======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 16, NUMBER 9 September 2016 ISSUE #152 ======================================================================= Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. It's been a rather busy month for me here behind the scenes, but a rather slow one (relatively speaking) news wise for Cirque du Soleil. But even so there are quite a few little bits and bobs to highlight: Amaluna celebrated it's 1,500th performance - on August 6th - and had a special cake designed just for the occasion, which you can see here: http://goo.gl/zU66tp, http://goo.gl/kJu3KS, and http://goo.gl/V0cxSn. OVO had a reason to celebrate too: it reached the 100 arena show mark (http://goo.gl/VtFDLa). And TOTEM welcomed a brand new singer into the fold - Betina Quest (http://goo.gl/K65h4N) - making her debut in Osaka, Japan. And LUZIA is featured in the September issue of Canada's FASHION Magazine. A number of photos from the shoot have been featured across Cirque's Facebook pages; see them here: (http://goo.gl/eqiWSJ, http://goo.gl/oT3pWS, http://goo.gl/Cs1si4, http://goo.gl/VqTsdR, and http://goo.gl/qoeV5T). Oh, and check out these fantastic new visuals for LUZIA for its run in Toronto - http://goo.gl/uPzklt - aren't they great?! On August 12th, Cirque du Soleil announced that the August 22nd, 24th, 25th, and 31st performances of PARAMOUR were being canceled to make "creative changes". The production released a statement explaining, “True to our roots as street performers, our shows evolve over time to reflect feedback from our consumers and our creative team.” At press time the show is back up and running, and what those changes are haven't made the rounds yet (but we're eager to hear about them!) Either way, we'll have to wait and see what, if anything, the changes do to help the show's gross earnings... Week This Week Potential Difference Seats % Cap Ending Gross Grosses in Dollars Sold ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10-Jul $859,152.10 $1,805,456.00 -$141,160.30 9,176 60.50% 17-Jul $897,710.10 $1,805,456.00 $38,558.00 10,088 66.51% 24-Jul $980,483.20 $1,805,456.00 $82,773.10 10,681 70.42% 31-Jul $981,468.10 $1,805,456.00 $984.90 10,808 71.26% 07-Aug $910,341.70 $1,805,456.00 -$71,126.40 10,245 67.54% 14-Aug $997,867.25 $1,805,456.00 $87,525.55 11,360 74.89% 21-Aug $936,761.55 $1,805,456.00 -$61,105.70 11,376 75.00% 28-Aug $553,422.70 $1,166,264.00 -$383,338.85 6,519 68.77% 04-Sep $890,754.60 $1,592,392.00 $337,331.90 10,218 76.99% Naturally the Olympics in Rio de Janiero was all the rage, despite all the bad press leading up to the event. Cirque du Soleil celebrated the happening with a new webseries - "FROM ATHLETE TO ARTIST" (which you can find links to all the episodes in our OUTREACH section this month) thanking Jenna Randall from "O", Fabrice Becker from Cirque du Soleil Creation, Ludovic Martin from Mystère, Kana Kitao-Spendlove from “O”, Grégoire Pennes Michael Jackson ONE, Christina Jones from “O”, Jean Damien Climonet from Consultant Sport Xtreme, Grant Golding from KÀ, Shona Morgan from Amaluna, Marissa King from Amaluna, and Yvonne Tousek-Renne from Amaluna for participating (http://goo.gl/xTDwA3). Well, that's all I have for this month. Let's get to the rest! /----------------------------------------------------\ | | | Join us on the web at: | | < www.cirquefascination.com > | | | | At CirqueCast: | | < http://www.cirquecast.com/ > | | | | Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): | | < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > | | | \----------------------------------------------------/ - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings * La Presse -- General News & Highlights * Q&A –- Quick Chats & Press Interviews 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 * Webseries -- Official Online Featurettes * Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub * Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque * Fotos -- Images From Cirque & Other Photographs * Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds o) Fascination! Features * "ALAIN VINET: 'What I Was Thinking!'" (Part 2 of 2) Interview by: Keith Johnson & Ricky Russo * SPECIAL /// "Cirque Hits The Great White Way" Written By: Ellen Lampert-Greaux, Live Design * "Casting Q&A's - Meet an Artist, Part 1 of 6" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= --------------------------------------------------- LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights --------------------------------------------------- Metropolitan Fashion Week Partners with Zumanity {Aug.02.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- The 4th Annual METROPOLITAN FASHION WEEK (MFW) partners with Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil to create two nights of fashion, artistry and entertainment in the unique back lot of Warner Bros. Studios on September 29 and October 1, 2016. The Le Vie En BlueGala showcasing a unique, exclusive runway show, will feature over 150 one-of-a-kind avant-garde costumes and couture evening gowns, created by national and international celebrity costume and fashion designers, benefiting Autism Speaks. The cast of Zumanity will be wearing haute couture designs by Thierry Mugler. The show is produced and directed by Eduardo Khawam, fashion expert and TV personality on Telemundo and Univision. Khawam said: “We are thrilled to partner Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity as part of this year’s Metropolitan Fashion Week. The combination of these powerhouse entertainment companies is sure to create an unforgettable evening that will tantalize the senses and inspire creativity. If the Oscars are the most glamorous evening in Hollywood, then Metropolitan Fashion Week is truly the most unique and fashionable week in Hollywood.” MFW is a synthesis of French themes and storylines, incorporated with global design styles. Events include a Fashion Designer Competition, the Closing Gala and Awards Show and a Benefit Fashion Show honoring Autism Speaks on September 29, 2016 with an unforgettable evening of fashion, entertainment and philanthropy. http://www.autismspeaks.org/lafashiongala (#MetroFW) Costumes and gowns featured in previous MFW shows have been worn by such talent as Beyonce, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Paulina ubio and many more. In addition to the runway show and Zumanity performances, MFW debuts the Metropolitan Fashion Awards honoring outstanding achievements in motion pictures, television, and live performance. The winners will be announced at the Closing Gala. The Metropolitan Fashion Awards categories include Costume Designer of the Year (Motion Pictures), Costume Designer of the Year (TV), Costume Designer of the Year (Live Performance), Celebrity Stylist of the Year, Fashion Program of the Year, Fashion Commentator of the Year, Fashion Blogger of the Year, Outstanding Ensemble for Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylist and Lifetime Achievement Award. MFW HOLLYWOOD 2016 SCHEDULE: Thursday, September 22, 6:30 pm Opening Ceremony & Costume Contest at The Original Farmers Market Thursday, September 29,7:00 pm Autism SpeaksLa Vie en Blue Fashion Galaat Warner Bros. Studios Honoring Steven Grossman, Untitled Entertainment, and Harry Topping Jr., City National Bank Saturday, October 1, 7:00 pm Closing Gala and Fashion Awards ABOUT METROPOLITAN FASHION WEEK: MFW is one of the fastest growing fashion weeks in the United States, with shows in Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Palm Springs and soon, New York. Metropolitan is the only fashion week in the world that features both Fashion Designers and Costume Designers, from around the world, on one runway. MFW spotlights works of art created by international fashion and costume designers and are original “one-of-a-kind” creations. https://youtu.be/XBsDwEYiZX0 www.metropolitanfashionweek.net { SOURCE: Metropolitan Fashion Week } Former Cirque Dancer Turns Setback into a New Mission {Aug.02.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- These are Tyrell Rolle’s days of R.A.G.E. Not rage, mind you. If anything, Rolle radiates infectious joy as kids surround the lanky dancer, leaping to high-five his outstretched hand after they’ve demonstrated a routine they’re rehearsing at his newly opened Studio 305 in a North Las Vegas shopping center. When the day’s activity draws to a close, Rolle directs his students, ages 7 to 18, to form a circle, then share “one positive thing” they experienced. “I made a new friend,” says one. “To push myself and continue and don’t give up,” another says. “I get to learn a lot,” one young girl observes, “and love everybody and everything.” As for Rolle (better known as Mr. T to his students, who weren’t even born when that other Mr. T starred in TV’s “The A-Team”), he has his own positive thing to add: “to show each of you that you are very special.” But it’s not time to go home yet. Not before affirmations pairing even more positive statements with choreographed moves. “I understand hard work pays off!” the group chants in unison, flexing their arm muscles to show their collective and individual strength. “I have a passion for the arts!” they continue. “I will use dance as an exit!” And, finally, they reach the true meaning of R.A.G.E. — “Reaching Above Greater Expectations.” Leading the afternoon’s affirmations: 17-year-old Chancey Wilson, a senior at Sierra Vista High School, who gave birth to A’Lejen in December and returned to dancing two months after he was born. “Everyone has their own thing,” Wilson says. “Some people sing. I use dance. It’s something I love to do. You can’t give it up.” Especially not with a big brother like Rolle to encourage her — and remind her “she isn’t a failure because she made a choice to become a mother at her age,” he explains. The daily R.A.G.E. classes feature instruction in various dance styles, from hip-hop to ballet, along with acrobatics and musical theater. (Students will perform at a free grand-opening celebration, at 6 p.m. Friday at the studio at 3251 W. Craig Road, No. 150; fall classes begin Aug. 29.) The weekday sessions also include journaling time, allowing the participants to record their thoughts — and their teachers to “know what’s going on.” Through the R.A.G.E. classes, Rolle says, he’s helped drug dealers, teen prostitutes and other troubled kids find new purpose through dance. But the program also has helped the former Cirque du Soleil dancer find a new purpose, a year after facing hip surgery that found him going “from two crutches to one crutch.” Before the injury, Rolle’s dance career had taken him from “So You Think You Can Dance” to the Las Vegas production of “The Lion King” — he moved to Southern Nevada in 2009 — and on to Cirque’s Beatles-themed “Love.” Rolle — who danced (and won awards) with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey II company — taught master classes with Cirque and launched his own Rolle Project to offer classes and performances. And, a few weeks ago, Rolle opened his own Studio 305, its name a salute to his Miami hometown. Whether fundraising by running a Fourth of July fireworks stand or pursuing corporate sponsors, Rolle is a self-described “overdoer” whose Rolle Project, and new studio, help him “fulfill my passion and art.” A cardboard box — containing 20 pairs of tap shoes, donated by the city of Las Vegas — represents one small step. Studio 305’s daily “Meet Up and Eat Up” collaboration with Three Square food bank serves breakfasts and lunches to those 18 and younger, bringing new visitors to the studio, according to Mardess Roberts, community outreach coordinator. (Hardly coincidentally, she’s Rolle’s mother, who came to town to help him recover from his hip surgery.) The fact that Studio 305 is a few doors down from a state welfare office makes it easy for at-risk kids to find their way there for the Meet Up and Eat Up program. “Hopefully, as they watch, they’re begging their moms” to stay and participate, Roberts says, adding that she tells them, “ ‘Don’t make money make you leave. We will work things out.’ ” In addition to paying participants, Rolle says the summer program has about five or six scholarship students — their scholarships coming from his own pocket while awaiting corporate support. In the small second studio — decorated with colorful paint handprints of the young dancers — Michia Eberhardt instructs them to “get happy” as they perform another run- through of a “Peter Pan”-inspired dance. Eberhardt, who studies dance at the Ailey School (which is how she met Rolle) says the R.A.G.E. founder is very passionate about dance — and you can see it in everything he does, she notes. “He’s always on your team.” The prospect of not being able to dance anymore, however, had Rolle very worried, he acknowledges. (In addition to a ligament that separated from his hipbone, he had arthritis and a cyst in his hip, which in turn impacted his back.) “I never thought I would be in that spot,” going from 12 shows a week, to have all that “stripped from me,” Rolle says. But being in Las Vegas meant he was in “a striving city,” he adds, with “tons of opportunity.” In Studio 305’s back hallway, Roberts feeds a bottle of baby formula to little A’Lejen, her first grandchild, while she watches R.A.G.E. students practice pirouettes and floor drops. “It’s all about giving these kids another way to express their emotions,” she says, recalling a moment at a previous class when “the whole place was crying, including me. They definitely left their feelings on the dance floor.” And that’s the point in a program Rolle created to “give these kids a chance.” Besides, “I can’t turn back now,” Rolle adds. “I got a five-year lease.” { SOURCE: Las Vegas Review Journal | http://goo.gl/kxE5gc } Paramour Cancels 4 Performances for ”Creative Changes” {Aug.12.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- PARAMOUR has canceled the August 22, 24, 25, and 31 performances to make “creative changes.” The production released a statement explaining, “True to our roots as street performers, our shows evolve over time to reflect feedback from our consumers and our creative team.” A production spokesperson said ticket holders should seek refunds at the point of sale, but said that all who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster are being notified. * * * Cirque du Soleil’s $25 million Broadway musical “Paramour” is going dark for four days so creators can revamp the production. For Cirque, an internationally renowned entertainment company based in Montreal, the stakes are high. “Paramour,” which combines the brand’s signature highflying skills with traditional musical-theater elements, is the first show to come from Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, launched in 2014 to forge a presence on Broadway. The show’s hiatus, starting Aug. 22, will give the cast time to rehearse changes made in response to audience feedback, said Scott Zeiger, president and managing director of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. Cirque routinely budgets for evolving developments, he said: “Every one of our shows has a reserve for revisions.” The changes aim to please both Cirque devotees and local theatergoers. For example, Mr. Zeiger said, many fans wanted more acrobatics earlier in the show during the exposition, while others wanted the plot and characters to be fleshed out with more depth. So the creators have worked on the tricky balancing act of crafting a stronger narrative while leaving room for spectacle. Storywise, “Paramour” will remain a love triangle set in the golden age of Hollywood. Changes will come in the placement of some Cirque-style spectacles and in the show’s choreography—including its soaring drone lampshades. Also expected: clarification in the actors’ scenes. “We are giving the story and the characters deeper dimension,” said Mr. Zeiger, a longtime entertainment producer. While the alterations may be driven by comments from audience surveys, social media and in-theater reactions, they also reflect some complaints from critical reviews. The Wall Street Journal’s dance critic Robert Greskovic wrote: “Alas, only the circus acts soar, sometimes literally, as the show’s musical and film elements play, at best, dutiful and uninspired parts.” In the Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck wrote of the show’s “atrocious dialogue and forgettable songs.” Mr. Zeiger waved off the critics: “We are not asking to be re-reviewed or trying to get better notices.” The production is, however, looking ahead to the 2017 Tony Awards. Following the completed changes, voters will be invited to the show for the first time. “Paramour” opened May 25, making it part of the 2016-17 season. The changes are also being made with an eye to bumping up the box office. “Paramour” is being staged in the Lyric Theatre, one of Broadway’s largest houses, with 1,896 seats. “Right now, we are doing well,” said Mr. Zeiger. “But it’s a big theater and I want to sell every ticket.” The show’s best box-office showing came during its first full week of performances, when it brought in $1.1 million, or 62% of its potential weekly gross of $1.8 million, according to data provided by the Broadway League. Since then the production has averaged 55% of its potential, crossing the $1 million mark five of 11 weeks. Attendance has stayed above 60% but hasn’t bobbed above 80% since opening week. The “Paramour” hiatus comes during a challenging theater season in which some Broadway producers have announced sooner-than- expected closing dates for well-regarded shows, avoiding expensive running costs in front of dwindling audiences. By retooling for the long run, Cirque may benefit in continuing when others have pulled up stakes. “It would seem economically foolish for [Cirque] to pull a show they’ve only just started,” said Louis Patrick Leroux, founding director of the Montreal Working Group on Circus Research, who has long followed Cirque. Mr. Leroux noted that Cirque’s history of adapting could be seen in its Las Vegas run of “Viva Elvis,” a tribute to Elvis Presley. Months into the show, he said, the company was “finding their rhythm and allowing changes to the show,” which included dropping acts and adding ones. Taking a brief timeout isn’t unprecedented on Broadway, but it usually happens during previews, before a show officially opens. Last season, “Shuffle Along” scheduled a break between March 27 and April 1 for changes to the production ahead of its April 28 opening. Major fixes after a few-week preview period typically, however, can signal a lack of cohesion from which recovery is a challenge. Such was the case with “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” The $75 million production started previews in November 2010, then went through an overhaul that included replacing its original director, Julie Taymor, before a long-delayed opening the following June. The result: a show more widely noted for its public trials than its staging. While Cirque has two of its more traditional spectacles slated to come to the New York area this fall, Mr. Zeiger has his eyes on a different crowd for “Paramour,” one that typically emerges in New York after the summer tourists and groups have gone home. “I want the avid theatergoer in October,” he said. { SOURCE: Wall Street Journal | http://goo.gl/hvZls8 } Mystère Gets an Altitude Adjustment {Aug.12.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- As the pirates of Buccaneer Bay fired the first cannons from the decks of ships anchored in front of newly opened Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in 1993, Cirque du Soleil was launching a show inside that would turn out to be the opening salvo in an entertainment revolution for the Strip. Mystère would outlast the pirates as well as countless other productions, and Cirque shows that followed expanded or created a distinct variation on the standards set by Las Vegas’ original Cirque show. To make a change to the classic production is no small consideration. When there is a change, it’s worthy of an announcement to an audience of Cirque friends, family and media with a full- production demonstration. Tim Smith, artistic director for Mystère, gave the introduction to his show’s newly revised teeterboard act to a crowd assembled in TI’s Mystère Theater on the last Monday afternoon in June. “This particular act hasn’t been touched in 23 years,” said Smith. “That’s pretty amazing. That’s the exciting part for us. They’ve been standing in the same places, doing the same sequences, walking, talking, all in the same place for 23 years until Saturday (July 3) when this debuts.” After the lights dimmed, Mystère’s central character The Red Bird entered the stage and fruitlessly tried to use the new teeterboard to break with gravity before white-wigged footmen quickly commandeered it and demonstrated its potential. As Smith had announced, it allowed them to soar 10 feet higher than the previous teeterboard did as they engaged in the flips and twists of Cirque “skill set” acrobatics. Fans who have seen Mystère multiple times will likely notice the change in altitude, but as Smith explained later, he was really looking forward to their reactions this month. “Cirque’s mandate is creation,” Smith said. “We’re constantly changing the show on a nightly basis, and we do large, large elements like this once every few years in order to keep the audiences coming back. We’ve upgraded the skill set about 80 percent. These guys that you just saw right now are so intense and so concentrated, so when we get a month under our belts, at 10 shows a week, this act’s going to soar.” The performers still need to feel “the comfort of the air” while performing before audiences on the new board design, which Smith said is only four years old and came from the extreme sports world. Their marks and viewpoints are now 10 feet higher than before on a board that is both shorter than the previous one and provides better sight lines for viewers. But while from an audience standpoint they have mastered the new apparatus, from a Cirque standpoint Mystère’s new teeterboard act must be properly seasoned. “This is exactly where the act should be right now,” said Smith. “And just like any live event, especially Cirque’s real specialty disciplines, in about four weeks this thing’s gonna kill.” { SOURCE: Las Vegas Magazine | http://goo.gl/qyRWO9 } How Cirque is Changing Paramour {Aug.15.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- A new signature acrobatic sequence, re-choreographed flying machines, a trimmed climax, and deeper backstories for the lead characters are all among the creative changes that Cirque du Soleil will incorporate into its Broadway production “Paramour” — work extensive enough to warrant cancelling four performances later this month in order to accommodate it. It’s a rare move on Broadway, where the costs of additional rehearsal time, coupled with the loss of revenue from the darkened performances, tend to discourage such tinkering after opening night. But according to Scott Zeiger, the president and managing director of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, it’s common practice at deep-pocketed Cirque, which, hearkening back to its roots as a troupe of street performers, often tweaks shows using audience response as a guide. What’s unusual for Cirque — and necessitated by the strictures of a Broadway venue and the industry’s labor regulations — is the need to cancel shows to do the work, since touring shows like “Toruk,” the “Avatar”-inspired outing that hits New York next month, can make changes in the several days’ lag time between stops. Even “Love,” the company’s Beatles show in Vegas, has been significantly updated for its 10th anniversary, with Zeiger estimating that some 30% of the show has been reworked. “Paramour,” a riff on the golden age of Hollywood with a love- triangle plot, earned reviews that skewed mixed to negative when the production opened in May, but that hasn’t dissuaded Broadway’s summer crowds, boosted by seasonal tourism, from turning out. Weekly sales for the production top $1 million with some regularity. Cirque won’t specify exactly how much the creative changes to “Paramour” will cost. “It’s not free. It costs a lot,” Zeiger admitted, but added that the additional outlay fell within the reserve funds built into the show’s initialization capitalization of $25 million. The cast’s dancers are currently rehearsing some of the upcoming changes in a studio during non-performance hours, but the cancelled shows — on Aug. 22, 24, 25 and 31 — will allow for full-staff, eight-hour work days. Among the changes are new choreography for the flying machines in a $500,000 sequence that marks the first time drones have been used on Broadway. Depending on where they’re seated, some audience members have mistaken the flying machines for marionettes on invisible wires, which significantly reduces the impact of a lyrical sequence that sees lampshades take flight. The show’s creators will re-choreograph the sequence to make it clear, from every seat in the house, that there are no wires involved. Despite a wealth of tumbling sequences throughout the first act, a lot of audience members also felt they only get a taste of signature Cirque acrobatics in the first aerial sequence, starring the twins Andrew and Kevin Atherton, that comes three quarters of the way through the first act. So Cirque is adding what Zeiger called a new “signature sequence” — one noticeably different from the floor-based tumbling — during the show’s third scene, set in a cafe. (He’s keeping mum on the exact details to preserve the surprise.) Even one of the show’s best-received scenes, a climactic rooftop chase with trampolines, is getting nipped and tucked. The scene was cited favorably in a lot of reviews, and the audience seems to love it, Zeiger said, but because their enthusiasm peters out toward the end, he thinks it runs a little long. It’ll be trimmed by 90 seconds — a complicated endeavor, given the number of moving parts involved. Perhaps toughest of all, however, might be the challenge of deepening the characters of the three leads, which many critics and traditional Broadway theatergoers found wan. Through new dialogue incorporated into existing scenes, “we’re going to give the principal characters a little bit more backstory,” Zeiger said. The cost of it all — at a time when city tourism is at high tide — will be worth it, Zeiger said, if the improvements help solidify the show’s staying power. “We’re not doing this to get re-reviewed,” he said. “We just want it to be better. We intend to be here a long time.” { SOURCE: Variety | http://goo.gl/phc1Pa } Trina Solar Announces Marketing Partnership w/Cirque {Aug.15.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL), a global leader in solar photovoltaic (“PV”) modules, solutions and services, today announced a partnership in which Trina Solar will become Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Official Solar Partner in the United States. Jing Tian, Trina Solar’s Head of Global Marketing said, “This partnership is a natural fit for Trina Solar. We are striving to promote our commitment to tapping into human imagination and inspiring people around the world, and we hope our partnership with Cirque du Soleil will help us achieve this goal.” The new partnership will focus around co-promotional campaigns, Cirque du Soleil experiences for Trina Solar’s customers and employees, and more. Trina Solar will be launching the partnership with participation of Cirque du Soleil artists at a special performance at Trina Solar’s booth at Solar Power International in Las Vegas September 12-15th, 2016. “Cirque du Soleil was a game-changer over 30 years ago by reinventing the Circus arts through focus and innovation,” says Richard Davies, Global Head of Corporate Alliances for Cirque du Soleil. “We believe we share these values with Trina Solar, and we look forward to showcasing this partnership in 2017 and 2018.” “At Trina Solar, we are committed to protecting the environment and spearheading industry-wide change with groundbreaking research and development. We are excited to partner with Cirque du Soleil because our two brands are both driven by innovation and quality. Cirque du Soleil is also known for its unique experience and broad appeal, which is why we are confident this is an excellent fit,” said Jeff Dorety, Trina Solar’s President of the Americas Region. About Trina Solar Limited — Trina Solar Limited is a global leader in photovoltaic modules, solutions and services. Founded in 1997 as a PV system integrator, Trina Solar today drives smart energy together with installers, distributors, utilities and developers worldwide. The company’s industry-leading position is based on innovation excellence, superior product quality, vertically integrated capabilities and environmental stewardship. For more information, please visit www.trinasolar.com. { SOURCE: PRNewswire | http://goo.gl/txsxNC } Cirque, Vegas, and Millennials… Oh My! {Aug.15.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Cirque’s stage shows opened 20 years ago in Las Vegas with “Mystere” at Treasure Island, and with the most recent activity on the Strip completed, there is a feeling the company has finally settled on the right amount of “content” (or, shows) in Vegas. But don’t jump (to conclusions), says longtime Cirque Chief Executive Officer Daniel Lamarre. Lamarre has been around long enough to see the show blossom with, at its peak, eight shows running concurrently on the Strip. He’s seen a couple close, too, both at Aria — “Viva Elvis!” in 2012 and “Zarkana” this spring, as MGM Resorts opted to take apart the theater in favor of a $165 million convention buildout. “We have a lot of ideas for Vegas, and where we want to be is to reach a younger crowd. We have a lot of ideas we are testing right now in order to remain a very important player in the market. We have shows like [The Beatles LOVE], that will last forever, but we have to bring in new types of shows.” Trying to lock up millennials, the 18-34 age group Lamarre is referring to, is a maddening science. But Cirque has bolstered its social-media team and activity in a way that will grab that particular demographic as they arrive in Las Vegas. Often, millennials arrive in the city with no plan whatsoever; drawing them to something Cirque-like is challenging, but Lamarre is optimistic the company’s artistry appeals to a younger culture. “One thing we noticed is millennials, when they see our shows, they love it,” he said. “We just are not talking the same language.” Lamarre pointed to a new Cirque initiative, its partnership with the NFL in Times Square in New York opening in the fall of 2017. Titled, “NFL Times Square,” the project, which is also a partnership with AEG, once more shows Cirque expanding its reach. The attraction will cover more than 40,000 square feet and include a 350-seat theater, all of which will present a new and unique view of NFL games in immersive high-definition and take part in a series of skills tests. Cirque artists are not going to be running plays — which I feel would not be good for anybody — but the idea is that Cirque is adding its creative production qualities to what is easily the most powerful sports brand in the country. “This is new artistic content, and an equivalent of that type of content can be brought for the younger crowd in Las Vegas,” Lamarre said. “That is what we are exploring now.” Generally, Lamarre said Cirque needs to return to the more underground sensibility it owned when the company was launched by the street performer Guy Laliberte. “Cirque was very edgy 40 years ago,” he said. “Now we have to be edgy again with new types of shows.” { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/uWpdLe } Cirque to Bring Its Magic to Life Is Beautiful For a Fourth Year {Aug.17.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Musical acts Brumby, Brittany Rose and The Lique won’t be the only homegrown talent performing at this year’s Life Is Beautiful. The music, art and culinary festival has again partnered with Cirque du Soleil to bring the production company’s magical marvels to the streets of Downtown Las Vegas. Performers from Cirque’s seven resident shows on the Las Vegas Strip will entertain festival attendees throughout the day on September 23 at the intersection of Ogden Avenue and Eighth Street, with performances occurring at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Fans can look forward to a medley of acts—from Mystere, O, Zumanity, KA, The Beatles LOVE, Michael Jackson ONE and MINDFREAK LIVE!—at each street-side spectacular. Performers will interact with audience members for an immersive entertainment experience. “It’s similar to what you see before our shows start in the theater. Seeing acts up close on the street is pretty awesome,” says Lou D’Angeli, Cirque’s senior director of marketing and PR. “It brings Cirque back to our roots, and lets the audience experience amazing performances up close and personal.” D’Angeli says fans will see the dislocation act from Zumanity, the Nowhere Men from The Beatles LOVE, and “more surprises along the way” throughout the Friday affair. This marks the fourth year that the Montreal-based production company has partnered with the Downtown happening, and its presence in the festival footprint is a testament to the goal of bridging the gap between music, art and performance. Weekend passes and single-day tickets to the three-day festival are still available, and can be purchased at lifeisbeautiful.com. { SOURCE: Life is Beautiful } Cirque to Receive Metropolitan Fashion Excellence Award {Aug.18.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Nominees for the Metropolitan Fashion Awards, which honor outstanding achievements in fashion and costume design in motion pictures, TV and live performance, were revealed on Wednesday. The winners will be revealed during Metropolitan Fashion Week’s closing gala on Oct. 1 at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood. Categories include Costume Designer of the Year (Motion Pictures), Costume Designer of the Year (TV), Costume Designer of the Year (Live Performance), Celebrity Stylist of the Year, Fashion Program of the Year, Fashion Commentator of the Year, Fashion Blogger of the Year and Outstanding Ensemble for Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists on a single program. “We are so excited to receive a record number of entries from all over the world. The enthusiastic response of the entertainment and fashion community is remarkable. These awards are unique because they also embrace fashion bloggers, stylists, commentators and programs that cover the art and talents of both fashion and costume industries,” Metropolitan Fashion Week founder Eduardo Khawam said in a statement. Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas will receive the 2016 Metropolitan Fashion Excellence Award for their outstanding work in costume design during a special presentation. In addition to the awards presentation, the closing gala will also feature a runway show with more than 150 one-of-a-kind, avant-garde costumes and couture evening gowns created by national and international celebrity costume and fashion designers. { SOURCE: Metropolitan Fashion | http://goo.gl/7InMs2 } --------------------------------------------------- Q&A –- Quick Chats & Press Interviews --------------------------------------------------- A Day in the Life of Ruby Lewis {Aug.04.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Ruby Lewis got her first big break singing in church. It was the holidays and she was dressed like an elf, sitting on a piano. “The song was written just for me,” says Lewis, who grew up in Shelbyville, Kentucky. “The choir would sing a line and I would repeat it. I knew I nailed it because everybody was just freaking out.” Lewis was only three. In fact, Lewis’ mother says her daughter sang before she could talk. “From a very early age, I was fully immersed,” recalls Lewis who also studied dance from an early age. “Coming back and forth from dance class, my mom, who was an opera singer, would sing something like ‘Silent Night’ and have me harmonize with her in the car,” she explains. By the seventh grade, the triple threat landed her first professional acting gig playing Brigitta in The Sound of Music at the Musical Theatre Louisville. She will never forget the last performance, standing in the wings. “I remember being completely overwhelmed, thinking I will never stand here, in this costume, in this character, at this time ever again,” she shares. “I was so sad because it was ending. I tried hard to take a mental snapshot and managed to take a pretty poignant one.” What truly stayed with her was the feeling, the longing for more. “I wanted to recreate that moment — getting ready to take the stage and share a character — as often as I could,” recalls Lewis. After majoring in Performing Arts at Western Kentucky University, playing roles like Mother in Ragtime and Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers, Lewis was cast as Dainty June in a touring production of Gypsy. Then, she went on the road with Grease, Jersey Boys and We Will Rock You. She eventually moved to L.A. and got an agent. “I was very lucky,” she says. “There’s maybe one musical theater agent out in L.A.” She was sent to an audition for the television series Medium with Patricia Arquette, where she had to portray a girl who dies from asphyxiation. “I sat in a chair in an office, pretended to suffocate and die,” says Lewis. It was so believable that she got the part. “I really do look like I’m dying when I see the clip,” she adds. After that co-starring role, more television parts followed, and she worked with Gilles Marini, Felicity Huffman, Vanessa Williams, David Spade, Nicholas D’Agosto and Ben Savage. In May 2016, Lewis made her Broadway debut as leading lady Indigo James in Cirque du Soleil Paramour. The production combines jaw-dropping acrobatics with narrative storytelling. For her, Paramour is a beautiful merger of all the things that she learned in her career. “When I lived in L.A., I did a lot of on-camera work, and in the show, I get to do some on-camera work. I dance and sing so many different styles of music,” she explains. “Paramour almost feels like a quilt that has been patched for me in all of my years touring and doing summer stock. It’s really kismet.” Lewis also remains in awe of her Paramour cast mates, who dazzle her. “Every night, I am blown away by the human capacity. Like all Cirque du Soleil shows, Paramour is so joyous, so full of color and light — it’s like entering a magic wonderland,” she says. “And then to be on Broadway! It doesn’t feel like I should be getting paid. It feels like I should be paying them.” The Paramour star took NewYork.com through her chock-full, multi-tasking, high-flying day. Check out the source link below for her full hour-by-hour day! { SOURCE: NewYork.com | http://goo.gl/2QIBsG } Meet Luzia’s Kelly McDonald and Naomie Zimmermann {Aug.05.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- What goes through your mind when you’re being flung, upside- down, from one performer to another? For trapeze artists Kelly McDonald and Naomie Zimmermann, “it’s freedom.” “It’s travelling and giving you all that you would need to be happy,” says Zimmermann. The two alternate playing the role of the “Flyer” in “Adagio” — one of the acts in Cirque du Soleil’s newest production, Luzia. Whether it’s McDonald or Zimmermann on stage, they’re bounced from one performer to another, seeming weightless. “We want it to be more poetic, different to what you’ve seen before,” says McDonald. TRUST AND TEAMWORK For McDonald and Zimmermann, the artistry comes from trust and teamwork. “I depend on the preparation of three other guys,” McDonald says. The performer, who has nearly two decades of experience as a gymnast, has gone from competing in an individual sport to becoming a team player. “When you move into acrobatics in a show it’s about creativity and creating a story and giving something to a wider audience they can take away.” That teamwork goes beyond just the big top. With just one day off a week, the performers, trainers and artists even spend their free time together. “It is definitely like a family, we spend our whole days together, we hang out together… we’re a big team,” says Zimmermann. TOUCH OF FEAR But it’s more than just teamwork that makes their performance seamless. McDonald says “a touch of fear is involved, especially when you’re learning a new trick, you’re training with new people or performing a new act. You don’t know what the response is going to be.” That fear, she says, is shared among every member of the team, but it can also be useful. “Once you’re prepared to go on stage, you have the trust you’ve built with your team, your show, you trust that you’ve created something that’s worth showing to the public so the fear turns into excitement.” Both say that despite the rigorous training that goes into putting together a show like this, when it comes time to perform it becomes a different kind of experience. “The trainers involved, the conditioning we do, the costume designers, everything that goes into it [is planned],” says McDonald, “but in the end it is magic and it feels that way still.” { SOURCE: CBC | http://goo.gl/fzS8Ji } 15 hours in the life of Gabriel Christo {Aug.09.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- It’s hard work being a Cirque du Soleil performer, especially if you’re a main character in one of the most story-driven productions the company has produced since it started in 1984. Gabriel Christo, 29, joined Cirque du Soleil at age 20. He was a professional gymnast at the time — so professional that he earned a spot on Brazil’s national team. When the team didn’t qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Christo found a second career as an acrobatic performer in one of the world’s most famous circus companies. “Toruk – The First Flight” is Christo’s fourth show with Cirque du Soleil. “Toruk” is set on the fictional planet of Pandora. You might remember it from James Cameron’s 1999 film “Avatar.” “Toruk” opens in Indianapolis at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Aug. 10 and lasts until Aug. 14. The events in “Toruk” take place thousands of years before those in “Avatar” — before humans discovered the planet populated by Na’vi aliens. In “Toruk,” Na’vi teenager Ralu, sometimes played by Christo, sets out to save the sacred Tree of Souls with his friend, Entu. Ralu and Entu speak their alien language throughout the show while a Na’vi storyteller narrates. The show’s world tour began in December, and it will be performed in 32 cities before it reaches Indianapolis. Where “Toruk” goes, Christo follows. Performing for Cirque du Soleil is a dream for him, he said, but Christo’s days are long. And after Indianapolis, there are still 14 North American cities on the tour. Here, we detail a typical first day in a new city for Christo: from breakfast to back to bed: 9 a.m.: Christo wakes up in his new hotel room. 9:20–9:50 a.m.: Christo eats his breakfast — usually a combination of fruit, yogurt, oatmeal and a slice of gluten-free bread with peanut butter. He has to eat a lot of calories to get through his day. Also, he gets on his laptop during this time to talk to friends and family. 9:50–10:10 a.m.: Christo preps for the day with a yoga routine. 10:10–11 a.m.: Christo takes a shower. He also packs his bag for the day. It contains training clothes, energy supplements, protein powder and a cellphone charger. 11-11:10 a.m.: Christo travels to the place where he’ll perform later in the evening. In some cities, he walks. In others, he might take a shuttle bus. 11:10-11:20 a.m. Christo searches for a dressing room where he’ll drop off his bags and put on his training clothes. 11:20–11:30 a.m.: Christo heads to the warm-up area. He’ll do pushups, active stretching, handstands and squats, among other things. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: It’s time for Christo’s first onstage training session of the day. He’ll do some jogging, flipping and acrobatics — to ease into the training. This time helps him get used to the new arena. 12:30–1 p.m.: Christo leaves the stage to eat lunch. 1–1:30 p.m.: For Christo’s second training session, he practices with Toruk, the namesake of the show, and also a flying creature that Christo’s character must search for to save the Tree of Souls. Toruk is a puppet in the show. 1:30–1:45 p.m.: Christo gets a 15 minute break. He often spends it talking to friends, drinking coffee and eating fruit. 1:45–2 p.m.: Christo starts his third training session, which involves climbing ropes. 2–2:45 p.m.: Christo leaves the stage again and starts his makeup routine, but doesn’t finish it. Performers apply their own makeup in two parts. 2:45–3:30: It’s back to the stage for Christo, where he practices a battle scene with a kite. 3:30–4:30 p.m.: Christo eats another snack of fruit and juice, then starts the second half of his makeup. 4:30–5 p.m.: Christo goes back to the stage to help with a scene where performers do acrobatic stunts while hanging from silk fabric. 5–5:30 p.m.: Christo eats his dinner of salted vegetables, rice, meat and lots of salad. 5:30–6 p.m.: It’s time for sound check. Christo gets temporarily mic’d up and returns to the stage to practice his lines. 6–6:15 p.m.: Christo visits the lighting technicians to retrieve his costume. They put sensors on it so the lights will follow him during the show. Christo also gathers the rest of his costume during this time. 6:15–6:30 p.m.: Christo gets a few rare minutes (15 of them) for relaxation. 6:30–7:10 p.m.: It’s back to business for Christo, who places the finishing touches on his appearance. He puts on his costume, which also needs to be mic’ed up. 7:10–7:30 p.m.: Christo warms. He stretches, lifts weights, squats and exercises his core. He even does some pullups. 7:30–10:45 p.m.: The house lights go down and the curtain is pulled open. It’s showtime. Christo is on stage for most of the show. 10:45–11 p.m.: Christo finishes the show. He removes his costume. 11-11:10 p.m.: He removes his makeup 11:10–11:20 p.m.: Christo heads to catering for a second dinner. He also chats with his friends. 11:20 p.m.–12:15 a.m.: Christo returns to the hotel. He showers and gets on the internet to talk to family and friends. 12:30 a.m. – It’s time for bed. Christo will be up in less than nine hours to start all over again. { SOURCE: Indy Star | http://goo.gl/m2ucGc } Meet Kooza’s Joey Arrigo {Aug.16.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil’s new show Kooza returns to the fundamentals of circus as it explores themes of identity and self-discovery. Out troupe member Joey Arrigo, who plays the Trickster, shares his journey with Cec Busby. With a reputation for pulse-racing performance, any new show by Cirque Du Soliel is wrapped in expectations by an audience eager to be wowed. With Kooza, their eighth big top spectacular, the company has set the bar even higher. Marking a return to the intimate and fundamentally human elements of circus – acrobatics and clowning – Kooza weaves a colourful pastiche of breathtaking performance and theatrical ingenuity as it explores a tale of self-discovery through a comic kingdom of eccentric characters. Leading us on our journey is the Trickster played by performer Joey Arrigo, who bursts onto the scene like a jack-in-the-box full of vibrant energy and high jinks. Arriga, who said he realised he wanted to dance “pretty much from the womb”, has been performing with Cirque Du Soleil for the past two years. Kooza marks his first show with company and saw the performer transition from a dancer to an acrobat slash actor. “This is my first experience having a character,” he tells SX. “I think what I’ve taken away from it is that anything I do with acting or dancing now I will think about what the intention is behind a movement – whether that is an emotion or an object or a thought process.” Performing the same character for eight shows a week can be wearing for even the most seasoned artist but Arrigo says the revolving door of Cirque Du Soleil performers has allowed him to keep his role as the Trickster alive. “The artist turnover changes a performance – and that keeps it fresh and we’ve had different artistic directors who bring new perspectives.” He says being a part of the Cirque Du Soleil touring machine is like being part of a family. “You have your mums and dads and brothers and sisters. Sometimes you want to scratch out your sister’s eyes but you still love them. It can be challenging because you do everything together, but where still a family,” he muses. Cirque du Soleil has always been very embracing of all lifestyles and as a gay performer Arrigo says he’s always felt welcomed and supported by the company. “In Uruguay we had a premiere party and I decided to wear some high heel shoes – and they were amazing and I worked those heels all night,” he laughs. “And my biggest reaction was few raised eyebrows from some of my circus brothers.” Arrigo says in the world of circus it’s pretty much anything goes. “You spend such a lot of time together even if you have differences [in opinions] it doesn’t matter. Everyone just accepts you for who you are.” It’s a theme that also runs through the show as it explores ideas of fear, identity, recognition and power. Assistant artistic director Chris Houston tells SX with every Cirque show they want to push the boundaries even further. “How do we take it to the next level? We’re always asking that – whether it’s about the show’s themes or pushing the artists to take it up a notch.” When Cirque du Soliel first came about there were very few competitors in the human circus space, but Houston says having the best artists in the world allows the company to remain a cut above the rest. “We attract Olympic gymnasts, world champion divers – the best of the best, so when the talent comes to us and shows what they can do, we develop the best materials to advance their skills.” He thinks with Kooza the company has returned to its traditional roots. “We have classic death-defying acts but it also has a touching caring message. To have that effect on the public, to blow them away but also give them a heart-warming story is beautiful.” { SOURCE: Gay News Network AU | http://goo.gl/KY0FR5 } Meet Cirque du Soleil’s Olympians {Aug.16.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- After competing in trampoline at the 2000 Olympics, Lee Brearley of Britain went on to performing double flips on stage in a zoot suit, and tumbles in full zombie attire. He staggered around like a drunk in one scene and sported a sarong in the next. “First time on Broadway, and I wear a skirt,” he said of his costume for the Cleopatra scene in “Paramour,” the Cirque du Soleil musical. By the time the Rio Olympics concluded Sunday, many athletes had gone home to begin or resume other careers. Maya DiRado, an American swimmer who won four medals in Rio, has said that a business analyst job awaits her. Michelle Carter of the United States, who won the shot-put, owns an online cosmetics business. The Canadian distance runner Lanni Marchant is a criminal defense lawyer. A number of Olympic gymnasts fall into a different, hair-raising pipeline, filling roles in the ever-expanding universe of Cirque du Soleil. In all, about 40 percent of Cirque’s performers come from artistic, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics backgrounds, as well as from trampoline, tumbling, diving and synchronized swimming. At the moment, 21 Olympians — two of them medalists — perform in eight United States-based Cirque du Soleil shows. Jeffrey Wammes, a gymnast from the Netherlands who ended his career in Rio, is about to make it 22. His next routine will be in Las Vegas as a cast member of “Mystère.” “For me, it’s a way of life, keeping your body in shape,” Wammes said. “You still have to show people your best, but not in a competitive way anymore. It’s like living your dream job while entertaining others.” For Cirque, recruiting high-caliber athletes is “almost a no- brainer,” said the company’s creative director, Fabrice Becker, who won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle skiing for France at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Cirque, for instance, conducted a workshop with the Canadian national halfpipe team this year. Snowboarders trained on the Russian swing, a circus staple, which can send performers 30 feet in the air. Still, the transition from serious competitor to performer can be challenging. As if it were not hard enough to nail a somersault on a trampoline, try doing it while in costume — perhaps as a cricket, with six legs. To prepare for such a role in “Ovo,” in which most of the characters are bugs, Brearley did what any self-respecting actor would do: He consulted YouTube. “I saw this video, ‘Crickets Fighting,’” he said. “I thought it would be the most amazing video, but it was the most boring video I’ve ever seen. They kind of crawled over each other, and it took all of five minutes. But it taught me something. “Insects sit there until it’s time to frighten the hell out of you,” he continued. Actors, on the other hand, think “doing nothing is wrong, so they tend to do too much.” Some athletes find the transition fairly smooth. “I view it as going pro as a synchronized swimmer,” said Christina Jones, a 2008 Olympian in that sport for the United States and a performer in the water-themed show “O.” “I know no one would care about my sculling techniques in an office, so I’m grateful I’m able to cash in on my lifelong work.” The Cirque life often provides a career a second act. Or a third. Terry Bartlett competed in gymnastics at three Olympics for Britain and retired after the Barcelona Games in 1992. Unsure of what to do next, he stumbled on a Cirque du Soleil audition while on vacation in California and accepted a job as an acrobat in “Mystère” in Las Vegas. After his acrobatic skills began to wane, Bartlett turned to clowning almost 10 years ago. At 52, he now stars in “O,” wearing a loosey-goosey sailor suit, a clown nose and shoes the size of flippers. Instead of twists and tumbles, there are slapstick and high jinks. Suzannah Bianco, competing under her maiden name, Dyroen, won a gold medal in synchronized swimming for the United States in 1996 alongside her sister, Becky, who was the choreographer for a synchronized swimming scene in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” The sisters have also performed together in “O,” which features pools. “I still enjoy performing, being in the water,” Bianco said. “I enjoy sitting at the opening of the show and sitting in the silence of all the blue bubbles that are going around me and it’s not yet showtime. That space is an amazing environment that I can’t find anywhere else in the world. I can take the joy of being on stage in those moments, and it’s pervasive throughout my whole show.” Brearley is the only Olympian in “Paramour,” from a cast that includes 10 former members of national gymnastics or acrobatics teams. The set, which weighs more than 18 tons, is a cityscape of roofs, fire escapes and scaffolding. Hidden from view are two trampolines. In the show’s climatic moment, paparazzi and Dick Tracy-esque characters stage an elaborate chase-and-fight scene on rooftops. Bodies crisscross in midair like human juggling pins, nearly colliding. Fourteen acrobats and actors share the mayhem before the focus narrows on Brearley for his solo. It is a routine full of doubles, pikes, twists and planks. He does five, maybe six low somersaults in one spot in rapid fire. All that is visible is the blur of a circle, a cartoonlike cloud of Road Runner dust. Brearley’s solo is short, but he is motivated by the same dread that drove him as an Olympian — the fear of failure. “I don’t want to fail,” he said. “I want people to see a good trampoline performance.” At the end of that madcap somersault bit, he dizzily stumbles through a door and exits the stage. Applause follows, and that, too, feels exactly the same. { SOURCE: New York Times | http://goo.gl/lpzubj } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Amaluna, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia & Totem} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {Varekai, TORUK, OVO & Séptimo Día} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, MJ ONE, JOYÀ & Paramour} 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/ >, or for a more comprehensive tour listing, visit our Itinéraire section online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=6898 >. ------------------------------------ BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau ------------------------------------ Amaluna: Manchester, UK -- Sep 7, 2016 to Oct 9, 2016 Dusseldorf, DE -- Nov 17, 2016 to Dec 18, 2016 London, UK -- Jan 12, 2017 to Feb 4, 2017 Vienna, AT -- Mar 9, 2017 to Apr 2, 2017 Koozå: Sydney, AU -- Aug 25, 2016 to Nov 6, 2016 Brisbane, AU -- Nov 24, 2016 to Jan 8, 2017 Melbourne, AU -- Jan 20, 2017 to Mar 26, 2017 Perth, AU -- TBA Kurios: Washington, DC -- Jul 21, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016 New York City, NY -- Sep 29, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016 Miami, FL -- Dec 9, 2016 to Jan 29, 2017 Dallas, TX -- Feb 17, 2017 to Mar 26, 2017 Houston, TX -- Apr 6, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Winnipeg, MB — TBA 2017 Portland, OR — TBA 2017 Vancouver, BC — TBA 2017 Luzia: Toronto, ON -- Jul 27, 2016 to Oct 16, 2016 San Francisco, CA -- Nov 17, 2016 to Jan 29, 2017 San Jose, CA -- Feb 9, 2017 to Mar 19, 2017 Seattle, WA -- Mar 30, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Denver, CO -- Jun 1, 2017 to Jul 9, 2017 Chicago, IL -- Jul 21, 2017 to Sep 3, 2017 Phoenix, AZ -- Sep 22, 2017 to Oct 22, 2017 Totem: Osaka, JP –- Jul 14, 2016 to Oct 12, 2016 Nagoya, JP –- Nov 10, 2016 to Jan 15, 2017 Fukuoka, JP –- Feb 3, 2017 to Mar 19, 2017 Sendai, JP -– Apr 6, 2017 to May 21, 2017 ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ Varekai: Beirut, LB -- Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016 Dubai, UAE -- Sep 16, 2016 to Sep 24, 2016 Doha, QA -- Sep 27, 2016 to Sep 30, 2016 Istanbul, TR -- Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 9, 2016 Milan, IT -- Oct 20 2016 to Oct 23, 2016 Florence, IT -- Oct 27, 2016 to Oct 30, 2016 Bologna, IT -- Nov 03, 2016 to Nov 06, 2016 Turin, IT -- Nov 10, 2016 to Nov 13, 2016 Nantes, FR -- Nov 16, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016 Toulouse, FR -- Nov 23, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016 Strasbourg, FR -- Nov 30, 2016 to Dec 4, 2016 Paris, FR -- Dec 7, 2016 to Dec 11, 2016 Lille, FR -- Dec 14, 2016 to Dec 18, 2016 Lisbon, PT -- Jan 5, 2017 to Jan 15, 2017 Seville, ES -- Jan 18, 2017 to Jan 21, 2017 Gijon, ES -- Jan 25, 2017 to Jan 29, 2017 Sheffield, UK -- Feb 2, 2017 to Feb 5, 2017 Dublin, IR -- Feb 8, 2017 to Feb 12, 2017 Newcastle, UK -- Feb 15, 2017 to Feb 19, 2017 Leeds, UK -- Feb 22, 2017 to Feb 26, 2017 Birmingham, UK -- Mar 1, 2017 to Mar 5, 2017 Nottingham, UK -- Mar 8, 2017 to Mar 12, 2017 Glasgow, UK -- Mar 15, 2017 to Mar 19, 2017 Lyon, FR -- Apr 13, 2017 to Apr 16, 2017 Budapest, HU -- May 12, 2017 to May 14, 2017 TORUK - The First Flight: Nashville, TN -– Aug 24, 2016 to Aug 28, 2016 Evansville, IN -– Sep 1, 2016 to Sep 4, 2016 Brooklyn, NY -– Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016 Newark, NJ -– Sep 15, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016 Milwaukee, WI -– Sep 22, 2016 to Sep 25, 2016 Minneapolis, MN -– Sep 28, 2016 to Oct 2, 2016 Winnipeg, MB -– Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 9, 2016 Fresno, CA -- Oct 27, 2016 to Oct 30, 2016 Ontario, CA -- Nov 2, 2016 to Nov 6, 2016 Los Angeles, CA -- Nov 11, 2016 to Nov 13, 2016 Phoenix, AZ -- Nov 16, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016 San Diego, CA -- Nov 23, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016 Sacramento, CA -- Nov 30, 2016 to Dec 4, 2016 Portland, OR -- Dec 7, 2016 to Dec 11, 2016 Philadelphia, PA -– Mar 8, 2017 to Mar 12, 2017 Vancouver, BC -- TBA OVO: Hershey, PA -– Aug 31, 2016 to Sep 4, 2016 Hampton, VA -– Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016 Roanoke, VA -– Sep 14, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016 Orlando, FL -– Sep 21, 2016 to Sep 25, 2016 Estero, FL -– Sep 28, 2016 to Oct 2, 2016 Jacksonville, FL -– Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 8, 2016 Erie, PA -– Nov 17, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016 Kingston, ON -- Dec 7, 2016 to Dec 11, 2016 Detroit, MI -– TBA SÉPTIMO DÍA – NO DESCANSARÉ: Buenos Aires, AR -- Mar 9, 2017 - Apr 16, 2017 Cordoba, AR -- May 2017 Lima, PE -- June 2017 Santiago, CL -- July 2017 Bogota, CO -- September 2017 Mexico City, MX -- October 2017 Guadalajara, MX -- November 2017 Monterrey, MX -- December 2017 Select US Cities -- 2018 --------------------------------- 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 2016 Dark Dates: o September 10 – 14 o November 9 Special / Limited Performances: o June 18, 2016 (Only 7pm performance) o June 19, 2016 (Only 7pm performance) o December 29, 2016 (Two Shows) "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 9:30pm (as of Aug 12, 2015) 2016 Dark Dates: o October 9-11 o November 28-December 13 La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm (Only 7:00pm on the following days in 2015: January 20, May 8, May 15, May 19, May 20, and December 31) KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm (Only 7 pm performances on May 9, 16 and June 21) 2016 Dark Dates: o September 15 - 23 o November 23 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm (Only 7:00p.m. on May 15-16, June 19-21, December 31) (Only 4:30p.m. & 7:00p.m. performances on July 4) MICHAEL JACKSON ONE: Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Two Shows Nightly - Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Schedule: 7:00pm & 9:30pm on Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday 4:30pm & 7:00pm on Sunday JOYÀ: 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) PARAMOUR: Location: Lyric Theater, Broadway, New York City Performs: Wednesday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday One/Two Shows Daily: 2:00pm (Wednesday) 7:30pm (Thursday & Monday) 8:00pm (Friday) 2:00pm & 8:00pm (Saturday) 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Sunday) ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= o) WEBSERIES -- Official Online Featurettes o) Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub & Casting o) DidYaKnow? -- Facts About Cirque o) FOTOS -- Images From Cirque & Other Photographs o) VIDEOS -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds --------------------------------------------------- WEBSERIES: Official Online Featurettes --------------------------------------------------- *) ATHLETE TO ARTIST: CIRQUE CELEBRATES OLYMPIANS This series of short webisodes focuses on former Olympians who have made the transition from athlete to Cirque du Soleil artist. o) EPISODE 1: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – “O” August 15, 2016 Did you know “O” is the Cirque du Soleil show with the most former Olympians in it? Meet 5 of them and hear their stories in the first episode of a NEW CirqueSeries: Athlete to Artist! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/lVn6P8ryHvk > o) EPISODE 2: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – AMALUNA August 16, 2016 Former Olympians Marissa, Shona and Yvonne shed light on their journey from the world of competitive athletics to becoming Cirque du Soleil artists on Amaluna. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/HFljOObfPdE > o) EPISODE 3: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – MYSTERE August 17, 2016 Olympian Ludovic Martin sheds light on his journey from the world of competitive athletics to becoming a Cirque du Soleil artist on Mystère. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/SEBrLpoUMtU > o) EPISODE 4: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – KÀ August 18, 2016 Olympian Grant Golding (Beijing, 2008) shares how his athletic background prepared him for life in KÀ. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/--HVErgIQrU > o) EPISODE 5: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – OVO August 19, 2016 Meet the Olympians who are flying high in OVO! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/6C81ohco8iA > o) EPISODE 6: ATHLETE TO ARTIST – OVO August 22, 2016 Cirque du Soleil is one of the leading employers of past Olympians. This is the Olympic story of a Cirque du Soleil artist working on La Nouba. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/A_K7AEYMz84 > o) EPISODE 7: ATHELETE TO ARTIST - MJ ONE August 24, 2016 This is the Olympic story of a Cirque du Soleil artist working on MJ One. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/r-eWXWDmEH0 > o) EPISODE 8: ATHLETE TO ARTIST - PARAMOUR August 25, 2016 This is the Olympic story of a Cirque du Soleil artist working on Paramour. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/5U0ztchgVns > o) EPISODE 9: ATHELETE TO ARTIST - HEADQUARTERS August 26, 2016 This is the Olympic story of some ex Olympians who choose to create new shows and train the next generation of artists at Cirque du Soleil. See their stories in our final episode of the Athlete to Artist series. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/rrUGUpyuEbg > *) MYSTERE'S NEW TEETERBOARD ACT o) EPISODE 1: THE CHANGE August 18, 2016 Year after year, we constantly update and reimagine our shows with brand new acts. Here’s your first look at the update to the dynamic Teeterboard act in Mystère by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/FM21PNdOI2k > o) EPISODE 2: THE PROCESS August 23, 2016 Our artists can fly up to 22 feet in the air with our new teeterboard. Wow! Here’s your first look at the update to the dynamic Teeterboard act in Mystère. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/tRGAndtjYSI > o) EPISODE 3: THE CREATION August 30, 2016 Cirque du Soleil’s mandate is creation. Watch as ideas come to life with the newly upgraded Teeterboard apparatus LINK /// < https://youtu.be/fNyOeRNcuvQ > o) EPISODE 4: THE ADAPTATION September 6, 2016 Every voice matters as we integrate the technical and artistic elements that bring together the entire act. We are excited to share the adaptation process of creating the newly upgraded Teeterboard apparatus in Mystère. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/nl4NqqdaPEo > --------------------------------------------------- CLUB CIRQUE: This Month at CirqueClub --------------------------------------------------- CirqueClub /// “High Wire Brothers” {Aug.11.2016} ------------------------------------------------------- One of the many nail-biting acts in KOOZA is the high wire act. Twin high wires are suspended 4.5 meters and 7.6 meters above the stage. The four tightrope walkers perform feats in the air that most of us would find difficult to do on the ground. Three of the performers are the Quiros brothers who come from a long line of Spanish circus performers. The Quiros Family Circus was founded by their great-great-great-great grandfather. Their 99 year old grandfather is now the oldest living member of the family and he has lived in the circus all of his life. Now his grandsons are continuing the tradition with Cirque du Soleil. In order to ensure a solid education, the boys were sent to Madrid at an early age to live with their grandparents, and attend school full-time. They spent every holiday with their family at the circus, and so were exposed from a very young age to the world under canvas. Their circus careers began from around 12 years old when they began training in a number of circus arts – juggling, acrobatics, unicycle, low wire, and so on. After some years, their father felt that it was important that they had one solid number that would allow them to perform in circus rings across the globe. He focused their training on only one number – a V-shaped low wire at 1.8 meters from the piste. They developed a very technically complex routine, with runs, jumps, forward and back somersaults, and so on. The most dangerous number was the front somersault, since they could only see the wire a fraction of a second before their landing! The boys never worked with a net; it was a matter of pride for them. A chance meeting with a Cuban high wire artist, el Gran Zapaton changed the brothers’ lives. When he saw their act, he told their father, “Don’t let them work so close to the ground, they need to be on a high wire!” The wire was raised to 9 meters, and the boys never looked back. The brothers were quickly hired by Gran Circo Mundial, Spain’s premiere circus company, and their career was off and running! They joined KOOZA when the show first premiered in 2007 and are now looking forward to performing for Australian audiences. KOOZA is on its way to Australia for an August 25 Premiere in Sydney. { SOURCE: CirqueClub | https://goo.gl/XflSJh } --------------------------------------- DIDYAKNOW?: Facts About Cirque --------------------------------------- o) DidyaKnow that the Lyric Theatre is one of the largest theatres on Broadway and seats over 1,800 people? With the furthest seat being 90 feet away from the stage, the glamour of PARAMOUR can be seen at every angle! o) DidyaKnow each Gopi girl in LOVE goes through 6 ropes a year on average? With 4 Gopis in the show, that’s over 1,000 feet of rope per year! o) DidyaKnow there are many rigging points in TORUK? There are 145 of them! o) DidyaKnow Varekai's Icarus represents the duality between innocence and curiosity? By flying to close to the sun, he loses everything. With the help of the creatures he meets in the enchanted forest, he learns to find himself and overcome the challenges he must face. --------------------------------------------------- FOTOS: Images From Cirque & Other Photo Links --------------------------------------------------- AMALUNA -- http://goo.gl/e2qigl -- Transferring Artists! :) KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/WA5tPq -- Transporting to Sydney KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/MyQ7mv -- The Stage is Set! KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/d4d5m8 -- Backstage Selfies KURIOS -- http://goo.gl/Fl9rNm -- Enjoying Events in DC KURIOS -- http://goo.gl/ALa56M -- Props Display #1 KURIOS -- http://goo.gl/SU3135 -- Props Display #2 KURIOS -- http://goo.gl/zpAhFX -- Props Display #3 LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/NTrGq9 -- Ballerina Getting Makeup LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/9hfP1w -- Balloonery! TORUK -- http://goo.gl/VWpjcG -- Toruk Bus in Chicago TORUK -- http://goo.gl/xVjCfY -- At Indy Motor Speedway TORUK -- http://goo.gl/YzT3kC -- Kite Practice! TORUK -- http://goo.gl/mmsKSa -- Goodbye, Gabriel Christo TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/B2Irqu -- Trapeze Training TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/Qy6MxB -- Enjoying Osaka On Site #1 TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/ovCGxY -- Enjoying Osaka On Site #2 --------------------------------------------------- VIDEOS: Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds --------------------------------------------------- AMALUNA -- http://goo.gl/klRyuN -- Hello Manchester! AMALUNA -- http://goo.gl/7atTQx -- Interview with David Rimmer CIRQUE -- http://goo.gl/ivcWq9 -- Thank You Andorra! KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/1dKa2N -- Clowns Transporting to Syndey KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/vGT5mZ -- Second Plane Landing KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/TZXm1d -- Run Away with Kooza KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/HnKtKf -- Adrenaline Rush in Sydney KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/A7eLux -- Training to Thrill #1 KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/pTl2VY -- Training to Thrill #2 KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/QZWPa1 -- Training to Thrill #3 KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/yrEqdE -- 1 Hour to Sydney Premiere KOOZA -- http://goo.gl/52AGjz -- Thank You Sydney! KURIOS -- http://goo.gl/9NX3yw -- Eirini Singing National Anthem LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/VpGwQG -- Floor Exercises LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/YiBkyv -- Backstage Training Session LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/VL49MR -- Flips, Twists & Jumps LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/eJSnEC -- Olympian Claire Wright LA NOUBA -- http://goo.gl/bD1YFw -- Vincent Lavoie's Power Moves LUZIA -- http://goo.gl/Qj3HMu -- How Does It Rain? LUZIA -- http://goo.gl/evyeCt -- How We Play Football LUZIA -- http://goo.gl/blwPOl -- Meet Joenuel, Trumpet Player LUZIA -- http://goo.gl/9kz6BQ -- Hoop Divers Admiring Art LUZIA -- http://goo.gl/vir76x -- Take Hoop Diving to Another Level MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/iHySFM -- Unveiling the MJ Statue MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/w7E2VB -- Meet Dancer Alan Medina MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/9G9E0W -- Meet Dancer John Nelson #1 MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/hqIKKj -- Meet Dancer John Nelson #2 MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/3Lm7ej -- Olympian Greg Pennes MJ ONE -- http://goo.gl/D26rIV -- MJ Birthday Celebration "O" -- http://goo.gl/ZlWPG2 -- The "O"-lympians "O" -- http://goo.gl/apsB2T -- Can't Go Wrong w/these Choices! OVO -- http://goo.gl/A5bxzn -- The Colony Discovers St. Louis OVO -- http://goo.gl/a84J4S -- Character Photoshoot Throwback OVO -- http://goo.gl/k13Asx -- Interview with our Butterfly PARAMOUR -- http://goo.gl/DYoYZS -- Make-Up with Natalie Gagne PARAMOUR -- http://goo.gl/WfyvTi -- Show Score w/Jeremy Kushnier PARAMOUR -- http://goo.gl/e5tKTZ -- Cast Recording "Hollywood Wiz" PARAMOUR -- http://goo.gl/6AM432 -- Olympian Lee Brearley PARAMOUR -- http://goo.gl/qYje0F -- Ryan Vona chats PARAMOUR SODA -- http://goo.gl/3s6aeC -- 22 shows sold out; 150,000 tickets SODA -- http://goo.gl/ZtJD6F -- How the MoviStarZoomZone works TORUK -- http://goo.gl/VGCXF9 -- 5@5 w/Acrobat Stacey Magiera TORUK -- http://goo.gl/wLdLiC -- Kissing the Bricks! TORUK -- http://goo.gl/RDu1YX -- 5@5 w/Head Therapist, Mick Henry TORUK -- http://goo.gl/aTdDTw -- 5@5 w/Guillaume Paquin, Entu TORUK -- http://goo.gl/Xy16ww -- Tawkami flowers Mesmerize Audience TORUK -- http://goo.gl/U4gXsi -- 5@5 w/Acrobat Brandon Livanos TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/bIqX9o -- Unicycle Ab Workout TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/0qTFCW -- Happy International Youth Day! TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/rLXpd6 -- Insight-Acrobatic Challenge TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/htOL87 -- How Ulziibuyan Mergen Warms Up TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/XcOLsg -- Marie-Christine Fournier TOTEM -- http://goo.gl/EdJhZq -- Russian Bar Family Portrait! VAREKAI -- http://goo.gl/qn6pkC -- Countdown to Beruit VAREKAI -- http://goo.gl/sAjdWX -- Solo on Crutches Character VAREKAI -- http://goo.gl/0jAF5q -- Two Weeks Left! VAREKAI -- http://goo.gl/nM3n84 -- Less Than a Week ZUMANITY -- http://goo.gl/QufzLn -- Marina and Michael, Power Duo ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "ALAIN VINET: 'What I Was Thinking!' (Part 2 of 2)" Interview by: Keith Johnson & Ricky Russo o) SPECIAL /// "Cirque du Soleil Hits The Great White Way" Written By: Ellen Lampert-Greaux, Live Design (July 2016) o) "Casting Q&A's - Meet an Artist, Part 1 of 6" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ "ALAIN VINET: 'What I Was Thinking!' (Part 2 of 2)" Interview by: Keith Johnson & Ricky Russo ------------------------------------------------------------ Last issue we discussed several CD releases in a busy year for Cirque du Soleil Musique. But the main reason Mr. Vinet contacted us(!) was to respond to erstwhile Editor Richasi’s review of the broadcast version of the 30th Anniversary Concert, “Celebrating 30 Years Through Music” ( < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5487 >. Ricky raised several questions about song and singer selection, which Mr. Vinet felt could best be answered in a conversation. “No, actually, I read the review and I was really happy to read every word of it. I cracked a little smile when I read the, “what were they thinking?” So I thought maybe it's time we had a little talk. I thought it was a good time to answer your questions, which were legitimate. And that's exactly what I'm here for! I'm here for the question, “What were they thinking?” (Laughs.) (By the way, Mr. Vinet was interviewed by our friends at CirqueCast in their Episode 5, where some time is spent recounting creation of the concert. It can be found here < https://youtu.be/ZY2HiNVLOkA >) Ricky’s review was mostly positive - don’t get us wrong, go read it for yourself. One part of Cirque's credo is to evoke emotions, which, for dedicated fans of Cirque the concert does frequently. One hears a piece of music and it evokes the memory of a show, or a trip, or a personal interaction, or something. And just as that memory begins to fade the next song starts, and another memory appears. It's not for everybody, certainly not for the person who's been to just one Cirque show. But if you're a fan of Cirque du Soleil and a fan of the music of Cirque du Soleil, and if you’ve been to multiple shows and you get into the music, it is sublime. “I DID IT FOR YOU GUYS" ----------------------- Mr. Vinet has spoken about how proud he is of the concert, that was, as he describes, “my baby.” But it’s genesis occurred several years earlier. “I don't know if you know [this], but this project was born in October, 2009. Back then we did what we used to call, “Creative Forums.” (These were day-long meetings wherea number of creative staff would give presentations, brainstorm, and discuss current issues.) When it came time to do the music forum, Gilles (Ste-Croix) suggested we do it in a church. So I hired an organ player, I brought singers (Roxane Potvin from “O” and Mathieu Lavoie from Quidam/Varekai, as well as Catherine LeDoux, Mr. Vinet’s assistant at the time), a couple of musicians, and we did just a few numbers like “O”. And “Nostalgie” (from “O”) (in an arrangement with just the large church organ and Ms. Potvin’s un-amplified voice) that Roxanne actually does in the Concert.” “That was the song, and I remember it like it was yesterday. Guy Laliberté was sitting right in front of me and he turns around and looks at me and he's got a tear going down his cheek. And he turns around and goes to Daniel Lamarre and says, “I want to do a Cirque concert in a church.” So that's where the idea began, and that's why I kept that song [in the show].” It was that year he created an example set list for just such a concert. However, the yearly appearance of arena Cirque shows in Montréal’s Bell Center arena meant the concert idea had to be put on the back burner. Each year he would refine the set list, presenting it to Laliberté and Ste-Croix, only to be set aside when the next arena show came through. “When the 30th anniversary came it was the first time in [several] years that there was no arena show coming to the Bell Center in Montréal, which is the big arena where we have our arena tours. So it was [the perfect time] to have an event like this. But we didn't want to make this into a Bell Center show, we wanted an intimate concert.” “So I would say in September, 2013 we started talking about it, and I spent [some] time preparing playlists of what the concert could be. I put together little montages and sent them back and forth to Guy and Gilles.” “One thing that was very clear in my head from the beginning was that this needed to be a creation [all its own] as well. This is why I didn't necessarily go for all the obvious choices, the “best of.” I wanted to create something that had movement, that could be glued together, kind of like a DJ set. This is my DJ experience coming into play. But planned so that we could play [a song] continuously for a little while and then break [to another song]. Maybe there are one or two songs that are made to be played alone but a lot of them are made to have a nice segue to each other. That was a big point in deciding which songs we would use; I obviously wanted to bring back the nice salad of it.” He created a series of song movements or medleys of various songs, “somewhat like an opera.” He had a lot of songs to feature (one song from each Cirque creation) and only 75 minutes to get them all in. “Obviously for me being [involved with] Cirque music all the time every day, it helped me to have only 2 1/2 minutes per song on average.” The time limit and need for the songs to segue well together meant many tracks that might be considered Cirque’s “best” didn’t make the cut. “But at the same time, such as when we passed through (the show) “Alegria,” I couldn't play (the song) “Alegria” at that point because it's too early in the show. So that's why we decided to go with “Vai Verdrai” which is a nice waltz.” Once the songs and running order were selected, the team put together a rough rehearsal tape of the show with instrument samples to give an idea of what the arrangements would sound like, a demo which would help confirm when the arrangement charts were to their liking. These tapes were also given to the singers and solo musicians so they could practice in their own spaces on their own time, as a tight production schedule meant little time to rehearse as a group. FINDING YOUR VOICES ------------------- Critical to the success of the venture was finding vocalists up to the task. “I had eight lead singers [I could hire]. I could not deviate from that, that was what was agreed upon as the business plan, as the concept. Mathieu (Lavoie) was the first male singer I contacted but at that time he wasn't sure if he could do it. So I approached Paul (Bisson), because we had changed Zarkana quite a bit so that he wasn't singing in it anymore. I called Paul to see if he would be interested but when Mathieu came back with a positive response I decided to keep them both. That way I could have Paul sing, “Volo Volando” (from Corteo, where he was the creation vocalist). At that point, it became clear that in some places I had to make sacrifices, but they weren’t necessarily sacrifices. Obviously, I had to have some of them not singing their original songs. Like Estelle (Esse) singing the La Nouba song (“Reve Rouge”). Mathieu had done the Michael Jackson song (“Earth Song”) for another event so he knew the song already and, frankly, between [them] I think Mathieu was the best choice.” Francesca Gagnon, original singer for Alegria, was contacted about participating but was unavailable. “That is why Francine (Poitras) sings “Alegria,” she was the closest voice to Francesca’s that I had.” The final vocalist cast consisted of: o) Francine Poitras – creation singer Saltimbanco (1992) o) Audrey Brisson – original “Zoe” in Quidam (1996) o) Mathieu Lavoie – creation singer of Quidam (1996), creation singer of Varekai (2002) o) Roxane Potvin – creation singer of “O” (1998) o) Paul Bisson – creation singer of Corteo (2005), Zark in Zarkana (2012) o) Anna Liani – writer/singer of “Bello Amore” on the Zumanity CD o) Estelle Esse – sung for Alegria, Dralion, Corteo and Kurios, also talent scout o) Dominic Dagenais – singer at several Cirque Special Events “Obviously not all the singers were in top shape, but at least on the DVD we fixed that a little in the editing. It was hard actually, but in the end, that's what I expected. But it was impossible for me [to do otherwise]. It would have been [wonderful] to have all the singers that actually sang each song there, that would've been a wet dream.” “With the conditions we had I had to make difficult choices. But at the same time the cast that I put together was, personally, one of the easiest casts that I could work with, because I had worked with them numerous times so the trust was immediately there. In the beginning it was hard, because when I brought in Paul I had to find stuff for Mathieu to sing, so that's why I also had him sing the Ovo song (“Briso do Mar”). I had approached Marie-Claude (Marchand), the original singer of Ovo, she had just come back, but by the time she got back to me I had already capped my eight singers. I was already at the point where it was hard for me to make any changes; since everything had been approved I didn't want to touch anything. (Laughs.) It's sometimes tough to get approvals, it just takes time.” FINDING YOUR MESSAGE -------------------- The church selected for the concert was the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church (eglisestjeanbaptiste.com) in the Le Plateau Mont-Royal borough of Montréal. First built in 1875 and able to accommodate 2,800 people, it is the third largest church in the city, with beautiful acoustics. “When we showed up at the church everything was pretty much decided.” But that was because he had done his homework. “What I did was I went to the church on scouting [missions] and spoke with people, and listened to music with my little iPod in this church setting. And frankly it was really clear. I had had five years to think about it (since the musical “Creative Summit” in 2009); it was really clear really fast what I wanted to do.” There was some concern over being able to get the rights to non-Cirque music, but they shouldn’t have worried. “We got the chance to play the Michael (Jackson) song (“Earth Song”) and the Beatles Love song (“Because”) and the Viva Elvis song (“Love Me Tender”), which was cool. [We used] just a passage of the opening of Love, which is “Because” sung a cappella; that way [there were] no arrangement problems, no fiddling with Apple music, no ‘you can't use this you can’t use that.’ In the church I thought an a cappella number was needed. In the beginning I didn't know if it would be approved or not but the Beatles answered gracefully.” FINDING YOUR SOUND ------------------ Another challenge involved incorporating the large church organ into the show. “It's really hard if you have a band on [the front] stage and the church organ is in back, it's impossible to synchronize. There is about 100ms of difference, that's almost half a beat depending on the tempo. That's why in the beginning of the show we’re going back and forth from the front stage to the back with the organ.” But the big church organ is only used up to “Nostalgie” (from “O”). ““Nostalgie” is the last song where we used the big organ in the back. The church has a little choir organ in front, (it is in fact one of the few churches in Canada with two organs) and the plan was to use the little choir organ for the rest of the show because it became more of an accompaniment than an actual lead like the big organ was. But the little church organ died on us! But our organist had a digital organ, a high-end expensive organ, sample-based but really, really good. And he had a full-fledged four-register keyboard with pedal for it which he said he could bring. So we placed him behind the choir. The trick was that in the beginning we used the big organ so that people think that whenever they hear an organ they think it's the big organ. And nobody noticed the difference.” “So it was a lot of little constraints, but I think we ended up doing a really, really cool show, people really enjoyed it.” The onstage choreography of the vocalists was done by Event Designer Véronique Dussault. “Véronique is a seasoned stage director that's been working with Special Events. [She and] I have worked together for years.” Mr. Vinet was also aided by his assistant, Thierry Angers, who helped with the structure of the arrangements, Frederic Chasson who did arrangements and orchestrations, and Creative Director Daniel Fortin. FINDING THE DVD --------------- Initially there was no intent to preserve the concert on video or CD. This changed when Radio Canada (Quebec’s French Language television network, ici.radio-canada.ca) signed on to record the show. “It was very last-minute and we didn't have a lot of time to put it together. We filmed on December 23, 2014 and we needed to deliver an [audio] mix by the 30th. And we had one studio day booked by the filming company to [do final mixing]. On the day of the recording I was in the booth calling the shots for the [audio] guys to have the best possible pre- mix. I then said, “I'm leaving with the recording, you will get it back in four days.” Rob Heaney and I spent four days and nights working 20 hours a day in order to get it to where it needed to be as a product (utilizing the 96 tracks recorded on-site). We really insisted on having my hands on the production of the DVD. Which was great, it was a lot of fun to mix and dig into piece by piece, to see who missed a note (laughs). I came back for both the DVD release and the German release. [There were] some addendums to the mix, but we didn't touch the surround that much.” After being broadcast in January, the concert was released in Canada on Apr 21, 2015, in a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack, Radio Canada 22418. And copies are still available! One place we found them, for $27 Canadian plus shipping, is here < goo.gl/LU0ORN >. One part of the concert that won’t see the light of commercial release involved the big church organ. “I'm sad they didn't put the opening organ [medley] that we had [as a prelude] while people were coming into the church [on the DVD]. Claude Chaput, who was my bandleader, wrote 30 minutes of intro music played by four hands on the great organ. As people were walking in you would hear even more classic Cirque themes on the organ. I get goosebumps just thinking about it, it was incredible. That alone was a show.” As with the music for the Cirque 3D Film, “World’s Away,” there won’t be a CD soundtrack. “It wasn’t considered and I'll tell you why; it would cost way too much money. Eight lead voices, 70 member choir, musicians; it's like 100 people to pay for each song. From a business standpoint it wouldn't [work financially].” “But even better, you have the DVD! You can actually watch it! (Laughs)” (and if you are a little bit tech savvy, you can make your own soundtrack, but, umm, we don’t know anything about that.) The success and emotional power of the concert gave no clue that Mr. Vinet was originally presented with a modest budget and a very short production schedule. So short, in fact, there was only time for one full rehearsal of the entire show with the full cast! “We had a very, very tight budget. It was promoted as Cirque du Soleil’s gift to the city of Montréal. There was really no plan to make money, it was to do something to celebrate Cirque's 30th anniversary. Hopefully one day we'll get this into a touring show, but I wouldn't say that too loud.” “If I can say one more thing about the show; it was probably one of the most favorite projects of mine I’ve done in my 10 years here. Not that I was the only one putting it together, but that I was instrumental in assembling this group of people. [It was] an incredible moment to be able to experience.” “SO NOW YOU'VE LEARNED, 'THE SECRETS OF THE GODS'" -------------------------------------------------- When we talked back in April 2016 it was just getting into the spring season, which in the past has been a busy time for him. But that had changed. “Not for about a year and a half. Because in 2015 there was a split of the company’s divisions to become Cirque du Soleil Group. The Special Events division became 45 Degrees(.com), and CDS Theatrical opened in New York to produce Paramour. Instead of going with 45 Degrees when that happened I stayed with the core company under Jean- François Bouchard, the head of creation. I don’t handle the music for the 45 Degrees projects like I used to. So my spring is less busy than it used to be.” Since then, there has been a change of direction for this friend of the fan. In mid-August Alain Vinet left his position as Musical Director for Cirque du Soleil to pursue other interests, though he will be coming back to consult on a project-by-project basis. We wish Mr. Vinet the best of Luck! Sincere thanks go to: Mr. Vinet for so graciously (and repeatedly) spending time with us, Marie-Noëlle Caron – Cirque Publicist, Erstwhile Editor Ricky Russo, for helping conduct the interview, And Keith’s wife LouAnna for putting up with his sometimes obsessive hobby. ------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL /// "Cirque du Soleil Hits The Great White Way" Written By: Ellen Lampert-Greaux, Live Design (July 2016) ------------------------------------------------------------ Paramour marks Cirque du Soleil’s Broadway debut, with star-crossed lovers set in a kinetic world of song, dance, and acrobatic feats, from trapeze to trampoline. The show premiered in June at the Lyric Theatre for an open-ended run, produced by Cirque du Soleil Theatrical (Scott Zeiger, president and managing director). Under the artistic supervision of creative guide Jean-François Bouchard, Paramour is directed by French director and choreographer Philippe Decouflé, whose design team includes set designer Jean Rabasse, costume designer Philippe Guillotel, lighting designer Patrice Besombes, projection designers Olivier Simola and Christophe Waksmann, and sound designer John Shivers. Live Design asked the designers to talk about their biggest challenges in creating a Cirque du Soleil spectacle for Broadway. Projection designer Christophe Waksmann notes that one of the most challenging things for him was to find the proper camera for the use of live video in the show, with the least latency possible. “As the lip synchro is important for live cameras, we had trouble finding the right model. After a few weeks trying different models, we finally found the right one,” he says. Another challenge for Waksmann is that the show is run without a projection operator, which is not the way he’s used to working. “Usually in every show I design, an operator is necessary to run the show properly,” he says. “So the challenge was to find a way to get rid of the operator and launch the cues with the lights on a timecode. Actually, it seems to work.” Jean Rabasse, the scenic designer, found that “working on Paramour was extraordinary, but there were a certain number of specific constraints related to this spectacle, and one must understand that, in producing Paramour on Broadway, Cirque du Soleil wanted for the first time to unite three very different universes,” he says. “First, the universe created by Philippe Decouflé and his design team: costumes, choreography, video, lighting, and scenery. We all tried to find a different angle, a spirit of contradiction, the desire to show things in a graphic or abstract manner, but also to try and mix styles, and the ways to tell a story in a linear and figurative way but also be elliptical, in a more abstract manner.” The second universe for Rabasse is the world of Cirque du Soleil, where, he states, “acrobatic performance, or the showcasing of the artists is balanced by a style close to that of Commédia dell'Arte, with a strong sense of direction, that is dreamlike, festive, young, and above all, always looking for the highest level of acrobatics, without doubt the best in the world.” The third universe in Paramour is the world of Broadway theatre, “with its high level of music, the exceptional quality of its singers and dancers, an incredible sense of narration, and the incredible quality in the creation of scenery, costumes, and lighting,” says Rabasse. “So, while uniting these three universes was exhilarating, rousing, and magnificent, it was also difficult, sometimes conflicting but possible. It took an incredible amount of energy by creative guide Jean-François Bouchard from Cirque du Soleil, by producer Jayna Neagle, and, of course, Scott Zieger to drive all these teams that are so different yet so creative together.” Rabasse also finds that creating scenery for Cirque du Soleil entails certain technical constraints. “This is the very essence of Cirque and its demanding performance style, as well as its concern for the safety of the artists,” he explains. “Every acrobatic element is a long, patient discussion that includes trainers, coaches, the director, choreographer, engineers, scenic shop, and the set designer. It is a huge job to succeed in creating a new number.” For Rabasse, “The number with the trampoline on the rooftops of New York, in the spirit of Warren Beatty’s film, Dick Tracy, was extraordinary but long and laborious to create. Even the choreographer for this number took a really long time to create the impression of lightness and ease," he says. “The Western tableau was also a long process, even though the basic idea was to create a light, joyous number. You often have to put yourself at the service of the performance to make these tableaux successful, while remaining true to your convictions,” Rabasse notes. Rabasse’s experience of many years working with Philippe Decouflé, followed by three spectacles with Cirque du Soleil, gives him what he feels is “sufficient experience to be part of the creation of these tableaux and propose scenic solutions in the service of the acrobatic performance,” he adds. “It is truly a team effort, with a lot of strong personalities and strong convictions.” In addition, Rabasse found that working on Broadway with American crews was a true joy. “I had the good luck to have Christine Peters as associate designer and David Benken as technical director,” he says. “I was also able to discover techniques that are specific to Broadway and an ease of getting all the scenic elements coordinated. I also really enjoyed working with the team of painters and have great memories of their work.” “Voila!” concludes Rabasse. “At the end of the day, these three universes, with their knowhow, their desires, and their convictions, created, I hope, a light and enjoyable production. I hope that the audience senses my pleasure at being invited to create the décor for Paramour.” Costume designer Philippe Guillotel discovered that Broadway is different from circus or ballet costumes, “with which I try to define a strong universe and the characters that inhabit that universe in an original, and even exaggerated, manner,” he says. “This time, for this show, I had to apply myself to create costumes that were more from everyday life, in service to the narration.” Guillotel found he had to rein in his creativity, he says, “in order to be sure to more deeply define the psychology of each of these characters, while providing costumes that did not limit the actors and singers in their specific actions at specific moments, so that the audience would recognize themselves in them.” “In terms of the speaker design for the house system, we decided to use a system with components designed and manufactured by KV2 Audio,” explains sound designer John Shivers. “We were introduced to KV2 Audio on a project we did two years ago in Hamburg and absolutely love them. They’re compact, light, powerful, cost-effective, and more importantly, excellent sounding products that proved to be a perfect fit for Paramour and the need for a wide dynamic and diverse stylistic scope.” For Shivers, “Paramour, like most shows, presented a unique set of challenges, but the show, having a range of acrobatic acts as well as more traditional Broadway elements, added to the scope of tasks to make the sound design effective and satisfying. We paid special attention to the stage foldback, monitoring to ensure that the cast and acrobats could hear well for the purpose of cueing their precision movements,” he says. “We also added wireless monitoring systems for musicians who were required to play on stage during some songs so that they could remain synchronized with the rest of the orchestra in the pit.” ------------------------------------------------------------ "Casting Q&A's - Meet an Artist, Part 1 of 6" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ Ever wonder what it would be like to become a Cirque du Soleil artist? Of course you have! Who hasn’t? Wonder no longer! Through a series of interviews on their casting website, Cirque du Soleil invites us to get to know some of their performers (past and present), and discover how each of them went from a career as an athlete, circus performer, instrumentalist, singer, dancer, actor, clown, or in another specialty to becoming a Cirque performer. They’re fantastic reads if you’ve had the pleasure, and if you haven’t, well, don’t despair. We’ve collected all 30 artist interviews for you to peruse in this series, which, due to the page count, we’ll publish in six parts, beginning with Part One: Anthony Gatto (Manipulation), Claudel Doucet (Aerial), Denise Stefanie Gonzalez (Female vocals), Eric Scribner (Percussion instruments), and Eve Castelo Branco (Classical & Contemporary dance) # # # ANTHONY GATTO United States | Juggling Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT PRIOR TO JOINING CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I hold 11 juggling World Records and I am the only juggler to win the Golden Clown in the history of the “Festival International du Cirque de Monte Carlo". Q. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR ARTISTIC BACKGROUND BEFORE JOINING CIRQUE. I have been training since I was 3 and performing since I was 8. I have 26 years of show business experience performing all over the world and at nearly every major casino in Las Vegas. Q. WHEN DID YOU JOIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I joined in March 2007. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT? I was contacted by Cirque many years ago but had never found the right project until the creation of KOOZA. Q. WHAT KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS YOUR AUDITION AND/OR TRAINING AND/OR WORKSHOP? I didn’t have to audition. David Shiner, the director of KOOZA, has known me since I was child. He came to see my show in Las Vegas and decided that I would be a good fit for the show. Q. HOW DID YOUR INTEGRATION GO IN THE SHOW? Due to my prior engagements I was the last artist to join and was thrown right into the mix… it was quite a busy month! Q. HOW DOES BEING PART OF A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IN YOUR DISCIPLINE? This was an opportunity for me to experiment with a character other than the ones I had been doing all my life. Performing is all about growing and Cirque provides a good atmosphere to grow as an artist. Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? Cirque was the next level for me, the next frontier. It’s a great feeling to have made it here. Q. HOW DID THE TRANSITION GO BETWEEN YOUR FORMER CAREER TO YOUR CURRENT CIRQUE CAREER? The transition was smooth. Nearly all of my performing career I have had a busy schedule: 2 shows a day, 6 or 7 days a week, and that really helped. Q. WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST TO JOIN CIRQUE? No other venue takes care of its artists the way Cirque does. And there is a certain sense of security knowing that Cirque will be around for a long, long time. * * * CLAUDEL DOUCET Canada | Aerial Silk Q. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR ARTISTIC BACKGROUND BEFORE JOINING CIRQUE. I studied at the “École nationale de cirque" in Montreal where I took a general formation for the first 5 years and then specialized in Aerial Silks. After finishing school I worked for various Circus Companies and trained. Q. WHEN DID YOU JOIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I began rehearsing in January 2005 and started performing in March 2005. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT? Having grown up in Montreal and being exposed to the Circus Arts I was always close to the action, and ever since I was a child I would go see each new Cirque du Soleil show as it premiered. Q. WHAT KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS YOUR AUDITION AND/OR TRAINING AND/OR WORKSHOP? My audition was specifically for the role of Azalaa. It was a little weird for me because many of my friends were rehearsing for Corteoin the gym where my audition was taking place. Q. HOW DID YOUR INTEGRATION GO IN MONTREAL AND IN THE SHOW? My integration went by quite quickly. However, because I was finishing a prior engagement with another company at the same time, the workload was particularly great. Once I arrived on tour, I had a further 2 weeks of rehearsals to get fully integrated into the show. Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I like traveling and being on stage. Cirque allows me to do both. Q. HOW DID THE TRANSITION GO BETWEEN YOUR FORMER CAREER TO YOUR CURRENT CIRQUE CAREER? Because I was already a circus performer before joining Cirque du Soleil, my transition was very natural. Q. WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST TO JOIN CIRQUE? Cirque offers an excellent working environment for artists with an incredible support staff; the trainers, physiotherapists, tour services and artistic team are all second to none. Q. HOW IS LIFE ON TOUR? I decided to get into the circus arts because I wanted a job where I would travel. Life on tour demands a lot from you, but it is also an exhilarating experience. * * * DENISE STEFANIE GONZALEZ United States | Singing Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT PRIOR TO JOINING CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I began recording professionally at age 8 and recorded my first Jazz album when I was 12. My first touring experience was playing the main character in the Broadway Musical, Selena Forever. I have performed in front of 45,000 people at a televised music awards show and for an audience of 650,000 people at Fiesta Broadway, the largest Latin music festival in Los Angeles! Q. TELL US ABOUT YOUR ARTISTIC BACKGROUND BEFORE JOINING CIRQUE. I started my formal voice training at Mt. San Jacinto College at 8. I also attended “El Conservatorio De Las Rosas” in Morelia, Mexico, the oldest music conservatory in North America. When I was 12 I began studying Jazz and classical voice at Idyllwild Arts Academy on a full scholarship, but my stay was brief because I joined Quidam. After performing in Quidam for a year and a half, I returned to my studies and attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. where I majored in Music. Q. WHEN DID YOU JOIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I joined in 2002, when I was 13. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT? My agent contacted Cirque du Soleil and, soon after recording some demos from Quidam, I was invited to an audition in Los Angeles. Q. WHAT KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS YOUR AUDITION AND/OR TRAINING AND/OR WORKSHOP? I was surprised how relaxed the feel was for this audition; everyone was so friendly and made me feel so comfortable, it was like I was singing to my friends! After my audition someone from casting came with me to meet my family and chat. Best audition experience EVER! Q. HOW DID YOUR INTEGRATION GO IN MONTREAL AND IN THE SHOW? I arrived in Montreal at the beginning of January, so it was COLD! But I loved the city, and my time at the studio. I was in the 8th grade at the time so I had school in the morning followed by voice classes, “jeu” class and a movement class. I left for Quidam at the beginning of March. Q. HOW DOES BEING PART OF A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IN YOUR DISCIPLINE? As a singer, to be able to perform at your best it is important to find yourself internally; both mentally and emotionally… and you need to do it on a daily basis. It takes a lot of focus, consistency and knowing oneself extremely well. Once this is mastered you can really enjoy making every show your best show. Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? What I love most about being a part of Cirque du Soleil is traveling, performing, the wonderful energy from the audience and being surrounded by so much talent. And as if that weren’t enough, I feel like I have a family on tour. Q. HOW DID THE TRANSITION GO BETWEEN YOUR FORMER CAREER TO YOUR CURRENT CIRQUE CAREER? I believe I was lucky to have started working with Cirque du Soleil at such a young age because I quickly adapted and had my mom accompanying me! However, now that I travel alone, I find transitions easier to make. Q. WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST TO JOIN CIRQUE? It is an opportunity to make a career out of what you love to do. Not to mention the excitement of exploring new cities and the diverse cultures, languages, and people you work with. Also, there is always something new to learn… I began a singer and now I practice aerial acrobatics! Q. HOW IS LIFE ON TOUR? Life on tour is definitely different. Learning to live out of a couple suitcases is always challenging, especially if you love shoes like me! It is great though, and arriving in a new city is always exciting because there are so many things to see and explore! Life on tour is NEVER boring. Q. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? My experience with Cirque du Soleil has been one of great excitement. I began to work with the company at age 13 and traveled all through North America and even Japan. I left Quidam to finish high school and go to the University and, after completing one year at college, I am now back on tour with Cirque du Soleil working on Corteo. I am so honored and I anticipate working for Cirque du Soleil in the future! * * * ERIC SCRIBNER United States | Drummer Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT PRIOR TO JOINING CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? Worked for major Las Vegas production shows. Q. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR ARTISTIC BACKGROUND BEFORE JOINING CIRQUE. I began drumming at age 3. I moved to Las Vegas when I was 19 and began freelancing with various bands. Q. WHEN DID YOU JOIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I was hired as a replacement artist at ZUMANITY in January 2004 and at “O" in 2005, and in 2006 I was hired permanently at KÀ. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT? A friend invited me to an informal and mostly informational meeting of local musicians organized by a representative from Cirque casting. Q. WHAT KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS YOUR AUDITION AND/OR TRAINING AND/OR WORKSHOP? My audition as a replacement artist revolved around four pieces of music from ZUMANITY and I got to audition in the showroom with the full orchestra. It was a blast. Q. HOW DID YOUR INTEGRATION GO IN THE SHOW? I was very fortunate because I was given six weeks to learn the show, so my transition went very smoothly. Q. HOW DOES BEING PART OF A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IN YOUR DISCIPLINE? At Cirque, artists are encouraged to contribute ideas… so this environment allows me to be creative every night. Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? What I like most about Cirque are the people. There is such an amazing, energetic and positive vibe here. Q. HOW DID THE TRANSITION GO BETWEEN YOUR FORMER CAREER TO YOUR CURRENT CIRQUE CAREER? I’ve always been a musician, so it wasn’t so much a career change. However, I now have insurance benefits and scheduled vacations. Q. WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST TO JOIN CIRQUE? Great people who ask you to be creative and want you to evolve as an artist. Q. HOW IS LIFE IN LAS VEGAS? Life in Vegas is a great community with schools, libraries and outdoor recreation… you just happen to be near the best nightlife anywhere. Q. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? Working at Cirque has been a dream come true! * * * EVE CASTELO BRANCO Canada | Dance Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT PRIOR TO JOINING CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I’ve been dancing various styles of dance since I was 8. My artistic background is mostly based on movements, improvisations and interpretations of modern dance. As a teenager I participated in some Drum Corps International Championships which gave me the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of spectators and to travel. Q. WHEN DID YOU JOIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I joined Cirque in 2005 right after graduating from “Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montréal Inc.” during the creation of DELIRIUM. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT? In May 2005, Gillian Ferrabee saw me perform at the LADMMI graduates performance and invited me to audition for LOVE. Soon after, Cirque approached me for a role… but it was for DELIRIUM! Q. WHAT KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS YOUR AUDITION AND/OR TRAINING AND/OR WORKSHOP? In my audition I played characters, did some improvisation and danced and danced. Like all auditions, it was exhausting, but it was an exceptional experience that I will never forget. Q. HOW DID YOUR INTEGRATION GO (EITHER IN MONTREAL OR IN A SHOW)? My integration was fantastic. It was like diving head first into a universe where dreams mix with extraordinary ideas, all the while meeting incredible artists from all over the world. And because the show was being created in my Montreal I was able to live at home, surrounded by my family and friends. Q. HOW DOES BEING PART OF A CIRQUE DU SOLEILSHOW ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IN YOUR DISCIPLINE? DELIRIUM is a show that gives its dancers an incredible opportunity for improvisation and exploration, which I just love. I get to dance in nearly all the acts, which means dancing in many styles; from urban dance, to African and even the tango. In 2007 I began an aerial act after learning Aerial Silks with Émilie Therrien. So now, on top of dancing, I get to have fun with something new. Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? I love traveling, seeing new places and meeting people from around the world. DELIRIUM changes town every two weeks which allows for ample time to see the towns we visit! Another thing I love is being able to perform night after night in front of thousands of people. It’s incredible! Q. HOW DID THE TRANSITION GO BETWEEN YOUR FORMER CAREER TO YOUR CURRENT CIRQUE CAREER? Because I started with Cirque right out of school, I would have to say that my transition was quick and easy. Q. WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST TO JOIN CIRQUE? Being a Cirque artist allows you to meet incredible people from all over the world and you get to travel and experience incredible things. On top of it all, we get to do what we love to do the most! What could be better! Q. HOW IS LIFE ON TOUR? Life on tour can sometimes be difficult, we change city so often without ever fully unpacking our bags. Having said that, I must say that touring is a unique experience that I truly enjoy. # # # Stay tuned for more pieces of this series coming soon! In Part Two, we’ll hear from Hassan El Hajjami (Hip-hop & Breakdance), Jean- François Houle (Bandleaders), Jeanne Dioman Gbou (Ethnic & Traditional dance), Julia Lopatkina (Acrobatic gymnastics), and Kristin Allen (Acrobatic gymnastics). In Part Three: Lionel Hamel (Stringed instruments), Lisa Skinner (Artistic gymnastics), Marco De Santi (Extreme sports), Melissa Urbano (Martial arts), and Michael Joseph Hachey (Stringed instruments). In Part Four: Miho Kono (Synchronized swimming), Miro Lacasse (Physical Actors), Noriko Takahashi (Diverse abilities), Odmaa Bayartsogt (Other disciplines), and Oleksandr Pylypenko (Athletes). In Part Five: Paulo Lorador (Balancing), PJ Bogart (Diving), Raphaël Sanchez (Keyboard instruments), Ross Gibson (Tumbling), and Sabú Alegría (Wheels). And in the final installment: Suo Liu (Martial arts), Tumelo “Michael" Moloi (Other dance styles), Vanessa Convery (Jazz & Tap dance), Zara Tellander (Female vocals), and Zeng jiao JIAN (Martial arts). ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 16, Number 9 (Issue #152) - September 2016 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C) 2001-2016 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. { Sep.xx.2016 } =======================================================================