's Banana Shpeel. It's also not anything I'd ever care to see again or recommend anybody spend money to see. ------------------------------------------------------- "Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED] By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander ------------------------------------------------------- Fans of Cirque du Soleil take pride in themselves for knowing each and every show - from its acrobatic numbers to the depth of its theatrical elements - inside and out, which is why, I would say, that we don't pay too much attention to reviews published about an established show in newspapers. What for? The review usually covers the same general points discussed ad nauseum before, right? True enough. But this morning I ran across a blog post from The Pacific Northwest Islander's Arts Blogger, Michael Bowen, who attended Alegría's premiere in Spokane on Wednesday evening. And although you won't find anything ground-breaking about the show within his review, it's presented in one of the most unique ways I've seen - a blow-by-blow, twitter style. # # # 6:47 pm at the Spokane Arena, Wednesday night We're in our seats WAY early, but then my daughter and I have a lot of junk food to get through here: hot dogs, root beer, pretzels, nachos, ice cream bar, cotton candy, granola bar. She gets the granola bar; I get the rest. 7:25 -- A big guy in black shirt and tech gear is climbing the ladder up into the rafters -- must be a spotlight person -- so I'm thinking it's time to get this circus on the road, er, show on the ... it must be time to start. 7:26 -- The clowns are blowing confetti right in the crowd's faces. The lower level of half the Arena (the Star Theatre) is mostly sold for opening night; nobody at all up in the 200 level, which was blocked off. But lots of floor-level seats, too. 7:27 -- The hunchbacked major domo in red is slowly making his way onstage. A white sprite does a stylized scamper around the stage. 7:28 -- A foghorn blows, signaling the clowns and musicians (all in white, with Pinocchio noses) parading through the audience: sax, accordion, triangle, the cutest little snare drum with mini-cymbals, etc. A woman is brought up to waltz with a musician -- not the last instance of audience participation in this show. (If you're in the $90 seats, be ready to cavort and be made fun of.) 7:30 -- The Nostalgic Old Birds, symbols of the Establishment, are acting drunk. Being wobbly means you have hardening of your political arteries; being limber means you stand for youth and energy. The White Queen, singing the title song, is practically growling "Alegria" at us. 7:32 -- One of the little white munchkins, in her squeaky Quebecois accent, is announcing the arrival of Cirque du Soleil "een SPOKE- anne." The White Queen processes on with her two feather girls. So far, this is just a soft-rock show with lots of feathers. We get a sneak peek at the rhythmic gymnastics ribbon lady and the fire dancers. The Old Birds carry around empty mirrors. I'm pretty sure this is a comment on excessive vanity. Two diminutive ballet dancers promenade on to make their appearance. They do some ballet. There's the tinkling of chimes and the boulevard rumbles of the accordion. Lots of ritual here. Oh, these two are getting lifted into a trapeze act. A man and a woman. As they swing back and forth, so nonchalant, just 30 feet or so up in the air, no net, he makes goo-goo eyes at her. Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer. She's hanging by the crook of her knee, upside down. It's a death- wish. On the upswing, they're practically in the arena's rafters. There's no net, and she's rising as she swings, does a 360 and lets go, catches herself by her knees, slides farther down, flips and lets go and twists and careens, and I'm pretty sure that was my jaw that just dropped. I mean, seriously, I just felt my jaw involuntarily go slack. My heart is racing. There's a lull. Now can feel it pounding again. (I've had my ticker looked at this year, and this is not good, because you just can't look on passively when two people on oversize playground swings are swaying up near the roofline and thumbing their noses at mortality. What if one of them plunges? I almost cover my eyes.) These trapeze lovers, they maintain eye contact. They're seated on their trapezes, then lunge up, synchronized (I think, but my eyes on the woman, she's the more, um, supple and lithe one of the two, my regard for her is completely artistic, there's nothing sensual about it, not at all, and then OMG, SHE JUST DID A 360 DEATH FLIP and she's swirling and the trapeze is swinging and this is not good for my heart. --- And the dismount comes in a very unexpected way. And they stick the landing! and bow their way offstage. And that was only the first segment of this show. A clown inside a horse (like one of those swimming-pool inflatable equestrians) does a comic bit that involves "jumping" over a tiny railing. (Don't want to give away the clowning surprises. But you could hear little kids giggling. It only makes you more aware of the fact that you're giggling right along with them.) 7:48 -- Power Track: teams of acrobats do tumbling runs (as at the start of floor exercises in gymnastics), only on very bouncy lanes of trampolines -- two of them. And the lanes intersect, forming an X. And the tumblers time their runs so it's almost, almost, like a flipping/tumbling human demolition derby: One guy is ending his flip over the intersection of the two lanes just as another, competing guy is beginning his. I love how these characters (the Bronx) do baseball slides to the edge of the trampolines, then bounce in unison onto the mat and start their tumbling runs in opposite directions. With the pounding music, this may be my favorite part of the show. (YouTube provides a sense of it, but every performance is distinct, and you have to see it live to feel the visceral fear: What if that crazy-legs guy tumbles right off the edge of the stage?) 7:49 -- Bounce, bounce, bounce. A couple of guys slip at the end of their double-back-somersault-with-two-twists-and-a-squeeze-of-lemon, impossible flips. Just shows how hard they're working. You can see that they're trying to stick their landings on the white X at the end of each black-rubber runway. A big clown in a white bowler hat edges out noncommitally, but soon it's clear that he's there as emergency back-up, for when they unleash their most amazing, highest-altitude, split-legs-at-the-apex tumbling runs. This show is like ballet on steroids. I love synchronized trampoline moves -- like flying with your friends. 7:53 -- The Black Queen is onstage alone with a bird attendant. Or something. Sometimes Cirque throws images at you just for the hell of it. 7:54 -- Clown bit with motorcycle and paper airplanes. Again, don't want to ruin the comic surprises -- but it's nearly all done in a made-up language, with great self-generated sound effects, and if you've ever had a sibling and engaged in some rivalry ... well, the paper-airplane bit encapsulates the kind of big brother/little brother squabbling that translates across cultural barriers. 7:58 -- Cheers for the kid in the front row who successfully flew the paper airplane right back at the two clowns. But some of the clown schtick overstays its welcome. 8:02 -- They're bringing a giant silver button onstage, and the platform is dappled with light, and the clowns are gathering, and it's the Canes man -- a guy who balances vertically on progressively higher canes. He does the Iron Cross on them, tilts his pelvis so that his legs are all akimbo way off to one side and how can he possibly maintain his balance?! He does a one-armed handstand; then switches from cane to cane; then hops on two arms and on one arm across the stage. He swivels on each cane. He splits his legs into a T shape while doing a precarious handstand. Lots of smooth jazz as the Canes guy tilts his body, the Old Birds lounging on the floor behind him, mimicking his leaning moves. Such a show-off, this one. You'd think he considered himself, like, at this point, the focus of the entire show. 8:08 -- Suddenly we're in the Tiki Lounge at Disneyland -- it's time for the Polynesian baton-twirling act. And those torches are hot, baby! Maybe it's the sugar rush from all the cotton candy I've ingested, but I could have sworn that the floor was on fire there for a minute as these two hot Hawaiian hurlers whooped and swooped their flaming sticks around. They hold fire in their toes, they hold fire in the crooks of their knees -- they are the fire gods. Or maybe all the amplified pounding drums have boggled my mind. 8:11 -- They exchange double flaming torches. Any moment now, I expect them to incinerate the dress of some front-row matron. 8:13 -- A clown mocks the fire-dancers with a Bic lighter. 8:15 -- Rhythmic Gymnastics Lady. She twirls ribbons while one of her legs shoots straight up in the air. She puts a reverse spin on a hoop, catches it on its return. I can't even get a hula hoop started. She can pick up six of them. With her toes. And make them all rotate simultaneously. And then fling them, with accuracy, to helpers all across the stage. This woman is a Hula Hoop Goddess -- and as she undulates her lithe, alluring, supple, sinuous body, it's not the hula hoops that I'm watching. She has such long legs and ... OMG, that catsuit leaves NOTHING to the imagination. The pole dancers at the Deja Vu should be taking notes here. And this woman works without a pole, baby. 8:19 -- She has so many hoops spinning at once, they look like opalescent bubbles. Amazing. 8:21 -- The clowns do a bit that involves hugging a suit of clothes in a closet, and a torn-up letter, and a locomotive chugging off into the distance, and I have no idea what is going on or why. The torn-up pieces of paper merge beautifully into a snowstorm, and it's a lovely stage trick that's absolutely out of character with what has gone before. An anticlimactic moment -- you're not quite sure if that was the end of Act One or not. Lights come up to the scratching of heads. 8:32 -- Intermission. We make another junk-food run. As we're returning to our seats, some guy nearby has gotten down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him. Lots of people in surrounding seats took notice. The pressure was on; she said yes. Hundreds applauded. Judging from her wild gesticulations, she kind of liked the ring. A few moments later, Mom returned to her seat with popcorn, had no idea. Hugging ensued. 8:54 -- Musicians return. Large menacing mechanical bird gets lowered from the rafters. Giant lantern swings wildly. Smaller lanterns are carried on. Something entrancing about humans conveying light in darkness.Foghorn again. White Queen parades on. Running white Munchkins swirl onstage again. Wintry sounds. 9:02 -- The Flying Man appears, and his bungee-cord appearance is SPECTACULAR. He lunges, he leans; the Old Birds parallel his moves. He's on enormous rubber bands that lift and twirl him. Arms together, one-armed death spiral, cavorting and hopping in a giant circle around the stage. Just beautiful: You want to BE him. My dreams of flying ... Freud ... I think I'm having impure thoughts. Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm having impure thoughts. To soar like that: To act like a god. The Flying Man is the Spinning Top of Humanity, doing pirouettes like no ballet master's business. 9:08 -- The lady next to us, who arrived 15 minutes late, is on her third glass of wine. Apparently the latest text from her friend is SO much more entertaining than anything the Cirque artists could ever be capable of. Big circus acts, small minds. 9:09 -- Big guys in white, long poles, tiki heads atop them, White Queen singing, Munchkin acrobats assembling. It's like Tron brought to life. Nearly everybody in this show wears de-individualizing wigs. Robotic movements. Oh, they're assembling themselves into the Russian Bars act: Two linebackers put bendy bars on their shoulders, and jockeys do backflips high above until, at the last moment, they sight the bendy bars and make a landing. Smooth jazz playing, too loud. But the jockeys' faces are impassive: See what I can do? There is no strain on my face at all. And what they can do involves launching off one bendy bar and then having that disappear and another move into place just before they stick the landing. A couple of show girls stroll on as momentary diversions. Lots of feathers on them, too. This show really likes feathers. The jockeys get launched skyward, do bicycle kicks in the air, flip double somersaults, sight a different bar from the one they took off on, then land and balance, stick out pointy hands like wings and assert their general high-flying awesomeness. Two clowns bring a guy out of the audience to mock the Russian Bars act: They stretch elaborately, place his feet on a bendy pole, pull mightily upwards -- and the guy stays right where he is. He's a performer, though, and the audience is delighted to see one of its own clowning around. 9:23 -- More swinging lanterns. The White Queen sings. Two tiny Mongolian women saunter on -- naturally, they're wearing feathery capes. A raised and revolving circular platform emerges, all the better for these two contortionists to be seen. Too much reverb on the electric guitar. So imagine yourself watching TV, slouching in your favorite comfy chair, your feet flat on the ground, your legs spread wide. Now put your head on the ground, between your feet -- and facing forward. That's what one of these contortionist ladies just did. Her pelvis is, like, at 90 degrees to her back. (Do the chiropractors in the audience smile or cringe while watching this?) It's like watching a woman in a gynecologist's chair, only her face just emerged where her crotch is supposed to be. As for my body parts: My jaw is hanging slack again. The accordion player strolls on, apparently the cue for Human Pretzel No. 1 to turn herself into a belly-up U-shape, with both feet and hands flat on the ground, and for Pretzel No. 2 to straddle her partner and use her like a pommel horse in gymnastics. 9:30 -- The menacing mechanical bird is glowering at us again. The Munchkin acrobats reappear and start hooking up what appears to be a gigantic parachute; it turns out to be the safety net for the Aerial High Bars. Very ritualistic on the climbing of rope ladders. Imagine six guys clambering all over a jungle gym, which is like every other jungle gym you've seen on a children's playground except for the fact that it's four stories up. Two guys on a swing hang upside down, then catch death-defying spinning men before they drop. The finale involves all of them, in sequence, doing triple-reverse-somersault-with-double- Salchow flips and plunging deep into the netting 40 feet below before bouncing up and assuming an assertive Power Ranger stance. Their faces betray no emotion; just another day at the office involving four-story dives. 9:41 -- The White Queen winds up into the finale: the title song. The music doesn't go on for as long or as impressively as on the CD. The Old Birds hold up their empty mirrors. Multiple curtain calls, with the obligatory Spokane standing ovation -- in this case, well deserved. Despite some meh clown sequences, there were several astounding moments. My jaw went slack again, and I'm going to manually push up my chin, just as soon as I wipe all this cotton-candy residue off it. ======================================================================= SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ======================================================================= Fascination! is a monthly publication, available through subscription via Yahoo! Groups or on the World Wide Web in text format at the newsletter's website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. To subscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination- subscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To unsubscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To Subscribe via Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News) use the following: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >. To view back issues, or other online Newsletter content, please visit us at: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. Join us on the web at: < www.cirquefascination.com > Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > Have a comment, question or concern? Email the Fascination! Newsletter staff at: < CirqueFasincation-owner@yahoogroups.com >. We are anxious to hear any and all comments! ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 10, Number 10 (Issue #81) - October 2010 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2010 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. { Oct.07.2010 } =======================================================================