======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 17, NUMBER 5 May 2017 ISSUE #160 ======================================================================= Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. While it goes without saying that a good portion of the news for this edition of Fascination focuses on VOLTA's premiere, there's plenty of other news to read about, including a number of Cirque shows celebrating birthdays and anniversaries throughout the month of April. Alas, only a few made a note in celebration online. KOOZA was one, mentioning that On April 29, 2017, KOOZA celebrated its 10th Anniversary... in Perth! Ever wonder what KOOZA achieved over those last 10 years? They did too and provided a brief list of facts and figures: o) 3,379 shows performed o) 56 cities in 18 countries visited o) 7.5 million people amazed o) 168,000 rotations of our Wheel of Death spectacular o) 67,000 somersaults by Teeterboard team o) 675,000 skipping rope jumps on the Highwire. April 15th was a big day for TOTEM contortionist Oyun-Erdene Senge. She unveiled her solo act with the show. Over the first weekend in May, Varekai celebrated 1,000 arena shows. And, also this first week of May, the Kurios tour had something great to celebrate: the release of the show's DVD! (We'll have a more thorough review of the disc and its contents next time, but what I can tell you at this time is... get it if you can! It's a great recording!) Meanwhile... * * * A SNEAK PEEK AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT SEA * * * MSC Cruises just opened bookings for the second of it's next- generation Meraviglia-Class cruise ships - the MSC Bellissima - due to be delivered in 2019. Why should fans of Cirque du Soleil care about an announcement such as this? Back in November 2015, Cirque and MSC announced a partnership to create on-board entertainment for MSC's new class of next-gen smart ships and the first vessel - the MSC Meraviglia - is due to set sail on its first cruise June 3, 2017. And that means in just a few short weeks we'll see what CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT SEA has been cooking up behind closed doors these past few months. Gianni Onorato, Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises, said: “When it comes to the Meraviglia generation of ships, we are particularly proud of our unique partnership with Cirque du Soleil who is creating a total of eight original shows for all four ships." Wait... EIGHT SHOWS? That's right Cirque fans, two brand-new shows per ship! Branded as CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT SEA, details about these new offerings are just now beginning to trickle out... As we've discussed before here (http://www.cirquefascination.com/? p=6801) and here (http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=6805), the MSC Meraviglia will feature the ultimate in entertainment, alongside a broad range of dining options and luxurious wellness choices. The highlight of on-board entertainment will be represented by the world leader in artistic performance, Cirque du Soleil, thanks to the exclusive Cirque du Soleil at Sea partnership with MSC Cruises. Two unique Cirque du Soleil shows will be performed on-board in the evenings, twice every night, 6 nights per week, at the purpose-built Carousel Lounge. MSC Cruises designed a custom-made entertainment venue, the Carousel Lounge, for MSC Meraviglia and its three sister smart cruise ships. Featuring the latest technology, this ground- breaking venue, which has been designed to meet the needs of Cirque du Soleil and its performers, will be a stunning circular performance space with a 180-degree circular glass wall. This custom-built lounge covers 1,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 450 guests, including 120 enjoying the full show-and-dining experience. A piece of fabric can become part of a dream. Cirque du Soleil at Sea is getting prepared to give you an unforgettable experience, exclusively on MSC Meraviglia. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Cirque du Soleil at Sea costumes here: (https://goo.gl/IM7FI2). * * * A NEW TV SHOW ON THE WAY? * * * Just as we were wrapping up this issue, Cirque du Soleil Casting shocked us with a new post about a new television series they're working on: "Montreal-based Elite Casting and the Cirque du Soleil Casting team are looking for adult performers for a TV show, 'Circus Kids' (working title), produced by Apartment 11 Productions in association with Cirque du Soleil. "Production: Set at an elite boarding school for circus performers, 'Circus Kids' is a half hour telenovela. Fast-paced and high-energy, the series tells the story of an extraordinary group of young artists and athletes. Together, they must strive for personal excellence while learning to work as a team, finding fun, true friends, and a passion for circus along the way. But the obstacles these kids face are formidable, the risks are real, the rivalries intense and the stakes are high. And sometimes, it’s easier to fly on a trapeze or clown around than navigate the trials and tribulations of growing up." According to the casting list (https://goo.gl/znjPxk), some of the characters for this new series are... o) Fred - Male (looks over 25) - A professional clown, now the Headmaster, Fred has a hard time being an authority figure. He’s just too nice a guy. o) Sir Rayne - Male (looks over 35) - A perfectionist, a disciplinarian, a force of nature, a rock star in the gymnastic world, Sir Rayne puts competition over collaboration. o) Nadia - Female (looks over 35) - A circus coach, Nadia under- stands the rewards of taking risks. But after a near fatal fall, she knows the consequences only too well. o) Ginger - Female (looks over 25) - Her emotions are a wild as her look. The artistic coach, she engages the students’ creative side – enriching their souls as she teaches movement, music and dance. Huh. Cirque du Soleil's track record on television variety shows is mixed at best, in my opinion. The company received numerous accolades for its reality series FIRE WITHIN, detailing the trials and tribulations of creating VAREKAI in 2002. But it received an equal amount of animosity for its follow-up series SOLSTROM for being too childish and not up to the level of quality not only seen in Fire Within, but from other Cirque projects. Other television announcements have so far been left in limbo as well. There's PARADISO, a drama with 20th Century FOX Television, which stemmed from the first-look deal for scripted series CDS Media inked with 20th TV in January 2015. PARADISO was said to be in the vein of Moulin Rouge: about a girl pursuing her dream of performing at the Paradiso, the most glamorous nightclub in San Lorenzo (a fictional but contemporary city based on 1950’s Havana). Alas, we've heard nothing about it since. There's also ALCHEMY, a Marblemedia / Cirque du Soleil Media co-production announced back in July 2015, which had even less details than PARADISO. And, of course, there's LUNA PETUNIA, the animated children's show which aired its first (and so far only) season on NETFLIX beginning in December 2016. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see if "Circus Kids" becomes anything at all. * * * GOODBYE PARAMOUR * * * You know what they say... only the good die young. And while many a fan can be argue that Paramour was a mixed-blessing at best, it's with a saddened heart that we bid the show adieu. As such here are the last four weeks of grosses for the show... Week This Week Potential Difference Seats % Cap Ending Gross Grosses in Dollars Sold ------------------------------------------------------------------ 26-Mar $921,604.25 $1,748,376.00 $12,802.70 12,086 79.68% 02-Apr $837,809.54 $1,748,376.00 -$83,794.71 11,057 72.90% 09-Apr $883,287.70 $1,748,376.00 $155,478.16 12,005 79.15% 16-Apr $1,285,595.51 $1,748,376.00 $292,307.81 13,812 91.06% Paramour had 397 performances (366 regular / 31 previews) over 53 weeks beginning the week of April 17, 2016 and ending the week of April 16, 2017. In that time, the show grossed $50,071.359.67 (on a potential $87,970.399.00), or 56.92% of what it could have earned. Capacity was at 76.96%, which isn't bad; Paramour sold 579,261 of 752,712 available seats across its run. * * * WHAT YOU'LL FIND WITHIN * * * To make an artist for one of Cirque’s productions, it takes a talented individual who is open to new experiences – and veterans who can guide the way through those new experiences. Cirque du Soleil has assembled some of the most well-known and respected collaborators in their fields – coaches, choreographers, creators, composers and others – to help our artists achieve their goals. And through a series of interviews on their casting website, we meet some of them. We’ve collected all 11 mentor interviews for you to peruse in this three- part series. In Part One, we met: André Simard (Acrobatic Research and Development), Bernard Petiot (Vice President, Casting and Performance), and Boris Verkhovsky (Director of Acrobatics and Coaching). In Part Two, we continued with: Claude Chaput (Conductor, Composer, and Arranger), David Shiner (Director and Clown), Dominic Champagne (Director), and Francois Girard (Director). And now we conclude by hearing from Laur Fugere (Singer & Stage Coach), Luc Tremblay (Choreographer and Educator), Mia Michaels (Choreographer), and Robert Lepage (Director). Last month we kicked-off our newest feature series - "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques" - that takes a dive into the archives to examine the first reviews, peeks, and evaluations of Cirque du Soleil's "classic" touring shows as they took their first steps across North America. The impetus: How did the press see Le Cirque du Soleil in 2002, 1998, 1994, 1990, 1987? What I found extraordinary, and more than I expected. Beginning this month we're sharing these discoveries here in Fascination through a series of collections, beginning with the 1987 tournée of Le Cirque du Soleil (better known today as Le Cirque Réinventé), and continuing on from there! Let's go! /----------------------------------------------------\ | | | 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 * Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds o) Fascination! Features * "VOLTA: FREEDOM AS A MOVEMENT" Texts from the Programme Book Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) * "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques" Part 1 of 16: Le Cirque Réinventé, Part 1 (1987) By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) * "Casting Q&A's - Meet a Mentor, Part 3 of 3" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= *************************************************************** LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights *************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------- VOLTA: Dreamy, Poetic, and Modern {Apr.17.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- {Translated via Google Translate from the original French} When they thought of the music of Volta, the designers of the Cirque du Soleil wanted it dreamlike, poetic and modern. They immediately thought of Anthony Gonzalez, leader of M83, an electronics group of international renown. The French composer, recognized for his epic and grandiloquent pieces, agreed to embark in his very first collaboration with the Cirque. The Montreal Journal Journal met him. EPIC AND GRANDILOQUENT For the past 15 years, Anthony Gonzalez has had a prolific career. With his band M83, the French first lived a critical success, being named to the Grammy for the album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Then, recently, his song Midnight City earned him a worldwide success, having recorded more than 240 million listening on Spotify. When Cirque du Soleil contacted him, about a year ago, the musician was slightly drawn. “Basically, I’m not a circus at all,” he admits. It is a universe that is completely foreign to me. I had seen a few shows in the Circus, like Kurios and O, and it did not speak to me so much.” But the director of creation of Volta, Jean Guibert, found the right words to convince Gonzalez to embark on the adventure. “He wanted something dreamlike, poetic and also something modern,” said the musician. He wanted to try to revolutionize the circus world a little, that Volta is talking to a new generation of people.” For the creation, Anthony Gonzalez worked with Jean Guibert and the director of Volta, Bastien Alexandre. “We did an artistic exchange,” says the composer. This “work of command”, Anthony Gonzalez sees it a bit like the creation of a film music. “It’s a team effort,” he said. When I work on an album, I am the master of the game. But here I make proposals that pass and others do not.” Lovers of M83 should greatly appreciate the music of Volta, according to Anthony Gonzalez. “There’s the M83 sound that’s very close to the albums before Junk, my last record. It is something quite epic and grandiloquent, but quite cool too. There are also very pop songs. This really is a combination of full of styles to me. I’m pretty excited about that. I hope that fans of M83, who are not necessarily fans of Cirque du Soleil, will go to the show and discover a new experience.” At the time of our meeting, two weeks before Volta’s first performance, Anthony Gonzalez said he still had a lot of work to do. “I am very perfectionist on the sound of the marquee,” he said. I think we can do much better. I know it is a structure that is not obvious to music. This is the first time I work on a marquee. I realize this is more difficult than expected! Basically, it is a structure that is not made for sound. I think that having a full room will really help to make the sound better.” Once the show is well launched in Montreal, Anthony Gonzalez will work to release an album of M83 with the compositions of Volta. “At first, there will be a live album that will be offered in the marquee to the public,” he said. And in a few months, I will make an M83 version of the disc in my own way. There may also be tracks that have not been taken for the show , maybe new releases and vocal guests.” MICHAEL JACKSON’S COLLABORATOR ON VOLTA Zaldy Goco, the costume designer for Volta, is on his third show at Cirque du Soleil, after working on Michael Jackson – IMMORTAL and Michael Jackson – ONE. “The challenge is important here, because I had to design the costumes with a tighter budget,” he said. As it is a smaller show (than the other two of the Cirque), I had to see how I could maximize what I wanted to do with the money I had.” In Las Vegas, with ONE, the designer had almost an unlimited budget for his creations. “I was telling people to cover the crystal costumes! He said, laughing. Each small square inch on a suit had a crystal. For Volta, I did not put a single crystal, because it’s too expensive!” After his collaboration on Volta, Zaldy will continue his work on the annual Met gala in New York. The designer, who in 2009 designed Michael Jackson’s costumes for the This Is It tour (which never took place) will also return to work on RuPaul’s Drag Race. “I have been doing it for nine years,” he said. All this keeps me very busy. But that’s what I love!” VOLTA IN FIGURES o) The show is the 41st original production of Cirque du Soleil since 1984 and the 18 th presented under the big top o) The bridge that moves up and down on stage weighs 2268 kg o) BMX performers drive at a speed of 30 km/h on stage. When they land on the ramp, they generate a force of 12 g, equivalent to 12 times their weight. o) Approximately 1200 costume items were produced for Volta o) The audience has a view of the stage at 240 degrees o) The electrical components of the Cube are operated with a 200 amp electrical circuit – the equivalent of an average dwelling o) The jacket with the laser beams that carries the character Waz when animating his televised game is equipped with 168 lasers. It contains 90 meters of electrical wires and can emit laser beams in 115 different configurations o) Waz’s distinctive headdress contains about 1500 blue feathers. { SOURCE: Montreal Journal | https://goo.gl/Hw0lqe } ------------------------------------------------------- The New Cirque Cycles across the Generation Gap {Apr.19.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- Volta may not be a complete reinvention of the Cirque du Soleil, but it’s definitely not the same old Cirque. Jean-François Bouchard, head of the creative department at the phenomenally popular Montreal-based circus arts company, hand-picked two Cirque staffers who were a bit younger than the usual creative directors and asked them to spice up the troupe’s approach. “Our creative guide Jean-François Bouchard asked us to take him somewhere else in terms of esthetics and storytelling,” said Bastien Alexandre, 40, the writer and director of Volta. “He gave us wide freedom to explore what might be meaningful to us or what might be meaningful today. We just dove inside our experiences as human beings and came up with the theme of finding your own genius, and being able to discover that and exploit that and not be afraid of who you are.” Part of what’s meaningful to Alexandre and Jean Guibert, the director of creation for Volta, is BMX or bicycle motocross — racing on BMX bikes. So that’s in the new Cirque show, which opens Thursday under the Big Top at the Old Port. They’ve also included flatland, which is freestyle BMX action akin to the performer breakdancing on the bike. The show also features parkour, which is basically running in urban environments, often on the top of buildings. Alexandre and Guibert also throw in some trial bike routines, built around mountain bikes going over difficult terrain, and rollerskating. “BMX or flatland or parkour, that’s probably the last performances you would think of when doing a theatrical story,” said Guibert, 36. “You’d go naturally to dance or ballet. “The challenge of exploring radically unexplored disciplines in the world of show business is something we’re really excited about. We see beauty in everything, and we see great theatrical beauty in these sports.” But it’s still the Cirque. “We want to integrate these performances in our story arc, and so they all mean something in terms of a storytelling vibration,” said Alexandre. “The flip side of that coin is that we’re still under the banner of the Cirque du Soleil. We’re still under the Big Top. It’s the same number of seats. It’s a similar configuration to the stage, though we made it deeper because of these sports. We still have to honour our heritage. So for us, the challenge was to bring things that felt new without breaking the spirit of what’s made the Cirque du Soleil great.” This is the 41st Cirque show, and the brain trust that runs this gigantic entertainment enterprise is always trying to spice up the formula. But as Alexandre underlines, it’s a balancing act (play on words intended). Fans want freshness, but they also want big acrobatic acts, contortionists, avant-garde clowns and jaw-dropping high-wire acts. In short, they want the Cirque magic. “You want to challenge people because they’re intelligent,” said Alexandre. “They see all kinds of entertainment these days, and the fact that we’re pretty young (compared to other Cirque creative directors), we bring our generational baggage along with us and there are things that inspire us, like choosing (Anthony Gonzalez from the French electronic band M83 to write the musical score).” It seems pretty obvious that this is an attempt on the part of Bouchard and his colleagues to reach a younger generation, to renew the Cirque fan base. “Clearly there is a desire to be relevant to a new generation, and the new generation is our generation,” said Guibert. “We wanted to have a show that was compelling to us and the world we grew up with. But at the same time, we’re not doing a show that’s exclusive. We’re doing a Cirque du Soleil show, and it’s a show that’s going to talk to every generation.” “There’s a universal story in there for anyone who wants to partake in it,” said Alexandre. At a recent media event previewing Volta, Bouchard called Alexandre and Guibert “deux jeunes du Cirque,” but they’re hardly kids and both have been at the Cirque for a long time. Alexandre has been on staff for 16 years, and Guibert for 11. Alexandre started there as a concept artist, creating concepts for Cirque events, films, video games and multimedia projects. Guibert was involved in branding and advertising before making the move into creation. The way Guibert tells it, he kept popping into Bouchard’s office to offer unsolicited advice about the shows, and Bouchard finally said: Look, if you have so many ideas, why don’t you join the creative department? Guibert immediately accepted Bouchard’s offer. Alexandre and Guibert first worked together directing the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games in Toronto in July 2015. Soon after, they began work on Volta. While Alexandre and Guibert have different credits on the show, they say the collaboration was very organic. Both are thrilled by this story about a game-show host having an identity crisis. “His story is a universal story,” said Alexandre. “He was born with blue feathers for hair, and that’s a placeholder for anything that makes you unique or different. Anything that might have you judged within a group. He was judged as a kid. That’s the backstory we told ourselves, and you see it a little bit in the show. And ever since, he chose to hide his difference. “That led him on the wrong path for his existence, denying who he was, until he meets the free spirit Ela, who triggers in him the will to go back to who he could have been and gets him on that journey to change the outlook of his existence.” { SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | https://goo.gl/Nz57cA } ------------------------------------------------------- No Fines Issued After OSHA Investigation {Apr.19.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found no major safety violations after an investigation into a Cirque du Soleil performer’s fall last year. Karina Silva Poirier, an aerial silk performer with Cirque at Disney Springs, was seriously injured after falling about 45 feet during a practice session Oct. 20. “Based on interviews and the evidence collected during the course of the investigation, there were no violations identified” related to the accident itself, OSHA spokesman Michael D’Aquino said in an email. OSHA issued an “other-than-serious” citation last week, with no proposed penalties, noting that employees cleaning up after the accident did not wear protective clothing to prevent exposure to blood. “We have only just received the report from the authorities,” Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman Marie-Helene Lagace said in an email. “We will take the time to thoroughly review it before we make any observations. Of course, nothing is more important than the safety of our employees. Our priority now is to understand how this terrible accident could happen and do everything we can to prevent anything like it from happening again. Though we have the highest safety standards in the industry, we are always looking for ways to further improve them.” According to social media posts from her husband David, Poirier has been improving. She was initially in a coma, but pictures show her sitting up and smiling. David Poirier said in a social media post that after three surgeries, his wife is “recovering fast.” The Cirque show “La Nouba” will end Dec. 31. Cirque du Soleil has not announced a replacement. { SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel | https://goo.gl/TspLZB } ------------------------------------------------------- Paramour Still Up for a Tony {Apr.26.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- Nobody does musicals like Broadway. Every Broadway season feels chock full of big-hearted, big-singing shows that all compete for that final trophy on Tony Awards night: the one engraved with perhaps the two most important words in showbiz: Best. Musical. But have you noticed the 2016-2017 season has more musicals than almost ever before hoping to grab that spinning mantel must-have? Since Hamilton monopolized the 2016 Tonys, Broadway brought us 13 new musicals, the final one opening tonight, just under the wire of the April 27 cut-off for Tony Award eligibility: the 1940s-set Bandstand, a completely original American musical set in the years following World War II. In terms of numbers, this makes the 2016-2017 season the richest for new musicals in 36 years, since the robust 1980-1981 season, which brought hits like 42nd Street, Woman of the Year and Sophisticated Ladies as well as many quick closers that have long been forgotten like Fearless Frank, It’s So Nice to Be Civilized and The Moony Shapiro Songbook. In that busy season, 42nd Street won Best Musical, kicking off an eight-and-a-half year run on Broadway, making it one of the biggest hits of the ‘80s. In the 1990s, musical theater fans didn’t have so many shows to cheer on—the number of new musicals never hit double digits and in 1995, Sunset Boulevard only had to beat out one other show for the trophy—the sexy and shimmying revue Smokey Joe’s Cafe. This season, there’s not even a revue—at one time the safest of Broadway ventures—in the batch of eligible shows. In fact, there’s plenty of risk and originality. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 turned Tolstoy’s War and Peace into a high-brow spectacle, Cirque du Soleil’s closed Paramour introduced a hybrid entertainment that combined balancing acts with belters… And even if its plot didn’t feel daring, the dearly departed a capella musical In Transit had its talented stars make all the music with their mouths! Although no Broadway season lately is without popular movie titles making the leap to musical form—Amelie, Anastasia, A Bronx Tale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Groundhog Day and Holiday Inn all fit the bill this year—there are just as many untested titles in the mix, most notably the first smash of the season, Dear Evan Hansen, and the 9/11-themed Come From Away. Of course, more musicals mean more snubs, so producers all over town are anxiously awaiting the 2017 Tony nomination announcement on May 2. Thirteen shows fighting for four slots make the chances of a nomination slimmer than ever. (Tony nominators can—and did in 2016—add a fifth nominee if voting is close.) Well-loved by critics and audiences, the emotional Dear Evan Hansen is a virtual lock for one of the slots. The Great Comet has been a box office favorite since opening late last year and is the kind of big, dazzlingly designed entertainment that tends to do well during awards season. Another big contender is Groundhog Day, which earlier this month won the Olivier award for Best Musical and is gaining steam as a late-season favorite. But there plenty more shows to consider, many of which would be locks in a less-competitive year. The big-hearted Come From Away built great word-of-mouth during its journey to Broadway, which took the show to the West Coast, Washington, D.C., Canada and even Gander, Newfoundland before getting positive reviews in New York. A Bronx Tale has been a crowd-pleaser since opening at the Longacre Theatre in the fall and hits all the classic musical buttons. War Paint is wildly creative—an engaging musical about make-up?!—and features top-tier creative team talent crafting an original musical featuring two adored stars, Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone. With its emotional story and beloved songs, Anastasia has all the makings of an audience favorite, and will seemingly have a healthy run whether nominators deem it worthy or not. Years from now, the industry will look back and everything will seem incredibly obvious. Of course, those musicals got nominated. Of course, that musical won the trophy on Tony night. But from where we’re standing today, 13 shows are up for a hell of a fight. { SOURCE: Broadway.com } ------------------------------------------------------- Club Med to re-open revamped Opio en Provence property {Apr.27.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- Club Med is to re-open its revamped 120-acre resort in the south of France on June 22. The resort is the venue for the 2017 Advantage conference which takes place on May 12-15. All 437 rooms at the Opio en Provence site have been refurbished as Provencal-style bungalows grouped together in ten separate areas. Four suites have been built, with panoramic views of the French countryside. The all-inclusive operator is introducing the first CREACTIVE playground in Europe following its debut in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Dedicated to the arts of circus, the facility is designed to offer a Cirque du Soleil experience, offering adults and children the chance to learn new skills. Seven-night stays start at £739 per adult and £441 for children, with no charge for those aged under six years old. { SOURCE: Travel Weekly UK | https://goo.gl/7Q8tIV } ------------------------------------------------------- VOLTA Speeds Past Simplicity, Running on Adrenaline {Apr.28.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- The word Volta, the title of Cirque du Soleil’s latest show, can refer both to a sudden about-turn and a return to the past. Co-directors Jean Guibert and Bastien Alexandre draw on both these meanings to tell the story of a game-show host who turns his back on gold-plated super celebrity to search for inner meaning and authenticity. It could almost be a dream-yearning of Cirque du Soleil itself, which in its ever-evolving enlargement into a world-conquering behemoth has had to contend with sniffy remarks that its shows have tended toward the bloated, the overproduced, the soullessly corporate. But you would hardly expect this gigantic revenue-generating machine to go back to its 1980s roots, which would mean Guy Laliberté and his fellow founder, Gilles Ste-Croix, passing around the hat to fickle street crowds. And so Volta achieves the nifty juggling act – maybe a contortionist’s feat would better describe it – of throwing out red- meat spectacle (towering hydraulic ramps, blazing LED light shows, giant videos, laser-emitting costumes), backed by a synthed-up stadium-rock soundtrack from French electronic outfit M83, all in the service of a narrative about shedding the outer trappings to find the simplicity within. Despite the company’s valiant attempts to marry jaw-dropping skills to a meaningful narrative, the latter is definitely not Volta’s strongest suit. It concerns WAZ (Joey Arrigo), a blue-haired game-show host who, like the title character of the old Joseph Losey film, The Boy With Green Hair, grew up enduring ridicule from his peers (conjured up in an aural flashback of jeering kids). Childhood trauma notwithstanding, WAZ wallows in nostalgia for those simpler times, depicted on giant video screens, when he would cycle across sun-dappled fields in the company of his loving mother. As WAZ mopes over his hard luck at finding himself with both fame and fortune – a bit like the self-pitying rock god in the recent Another Brick in the Wall opera – the stage is suddenly flooded with brightly coloured characters called Free Spirits. In contrast to the superficial, dead-eyed Greys (at least they’re not called squares), they know how to live life to the full. It’s sheer hokum and is likely to secure rather than shed Cirque’s reputation for kitschy New Age storytelling. What it does quite successfully, though, is provide lots of pretexts for the customarily incredible displays of superhuman skills. The game show, which seems to be some kind of a cross between Canada’s Got Circus Skills and The Hunger Games, kicks off with some ultra-fast double dutch rope- skipping, the winner getting to graduate from dullard Grey to gilded Elite status. Providing some much-needed comic relief from the ambient earnestness, WAZ is given a clownish co-host, played by Wayne Wilson, who gets to perform two skits. The first, involving some errant washing machines, strains for laughs, but the second, in which the munching of a hallucinatory flower transforms Wilson into a love god, is a more successful bout of absurdity. It also leads to a magical moment in which a meditating female sitting cross-legged suddenly levitates, suspended by her hair, and rises all the way up to perform a beautifully fluid aerial dance. The Free Spirits express their spirit of freedom through an enthusiasm for extreme sports. And so we get some fantastically energetic parkour, some hoop-diving mixed with hip-hop moves and some heart- stopping, plummeting bungee rope tricks. These last are delivered during a pull-out-all-stops pre-intermission sequence as singers Camilla Bäckman and Darius Harper belt out an anthemic M83 number atop a moving bridge. Other highlights include a unicyclist balancing his partner in impossible positions and a woman hurling and twirling a luminous baton 50 feet into the air with all the ease of a diner casually twiddling a toothpick. WAZ’s Citizen Kane-like nostalgia for his childhood bike leads to a mesmerizing pas de deux involving a ballet dancer and a BMX rider who echoes her pirouettes. As astonishing as this scene is, it’s merely a taster for the climactic scene which sees the stage transformed into a BMX park in which four riders soar, somersault and spin their way, surely, into the ledger of Cirque du Soleil highlights from its 33- year history. It’s an exhilarating, adrenaline-flooding way to end the show – and whatever the show’s message about the importance of going back to basics, the gob-smacked audience rose to its feet, clearly happy to see it delivered with such big, brash, intoxicating panache. { SOURCE: Jim Burke, Montreal Gazette | https://goo.gl/ja5eYj } ------------------------------------------------------- Le Journal de Montreal Reviews VOLTA {Apr.29.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- {The following text was translated from its original French using Google Translate, then cleaned up for republication} Current, modern, futuristic, daring. There are no shortage of words to describe VOLTA, the newest creation by Cirque du Soleil. Bathed in the world of action sports, in addition to being propelled by the music of Anthony Gonzalez (M83), VOLTA shows us a younger and more dashing Cirque than ever. A breath of freshness that should join a new generation. YOUNG AND FUTURIST The inspirations in Volta are numerous. From the game show opening one finds similarities to Hunger Games. Later, characters addicted to technology make us think of the series Black Mirror. And the show has some futurist elements that are reminiscent of Blade Runner. A very lively universe! FEATURED SPORTS OF ACTION The sports action segments steal the show. The bicycle is used in three numbers: a poetic duo of BMX “flatland” and ballet, an impressive number of climbing with a “trial” bike and, most importantly, the final number where BMX “Velocross” rotates in a stunning roulodrome. Stunning! THE MUSIC OF M83 If there is one aspect about VOLTA that will be remembered for a long time is to what extent the music of Anthony Gonzalez meshes with the acrobatic numbers. The French artist, who has enjoyed a global success with M83 for a few years, has composed pieces that are sometimes catchy, sometimes enthralling, which make the show even more captivating. It’s been a long time since we’ve enjoyed the music of a Cirque du Soleil show. Volta’s music can be listened to independently of the show. WEEK MOMENTS ARE RARE The weak moments in the show are very rare. Even the clown numbers turn out to be hilarious. What can be criticized is a lack of diversity in two of its numbers, presenting almost the same type of segments with parkour and hoops. The effect of surprise the second time is not very great after seeing the prowess of parkour artists earlier. THE VERDICT Cirque du Soleil has often been criticized for staying true to its formula. This is far from being the case with VOLTA. The company takes several risks with this electrifying show that could shake a more conservative audience. M83 enthusiasts are strongly advised that if they’ve never seen Cirque du Soleil – get tickets! The composer’s music is worth a visit. # # # And check out some pictures of VOLTA here: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=10075 > { SOURCE: Le Journal de Montreal | https://goo.gl/U74oQB } ------------------------------------------------------- Tony Nominations – Paramour Snubbed... {May.02.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- The Tony nominators spread the joy to 25 of 37 eligible shows this morning, giving multiple nods to box office smashes that included the shoo-ins – Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly!, check. Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen, check. Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole in War Paint, check. – while still managing to cause some pain in several quarters, including those occupied by a few of the season’s biggest audience pleasers. (And don’t forget that three of the most acclaimed performances of the season weren’t even in the running: Glenn Close, reprising as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, already won for her original Norma Desmond; Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford, the stars of Sunday In The Park With George, were out of the running because the producers pulled the revival from awards’ consideration.) It was no surprise that the nominators ignored the mostly reviled Paramour, which marked Cirque du Soleil’s first made-for-Broadway venture. Also shut out among the new musicals: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Amélie (along with its star, Phillipa Soo, who left Hamilton for the adaptation of the hit indie film) and A Bronx Tale, which has been a high-grossing musical despite critics’ indifference. In the musical revival category, both of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s entries – Cats and Sunset Boulevard – went away empty-handed. { SOURCE: Deadline | https://goo.gl/lmKw9W } *************************************************************** Q&A –- Quick Chats & Press Interviews *************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------- Meet Seth Stachowski, Paramour’s Musical Director {Apr.22.2017} ------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stachowski hunches to duck a low rafter, turn a sharp corner and settle into a gray swivel chair. “It’s a tight squeeze in here,” he said, slipping a set of fat black headphones over his nearly bald head. There’s not a trace of apology in his voice; he’s proud of this closet-sized pocket beneath the stage at Broadway’s Lyric Theatre. Stachowski is walled in: To his left is a pair of computers loaded with musical cues. To his right are a banjo, electric guitar and the professional grade German-made saxophone he bought during his senior year at Clarence High School. In front of him sit a set of keyboards and stands stacked with penciled and highlighted sheet music. Wires twisted like Twizzlers snake along the floor. Behind him is a black curtain; Stachowski is wearing a shirt to match. He needs to look as nondescript as possible for the overhead camera that will catch his every beat and sway as he conducts the eight- player band for Cirque du Soleil’s Broadway musical “Paramour.” To most, this place would be cramped and claustrophobic. For Stachowski, who has a constant churn of melodies and arrangements flying through his brain, this place is his creative cockpit. For now. Stachowski, 39, is an 11-year veteran of Cirque du Soleil. He’s toured North America with the Canadian-based entertainment company, which is known for its acrobatic circus shows, working as a player, director and composer. Stachowski ascended to the rank of musical director for “Paramour,” which opened one year ago in New York. The musical, which is Cirque’s first, tells the love-triangle story of woman longing for fame as an entertainer, a has-been director vying to once again reach the top of Hollywood, and a young man looking to establish himself as a songwriter. Reviews for “Paramour” were mixed at best, but business was steady. Stachowski, who works on a show-to-show contract with Cirque, was hoping to settle in New York. He’s lived long-term with Cirque in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and had lengthy tour stops in cities around the continent. But ever since leaving Buffalo in 2006 to “join the circus,” as Stachowski puts it, he’s never been anchored. That is a musician’s life; till now, he’s been OK with it. But Stachowski and wife Katrina have a 7-year-old son, Henry, who was born on a Cirque tour in San Diego, and was only two weeks old when the Stachowskis drove up the coast to Portland for Cirque’s next stop. “He’s an adventurer from the very beginning,” Stachowski said. But now Henry is in first grade. He’s settled into a school, making friends, and feels at home amongst the parks, museums and subways of the city. Henry’s grandparents are just a quick flight away, too; he spends many of his school breaks in Buffalo. On one trip, Seth had to get back to New York quickly for a show, so he flew with Henry to Buffalo, met his parents outside the gate, simultaneously said hello and goodbye, then headed back through security. He grabbed a quick beer at the airport Anchor Bar, took the next JetBlue flight back to New York, and soon enough was in the Lyric Theatre pit. It’s still a whirlwind existence, but one that gives Henry a sense of home. That nearness to normalcy, combined with the obvious professional benefits of being a Broadway music director, are two of the reasons why Stachowski planned to stay with “Paramour” for as long as possible. “It’s an open run, as far as I know,” Stachowski said in September, chatting in the pit during the intermission of a Sunday matinee. “As long as they’ll allow me to keep performing here, I’m going to stay.” Then Harry Potter flew on in. * * * Broadway was not part of the plan. “Did I ever envision this? Not really,” Stachowski said on a recent afternoon inside his two-room brick-walled apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Henry was playing a xylophone and zooming a toy subway train around the kitchen and living room, which are separated by a small table where Seth composes music. “I never set out to be a Broadway music director,” said Stachowski, whose parents were teachers. “I remember thinking when I was younger it would be really interesting and cool to do that job, but it was never a goal.” “I kind of did, in a certain way,” said Katrina, with a soft laugh. She was sitting across from her husband as they snacked on cheese and crackers. “I saw his talent and his capacity for music. I’d never seen anyone like Seth before.” In May 2001, when they were dating, Seth and Katrina took a trip to New York City. They bought tickets to the musical “Rent,” where the primary musician is positioned onstage. Katrina remembers saying to Seth, “See that guy up there playing the piano? I can see you doing this.” As his wife reminds him of the story 16 years later, Stachowski says drily, “Oh, so this has been your plan all along? Now I know!” He cracked a smile. “She’s got a very long-term view that I’m not aware of.” “I just had this vision of him being able to do anything he wanted to do,” Katrina said. Back then, Katrina and Seth came from starkly different places in life. He was a young, single guy who left SUNY Fredonia College when he realized he wanted to play music rather than teach it. Katrina, who is now 46, was then the young mother of two daughters: Sara, who today is 26, and Marley, who turns 22 this month. Katrina had a teaching degree and a passion for fitness. She met her future husband in 2000 when they were both working at the former Buffalo Athletic Club. They married in 2002, and Katrina got a full-time teaching job in the West Seneca schools. Seth, meanwhile, kept playing and writing. As a kid playing music in the Clarence schools, he developed a knack for quickly learning different instruments. As a young man, he put that talent to good use. He found work directing and performing for local theater, DJ’ing electronic music at downtown clubs, and playing weddings, dances, jazz gigs and for a salsa-merengue band. He did some freelance film work, and also finished his degree at the University at Buffalo. But he wanted something bigger. In 2006, with the help of friends at the Buffalo production company Full Circle Studios, Stachowski shot a video that showcased his playing and writing ability. He sent it off to Cirque, and after an audition in New York City, was offered a job on a then-new show called “Kooza.” The gig would require Seth to move to Montreal in November 2006. Katrina, who in the middle of a school year, would need to stay behind. Katrina told her husband to go. “It was a no-brainer,” she said. This, Katrina knew, is what it would take for Seth to realize those dreams he held, and make real the visions she had for him. “He goes off to Cirque,” she said. Seth added: “I ran away to the circus.” * * * Seth and Katrina lived apart for more than two years as he toured North America. In early 2009, she moved from Buffalo to Atlanta, where Seth was on a lengthy tour stop, and they’ve lived together since. Katrina describes it as “an unconventional life,” moving from city to city, and jetting back to Buffalo for her daughters’ high school musicals, proms and graduations. That life became more conventional one year ago. The Stachowskis moved to New York, found Henry a good school, and what they hoped might be a long-term job for Seth. Katrina, meanwhile, started working on Broadway too: She’s a part-time costume assistant for “Aladdin.” As musical director of “Paramour,” Stachowski became the boss of a group of veteran Broadway musicians. He earned their respect quickly. Violinist Paul Woodiel, a 25-year-veteran of Broadway, calls his boss “an ironman,” “a workaholic” (which, in show biz, is a term of endearment), and “a really modest guy who is only interested in the music.” “There isn’t another Seth in all of New York City,” Woodiel said on a recent afternoon in the Lyric Theatre pit. He was sitting in the string section, adjacent to a human-size tube – called “the toaster” – that catapults actors to the stage above. “If Seth needs to be out, we absolutely have to have at least two guys to come in and replace him,” Woodiel said, nodding to Stachowski’s section of the musicians’ quarters, where his keyboards, sax, guitar and banjo were at the ready. “He’s a real original.” Now, Stachowski is marketing that originality unexpectedly soon. In late fall, the “Paramour” cast and crew learned the show would be closing early. The Ambassador Theater Group, which owns the Lyric Theatre, were hungry to convince the producers of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” to stage the surefire-smash show there. The Lyric, which the New York Times described as “cavernous,” is a natural for Potter — it’s one of the few Broadway venues roomy enough to allow for the broomstick-flying wizardly theatrics. Though Cirque spent $25 million to launch “Paramour,” AGT gave the company good reason to move the show out and take it elsewhere (which likely won’t be Broadway). “They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Cirque executive Scott Zeiger told the Times. “They have some plans for the venue, and they incentivized us to go.” “Paramour” closed on Easter, which meant as of April 17, Stachowski is out of a job. He’s been here before. In 2011, Stachowski began work in Los Angeles on a Cirque show called “Iris” that was expected to run for a decade. Instead, it lasted 16 months, and closed with only a few weeks of notice. That, Stachowski said, “was shocking and very difficult to process. Since then we have learned a lot, and we have adapted to the ebb and flow of life in the entertainment business… It’s not the end of the world like some might think!” Among performers in New York, Stachowski said, he’s found “a real sense of fellowship, and they support one another in a different way than we experienced in Los Angeles. It’s been very reassuring.” To that point, people like the violinist Woodiel have been actively introducing Stachowski to other New York musicians. “We’re happy to have him in town,” Woodiel said. “I think he’s going to do well.” In the meantime, Stachowski is planning to focus on Reality Tune LLC, a publishing company he started in 2013 to provide custom music for television. He’s also planning to volunteer at Henry’s school and chaperone some field trips — something his former six-day Broadway workweek didn’t allow. He’s also writing some music with Henry. In the apartment, Stachowski opens his laptop and hits play on a buoyant tune with Henry’s reverbing “do-do-dooos” bouncing off the circus-like tune. Henry, who is rolling his subway around the floor and playing a harmonica, stops to listen. He’s smiling. “That’s our little creative collaboration,” said his dad. Stachowski was proud of that prime pit space in the shadows of Broadway. But he’s even prouder of this music. And not even Harry Potter can get in the way. * * * Why you know him: If you’ve seen a Cirque du Soleil production in the last decade, there’s a good chance you’ve listened to Stachowski’s work. Since 2006, he’s been a musical director, composer and player for the Canadian-based circus-entertainment company. Career: Stachowski is the music director for Cirque du Soleil’s Broadway show “Paramour,” which closes this weekend after a yearlong run. He joined Cirque in 2006 and has worked on shows including “Kooza” (music director, player, writer of additional music), “Zarkana” (player), “Iris” (music director, player) and “One Night for One Drop” (composer). He has also written music for individual performers, circus acts, film and television. His company Reality Tune LLC provides custom music to television companies that produce shows including “Pawn Stars” and “Counting Cars.” Age: 39 Residence: New York City Family: Married to Katrina Stachowski. Together they have a 7-year-old son, Henry. Stachowski is stepfather to Katrina’s daughters Sara, 26, who is graduating from SUNY Brockport with her master’s degree, and Marley, 22, who is finishing her undergraduate work at SUNY Buffalo State. WNY Roots: Stachowski is a 1995 graduate of Clarence High School. He attended SUNY Fredonia and later finished his degree in 2006 at the University at Buffalo. He grew up in Clarence and was raised by his father, Paul Stachowski, who taught math and English in Pembroke, and his stepmother Claudia Stachowski, who was a speech therapist in the Clarence schools and now has a private practice. Paul recently published a science fiction novel, Not Even Light. Stachowski on his musical mind: “I can sit and do the same thing, play an instrument for hours – the repetitiveness – and I’m completely fine with that. I think I definitely have a non-traditional wiring. It’s made me a musician.” Broadway violinist Paul Woodiel on Stachowski: “I imagine him growing up in Buffalo with all that lake effect snow or whatever and just holing himself up in his room and practicing. He’s clearly, I would say, an autodidact. He learns from everything he sees and hears and he’s constantly listening to music, but nobody can teach you to do all the things he does.” Brenda Vongova, president of the United Nations Chamber Music Society, which performed Stachowski’s Cirque arrangements for a 9/11 concert last fall: “He’s not Russian style, where you do it by scaring people. (Note: Vongova is a Russian-trained pianist.) His style is very nurturing. He’s very supportive and nurturing and also at the same time, directive … I love Seth. I want to work with him forever!” { SOURCE: The Buffalo News | https://goo.gl/1wDgxv } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Amaluna, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia, Totem & Volta} 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} 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: Rome, IT -- Apr 30, 2017 to May 28, 2017 Asuncion, PY -- Jul 26, 2017 to Aug 6, 2017 Montevido, UY -- Aug 30, 2017 to Sep 10, 2017 Sao Paulo, BR -- Early Oct to End Dec, 2017 Rio de Janeiro, BR -- Early 2018 Koozå: Perth, AU -- Apr 13, 2017 to Jun 11, 2017 Singapore, SG -- Jul 12, 2017 to Aug 13, 2017 Shanghai, CN -- Oct 1, 2017 to TBA China City #2 -- TBA China City #3 -- TBA China City #4 -- TBA China City #5 -- TBA Kurios: Houston, TX -- Apr 6, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Winnipeg, MB — Jun 2, 2017 to Jul 9, 2017 Edmonton, AB -- Jul 20, 2017 to Aug 13, 2017 Portland, OR — Aug 24, 2017 to Oct 8, 2017 Vancouver, BC — Oct 19, 2017 to Dec 31, 2017 Luzia: 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 Atlanta, GA -- Sep 14, 2017 to Oct 15, 2017 Totem: Sendai, JP -– Apr 6, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Sochi, RU -- Jul 1, 2017 to Jul 30, 2017 Brussels, BE -- Aug 31, 2017 to Oct 29, 2017 Madrid, ES -- Nov 10, 2017 to Jan 14, 2018 Seville, ES -- Jan 25, 2018 to Mar 11, 2018 Barcelona, ES -- Mar 23, 2018 to Apr 15, 2018 Munich, DE -- TBA 2018 Port Aventura, ES -- TBA 2018 VOLTA: Montreal, QC -- Apr 20, 2017 to Jul 23, 2017 Gatineau, QC (Ottawa, ON) -- Aug 3, 2017 to Aug 27, 2017 Toronto, ON -- Sep 7, 2017 to Nov 26, 2017 Miami, FL -- Dec 15, 2017 to Feb 4, 2018 Tampa, FL -- Feb 15, 2018 to Mar 25, 2018 ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ Varekai: Bucharest, RO -- May 3, 2017 to May 7, 2017 Budapest, HU -- May 12, 2017 to May 14, 2017 Prague, CZ -- May 19, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Sofia, BG -- May 26, 2017 to May 28, 2017 Ljubljana, SL -- Jun 2, 2017 to Jun 4, 2017 Vilnius, LT -- Jun 8, 2017 to Jun 10, 2017 Oslo, NO -- Sep 1, 2017 to Sep 3, 2017 Malmo, SE -- Sep 6, 2017 to Sep 10, 2017 Tallin, EE -- Sep 14, 2017 to Sep 17, 2017 Riga, LV -- Sep 20, 2017 to Sep 24, 2017 Minsk, BY -- Sep 28, 2017 to Oct 1, 2017 Helsinki, FI -- Oct 5, 2017 to Oct 8, 2017 Stockholm, SE -- Oct 11, 2017 to Oct 15, 2017 TORUK - The First Flight: Manila, PH -- Jun 23, 2017 to Jul 2, 2017 Taiwan -- Jul 6, 2017 to Jul 18, 2017 Bangkok, TH -- TBA 2017 Japan -- TBA 2017 Australia -- TBA 2017 New Zealand -- TBA 2017 China -- TBA 2018 OVO: Cincinnati, OH -- May 11, 2017 to May 14, 2017 Columbus, OH -- May 17, 2017 to May 21, 2017 Pittsburgh, PA -- May 24, 2017 to May 28, 2017 Toledo, OH -- May 31, 2017 to Jun 4, 2017 Hamilton, ON -- Jun 7, 2017 to Jun 11, 2017 London, ON -- Jun 14, 2017 to Jun 18, 2017 Brooklyn, NY -- Jul 5, 2017 to Jul 9, 2017 Sunrise, FL -- Jul 13, 2017 to Jul 23, 2017 Miami, FL -- Jul 28, 2017 to Jul 30, 2017 Jacksonville, FL -- Aug 2, 2017 to Aug 6, 2017 North Charleston, NC -- Aug 9, 2017 to Aug 6, 2017 Fairfax, VA -- Aug 16, 2017 to Aug 20, 2017 Baltimore, MD -- Aug 23, 2017 to Aug 27, 2017 Uniondale, NY -- Aug 30, 2017 to Sep 3, 2017 Boston, MA -- Sep 6, 2017 to Sep 10, 2017 Zurich, CH -- Oct 5, 2017 to Oct 8, 2017 Geneva, CH -- Oct 11, 2017 to Oct 15, 2017 Salzburg, AU -- Oct 18, 2017 to Oct 22, 2017 Leipzig, DE -- Oct 25, 2017 to Oct 29, 2017 Hamburg, DE -- Nov 1, 2017 to Nov 5, 2017 Berlin, DE -- Nov 8, 2017 to Nov 12, 2017 Mannheim, DE -- Nov 15, 2017 to Nov 19, 2017 Cologne, DE -- Nov 22, 2017 to Nov 26, 2017 Stuttgart, DE -- Nov 29, 2017 to Dec 3, 2017 Nuremberg, DE -- Dec 6, 2017 to Dec 10, 2017 Munich, DE -- Dec 13, 2017 to Dec 17, 2017 London, UK -- Jan 7, 2018 to Feb 11, 2018 Hanover, DE -- Mar 14, 2018 to Mar 18, 2018 Oberhausen, DE -- Apr 5, 2018 to Apr 8, 2018 SÉPTIMO DÍA – NO DESCANSARÉ: Buenos Aires, AR -- Mar 9, 2017 to May 14, 2017 Cordoba, AR -- May 25, 2017 to Jun 3, 2017 Lima, PE -- Jun 17, 2017 to Jun 25, 2017 Santiago, CL -- Jul 19, 2017 to Aug 6, 2017 Bogota, CO -- Sep 3, 2017 to Sep 23, 2017 Monterrey, MX -- Oct 19, 2017 to Oct 29, 2017 Guadalajara, MX -- Nov 8, 2017 to Nov 18, 2017 Mexico City, MX -- Nov 28, 2017 to Dec 22, 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 2017 Dark Dates: o May 6 - 10 o July 12 o September 9 - 13 o November 8 Special Performance Dates: o Thu, Aug 17, 2017 o Fri, Nov 24, 2017 o Fri, Dec 29, 2017 o Sun, Dec 31, 2017 | 4:30pm & 7:00pm 2017 Single Performance Dates: o Sat, Jun 17 | 7:00 pm o Sun, Aug 13 | 7:00 pm o Sun, Oct 01 | 7:00 pm o Fri, Oct 20 | 7:00 pm o Sun, Oct 22 | 7:00 pm o Fri, Dec 08 | 7:00 pm "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) 2017 Dark Dates: o April 5 - 9 o June 11 o August 2 - 6 o October 8 o November 29 - December 12 La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm *** CLOSING DECEMBER 31, 2017 *** Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 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) ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= o) WEBSERIES -- Official Online Featurettes o) VIDEOS -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds --------------------------------------------------- WEBSERIES: Official Online Featurettes --------------------------------------------------- *) VOLTA - "FREEDOM MOMENTS" "Freedom Moments" is a new series about how the artists from Cirque du Soleil's NEW 2017 Big Top show, VOLTA, found their free. VOLTA is a story about the FREEDOM to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail. Get up close and personal with VOLTA's artists, discover their "Freedom Moments” and share yours with #FindYourFree! o) EPISODE 6 - PAOLA – FIGURE SKATER New week, new "moment of freedom" with Paola, our figure skater on wheels! Discover her way of expressing herself in skating! LINK /// < https://goo.gl/EbM1WK > o) EPISODE 7 - JOEY – MAIN CHARACTER WAZ And if freedom was passing by the acceptance of itself? This is in any case the definition of freedom of Joey who plays the main character of VOLTA LINK /// < https://goo.gl/UaQLNA > o) EPISODE 8 - Nikita - Parkour Nikita is one of the Parkour artist of VOLTA He expresses his freedom by exploring the world! LINK /// < https://goo.gl/2twWPO > *) LUZIASELF - THE WEBSERIES LUZIAself is a collection of portraits highlighting the unique stories, passion and dedication of some LUZIA artists. o) EPISODE 8: AERIAL STRAPS April 12, 2017 In episode 8, fly away with Benjamin, the Aerial Straps artist of LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil! Learn all about his passion and the fun of working with water. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/LhmrMZC56T4 > o) EPISODE 9: RUSSIAN SWINGS April 26, 2017 In episode 9, LUZIAself with our artist Oksana! Find out how she got into swinging her world around with the Russian swing! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/xnocH8LNhng > --------------------------------------------------- VIDEOS: Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds --------------------------------------------------- *) CIRQUECAST CirqueCast is a Vodcast (that’s video podcast) for Cirque fans by Cirque fans – featuring artist interviews, Cirque headlines, and the inside scoop to your favorite Cirque du Soleil shows! Join your hosts José Pérez (TheChapiteau), Richard “Richasi” Russo (Fascination!), Ian Rents (Hardcore Cirque Fans), and Dario Shame (a big 'ol fan), as we bring you a behind-the-scenes look into Cirque du Soleil, complete with discussions and the latest Cirque news. o) EPISODE 16 - Behind the scenes at OVO April 5, 2017 On this episode of CirqueCast, we bring you a behind-the-scenes look at OVO! Dario visited the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, CO for a backstage tour, and Jose met up with Russian Cradle artists Camille Santerre and Nansy Damianova at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX for an exclusive interview! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/gs98ZcJp1kU > o) EPISODE 17 – CirqueCast Visits Kurios April 21, 2017 On this episode of CirqueCast, we visit KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities! We attended the premiere of Kurios in Dallas, TX, where he had the opportunity to interview Karl L’Ecuyer, who plays Microcosmos, and Kit Chatham, the drummer in the show! Watch now to learn more about Karl and Kit, and to find out what Dario and Jose rate the show! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/ToU649D-g-Q > *) OTHERS... o) TOTEM Artist Makeup Application April 3, 2017 In this step-by-step makeup application video, watch Cirque du Soleil artist Nicolas Pires from the show TOTEM get transformed into character. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/16a0KvQA5ng > o) SQUATS - Cirque Workouts April 6, 2017 Eric Saintonge gives us training tips to improve our workout sessions. This video focuses on different types of squats. Be careful, before starting an exercise program that includes any of these exercises. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/X5Cq-NivMMs > o) The Story Behind VOLTA April 7, 2017 Take a first look at VOLTA, Cirque du Soleil’s new big top show! We’ve got exclusive interviews with the cast and creators about what you can expect. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/IiQaBoe32pA > o) Makeup Showdown #1: Black and White vs. Color April 14, 2017 In this NEW series, Cirque du Soleil's Makeup artists' skills are being tested in a face-off challenge. Who will have what it takes to defy imagination and create the most innovative designs in make-up artistry? VOTE for your favorite look by commenting below and find out who the winner is in the next episode of Cirque du Soleil Makeup Showdown! LINK /// < https://youtu.be/RhdrwC-LdO8 > o) A-Z of Cirque du Soleil April 17, 2017 Aerial, Banquine, Contortion…that’s how we say our ABCs the #CirqueWay. This World Circus Day discover the many sides of Cirque du Soleil from A – Z. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/0IUvIb6SlXE > o) Electric Bike on a Russian Bar?! April 19, 2017 In this episode, an electric bike rides a Russian bar - a first at Cirque du Soleil. Watch how Cirque's 45 DEGREES' team tests variations for the upcoming show REFLEKT at Expo Astana 2017 in Kazakhstan from June 16th to September 10th. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/5oSDrbHTEGc > o) HOW VOLTA'S ARTISTS GO HOME April 21, 2017 TGIF! It’s been a beautiful week for VOLTA and this is how our artists are getting back home the #CirqueWay! o) VOLTA in 360 Degrees! April 22, 2017 Practice makes perfect! Last weekend before VOLTA World Premiere in Montreal! VOLTA's artists have been training hard in our studios at our International Headquarters to be ready! Watch their training in this 360-degree video. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/rNJZBCrVmr0 > o) Exclusive Workshop: Christopher Scott April 22, 2017 In honor of the 10th Anniversary of 'A Choreographer's Showcase', we're kicking it off with insider access to a workshop hosted by renowned choreographer and dancer Christopher Scott. A collaboration between Cirque du Soleil & Nevada Ballet Theater, A Choreographers' Showcase's focus is in the artistic growth of both companies. With a unique diversity of choreographers, it promises to be an incredible year. Come and support our 10th year - October 8 ,14, 15! PART 1 /// < https://youtu.be/YgvZpaEKAow > PART 2 /// < https://youtu.be/8WpGgjzrX0Q > o) OVO Artist Makeup Application April 24, 2017 In this step-by-step makeup application video, watch Cirque du Soleil artist Gerald Regitschnig from the show OVO get transformed into the Flippo character. LINK /// < https://youtu.be/YIG6UrKabrA > ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "VOLTA: FREEDOM AS A MOVEMENT" Texts from the Programme Book Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques" Part 1 of 16: Le Cirque Réinventé, Part 1 (1987) By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) "Casting Q&A's - Meet a Mentor, Part 3 of 3" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ "VOLTA: FREEDOM AS A MOVEMENT" Texts from the Programme Book Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ On April 28, 2017, Cirque du Soleil presented in Montreal the world premiere of its latest production, VOLTA. Normally I'd be walking down the cobblestone-lined pathways of the Jacques Cartier Pier in the Vieux Port of Montreal with a couple-thousand Québécois in celebration of this feat. But not this year. It's just not in the cards (or the budget). Although I was unable to attend the premiere of VOLTA with fellow fans and friends of Cirque du Soleil as I normally do, thanks to one of them - Doug Metzger - I was able to get a little more insight into the show through the texts printed in the show's programme book, which Doug was so gracious enough to get for me while there. Here's what we know so far... In poetry, the volta, or turn, is a rhetorical shift or dramatic change in thought and/or emotion. Here VOLTA refers to that sudden about-face, but it also speaks to the jolt of energy delivered through the show. With this new creation, Cirque du Soleil is once again pushing the boundaries of circus arts by integrating several action sports disciplines that are presented for the first time on a Cirque stage, including BMX acts, Parkour and BMX Flatland. VOLTA tells a spellbinding story about the freedom to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail. Inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of action sports, the show weaves acrobatics into a visually striking world driven by a stirring melodic score. VOLTA is a story of transformation. It is about being true to oneself, fulfilling one’s true potential, and the power of the group to make that possible. It celebrates freedom as a movement. There to celebrate the premiere with the entire VOLTA team, Jean- François Bouchard, Creative Guide and Chief Creative Officer of Cirque du Soleil, said: “We are pleased to pursue our tradition to present our most recent creation to the Montreal public first. With VOLTA, we wanted to continue to reinvent ourselves and surprise our audience and our fans. The marriage of disciplines in the purest Cirque du Soleil tradition with contemporary dance and action sports makes this show really fresh and current. We hope that the public will have as much fun discovering VOLTA as we had creating it.” Now is when it gets interesting... * * * * * FINDING YOURSELF IS THE ULTIMATE RUSH I am Waz and this is my story. It is a story about the courage to blaze your own trail. It tells of a lost soul who has veered off course and has fallen completely out of sync with his inner self. It is a journey about facing your fears - the fear of rejection, the fear of failing. It's a journey about laying bare your soul, achieving your potential, and daring to spread your wings for the good of the many. It's a story about breaking free. The Trap: Fame is My Armor -------------------------- People are drawn to me like moths to a flame, but I am impenetrable - flamboyantly hidden, conspicuously invisible. I am the King of the QUID PRO QUO TV Show, and this is my kingdom: QUID PRO QUO is the hottest show on TV. Every week, the whole city tunes in to gawk at lost souls scrambling for a chance to become part of the ELITES, to be a star! But QUID PRO QUO is a trap more than a game show. It's a masquerade, a trickery, a ploy I invented to not bear my burden alone. Tonight, I am celebrating QUID PRO QUO's 1,000th episode with my faithful sidekick, SHOOD KOOD WOOD. But something's been eating away at me lately, and I have a strange feeling that things are about to change. My blinding ego conceals my flaws, or so I like to believe. To the faceless hordes - my admirers - I have no history, no past: I am an unfathomable mystery. But in truth, I am but a fraud, a false idol, a black hole. For there's a secret I keep buried deep inside, like an old wound... The Unspooling -------------- When you wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it. But my tightly wound world is fast unspooling. I've grown weary, and my head is filled with static, like a radio in between channels. When you've come this far out on the edge of yourself, there's no place left to go but inside. When I retreat to the Cube - my dressing room, my fortress, my refuge - I am lulled by memories of my youth, like a soothing balm in a jaded world. The Awakening ------------- My childhood memories always evoke another version of myself, that of an innocent boy, radiant and pure, full of hopes and dreams - my own guardian angel. Doubts creep into my dark, sheltered world, like glimmers of light shining through the tattered shutters of my soul. I was one Waz, and now I am the King of QUID PRO QUO, two personalities that are poles apart. The little red bicycle from my childhood days is like a ship with all my hopes and dreams on board: it's a launching pad. I began to feel brave and guided, clairvoyant and strong. My facade flakes away. I can show my face. I can shed my cloak. Behold, the real Waz is back! Catharsis: The Breakthrough --------------------------- To rise from its ashes, the phoenix must first burn its wings. To find yourself, you must first lose yourself. It is not enough to merely survive; you must realize your potential and follow your dreams at all costs. It's never too late. Your heart is a muscle as big as your fist. It's a wondrous, powerful thing, if you listen to it. Let it throb, let it burst out. Time to get real! * * * * * THE WORLDS OF VOLTA The Elites ---------- The Elites are bloated, self-important royalty wannabes. Fitting in is all they aspire to. Instant stardom is the name of the game! Self- knowledge, awareness of others, open mindedness, and curiosity are the least of their concerns. They are conformists who look down on the GREYS - even though they were once GREYS themselves - and they utterly despise and fear the FREESPIRITS, because they find their freedom deeply unsettling. They are slaves to judgment. They are power hungry and ruled by fear. Another thing ELITES have in common: they idolize me, for I am their king and savior, which makes them nothing more than brave little soldiers. The Memories ------------ MEMORIES are the embodiment of my childhood dreams, at a time when everything was still possible, when I still held my destiny in my own hands. A time when fear and not yet taken root in my gut. MEMORIES are the rays of light in my dark world, lifelines to my true self. They reveal the blue feathers under my armor in all their cerulean splendor. The Greys --------- The GREYS are the everyman, city dwellers who have accumulated the dust of inertia over time. Like the ELITES they aspire to become, the GREYS are out of sync with their true selves. Lost in the fog of misguided hopes, they have a tendency to look for happiness in the wrong places. They live their lives permanently glued to their cell phones and screens. Mostly cut off from one another, they settle for their everyday routine, the tedium of repetition. GREYS come to the QUID PRO QUO TV show for a chance to bathe in instant celebrity. If they win, they are transformed into ELITES. But what they don't realize is that they're merely switching from one false promise to another. Like me, the Greys have faded over time, letting fear get the best of them. The Freespirits --------------- The FREESPIRITS personify the glorious rejection of "good enough." They are not bound by rules or expectations - not because they are lawless, but because they are free. They are driven by impulses and dreams: freedom is a movement. For them, there are no walls or barriers. They are benevolent, life-loving individuals who see beyond their own nose and care deeply about others. They travel the world, collecting and sharing experiences. They are real and genuine, always seeking to fulfill their potential and that of others. The FREESPIRITS and the ELITES are polar opposites. To a FREESPIRIT, originality is strength. My encounter with the FREESPIRITS led to my redemption. They inspired me - particularly ELA - to embrace my true self and find my free. * * * * * BEHIND THE SCENES Set Design ---------- VOLTA's stage has a pulse and a life of its own. In a heartbeat, it can turn from a dark, stone-dead quarry into a cathedral of light. Stone, light, mechanics, and the human element are the bedrock of the story of VOLTA. The landscape - a granite quarry - looks like it was mined out of a gigantic rock. It is a geometrically variable environment, constantly changing and adapting to the storyline. The outer ring of the circular stage is a revolving plate with footlights that illuminate the performances. It is used to generate kinetic energy on stage as well as move props and artists. Three articulated hydraulic lifts emerge from the stage floor to populate the space above the stage. Higher up, a bridge that spans two of the Big Top's four masts can move up and down to modulate the audience's focus and serve as a second stage. The Cube, Waz's refuge where he keeps treasured childhood mementos, represents the duality of the main character. It is a 13,000-pound, highly versatile mechanical device - one of the iconic symbols in the world of VOLTA. The Cube can pivot and move upstage and downstage. Two of its movable panels are used for delivering video content. Acrobatic Equipment ------------------- From the dynamic acrobatic Parkour act to the high energy BMX, Trial and Flatland numbers to the Highline and Wingsuit evocations, the performances in VOLTA require a complex array of state-of-the-art, meticulously designed acrobatic equipment and rigging. For the breathtaking BMX act, a full-fledged roulodrome (skate park) is mounted on stage in front of the audience's very eyes. Because of space constraints under the Big Top - the VOLTA stage is exceptionally deep - the six massive ramps are of increasing size and slip one inside another, like Russian dolls, when stowed away. The ramps are made of thick, heavy-duty polycarbonate - a material used to make bulletproof glass - and are fully transparent so as not to block the view of spectators sitting in the front rows, who will see riders through the ramp coming at them full out at more than 30 km/h. And the material must be strong and resistant, because a rider landing on a ramp generates a force of 12 Gs: twelve times its weight! In the Parkour act, artists execute a cavalcade of moves and jumps in a fluid and poetic choreography, leaping from freestanding structures spread out on the stage onto three hydraulic lifts, and then onto the bridge and back. The route the acrobats take is meticulously mapped out, taking into account a series of biomechanical parameters. Video Content ------------- VOLTA is a luminous world chock-full of LED-clad objects. Waz's Cube is equipped with two panels made of 4-mm LED tiles that deliver film- quality video content. The stage is ringed with LED lights and lined with a forest of movable lampposts that focus the audience's attention on the performance. The production's video control system is 100% interactive and can be triggered by the simple kick of a drum or the sound of a voice. Five cameras capture the action on stage as well as audience reactions, and the images are played back on the screens in real time. There is even a camera mounted on Waz's microphone. Costumes -------- The stunning costumes of VOLTA echo the themes of alienation and self- realization, and embody the fatuity and overindulgence of self- realization that have gone awry. They also reflect the DIY mentality of those who seek and find their free. In the world of VOLTA, the GREYS represent the Everyman. They are apathetic city dwellers. In multiple shades of grey, the prints and patchwork-type patterns and textures of their outfits mimic the bleakness of the landscape and blend with the stage. Clad in gold metallic and black, the ELITES are wannabe royals, "blinged" up beyond ridicule. Metallic glitter gives their flamboyant neo-Baroque costumes a hard shine that underscores their self importance. FREESPIRITS are open-minded, life-loving travelers who won't hesitate for a moment to veer off course for the sheer sake of adventure. On their travels, they collect meaningful objects and trinkets, which they attach to their costumes. Their complex, richly colored outfits evoke handmade techniques such as macramé and crochet. The MEMORIES emerge during the dreamlike, cinematic sequences that portray Waz as happy child full of promise. Printed with delicate forest and tree motifs, the MEMORIES' costumes have a mystical, ethereal feel and convey transparency, sheerness and flow. Creative Team ------------- VOLTA’s creative team comprises 15 creators under the artistic guidance of Jean-François Bouchard: Bastien Alexandre Writer and Director Jean Guibert Creation Director Anthony Gonzalez Composer and Musical Director Bruce Rodgers Set Designer Zaldy Costume Designer Julie Perron Choreographer Martin Labrecque Lighting Designer Thibaut Duverneix Video Content and Interactive Designer Jean-Michel Caron Sound Designer Anne-Séguin Poirier Props Designer Rob Bollinger Acrobatic Performance Designer Philippe Aubertin Acrobatic Performance Designer Jaque Paquin Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer Eleni Uranis Make up Designer Manon Beaudoin Character guide * * * "VOLTA is a show about the thirst for freedom and the path to self- realization for the good of the many, in a world where the cult of celebrity sometimes consorts with technology to isolate us from one another. It is also a dazzling ode to the courage it takes to blaze one's own path. "VOLTA was born out of a desire to create an utterly modern and contemporary show. We wanted to take our devoted fans into new, uncharted territories and touch the hearts of new followers without ever losing track of the Cirque du Soleil DNA. Up-and-coming creators from Quebec combined their talents with those of other renowned creators from around the world to explore new vocabularies - particularly that of action sports - to pay tribute to 'free spirits' who live their wildest dreams to the fullest in a spirit of brotherhood." - Jean-Francois Bouchard Bon spectacle! ------------------------------------------------------------ "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques" Part 1 of 16: Le Cirque Réinventé, Part 1 (1987) By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ A few weeks ago, as I was flipping through a few classic Cirque du Soleil programme books (as is my wont), I was happily caught off-guard by a brief history of the company that it had written about itself in Saltimbanco’s original European Tour programme, published sometime in 1996. Not because the historia was in English, French, and Spanish, but rather I found the wording a bit more colorful… haughty… than what you’d find from the company today. Something about its whimsical and heady nature spoke to the way Cirque du Soleil saw itself then (think: the voice-over narration in “Alegría: The Truth of Illusion” documentary video: “When the time has come and when the time is right, somehow you know. Time after time and time again, you've seen the signs and wondered what it was out there, deep in the river. Was it hell on earth and fading into the sky? Was it the garden of delights? In the heart of the night, you've seen the moon and the shadow of light, the spirit of creation, the spirit of dream... you’ve seen the truth of illusion…”), containing a youthful verve and arrogance that is simply no longer present. When did Cirque lose this dynamic sense of self, this liveliness, and vivacity about its past, present, and future? Unfortunately, not long after. Thereafter the speak becomes less joie de vivre and more lié aux affaires, and Cirque du Soleil turns from a rag-tag band of street performers into a bona fide corporate entity right before our very eyes. This is not a new revelation – far from it in fact – but this re-discovery struck a chord of curiosity within… How did others see Cirque du Soleil during this period? Think about it: as Cirque’s multitude of shows travel around the globe in either arenas or under the big top, at each stop, in each city, there is a write-up in the local press. Sometimes the coverage is just a brief blurb about the show and its theme, occasionally there’s a short interview with a performer, a stage hand, or creation director, and other times it’s an assessment of the show itself, evaluating its technical and acrobatic merits with what had come through before. But the reviews we see today are too current, discussing these shows through a contemporary lens; shows that have/had 15 to 20 years touring the globe, shows we would refer to as “classic” or “signature”. What I’d become interested in knowing was what some of the first reviews, peeks, and evaluations of these shows were as they took their first steps across North America. How did the press see Le Cirque du Soleil in 1998, 1994, 1990, 1987? It was time to peck through the archives. What I found was extraordinary, and more than I expected. Beginning this month we're sharing these discoveries here in Fascination through a series of collections, beginning with the 1987 tournée of Le Cirque du Soleil (better known today as Le Cirque Réinventé), and continuing on from there! # # # TWO BRITS TRADE IN DESKS FOR TRAPEZE by Michelle Sheaff | Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph July 22, 1987 In March 1984, they walked out of their office jobs and walked into the circus school in London. Now the British duo the Andrews fly 40 feet above the ring in the Cirque du Soleil in a breath-taking aerial acrobatics routine. What moved them to do it? "Boredom," says Andrew Watson, 27, a former import byer. "Snap! adds Jacqueline Williams, 23, who worked in income tax. "It was a boring and petty job. The system seems to encourage them" After three years, both say they have no regrets even though circus life has both good and bad sides. "It's really a free life," Watson says. "You make your shows, which you have to do. But they're pretty fun to make anyway." They both love to travel, and they have performed in Moscow, West Germany, Paris, and soon in California. But they say being on the road has a lot of drawbacks. "I like to have a base camp to keep all my things in," says Williams. "Now I’m scattered all over the place and I don't feel good about that." Watson says he's tired of having only new friends. "Just when you get to know somebody you have to move on again," he says. Although making rapid foot and hand changes on the stationary trapeze and swinging from stunt ropes is dangerous, the Andrews say they are never afraid when they are performing. "When you haven't worked for a while, it starts creeping into your mind that it's dangerous," Watson says. "I start wondering what it would feel like to fall. But when you're doing it, you don't think about it." The Andrews work without a net or safety lines because they say it affects their performance. "You start thinking you can rely on your safeties instead of yourself," Watson explains. Although they have experienced minor problems like ropes slipping before their time, they have never had any accidents. The best moment of their career was at the Festival mondial du cirque de demain (World Circus of Tomorrow Festival) in Paris. Having just started, they went on to win the bronze medal in the aerial acrobats contest. "We expected to make the first round and get knocked out, and then watch the rest of the festival," Watson says. He took the trapeze down five times because he didn't expect to win the round. It was in Paris that the Andrews met Guy Caron, the artistic director of the Cirque du Soleil, the Zhaos, and Swiss slack-wire artist Masha Dimitri. By coincidence, the artists all ended up becoming part of the Cirque du Soleil. "The circus festival was our lucky break," says Williams. Watson says another of their greatest moments was the first standing ovation they received at the premiere in LaSalle. Williams says they have been building gradually their routine. "When you try something new, you have to give it 100 percent, even if you do it wrong," Watson says. "If you try half-heartedly, you'll never succeed." An interesting part of the Andrews' routine is when Williams supports Andrew's weight. Williams says they do it because it's more unusual to have the woman holding up the man. "It's funny when there are a lot of feminists in the audience, you can really tell," she says, although she doesn't do it to mark a point for women's liberation. The switch permits Watson to be more creative. "In most acts, the man is just part of the trapeze," he says. * * * * * YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE TWILIGHT CIRCUS by: Michelle Sheaff | Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph July 22, 1987 No lions, tigers, or elephants roam the ring of the Cirque du Soleil. But the absence of animals is largely made up for in amazing acrobats, loveable clowns and magical special effects. As soon as the trapdoors open and mystical silhouettes climb out in clouds of colored mist, the spectators are carried away into an enchanted dreamland. The Cirque du Soleil is a sci-fi circus - a modern-day, uniquely Canadian re-invention of the original-style circus. Three hundred twenty tons of equipment is required to create this high-tech fantasyland. Baroque elves creep out of the floor, iridescent parasols float in the air, dumpy old maids transform into beautiful fairies. All that's missing is Rod Sterling's creepy voice: "You are now entering the Twilight Zone..." Artistic Director Guy Caron's and Producer Franco Dragone's ethereal creation is enhanced by a truly effective musical score by composer René Dupéré. The soundscapes he creates move the spectator and mark the tone of the acts: eerie, light, lilting, or laced with suspense. Acrobats from around the world join under the Big Top to perform breath-taking acts. Each number is as unbelievable as it is beautiful. Difficulty of execution is matched by aesthetic research. Whether on bikes, chairs, slack wire, teeter boards, or 30 feet up in the air, every hair-raising stunt becomes a human sculpture. Comedy relief is amply provided by Benny Le Grand, an adorable clown with many faces, and an absolutely hopeless magician. He merrily involves his audience and ruthlessly pokes fun at his victims. Benny is joined in his shenanigans by many other clowns who keep the action going between acts. The Cirque du Soleil began with a handful of street performers earnest to keep their art alive. They formed the Club des Talons Hauts (High Heels Club) in 1981 and organized fairs in Baie-St-Paul for three seasons. In 1984, in the cadre of the 450th anniversary celebration of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada, the club was given a mandate to form Canada's own traveling circus. The blue and yellow big top, 150 feet in diameter and six-stories high, went up for the first time at the Old Port. Since then, the circus has performed across Canada, in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver at Expo'86, and won the bronze medal at the World Circus of Tomorrow Festival in Paris. For the fourth consecutive year, the Cirque du Soleil returns to the Vieux Port de Quebec, with a new program. Afterwards, the circus is off the make its first appearance in the United States at the gala opening of the Los Angeles Festival. * * * * * BRIGHT LIGHTS: ALL FIRED UP by: Mark Abley | Toronto Saturday Night August 8, 1987 If you were president of an expanding firm with 85 full time employees, more than 300 part time workers, and a budget of 5.4 million, you might worry about the distance separating you from your company's daily production. Many executives accept such alienation as a natural consequence of success. But if you're a Montrealer by the name of Guy Laliberté, you take immediate corrective action. You leave your office (a stone Victorian firehall overlooking the St. Lawrence River) and head down to a section of the Old Port given over to entertainment. There you strip off your normal business attire - a green safari shirt, white slacks, and somewhat disreputable sneakers – and outfit yourself in baggy Oriental trousers, a sleeveless vest, and a white headband. Then you run barefoot, into a tented arena and, as the spotlight narrows on your blond head and chattering crowd falls silent, you breathe a column of flame twenty feet into the air. Guy Laliberté is the cofounder, chief executive officer, and occasional fire breather of Le Cirque du Soleil, a Montreal troupe that enriches the standard North American concept of a circus with European artistry, Chinese discipline, and Quebec verve. Laliberté is an example of Quebec's new generation of audacious businessmen; he's also an accordion player, a stilt walker, a magician, and a juggler. Like the jongleurs of medieval Europe, he can improvise a wealth of amusements. He tempers his smoldering romanticism with shrewdness: "Everything is possible - as long as you work for it. People are so much in need of happiness, and at Le Cirque, we define ourselves as the merchants of happiness." This year Le Cirque du Soleil expects to market happiness to about 280,000 customers. Yet its boss was never one of those kids who yearn to run away with the circus. "Basically," he claims, "I don't like circuses. What I like is the art of performance." Bon in 1959 in Quebec City, he grew up near Mont-St-Bruno, an extinct volcano east of Montreal. His father, a vice president of Alcan, provided Laliberté with pragmatism and entrepreneurial flair; his mother, a gifted pianist, instilled in him her perfectionist spirit and her love of the arts. "When I was a boy," he says, exhaling the spoke of a Gitane, "I used to climb up the mountain and watch the red sun setting behind Montreal. It was so beautiful! Then at night, I'd have this recurrent dream of the city disappearing under the St. Lawrence. Sometimes, and I can't explain it, I have that dream still." As a teenager, Laliberté expected to become a scientist. Buy the year he spent travelling around Europe, 1978-9, hooked him on street performing, and during a Hawaiian winter he mastered the art of fire- breathing. "For a lot of people," he observes, "fire is synonymous with death. But you can also use it as a friend. I was never a great performer, but I had the facility to learn things fast." Laliberté admits that after breathing fire, his mouth feels like an old motor. "Yet to do it well," he says," is a thrill - and also a meditation." To his father's dismay, he abandoned all thoughts of a university education or a conventional career. In 1981, he helped to found Le Club des Talons Hauts: the "High Heels Club," an itinerant troupe that toured Quebec in an old school bus and performed on stilts. A year later, in Baie-St-Paul, he and a former teacher named Robert Lagueux organized a festival of street entertainments and circus acts. A wild dream was growing in Laliberté's head: to create a new breed of circus, spectacular yet poetic, for adults and children alike. The dream took flesh in 1984, when Laliberté and Lageux won a contract from the Quebec government to organize the best street performers in the province. The High Heels CLub became the basis of a full-fledged circus. "I knew," Laliberté recalls, "that I had to choose a name that would last forever, a name that would suggest energy and youth and power. So I thought: why not the sun?" From the beginning, Le Cirque du Soleil made bold symbolic use of light and fire, shunned animal acts, and set out to redefine the circus as blood brother to theatre. Nurtured by Laliberté, the company toured Ontario for the first time in 1985, and last year was a smash hit at Expo 86 in Vancouver; in September it will open the Los Angeles Festival, which also features work by such celebrated artists as Peter Brook, Ingmar Bergman, and John Cage. "Everything is possible," Laliberté insists: "it's just a question of working for it." His only major setback was an attack of meningitis, which forced him to cut byack on his fire-breathing. While Laliberté continues to hire most of his performers from Quebec, Le Cirque now employees acrobats and jugglers from as far afield as Argentina, Poland, and China. It's rapid development in three years has amazed almost everybody except Laliberté. "Growth was one of my targets," he says calmly. "I didn't know exactly how he would do it, but I always knew it was possible. And who knows maybe Le Cirque du Soleil will only be the seed of something else?" For a moment, the expert fundraiser gives way to the boyish visionary: "I want to spend two years on a sailboat going around the world. Then I want to meet some extraterrestrials..." he stops and grins, his imagination kindled. "I'm still after the big dreams." * * * * * NOT YOUR GARDEN-VARIETY CIRCUS By: Janice Arkatov | LA Times September 02, 1987 The Los Angeles Festival officially opens Thursday with a very '80s update of an antique entertainment form--the Big Top. But not your average, everyday three-ring circus. Within the confines of its 1,550-seat tent on a downtown lot at 1st and Alameda streets, the 30-member French-Canadian circus troupe Cirque du Soleil hopes to reshape the roadshow-and-sawdust tradition of the circus with modern technology. It is circus as drama, with a story from beginning to end, original music and special effects along with the traditional clowns, bicycle acts and wire walkers. "It is a circus show in a theatrical dimension, played in the universal language of mime, movement and music," said comic "conductor" Denis Lacombe, 30, during a break last weekend from the troupe's preparations for Thursday's debut. Joining Lacombe were Masha Dimitri, 23 (who performs on the slack wire), Amelie Demay, 19 (who with partner Eric Varelas does a balancing act and a "very sexy" tango), Cirque general manager Normand Latourelle, 31, and publicist Jean Heon, 27. "In some ways, it's hard to explain who we are, because we are defining ourselves as we go," said Latourelle. "We formed around four years ago, when a group of street performers--jugglers, fire-eaters, rope-walkers--decided to put a show together. There was no tradition for the circus in Canada. "We became very popular, mostly because there was no precedent for it. The show is self-contained and very modern, but also close to the circus of the 1920s, because discovery is all. We want to spread colorful thought, young thought. We always say, 'We're a circus, but we're not a circus.' " In all, seven countries are represented in the group, an eclectic match that manifests itself in performance and decision-making. "Rehearsals take months and months," Latourelle said, "trying to create something new with 30 people. When you write a play, someone sits down, writes it and gives it to the actors. But for us, there is no scenario at the beginning of rehearsals. We have to work collectively; try to find our way with all the other artists. This is the hard part. So when we tell people that we reinvent the circus, I feel it's true." Is the circus dead? Demay shrugged. "Everyone says the circus is dead- -but here it's alive." Added Lacombe, "There are two ways to look at it: first that television killed the circus, because everyone stayed home to watch it on TV. And there's nothing worse than looking at circus on video. The other thing is that circus is a tradition: It's what your father did, so you don't change it--you put on the same costume, the same music, the same act; you don't change. Meanwhile, all around you TV and cinema are changing." And still, he claims, old ideas are hard to break. "People ask me what I do. I say 'I'm a clown.' They say, 'Clowns aren't funny. Everybody knows that.' " One evening in their big top, they claim, will reform even the worst circusphobe. "The most thrilling emotion you will have will be the poetical, the magic," said Lacombe. "You will be scared, you will laugh. You will pass through many emotions." Adults are definitely included. "It happens all the time," Heon said. "Parents come in with a kid on each side; they're doing their duty. The kids are sitting there with their eyes wide open. Suddenly the father and mother are as amazed as the kids. Sometimes more so." Said Latourelle, "Whenever the public comes, educated or not educated, 2 years old or 99, everyone has a smile on their face when they leave." And the troupe? Do the highs of circus life--the camaraderie, the thrill of performance, the roar of the crowd--outweigh the lows? "Some people miss having friends, because we are always one to two weeks in a city, then we leave and never see them again," said Dimitri. "And it is important once in a while to go away (from the company), have your own life." For Demay, the worst part is "when you want the show to be good, but your body can't--the muscles are still tight. You want it in your head, but . . . the good part is travel, friends, all the time being in a new town. A friend told me, 'Stay with the circus as long as you can.' " For Lacombe, it's more of a stop-off point. "I'd like to go on to the next sphere of the entertainment business," he said. "My next goal is cabaret--and then I would like to do cinema, of course." In the meantime, all have been kept very busy adjusting to the rigors of life in Los Angeles. "I can give you two impressions," said Latourelle. "We've been working harder here than in all the other cities put together. All the red tape, the bureaucracy. . . . Life-wise, I think there are too many cars." (His own rented Mustang convertible is very popular with the troupe.) "There are too many cars," said Heon, "And Los Angeles is not easy to get; it's not obvious. There's not a precise downtown, a place where things happen. It's all spread out. But I'm getting around, getting to know the places, having fun." The word beach pops up often. Demay, who'd just arrived the day before, has already seen the sand. Dimitri (who "almost got to the beach yesterday") marveled that "everything is so far away. Also, you think of downtown as businesses, people walking around. But this"--she said gesturing at the gray, empty vista around her--" this is downtown?" As for Lacombe, "I'm amazed by all the publicity," he said with a grin. "'Come to our restaurant and taste our scrumptious meals!' And Hollywood: I drive in wanting to see the stars, and all my California dreams are bursting-- pop pop pop. It's a town like any other one." * * * * * CANADA'S SUN TROUPE SHINES LIKE NOTHING ELSE YOU'VE SEEN By: Richard Stayton | Los Angeles Herald Examiner September 5, 1987 Once upon a time kids ran off to join the circus. But those were more innocent times. Nowadays kids run off to join rock bands. Or the Army. No trend-conscious kids with stars in their eyes would ever seriously dream about a circus today. Or would they? Beware: Le Cirque du Soleil has come to town - and no one's safe, including grownups. So consider this a consumer's warning. Bolt your doors. Set your alarms. Close the drapes. Plug in a video. Whatever. Just resist the temptation to go in the tent at the corner of Alameda and First in downtown Los Angeles. Ignore the fact that this is the opening production of the Festival. Trust me. Leave town. Now. You don't believe me? You say a circus is kids’ stuff? Granted, their tent isn't even a big top. It's a little top. But such simplicity just shows how devious these wily Canadians can be. For instance you take a seat in the bleachers surrounding their only ring. Everything looks puny by Broadway and Ringling Bros. standards. You note a couple of goofy clowns playing obnoxious, obvious tricks on unsuspecting patrons. One clown caries a bottle of "free Canadian Spring Water". Anyone int he audience who says he'd like a drink gets drenched. Crude stuff. Easy to see through. When the ringmaster finally appears in traditional circus garb to begin the show, it could be a pint-sized "Jumbo". So you yawn. Circus of the Sun? Ha. Circus of Mediocrity is more like it. But think again. These French Canadians are sly pied pipers. Such amateur routines are designed to make you drop your guard. Even the intimacy - the single ring, the average-sized tent, the unimaginative tricks - is part of their conspiracy. Soon a green mist drifts across the arena. Shy peasants in modified comedia-del-arte masks emerge from trapdoors and awkwardly examine the ring. Five musicians orchestrate their silhouettes with seductive, haunting synthesizer jazz. Colored lights probe and illuminate the billowing clouds of fog. And there we are, lost among the clouds. The traditional circus has vanished. Suddenly these baffled peasants are transformed into figures wearing surreal costumes. We recognize the bells of a medieval jester, the bright striped leggings of a Renaissance Harlequin, the plumage of a French Revolutionary. We think of Ariel in Shakespeare's "Tempest" and Pierrot in Marcel Carne's haunting film, "Children of Paradise". The visual tableaux recall Picasso's sad clowns and Hockney's glorious opera backgrounds. Too late, you understand: These aren't "entertainers" - these are extra-terrestrials. And you're a goner. You see, Le Cirque du Soleil is Close Encounters of the Circus Kind. Consider that blue-and-yellow tent to be a flying saucer capable of taking you on long-distance journeys to other galaxies where everyone lives happily ever after. You don't believe me? Explain how 12 human beings ride a single bicycle? What briefcase-carrying businessman would allow himself to be catapulted from a teeter-board? Why would four attractive young people choose to balance themselves on seven unbalanced chairs? How can a conductor merely wave batons at a tape-recorder playing the "1812 Overture" and make us laugh so hard? How can two acrobats named Amelie Demay and Eric Varelas do a tango that is simultaneously erotic, sensual, romantic, tender, heartbreaking - and breathtakingly acrobatic? These aliens from outside our borders have a hidden agenda. They want to enchant us. To make us forget ourselves, our troubles, the times we live in. They want us to be happy. Beware: They succeed beyond our wildest dreams. * * * * * LE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN By: Dan Sullivan | LA Times September 5, 1987 The advance word on Le Cirque du Soleil, the New-Wave French-Canadian troupe which opened the Los Angeles Festival in high style on Thursday night, was that they had "reinvented the circus." There was something a little worrying in the phrase. On the one hand, we've had it with tired elephants, unfunny clowns, sullen trapeze acts and morbid sideshows. On the other hand, a circus that isn't earthy, even a bit coarse, isn't a circus. You didn't want some high-minded group in mime makeup reinventing it out of existence. Not to worry. There's nothing precious about Le Cirque du Soleil. This is a lean, muscular, one-ring traveling circus playing "under canvas," as the old-timers did. (The company will be camped on the edge of Little Tokyo for the duration of the festival--big top, cook-tent and all.) The old-timers knew what they were doing. Something about being under a tent loosens audiences up. You saw, Thursday night, how much went out of the circus experience when the big shows switched to playing sports arenas back in the '50s. One thing was missing from the old days: smells. Le Cirque carries no livestock. But its acrobats drip real sweat, you can buy real popcorn in the outside tent, and those seated ringside may get squirted with real Canadian water by a clown named Benny LeGrand. (Some of the people at Thursday's invitational opening didn't find this too amusing.) So it's a little raucous, as a circus ought to be. And it obeys our prime command as a circus audience: Astonish me. It also obeys our hidden command: Scare me. There's a moment when a female high-wire artist seems to lose control, 60 feet up in the air, and, oh, God, you can't look. But you do. Le Cirque du Soleil speaks to the lower centers, the impulse to gasp, to gawk and to wonder how they do that. Rather than riding horses around the ring, the show has a bicycle act, with the performers leaping from bike to bike and doing incredible "wheelies." At one point, 13 people are rolling around the ring on one bike, suggesting some kind of living tree. How do they do that? How much practice did that take? They make it look easy. But they're smart enough not to make it look too easy. The chair-balancing number builds slowly, one chair at a time, like a house of cards going up--one breath could bring it all down, and with it the man on top. So you hold your breath. The focus is much more intense than it would be if this were a sidebar act in a Ringling Brothers extravaganza, with its blaring band and its welter of concurrent skills. Here Le Cirque returns to the European tradition of circus, where one thing happens at a time--and it had better be good. Nothing mentioned so far, however, gets to the company's central quality. One hesitates to call it "poetry," but that's what it is. Even as a child, I never saw a circus that showed you why Toby Tyler wanted to run off to the circus. This one has it. Not only do we see the traditional performing skills, executed in a particularly upfront way (as when Eric Varelas and Amelie Demay do their double handstands: pure muscle, pure concentration. We tighten our own neck muscles as they take each other's weight). We also see the wonder of possessing such skills. The show has a theatrical frame that's not just a gimmick. A bunch of ill-coordinated yokels like ourselves blunder into a circus ring and are transformed (smoke effects here) into circus performers--graceful, glamorous, above the laws of gravity. It's a whimsy that could be overplayed. It isn't. There's an undertone of eeriness here, as there is to many of the show's images. The chair- balancing number, for instance, features a chair so huge that anyone who clambers onto it shrinks to child size. Not necessarily a reassuring notion. Again, it's funny when Denis Lacombe steps up to conduct the "1812" Overture and discovers that his podium is a trampoline, but it's also the conductor's nightmare— including losing his pants. René Dupéré's synthesizer music also has a dark streak, not playing against the danger of some of the high-wire acts, as the cheerful blare of the traditional circus band does, but playing on our nerves. So do the lights. Circus lighting is traditionally rather plain. Le Cirque du Soleil molds its performers, throws rainbows on them, back- lights them. My loudest gasp in fact involved a light change. Not a light trick. Masha Dimitri lay back on the slackwire, the lights switched to a new position from high up and behind, and you suddenly were aware of her as floating in air--only one filament bearing her up. Interesting that Le Cirque's directors, Guy Caron and Guy Laliberté, think that their show has "demystified" circus. Actually they've remystified it, without taking out the fun. How did they do that? * * * * * LE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL By: Unknown | Daily Variety September 8, 1987 The Los Angeles Festival played one of its trump cards early in the game last Thursday, opening the fest with "Le Cirque du Soleil", a highly dramatic one-ring circus that deftly combined acrobatic skill with theatrical presentation. Artistic director Guy Laliberté offered an enthusiastic crowd an evening that not only showed a grounding in what may be thought of as traditional circus, but also took the concept much further with a flair for the theatrical and even mysterious. The Canadian import opened on a note of being both an evening of dreams and an evening of the bizarre as a small horde of grotesquely masked patrons entered the stage from behind a white fog. The show made good use of dry ice as much of its stage work was partially shrouded, which not only added to the mysterious appeal but also provided a good groundwork for some optical illusions. Acts varied from the clowns (Benny LeGrand, Catitan Cactus) to the aerial acrobatics of Andrew Watson and Jacqueline Williams. There was no descrimination between the sexes in this presentation, as women often took as physically demanding roles as men, especially in the tango sequence between Eric Varelas and Amerlie Demay. These two lithe performers alternatively picked each other up, proving feats of incredulous strength. Adding to the fun were the briefcase-toting acrobats along with some gravity-defying bicycle wizardry. Show also made good use of music in each presentation, setting the stage for both lighter moments along with the more mysterious interludes. The street performing roots of many of these performers were apparent as even the clowning was sophisticated. It nonetheless had an appeal for all ages and opened the L.A. Fest on a positive note. * * * * * SIMPLY CIRCUS: LE CIRQUE BLENDS THEATER AND PAGEANTRY By: Daniel B Wood | Christian Science Monitor September 18, 1987 There are no elephants wearing tutus in Le Cirque du Soleil. There are no high-heeled women in bikinis, sprouting ostrich-plumed tiaras. There is only one, small performance ring in a 1,700-seat not-so-Big Top. There is, partly for just those reasons, subtlety, mystery, intimacy. Perhaps most to the point, there is theater. The chair balancing, bicycle pyramids, teeter-board flips, aerial acrobatics, and clowning support a single, performance-long story. Lighting, special effects, costumes, and live music unify this disparate phantasmagoria into one luxurious tableau. The organizers of the first international Los Angeles Festival were so taken with the slick otherworldliness of this young Canadian circus that they made it the centerpiece performance event for opening night and a month's worth of avant-garde festivities. And sold-out audiences give every indication of wanting to run away with Le Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) when it leaves town Sept. 27. This was the United States debut of the small (30-member) Montreal troupe in its fourth season that is trying to enrich the standard North American concept of a circus by combining European artistry, Chinese discipline, and a return to the pre-Barnum, one-ring circuses of old. "You appreciate how difficult and dangerous these acts are because you are not watching them from 5,000 feet away," says Andrew Watson, one- half of the Andrews, a high-flying trapeze act. Cirque also tries to give audiences an alternative to the cliches of circusdom. "We don't pretend to invent the human performance of the circus," says artistic director Guy Caron, "but the wrapping, the form and presentation, then tie it together into one theatrical whole – like the opera." To begin the evening's performance, eight shabbily dressed commedia dell'arte personages (characters) appear in kaleidoscopic mist at the tent's entrances. They wander into the main ring, seemingly astonished to find a waiting audience. As they begin to take turns at amateur entertaining, with handstands and somersaults, a "King of Fools" appears in a pyrotechnic flash, creating a dream in which the participants are turned, one by one, into real acrobats. The show that follows charts the various turns of fate encountered by each. The theatrical threads that unite these miniplots are lighting, music, costume, and choreography. Masha Dimitri's slack-wire routine, for instance, is performed as a complement to the whole troupe dancing the tango. The balancing feats are subtle: A young girl seems to discover the delights of the high wire, rather than trying to impress with bravado. The Planche Sautoir team of teeterboard performers is also painstakingly choreographed. The eight members hop in unison to the music, performing flips while wearing hats and formal tails - and also seem to be just discovering their craft. Like most circuses, Cirque has its clowns. Probably the hit of the entire show is Denis Lacombe's "Le Chef D'Orchestre," which won him a bronze medal at the World Circus of Tomorrow Festival in Paris in 1985. As a crazed music director whose score will not stay on its stand, Mr. Lacombe mounts a rigged stage which allows him to conduct while swaying wildly from side to side, bending forward far enough to touch his nose to the ground without falling over. Cirque also uses the technology of the '80s. Music director Rene Dupere works with nine synthesizers and two electronic drums, composing, arranging, and performing original scores for each act as if it were a film short. Selections span jazz, classical, tango, and rock. Part of what makes Le Cirque du Soleil's forays into circus metamorphosis so interesting, says Mr. Caron, "is that there is no tradition for the circus in Canada. We're trying to create it ourselves." The Canadian government gave it its start: In 1984, Cirque was 97 percent government-subsidized; now that's only 10 percent of its $6 million budget. Le Cirque du Soleil began in 1982 as a group of street artists performing in the village of Baie St. Paul, near Quebec City. Guy Laliberté, a fire breather who had worked in Europe and Hawaii, organized them in 1982 into Fete Forrain, a traveling troupe. Three years later, when the Quebec provincial government wanted such a troupe to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada, they debuted as Le Cirque du Soleil. In 1985 and '86, the circus toured Canada and last year played at Expo '86 in Vancouver and at the Vancouver Children's Festival. About the time of the 1984 tour, artistic director Caron, a graduate of the highly acclaimed Hungarian Circus School, joined the troupe. In 1980, he had returned home from Hungary to found the 'Ecole Nationale de Cirque (National Circus School) in Montreal. He handpicks the Canadian performers for the troupe from the school of about 150 students. He tours Europe to find the others. "When I find them, I tell them they can keep their act the way it is, but they will have to let me package it to fit," says Caron. "Then we integrate them into the story - it's not just one day of rehearsal before tours, like the other circuses, but five weeks." "This is a very different circus, in that you have to be willing to let the whole performance be the star, not just your own act," says Masha Dimitri, the slack-wire artist from Switzerland. "It makes for a much better show, though - no one goes back to their caravan to watch TV until it's time for them to go on, because everyone is helping with the other acts - rolling up carpeting, whatever. It's more like a theater troupe that way." * * * * * CIRQUE DU SOLEIL CASTS SPELL OF ENCHANTING ILLUSIONS By: Robert J. Hawkins | San Diego Tribune October 3, 1987 They stumbled out of the eerie light and mist in twos and threes, gawking, gaping, and clinging to each other like gentle escapees from some asylum. Not quite right and not quite all there. They were dressed like a tour group from the Land of Bumpkin, ill-fitting clothes made more so by nervous tugs. The mist thickened and rolled out into the seats. So did the music, a spellbinding blend of synthesizers and horns. The castaways found each other in the mist and light and darkness, in the center of the ring. What a strange crew. What an enchanting way to begin a circus. What an enchanting circus. Cirque du Soleil made its San Diego debut last night, with the first of 37 performances in Balboa Park. Under the spell of Marc Proulx – part jester, part sorcerer, part faun, and part Pan - this rag-taggle band undergoes a miraculous transformation to jugglers and acrobats, wire walkers and trick cyclists. This spell is nothing like the cast on the 1,700 who gathered under the blue-and-yellow striped big top. For nearly three hours, all other worlds ceased to exist. A reporter looks at a nearly empty notebook and wonders if this night happened at all. So absorbed was he in the beauty of this mystical panopy that note-taking seemed an irritating diversion. How, he wonders now, do you reconstruct so diaphanous an illusion? You can't. How do you describe magic? What words could adequately relay the gamut of emotions that course through the body? The slack- jawed awe, the wide-eyes amazement, the deep belly-laughs, the wince, the startle. Ah, Cirque du Soleil, you have won still another convert, if not 1,700. Perhaps it was Amelie DeMay and Eric Varelas and their stunning hand- balancing routine. There's Eric, flat on his back, hands outstretched. There's Amelie, upside down, rising perpendicular from the end of his hands. How is that she kept her position as he rolled over onto his stomach, then slipped his body through the opening created by their hands to rise vertically until perpendicular with Amelie? Perhaps it was Masha Dimitri as she cavorted on the slack wire. Perhaps it was when she lay down on the wire and juggled that silk parasol with her feet. Perhaps it was Andrew Watson and Jacqueline Williams as they hurtled each other through space while dangling from a bar a hundred feet above the ground, with only the grasp of a wrist to keep them from an ugly plunge. Perhaps it was the Zhao trio on their twin chrome bikes. More than 20 times around the circle and not once did they repeat the same maneuvers. And the "Tower on Wheels" - how many people climbed aboard that single bicycle? One person said 12, another counted 11, I swore there were 15 aboard. Perhaps it was Catitan Cactus and his hilarious karate routine; or Denis LaCombe as the mad, mad, mad conductor; or Benny LeGrand's no- so-successful escape trick. Perhaps it was the Devo-esque teeterboard routine. Perhaps it wasn't the featured performances at all but the way they were fused together by the acrobatic ensemble of jesters, clowns and innocents. It could have been the richly colorful and imaginative costuming, decidedly European, though not necessarily of this century. Or the stage lighting and music, both contributing textures and sensual landscapes that provide a continuity through the nearly three- hour experience. No, it is a conversion that comes from all these elements for, obviously, extraordinary attention has been given to each. Cirque du Soleil starts slowly, gently, with the most fundamental of performances, a little juggling and spoofing by clowns. From there it builds seamlessly, relentlessly, toward a climax that rivals fine theater. It is a ride not to be missed. But if you enter into this mystical world, hang onto your seat. Cirque du Soleil comes to San Diego after a triumphant US Debut at the Los Angeles Festival. The circus is in Balboa Park; performances have been scheduled through Oct 18. * * * * * CIRQUE DU SOLEIL RETURNING TO TOWN By: Don Shirley | LA Times December 16, 1987 Le Cirque du Soleil will return to Santa Monica for at least 15 performances in February. The French-Canadian circus will perform at the same site, on the beach just north of the Santa Monica Pier, where it appeared in November. Although the run is scheduled for Feb. 4-14, "we don't know how long we'll stay," said Le Cirque's general manager, Norman Latourelle. However, Le Cirque is scheduled to perform indoors at the Calgary Olympic Arts Festival in late February, and may take its big top to an undetermined site in San Francisco in early March, so prospects for a long extension of the Santa Monica run are doubtful. The show will not be an exact re-run of its earlier incarnation (which also played the Los Angeles Festival and San Diego's Balboa Park as well as the previous engagement in Santa Monica). Slack wire artist Masha Dimitri has returned to her home in Switzerland and will be replaced by contortionist Angela Laurier. A group of seven Chinese children will do "rola-bola" stunts, a form of balancing, replacing the Zhao Family, three cyclists who have returned to their home in China. And clown Denis Lacombe will perform a couple of new acts, in addition to his "conductor" routine. * * * * * LE CIRQUE EMBROILED IN CONTROVERSY DOWN UNDER By: Don Shirley | LA Times December 24, 1987 California's gain is Australia's loss. Le Cirque du Soleil's return to Santa Monica in February, announced last week, was made possible only because Le Cirque, citing increased travel costs and a less than cordial welcome from some Australians, withdrew from its scheduled appearance in January at the Festival of Sydney. Le Cirque also pulled out of a tour through the rest of Australia that would have lasted through May. The Festival of Sydney may take legal action. "This was one of the bitterest experiences I've ever had," said the Sydney Festival's general manager Stephen Hall, adding that Le Cirque was featured in programs that had been printed and in an advertising campaign that had already begun. Last week, the festival's board met to consider its legal options, but decided to await Le Cirque's response to a letter sent by the board. Earlier, "they (Le Cirque) did make an offer of reparations to us, $100,000 (in Australian currency)," said Hall, speaking prior to the board meeting. "But we didn't think it was adequate." "It was our last offer," Le Cirque's marketing director Jean David said by phone Wednesday. He added that Le Cirque never signed a contract with Sydney. "A contract can exist without a document being signed," responded Hall. The brouhaha began when the Australian Actors Equity and the country's Circus Oz, the politicized new-wave outfit which was seen at the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles, objected to Le Cirque's plans, especially one week in which Le Cirque's appearance in Sydney would have coincided with a Circus Oz run. "We were very vulnerable to comparison with them," said Circus Oz administrator Susan Provan, "and we thought we just couldn't compete with their promotional campaign." For example, Provan cited a Circus Oz engagement in Canberra that was scratched when the impresario heard of Le Cirque's tour and "felt that they would take all the circus dollar there was." So Circus Oz asked Le Cirque "to revise their dates and not appear until four to six weeks after we did in any city," said Provan. When Le Cirque wouldn't budge, "we lodged a request with the immigration department to put pressure on them to alter their dates." The Australian government finally overruled the objections and granted Le Cirque the necessary visas, but by then the air fares had doubled in price (from what Le Cirque had expected to pay), said Le Cirque general manager Norman Latourelle. Also, "we knew we were not 100% welcome," he added. "And we didn't want to compete with them (Circus Oz). Many of our artists used to be competitive athletes, and this is a choice we've made: no competition." Le Cirque's use of one ring illustrates this attitude; no one has to compete for the audience's attention. As for the Australian government, "we would still like the Canadians to be there," said spokesman Terry Bransdon. "We would welcome them to Expo 88," which will be held in Brisbane, Australia from April 30 to Oct. 30. # # # That's all I have room for in this issue, but there's plenty more to come! o) Issue #161, JUN 2017 – Le Cirque Réinventé, Part 2 (1988) o) Issue #162, JUL 2017 – Le Cirque Réinventé, Part 3 (1989) o) Issue #163, AUG 2017 - Nouvelle Expérience, Part 1 (1990) o) Issue #164, SEP 2017 - Nouvelle Expérience, Part 2 (1991) o) Issue #165, OCT 2017 - Saltimbanco, Part 1 (1992) o) Issue #166, NOV 2017 - Saltimbanco, Part 2 (1993) o) Issue #167, DEC 2017 - Alegría, Part 1 (1994) o) Issue #168, JAN 2018 - Alegría, Part 2 (1995) o) Issue #169, FEB 2018 - Quidam, Part 1 (1996-1997) o) Issue #170, MAR 2018 - Quidam, Part 2 (1998) o) Issue #171, APR 2018 – Dralion, Part 1 (1999-2001) o) Issue #172, MAY 2018 – Dralion, Part 2 (2001-2003) o) Issue #173, JUN 2018 – Varekai, Part 1 (2002) o) Issue #174, JUL 2018 – Varekai, Part 2 (2003-2004) o) Issue #175, AUG 2018 – Varekai, Part 3 (2005) ------------------------------------------------------------ "Casting Q&A's - Meet a Mentor, Part 3 of 3" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ To make an artist for one of Cirque’s productions, it takes a talented individual who is open to new experiences – and veterans who can guide the way through those new experiences. Cirque du Soleil has assembled some of the most well-known and respected collaborators in their fields – coaches, choreographers, creators, composers and others – to help our artists achieve their goals. And through a series of interviews on their casting website, we meet some of them. Like the “Meet the Artist” series of Q&A’s we recently published, the “Meet a Mentor” set are equally fascinating reads – even more so! We’ve collected all 11 mentor interviews for you to peruse in this series, which, due to the page count, we’ve published in three parts. In Part One, we met: André Simard (Acrobatic Research and Development), Bernard Petiot (Vice President, Casting and Performance), and Boris Verkhovsky (Director of Acrobatics and Coaching). In Part Two, we continued with: Claude Chaput (Conductor, Composer, and Arranger), David Shiner (Director and Clown), Dominic Champagne (Director), and Francois Girard (Director). And now we conclude by hearing from Laur Fugere (Singer & Stage Coach), Luc Tremblay (Choreographer and Educator), Mia Michaels (Choreographer), and Robert Lepage (Director). # # # LAUR FUGÈRE Singer & Vocal Coach Laur has been singing professionally for over 30 years and has held leading roles in such major productions as Les Misérables, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. A Cirque du Soleil partner since 1993, she is currently musical director of a show in creation slated to be presented at Expo Zaragoza in Spain over the summer of 2008. “Music’s energy fascinates me; it’ force of attraction and power to inspire have led me to sample the wide range of musical genres. On those nomadic wanderings through the world of sounds, I learned to master several styles. Then, by improvising, I was able to explore virgin territory and unknown continents. In the course of those travels, I developed a unique and very personal approach to singing. Science explains sound in terms of vibratory strength, but I believe that it’s also a physical force capable of transforming the invisible and transcending never-before-heard notes that are hidden deep within every living being so they can become perceptible. I have practiced meditation for several years, and I am interested in how the voice was used in ancient civilizations in rites of passage, initiation ceremonies and sacred gatherings. Producing a sound or “finding your voice" puts someone in touch with his innermost nature and fosters an awakening. The voice is a reflection of our deepest essence that binds us to the Source. In 1988 I founded the company Sonomusa, and in 2003 I received a bursary from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec to fund research and development for my work The Vibration of Wisdom, a trip through the world of sounds and an invitation to get back in touch with breathing, both a symbol and the source of life. That research also led me to produce the album First Take, in which I took immense delight in interweaving my voice with the unique sound of one of the world’s oldest instruments, the didgeridoo. My interest in the nature of vibrations and the transforming powers of sound led me to study polarity with John Beaulieu, author of The Healing Power of Sound. I also trained with Gabrielle Roth, a shaman, dancer and theatre director who is well known for her “five rhythms" system, which helps people find their true voice. I am currently working as musical director for the Cirque du Soleil show Le Réveil du Serpent (Awakening of the Serpent), which will be presented at Expo Zaragoza in Spain throughout the summer of 2008 as part of an international exhibition on water and sustainable development. My collaboration with Cirque, which dates back to 1993, has given me the opportunity to travel to the four corners of the globe, primarily as a singer, but also as a vocal coach, evaluator and consultant. As a universal language and a source of inspiration, voice has an inescapable place in the fabulous journeys that Cirque du Soleil shows represent. By drawing inspiration from folklore around the world, Cirque requires its singers to demonstrate open-mindedness and flexibility in both body and spirit. Singers must be disciplined and have a lifestyle conducive to the best vocal performances possible. But while singing at Cirque du Soleil is a great challenge, it also offers a unique opportunity for artistic and personal development. I adore sharing my passion with audiences, and I am delighted to contribute to the progress and fulfillment of those whom I have the privilege of helping to train by sharing the lessons I have learned." * * * LUC TREMBLAY Choreographer and Educator From 1986 to 1996, Luc Tremblay was artistic director and official choreographer of Danse Partout. Under his direction, the company realized many creative projects and made a number of tours, and at Québec City’s Arts and Culture Awards Ceremony in 1991 it received the Prix Ville de Québec. Luc Tremblay was appointed general manager of the company in 1994, and began laying the groundwork for Québec City’s centre for contemporary choreography, La Rotonde, which officially opened in 1996. Since 1980, Luc Tremblay has produced over forty choreographic works for professional dance, theatre and circus companies, and for dance schools. A number of these works have toured in Canada and abroad. His choreographies La Débâcle, Mirages and Le charme persiste mais n'opère plus for Danse Partout, and his theatrical and choreographic direction of ÉCHOS for the new circus company les gens d’R, in particular, have helped to establish his reputation with international audiences and critics. Also respected as an educator, Luc Tremblay has taught at many nationally and internationally renowned institutions. In the period since 1999, Luc Tremblay has been Artistic Coach, Artistic Training Supervisor, and Artistic Director, in turn, for the shows La Nouba, DELIRIUM and KOOZA. Q. WHAT APPROACH DO YOU TAKE WITH THE DANCERS IN THE PROJECTS YOU’RE INVOLVED IN AT CIRQUE? Since I myself come from the dance community, I’m always looking for better ways to highlight dancers in Cirque du Soleil shows, and to help them fit comfortably into the circus world. Q. WHAT’s THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT WORKING WITH DANCERS WHO COME FROM SUCH A VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS AND NATIONALITIES? In my view, blending nationalities has always helped generate a rich creative brew at Cirque du Soleil, and that applies for dance as well. Internationally, we’re also seeing more and more dialogue between cultures, between artists, between the various creative styles. That’s tremendously conducive to the emergence of new artistic forms. Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PHILOSOPHY? I find it essential to observe the artists I’m working with very closely, to get a clear picture of their personalities and become thoroughly familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. That lets me make the most of the unique assets each can contribute to the creative process. Q. HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF DANCE AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? Dance is playing an increasingly important role in our shows. We’re casting more dancers, whereas before, most of the troupe would be acrobats. In a show like DELIRIUM, for instance, dancers are the largest group in the cast. From a creative standpoint, dance gives us a richer, more diverse palette; it adds complexity to the vocabularies of movement we use in our shows. Q. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST STIMULATING ABOUT WORKING FOR CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? At Cirque du Soleil, excellence is a daily affair. You have to know how to keep your work fresh, stay creative; you have to be able to work in a team. Also, Cirque du Soleil is in the process of becoming a truly major artistic crossroads, a forum where artists and acrobats from all backgrounds can share experiences. * * * MIA MICHAELS Choreographer From stage to screen, Mia has turned dance into inspired works of passion and beauty. Some of her credits include the choreography for Céline Dion’s "A New Day" (2004 Emmy Nominee for "Celine in Las Vegas: Opening Night Live!" on CBS), Céline Dion’s "Taking Chances" World Tour (segments), and Cirque du Soleil’s "DELIRIUM" World Tour. Additionally, she has created works for numerous recording artists, including Madonna, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Anna Vissi and Prince. On television, Mia is a judge and contributing choreographer for the Fox TV show "So You Think You Can Dance." She recently won an Emmy award for her work "Calling You" on SYTYCD. Other work in film and television includes "Cool Women" for AMC/DreamWorks Television and commercials for Visa, Bacardi, Ziploc, Coldwell Banker, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Pepsi and Star TV. Mia’s theatre and concert credits include being the Founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer of "Mia Michaels RAW," the Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of "Hello Dolly" and the off-Broadway productions of "If These Shoes Could Talk" and “Fort Chaffee”. Mia has also created works for Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Jazz Dance Chicago, Oslo Dance Ensemble, Joffrey Ballet, Kirov Academy and Jazz Theater of Amsterdam. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR CREATIVE APPROACH WITH THE DELIRIUM DANCERS? Each project has its own unique heartbeat that forces me to adopt a different approach. With DELIRIUM, the creative approach stemmed from working within the deadline, stage shape and limitations, music, the talent of the dancers, and direction from the directors. Together, this information presented the guidelines for the creative process. Q. WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING IN WORKING WITH DANCERS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS? The individuality it provided. Working with dancers having such different backgrounds in training, style and culture was challenging, but it broadened my natural instinct. It forced me to go in a different direction than I would have ordinarily gone. Q. HOW DO YOU SEE THE MIX BETWEEN DANCE AND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? HOW DO THEY BLEND TOGETHER? I think the way in which Cirque is bringing more dance into its productions is a great addition to what was already monumentally entertaining. It adds another dimension, and because dance has recently undergone such a major reinvention, it is multiplying the audiences’ visual experience. Q. WHAT DID YOU FIND STIMULATING IN WORKING WITH CIRQUE? The size of the project is so massive and larger than life. It’s like being a kid in a candy store. Anything you dream is possible. Q. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO DANCERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO JOIN CIRQUE? Go in with an open mind. It is not the typical creative process. It is much more intertwined with the choreographer, director and the total Cirque du Soleil vision. Be prepared for a lot of hard work, a lot of growth (mentally and physically) and a lot of challenges. You will meet a lot of great people and be a part of a great final product, and Cirque will become part of your creative family for a long time. * * * ROBERT LEPAGE Director Multidisciplinary artist Robert Lepage is not only a masterful playwright, but also a renowned stage director, actor and producer. Internationally acclaimed by critics for their originality, the works he creates and brings to the stage push the boundaries of theatrical performance, notably through the use of new technologies. His works have garnered numerous prizes, including the distinguished Europe Theatre Prize in 2007. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR APPROACH WITH THE ACTORS WITH WHOM YOU WORKED IN COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS WITH CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? The approach was very different to what I am used to in the theatre because actors coming from Cirque work in a primarily non-verbal way— things are evoked rather than named. It requires a much more poetic level of acting; psychology or dramatic framework rarely comes into play. That means the actors have to be receptive, multi-skilled and fired by a desire to surpass themselves. In KÀ—and at Cirque du Soleil more generally—we’re in the realm of hyper-theatre, not unlike opera. Everything is larger than life: gestures, distances to be covered and the strength all of this takes, not to mention the volume needed to express anything vocally… So we’re confronted with hyper-humanity. For the artists—actors or otherwise— this requires being able to surpass oneself and a far more wide- ranging awareness. Actors come to Cirque du Soleil with a wealth of training and experience combined with work on naturalism and research into the characters they play. When they first get here, they mostly need to work on their characters’ energy with respect to interacting with other characters. Energy is a very peculiar thing—while it can destabilize actors, it remains the vehicle of choice for communicating emotions. Basically, it has a lot in common with Japanese kabuki theatre, Greek drama and physical theatre like commedia dell’arte. So contemporary actors must adjust to such physical acting. Q. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING WITH ACTORS WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND NATIONALITIES? This universal community reflects the beauty of Cirque du Soleil shows. The language barrier, the clash of cultures and ways of doing things—all this forces people to be diplomatic, to agree with and listen to one another. Joining forces to create a show with Cirque, despite differing faiths, nationalities and languages, is succeeding in conveying the impression that we all come from the same place: the world depicted by the show itself. What you get is shows that have a universal rather than local flavour, shows that all spectators can relate to. Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PHILOSOPHY? I’ve always believed that a creation is a work in progress and in guided collective efforts imbued with a vision, because the material, the ideas and the humanity of the work come from the group. Cirque du Soleil has an organic way of working that closely resembles that of Ex-Machina, my production company, which is that the material is developed jointly with the artists. That’s why I feel at home here. Of course, it all starts with a storyboard, but you have to take it further. Meeting the artists forces you to travel down different paths and byways you might never otherwise have ventured on. Because, to create order, you first need chaos, and that order will be coloured by the workgroup. For all this to work, you need a stage director who is open-minded and knows which way the wind is blowing. Q. HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE PLAYED BY ACTORS AND ACTING AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? Cirque has a special way of talking to the audience, of forging a relationship and transmitting its energy, and the actor plays the role of narrator. The actor is a bridge between the acrobatic aspect of the show and the spectator. Actors form a dividing wall, such as you find in big opera houses, where the players are centre stage, between the singers and the dancers, linking oral expression with the physical aspect. Actors are also good mediators. During the creation of KÀ, the actors helped me a lot to convey my ideas, to get across a character’s performative or dramatic aspect to certain other artists. I think their presence in Cirque shows is important. Q. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST STIMULATING ABOUT WORKING WITH CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? The all-prevailing desire to surpass oneself. As a general rule, it is always difficult to reconcile a love of sports with a love of culture— people usually like one or the other. Cirque, however, manages to reconcile the two camps. The most stimulating aspect of my work here is this idea of surpassing oneself that you find among performers. With all these people trained in gymnastics, you find great discipline and concentration—sometimes even beyond understanding. For a stage director, being able to bring all these sportspeople and stage artists together is really exciting. Q. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A FUTURE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ACTOR? Approach acting without any preconceived ideas about the craft. In the same way that acrobats must be open to theatre, actors must expect the game to be different and to take it to entirely new levels. Being very open-minded is also a must. Because in a group where people speak different languages and come from different cultures and disciplines— and therefore hold different ideas about what a show should be—you find total chaos. To contribute to the work, actors need to be antennas; they need to come up with ideas and carve out their place. ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 17, Number 5 (Issue #160) - May 2017 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C) 2001-2017 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. { May.09.2017 } =======================================================================