======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.CirqueFascination.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================= VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 April 2014 ISSUE #123 ======================================================================= Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. This is it! Later this month Cirque du Soleil will debut its latest touring show - KURIOS: CABINET OF CURIOSITIES - a spectacle that dares to ask: what if we could alter reality at will? Yours truly will be there to see it take its first few steps, to delve into this world of curiosities, becoming immersed in a mysterious and fascinating realm that disorients my senses and challenges all my perceptions... will I ask if what I'm seeing is real or just a figment of my imagination? Time will tell. I won't be alone, though. A number of fans (and readers of Fascination!) will also be in attendance - the Cirquesters! Together we're going to step into this steam-punky curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension to have our world literally turned upside down! We have nothing fancy planned for our gathering other than to enjoy each other's company, and, of course, enjoy Cirque du Soleil. I can't wait to be back in Montreal too; seeing a new Cirque show debut is always a good excuse to make the trip up. There's just nothing like a hometown crowd! I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again. It’s a clichéd old adage, but for a fan of Cirque du Soleil there’s simply no substitute for being in the Grand Chapiteau with a couple of thousand Québécois, clapping and stomping to the show’s beat – whether it be lounge-fusion, organ-fusion, Indian-fusion, insect-fusion, Native American-fusion or full-on rock-and-roll – and reveling in every single moment of it all. As an attendee of Cirque du Soleil touring show premieres for twelve years (KURIOS will be my 7th premiere since 2002's Varekai and I hope this will be a lucky one!), allowing one’s self to be swept up in the awesomeness of premiere excitement is nothing short of magical; it’s a euphoria you’ll find nowhere else but in Cirque’s hometown. I relish this feeling... especially with friends. My first experience with this brand of euphoria came when witnessing Varekai’s birth in 2002. I knew from the moment I stepped foot on the cobblestoned streets of the venerable old port of Montréal this was how you celebrated a premiere and I wanted to be a part of it from then on. Traveling to Montreal for premiere weekend has provided many indelible memories. I’ll never forget bouncing along outside the Grand Chapiteau on the third night of Varekai’s performances having just procured a stand-by ticket, while the harmonies of the show’s opening overture played on; or watching “Mad Max” rip off his headdress and fly through the air between one Russian Swing to the other all the while twisting, turning and twirling about – the first time I ever seriously feared for an artist’s safety; or forget about touring the Cirque du Soleil Headquarters with 100 or so Passionates as part of CirqueCon 2005; or forget sitting on the edge of my seat along with everyone else during Koozå’s many thrilling acts; or meeting and speaking with David Shiner, Koozå’s Director, during intermission); or rocking along with the talented ladies of Amaluna, as I fell head-over-heels in love with the show. No doubt we'll have a few thoughts for you regarding KURIOS in our next issue, so be on the lookout! Those interested in a little spoiler can check out the initial splash page over at Richasi's Grand Chapiteau (http://www.richasi.com/Cirque/Kurios/), which has collected a few pieces about KURIOUS to date, including links to the recently released "glimpse" videos. OR you could check out the initial press release here: http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4554 For now, we've got the conclusion of our 2-part peek into a few of the special events Michel Laprise crafted before taking up the post of KURIOS's Writer and Director (which include Quebec's 400th anniversary celebration, and Microsoft KINECT as Imagined by Cirque - a fantastic event if you don't mind me saying). Keith has a review on the new Cavalia concept. And as a special engagement, a long article about Anthony Gatto, initially juggler for Koozå, then later La Nouba, who has recently stepped out of the spotlight - find out why and what he's doing now (construction work?) You'll also find a little bit more on the Cirque Riviera Maya project as Grupo Vidanta released four new renderings of the theater and an interesting pricing structure (the premiere is set for Saturday, November 8th at 9:00pm - prices range from MXN$858 to MXN$2970), enjoy two Q&A's by Robin Leach (one with the Atherton Twins as they join ZARKANA, and a second with Barry Farley - Head of Aquatics for "O"), learn about the settlement Cirque and OSHA reached in the Guillot-Guyard case at KÀ, a bit more on the 2nd Annual One Night for ONE DROP performance (is there a video release coming? YES! As well as a 3rd performance to be held at the LOVE Theater in 2015), and about television personality and actress NeNe Leakes ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta") joining ZUMANITY for an exclusive 10-show engagement in celebration of the show's 10th anniversary (her limited engagement wil run from Friday, June 27th through Tuesday, July 1st.) And more! We also have updates to Cirque's tour schedule, a sampling of their posts to Facebook, and an introduction from Ian Reents, creator and host of the Solar Flare Cirque du Soleil podcast, which just released their third episode on iTunes. 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 * BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau * Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues * Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets * Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub * Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque * Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube o) Fascination! Features * "Michel Laprise - Coordinating Cirque's Special Events (Part 2 of 2)" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) * "Cavalia Continues its 'Odysseo'" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) * "Anthony Gatto: Master of Construction?" By: Jason Fagone, Special Engagement * "This is the Solar Flare Podcast!" By: Ian Reents - Longwood, Florida (USA) o) Subscription Information o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Cirque-OSHA reach settlement in Guillot-Guyard case {Mar.01.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- A settlement has been reached in the Cirque du Soleil appeal of rulings by OSHA in the incident in “Ka” that led to the death of artist Sarah Guillot-Guyard on June 29. The result is all but one of the violations issued against Cirque in the incident have been withdrawn by agency investigators. The original findings by the federal safety agency were a series of violations and fines adding up to more than $25,000. But in November, Cirque appealed all of the citations, and near the end of that month OSHA had withdrawn its findings for each citation except for the violation in which the artists in the Final Battle scene, the act during which Guillot-Guyard fell 94 feet to her death, “were not protected or prevented from striking the overhead forest grid as they used wire rope, controllers and winches to ascend from the Sand Cliff Deck to the Forest Grid Catwalk.” As noted in OSHA documents specifying the citations, previous incidents have resulted from employees striking the catwalk, and Guillot-Guyard reportedly hit that apparatus on ascent, causing her wire rope to be jarred out of its pulley and severed by the edge of that pulley, leading her to fall free. The fine issued by OSHA for that infraction and the formal investigation of the incident are now closed. { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/EBLoqt } ‘Zarkana’ Aerialists Perform in Aria Porte Cochere {Mar.03.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- British twin brothers Andrew and Kevin Atherton, Cirque du Soleil aerialists with “Zarkana,” perform under the monorail truss in Aria’s porte cochere Monday, March 3, 2014. The performance was promoting “Zarkana’s” revamped show, which includes a new soundtrack and new aerial straps act. Check out the following picture from Cirque du Soleil’s Twitter account: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4527 > And a video from the Las Vegas Sun: < http://goo.gl/EnZBjZ > { SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas Sun } Robin Leach’s Q&A w/Barry Farley – Head of Aquatics for “O” {Mar.04.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Audiences at “O” are hypnotized by the split-second timing that divers and acrobats have to master at Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic show that is now celebrating its 15th year at Bellagio. There are nearly 400 cues that could go wrong in the 100-minute spectacular in the 1.5 million-gallon pool but incredibly never have. From a ceiling height of 110 feet, divers look down onto what appears as a postage-stamp sized plunge pool as the stage slides open to reveal the water they will propel into. Underneath in the 25-foot depth, the water SCUBA safety experts wait to ensure that there are no mishaps to the divers who are swum away to safety before the stage closes over them. Barry Farley, head of aquatics for “O,” told me: “The technical part of this show is just as large a star as the divers and the acrobats. I don’t want to take anything away from them because everybody has a huge part in this. “But if you’ve seen the show, you have to be fascinated by the technical aspect of it and wonder how everything works so smoothly. It is an incredible collaboration. I don’t know if technically it’s a bigger star or not, but it certainly is a huge component.” The show’s automation department has two sets of computer controls that run simultaneously. One known as the Deck Board has 198 computer operator-activated cues to move such stage elements as the seven lifts, curtains, lights and ladders. The other control console is the Telepherique Board with 196 cues that run the winch units to fly in the artists and position the safety nets. There’s a backup system that contains both cue structures. In the event of a board failure, the operator can jump to the safety console running simultaneously. All of the 150 technicians and 85 cast members have SCUBA certification. The pool takes 12 hours to fill, and the filtration system cleans all 1.5 million gallons three times each day. Barry, who works on the technician side of the production with the SCUBA divers, added: “There was a specific goal in mind when ‘O’ was created. The people had the vision that they wanted to see this. They told the technical guys, ‘Make this happen.’ So it was simply a case of ‘ how are we going to do it?’ Here’s our conversation: Q. How long did it take to get this whole thing from the dream of people diving, people vanishing and people swimming? How long to go from conception to reality? Several years, for sure. I don’t know when the original idea was dreamt up. I started here January of 1998, and the theater was in place, there was water in the pool, but it was basically an empty room other than just the pool itself. Then we started bringing in components of the show creating the show several months later. I think director Franco Dragone and Steve Wynn, who created Bellagio, started on the vision three years before he started building a big theater with a big pool. Rehearsals alone before “O” opened took 12 months. Q. Being in charge of the SCUBA divers means that one of your responsibilities is the total safety of the artists underwater? That is absolutely correct. My divers are actually called artist handlers, and we’re involved with moving the artists underwater. As you’ve seen in the show, you might have seen somebody jump into the water and then disappear, and the effect from the audience is “where’d they go” “How are they holding their breath?” Or you might have seen somebody appear that you didn’t see before. They just appeared out of the water; you don’t know where they came from. My people are down there moving artists, giving them air, moving them through the water according to a certain choreography. Every move has its own particular time to move this artist or wait for the artist to fall into the water. There’s a choreography to getting them the breathing regulators, and that’s all very well rehearsed to the split second. I have four artist handlers during the show and then two more divers that are on communications setups. They wear a full-face mask with communications capability in it. Then we have two other departments that dive also during the show; the carpentry and rigging departments. Carpenters are responsible for moving set pieces under water, and the riggers are responsible for rigging all the apparatuses or anything like that. A total of 14 technicians work underwater for every show. Q. I’m tempted to say that if you did this on dry land, it would be a lot easier, but how much tougher is it to do underwater? It’s not as tough as it might seem. The people who I hired come in as divers with a lot experience being around SCUBA students or other divers. They’ve got a background of that. So the artist handling is not really a stretch for the people that I would hire. Q. Underwater, you can’t have a script or a rundown, so what do you do to make sure nothing goes wrong? With so many moving parts, an awful lot could go wrong? When I have meetings with my divers, I talk about complacency and stop it creeping in. I try to combat that before it happens and keep everybody on their toes. We also train rescue scenarios every month within my department as a group because my specific department would be the first responders for any sort of incident in the water. So we do rescue training; that’s always on our mind. We do theater-wide rescue trainings once a month to keep everybody tuned in on how to do rescues pertaining to certain disciplines. I think more than anything, I talk about the complacency: “Don’t get set in your ways and always be on your toes and always look for things that are out of place.” If that crept in, it would be a bad thing. I can’t have it. I tend to get up on a soapbox, and my divers all know that, but they also know why I do it. In 15 years, there have been some incidents that we’ve had to deal with. Maybe an artist was out of place or maybe there was a gear issue that was unexpected and we had to deal with and cover, but there hasn’t been anything major that’s been totally crazy or life threatening. Q. On a regular stage, the actor hits his mark. How does a guy diving 60 feet from the ceiling hit the same mark every night? They’re pretty good. When they dive in, it looks like a slice of pie from that height. Guess. For those high dives, they don’t have the entire pool available. It’s just the little slice where the lift is lowered. They’ve got to hit it. It looks pretty big to the audience, but when you’re way up there looking down, it looks like it’s just an inch, a postage stamp. It’s ridiculous when you look down from above, but they’re mighty talented hitting the same mark. You don’t get that job if you have a fear of heights! Q.Is there one or two acts in the show that you really have to keep an eye out for every night? Yes. There’s a large skeleton-like set piece that looks like a boat, but it’s just the framework of a boat. They perform similar to a parallel bar act in addition to a flying act combination on it. We train a lot on that as far as rescue scenarios of people falling off or hitting things. I talk to my divers all the time; if you just watch that act, you can see about 90 things that could go wrong if somebody just steps in the wrong place. While that act is happening, we’re off to the side where the audience can’t see us; we’re just sitting there in the water watching the act. If something were to happen, we would have to respond appropriately immediately. That one makes me a little crazy sometimes when you see how close they come to it. The Russian swing act is a little zany for us, too, when they have the three swings going at once. That one can get very crazy. If somebody is out of place by an inch, it might back the whole thing up. There’s pretty good potential on that one, but they’ve managed to pull it off every night. Q. Who cues who to make a call of “don’t jump” because they might hit somebody in midair? They’re watching each other, and there’s a little sequence that they do when they’re going off the swings. You don’t know it from the audience, but that’s part of the choreography of the act to ensure the split-second timing. They know the timing of that, and they know that if something is off, they would just simply wait for that. They rehearse that act every week, so they get a lot of time on the swings. We don’t rehearse the divers, but we do rescue scenarios every month and four diver meetings a night: one that starts the shift, one after we preset the show before we all eat dinner, and then before each show, we have a very specific show lineup and another before the second show. That’s every night we have shows. Q. Safety is obviously the priority even though the mission is entertainment. It has to be. There’s just too much stuff going on in this show to be relaxed or lazy about it. You have to; there’s no other way around it. There are so many computer cues to worry about. One diver can have as many as 50 to 70 cues. Some are simple, some involve more work, but all are very important. Multiply that by six just for my team. We also have a person who sits in this little area called the crow’s nest, and he has a console and communication with the two underwater SCUBA divers who have the communication lines. They’re also additional communications between the divers and stage manager. The crow’s nest is way up high. You can’t see it from the audience, but it overlooks the stage, stage right way, way up high overlooking the water. It’s actually a hard-lined communications line that goes right to the divers’ facemasks. We also have three underwater cameras and a speaker system in the pool we call the Neptune that lets you make an announcement in the pool through the underwater speakers. There are actual cues that also come through those speakers to the performers. There are music cues, too, specifically for the synchronized swimmers for a lot of their choreography. Q. Is this one of the most elaborate shows ever staged anywhere in the world? It’s way up there. I mean, I’d like to brag, of course, and say, “Yeah, this is the best one,” but there are a lot of technically advanced shows. But this one is doubly difficult in a sense because there is water involved. It gets a little crazy, and it affects the maintenance a lot, too, because of the water. It all becomes increased. Things wear out faster and costumes wear out faster because of the chlorine in the water. The laundry department has more than 50 loads a day. The lifespan of some costumes is only six weeks. Being in water definitely changes the game. { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/nXoQAG } Cirque chooses Purdue for first Midwest workshop {Mar.04.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Starting March 21, a three-day theater workshop – the first of its kind in the Midwest – hosted by Cirque du Soleil will be held on campus. The event is presented by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Midwest Regional Section, which creates theater symposiums that allow attendees to directly interact with talented professionals. From Elliott Hall of Music to Loeb Playhouse and Fowler Hall, nine different workshops will be simultaneously happening all over campus during the three-day event. One of the companies that the School of Visual and Performing Arts has done workshops within the past recommended Purdue to Cirque du Soleil. From there, all Purdue had to do was say “yes.” “We are the luckiest people on the planet,” said Rick Thomas, professor of theater and director of the upcoming workshop. “The fact that we’ve been selected for something like this is quite an honor and shows that they have a lot of faith in what we do at Purdue.” Instructors at the workshop will include the artistic director and assistant head of rigging for “O,” Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, as well as the dance master for “LOVE,” Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles show at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The workshops will cover topics from acting and dancing to lighting, automation, sound and carpentry. This kind of hands-on interaction will be invaluable for all who attend, said Thomas. “If you’re somebody who’s going into the performing arts, you’re probably wishing, hoping that you get an interview with Cirque du Soleil,” said Thomas. “They are the crème de la crème of large scale theatrical events. Outside of some shows on Broadway … There’s nobody who creates shows as large and spectacular as Cirque du Soleil does.” Already popular on the East and West coasts, the workshop will give Midwest theater students a chance to gain experience on the level of their competition. Additionally, Purdue faculty and staff will be volunteering their time to assist in the workshops and act as liaisons between the University and the Cirque du Soleil professionals. Katharine Engelen, a graduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, will be spending her Spring Break volunteering with the wardrobe and makeup aspects of the event. With the collaborative efforts of the faculty and staff in the performing arts and people at the Elliott Hall of Music, Joel Ebarb, department chair and associate professor of theater, said this program will help bolster the reputation of Purdue’s Visual and Performing Arts program. “Most people know Cirque du Soleil – it’s a name that when it’s in the paper or on the radio or something, people automatically go ‘oh, wow this is something that’s exciting,’” said Ebarb. “We do exciting things here all the time … But hopefully we’ll bring in people who maybe didn’t even know there was a theater program here at Purdue. People are coming from all over the country for this so it’s a pretty big deal.” Registration is free but limited to the first 300 applicants. Anyone interested can register at midwest.usitt.org/cirque. { SOURCE: The Purdue Exponent | http://goo.gl/kkbbdt } Even More on Cirque Riviera Mara {Mar.05.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- As we know, Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show in Mexico will open on the Riviera Maya this November. The 70-minute show will be performed eight times per week year-round in the custom- designed 600-seat Vidanta Theater currently under construction across the street from Grupo Vidanta’s four-resort complex comprising Grand Luxxe, Grand Bliss, Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace, on the Riviera Maya between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Dining and champagne service will be integrated within the show’s performance and though ticket prices have not yet been announced, they will be in line with Cirque’s other shows. But here are a few new things we didn’t know… o) Grupo Vidanta founder Daniel Chavez Moran said the cultural and culinary attraction would be interactive, immersive and reflective of the Mexican experience and culture. “Those in the audience will have a clear understanding that they are in Mexico,” he said. o) The 40 performers, technicians and crew “will be part of the community,” said Daniel Lamarre, Cirque’s president and CEO. “We have something unique to offer to visitors and residents. We hope that our show will create a destination attraction for our audiences that will reflect the culture and magic of Mexico.” o) “It was planned just for the Riviera Maya,” Lamarre said. “It’s a theater in the round with the stage in the center. It’s an intimate setting that will bring our audiences right into the performances.” The theater’s design and materials, such as its palapa-style thatched roof, are meant to reflect the Yucatan jungle habitat. o) Cirque will pay commissions to agents who book tickets for their clients in advance; tickets also will be available at a number of resorts in the area. o) “The show is open to everyone, from our resort guests to taxi drivers, all other hotels and everyone in the community,” Moran said. “We want to be part of this landscape.” { SOURCE: Travel Weekly | http://goo.gl/7dT09O } Mike Weatherford: “‘Zarkana’ fast, lively, but lacks point of distinction” {Mar.05.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has seen the new ZARKANA... here are his thoughts! Without doubt, the new version is better than the middling one that landed at Aria in the fall of 2012, after its second summer at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. By then, “Zarkana” already had shed English-language songs and most of the story about a magician who revives the ghosts of an abandoned theater in a bid to reunite with his lost love. Now, even the magician is gone. It’s up to two clowns (Gabe del Vecchio and Stas Bogdanov) to awaken the theater’s ghostly “Movers,” as the “spirits of the theater” are known in the official synopsis. I kind of liked movie and opera director Francois Girard’s atypically quiet, moody opening when the theater slowly stirred to life. The comparative jump-start is at least a trade-off. It gets the show quickly out of the gate and allows a whole new act to be squeezed into the same running time. That would be the “aerial strap” duo Kevin and Andrew Atherton, identical twins who soar out beyond the curtain line of the proscenium stage, which often makes the action (as it did with “Elvis”) appear more distant than the Cirques with thrust stages. More subliminal changes include punchier music from composer Nick Littlemore, who replaced much of his cinematic underscore. The rest of “Zarkana” relies upon the strength of the individual acts, since most of the transitions are gone. The two clowns are called upon to cover changes behind the curtain at least twice more than their two sketches with props. There is no longer any attempt to explain why singer Cassiopee shows up as a snake or spider lady, since they are no longer out to jealously thwart the magician. Now she’s just part of the cool production design framing the flying trapeze or, in the case of the snake lady, high-wire artists Pedro Carillo and Luis Acosta. These crazy guys manage to jump rope, or over one another, while dodging a pendulum of fire. With the focus on acrobatics, we find plenty to amaze us and power us past a couple of acts that don’t. If we’ve seen this act in “Ka,” or the trapeze act in “Mystere” and U.S. circuses, it circles back to the only real drawback of “Zarkana.” That familiarity, or at least the lack of a strong point of departure. One striking moment seems to have survived all three versions: Andrey Kolotenko’s expressive hand-balancing centered between two grand pianos in duet. It’s hypnotic, the very definition of how Cirque blends art and athleticism. { SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal | http://goo.gl/WsjhuI } Robin Leach Has Q&A w/Atherton Twins {Mar.07.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Twin gymnasts Andrew and Kevin Atherton are the newest addition to “Zarkana.” They perform as if they are one and swing out over the audience at high speed, each with just one strap wrapped around one shoulder. The audience is in a stunned silence of disbelief. The 38-year-old brothers, born within three minutes of each other, make more noise swishing through the air than the audience, who only break out into cheers with relief when their stunts are stilled. Both Brits, who represented the U.K. in the Commonwealth Games in advance of the 2000 Olympics, are from just outside Manchester. They live here now. Andrew is married with a baby to a former hand-balancing acrobat from Cirque’s “Varakei.” Kevin’s husband is also a twin, Michel Laprise, the director of Cirque’s new touring show “Kurios” that was recently unveiled in Montreal. Robin Leach talked with the Atherton duo backstage after last weekend’s unveiling of the reimagined “Zarkana.” # # # Q. I’m intrigued by the fact that you don’t look at each other, but somehow you know exactly where the other is. I know peas in a pod, twins, but how do you know where you each are without seeing or looking where you are? It’s kind of a difficult question to answer. Some of it probably is because we are twins, but we’ve basically performed together and trained together all of our lives. Just by the way we let go of a certain skill, we know where we’re going to end up without even looking at each other. Q. Do you count off 3-2-1 in your minds to connect? Only on one routine. I found out just recently that I close my eyes, but I still feel the relationship with him. There’s only one moment in there where we actually count to get the same timing, but the rest of it, no. Q. Growing up, you were deliberately kept separate, and there was a period of time when you didn’t work together so that you had your own identities rather than being two identical people — one starting to speak and the other finishing the thought. But you reunited for Cirque? Was it like … riding a bicycle. Did it automatically click being together again? We did gymnastics, which is a very individual sport. We both did it differently. We never really grew up together as far as we were always in separate classes in school and in separate gymnastics. But Cirque brought us together; they thought of us as a team of one. At first we hated it. When you make a mistake in gymnastics, it’s your fault; you can blame yourself. For the first month of being together, we just blamed each other for every mistake. We don’t really fight, but we had little confrontations. When one is more outspoken, the other is quieter and just disappears. This wasn’t a case of reuniting after so many years. In 24 years, we’d never worked together until Cirque. We never worked as partners. Any time we were together was on the Great Britain team, and we’d come together to root for each other. But we were still separate. Q. How did you wind up in Montreal at Cirque headquarters with this unique act? The company has casting directors who go around the world. We were in China competing for Great Britain, and they approached us. We honestly had never heard of Cirque du Soleil. They asked us to check them out, but we never really thought anything of it. Then we were invited to our first Cirque show, “Alegria,” which was at Royal Albert Hall in London. We just sat there together, didn’t speak to each other, but as soon as the first character came onstage, we both got goose bumps. We didn’t talk to each other all the way through the show, but afterward simultaneously we looked at each other and went, “ Wow, OK, now we know what we’re going to do after our championship gymnastics ends.” We didn’t speak it; we just knew it. It wasn’t just that, though, because not only did we know we wanted to do Cirque du Soleil, we knew right away what we wanted to do. We started to dream the act that we wanted to do. But we still had several years heavily involved with gymnastics. We still hadn’t achieved all that we wanted to achieve. Eventually, we won the Commonwealth championships. The nearest things to the straps back then were the balance rings. That was the highest we would go. We weren’t afraid of heights, but we were uncomfortable with them. Q. Born three minutes apart, just how “twin” are you? We’re very different. Our interests are very different. He’s more the artistic, and I’m more the academic, mathematical one. We finish each other’s sentences because we know what the other is going to start to say before he says it. Q. When you hang on the straps, turn upside down, fly balanced atop your heads, how do you prevent injuries to your shoulders, your biceps? We’ve never had a problem in 14 years. We work very hard on our shoulders. Once we started, once we knew what we were doing, we said to Cirque that if they focus on our upper body, then we would work with them for a long time. But if they put us on our legs, then we’d ache most of the time; that was our strength in gymnastics. We never had surgery above the waist, but we’ve had it in our ankles and knees. It’s similar for both of us at the same time. If my knee goes, the opposite one on him goes. It’s the same with everything. Uncanny! Q. Oh, the mischief you could cause! How are you liking your new home in Las Vegas? It’s cool. We had never lived here; we just visited many, many times and saw how crazy it can be. Living here is a little bit different. Now we’re settled and working. We’ve been to see all the other Cirque shows. Every show is different. You can watch the same show three times and see it differently every time. Before we came here for “Zarkana,” we were in the “Iris” resident show in Los Angeles and before that in “Varekai.” The only time in the 13 years we missed a show was the night Andy’s baby was born. Q. Is the scariest part of your act when you are at the highest point over the audience? No. The part where we have to really stay focused and concentrate is when we’re holding the other with just one arm and then with just the leg. We’re not holding on by the feet. That’s when we both have to focus because he checks my feet to make sure they’re in properly. Q. You can never fight before you go onstage, can you? Oh, we have before. We don’t do it here, but in our first show, we used to let go, then nearly hit each other, then swing away. I think I said something nasty to him when we’re on top, and then when we came out, he was even nastier to me. We could hear us, but fortunately the audience couldn’t. You can’t take things like that onstage. We learned quickly it was a waste of time to argue like that, so no more. Q. At 38, how much physical life do you have left hanging from straps high up in the middle of the theater? As long as they keep modifying the costumes — getting bigger and bigger! We look after ourselves; we really do. Once we knew this is what we wanted to do, we’ve stuck to training vigorously. It’s at least an hour per day. We used to do a lot more, but now it’s a lot of maintenance. We watch what we eat, but it’s not that difficult because it’s a lifestyle we enjoy. But we’ll confess that once in a while, we like to go get our British fish and chips! { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/Fyuam9 } Cirque Riviera Mara Renderings {Mar.22.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- A few “new” renderings of Vidanta Theater at Riviera Mara, where Cirque du Soleil will be setting up a resident show, beginning November 2014. View the four renderings here: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4572 > { SOURCE: Groupo Vidanta } Eight Cirque du Soleil Productions Became ONE to Celebrate World Water Day at Second Annual One Night for ONE DROP in Las Vegas {Mar.23.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- “In 2014, there are still at least 780 million people around the world who do not have access to a safe and steady water supply,” said Laliberté. “It is one of our planet’s most urgent problems, but there are sustainable solutions to be had if we focus our efforts and our resources.” Highlights included a heartfelt musical performance from vocal super group The Tenors, alongside more than 100 talented Cirque du Soleil performers, as they brought together the message of “ONE THOUGHT, ONE WORLD” as a metaphor of time and its effect on society. Violinist and YouTube sensation Lindsey Stirling, “America’s Best Dance Crew” Season 6 Champions IaMmE Crew and award-winning spoken word artist IN-Q were also featured in the extraordinary extravaganza created and directed by Mukhtar O.S. Mukhtar. Celebrities joining the night’s blue carpet event and after- party at Moorea Beach Club included Cirque du Soleil founder and CEO Guy Laliberté; ONE DROP CEO Catherine B. Bachand; Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky and Camille Grammer of “ Real Housewives of Beverly Hills;” TV personality Holly Madison; contemporary rock band Blues Traveler; Mary Wilson of The Supremes; New York Times best-selling author and “Chelsea Lately” comedienne Heather McDonald; Brendan Fitzpatrick and Morgan Stewart of “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills;” world-famous dance crew Jabbawockeez; UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin; The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson; Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Oscar Goodman; illusionist Criss Angel; USA Olympic rowing gold-medalist athletes Esther Lofgren and Susan Francia; renowned “kissing” artist and painter Natalie Irish; celebrity chef Susan Feniger (Border Grill); the men of Thunder from Down Under; the girls of Fantasy; DJ 88; and dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. { SOURCE: ONE DROP } Cirque workshop creates once-in-a-lifetime experience {Mar.24.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Some students left campus over Spring Break, but during that time, campus took a turn for the dramatic. Over the weekend, Purdue hosted the inaugural Midwest Cirque du Soleil Live Entertainment Workshop. Art-specific schools typically host such events, but Purdue was chosen from a pool of other locations across the Midwest, including those in larger cities such as Chicago and Indianapolis. Being selected is a high honor and speaks to the merit of Purdue’s well-respected liberal arts programs. The workshop – featuring professionals from Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical production company in the world – offered students, faculty and staff the opportunity to interact and learn from the industry’s best. “This is an incredible opportunity for students to network and meet people involved in the largest format and most challenging theater show running today,” said Mercer Aplin, a graduate student in the College of Liberal Arts and workshop volunteer. Aplin said Cirque du Soleil’s choosing Purdue was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. The three-day event ran from Friday to Sunday in 10 different locations across campus and offered participants a series of classes and performances. Each class was different, ranging from topics such as acting and performing to sound and lighting, and encouraged the audience to be inquisitive. “(The workshop) was a highly professional environment where students were able to study with working professionals in a hands-on, experiential setting,” said Amy Lynn Budd, a graduate student in the College of Liberal Arts. A “professional environment” in the lens of Cirque du Soleil is much different from what societal standards deem professional. For Cirque du Soleil, “professional” may mean having performers act as if they’re performing a typical, daily task as a human, then repeating the same task as an animal. “When I worked on this individually, I was fixing breakfast and getting my yogurt and fruit out of the refrigerator and I turned into a lion,” said Budd. “It became increasingly difficult and frustrating to fix breakfast as a lion and my yogurt ended up all over the kitchen floor.” Students weren’t alone in this exercise; the director hosting the class coached each student throughout the process, incrementally increasing the human and animal features of each participant. This forced the students to contemplate how basic motor skills contribute to the performance process, which made for beautiful theater and hilarious comedy, Budd added. “Everything that’s grand and wild springs from a human being doing a simple experiment in a studio,” Budd said. “Then those ideas grow and expand.” { SOURCE: Purdue Exponent | http://goo.gl/Iwp4pA } Cirque Looks Ahead to 3rd “One Night for One Drop” {Mar.24.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Robin Leach checks in on the 2nd One Night for One Drop event – via the Las Vegas Sun: Moments after the extraordinary Cirque du Soleil fundraising performance and gala “One Night for One Drop” at Mandalay Bay on Friday night, founder Guy Laliberte promised that there would be a third extravaganza next year. Before the event wound down early Saturday morning, Jerry Nadal, Cirque’s senior vice president of resident shows worldwide based here in Las Vegas, said that it will take place in the theater of Cirque’s “The Beatles Love” at the Mirage next March 20. More than 100 Cirque du Soleil performers took the stage for the original production created and directed by Mukhtar O.S. Mukhtar alongside guests including The Tenors, violinist Lindsey Stirling, “America’s Best Dance Crew” Season 6 Champions IaMmE Crew and spoken-word artist In-Q. In what was a breathtaking and artistic spectacular, they brought together the message of “One Thought, One World” as a metaphor of time and the dwindling water supplies that effect society — even here in Las Vegas and California. Celebrities at the blue arrivals carpet, pre-party at Aureole and after-party at Moorea Beach Club included Guy; One Drop CEO Catherine Bachand; Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky and Camille Grammer of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”; Holly Madison; Blues Traveler; Mary Wilson of The Supremes; comedienne Heather McDonald; Brendan Fitzpatrick and Morgan Stewart of “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills”; Boyz II Men; Jabbawockeez; UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin; and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Also: Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Oscar Goodman; illusionist Criss Angel; U.S. Olympic rowing gold medalists Esther Lofgren and Susan Francia; artist and painter Natalie Irish; Border Grill chef Susan Feniger; Thunder From Down Under; “Fantasy”; DJ 88; and dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Everybody agreed that Mukhtar had conceptualized a masterpiece in telling the story of the “desertification” on earth. The audience gave the performers loud cheers and a long standing ovation in the finale with The Tenors and the cast singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Guy summed it up: “This was a totally incredible night. I, like everybody else, saw the show for the first time tonight. That’s not easy for a creative person at the top, but I left it all in very capable hands. It turned out better than I ever expected. “Tonight has made me the happiest man in the world, and we’ll do it all over again next year. I promise.” { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/KebJzN } Who are you in Cirque’s Cabinet of Curiosities? {Mar.25.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Who are you in Cirque’s Cabinet of Curiosities? On the official webpage for Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities one can take a quiz to find out. The results will give you the personalities of four different show characters, that of: Klara, Microcosmos, Nico or Kurios. Here’s who they are! < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4581 > Check out KURIOS’ official page here: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/kurios/default.aspx > { SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil } 2nd One Night Recorded for Online Viewing? Yes! {Mar.25.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- A record-breaking $6 million was raised for Guy Laliberte’s One Drop Foundation from the World Water Day festivities that were highlighted with the spectacular one-night-only performance of “One Night for One Drop” at Mandalay Bay on Friday night. Cast members, technicians and backstage workers from all eight Cirque du Soleil shows on the Strip took part in the all- volunteer effort for the “One Thought, One World” production choreographed and directed by Mukhtar O.S. Mukhtar from Cirque’s “The Beatles Love” at the Mirage. “It was an amazing night,” Las Vegas-based Jerry Nadal, senior VP of resident shows worldwide, told me. “We set a very high bar with the first ‘One Drop’ show last year (in “O” theater at Bellagio), and we surpassed it. Everybody was ecstatic with its success. “We raised more money in ticket sales. We raised more in the auction. Our turnout was higher all round, and the initial total looks like a $6 million record. “This show proved that we have no shortage of talent here in Las Vegas. We will select a new choreographer and director within the next month for next year’s third show. Guy and his entire Montreal team said that they couldn’t have asked for better — everything was flawless. “With all the moving parts and people volunteering while still doing their regular shows, you would have thought something would easily have gone wrong. But everything was flawless.” * * * The four-act, 93-minute production told the story of the desertification of our world and the search for water. Mukhtar showed the struggles of Earth’s “Call for Help” in the “Walk for Water” and “Search for Rain” segments. He brought to life the inner innocence of childhood with a dream sequence that “Crystalized” with violin genius Lindsey Stirling of YouTube fame. The third act was titled “Oasis” and featured spectacular acrobatics by trampoline artists through rain and a waterfall in the water celebration titled “Dripping Strings.” Guest performers The Tenors took part in the second act of “City & Technology,” proving the “Power of Music“ and also closed the show with “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen for the “New Birth” signaling “The Future of Our Planet” as the theme of the fourth act. Spoken-word poet In-Q mesmerized the audience with his “Mirrors” speech. Musical composer Nick Littlemore created the music for the amazing aerial duet “Rae.” There were incredible contortionists, taiko drummers, gymnastics, aerial artists, a wickedly suggestive yoga instructor and a tall, stacked chair balancer. It’s sad in a sense that the show was only for one night because there were so many happenings onstage and within the theater, it was impossible to absorb it all. Thankfully, TV cameras recorded it, and we’ll get the opportunity to see it online next month. { SOURCE: Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/N9do67 } Nene Leakes Joins Zumanity for Special Engagement as First-Ever Guest Emcee {Mar.25.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- ZUMANITY, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil at New York-New York Hotel & Casino welcomes television personality and actress NeNe Leakes for an exclusive 10-show engagement in celebration of the show’s 10 th anniversary year. Leakes’ guest appearance as the “Mistress of Sensuality” marks the first time Cirque du Soleil will integrate a celebrity into one of its shows in the company’s 30- year history. Her limited engagement will run from Friday, June 27 through Tuesday, July 1, 2014, with show times at 7:30pm and 10:00pm. “I am so excited to be starring in ZUMANITY” says Leakes. “The show is absolutely fabulous and the cast members are so talented! I can’t wait to be in the sexiest show on The Strip and perform on a Cirque du Soleil stage!” No stranger to drama, Leakes recently joined the cast of the Emmy nominated “Dancing with the Stars,” has been a starring cast member of Bravo TV’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” since 2008 and spin-off series “I Dream of NeNe” in 2013, which set the stage for her breakout roles on FOX’s “Glee” and NBC’s “The New Normal.” ZUMANITY will mark Leakes’ live theatrical debut. “ZUMANITY has been a favorite of celebrity guests for 10 years,” said Jerry Nadal, Senior Vice President of Cirque du Soleil Resident Shows. “Being able to take a fan like NeNe and make her a part of our show is an exciting creative opportunity for all of us.” Tickets for NeNe Leakes’ special engagement performances in Las Vegas go on sale today starting at $69 (plus tax and fees). A limited quantity of VIP meet-and-greet experiences with NeNe will also be available. { SOURCE: Broadway World, PRNewswire | http://goo.gl/BmpWmG } BELIEVE to Return April 15th {Mar.25.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Criss Angel has let slip that he will resume his Luxor headliner show “BELIEVE” on April 15th, ending – for now – the run of his show “Magic Jam” that currently fills in for the Cirque du Soleil show while his torn sholder heals. However, his protégé Krystyn Lambert will continue to perform his straightjacket escape over the audience’s heads so that he doesn’t wreck his shoulders again. Also, “Magic Jam” has been so successful that the cast is now setting dates for a Spring 2015 tour. { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/0e9kgn } Michael Jackson Hologram Conjures Billionaire's Patent Lawsuit {Mar.26.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Two years ago, a hologram of Tupac Shakur at the Coachella Music Festival had people wondering about what might be next in concert possibilities. Now, the technology that created the spectacle has landed in the hands of a noteworthy billionaire: Alki David, the eccentric one who attempted to transform the television business with streaming technology before Aereo stole his thunder and TV broadcasters unleashed their legal guns on him. Now, David finds himself on the flip side of the intellectual property coin. His FilmOn and hologram-maker Musion are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed on Monday against Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts for allegedly infringing patents to create a hologram used in the final scene of Michael Jackson: One, the resident acrobatic production at Mandalay Bay Theatre in Las Vegas. The complaint filed in California federal court begins with some history. "In 1862, John Pepper and Henry Dircks invented 'Pepper's Ghost,' an illusion technique, which, over the last 150 years, has appeared in movies, concerts, magic shows and amusement park rides," says the lawsuit. "Today a new incarnation of Pepper's Ghost exists -- Musion Eyeliner technology. Musion Eyeliner uses a patented system to project three-dimensional images virtually indistinguishable from real life bodies." David was apparently impressed upon seeing the technology being used to create the deceased rapper Tupac appearing on stage with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. He says he recently bought the exclusive license to Musion's patent and has started up a company called Hologram USA with a showroom at the FilmOn Studios on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. Why? He's got plans. "We already agreed on hologram performances with Flo Rida and the late Amy Winehouse," he says. "Many other shows are coming." But first comes some score-settling about who owns rights to hologram technology. David says he's about to file a slew of lawsuits. This Michael Jackson one is the first. The new lawsuit mentions two patents at issue: One for a device for displaying moving images in the background of a stage and one for a projection apparatus and method for pepper's ghost illusion. "Although it has been widely acknowledged that Defendants employ the technology to create a three-dimensional hologram of Michael Jackson in Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: One, Defendants do not possess a valid license to practice that technology." The show has been enormously successful and has helped the Michael Jackson estate reap almost a billion dollars in revenue since the King of Pop's passing in 2009. The lawsuit claims that since the technology behind the Tupac hologram got so much press attention, the defendants knew or should have known the system was patented. The plaintiffs demand an injunction and maximum damages for willful infringement. The hologram is the climax of the 26-scene show, which never has a performer portraying Jackson onstage. Instead, the show strategically uses video and audio footage of the singer throughout the plot's peaks and valleys. "His presence, even on video, is so powerful, that it can be very tricky to use him," Welby Altidor, One's director of creation, told The Hollywood Reporter just before the show's opening in May 2013. "What we wanted to do in this show is build Michael's presence through his voice and feeling his shadow, to feeling him progressively becoming more and more present throughout the show, until we can create the longing. And then the apex, the moment where we'll really feel that he's there and he's still with us." THR has reached out to Cirque du Soleil and will update with any response. Meanwhile, the hologram technology has landed in the hands of a Hollywood bad boy with a taste for the outrageous. David tells THR, "This is by far the most exciting business opportunity I have ever seen. Imagine running 100 meters against Usain Bolt or resurrecting Richard Pryor!" Additional reporting by Ashley Lee. See the Complaint here (Scribd): http://www.scribd.com/doc/214434044/Hologram The two patents at issue: http://www.google.com/patents/US5865519 http://www.google.com/patents/US7883212 { SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter | http://goo.gl/6mTqYT } Tickets for Cirque Riviera Maya Now Available {Mar.27.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil’s website promoting their new “Dinner & Spectacle” at Riviera Maya in Mexico has been updated today with information pertaining to ticket sales, which also gives us the date and time of the show’s premiere! Premiere will be held on Saturday, November 8th at 9:00pm Check out the stage! http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4617 Tickets can currently be purchased for 2014 and select 2015 dates through Cirque’s website: http://goo.gl/u4CzMA Performances are held Tuesday through Saturday. There are no performances on Sunday and Monday. Show times 9:00pm (Weekdays) or 7:00 & 10:15pm (Fri, Sat & Holidays) Prices… o) VIP Show Dinner and Champagne [RED] — $MXN 2,970.00 o) Show Dinner and Champagne [BLUE] — $MXN 2,178.00 o) Show and Champagne [GREEN] — $MXN 1,452.00 o) Show Only [ORANGE] — $MXN $1,056 o) High Stools (Show Only) [PURPLE] — $MXN 858.000 { SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil } Cirque’s “Amaluna” to Ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell {Mar.31.2014} ----------------------------------------------------- Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil will visit the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square. In honor of the occasion, Jamie Reilly, Amaluna’s Company Manager, will ring the Closing Bell. Where: NASDAQ MarketSite – 4 Times Square – 43 & Broadway – Broadcast Studio When: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 – 3:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET A webcast of the NASDAQ Closing Bell will be available at: https://new.livestream.com/nasdaq/live or http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx. EDIT: Here they are! http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4627 { SOURCE: NASDAQ } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Kurios} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {Quidam, Dralion, MJ Immortal & Varekai} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, Believe, Zarkana & Michael Jackson ONE} 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. For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts, please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >. ------------------------------------ BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau ------------------------------------ Amaluna: New York, NY -- Mar 20, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Boston, MA -- May 29, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Washington, DC -- Jul 31, 2014 to Sep 21, 2014 Atlanta, GA -- Oct 3, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014 Corteo: Porto Alegre, BR -- Mar 6, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014 Còrdoba, AR -- May 3, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Buenos Aires< BR - Jun 6, 2014 to Aug 3, 2014 Koozå: Amsterdam, NL -- Mar 13, 2014 to Apr 27, 2014 Vienna, AT -- May 9, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Port Aventura, ES -- Jul 11, 2014 to Aug 30, 2014 Düsseldorf, DE -- Nov 6, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014 Kurios: Montreal, QC -- Apr 24, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 Quebec City, QC -- Jul 24, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014 Toronto, ON -- Aug 28, 2014 to Sep 28, 2014 San Francisco, CA -- Nov 13, 2014 to Jan 18, 2015 Ovo: Tokyo, JP -- Feb 12, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 Osaka, JP -- Jul 17, 2014 to Nov 2, 2014 Nagoya, JP -- Nov 20, 2014 to Feb 1, 2015 Fukuoka, JP -- Feb 20, 2015 to Apr 5, 2015 Sendai, JP -- Apr 23, 2015 to Jun 7, 2015 Totem: Portland, OR -- Mar 27, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Vancouver, BC -- May 15, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Auckland, NZ -- Aug 22, 2014 to Sep 28, 2014 ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ Quidam: Lyon, FR -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Rouen, FR -- Apr 30, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Berlin, DE -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Nuremberg, DE -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Hanover, DE -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Bremen, DE -- May 29, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 Hamburg, DE -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Luxembourg, LU -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Tel Aviv, IL -- Aug 7, 2014 to Aug 16, 2014 Zurich, CH -- Oct 16, 2014 to Oct 19, 2014 Paris, FR -- Dec 3, 2014 to Dec 7, 2014 Lille, FR -- Dec 10, 2014 to Dec 14, 2014 Dralion: Wroclaw, PL -- Apr 3, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Malmö, SE -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Glasgow, UK -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Sheffield, UK -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Birmingham, UK -- May 22, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Dublin, IE -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 London, UK -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Manchester, UK -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 San Sebastian, ES -- Jul 3, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Santiago de Compostela, ES -- Jul 10, 2014 to Jul 20, 2014 Granada, ES -- Jul 23, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ES -- Aug 2, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014 Bilbao, ES -- Aug 17, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014 Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 28, 2014 to Sep 6, 2014 Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour: Raleigh, NC -- Apr 1, 2014 to Apr 2, 2014 Norfolk, VA -- Apr 4, 2014 to Apr 5, 2014 Charlotte, NC -- Apr 8, 2014 to Apr 9, 2014 Greensboro, NC -- Apr 11, 2014 to Apr 12, 2014 Richmond, VA -- Apr 15, 2014 to Apr 16, 2014 Columbus, OH -- Apr 18, 2014 to Apr 19, 2014 Little Rock, AR -- Apr 22, 2014 to Apr 23, 2014 Louisville, KY -- Apr 25, 2014 to Apr 26, 2014 Toledo, OH -- Apr 29, 2014 to Apr 30, 2014 Lexington, KY -- May 2, 2014 to May 3, 2014 Huntsville, AL -- May 6, 2014 to May 7, 2014 Duluth, GA -- May 10, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Gainesville, FL -- May 13, 2014 to May 14, 2014 Charleston, SC -- May 16, 2014 to May 17, 2014 Tampa, FL -- May 20, 2014 to May 21, 2014 Sunrise, FL -- May 23, 2014 to May 24, 2014 San Juan, PR -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Varekai: East Lansing, MI -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Knoxville, TN -- Apr 9, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014 Loveland, CO -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Broomfield, CO -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Kansas City, MO -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Oshawa, ON -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Lonson, ON -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 Bridgeport, CT -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Hartford, CT -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Bangor, ME -- Jun 18, 2014 to Jun 22, 2014 Manchester, NH -- Jun 25, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 Providence, RI -- Jul 1, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Indianapolis, IN -- Jul 24, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014 Cleveland, OH -- Aug 6, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014 Erie, PA -- Aug 13, 2014 to Aug 17, 2014 Hampton, VA -- Nov 12, 2014 to Nov 16, 2014 --------------------------------- RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre --------------------------------- Mystère: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o May 8 - 16 o July 9 - 11 o September 4 - 12 o November 5 - 7 Added performances in 2014: o April 18 o December 26 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o April 7 - April 15 o June 8 o August 4 - 12 o October 5 o December 1 - 16 Added performances in 2014: o June 3 o December 29 La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o TBA Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o April 9-17 o June 13 o August 20-September 4 o October 21 o December 10-18 KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o May 18-26 o July 19 o September 21-29 o December 2 Added performances in 2014: o August 31 o December 28 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o April 1-9 o June 5 o July 29 - August 6 o October 2 o December 2 - 17 Added performances in 2014: o August 12 o December 31 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. 2014 Dark Dates: o April 6 - 14 o June 15 - 30 o September 1 - 8 o November 9 - 17 ZARKANA: Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o TBA MICHAEL JACKSON ONE: Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two Shows Nightly: 7:00pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o May 21 - 23 o July 24 - 31 o September 24 - 26 o November 13 - 28 Added performances in 2014: o August 29 o December 26 RIVIERA MAYA: Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday One-Two Shows Nightly: 9:00pm (Weekdays) 7:00pm & 10:15pm (Fri, Sat & Holidays) Premiere will be held on Saturday, November 8th at 9:00pm Prices: o) VIP Show Dinner and Champagne [RED] — $MXN 2,970.00 o) Show Dinner and Champagne [BLUE] — $MXN 2,178.00 o) Show and Champagne [GREEN] — $MXN 1,452.00 o) Show Only [ORANGE] — $MXN $1,056 o) High Stools (Show Only) [PURPLE] — $MXN 858.000 ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= o) Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub o) Didyaknow? –- Facts About Cirque o) Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube --------------------------------------- CLUB CIRQUE: This Month at CirqueClub --------------------------------------- “One Night for One Drop” {Mar.20.2014} ---------------------------------------------- On Friday, March 21st, all eight Cirque du Soleil shows on the Las Vegas Strip will go dark so employees can collaboratively participate and perform in One Night for ONE DROP. More than 18,000 volunteer hours have been used to create this one-time- only performance in the state-of-the-art Michael Jackson ONE Theatre. This awe-inspiring show allows Cirque du Soleil artists to share additional talents that they don’t regularly demonstrate in their shows. Take for instance, Greg Pennes, a trampoline acrobat on Mystère who represented France in the 2008 and 20012 Olympic Games. Not only is he a world-class acrobat, he is surprisingly an established dancer as well. “For me it’s a great experience to share new things with all shows together,” Pennes says. “We are united all in one show, and I can express some other things, like dancing or acting, which I don’t get to do in my show, so that’s great for me.” All proceeds for One Night for ONE DROP go to ONE DROP, a non- profit organization created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, that works to secure water access by implementing integrated and unique water projects around the world and to reverse the growing water crisis by raising awareness for water- related issues. Since its inception in 2007, ONE DROP has transformed the lives of more than 300,000 people. They aim to provide access to safe water to 1 million people worldwide by 2017. --------------------------------------- DIDYAKNOW?: Facts About Cirque --------------------------------------- o) Did you know that Cirque du Soleil has set up its Big Top close to 500 times since 1984. It's with delight that we'll do it again in Montreal, Quebec for Kurios by Cirque du Soleil, our latest production that is set to open on April 24th. o) Did you know that “O” uses about 1,200 costume and headpieces in every performance? Every piece had to be customized to work in water. Water you think of that! o) Did you know that OVO’s flying act is the biggest of its kind? It combines 3 disciplines: Banquine, Russian Chair and Cradle Bars. o) Did you know that Zumanity owns 99 wigs and hairpieces? Talk about “wigging” out! o) Did you know that we have just under 1,200 lighting fixtures in Mystere? That’s pretty electrifying! o) Did you know that in 7.5 minutes you can see 394 flips and 62 twists on the La Nouba PowerTrack? That’s flipping awesome! --------------------------------------------------- NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter --------------------------------------------------- {Compiled by Keith Johnson} ---[ AMALUNA ]--- {Mar.03} We're getting ready... Can you guess what act we will be presenting? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/9qUZOZ > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AyxCfl > {Mar.05} In case you missed us on Monday, here's the link to see Amaluna open LIVE with Kelly and Michael at the magnificent Dolby Theater in Hollywood LINK /// < http://bcove.me/s880h7qm > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/RDbDXz > {Mar.07} HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!! Did you know that Amaluna is the first Cirque du Soleil show to feature a 70% female cast and a 100% rockin' all-female band?! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/xxECuw > {Mar.11} Our Big Top goes up today in New York, New York! When are YOU coming to see us?! Shows open on March 20, through until May 18. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/EhQ4iY > {Mar.14} Good morning, New York!! Our crew are working hard at the Amaluna site at CitiField to be ready to open next week. Don't be put off by the freezing temperatures outside - did you know that our Big Top is fully climate controlled?! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/GjFuf8 > {Mar.18} We are almost ready for you, New York, New York! Locals, you can check out some #Amaluna behind the scenes previews and interviews tonight on WABC-7, FiOS TV and Telemundo. Our Dress Rehearsal is tomorrow and we cannot WAIT to perform for you! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/X4psoA > {Mar.19} It's DRESS REHEARSAL DAY! The local customer experience staff are in training, the finishing touches are being added to the concessions tent and our brand new video wall has been installed! Be sure to tag YOUR photos #Amaluna to be featured on the Amaluna site! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/KnbRb0 > {Mar.21} Celebrating the arrival of Spring with a little tent-washing session in New York at Amaluna. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ajRnwA > {Mar.25} New Yorkers! Stop by Macy's in Herald Square to see Amaluna featured in the Annual Flower Show. What an amazing, iconic event to be a part of! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ih3f52 > {Mar.26} It's our official Premiere in New York tomorrow night! Check out this new photo that surfaced of iconic New Yorkers Kelly and Michael taken from our Oscars performance earlier this month. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gQvgaC > {Mar.27} Our premiere celebration for Amaluna in New York City is in full swing! Are you joining us tonight? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/VjrO8a > {Mar.27} Congratulations on an amazing Premiere! Time to celebrate with Cirque du Soleil Founder, Guy Laliberte and President Daniel Lamarre! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/A8oyMY > ---[ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ]--- {Mar.10} Our performance during the SXSW Gaming Awards at the 2014 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Long Center on March 8, 2014 in Austin, Texas. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/8Quxig > {Mar.11} Artists from all 8 Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas are rehearsing for #1night1drop to benefit One Drop, including Ray Wold from "O" who will heat up the Michael Jackson ONE Theatre on March 21! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/LkVLA6 > {Mar.17} Here’s another look at #1night1drop, which is this Friday 3/21! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2JciCR > {Mar.21} The 2nd annual One Night for One Drop, in support of One Drop, on March 21, 2014, was spectacular! Here is a compilation of the blue carpet event and photos of the one-time only performance, imagined by Cirque du Soleil. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5eaV9b > {Mar.21} Space Adventures pays homage to our founder of One Drop and Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté, in honor of tonight’s #1night1drop production. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/p0rolM > ---[ CIRQUE CASTING ]--- {Mar.04} Act of the week: WATER METEOR/ICARIAN GAMES! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Q0bhO9 > {Mar.11} Discipline of the week: #PARKOUR! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NqNk10 > {Mar.18} Discipline of the week: DISLOCATION! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ym5QU7 > {Mar.20} Talent Scout Séverine Parent is now arrived at the Babel Med Music! Come meet her at the booth #78 LINK /// < http://goo.gl/DLAE2a > {Mar.20} Ever wonder what it's like to dance for Cirque du Soleil? We have the scoop: The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil dancers Jason Beitel and Laura Cota practice a lift. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6sHCND > LINK /// < http://bit.ly/No5tPh > {Mar.26} There’s a lot to do before an artist can perform on stage! Get an inside look at our Synchronized swimming artists training at our Montreal Creation Studio. LINK /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkLBCV3oR8 > {Mar.27} Come meet Acrobatic Talent Scout Philippe Agogué, during these men's and women's artistic gymnastics championships: o) France Elite, Junior and teams Championships (Top 12), in Agen (France), on April 5-6. o) European Championships, in Sofia (Bulgaria), May 12-18. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ZbMFJt > ---[ CORTEO ]--- {Mar.07} Faltam nove horas para a nossa Premiere em Porto Alegre! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/Ggkao8 > {Mar.07} Seis horas para a Premiere! Uma espiadinha dentro da Big Top: os artistas do ato Bouncing Beds se aquecendo! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/5KZP15 > {Mar.07} Só mais duas horas para a estreia: últimos ajustes na maquiagem! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/Nx5ct9 > {Mar.07} Só mais quatro horas: últimos ajustes nos figurinos! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/C3TBFq > {Mar.07} Hora do show! Gaúchos, esperamos vocês dentro da Big Top! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/m5ZhRA > {Mar.18} Ayer tuvimos una gran presentacion ante la prensa. Muy pronto, a partir de junio estaremos compartiendo nuestra celebracion de la vida junto con ustedes. Los esperamos a todos. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/ehEZbJ > {Mar.29} Brasileiros de Corteo ao vivo no estúdio do Jornal do Almoço. Começa ao meio dia. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/syHlYF > LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/hmtNWx > ---[ CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE ]--- {Mar.14} Children from the Boys and Girls Club dressed up as some of the Las Vegas strip performers. Take a look at the Criss Angel photo shoot that will feature on this Sunday’s Las Vegas Magazine issue! It’s levitating. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/idGcDf > {Mar.20} There’s only a few weeks left to see MAGICjam. See what you’ve been missing, by choosing the right offer for you! To purchase tickets visit: LINK /// < http://cirk.me/1c9rEEd > ---[ DRALION ]--- {Mar.09} Check out this interesting story with beautiful photos featuring some of the women who work on stage and behind the scenes at Dralion. LINK /// < http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/324782.html > {Mar.12} More behind the scenes and show photos from Dralion in Moscow. LINK /// < http://logra.livejournal.com/274982.html > {Mar.20} It's showtime for #Dralion in Minsk! Check out these cool images from today's rehearsals. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/QLspFC > {Mar.20} Dralion is premiering in Minsk, BY tonight and our Belarussian artists (Yasha & Raman) are excited to be showing Dralion home. Wish them and the entire cast and crew a great show! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ghwzIC > {Mar.23} This is our last performance in Minsk! Thank you for being such an amazing audience. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wZU1af > {Mar.27} As we are getting ready for our performances in Herning, DK, our performers are currently training on stage. Do you recognize the act that is currently on stage? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/yeZgSn > ---[ KÀ ]--- {Mar.11} Wushu, Capoeira, and Chinese Opera are martial art techniques that inspire the ways of the warrior. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/JwO8E9 > {Mar.13} The Court Jester teaches the Twin Brother one of the earliest forms of storytelling. Can you guess what it is? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vyhPkj > {Mar.17} Don’t worry, Twin Sister. It’s going to be smooth sailing from here! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/PhaLXY > {Mar.21} A theater that is far from conventional. Come and experience it for yourself! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Y2fviC > ---[ KOOZA ]--- {Mar.04} Kooza featured in Allure Magazine! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0RTn6r > {Mar.15} Pictures of our Dress Rehearsal in Amsterdam. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/XBmsi5 > {Mar.18} Premiere night in Amsterdam LINK /// < http://goo.gl/TF6e05 > {Mar.19} Some of our performers enjoying Amsterdam sun last week! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pBqj55 > ---[ KURIOS ]--- {Mar.03} And if our timelines ever cross for just a moment 11:11… LINK /// < http://goo.gl/tUlAeA > {Mar.05} Good morning Montreal! Are you ready for a change in your scenery? Kurios’s big top in coming up this afternoon! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HzrvKw > {Mar.13} Don't shrink back. Listen to the sound of your own music. LINK /// < http://cirk.me/1ms3oxY > ---[ LA NOUBA ]--- {Mar.10} Faire la nouba. Live it up. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/JbQQHT > {Mar.12} Happy hump day! We’re glad you wheeled right over it. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/LTJG98 > {Mar.24} It’s Monday, and we think you might be feeling a little like this about Friday. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UyEoaV > ---[ MJ IMMORTAL ]--- {Mar.01} MJ IMMORTAL is back to USA tonight with a show in Worcester, MA! What is the best way to celebrate it? Well, by doing the American Flag! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/j6Bvrx > {Mar.12} Just a regular day backstage with Acrobat Narihito Tonosaki! Our next stop: Baltimore, Maryland! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Y2AFFs > {Mar.14} MJ THE IMMORTAL is thrilled to be performing at half time during the ACC Championship Game in Greensboro semifinals tomorrow! Will you be watching? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/RxAg2R > {Mar.15} MJ THE IMMORTAL's artists are in full rehearsal mode for our performance at the ACC Championship at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex today! Can you guess what act we'll be presenting? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kTJL56 > {Mar.15} Rehearsal done! Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil is ready for the Atlantic Coast Conference half-time at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex! Are you ready? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pWLMt2 > {Mar.15} Get ready, #ACCTourney fans! @Cirque and their #mjIMMORTAL tour are here for halftime! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/a6U9rC > {Mar.15} Thank you Atlantic Coast Conference fans! We had a blast performing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex! Didn't get enough during halftime? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ikr9oP > {Mar.18} It's great to be back in Baltimore! WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore shared our excitement and came out this morning to get some live shots right as load-in began! We're gearing up for two shows – tonight and tomorrow at 8pm! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vKbw3I > {Mar.21} Artistic Director, Michael Smith, talks all things IMMORTAL. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/h9E2dh > {Mar.23} IMMORTAL Acrobats doing what they do best! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/FwUbzm > {Mar.26} Meet our first MJIMMORTAL FanOfTheNight from last night's show in Philadelphia! Each city we will be featuring one random fan with one of our Fanatics, you could be next! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Nxx18C > {Mar.27} Have you danced with the Fanatics yet? Don't miss your chance to see them in a city near you! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/RacSPi > {Mar.31} We're headed to North Carolina and our Fanatics have a message for YOU! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/03QNf2 > {Mar.31} FanOfTheNight from Trenton are brothers Leo and Enzo - because we couldn't possibly pick just one of them! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/BJ6LwQ > ---[ MJ ONE ]--- {Mar.12} We are pleased to announce that we will be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing “Smooth Criminal” on Friday, March 14. We’ll be selfie ready for you Ellen! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NinU6u > {Mar.12} Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart. Can you finish the song for us? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rPybJl > {Mar.14} Don’t forget to tune in today to The Ellen DeGeneres Show to watch our performance of “Smooth Criminal!” LINK /// < http://goo.gl/WOF1tU > {Mar.19} Can you name the song we performed for this act? (Answer: Earth Song) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/aMk4PY > {Mar.25} Witness the Legend come to life. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Sl6TbZ > {Mar.31} Let Electricity Dance. Like if this act “shocked” you. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rf3uC4 > ---[ MYSTERE ]--- {Mar.05} Yesterday Mystère was featured on a Breakfast Television (BT Toronto) segment. Check it out! LINK /// < http://www.bttoronto.ca/videos/3290258777001/ > {Mar.10} Who is in control? Is it the cube or the artist? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7QNNVQ > {Mar.12} Celebrate the present with La Belle. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/9QlrsZ > {Mar.17} Feeling a little under the weather? Well, Brian has a hankie just for you! Be careful. He just might have a trick up his sleeve. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AALYRi > {Mar.31} Join us through the journey of Mystère. Adventure awaits us. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/az8JWW > ---[ O ]--- {Mar.10} The head-balancing portion of Anja’s act demands incredible balance and precision. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vCOr5m > {Mar.12} Are you feeling a little like this today? We’ve got just the thing to cheer you up... LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1WgdZW > {Mar.20} An aerial duet sharing a single trapeze invokes the splendor of harmony and trust. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ECyK7N > ---[ OVO ]--- {Mar.08} HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!! Did you know that the creator of OVO, Deborah Colker, was the first woman to create a show for Cirque du Soleil? {Mar.19} Final rehearsal for a very special event that you will be able to see very soon. Stay tuned for more details... LINK /// < http://goo.gl/93GbFU > {Mar.24} Fuji TV SMAP & OVO LINK /// < http://goo.gl/cI1GyB > {Mar.27} Spring has arrived in Japan! It's the perfect time to come and see OVO in Odaiba! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/URggii > {Mar.31} Busy morning for the Ants... LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6LGrWo > ---[ QUIDAM ]--- {Mar.05} Quidam getting ready to open the France tour in Toulouse tonight. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sdqRUw > {Mar.12} Ready for Quidam Strasbourg Première, nous sommes prêts! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/55l4DG > {Mar.19} Weather working on stage, backstage or on the Zenith concourse we're all ready for the Toulon opening night. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/xKcgmK > {Mar.20} Our Quidam juggler finds the perfect spot to practice every day. Sometimes it just so happens he has an unexpected public #BackstageCirque Au Zenith Oméga. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7JaI13 > {Mar.23} Fill in the blank - This month we celebrated our Quidam manipulation act performer's _____ year anniversary with Cirque du Soleil. (Answer: 10 years) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/E3CmSD > {Mar.26} Transforming the Park&Suites Arena into the World of Quidam pour la Premiere de Montpellier ce soir. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nRyFYp > ---[ THE BEATLES LOVE]--- {Mar.10} Lucy in the sky with diamonds. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/QbLcZ8 > {Mar.18} The Kids of Liverpool are inviting you to a magical adventure under this psychedelic stream. Are you ready? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2g69up > {Mar.21} For the benefit of Mr. Kite, there will be a show tonight. Can you guess where? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0y63oj > ---[ TOTEM ]--- {Mar.02} The Big Top, Concessions Tent and Artistic Tent we will be using for our upcoming South Pacific tour are stored and ready for us to arrive in Auckland, New Zealand in August!! Two more stops in North America before we move oversees! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HTKF69 > {Mar.06} Check out this must-see inspirational video! In collaboration with BuzzFeed & ze frank, we explored Trust with TOTEM - Cirque du Soleil artists Alya and Gael. (Ed Note – Check this one out, it’s a good ‘un) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/hkr5gy > {Mar.14} It was luggage day for TOTEM cast and crew members today...which means that we only have 6 performances left in Santa Monica before we move to Portland, OR. Hurry up, last performance is this Sunday at 4:30pm at the Santa Monica Pier! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/mPonuF > {Mar.16} It is tear-down day already for us in Santa Monica - even Norman the Neanderthal is helping out! Thank you Southern California for being an awesome audience since October! Up next, Portland, OR starting March 27! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/s8XNvx > {Mar.18} Ever wondered what it's like to spin 30 feet in the air on Aerial Rings? TOTEM artist Yann Arnaud is inviting you to fly with him! LINK /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnadiBQzUtU > {Mar.22} We are starting #SelfieSaturday at TOTEM like our friends from Varekai! Flash back, our Green Frogs Riki Fujimaki and David Resnick putting the final touches to their make-up! We will be back up and running next Thursday in Portland! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/4G6SEd > {Mar.25} Technical validations are under way at TOTEM for trapeze artists Sarah and Guilhem! We open at the Portland Expo Center this Thursday, March 27! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sBFRnz > {Mar.27} It is getting real Portland! We open in just a few hours at the Expo Center! Come live the experience before May 4 LINK /// < http://goo.gl/jd5JmH > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/mnPDHY > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/w7E7oV > ---[ VAREKAI ]--- {Mar.08} We're starting #SelfieSaturdays at Varekai! We thought we'd give you some competition Ellen DeGeneres! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gL5JUC > {Mar.10} Did you know that each artist does their own make-up? Some of them take up to 90 minutes to do their make-up! Check out Arisa from our Stix rotation act and her new make-up! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wEpdXe > {Mar.16} Hey Pittsburgh! Check out your very own Scott Tady from The Beaver Times who came out to have some fun with us and to give you a sneak peek of what's coming to the 'Burgh at Petersen Events Center from March 27 - 30. Do you have your tickets? LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8MFHPcpqKo > {Mar.20} Check out some of our photos during rehearsals! You don't want to miss Varekai by Cirque du Soleil. Do you have your tickets Pensacola? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AXqdkO > {Mar.22} Check out 'Kamikaze' striking a pose #backstageCirque for his #Cirqueselfie! Do you recall what specific prop he carries around at the beginning of Varekai? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/b6a79t > {Mar.23} SUNDAY 5:00PM SHOW CANCELLATION INFORMATION FOR PENSACOLA - To patrons who attended the 5:00pm show, refunds are available online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling ticketmaster at 1- 800-653-0800. Refunds at the Pensacola Bay Center will be available as of Monday, March 24 from 12:00 - 5:00 or Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 - 4:00. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. {Mar.25} Hey Pittsburgh! Varekai just arrived in town and we we're going to pay a visit to the Almost Famous Primanti Bros in the Strip District! Maybe Tony can teach us a thing or two about sandwich making? And maybe we can put a twist, Varekai style, on The Pitts-burger! Come see us tomorrow between 11:00 - 11:30am at the original location in the Strip District! {Mar.26} Check out Varekai at Primanti Bros. today! Thanks for the Pastrami Sandwich tips Tony! When it’s busy, it’s a circus in here. When there’s a circus in town, it’s a circus in here. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/L9mTyF > {Mar.27} Hey Pittsburgh! Tune into KDKA Pittsburgh TODAY Live from 9:00 – 10:00 today for a sneak peek into the enchanted world of Varekai! Opening tonight and going on until Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. Come and see us! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0bUkIr > {Mar.27} For those that missed us this morning, check out the Varekai invasion of the KDKA studios in Pittsburgh! Now this is something you don't see everyday... Opening tonight and performing until Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Al8ZHn > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/G0iIGZ > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/BuwpHp > {Mar.29} Varekai totally rocked the Pittsburgh premiere! Congratulations to our cast and crew! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2HeBT8 > {Mar.29} Can you recognize which act this character performs in? Clue: It's unique and the first time this act has ever been performed in a Cirque du Soleil show and created entirely by the artist! (Answer: Single-point trapeze) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/fAeE8Z > ---[ ZARKANA ]--- {Mar.02} The Atherton twins are rehearsing for their live performance tomorrow, March 3rd, in front of ARIA Resort & Casino at 2PM. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/cR0sMr > {Mar.03} The Atherton Twins performing their aerial straps act in front of ARIA Resort & Casino! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/fbMZLD > {Mar.04} Watch the Atherton twins perform aerial straps outside ARIA! LINK /// < hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjbbVEp0PU > {Mar.11} Let the show unfold with grains of sand. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/l5gTmH > {Mar.14} Air Canada rouge launched daily non-stop service yesterday between Montreal and Las Vegas, the only year round daily non- stop. We surprised the inaugural flight of customers with complimentary tickets to our show! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/2IGJ1U > {Mar.15} Cassiopée from Zarkana is singing the National Anthem at the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament Championship today! LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/r3lUOt > {Mar.17} The magic of an extraordinary circus comes to life, and we’re inviting you to this acrobatic extravaganza! Take a look: LINK /// < hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mxoms1hHyk > {Mar.20} Danger lurks under Kundalini’s spell. Can they escape with balance and control? LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/vRemzL > {Mar.25} An infrared camera is used for producing interactive video effects for the hand balancing act. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/Ez7dzW > {Mar.31} We think we’re going to call a bunch of red flags here. LINK /// < hhttp://goo.gl/FajtC6 > ---[ ZUMANITY ]--- {Mar.11} Have you seen the show? Edie says it’s breast-taking. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wDULiU > {Mar.14} Edie said you loved the Hand to Hand act, so we dedicated this pose to you. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HBkPHn > {Mar.19} Evoke your pleasures and passions with Dick and Izzy. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1ltlzX > {Mar.24} Did you catch NENE LEAKES on Dancing with the Stars tonight? We’re pleased to announce NeNe will be starring in Zumanity at the New York - New York Hotel & Casino Las Vegas from June 27 to July 1. Tickets go on-sale tomorrow, March 25. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/iM6vc4 > {Mar.25} In honor of our 10 year anniversary, actress NENE LEAKES will be guest starring in Zumanity from June 27th to July 1st. We wanted to give you ten special shows to celebrate ten special years. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Mq783T > {Mar.26} Tickets for the exclusive Zumanity show at New York - New York Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, starring actress NENE LEAKES, are on sale! Limited quantity of VIP meet & greet tickets are available. LINK /// < http://cirk.me/1gWNfuT > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/CAu7P8 > ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "Michel Laprise - Coordinating Cirque's Special Events" (Part 2 of 2) By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) "Cavalia Continues its 'Odysseo'" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) o) "Anthony Gatto: Master of Construction?" By: Jason Fagone, Special Engagement o) "This is the Solar Flare Podcast!" By: Ian Reents - Longwood, Florida (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- "Michael Laprise - Coordinating Cirque's Special Events" (Part 2 of 2) By: Ricky Russo – Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- Back in January, Michel Laprise was publically announced as the writer and director of Cirque du Soleil’s newest touring show KURIOS – CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, a post he obviously took up a couple of years prior. As Cirque’s official biography of Mr. Laprise states, Michel worked in theater for nine years as an actor, director and artistic director before joining Cirque du Soleil in 2000. Even before he was out of theater school, Michel had started his own creation company, Théâtre Pluriel, which spawned a number of innovative productions that have garnered both popular and critical acclaim. At Cirque du Soleil, Michel spent five years as a talent scout (fans might remember seeing his name in Cirque’s 2002 reality series “Fire Within”) before taking on, in 2006, the role of Special Events Designer. In that capacity, Michel directed a number of special performances produced by Cirque du Soleil. With KURIOS set to debut very soon, and with all eyes on Michel Laprise, we thought it would be interesting to take a further peek into some of the special events Michel has been involved in creating. Last time we looked into the Opening Ceremonies of the Montreal Outgames (in 2006), the launch of Fiat Bravo (in 2007), and the Venetian Macao Grand Opening ceremonies (also in 2007). To conclude this month, we’ll take an in-depth look at Cirque’s performance event celebrating Quebec City’s 400th anniversary (in 2008) in great detail, a brief peek at the opening show at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Russia (2009), and round out with a look at Cirque’s Opening Ceremonies show for the FIBA International Basketball Federation World Championships (2010) and the launch of Microsoft's Kinect console (2010). 400 ANS QUEBEC CITY (2008) -------------------------- On October 17, 2008, Cirque du Soleil celebrates Quebec City's 400th Anniversary by creating a very special performance staged at the Colisée Pepsi (Pepsi Coloseum) in Quebec City. In honor of the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, Cirque’s Events team put on a majestic show. "We truly wanted to be a part of the Quebec City celebrations, especially because it was the first to take a chance on Cirque," said Michel Laprise, the show’s director. Before the start of each performance, the atmosphere in the Colisée was one of celebration, with the spectators—who had received free tickets—eagerly waiting for the magic to start. The designers had in fact created a special show just for the occasion: 16 scenes which each included various acts. Below is a summary of the event. The Show Opening --- The stage was dotted with about a dozen mock-ups of well- known Quebec City buildings. At the foot of the stage, spectators could gaze on a sand landscape created by Guy Beauregard, representing the shore as well as a second—imaginary—city. Children were busily working to finish building this utopian city. Among them was little Julie, who would be an integral part of the show, searching for her roots. While playing in the sand, the children found a mysterious “time key,” which they planted in the centre of the stage, like a flag proudly marking the foundation of their city of dreams. The key immediately triggered a giant projection on the stage... which just as quickly transformed itself into a huge sundial. Then the Sun started spinning in the sky, bringing us back to the early days of Quebec City. The existing buildings flew up into the heavens, with spectators recognizing the Château Frontenac, Place Royale and the gates to the city. It was a highly emotional moment. 1608: Samuel de Champlain’s Arrival --- As the Sun danced in the sky, all the navigators lost their way and converged towards Quebec City, the centre of the universe for the duration of the show. The audience excitedly watched a bevy of curious explorers setting anchor near the city, seeking new discoveries. These magical ships docked at centre stage, after which their passengers disembarked. And so began the first Quebec community—not to mention the start of a spectacular show. Once on land, the sailors quickly fell in love with place and used parts of their boat to build a huge communal home. The Building --- To celebrate the completion of the new communal home, the first inhabitants gathered in front of a living “flag.” A young man performed a balancing act on a rotating mast, illustrating that human beings formed the core of this community. The Settlers --- A treasure chest was then opened, and out came two artists who performed a scintillating rola-bola act. They were accompanied by 18 “settlers” dancing to the music, alongside little wooden men busily doing a jig. The Nostalgic Sailor --- In a peaceful moment paying tribute to quiet happiness, an old man left a small dwelling and walked to the end of the dock with little Julie. Gazing upon the immense body of water, the man whistled and spoke to the birds in the forest as he angled for fish. Suddenly, 40 fishermen emerged from the stands of the Colisée. A giant appeared among them, hauling a cart carrying the clowns and singer Francesca Gagnon. Tribute was paid to Louis Cyr, the well-known Quebec strongman born in 1863. Trapeze-Filled Sky --- Twenty-six fixed trapezes / swings dropped down to “pick up” as many artists and raise them into the sky. They were soon joined by four swinging trapeze artists who performed the second part of this act, like children swinging in a summer sky, replete with the joy of freedom. The Harvest --- An impressive act that was a fan favourite: Eight jugglers plying their trade to folklore music, accompanied by a skipping rope virtuoso, a diabolo whiz, a spoon player, a Jew’s harp player, an accordionist and eleven percussionists. Need we say that the amphitheatre was the site of a spectacular celebration? Spectators were not only clapping wildly, they were asking for more! Sand --- Much like a storytelling magician, an artist created drawings in the sand which were simultaneously projected on the stage and ceiling. A village was transformed into a sun, while a woman’s face became Samuel de Champlain. The clowns and little Julie walked through the drawing, dancing and lying down among the shapes and forms created. This performance was followed by a dynamic hand-to-hand act. Leaves --- A brilliant combination of three hoops, three Cyr wheels and one 2- Zen-O wheel gave spectators the impression of having been transported to an autumn landscape, just when the trees explode into their majestic display of fire and gold. A High-Flying Dive --- The eight jugglers were back on stage, this time brandishing fiery torches. Meanwhile, artists climbed a ladder up to the ceiling, jumping and landing on a mattress 30 meters below. The act’s highlight: An artist climbed to the top of the tower, burst into flames and then, after staying in that position for what seemed like an interminable few seconds as the audience held its collective breath, launched himself into the air to much “oohing” and “aahing.” Floatilla of Memories --- The old nostalgic sailor, like the survivor of a shipwreck, floated on a raft borne by the crowd as he watched his life pass before his eyes. The scene shifted to a succession of all the ships he had sailed on, as well as a contortionist in a giant bottle that had been cast out to sea, a singer in a rowboat and a twin of the sailor, walking down a path of mirrors held aloft by acrobats. Winter --- Four artists excited the audience with a pas de quatre, a dynamic ballet in which the dancers pushed the envelope, balancing gracefully on the arms and heads of their partners. Unicycles --- Two artists proceeded to do an acrobatic dance on a unicycle. The two lovebirds evoked the grace and power of snowflakes or figure skaters on a frozen lake. They were followed by four young trial unicycle artists who jumped up the stairs of the Colisée’s stands to end up cycling all the way around the edge of the rink! Eternal Spring --- A simply grandiose finale: On the central stage, two trampolines stacked one on top of the other appeared, incorporating four Chinese poles. On the north side of the Colisée, six artists were entertaining the crowd on Russian bars, while others— on the south side—leapt around on a teeterboard. The 40 fishermen emptied confetti from their pails as the rink was suddenly filled with jugglers, skippers, the diabolo artist and girls from the troupe twirling ribbons in celebration of the 400th anniversary in the air, all under the watchful eyes of two flying men. The Concept The event-show created especially for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City was nothing less than gigantic. It involved: o) Three weeks in the rehearsal room and five days of adaptation at the Colisée; o) 402 people on the production team; o) Over 250 costumes; o) 146 artists; - 76 artists from Quebec City; - 49 artists from the province of Quebec; - 21 foreign artists of 14 different nationalities; o) 70 tons of sand; o) 30 trapezes; o) 22 circus disciplines deployed in 16 tableaux; o) 12 children; o) 11 percussionists; o) Five days of setting up at the Colisée; o) Five performances that were seen by over 70,000 spectators. The Creators Jean-François Bouchard Creation Director Michel Laprise Director Richard Lacroix Set Designer Jacques Boucher Sound Designer Lucien Bernèche Costume Designer Alain Vinet Music Director Marc Lessard Music Arrangement Guy Dubuc Band Leader Martin Labrecque Lighting Designer Jimmy Lakatos Géodezik / Video Designer Mathieu St-Arnaud Géodezik / Video Designer Raymond St-Jean Géodezik / Video Designer Olivier Goulet Géodezik / Video Designer Nathalie Gagné Make-up Designer Jean Savoie Props Designer André Simard Acrobatic Performance Designer Danny Zen Acrobatic Equipment & Rigging Guy Beauregard Sand Designer Paul Vachon (l’Aubergine)/Audience Interaction Stéphane Boko Choreographer Catherine Archambault Choreographer – Trampoline Elsie Morin Choreographer – Cyr Wheel Cinthia Beranek Choreographer – Hoops Jean-Jacques Pillet Choreographer – Pas de quatre Shana Caroll Choreographer – Trapeze CIRQUE AT EUROVISION (2009) --------------------------- On May 15, 2009, Cirque du Soleil participated in the largest contest of its kind in Europe: the Eurovision Song Contest. What is that? According to Wikipedia, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held amongst the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is an alliance of public service media entities, comprising 74 active members in 56 countries and 42 associate members from a further 24 countries. (It’s unrelated to the European Union.) Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and radio and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition. The contest has been broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. It is also one of the most watched non- sporting events in the world, with audience figures having been quoted in recent years as anything between 100 million and 600 million internationally. Eurovision has also been broadcast outside Europe to such places as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela despite the fact that they do not compete. Since 2000, the contest has also been broadcast over the Internet, via the Eurovision website. Winning the Eurovision Song Contest provides an opportunity for the winning artists to capitalize on the surrounding publicity and further their career. The 2009 event was broadcast live from Moscow’s Olimpiysky Arena in front of a live audience of 18,000 to an estimated 200 million television and internet viewers, second worldwide only to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. And a very special performance by Cirque took place during the second semi-final gala there. Specially created for the occasion, the performance marks Cirque’s first-ever participation in the prestigious event, bringing together over 40 Cirque du Soleil performers from around the world. Using an array of music from Cirque du Soleil's catalog ("Rideau" from Saltimbanco, and "Once Upon a Time" from La Nouba), the following acts were performed: o) Cyr Wheel (in Quidam German Wheel costume) o) Banquine (from Quidam) o) Fire-Knife Dance (from Alegría) o) Flight of Icarus (From Varekai) o) Hoops/Hand-balancing (in Varekai Hand-balancing costume) o) Fast-Track (from La Nouba) o) Icarian Games (from Varekai) o) Unicycle o) The Baron (from Saltimbanco) Cirque’s involvement was academic, of course, but showed (or perhaps proved) that Cirque was in the Special Events game for good. The next two would go on to cement that ideal... CIRQUE AT FIBA (2010) --------------------- The performance at the FIBA 2010 Opening Ceremonies is, in many ways, the quinticential Special Events experience from Cirque du Soleil: a charivari of many disciplines with costumes spanning across a number of current and past Cirque du Soleil spectacles. It's at once overwhelming (the good kind) and over stimulating (the bad kind), too much of a hodge-podge to really ensnare the senses. For this performance, husband and wife Ric'key Pageot (piano, accordion) and Dessy Di Lauro (singer, formerly of La Nouba and Delirium) perform together in Turkey along with a small contingent of Cirque du Soleil acrobats. The show opens with Ric'key playing the notes for Seisouso, one of Cirque's hauntingly beautiful tunes from Quidam (normally accompanying the Aerial Hoops performance) on his piano, which Dessy later begins to sing. (It's a little weird hearing her voice sing that song I don't mind saying...) She bends down to pick up a basketball rolling toward her (the symbol for this performance, obviously), as a small number of acrobats begin to fill the stage: a bicyclist rides through, two acrobats begin to ascend the stage's telepherique to its very top (and juggle three basketballs when they reach its pinnacle), four acrobats climb aboard a mound shaped like a basketball (reminiscent of the dome in Mystère) and strike a banquine-like pose, and a monocycle duo (a la Koozå) dances about the stage with a basketball in hand. All is quiet and retrospective in this little world we've found ourselves in. Then the music from La Nouba's Power Track explodes from the ether, igniting the performers' energy: on top of a small make-shift wall, a truncated version of Hoops/Manipulation is performed (in Quidam's Hand-Balancing costume), a juggler in yellow manipulates three basketballs who are lit aflame, another rides a massive basketball (think Dralions) whilst also juggling a trio of balls, an Icarian Games duo appears next (in Varekai costume) to show us a few amazing moves, the banquine guys perform again (more Banquine-like moves this time), then, as Dessy climbs atop the basketball mount, three more acrobats descend from the telepherique above, spinning in their aerial hoops, a Cyr Wheel rolls across the stage (the performer in Quidam German Wheel costume), and a breakdancer spins some moves on the floor (in BMX Costume from La Nouba). The set-piece behind the extravaganza, which has up to this point been used as a projection device, then turns into a make-shift trampoline wall a la La Nouba, whereby a contingent of acrobats fall onto, bounce and "walk" up its face. But not before a hand balancer (wearing a Varekai costume) strikes a few poses, and two guys fly in a la the Twins in Varekai (although their costume is unremarkable), whilst another four begin to jump up and down on a Korean Plank. And next, if you can believe it, Russian Swings a la Varekai swing into view, complete with scrim to jump into! Wow! It's definitely an assault on the senses... Watch it for yourself here: LINK /// < www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkAngeTw7M > KINECT IMAGINED BY CIRQUE (2010) -------------------------------- In a rich green forest, the cheers of more than 3,000 poncho-clad people rose above a steady drumbeat at the moment Microsoft shared the name of its new controller-free gaming device for Xbox 360: Kinect. It wasn't an actual forest, but a college basketball arena as imagined by a Montreal-based troupe of Cirque du Soleil performers. Previously code named Project Natal, Kinect had its most-detailed public introduction to date during the 45-minute extravaganza at the Galen Center arena in Los Angeles on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Microsoft approached the mega-performance troupe after realizing it wanted to announce Kinect in a "hyper-creative setting," said Xbox general manager Rob Matthews in an interview at the time. "We said, we need to do something Cirque-esque or Cirque-like. Why don't we call Cirque du Soleil." Cirque du Soleil artistic director Michel Laprise and several other crew members came to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., tried the Natal games and Laprise was "intrigued. The freedom and physicality as so strong. This is so emotional, it makes sense we are doing it." To get across how Cirque works, Laprise says that at a planning meeting with Xbox executives in Montreal he poured a bucket of sand on the table. "Natal is a name of a beach on Brazil and our company co-founder had the idea that … on the beach this is where friends have dreams. So let's all dream together a story that will touch the people in the room," Laprise says. "Then I took some rocks and said, 'This is a story where four meteors land on Planet Earth and what is very magical is that they all fall in the same Amazon forest, the place where there is the most biodiversity. It's not been spoiled by tech, it's just purely organic. People heard about the four meteors and when (the meteors) aligned there's a big giant monolith that came out of the center of the earth. … That attracted people from the four corners of the world and people started to interact between themselves with more friendship and more playfulness." That concept provided the seed for the performance, he says. About the final presentation, Laprise says, "I didn't want it to be big. It had to be big." It wasn't just big, it was huge! The 75 dancers, musicians, and acrobats not only unveiled Kinect, but gave attendees a long, hard, never-sit-still look at Xbox 360's newest gaming and entertainment platform. The troupe transformed themselves into a vine-and-flower-covered tribe and the arena into a lush forest with foliage and filtered light. They transformed the audience as well—the 3,000 celebrities, journalists, bloggers, and tech industry who's who in attendance were issued white satin ponchos to wear for the evening. The college graduation-gone-Vulcan smocks provided a blank backdrop for the colorful performance until the end, when the large, pointy shoulders of each poncho illuminated, turning the audience into a sea of tiny, Xbox -green lights. A life-sized elephant and gorilla, a family sitting on a couch suspended 80 feet in the air, pumping world music and pounding drums, 25-foot projection screens around the top of the arena, a rotating 40- foot "television screen," a large boulder aglow with the Xbox logo—all of these effects and more were meant to help tell the (largely wordless) story of a boy on a mission to find meteors and meaning. By the time the show began, attendees who had at first seemed bewildered by their white ponchos had relaxed and were mingling with Cirque du Soleil performers and rubbing pointy shoulders with each other, speculating on the show and what mysteries it would reveal. In the show's prologue, a narrator posed the notion that the future of humanity is humanity itself: "Since the dawn of time, humanity's long journey has lead us to countless discoveries. Objects along our path have projected our way forward, but the ever-more sophisticated inventions introduced ever-more complex languages for humans to master in order to communicate with machines. With each leap forward for civilization, more people were left behind. But our quest has now taken us to a completely new horizon. History is about to be re- written. This time human beings will be at the center and the machine will be the one that adapts. After five million years of evolution, might the next step - the next object - be the absence of an object? Is it possible that the future of humanity is humanity itself?" With the help of the dancers and acrobatics, a boy made his way from where he was sitting on a couch, through the forest and the white-clad crowd, to some large, boulder-like meteors. He scrambled up the meteors, tossing aside a traditional game controller on the way up, and as he stood on the top-most meteor, it lit up with the Xbox logo to great applause. Standing there put the boy face-to-face with a large screen that slowly revealed an avatar of him, complete with matching clothes. After the boy and his avatar waved their arms and legs in unison, the boy asked the screen, "What's your name?" In a flash of purple, letters appeared on the screen and arranged themselves to form the word "KINECT." Again, more cheers from the crowd. The screen then transformed into a rotating living room, and the boy climbed inside. There, for the rest of the show, a cast of characters demonstrated the experiences that Kinect will enable. Cirque du Soleil performers took the audience on an extended tour through multiple games that included steering a raft down river rapids; driving a car on a race course and a half-pipe; petting and interacting with a tiger cub; competing in a variety of sports including beach volleyball, track and field, and soccer. Performers also demonstrated some nongaming experiences, including a woman enjoying yoga lessons from a virtual Kinect teacher, a family using Kinect to select a movie and take dance lessons together, and far- flung friends interacting by using video chat. After the performance, audience members returned their white smocks and were given a Kinect tiger cub as seen in one of the games. Regardless what you might feel about Microsoft, the Kinect, or E3, this "imagining" by Cirque du Soleil was simply amazing. I wish I could have been there! Watch this amazing performance here: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS2_3cBjQIU Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWRO7UiDtx4 Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idZuBjAa_cc * * * Today, Cirque du Soleil is much more than a circus performance company. It has diversified into special events for private parties, corporate swarés, and even spectacles to launch new and exciting products. While some of these creations are not the most grandiose, or as well conceived as we would like them to be (as fans of Cirque's shows), many do break the mold and come out to show us something unique, something special, and perhaps something new. If Michel Laprise and his team were able to do these glorious things at Cirque's Special Events team then KURIOS is in good hands. I can't wait to see what Michel Laprise has in store for us! ---------------------------------------------------------- "Cavalia Continues its 'Odysseo'" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- Back in our April, 2007 issue, we reviewed “Cavalia,” a horse/circus arts performance spectacle. Now their second show, entitled “Odysseo” (pronounced ODD-ess-AY-oh) has returned with more beautiful horses and exciting circus acts, so my lovely wife and I went to check it out when it visited Seattle, though we waited until the price was right. More on that in a moment. Created and produced by Normand Latourelle, one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil (and with them up to 1990), it is a show described by Mr. Latourelle himself as, “Cirque du Soleil with horses.” Their first show, simply called Cavalia, has been on the road touring for about 10 years. Their ticketing strategy is to announce only a couple of weeks of dates initially and announce date extensions as tickets are sold. Kind of like Cirque in that way, but while Cirque might initially announce three weeks of dates Cavalia initially announced only two. They plopped their tent into the same huge cement slab our park systems Marymoor Park built to Cirque’s specifications, in the Seattle suburb of Redmond. Needing to house some 60 horses on-site, along with the huge performance tent, means the site is much more crowded with tents and infrastructure than a Cirque site. And not only that – the all-white four-spire tent is North America’s largest, a 26,624 square foot behemoth standing more than 100 feet high, taller and wider in diameter than a typical Cirque tent. Ticket prices also took a bit of a leap. Whereas Cirque’s tent show prices top out in the $125.00 range, Odysseo tops out at $150 before graduating to the VIP packages (which Odysseo calls “Rendez-Vous” and start at $200 topping out at $260). Generally Odysseo’s tickets are $10-20 dollars more each than equivalent Cirque seats. When we heard that Odysseo would be plopping its tent in Marymoor Park we were excited to revisit this creative hybrid. But we were put off when we found the tickets in sections we wanted to be in the range of $150 dollars each, and those weren’t for any sort of “VIP experience.” So we decided to wait and see if the show eventually did a Groupon (or some similar “coupon value” service) type of special. It was quite late in the run when a special finally did appear, and we decided to take advantage of the special pricing to avail ourselves of one of their Rendez-vous VIP experiences. We ended up getting tickets to a Saturday evening show for a little more than $300, about $100 off their normal price. The Rendes-vous experience includes free parking, free food, soft drinks, beer and wine, desserts during intermission, a post-show visit to the horses stable, and a souvenir. We figured the free parking, souvenir (which we assumed to be a program that we would buy anyway – and we were right!) and food came pretty close to the amount we would be spending if we had to provide those things for ourselves. Arriving at the site that evening we were pleased to find the parking lot in front of the site was being used for VIP parking, which meant only a short walk to the VIP tent. After picking up our tickets from the tickets trailer (which had customer waiting areas inside the trailer instead of the Cirque-type ticket trailer where a customer stands outside) we made our way down a blue-carpeted walking platform to the VIP tent, again impressed by the size of Odysseo’s tent, which is quite imposing as you come up on it. The VIP tent was also quite large, half again larger than Cirques Tapis Rouge tent. The room was full of high barstools surrounding high tables, lower small dinner tables with chairs, and several couches placed in a U shape surrounding central tables that rimmed the perimeter of the tent. Two beverage stations dispensing soft drinks, wine, beer, and small containers of ice cream(!) were set at opposite sides of the tent. There was also a small table dispensing free popcorn that could be taken into the tent, as well as a fully stocked souvenir boutique. But what impressed us most was the food spread; three full tables of various foods, some appetizer-like and some more filling. This was a full-on buffet! Brie, salmon, chips and bean dip, deviled eggs, tasty small mushrooms, as well as cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. While the food was not the upscale appetizers that Cirque might serve in its Tapis Rouge tent, this was presented as a full meal you could consume before the show. And many people did! The VIP tent opens 90 min. before show time, and when we arrived about 15 min. in the tent looked to be full. Most of the sitting chairs and tables were already taken with patrons consuming the free food, so word must've gotten around. Though some of the offerings were more pedestrian, their quality was high and we had our fill. Cavalia has had quite an evolution in their souvenirs and their presentation since the last time we saw the show. Back then it was very basic merchandising much like a concert, with goods that you could not touch behind a set of tables, with pricing just as mysterious. This new presentation was much more like Cirques with goods out and available for people to touch, with pricing signs next to everything. They had many of the same types of things that Cirque offers; shirts, caps, mugs, even a calendar (which Cirque decided not to produce this year). But they also had some unique items, including a number of horse grooming tools and other horse paraphernalia emblazoned with the Cavalia name. The shirts available were mostly for women, there were very few men’s shirts available. They also had jackets and vests at various price points, all the way up to a very deluxe equestrian women’s jacket that went for $320. This time they also had DVDs of both their shows selling for around $35 apiece. Postcards, notecards, and a program rounded out the selection. This was a much better presentation than last time, and we soon found ourselves with a full bag. Added to it were the programs, which turned out to be the special souvenir. As we made our way from the VIP tent to the show tent we availed ourselves of the restroom, which was also different from the Cirque norm. A full-size trailer was divided into male and female restrooms which were entered through a main door leading into a room with stalls and separate sinks. This was not the type of bathroom Cirque uses which is much more open to the outside world and unisex. The tent interior was much like we remembered from the prior show. A huge metal structure of ascending stairs and seats ascended to the top of the tent. Having bought VIP packages we thought our tickets would be quite close to the front of the stage, but it turned out we sat at the upper edge of the VIP seating (something to consider when you look at the value of a coupon package). The steep raking of the seats meant that everyone got a good view; even a tall person sitting in front of you wouldn’t affect your view as much as they would if you were sitting in a Cirque tent with its gentler raking. Though climbing the structure to get to our seats felt like climbing up stairs in an athletic stadium. What surprised us most about the seating were the number of people actually sitting in those seats. This evening performance on a Saturday was only about 60% full, the upper areas of seating nearly totally devoid of customers. This was disappointing, but could perhaps be accounted for by the fact that the original show, simply titled Cavalia, had re-visited the Seattle area only two years before. In front of us, the stage was much like the prior Cavalia show. A wide performance space, its surface lightly packed with dirt, and a tall closed curtain that hid the rest of the stage from us. The musicians were to our left and right, in glass-enclosed rooms above the main entrances. Their isolation, like in “O” and La Nouba, helped ensure an excellent studio quality sound mix. Before the show started we were treated to a quiz in the form of slides projected on the front curtains. How many stallions in the show? 24. No mares, only boys in this troop, with an average age of 10 years. It was an interesting way to get patrons into the show before the curtains opened. And they needed to do something because there was no live-action pre-show entertainment. As with their original show, Odysseo was absent of the clowns which are so much a part (for better or worse) of the Cirque experience. However the show did start on time with the lights dimming just shortly after 7:30pm. The show begins with pairs of horses who run so close together in tandem that their rider can stand atop their bare backs at full gallop, 1 foot on each horse. This soon gives way to the main acrobats of the evening, a group of toned African drummer/acrobats that formed a large part of the human cast of the show. They seemed to be used as a buffer between horse and cirque acts, though they could be a bit show-offey. They were followed by three men who walked with flexible stilt-type attachments to their feet which allowed them to bounce and jump, in some cases quite high. They performed with the horses, jumping over poles held by the African troop. When the next act - five white horses running freely – began, the curtains opened completely, revealing an enormous oval dirt track, the back half tilted at such an angle that at its furthest point it rose halfway to the top of the tent, and where there was a rear entrance for horses to enter. Framing the back of the stage was a wide projection screen spanning the stages entire stage width that featured projections meant to invoke a place or time. After the white horses, a large carousel lowered from the ceiling. It featured wooden carousel horses interspersed with poles, like Chinese poles, and while it slowly rotated male and female acrobats played on it in a Chinese pole routine. It was one of the more creative acts in the show. After an act of trick writers performing tricks on galloping horses that zipped back and forth full-speed across the front of the stage, the first act ended after 50 minutes. For us and our other Rendez-vous brethren that meant back to the VIP tent for dessert! The dessert spread was every bit as plentiful as the dinner spread with cookies, brownies, candy, cheesecake, and small plastic cups of chocolate mousse, along with other delicacies. The lines to the dessert tables were long but moved quickly and people ate fast, as the second act started shortly thereafter. The second act began with several horses lying on the dirt floor of the stage as though they were sleeping or resting. This was followed by an aerial hoops act involving several artists. At the end of it came another surprise - sprinklers made it rain upon the stage! Then a large circus ring (such as you would see in a Ringling Brothers circus show) descended from the rafters, for several horses and riders to do tricks inside of. There were also five white horses that ran at liberty inside the ring under the tutelage of a lady trainer, who encouraged her charges to trot and turn in unison using only subtle hand signals. Then came the biggest surprise of the night. With the stage totally empty water trickled onto the front of the stage from spigots under the stage divider. They flooded the entire front section! What had been a round track of desert was now the shore of an oasis. Through it several horses ran. You could see the personalities of some of the horses surfacing, as some would run in the middle of the track while others would run more slowly closer to the stage edge, showing off for the crowd. The flooding is quite a feat, as the water needs to be pumped out and the dirt dried and ready for the next show, a complicated procedure that must be done in a short amount of time. The final act was a single horse silhouetted at the top of the stage, doing parade prancing and other showy moves absent of any obvious signal from the rider, and lit from behind. This horse was very impressive, a star performer in a large cast of impressive horses. As that was the final performance of the 55 min. second act, the stage was soon populated with several dozen horses, riders and acrobats walking across the flooded stage and taking their bows. It was hard to raise the crowd into a standing ovation but eventually they did get it. The less than capacity crowd then proceeded down the stairs (a noisy process on the metal structure) to exit the tent. The show was presented with every bit of the technical brilliance you see in a Cirque show though presented on a somewhat larger scale, as the sound and lights had to fill a larger performance space. Overall we felt the show was a good show, though without the surprise and novelty of the first of Cavalia’s shows that we had seen. Because we had already seen what these impressive animals could do when we saw the first show, this show became an exercise in variation. Though the carousel and flooding of the stage were innovative variations on the theme. Making our way again back to the VIP tent we waited a few minutes for the horses to be returned to their stables, as we were to be treated to a stable visit as part of our VIP evening. Meanwhile three cast members stayed in the VIP tent signing autographs and taking pictures. After a few minutes we were escorted back into the tent stable. Every horse had his own paddock space with a card in front stating the horses name and specialty. They didn’t look winded or tired, just relaxing with fresh hay and water. And there was one final opportunity for the show to make money, as there was a photo opportunity with a horse and cast member for $20. Once we had toured the horse tent we were free to leave exiting through the VIP tent and out the front. The next stops for Odysseo are Calgary and Edmonton in Canada, where they will stay about two months each. The original unit, Cavalia, is next headed for Belgium. Their website is www.cavalia.net, where you can sign up to be notified of future engagements. We found Odysseo a beautiful show, spotlighting the majesty of horses and the power of the bond between horse and rider. Should it come to your area, we recommend every Cirque fan think about seeing it. Decide for yourself if you want to wait for a special or not. ---------------------------------------------------------- "Anthony Gatto: Master of Construction?" By: Jason Fagone, Special Engagement ---------------------------------------------------------- Why did Anthony Gatto, the greatest juggler alive — and perhaps of all time — back away from his art to open a construction business? I feel like I should let you know what you’re in for. This is a long story about a juggler. It gets into some areas that matter in all sports, such as performance and audience and ambition, but there’s absolutely a lot of juggling in the next 6,700 words. I assume you may bail at this point, which is fine; I almost bailed a few times in the writing. The usual strategies of sportswriting depend on the writer and reader sharing a set of passions and references that make it easy to speed along on rivers of stats and myth, but you almost certainly don’t know as much about juggling as you do about football or baseball. We’re probably staring at a frozen lake here. We may fall through the ice anyway. * * * The greatest juggler alive, maybe of all time, is a 40-year-old Floridian named Anthony Gatto. He holds 11 world records, has starred for years in Cirque du Soleil, and has appeared as a child on The Tonight Show, performing in a polo shirt and shorts, juggling five rings while balancing a five-foot pole on his forehead. His records are for keeping certain numbers of objects aloft for longer than anyone else. Eleven rings, 10 rings, nine rings, eight rings, and seven rings. Nine balls, eight balls, and seven balls. Eight clubs, seven clubs, and six clubs. To break this down a little: There’s one person in the world who can juggle eight clubs for 16 catches,1 and that’s Gatto. As for seven clubs, maybe a hundred people can get a stable pattern going — for a couple of seconds. It’s difficult to even hold seven clubs without dropping them; your hands aren’t big enough. Gatto can juggle seven clubs for more than four minutes. “That’s insane,” says David Cain, a professional juggler and juggling historian. “There’s no competition.” Three years ago, Gatto posted a video to YouTube called “Anthony Gatto 7 Ball World Record.” The video shows a man of medium height with short dark hair and a W-shaped goatee. He wears a gray tank top, athletic shorts, a headband, and sneakers. He doesn’t look like a circus performer; he looks like a bro heading to the gym. Standing in a residential driveway, he juggles seven balls for 11 minutes and 38 seconds, for thousands of catches, as his tank top darkens with sweat and three neighborhood kids look on with increasing boredom. (In a gag at the beginning of the video, Gatto pays the kids $5 to be his audience.) When he drops a ball, Gatto says, with mock grandiosity, “And that’s how you break the world record, kids. One day you, too, can be world champions.” The previous record was 10 minutes and 12 seconds — also set by Gatto. The message of the video is basically, I can set whatever record I want, anytime I want. See how boring that is? Since 2010, Gatto has juggled in Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, a show based at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Recently, though, I heard a rumor that Gatto was getting ready to retire from juggling to open a coffee shop. I did some Internet searching and discovered he now runs a concrete company in Orlando. It’s called Big Top Concrete Resurfacing LLC. The “T” of the Big Top logo is in the shape of a circus tent, but otherwise there’s no hint of Gatto’s achievements on the company website. “We are committed to offering a cost effective solution to tearing out and replacing old, damaged and deteriorating concrete,” reads the “About” page. “From stained micro-toppings to metallic floor finishes, counter tops and garage floor epoxy coatings, we have the solution for you.” A small head shot shows what looks like a smiling Gatto. Next to the head shot is a name. The name is not the one that has amazed audiences for the last 30 years. “Owned and operated,” the page says, “by Anthony Commarota.” How did the greatest juggler in the world end up working in concrete? * * * Commarota is his birth name, but the vast majority of jugglers don’t know that. They know him only as Gatto, the name of his stepfather, Nick Gatto, an ex-vaudeville acrobat. It was Nick who first taught Anthony to juggle, in 1978, a few months before Anthony turned 5 years old. As a younger man, Nick had traveled and performed with a three- man comedy acrobatics troupe called Los Gatos, and now he ran a tobacco shop in Baltimore. He kept a trunk of circus props at the store. In the beginning, Nick showed Anthony how to balance paper cones on his head, and to bounce a ball on his head and shoulder; it wasn’t until Anthony had shown a knack for balance that Nick taught him to juggle three balls. It was just for fun. “I noticed that after a few weeks, his progress was becoming more and more rapid,” Nick later said in a documentary about the two men, Gatto: From Vaudeville Acro-Cat to the King of Juggling. “So rapid that at times he didn’t even have to learn to do the higher number. Like when he went from three to four, he never had to practice four balls. He could do four balls. He never had to practice five balls. He could do five balls.” (I wasn’t able to reach Nick for comment.) The juggling world first learned about Anthony in 1981, when Nick brought him to an International Juggling Association convention in Cleveland. Anthony was 8. Part of the annual convention is a juggling contest, and when Anthony competed in the junior division that year, no one could believe how good he was. He crushed the field of 14- and 15-year-olds, taking first place. After that, word got out, and soon Anthony and Nick were traveling around the world, performing for startled audiences. They met a seasoned professional juggler named Dick Franco, who invited Anthony to join his show and helped him develop a casino act. When Anthony was 10, the family moved from Maryland to Vegas, and the boy began performing at the Flamingo Hilton. I’ve watched a number of home videos of Anthony from around this time. They were shot by a man named Barry Bakalor, a juggling fan and Internet archivist who used to bring a video camera and tripod to all the conventions. In one video, from November 1983, Anthony, age 10, stands on a stage in front of a large maroon curtain at the Reno Hilton, juggling five balls. He has curly brown hair, a black T-shirt, and black jeans. The room is almost empty; this is just a practice session. Nick shouts instructions from off camera, trying to help Anthony execute a certain difficult trick correctly — a five-ball, five-up 360, in which he juggles five balls, throws all five high in the air, spins around 360 degrees, and then continues to juggle as if nothing happened. Anthony, though, keeps dropping balls with his left hand after he pirouettes. “There you go,” Nick says after a drop. The ball “was over there a little too far, you just barely missed it, but it’s in the right position. It will work.” Anthony tries again, drops again. “Oh, you’re just having tough luck with your catches. That’s five of ’em you should have had easy. Now you’re missing it on the right … Well, we’ve gotta get rid of our frustration to make it. OK, just take a breather.” “I’m not tired,” Anthony says, clearly tired. He flubs the next two attempts. “No, it’s not gonna work if you do it that way a thousand years!” Nick says. “A thousand years. Even after you make it, it’s wrong … You can’t open the door by putting the key into the window.” Anthony keeps trying, and eventually he lands the trick without dropping. Nick says, “That’s no good.” “But I got it,” Anthony says. “Huh?” “I got it.” “OK, I don’t care if you got it or not, honey. That doesn’t mean anything to me. I want you to do it correctly. I want you to have some technique with it.” I’ve watched hours of these practice videos, and a couple of things stand out. One is Nick’s eye; you can see that his advice to Anthony, while sometimes severe, is almost always correct. Also remarkable is the surprising physicality of juggling at this level. Anthony complains from time to time that the rings hurt his hands, and you can see why: Rings are hard plastic, and he has to throw them high to make a nice visual for the audience. Then gravity takes hold and the planet jerks its string, yanking the rings toward the ground, and they smack against the soft webbing between his fingers, slicing it raw. He deals with it by wrapping tape around the webbing so the rings hit the tape and not his skin. That helps some, but then there are the clubs. If he makes the slightest miscalculation, they graze each other in midair, and then he has to duck to prevent five or six clubs from crashing down on his head. His neck also gets sore from spending so much time with his head tilted back to see the traffic he’s trying to control in the air. Dust gets in his eyes. He seems to hate that, because then he has to blink out the dust, and his eyes start to water, blinding him, and then all the stuff up there hurts even more when it comes down. But Anthony endures. I’m not tired. On the tapes, he tells lots of jokes. (“Friends at home, don’t try this. If you swallow a club, it’ll hurt. Twice.”) He knows that Nick is hard of hearing and too proud to get a hearing aid, so he often speaks in a register that everyone except Nick can hear. “He would only raise the tone loud enough for Nick to hear him when he wanted Nick to hear him,” recalls Bakalor. Nick doesn’t limit his coaching to the technical stuff. He spends just as much time teaching Anthony about performance. In another video, also from 1983, Anthony wears blue shorts, a white T-shirt, and striped socks pulled way up. He and Nick are working on Anthony’s five-ball routine. Nick wants Anthony to end the routine a certain way. Anthony should throw four out of five balls to Nick. Then he should bring the fifth and final ball to his lips, kiss it, and lob it gently into the crowd — a gesture of fondness and respect between performer and audience. Anthony asks, “Why kiss it?” “’Cause I want you to kiss it, Anthony,” Nick says. “You don’t have to understand all the logic.” They get into an argument. Anthony doesn’t want to do this cheesy move. He throws four balls to Nick, reluctantly kisses the fifth, then quickly chucks it across the room. “That’s too fast,” Nick says. Anthony tries several more times. “It has to be sold,” Nick says, still unsatisfied. “You go one, two, three, four. You bow.” Nick kisses the ball. “And zoom.” He lofts it on a gentle arc. The videos also capture many moments of paternal warmth and praise. (When he speaks about Nick to others, Anthony calls him “my dad.”) On one tape, Nick marvels at an athletic lunge that Anthony makes to rescue an errant ball, then launches into a meditation on the nature of genius. “I think there’s some kind of magic,” Nick says. “Crazy, isn’t he? Would you believe there’s a guy in this world? … You can’t explain Mozart. You can’t explain Beethoven’s pages. And you can’t explain Shakespeare. You can’t explain [Anthony]. No joke.” Toward the end of the Reno Hilton tape, Anthony picks up seven balls: four in one hand, three in the other. Crammed into his small hands, they look like cannonballs stacked on a courthouse lawn. He launches them toward the ceiling. Ten-year-olds aren’t supposed to be able to juggle five balls, let alone seven. Ten seconds pass, 20 seconds, and all seven balls are still aloft. Nick counts the number of catches out loud: 50, 60, 70. After 35 seconds and 100 catches, Anthony finally drops. Nick approaches Anthony, shakes his hand, and gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. * * * In interviews, Anthony always said he liked juggling. On The Tonight Show in 1985, guest host Joan Rivers asked what he’d like to be when he grew up. “A juggler,” he said. “Still a juggler!” Rivers cooed, to audience laughter. “That’s wonderful. Well you’re certainly on your way … What a lovely boy you are.” Another interviewer asked if he thought he’d be juggling all his life. “Yeah,” Gatto said. “And maybe a boxer.” He grew bigger, stronger. In later practice videos, he’s more dismissive of Nick, more impatient at taking direction. He interrupts his stepfather, cuts him off. Maybe he’s just becoming a typical teenager, or maybe he’s getting so good that he no longer needs Nick’s coaching. In 1986, at age 13, Anthony performed at the IJA festival in San Jose. The man who introduced him said, “You know, there’s only once in a lifetime that you get to experience total magic in your life, and you get to watch an individual who just takes your heart and lets it soar away, and this young gentleman has done that for millions of jugglers, if there are millions of jugglers.” Anthony jogged onto the stage in a white vest, white pants, and white shoes. He bowed and launched into an act set to a medley that included “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and “It’s a Small World”: five balls with pirouettes; a complicated series of tricks with five, seven, and eight rings; five clubs crossing behind his back (an elite-level trick for any juggler, much less a 13-year- old); a pirouette with five clubs where all five clubs are in the air during the pirouette (again, elite). At one point, Anthony balanced a tall pole on his forehead. At the top was a Wile E. Coyote doll. While balancing the pole, Anthony juggled five rings, then tossed each ring up so that it landed on the doll’s nose and right hand. He did a similar trick with a balance pole that contained five small billiard- pocket-size nets. While juggling five balls, he threw the balls into the nets, one by one, with astonishing accuracy. In juggling, “it’s very, very easy to fail,” says Boston College economics professor Arthur Lewbel, an enthusiast who has written about the history and science of juggling. “You’re making four throws a second. In a minute, you might have more throws and catches than an entire baseball game. So doing something for even a minute without a mistake is enormously hard — like a whole baseball game without an error. Anthony is able to just do extremely difficult tricks and do them with an incredible reliability. He can have them in his act and do them day after day.” Through his teens, Gatto continued juggling at Vegas hotels — and the occasional basketball halftime show — but his novelty had started to taper. “You’re not really a kid,” he says later in Gatto, “and you can’t get away with just being cute and doing difficult things. You had to start being a performer.” He found steady work with a magician who called herself Melinda, First Lady of Magic. Meanwhile, he stayed connected with the juggling world, making himself available to other jugglers, having lunch with up-and-comers, practicing alongside the hobbyists. David Cain, the juggling historian, remembers one year, 1991, when Anthony was 18 and he showed up at the IJA convention in St. Louis. Anthony took out his juggling objects and ran a practice session in the big communal gym. “Everything would stop,” Cain says. “We’d have 1,500 or 1,600 jugglers stop what they were doing and sit in a big circle and just watch him practice for an hour and a half.” In 1996, when Gatto was 23, Melinda’s magic show closed down. Unsure what to do next — and feeling burned out — he decided to leave juggling and work as a landscaper. For two years, if you wanted to hire the greatest juggler alive to stand in the 115-degree desert heat and install a sprinkler system, you could. A joke cycled through the juggling community: I was working in Vegas the other day and someone came up to me after my act and said, “That was nothing. My gardener can do eight.” Gatto’s break was “the best thing I could have done for my juggling,” he says in Gatto. It made him remember what he loved about juggling in the first place. “I didn’t hear one person clap when I was landscaping,” he jokes. “That was kind of bothering me.” When he returned to juggling in 1998, Gatto “was better than ever,” says Cain. In 2000, at the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo, Gatto won the festival’s top award, the Clown d’Or, or Golden Clown, becoming the first juggler in history to pull that off. By now, though, Gatto’s relationship with the juggling community had shifted. He no longer regularly attended conventions or entered competitions. Gatto didn’t want to impress other jugglers. “Nobody cares about good jugglers in the performance world,” he later wrote in an Internet forum. “They care about entertainers.” So he joined the circus — and not the circus he was born for. Given Gatto’s juggling style, his natural home should have been Ringling Bros., not Cirque du Soleil. The Ringling style is this: Here’s a hard thing, and here’s another hard thing, and I’m doing it all under the bright lights. Jugglers in Cirque are more like mimes; at some point they discover these straaaaaaange objects in their hands and decide perhaps they’ll throw them in the air. But Cirque is the ascendant show, the one with the money and the power to draw big crowds, so that’s where Gatto went, joining Cirque’s traveling Kooza show in 2007. Even as Gatto was moving away from the pure juggling world, though, juggling was starting to move away from him. For one thing, jugglers seemed to be getting better, faster. Partly this was an illusion created by the combination of affordable video equipment and the Internet; young jugglers now kept their cameras running all the time, so if they hit a trick one time out of 100, they could upload the proof and make themselves look like gods, even if they’d never be able to execute the trick onstage, like Gatto could. The avatar of this new generation was Vova Galchenko, a Russian-born prodigy living in California. Galchenko disliked performing and admitted to suffering from stage fright, but when juggling alone, he was almost as good as Gatto in some respects, not to mention 14 years younger, and his YouTube videos regularly drew millions of clicks. It wasn’t just that the pace of juggling achievement seemed to be accelerating. The patterns of the objects themselves were also changing. In the ’80s, a few jugglers with academic backgrounds had developed something called “siteswap” — a mathematical notation for objects in motion. Siteswap is to juggling what a musical score is to a piano player. A juggler conversant in siteswap can look at a string of numbers — say, 7 5 3 1 — and know that the numbers are telling him to juggle four objects so that their arcs peak at four different heights. (The numbers refer to relative altitude.) Gatto never took to siteswap, but others did; the notation helped them imagine and execute wild new patterns, and through the ’90s and 2000s the aesthetic of high-end technical juggling started to change. You can see it in the work of a modern juggler like Thomas Dietz, a lanky German who uses a lot of siteswap patterns. Watching Dietz is like walking through a gallery of Sol LeWitt paintings; you know that the patterns come from math, but you also know a human is painting them. Even while performing with Cirque, Gatto did make an effort to stay in touch with the Internet juggling scene through an online forum branded in his name. Still, he kept a certain distance. There’s a clammy intensity to many online communities, and the juggling world is no different. Many of Gatto’s interactions with hobbyists on the Anthony Gatto Forum were friendly and gracious; he sponsored video competitions, praised young jugglers, offered advice and encouragement. But some exchanges were more hostile. Fans would wonder whether it was OK to film a trick 100 times to get that one perfect execution, and Gatto would tell them no: “If you can’t do a trick within 3 attempts, you can’t do it. You may have DONE it, but you can’t DO it.” Fans would ask which jugglers they should study for guidance, and Gatto would urge them to look at tapes of old performers — Dick Franco, Paul Ponce, the Errani Brothers, Kris Kremo, Francis Brunn. “I was fortunate to have Nick instilling an appreciation for talent,” Gatto wrote. “He would describe some of the great jugglers to me and sort of paint this picture of them having nearly magical ability.” Again and again on the forum, young jugglers would try to goad Gatto into attempting crazy records, and he’d reply that he could give a shit about records. He complained of carpal tunnel syndrome and back problems. He often invoked his family commitments as a way of declining challenges. By now he was married, to a woman named Danielle, a onetime professional dancer who had become his onstage assistant. They had a son together. “Can you answer what that would do for me?” Gatto wrote in 2009 to a commenter who had asked him to set a record for juggling seven balls in a particular way, throwing and catching them above his head: Will it get me another job? Will my wife have a newfound respect for me because I can do seven balls overhead for a minute? … Beside the fact that when you become a real juggler and just having the knowledge that you can do something is enough satisfaction, there is also this: I have a practice regimen that I do in order to do the best possible performance I can in the evening. I am at work for 10-12 hours per day. I am integrated into the show in other ways than just my act. I am a back up artist for one of the characters as well. I get about 20 minutes per day to cram in a lunch and dinner. I now have a baby to take care. I get about 5-6 hours sleep per night. I have to walk my dog twice per day on top of all this. If you can’t understand why I don’t waste my energy on doing seven balls overhead for a minute to make a youtube video for people to watch, then you haven’t entered the real world yet. Gatto’s frustration with young, Internet-native jugglers boiled over in 2008, when he got into a sort of arms race with Galchenko, the YouTube phenom. It began when Galchenko appeared on an NBC show called Celebrity Circus. He was there to set a record for doing as many five- club, five-up 360s as he could in one minute. He ended up doing the trick 21 straight times without dropping, breaking the previous record. After the show aired, Gatto posted a video of himself doing 24 five-ups in a minute, breaking the record Galchenko had just broken. Galchenko then posted footage of himself doing the trick 29 times in a minute. It went on like that for several more rounds. A reporter for the Boston Globe called Gatto at the time and asked why Galchenko’s TV appearance had bothered him. Gatto praised Vova as a “great juggler,” but he also said of younger jugglers, “Until those kids grow a personality, they’re not going to wow anybody. The audience doesn’t care if you juggle 20 rings.” The reporter added, “Gatto now says he regrets getting involved in the 360s competition — though he says he can still go higher — because it sent the wrong message. The only way to judge a juggler, he says, is to watch him onstage, under the bright lights, over the course of a career.” * * * Last summer, I sent Gatto a message through a contact form on his website, asking for an interview. I didn’t know how else to reach him directly; he appeared to have deleted his @AnthonyGatto Twitter account, and the main page at the Anthony Gatto Forum said, “The forum is closed. … The forum is unlikely to be raised from the dead, but feel free to use it as you see fit.” When I didn’t hear back from Gatto, I reached out to Lakiya Arrington, the public relations manager with Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, the show in Orlando where he was performing. I told her I wanted to do a piece on Gatto and asked if I could meet him and see him perform. She said she’d check. A few days later, Arrington replied that she couldn’t help; Gatto’s schedule was too busy. I decided I was going to find a way to do the story anyway. It seemed natural that a 40-year-old athlete might want to retire, but I couldn’t believe he could do it without anyone writing the sort of admiring, curtain-closing piece on his career that I thought he deserved. Could the world’s greatest juggler really slip into anonymity with hardly anyone noticing? I called a friend, Mark Bakalor, whom I knew from a juggling story I wrote in 2008. Bakalor is the adult son of Barry Bakalor, the juggling fan who shot the Gatto practice videos in the ’80s. Both men are also close with Galchenko, having essentially adopted him when he first moved from Russia to the United States without his parents. The Bakalors know juggling, so I pitched Mark an idea: What if we traveled to Orlando? What if we watched Gatto perform in Cirque, then tried to talk to him afterward? Bakalor would come along as a sort of consultant — a guy who could help me understand and describe the feats in Gatto’s act. We’d see Gatto under the bright lights, one last time. Maybe we’d get to meet him, maybe we wouldn’t, but it would be interesting either way. Bakalor said it sounded like fun. He was excited to see Gatto perform; it had been years. We got tickets for a Friday-evening show in October and booked our flights. That night we checked into Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, drove into Downtown Disney, and walked to the Cirque theater, a soaring ivory structure designed to look like a circus tent, with a giant video screen playing clips of Cirque performers on a loop. Mark pointed to the screen. “There’s Anthony” — a flash of a man in sparkly clothing and thick makeup, juggling three clubs between his legs. We got our tickets and took our seats. The lights went down. There’s not much to say about the show. If you haven’t been to Cirque du Soleil, you’ve absorbed it through pop culture. There were tightrope walkers and trapeze artists. There was a ballerina and a bald ogre in a bodysuit and men and women dressed like figures in Russian constructivist posters. A shirtless dude with eight-pack abs soared through the air on a ribbon of red silk. At one point, a “rola bola” guy emerged from the wings — a performer in a jesterish costume who stood atop a board balanced precariously on a tall stack of shiny metal cylinders. Mark frowned. This was bad news. The art of rola bola is close to juggling, which meant the rola bola guy had probably taken Gatto’s place in the show. The finale came; the performers bowed. No Gatto. We returned to our hotel and started searching the Internet. Mark found the page for Big Top Concrete Resurfacing and its listing of Anthony Commarota as owner. “Maybe there’s the name change because he doesn’t want people to know he’s moved on,” Mark said. “I don’t know. That’s kind of the mystery.” The next morning, Mark and I watched a YouTube video of one of Gatto’s Cirque performances, to see what we had missed. Gatto swaggers onstage in a sparkling skintight silver shirt, silver pants, and silver shoes, accompanied by a woman in a red sequined dress. She hands him six balls — five small, one large — and he begins juggling the small ones while bouncing the sixth on top of his head. A few moments later, he does some tricks with seven balls, then switches to a smooth, wicked routine with five rings. The crowd murmurs and applauds uncertainly when he shifts patterns. He dances the whole time, grinning, kicking his silver shoes, throwing out his arms. The woman produces a long pole containing five billiard pockets at varying heights — the same type of prop he once used as a kid. Gatto balances the pole on his forehead. Five balls go up in the air; five balls land in the pockets, one by one. I tried to take in the video as if I were watching Gatto live, in person. The tricks were happening too fast for me to name them, even mentally, but I got a powerful sense of extreme complexity boxed and tamed — that what would be the hardest trick in the world for even a very accomplished juggler was, for Gatto, just a platform for building another trick. I recognized bits and pieces of tricks I’d seen on the practice videos, only here they were mastered, nailed beyond question, and stitched into long skeins of ooooh and aahhh, one trick melting seamlessly into the next, every throw and catch and gesture designed with a savage economy, like the words in a short story that slivers through you and leaves a melon-size exit wound. Toward the end of the video, Gatto walks to his prop stand. He wipes his brow, tosses chalk on his hands. He grabs five clubs; the red lady tosses him two more. Drumroll. Seven clubs fly skyward into the bright lights. “It’s hard to imagine how much precision is required for something like seven clubs,” says Lewbel, the economics professor and juggling author. “Literally the difference in angle of your hand of a fraction of a degree is enough to completely destroy it. If you sat down with a computer and plotted out how accurate the trajectories have to be, you wouldn’t believe anybody could ever do it.” The clubs fall toward Gatto, then rise again. Ten catches, 15, 20. A stable pattern. Gatto catches the last club with a flourish. He bows. The music swells. The whole performance lasts only 11 minutes — 11 minutes honed over 30 years. When the video was over, I called the number on the Big Top Concrete website. Anthony answered. I told him who I was. I said I had come to Orlando to see him perform. I asked if he’d meet me for coffee to talk about his juggling career. He sounded irritated. Who was I again? What was Grantland? What was the story about? I asked again if he’d meet me. He said there wasn’t a chance. He had to spend time with his family. I asked why he hadn’t performed in La Nouba last night. “Herniated disk,” he said. “I’ve been out for four months. No way I could talk to you today.” He said he could talk on the phone later on, but he didn’t seem thrilled about it. I’d have to arrange it through Cirque’s PR department. Later, I called Cirque’s Lakiya Arrington and asked to schedule a brief phone call with Gatto. “He’s on leave,” she said. “We don’t grant interviews while they’re typically on leave … We try to respect when they’re not working.” * * * Pure technical jugglers peak in their twenties, according to Lewbel. As they get older, they survive by developing personality. “Most jugglers don’t retire, they just modify their act appropriately,” he says. He tells me about a Russian juggler named Gregory Popovich. As a young man, he juggled large numbers of clubs atop a tall ladder. He still does, but now he’s best known for an act featuring trained cats. Jugglers don’t have to perform difficult tricks to entertain people, because audiences generally don’t know what’s difficult. Juggling five objects is 10 times harder than juggling four, and six objects is 10 times harder than five, but to most people, five objects in the air looks like six, and six looks like five. A truly difficult juggling trick doesn’t necessarily register intuitively as difficult. It just looks like a bunch of weird shit crossing in the air. A blur of startled birds. Whereas tricks that do look difficult are actually easy, like chain saws. You disengage the chain so it can’t move. The chain saw makes a scary noise, but there’s no danger. Same with torches. The torches that jugglers use are shaped and weighted exactly like clubs. Juggling three torches is exactly like juggling three clubs. A 5-year-old can do it. The biggest danger is smudging your hand with soot. The fact that juggling audiences can’t tell the difference between hard tricks and easy tricks means they also can’t make any meaningful judgments about jugglers. It would be as if basketball fans couldn’t recognize the difference between LeBron James and, say, Trevor Ariza. Imagine living in a world in which Angel Cabrera’s golf swing is exactly as elegant as Adam Scott’s, and Ryan Harrison’s tennis forehand is as devastating as Juan Martin del Potro’s, and LeSean McCoy is just another guy running in staggered patterns on a grass field. The whole multibillion-dollar machinery of sports enjoyment depends on the audience’s ability to make fine distinctions between similar-seeming athletes. That’s where the fun and the money are. A sport minus an educated audience is just a story. Maybe a bullshit story. It’s competitive eating. It’s the mortgage-backed securities market circa 2008 — people trying to convince you that they’ve spent a lot of time mastering a certain set of arcane rules and are therefore worthy of your cash and your trust. And jugglers have always taken advantage of audiences’ ignorance. Instead of performing hard tricks, they perform easy tricks that look hard. They lie to delight. But then came a guy who wasn’t interested in lying, who wanted to do stuff that was hard because he could. This was his power in the world and he wanted to exert it — the basic impulse of any athlete. Yet he never really found his audience, even though he conquered juggling’s demands like no one before him. Gatto learned how to stand calm and straight-backed beneath sick, dizzying multitudes of spinning, arcing objects and conduct them with model-train precision into his hands. He also learned to charm people, even though it didn’t come naturally to him, as the kiss-the-ball video shows. He gave in. He grew to accept the necessity of kissing the ball and lobbing it gently into the crowd with a grin. He also learned to make hard tricks look hard, to pantomime the exertion and self-doubt of a man working at the edge of his ability even though his ability stretched on and on. He learned to entertain, because for some reason, even though we exist in a physical universe defined by the relative attractive powers of massive objects, the mere demonstration of a lush and lovely control of gravity is not enough. He labored to please an audience that could never appreciate his greatness. Then he got older and watched a new wave of jugglers abandon the stage for the flicker of computer screens, sneering at the bright-light mastery he’d worked so hard to gain. That’s my impression, anyway. Gatto didn’t talk to me. Maybe he wants to focus on running his business. Or maybe he got so used to performing for people who couldn’t understand his gift that when he decided to back away from juggling, he felt no need to help them understand why. * * * Before I left Orlando, I watched a few more videos. They’re on YouTube under the name “Anthony Commarota.” One is called “Countertop | Refinishing | Resurfacing | Orlando.” It shows Gatto working on a countertop in a garage, wearing a baseball cap backward and a white T- shirt that says “Got Ugly Concrete?” He spreads denatured alcohol on the countertop to clean it, then trowels down a coat of grout mix. He uses a hand sponge to make the side of the countertop look like it has a chiseled edge. “We got the second coat on,” he says. “We’ve chiseled the edges. Once that starts to set a bit, I’m going to poke at it with a stiff-bristled brush to give it some more natural look.” He sands the countertop a bit. “The chiseled edge came out really nice.” Almost no jugglers get rich. Many work other jobs on the side. Salaries at Cirque start at $50,000, which is decent for the circus world but hardly cozy. I’m sure Gatto is working in concrete because it’s the best thing for his family. Still, the countertop video is jarring, because it represents the perfect inverse of a classic Gatto performance: not a bewildering splay of virtuosity for an audience that will struggle to understand, but a how-to lesson for viewers who will immediately grasp each simple step. The video ends with a shot of the final countertop. It’s painted a deep bronze and has a rich, glossy finish. It looks like quality work. It looks respectable. It looks just fine. { NOTE: The original article appeared March 18, 2014 on Grantland.com. You can find the original here: http://goo.gl/xdSJTC } ---------------------------------------------------------- "This is the Solar Flare Podcast!" By: Ian Reents - Longwood, Florida (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- Hello my name is Ian Reents, creator of the Solar Flare podcast where we cover all things Cirque du Soleil! The folks at Fascination! have kindly offered space for us to tell you about what’s coming up each month on the podcast. But first a little bit about us and how we came to be, as well as a little peak into the future. A few months ago I was looking back at an article on Fascination called “The Wider World of Cirque-Centric Podcasts”, and it got me thinking. There are no Cirque-specific podcasts. This needed to change! So I grabbed a condenser microphone, plugged it into my computer and recorded the intro for the first podcast. Now, being what I like to call “The Baroque College Kid,” I lacked funds. After talking my father into loaning me some money to get a website up and running, I had a face for the podcast. For the first episode I contacted former La Nouba artist Natasha Hallett, who loved the idea of a Cirque du Soleil podcast. I had met Natasha at the Festival of Masters at Downtown Disney a few years back and we’ve kept in contact through Facebook since then. She agreed to do a phone interview with me that we included in the podcast. I also introduced a segment called “Cirque News,” which had updates of what was floating around international headquarters. After recording and posting the episode, I received a lot of messages thanking me for this new format for Cirque fans to enjoy. One of them was from Fascination’s own Keith Johnson. I was excited because I had been reading Fascination since I was ten years old. I responded and we have many ideas for upcoming episodes. In episode two we took to the online fan community and interviewed two Cirque du Soleil fans including Fascination Newsletter’s own Ricky Russo. It was a great way for us to hear from other fans and share knowledge about Cirque. However for the third episode we decided to revamp our podcast. As you can imagine, any new endeavor can bring forth many challenges. So it is with us, and we are going through some great new changes. While I personally am not very technically savvy, my close friend Justin Neal, who happens to know a lot about podcasting, offered to help make our podcast even better as our Audio Engineer/Producer. We will also be able to interview anyone around the world, which will open more doors as to who we can have on the show. Production Company MLT Studios Inc. has also joined forces with us to bring you video interviews with the performers (these will be integrated into our website in the near future). We are also looking at changing our format into an “Enhanced Podcast,” which will allow us to display images that go with the audio and place clickable links at the bottom of each image for further reading. Of course, our biggest goal is to have the podcast on iTunes for you to be able to download! In the course of three months, we have come far and are growing fast. Great things are coming to the fan community. Just as Cirque is growing, so are we. For April, we talk about La Nouba’s Sisaundra Lewis appearing on NBC’s The Voice, Cirque’s new dinner show in Mexico, and changes to Zarkana. Plus our exclusive very fun chat with La Nouba’s first chanteuse, Dessy Di Lauro! To stay connected, head over to our website: www.sfcirque.com and bookmark us. In addition to the podcasts we have a news section that allows us to post breaking news without waiting for our monthly podcasts. We have also placed a donation box on the bottom of the homepage to help fund the show. This will help pay for our cost (and help me pay back my dad). Also make sure to give us a follow on twitter. We will be giving away things like Cirque programs and autographs from various performers and many more cool items. I’m really excited about the show, and I hope you all are too. Some of the people we have been talking to about appearing on the show include Cirque veterans Jason Berrent, John Gilkey, Mark Ward and many more! Everything Solar Flare can be located here: o) WEBSITE -– http://www.sfcirque.com/ o) FACEBOOK -– http://www.facebook.com/sfcirque/ o) TWITTER -- https://twitter.com/sfcirque/ o) YOUTUBE -- http://www.youtube.com/user/sfcirque/ o) ITUNES -- http://goo.gl/f1uIoh/ ======================================================================= SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ======================================================================= Fascination! is a monthly publication, available through subscription via the World Wide Web in text format at the newsletter's website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. To subscribe, please visit our website and enter your name and email address in the "About Fascination" box and press Subscribe. You'll receive an email to confirm your selection. Once confirmed you'll be added to our mailing list. To Subscribe via Really 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 > ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 14, Number 4 (Issue #123) - April 2014 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2014 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. { Apr.05.2014 } =======================================================================