======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ '/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ '/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 20, NUMBER 8 August 2020 ISSUE #199 ======================================================================= VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 September 2020 ISSUE #200 ======================================================================= Welcome to the... latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter? There's no need to adjust your screen. What you have in your hands is a very special issue of Fascination, indeed. It's our first ever double issue! We've had quarterly and bimonthly issues in the past, but this issue is truly a daily double - with the news and featured articles we intended for August's issue (#199) and those for the current month's issue, September's (#200) all rolled into one. I agree having a double-issue like this is a little abnormal, but with Cirque du Soleil still shut down due to COVID-19 (and an on- going battle to stay solvent and relevant - now with new owners!), and a plethora of goings on behind-the-scenes here at Fascination! (i've been out of work since February and have just re-entered the workforce), blending two issues together just seemed like the best thing to do. And in the process look what else happened - we reached our 200th issue! I wish I had some words of wisdom or an amusing anecdote to share with you to mark this occasion, as it's quite the milestone, but I don't. It's been one hell of a year and I just can't muster up the wherewithal. However, that being said, despite the unknowns facing Cirque du Soleil at the moment, Fascination! is still going strong and will continue at least for the foreseeable future. So to celebrate we have three fantastic featured articles to share with you this month: first, what do you think defines Cirque du Soleil musically? Is it lyrics in made-up, fantastical languages or the use of accordion and saxophone? If you answered yes to either of these questions, don't be so sure! Most fans would be surprised to know that... well... read "The Cirque Sound" by Matt Dibrindisi to find out! Then, come with me as I share a recent dive into the Cirque du Soleil archives and some of the interesting things I discovered that totally blew my mind. And last, but certainly not least, is the first part in a seven part series that takes a look back at the experiences and oddities that Cirque has announced (or were rumored to be happening) over the years but never came to fruition. Let's get into it! /----------------------------------------------------\ | | | Join us on the web at: | | < www.cirquefascination.com > | | | | Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): | | < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > | | | \----------------------------------------------------/ - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings * La Presse -- General News & Highlights 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 * "The Cirque Sound: Quidam" By: Matt Dibrindisi - Northampton, Massachusetts (USA) * "A Trip Into The Archives" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) * "What Ifs and If Onlys, Part 1 of 7" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= *************************************************************** LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights *************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque Enters into an Agreement With Its Secured Lenders {Jul.15.2020} ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group (“Cirque du Soleil”, “Cirque”, or the “Company”) announced today that it has entered into a new “stalking horse” purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with a group of its existing first lien and second lien secured lenders (the “Lenders”) pursuant to which the Lenders would acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets in settlement of Cirque’s first and second lien debt. In connection with the entering into the Purchase Agreement with its Lenders, Cirque and its existing shareholders TPG, Fosun, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (the “Shareholders”) agreed to mutually terminate the asset purchase agreement announced on June 29 which notably contemplated the creation of a dedicated US$15 million employee fund to provide financial assistance to terminated employees, and a dedicated US$5 million contractor fund to pay outstanding Company obligations to artisans and freelance artists. The Shareholder’s proposed agreement, which had set the bar for other bids, assured a path to survival following the forced closure of all of the shows resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing the Company funding, support, and a clear roadmap to relaunch. The Lenders’ Purchase Agreement replicates the Shareholders’ proposal by providing for the establishment of two funds totaling US$20 million to provide relief to impacted employees and independent contractors. It also includes undertakings to maintain the businesses’ headquarters and to have its CEO be based in Montréal, Québec. On June 30, 2020, Cirque filed for protection from creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”) in order to restructure its capital and the Superior Court of Québec (Commercial Division) (the “Court”) granted Cirque’s application. A Court hearing is scheduled for July 17 during which the Court will be asked to approve the Purchase Agreement and the sale and investment solicitation process (“SISP”). Subject to the Court’s approval, the Lenders’ Purchase Agreement will serve as the new “stalking horse” bid in a SISP supervised by the Court and the Court-appointed monitor. The Purchase Agreement sets the floor, or minimum acceptable bid, for an auction of the Company under the Court’s supervision pursuant to the SISP, which is designed to achieve the highest offer for the Company and its stakeholders. Throughout this process, the Company is being represented by Stikeman Elliott LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, National Bank Financial Inc. and Greenhill & Co. { SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil } ---------------------------------------------------------- Power and agility: filming the magic of Cirque du Soleil {Jul.24.2020} ---------------------------------------------------------- Contemporary touring circus group Cirque du Soleil is synonymous with live performances that leave audiences gasping, as acrobats and artists showcase their spectacular athletic abilities. But how do filmmakers translate these bold shows to audiences in their homes? As part of a year-long internship with Getty Images that has seen her work with stills, video and editing teams, British entertainment photographer and filmmaker Emily 'Milly' Grange-Bennett documented the magic of the circus in 4K. Milly began her year-long internship with Getty Images in October 2019, but her photographic journey has always been rooted in the arts. "I originally enrolled at the University for the Creative Arts in 2016 to study Fashion Photography, and found myself shooting artists in and around gig venues for small publications," says Milly who has been a Canon photographer ever since she picked up her first DSLR, the Canon EOS 550D (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 800D). Enticed by the entertainment world, Milly put university on hold and took the plunge as a freelancer. After a year in the field, she was ready to restart her studies, and was offered a place at the University of the Arts London to study for an MA in Fashion Media Promotion – a course she says 'set her up creatively'. She returned to freelancing after finishing her studies, and began an internship within the entertainment sector of Getty Images in the UK to further her experience in the industry. A 4K video assignment with personal insight Milly soon secured her dream assignment. "I discovered Getty Images' partnership with Cirque du Soleil and explained to one of my colleagues that I was very passionate about Cirque, and that one of the reasons I became interested in photography and filmmaking was because I was a trapeze artist myself," she explains. "They made it happen for me without question. Given an open brief, I was allowed to brainstorm ideas and develop a concept prior to shooting. The composer, Jack Kendrew, who I produced the music track for the video with, was also an important part of the creative process." The concept of the stripped-back black-and-white film was to convey both the mental and physical prowess of a Cirque du Soleil performer. "As someone who has been a gymnast and in the circus, I was very interested in the mental and physical strength it takes. I wanted to document the movement of the body and show the strength in what the artists do rather than the performance as a whole." Black and white expression in slow motion A modern-day circus act is surely a filmmaker's dream, with a rainbow of costumes and dazzling light displays as acrobats fly through the air. But Milly wanted to isolate her subjects, move away from colour completely and slow it down, shooting at about 50 to 60 frames per second for editing in slow motion. "I shot in black and white because I wanted the focus to be on the movement," says Milly. "Colour was a distraction and I wanted to focus on the body. Seeing the muscles contract in slow motion is not something you see in real life because these movements are so fast. Slow motion also gives you more footage to play with. "Shooting in black and white means you can grade the footage to bring out highlights and darken shadows, so it almost looks as if the acrobat is floating," she adds. Milly adapted her settings accordingly. "I used a standard picture profile to ensure the colours were quite flat, so I wasn't getting too much contrast – that meant it could be easily changed in post." Challenges of shooting in low light For the Cirque du Soleil shoot, Milly paired a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (now succeeded by the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM) – the lens that saw her through many of her earlier shoots at music gigs. "When I started using Canon's EF 70- 200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, it was a real game-changer for me. I was able to shoot larger concerts without compromising on focal range," she says. Filming wasn't without its challenges, but Milly could rely on her setup to cope with the low light conditions, particularly the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II's exceptionally wide ISO range of 100-51,200 (which doubles to 100-102,400 in the Mark III). "Shooting was very difficult as it was fast-paced and I was chopping between stills and film," she says. "The environment was dark and not lit for a performance. This affects how you grade, because a higher ISO means graininess is much more evident. "The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is full-frame and shoots in 4K so you can have a really wide photo or film image and a shallow depth of field. I was positioned about seven metres from the artist and wanted to catch the intricate body movements, so the footage was very cropped, which can lead to unwanted camera shake. Luckily, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens has a 4-stop Image Stabilizer, so I didn't have to worry too much about stabilisation with my gimbal, which was very helpful when it came to editing." The final atmospheric video conveys the spectacle and athleticism of the circus performers, with the combination of low light, black-and- white footage and slow motion proving to be an effective mix. Milly is rightly pleased with the outcome: "The film is probably my favourite piece of content that I've made at Getty Images so far." Gaining unique insight from Getty Images During her time at Getty Images, Milly has also been photographing live music performances and shooting video clips of film premieres on the red carpet. During London Fashion Week, before her internship started, she would hang around outside the venues to try to photograph models walking in and out of the shows. "I would catch them, and interact with them, which has an essence of red carpet photography. When I applied for the internship at Getty Images, I explained that I was very interested in this dynamic – of catching people in transitional periods to get something original." Milly has used her red carpet experiences with Getty Images to grow her skill set. "Shooting this kind of event is a challenge," she says. "It forces you to think on your feet about how to pull unique content from your subjects. I've learnt not to position myself too centrally, or you end up capturing two halves of a moment. I position myself at the side of a photo pit, where the celebrity is less distracted and more likely to give you the time you need. "You have to get to grips with your kit and how you present yourself. On the red carpet, I've been doing lots of slow-motion clips of celebrities, looking at my LCD screen for framing and composition, but mainly maintaining eye contact with my subject so I stay fully engaged." CHECK OUT THE IMAGES FOR THIS ARTICLE HERE: https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/filming-cirque-du-soleil-getty/ { SOURCE: Canon Europe } ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque's new owners eye next leap: the home audience {Aug.28.2020} ---------------------------------------------------------- Toronto private equity firm Catalyst Capital Group Inc. scooped up Cirque du Soleil’s debt this past spring at barely half its face value. Now, it’s betting it can restore the famed circus troupe to its past glory by imposing greater financial discipline and bringing its live entertainment to your screens at home. A Quebec Superior Court on Thursday confirmed that an offer by Catalyst and a group of roughly 15 other senior creditors is the designated bid for the sale of the company and its emergence from bankruptcy protection after no other bids materialized. The lenders are buying Cirque in a transaction valued at about US$1.2-billion, including a US$375-million injection of new money available when the deal closes and the elimination of about US$900-million of debt. In exchange, the lenders will receive 100 per cent of the equity of Cirque. At first glance, it’s an anti-climactic end to a saga that Cirque founder Guy Laliberté predicted would be a “battle royale” for control of the entertainment giant. But a drama did play out behind the scenes – one Catalyst says tested the creditors’ resolve as Cirque’s former owners manoeuvred against them to try to keep control of the company. “We’re pretty excited about the future,” Catalyst managing director and partner Gabriel de Alba said in an interview with The Globe and Mail, in which he discussed the sale dynamics and how Cirque’s owners are thinking about the potential for their investment. “What we bring is … a fresh set of eyes to challenge the historical thinking and come up with more optimal ways to run the business while still protecting the creative core from Quebec.” Cirque filed for creditor protection on June 30 in Canada and shortly afterward in the United States as a stretched balance sheet finally snapped after revenue fell to nearly zero in the spring. The company, which depends on big crowds paying often big sums to watch its acrobatic live shows, shut down 44 productions and laid off 4,679 employees on March 19 to comply with government-mandated bans on public gatherings. Recapitalizing Cirque gives the company the leeway to move through the pandemic and emerge reinvigorated while bringing employees back, according to Mr. de Alba. He said Cirque will focus first on reopening its permanent shows in Las Vegas. The company counts on a partnership with casino operator MGM Resorts for about 35 per cent of its US$950- million annual revenue, according to a Moody’s Investors Service estimate. But Catalyst is looking beyond Cirque’s traditional model of selling tickets for live performances. A big part of the new ownership’s plans for the circus troupe involves monetizing its unique brand of entertainment by delivering it into the home digitally. “You’ve seen that Disney is bringing some theatrical shows to [its subscription-based, video-on-demand service] Disney+, like ‘Hamilton’, with great success,” Mr. de Alba said. “I foresee that Cirque shows can also be part of these types of streaming platforms.” Cirque will also partner with industry leaders working on non-scripted entertainment, Mr. de Alba said. Examples of such reality shows that have had commercial success are NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and “American Ninja Warrior”. “There are a lot of options that were never explored outside the live event business as well as they could have been,” Mr. de Alba said. “The digitization of the content and the [intellectual property] is certainly something that will feed into the next evolution of Cirque du Soleil.” Catalyst is a private equity firm run by Toronto financier Newton Glassman that specializes in buying the secured debt of undervalued or distressed companies. The company has raised several funds with more than US$4.3-billion in capital commitments from university endowments, charitable foundations, pension plans and other clients, according to its website. Making Cirque viable means taking lessons from the mistakes made under the previous ownership of U.S. private equity fund manager TPG Capital, China’s Fosun International and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, while emphasizing the main elements of past success such as the Las Vegas shows, Mr. de Alba said. “It’s an understanding of the core drivers of the business while at the same time having a very disciplined approach to investing capital,” he said. The new owners have pledged to keep Cirque’s headquarters in Quebec for at least five years. Mr. de Alba insisted they’re sensitive to the connection of the company to its Quebec roots. Catalyst had an eye on Cirque early on, both because of its international reputation and because of its capital structure. TPG took control of the privately held circus troupe in 2015 through a leveraged buyout, acquiring most of the company with Fosun and the Caisse from Mr. Laliberté. Cirque then borrowed more money to acquire productions such as the Blue Man Group and mount new shows, but earnings did not climb at the same pace, leaving the company exposed when the COVID-19 crisis hit with its full impact. Catalyst started building its position in March, Mr. de Alba said. He wouldn’t say what it paid but Cirque debt was changing hands for between 40 and 50 cents of the face value of first-lien debt at the time. (First-lien debt-holders are the first to be repaid, ranking above all other lenders.) The other major creditors are largely U.S.- based, and include collateralized loan obligation (CLO) funds run by U.S. asset managers CBAM Partners and BlueMountain Capital. When Cirque failed to make interest payments in late March on its first-lien credit facilities, and TPG and its two partners moved to transfer some of Cirque’s trademarks and intellectual property into a separate holding company they controlled in exchange for a $50-million loan, lenders faced their first test. As Catalyst saw it, TPG was trying to jump from being an equity investor to achieve creditor standing with direct access to some of Cirque’s collateral. “That is not appropriate because that movement of assets has specific restrictions, especially when a company is on the verge of insolvency, which was the case,” Mr. de Alba said. He said he took on a leadership role within the first-lien lending group, giving them “conviction” in a negotiating strategy to win back the collateral and have their debt recognized for its full value. TPG has said the asset transfer was approved by an independent committee at Cirque and that it was essential as collateral for the $50-million loan from the three owners, which it called “emergency financing” that would otherwise be unavailable given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The creditors eventually put up the money in a commitment backstopped by Catalyst. A second surprise came when Cirque filed for bankruptcy protection and unveiled an initial bid by TPG, Fosun and the Caisse for the company that offered US$300-million to restart the circus troupe while paying lenders a fraction of what they are owed. Behind closed doors, the lenders were already in talks with Cirque on their own bid, with negotiations taking place even during the weekend before the filing, Mr. de Alba said. “Maybe what they were hoping to do was to test if the lender group … had the willingness and the ability to recapitalize the company and put new money in,” Mr. de Alba said. “And I guess they were thinking that CLOs, because they have these structural limitations, were not going to be able to commit to funding the amount required for the reopening plan.” The formal sales process for Cirque started with five qualified bidders, including offers from the TPG shareholders and the first-lien creditor group, according to the latest report by Ernst & Young, Cirque’s court-appointed monitor. Two other bidders joined shortly afterward, the monitor said. In the end, no one was able or willing to match the Catalyst-led offer. “It’s sad. I’m not happy with the situation,” Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon told a legislative committee last week, echoing similar concern from other politicians in the province that Cirque will be without a local shareholder in its ownership ranks for the first time since its founding in 1984. The minister said the outcome for Cirque is a reflection of “an excess of liquidity in the system” that gave the lenders the ability to mount a bid whose value was nevertheless too much and too risky for anyone else. His government offered a US$200-million loan to Cirque in May, before it filed for bankruptcy protection. “I didn’t think at the time that the creditors would do this but today they have money,” Mr. Fitzgibbon said. “My worry is that Catalyst is not aligned with the interests of the government. …. If they do what they say, it’s not so bad. But the problem is we have no assurance of that.” Mr. de Alba, however, appears acutely aware that Cirque is a symbol of Quebec’s success abroad. And he’s talking growth, not dismantling. “I’ve had a constructive dialogue with some of [Cirque’s] artists and artisans just for them to feel encouraged, re-energized and supported, that they have owners that care about them bringing their creative juices,” Mr. de Alba said. “Ultimately, the driving force of success is going to be to continue to deliver these worldwide acclaimed performances.” { SOURCE: The Globe and Mail } ---------------------------------------------------------- What Inspires Actor, Cirque Performer and Avant-Garde Vocalist Dina Emerson? {Sep.10.2020} ---------------------------------------------------------- If you’ve seen Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère or O sometime in the past 20 years, odds are good you heard Dina Emerson’s gorgeous, haunting mezzo-soprano voice soaring over the acrobatics. But her siren song reaches further than that. The endlessly versatile performer—who came to Las Vegas from Santa Barbara, by way of New York City—has done lots of Downtown work, too. She’s performed several shows with Majestic Repertory, including its recent genre-busting (and safely distanced) Majestic Drive-Thru Theatre series, and gave some of her magic to Vegas Theatre Company’s Men on Boats. At one key moment in that gender-flipped dark comedy, Emerson simply hummed an improvised tune—a character beat pulled directly from the script—and transported those raucous proceedings into the realm of the ethereal. Currently homebound and, like too many of us, between paying gigs, Emerson talked to the Weekly about her “sandwich” of Cirque engagements, experimenting with her talents and why she’s sticking with Vegas. How did you become a singer? Were you born with it? I would say no, I was not born with this voice. I was a theater person, an actor, and I had one of those crazy transformative experiences when I was a teenager, when I heard my high school choir do a concert in the old mission. We had a genius choir director who could get a sound out of these crazy teenagers that you just couldn’t even believe. And my whole life just went, whaaaat? I have to sing. And I worked really, really hard for many years trying to develop the ability to sing, and I didn’t have an easy time technically. … Very few people are born being able to do something technically amazing without practicing. But then, when you really get somewhere, it seems like you didn’t have to practice. It’s like this fantastic illusion. So, yeah, I wasn’t a songbird from Day One, but I wanted to do it so much. And then I figured out what I liked to do vocally and what I was really good at, because I’m not good at everything. I’m a terrible pop singer, absolutely ghastly. But I’m good at opera, and I can sing what they call world music, fusion-y stuff—which was kind of perfect for the older Cirque shows. It translated beautifully to that Old Shady moment in Men on Boats. Have you done any other local productions with which we may not be familiar? Well, until 2017, I was working full-time at Mystère, so I wasn’t really able to do much other work. But after I left in 2017 I worked with Vegas City Opera, which was called Sin City Opera at the time; and did Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins, which was really great; that was a co-production with Cockroach Theatre. Then I did a play with A Public Fit, Small Mouth Sounds, and then two years ago I did Animal Farm with Troy [Heard] at Majestic. When I left Cirque, I really wanted to try and find like the acting part again, which I hadn’t done much of in 25 years. It’s been really wonderful to sort of squish those two things together again, like do some real straight acting and also hybrid [work]. Oh, yeah! I also did the Lab at Super Summer Theater; we did the concert version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, for a year, I was back at O until it shut down. So, I’m really grateful to be involved in things pretty regularly. Who have been some of the biggest influences on your creativity? There are two avant-garde vocalists who completely made me who I am: Meredith Monk, who I worked with in New York, and Diamanda Galás. I don’t know if your readers will know those two, but I would say look them up. They’re the two pillars of my whole journey as a vocalist. It’s funny. Once I moved out here, it was like another chapter, and a lot of people, at least at Cirque, don’t know about that world at all. And so many, many years went by where I didn’t really talk to anyone about avant-garde music. It’s been kind of nice to go back to those roots. Who fires you up locally? I really love what Troy is doing at Majestic, what he’s doing with immersive theater—I’m super into that now. I love how he’s trying to pivot during this time and just figure out something that we can do that’s not Zoom (laughs). And I’m really excited by RADAR, what Brent [Holmes] and those guys have been doing. When RADAR was still happening live, I’d go all the time; it was so great. They could just do anything in real time. I’ve actually done some soundtracks for Brent recently; I’m getting into sound design now. Is that how you’ve you kept yourself occupied during the pandemic? Yeah. I’ve always been a bit obsessed with how sound can tell a story— which is typical sound designer-speak—but I never actually learned how to use the equipment or the software very well. So now, I’ve been getting tutoring from somebody in Logic, and I’m learning how to actually put my ideas into an audio landscape. I have a plan to write a 30-minute show that’s like a 30-minute audio trip. You would put it on your phone or device, with your own earphones; then you would go to wherever the location is, which would be outside, and you could see the live elements [of the show] from far away. It’s kind of like a movie soundtrack, except that you’re going to see something live, but safely. I’m writing that now for the fall, when it’s cooler and we can go outside again (laughs). What do you do to feed your creative impulse? I’m a huge reader, have been since I was a kid. My parents would get mad at me when I was little, because I would be reading instead of looking out the window on trips. So, in a weird way, the pandemic has been not the worst for me because I just have been reading up a storm. The problem with that is, things get too overly introverted, because in essence, everything I do is about live performance. We’ve been watching a lot of stuff because we can’t go to shows; before all this happened, if I wasn’t performing, then [my husband] Keith and I would go see a show. We would just go see something every night, you know? But, yeah, these days I read and I definitely listen to music. I’ve been reading a lot of Black Lives Matter books, sociology. I’ve been in a study group for about eight weeks now, and it’s very, very important to me. And I just started this same book by Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter; he wrote a novel called Antkind, and it’s absolutely crazy. It’s 750 pages long, and it’s like indescribably weird. I love a 750-page book; just bring it on. I love science fiction; the thing will probably have some kind of science fiction aspect, but I’m not quite sure what yet. But a Neal Stephenson book can be 900 pages and just be so great. What are your favorite places to go to get inspired? The Arts District. And I really love “Seven Magic Mountains.” It’s kind of a perfect place … a perfect little abstract, magical Vegas simulacra. … And I like going hiking, but I don’t do it enough. But to get really inspired, I like to see people performing and creating stuff. That’s harder now, because we can’t do that. When we did the [Majestic] drive-thru project, it was like a bright light, being able to see a few people that I really care about and make something. Do you have a treasured memory of your time with Cirque? In 2000, I got the job to replace the singer at O for six months. I had never been to Las Vegas. When I got here, it was 95 degrees and I didn’t know what the heck was going on. And the first thing that they do is give you a ticket to sit in a really good seat in the theater and watch the show. If you’ve ever seen O, you know that the beginning is spectacularly mind-blowing. I was sitting there watching that happen, and I thought, what have I gotten myself into? I had done a lot of work, but this was so extravagantly magical. I felt this overwhelming sense of wonder and happiness. What kind of Las Vegas do you hope to see when this crisis has passed? What should we be doing now, to make a solid post-COVID future? Well, I don’t know if any help is going to come from our state government, but the local venues that have live performance need help so badly. Any kind of support, to get them through to whenever we can gather again. And I don’t know where it would come from, but what I would really like is to see more creative music happening here. That’s the one thing I feel is really missing, because there’s great bands, classical music and EDM or whatever, but what we don’t seem to have is artsy, weird music; people really just experimenting. … Perhaps when Meow Wolf gets going—that kind of hybrid stuff is what they’re known for. But you still believe in Vegas; that hasn’t changed. Yes. When I first came to town 20 years ago, it was supposed to be for six months, and then it ended up being two years, and then 20 years. I never, ever thought that this would be where I would put roots, but I’m completely in love with Las Vegas now. I want to be a part of anything that makes this a great place to be. The thing is, everyone’s kinda in the same boat… Everybody’s on pause. So what I’m hoping is that since everyone is so stuck, then that means that we’re all gonna come out together in a huge rush of creativity. That doesn’t address paying the bills until then, and I’m really sorry about that, but I’m hoping that because we are all in this together, that we will walk out of it together. { SOURCE: Las Vegas Weekly } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Alegria, Bazzar, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia, Totem, Under the Same Sky, and Volta} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {OVO, Crystal, Corteo, AXEL, Messi10} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, MJ ONE, JOYA, Paramour X: The Land of Fantasy, Drawn to Life, and NYSA } 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 ------------------------------------ Alegría-In a New Light: Portland, OR -- Jun 4, 2021 to Jul 18, 2021 Denver, CO -- Aug 6, 2021 to Sep 12, 2021 Bazzar: Not Currently Scheduled Koozå: Zurich, CH -- TBA Brussels, BE -- TBA Washington, DC -- Jul 21, 2021 to Sep 19, 2021 Kurios: Melbourne, AU -- TBA Adelaide, AU -- TBA Luzia: Madrid, ES -- Rescheduled Barcelona, ES -- Jan 21, 2021 to Feb 21, 2021 Messi10: Not Currently Scheduled Totem: Rome, IT -- Mar 17 2021 to Apr 25, 2021 Milan, IT -- May 5, 2021 to Jun 20, 2021 Under the Same Sky: Montreal, QC -- Apr 22, 2021 to Aug 15, 2021 VOLTA: Not Currently Scheduled ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ OVO: Beijing, CN -- TBA Shanghai, CN -- TBA Shenzhen, CN -- TBA Guangzhou, CN -- TBA CRYSTAL - A BREAKTHROUGH ICE EXPERIENCE: Hanover, DE -- Sep 22, 2021 - Sep 26, 2021 Leipzip, DE -- Sep 29, 2021 - Oct 3, 2021 Nuremberg, DE -- Oct 6, 2021 - Oct 10, 2021 Cologne, DE -- Oct 13, 2021 - Oct 17, 2021 Oberhausen, DE -- Oct 27, 2021 - Oct 31, 2021 Munich, DE -- Nov 4, 2021 - Nov 7, 2021 Frankfurt, DE -- Nov 10, 2021 - Nov 14, 2021 Stuttgart, DE -- Dec 1, 2021 - Dec 5, 2021 CORTEO: Vilnius, LT -- Nov 26, 2020 to Nov 29, 2020 Moscow, RU -- Mar 26, 2021 to Apr 25, 2021 Saint Petersburg, RU -- May 19, 2021 to May 23, 2021 Lille, FR -- Jun 10, 2021 to Jun 13, 2021 Antwerp, BE -- Jun 17, 2021 to Jun 27, 2021 London, UK -- Jun 30, 2021 to Jul 11, 2021 Dublin, IE -- Jul 14, 2021 to Jul 25, 2021 Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 6, 2021 to Aug 15, 2021 Nice, FR -- Aug 19, 2021 to Aug 22, 2021 Vienna, AU -- Sep 1, 2021 to Sep 5, 2021 Aix-en-Provence, FR -- Oct 27, 2021 to Oct 31, 2021 Monpellier, FR -- Nov 4, 2021 to Nov 7, 2021 Leeds, UK -- Oct 27 to Oct 30, 2022 AXEL: Not Currently Scheduled Messi10: Buenos Aires -- Being Rescheduled --------------------------------- RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre --------------------------------- JOYÀ: Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Shows restarted on July 3, 2020 X: THE LAND OF FANTASY Location: Hangzhou, China Performances of "X: The Land of Fantasy" staged on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays starting June 3, 2020 ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= o) CIRQUECONNECT SPECIALS Enjoy a front-row seat to awe-inspiring moments of the larger- than-life shows, with never-before seen angles that can only be experienced on your screen. - SPECIAL #17: BEHIND THE CURTAIN-CRYSTAL {Jul.17} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKO3cI2nN1A&t - SPECIAL #18: 60 MINUTE SPECIAL-TORUK {Jul.24} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCyP9DjFS_w - SPECIAL #19: BEST OF JUGGLING {Jul.31} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpd7Xd1DA0&t - SPECIAL #20: BEHIND THE CURTAIN-TORUK {Aug.07} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch_9zu7oDZ8&t=3s - SPECIAL #21: BEST OF CLOWNING {Aug.14} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbvduREHx8g - SPECIAL #22: 60 MINUTE SPECIAL-MYSTERE, "O", KA {Aug.21} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVY1-nH-fVU - SPECIAL #23: BEHIND THE CURTAIN-KOOZA {Aug.28} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbonB9lpM40 - SPECIAL #24: BEST OF DANCING {Sep.04} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX7nyoWBPdA - SPECIAL #25: BEST OF TRAMPOLINE {Sep.11} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9IIo6AUnXc o) THE CIRQUE LIFE PROJECT The mission behind The Cirquelife Project it to keep the performing arts world alive during these difficult times. - EPISODE 1: "They Threw Him So High!" {Jul.01} https://youtu.be/rw4y6df7XQo - EPISODE 2: "She's Hanging By Her Hair?!" {Jul.08} https://youtu.be/QyahU2SPUcs - EPISODE 3: "He's Blindfolded!" {Jul.24} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3LJLYQ4IX0 - EPISODE 4: "Crew Ship Contortion" {Jul.30} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBIUDkhjAjo - EPISODE 5: "We Got Emotional" {Aug.06} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph1-VzUCJf0 - EPISODE 6: "Cirque du Soleil Artists React" {Aug.13} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_I2Wyr4mog - EPISODE 7: "She Was Buried Alive!" {Aug.20} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXmbehoiaTk - EPISODE 8: "Worldwide Talent Show" {Aug.27} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxwlRe_ev6U - EPISODE 9: "Killing Me Softly" {Sep.03} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be43F3qQ5ZE - EPISODE 10: "The Top 100 Circus Artists" {Sep.11} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-xoic8eSbM o) OTHER VIDEOS - Celebrate X: The Land of Fantasy's Anniverary https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=296805001646900 - Paramour's Hand-to-Trapeze Act (Complete) https://www.facebook.com/audrey.labeau/videos/10159067995323783/ ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "The Cirque Sound: Quidam" By: Matt Dibrindisi - Northampton, Massachusetts (USA) o) "A Trip Into The Archives" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) "What Ifs and If Onlys, Part 1 of 7" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ "The Cirque Sound: Quidam" By: Matt Dibrindisi – Northampton, Massachusetts (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ What defines Cirque du Soleil musically? Is it lyrics in made-up, fantastical languages? Is it the use of accordion and saxophone? What about now-classic keyboard sounds like Quidam’s music box, Dralion’s vocal samples or Saltimbanco’s complex percussion? Well, most fans would be surprised to know that most of these defining Cirque sounds are actually factory presets from Roland, Korg, E-MU and more, used both onstage and on shows’ official soundtracks. From The San Francisco Chronicle: “Working from musical “mood” sketches he had done months before, Jutras wrote much of the “Quidam” music in the three weeks before the show opened. “Often I have to rewrite the piece totally to fit the natural rhythm of the act,” he said. “You either try to accentuate that rhythm or play against it, which can be really nice. The music has to enhance the rhythm and emotion of each act, as well as the theatrical mood of the piece as a whole.”” [1] Synth manufacturer Roland had the contract as the official digital instruments supplier for both the original North American tours (NAT) of Alegria and Quidam and presented clinics with Cirque musicians and singers Mathieu Lavoie and Isabelle Corradi, demonstrating how they use Roland technology. [2] A few notes before we take an in-depth look at the synth sounds of Quidam: A few of Roland’s synths go by different names than virtual counterparts available through Roland Cloud, such as the JD-990, which is digitally available as Anthology 1993 (the listed presets are found on Vol. 1) All Sound Canvas listings refer to the menu interface as part of the Sound Canvas VA VST (virtual studio technology) Standard refers to what Roland calls the “basic wave group”, which consists of waveforms first introduced on the JV-1080. Et maintenant… mesdames et messieurs… QUIDAM. JV-1080/Standard: Wave 68: Music Box – the first digital instrument we’re introduced to- besides Benoit Jutras’s signature metal clangs, personally recorded by Jutras for his additions to Mystere- is this simple, delicate music box in Atmadja, which largely comes to represent Zoe. This instrument continues to appear sprinkled throughout the show in songs such as Steel Dream/Straps and Corde Lisse/Spanish Webs. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamMusicBoxSample.mp3 JV-1080: Wave 490: Tubular – There’s no mistaking the chimes of these bells; they first appear as John dances in Father’s shoes and recurs throughout, most notably as dramatic accents on Corde Lisse and Banquine. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamBellSample.mp3 Sound Canvas (VA): Organ > Accordion Fr. – A classic Cirque sound that first appeared in Quidam and continued to be used in La Nouba. This deliciously cheesy waveform appears throughout the show, but most notably on Skipping/Zydeco, where it gets its own rapid-fire keyboard solo (which I’ve included and is absolute murder to play as intended, as I can attest to. You digital musicians know what I’m saying when I say thank god for quantization). http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamAccordionSample1A.mp3 JV-1080/Standard: Wave 127: Nylon Gtr C + Wave 487: Vibes – This custom combination makes up the carnival-esque chords and melody of Marelle. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/MarelleGtrSample.mp3 JD-990: JD’s Sentiment – this plucky stereotypical Far East-tinged synth is used for dramatic percussive accents in Enfants d’Acier / Diabolos. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/DiaboloSentimentSample.mp3 JV-1080: 4 Pole Bass – A simple, bouncy synth bass as featured in Enfants d’Acier http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/Quidam4PoleSample.mp3 JV-1080: 128voicePno – A fairly plain MIDI piano used for the swirling intro on Seisouso and Parc Papillon, although this rather thick piano was replaced on the latter song by a lighter electric one on later tours. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/SeisousoPianoSample.mp3 JD-990: Radio – One of the most recognizable sounds of Quidam is an FX loop, repeated short bursts throughout the show, most notably in Cloud Swing and Misere/Banquine. (For the longest time, I thought this was a sound effect on some library- imagine my surprise when I found it on Anthology 1993!) JD-990: Ghosts – Another iconic sound featured heavily in the show, Ghosts is most prominent in Statue as the only sound in the act apart from the intense double-thud underscoring each new dramatic position. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamRadioGhostsSample.mp3 JV-1080/Standard: Wave 220: Dulcimer A – Percussive patterns on Badauds (Diabolos entr’acte), John’s darts act and Banquine. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamDulcimerSample.mp3 JV-1080: Steel Away – Providing intricate patterns for suspenseful sections on Misere/Banquine, this velocity-sensitive guitar patch produces both light notes and percussive ones (at full velocity) on the 1 and 4 beats of this 6/8 piece. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/BanquineSample.mp3 Korg Wavestation: Glider – What is right and what is wrong? Karma… karma… One of everyone’s favorite Quidam sounds, this soaring crescendo first sounds when the Blanches storm the stage in the opening and signals the beginning and end of Cloud Swing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4TO3X4mtrI Sound Canvas (VA): Ethnic (Drum Kit) – Quidam only uses a handful of samples from this kit, namely a shaker and tabla-type percussion for the rock section of Let Me Fall and another tambourine-esque shaker for the percussion patterns of Corde Lisse. http://www.cirquefascination.com/newspix/Samples/QuidamEthnicKitSample.mp3 NOTES: [1] https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/The-Sounds-of-the-Circus- Benoit-Jutras-fills-2847332.php [2] http://claudechaput.com/ac/ ------------------------------------------------------------ "A Trip Into the Archives" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ Researching a company with a history like Cirque du Soleil's can lead you - if you're not careful - down a huge rabbit hole. Imagine starting a search for information on one specific topic only to end up diving into the archives to chase down a dozen other interesting leads, more mysterious and unbelievable than the last. The end result of these archival journeys is usually something that shakes the foundations of what I know, or thought I knew, about Cirque du Soleil and its shows. Take, for instance, Nouvelle Experience. As fans of Cirque du Soleil, we're familiar with Nouvelle Experience's basic acrobatic skeleton -- Contortion, Korean Plank, Solo Trapeze, Fil de Fer, Aerial Straps, Intermission, Trapeze Volant, Antipodism, Russian Bar / Trampoline / Cradle, and Balancing on Chairs -- thanks to the 1991 recording made in Toronto. But would it surprise you to know that this was not the initial order of acts for Nouvelle Experience? Because it shocked the hell out of me. On one of my recent archival searches I ran across a review of the show from its premiere in Montreal and it showed quite a different show! The first half features several airborne acts, of which the most spectacular is Vladimir Kechaje's. There is no attempt to hide the thick straps used, a la Peter Pan; the marvel of the act is watching Kechaje wrap himself in the straps, and soar about the huge tent like an Icarus waiting for a fall. Kechaje seems from another planet - in part because of his somber, grand entrance wearing nothing but a sequined jockstrap - and it is the Cirque at its other-worldly best. Also from the Soviet Union is Vassily Dementchoukov's superb balancing-chair act, and from China, Wang Hong - billed as "Magic Feet of the Orient" - using her tootsies to spin umbrellas and shawls, all the while smiling winsomely. Anne Lepage's solo trapeze act is almost as lyrical as the work of Kechaje and, in the tumbling category, the acrobats who bounce through the air with double somersaults are first-rate. In the second act, four young girls make up the contortionist act. Aged 10 to 14 and students at the National Circus School in Montreal, they are as supple as uncooked pretzels, and perform a variety of stomach-churning movements with aplomb. But the show almost came to a halt when the net for the five-member French trapeze troupe refused to descend from the ceiling for the final act. The glitch only served to heighten expectations. Which was unfortunate, as the act turned out to be poorly focused and anticlimactic. The net was kept hopping as the flying leapers missed their connections again and again. Did you catch the differences? Contortion opened the second half of the show, not the first, and Trapeze Volant CLOSED out the show. The fact that Cirque du Soleil's shows are not final at premiere shouldn't be a huge revelation to anyone. For those who've made the trek to Montreal know how much a show can change even by the next night's performance. But I've always believed this type of change was more of a recent phenomenon, not something that affected the pre- Alegria Cirque shows, and yet... here we are. Of course the next question that comes to mind is: why did Cirque du Soleil change the running order of Nouvelle Experience in the first place? The answer, I think, is quite simple. Recall that the net gave the troupe some trouble according to the review from Montreal - it refused to descend from the ceiling on cue. Subsequent reviews in Montreal and Seattle, the show's next stop, mentioned similar issues with the net. Therefore, moving Trapeze Volant into the opening slot of the show's second half helps solve that problem - techs would have all of intermission to get the net properly into position (and be sure it could be retracted so the show could go on). This change meant that Contortion, which appeared to have opened the second-half of the show, needed to be moved. It became the new opening act of the show whilst another act - in this case Vassily's “Balancing on Chairs” act - moved to the end of the show as its new finale. What is not clear is precisely when these changes went into effect. Opening reviews on Nouvelle Experience's 3rd stop - San Francisco – note the show in the order that we know and love today. So, the changes were ready for California, but could have been implemented during the Seattle run. We may never know for sure. But this isn't the only interesting tid-bit found in these archival dives. I had my knowledge about Saltimbanco shattered on another such journey after coming across an article in the Montreal Gazette dated April 11, 1992 talking about the show, which was about to launch in the Old Port within a couple of weeks: It was makeup-testing day at the Cirque du Soleil, and British acrobat Sue Brent looked like a punk rocker at Halloween. Her face was aflame with multicolored greasepaint. Her jet-black hair was tied up in a ponytail on top of her half-shaven head. But appearances can be deceiving. Brent is a former elementary- school teacher who quit, at age 30, to seek a more creative lifestyle. First she studied the trombone. Then she signed up for a course in clowning. From there she progressed to street shows, and finally circuses. Now, at 34, she performs the "cloud swing," the most dangerous aerial act in the latest version of the Cirque du Soleil. Brent wasn't able to demonstrate her act that afternoon; she had displaced a neck vertebra the day before. So she described it instead, while devouring lunch in the Cirque's gourmet-quality employee cafeteria. "It's the ultimate liberation," she said. "There's a U-shaped rope, rigged about 11 meters high in the tent. You swing on it standing up and then you do tricks like wrapping it around your feet and diving off. In the traditional circus it's a real macho, men- dressed-in-Tarzan-knickers act. There's no safety wire. It's a high-risk act." Does she carry good insurance? "In the circus, yes. But not if I get hit by a car," she replied cheerfully as she left for an appointment with the Cirque's resident masseur Pietro Biondo. Cloud Swing!? In Saltimbanco!? Again, as fans of Cirque du Soleil, we're intimately familiar with the acrobatic flow of the show... and a Cloud Swing act was never in the run. So, with just 22 days left until premiere, what happened? The obvious clue here is that the artist became injured during rehearsals and could not demonstrate her act to the press. It’s possible then that she didn’t recover in time for the show’s premiere on April 23rd of that year. Though why the act did not go on to be re- integrated into the show afterwards appears lost to time (at least publicly, the artist nor the act is mentioned in association with Cirque again); however, another article dated September 12, 1991 mentions Brent “departing” a circus in Edinburgh, Scotland, having “assigned herself too much importance in the company.” So it's possible she clashed with Dragone and/or other artists and creators and was let go to solve that problem. The writer of the Cirque article does mention that the day they visited the site, rehearsal schedules were "torn asunder" due to some unspecified personal conflicts in the cast. Perhaps she was part of that conflict. Or, the company could have also determined that it was not ready to accept the insurance risks of the act itself and did not give her a contract. Whatever the circumstances surrounding her departure from Saltimbanco, it stands to reason she was around long enough to have her Clown Swing act integrated into the show’s flow. But where? Since there’s no official word on this matter, any answer to that question is open to a lot of conjecture. Obviously the house troupe acts like Chinese Poles and Russian Swings are shoo-ins, as they represent a huge aspect of the show's cast (not to mention its signature pieces). Even Bungees was an early integral part of the show's line-up, so we need to look at one of the individual or specialty acts to see if any of them were late additions. But this supposes, however, that Brent and her Cloud Swing act was replaced, rather than removed entirely from the line-up. The April 1992 article goes on to say that "Brent is just one of 38 acrobats, clowns and jugglers who will be performing in Saltimbanco." And that "This year's lineup includes top talent from Russia, England, Portugal, Cuba, Germany, the Dominican Republic and China." Those passages suggest that the Lorador Brothers (Hand-to-Hand), Sun Hongli (Double Wire), and Miguel Herrera (Juggling) were already part of the line-up, as they're from Portugal, China, and Cuba respectively. (Hongli was even mentioned by name in that article; The Lorador Brothers in the photo credits.) The Steben Sisters (Trapeze) were also there from the beginning, as they came to Cirque du Soleil in 1990 and were then subsequently trained at the National Circus School. Therefore, we're left with Nicolai Tchelnokov, Galina Karableva, and Anton Tchelnokov's double-feature of Adagio Trio and Vertical Rope, and Boleadoras by Malamba (Ann Bernard, Hélène Lemay, and Francois Beausoleil). Even though Adagio is not pictured or mentioned anywhere in the 1992 Saltimbanco programme book (as printed in April 1992), there's no doubt that Adagio opened the show (it’s also mentioned in the reviews). And there are a number of press reviews from Montreal - and beyond, really - that mention Vertical Rope and its accompanying song "Pokinoi" in them. (In fact "Pokinoi" was getting quite the radio play in Los Angeles.) Additionally, the Tchelnokov's are seen in the behind-the-scenes documentary "Saltimbanco's Diary", so they’re obviously not late additions to the line-up. What we don't see early on is Boleadoras. They're not mentioned in the programme book nor are they mentioned in reviews, however, if one watches the aforementioned "Saltimbanco's Diary" documentary you can see the act is clearly being rehearsed, so... why aren't they in the show? Well, here’s where more supposition comes into play: it’s obvious that “Saltimbanco’s Diary” was filmed not long before premiere and during premiere, as some footage of an early performance is interjected throughout. So if Malamba were brought in days before premiere to substitute for Cloud Swing, they may not have been ready to perform in the show. At least not ready until later in Montreal’s run when the press wouldn’t have been as attentive to the show’s changes (and therefore little coverage provided.) Interestingly, Boleadoras is mentioned almost exclusively in reviews as Saltimbanco wound its way across the United States while virtually all mentions of Vertical Rope disappear, although both are published acts in the 1993 Programme Book. Additionally, an article from the Montreal Gazette dated November 4, 1994, mentions Saltimbanco's special performances there before the show took off to Europe. Within the article they say "The only completely new act is a boleadoras number performed by two very Latin- looking Quebecoises, Anne Bernard and Helene Lemay, with Francois Beausoleil on percussion." This tells me that Boleadoras was not in the Montreal run at all. Either way, learning that Cloud Swing was considered for Saltimbanco blows the mind. Now, I wonder, which song it would have used. “Pokinoi” doesn't sound right for a Cloud Swing act... but "Rave Out" does! But wait, there’s more! Montreal’s French-language newspaper La Presse also spoke with artists on April 11th, and mentioned another English- born acrobat in its article that we never saw perform – Rose Zone. Ms. Zone, as a quick internet search advises, is a “modern solo contortionist known for her artistic poses and elaborate costumes.” Though I have not been able to determine why she was not selected for Saltimbanco’s final line-up, it’s possible that her contortion act – while good on its own – may not have ultimately been what the creators wanted as a follow-up to the quadruple act that performed in Nouvelle Experience. As exciting as it is to find out that Nouvelle Experience was in a different order in the beginning and that a discipline first seen in Quidam was seriously considered for Saltimbanco, this next find is equally mind-blowing. Imagine my surprise as I read the below passage from The Toronto Star dated June 18, 1995, regarding Cirque du Soleil’s performance there: Among the featured performers, there is a decided emphasis on aerial work, apart from the two 10-year-old, Mongolian contortionists. After the overture, the show moves into some fairly standard - which is not to say unimpressive - trapeze work. And it closes with a high bar act by The Flying Lev, an eye-spinning ensemble of six soaring Russians. More novelly, French performer Isabelle Vaudelle slides up and down two strips of cloth, at times turning herself into an approximation of a human hammock, and Russian Mikhail Matorin mixes suspension and twirling in an original routine involving a wire cube. Did you catch that? Yeah, Isabelle Vaudelle... in Alegría... performing her signature aerial silk act we thought we saw first in Quidam. O.M.G. The Globe and Mail from June 19th mentions her: Two of its most remarkable acts are single acrobats who seduce as much as they astonish. Hanging by his hands from gymnast's rings, Russian acrobat Mikhail Matorin manipulates a huge, metal, cube- shaped frame with his head and feet, giving the illusion that he is tumbling about inside a box. The French acrobat Isabelle Vaudelle has just joined the Cirque and her Drape act is a show-stealing North American premiere. Suspended from a long, red banner, she wraps herself in the fabric, twisting her body into astonishing positions. And The Globe and Mail would also feature her in an article dated July 8th: Isabelle Vaudelle, 22, is a native of France who appears to be the classic circus performer in that she ran away from home at age 18 in order to become a member of the theatre world's rarest societies. [She] has been with Cirque only since June 16, which is when Alegria opened at Ontario Place in Toronto. When this show closes, Vaudelle returns to France where she says she will likely find a new job in a short period of time, [performing] the same number wherever she goes. Vaudelle [was] approached to bring [her] signature act to Alegria, a show whose theme of life as a composite of oppositions (birth/death, good/bad, and light/dark) allowed for exploration of the human condition. [Hers is] a solo piece in which she hangs upside down from the ceiling wrapped in a piece of red cloth. [In the act,] the imagery of a woman cradled in a swath of scarlet fabric suggests a tumultuous nativity. Her brief stretches and precarious balance are images symbolic of life as fragile and uncertain. The dead-weight drop of her body at the end looks like death as a brute finality. Of the meanings in her work, Vaudelle is reticent to elaborate. She says, speaking in French, that her body creates the imagery first; her mind finds reason in what she has done after the fact. To find that Isabelle Vaudelle played Alegría before being featured in Quidam absolutely blew my mind. How did I not know this? But now that we know that she was brought on for Toronto’s run of Alegría (June 16 to July 9, 1995), a number of questions come to mind: Why was she brought on? Who did she replace? Where in the show did her act perform? And to what music? Although I can’t say for sure, my educated guess is that she came on as a replacement for the Shoulder-Pole act during Toronto’s run. I conjecture that the artists in the act may have had VISA issues and/or problems preventing them from crossing the Canadian border again for just a short period of time (the show would go back to the United States following Toronto), therefore, the Shoulder-Pole artists had an extended vacation whilst they brought in another act to fill-in. (And what an act!) As for her placement in the show… I would suggest she popped right in the Shoulder-Pole slot, following Synchro Trapeze, FastTrack, and a clown bit. As for the music she performed to? It’s possible she performed to “Kalandéro”, but it doesn’t strike the right chord. Then again I’m used to hearing/seeing her perform to “Let Me Fall” so I might be a little biased. These are the kinds of things I run across as I research topics on Cirque du Soleil. Sometimes the things I find are mundane, but sometimes… why they shake the very core of what I and others know about the company and its productions. And that, my friends, is why I do it! Until next dive! ------------------------------------------------------------ "What Ifs and If Onlys, Part 1 of 7" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ------------------------------------------------------------ Over the years Cirque du Soleil has announced or was rumored to be working on a wide variety of interesting advancements beyond circus shows, their traditional core product. Some of these new opportunities were in the realm of music, some in television, some as new experience concepts, and some in the realm of... say what?! Back when we were approaching our 100th issue (in 2012, gosh, has it really been eight years?), I thought about all the quotes, blurbs, and past announcements we covered in Fascination of new products, venues, or avenues of adventure the Cirque intended to explore. I wondered which of these came to fruition and which had quietly remained hidden behind the curtain at Cirque HQ in Montreal. I uncovered many examples in my search through our news archives - some that had come readily to mind while others I had completely forgotten about, and couldn't wait to touch on further - and then organized those findings into a three- part celebratory series leading up to Fascination's publication milestone. In Part One of that series, we explored a number of rumors and announcements regarding "permanent" or "resident" shows made through the years that didn't pan out. In Part Two, we examined announced and/or rumored media potentials from the company – from filmed shows and books to new music CDs – many of which never saw the light of day. And in Part Three, we explored what could have been in regards to projects beyond Cirque du Soleil's traditional space – entertainment and media – and dove into the realm of other experiences Cirque attempted to provide. It was a satisfying look back at what could have been from Cirque du Soleil, if only... As we began to approach our 200th issue I began to ponder those "what ifs" and "if onlys" again and wondered: would it be interesting to revisit that original idea and present new findings on old and new topics alike? Turns out... yes! And we've organized these findings into a new seven-part series that mixes together announcements of new show concepts and/or places that Cirque wanted to set up residence, to projects for the large and small screen, to experiences and other oddities that were announced but didn't quite come to fruition. So, without further ado, let's jump in, rediscover and share what Cirque du Soleil announced but then quietly disappeared over the years. CIRQUE, IN THE SKIES? --------------------- Cirque du Soleil's track record in creating variety content specifically for television is mixed at best. The company received numerous accolades for its reality series FIRE WITHIN (2002), detailing the trials and tribulations of creating VAREKAI. But it received an equal amount of animosity for its follow-up series SOLSTROM (2003) for being too childish and not up to the level of quality seen from other Cirque projects. Disgruntled, Cirque focused its efforts elsewhere. A decade later Cirque du Soleil would attempt to re-embrace television in a mighty big way with equally mixed results (LUNA PETUNIA and BIG TOP ACADEMY), but first let's set the stage because the Fire Within and Solstrom specials definitely weren't the company's first attempts in making productions specifically for television. In the good old days, Cirque du Soleil filmed its shows for television consumption, usually for HBO and/or CBC specials, eventually releasing the production to the home-video market. Through Télémagik, Cirque du Soleil's visual media subsidiary, fans of the Cirque were able to enjoy "Le Cirque Réinventé" and "Nouvelle Expèrience", not to mention a number of unique and interesting documentaries about those shows ("Quel Cirque", "Saltimbanco's Diary", "The Truth of Illusion" and "Full Circle") and the company itself ("Baroque Odyssey") from the comfort of their living rooms. "Saltimbanco", filmed during its 1993 stopover in Atlanta, would become the last show produced for television and Télémagik would fall into relative obscurity. The hiatus was self-imposed, however, as Cirque du Soleil decreed that as long as a show was still performing live they would never film it and/or release it. However, the story of Cirque du Soleil on television does not begin or end with Télémagik. Two earlier recordings were made for television broadcast by Le Club des Talons Hauts, Inc., the company producing Cirque du Soleil at the time. The first, a video of the 1985 Tour (called "Cirque du Soleil- Tournée 1985"), was originally distributed by the Multimedia Group of Canada in collaboration with Téléfilm Canada, Les Productions Fildefer, and with participation of La Société Radio-Canada (better known in the English-speaking world as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the CBC). The second, a recording of the 1986 Tour ("La Magie Continue"), was originally released as a 90-minute special on VHS and Betamax on July 1, 1987 via mail order from Les Entreprises Radio-Canada (the CBC, again) or was available at the exit of the Le Cirque Réinventé big top. Both have retroactively come under the Télémagik banner, though only "Le Magie Continue" has ever been re- released (but that's a story for another time.) Formed in 1987 under the direction of Hélène Dufresne, Télémagik's purpose was to promote Cirque du Soleil and, eventually, involve itself in television and film projects whether or not they were connected with the Cirque. Although Télémagik executed the first part of its mission (the promotion of the Cirque) quite well, it hungered to expand on the second - independent filmmaking. Jean David, the troupe's marketing and communications vice-president, even confirmed this desire to the Canadian press on more than one occasion. But nothing seemed forthcoming until May 13, 1994, when CINAR (a Montreal- based studio that was heavily involved in children's entertainment) announced that it had committed to the creation of two new large-scale projects, both designed for the international market. But only one of those projects is of interest to us, as CINAR said it had signed an agreement with Cirque du Soleil to create and produce a primetime series, years before Fire Within or Solstrom were even thought of. "This production will highlight the world of the circus: its fascinating universe, its success, its acts, life behind the scenes, etc.," the announcement said; "We've been pursuing Cirque for a year," says Cinar's Micheline Charest. "I'm convinced we have a gem here." Although the format was still sketchy, professional actors would hired to play circus performers. Dramatic episodes would focus on the "aspirations and disappointments" of people testing themselves against the tremendous physical demands of circus life, says Charest. Also, because Cirque personnel come from all around the world, "there will be cross- cultural characters" and possible story focus on the loneliness of creating a life on the road far from one's homeland. Actual Cirque performers would also play dramatic roles, says Charest. "We'd like to do the series for Access or Prime Time (in the United States)," she adds. But marketing the show internationally will not mean watering down its Montreal origins, she adds. "I like that the Cirque is Montreal, and that it won't be a show about just any circus, but about our Cirque du Soleil. A little touch of nationalism, but don't quote me on that." Intriguing stuff to be sure, but the public heard no more until a June 9, 1995 article highlighted not one, but three projects Télémagik was working on: o) Airlines around the world next year might get Cirque du Soleil "In the Skies" to show passengers: 20 segments of 15 minutes each of Cirque acts. Four episodes have been filmed. The rest would wait for sales to enough airlines to make it commercially viable. o) Zealously guarding their valuable franchise, Cirque officials are slowly developing a fictional TV series with Montreal's CINAR Films and rejecting what Jean David calls "lots of movie offers we have on the table." The projected TV series about a circus on tour initially was planned for Radio-Canada, CBC's French network. "We had written several episodes, but that was expensive and difficult to finance," says Dufresne. "We've started over again in English with CINAR to interest broadcasters (not only in Canada)." o) A plan for Cirque to leap onto the world's biggest movie screens, via a mooted co-production between Imax Corp. and Japan's Fuji-TV (Cirque's co-sponsor in Japan), foundered over what Dufresne calls the lack of private financing promised by a third party in Canada. But, she says, "We're having discussions." By October 1995, the CINAR drama had a name and a broadcaster, which were highlighted in this very brief blurb: "Baton Broadcasting Inc. of Toronto has reached an agreement with Telemagik and Cinar Films Inc. to develop a 60-minute episodic dramatic television series based on the circus Cirque du Soleil. The drama, to be entitled simply 'Cirque', will portray people involved in a travelling circus." But that's where the trail goes cold... other than a few more mentions of something being "in development" ("I don't like to talk about things in development," Charest says. "What matters is what gets produced. We're working on a series based on Cirque du Soleil. But who knows? It might take me four years to put it together."), nothing further is ever said about "Cirque" by either CINAR or Baton Broadcasting. Cirque du Soleil did obviously continue discussing the IMAX film idea but "In the Skies" also dropped off the radar - no pun intended. ROCK'N'ROLL ----------- Make no mistake, Cirque du Soleil today is a hot commodity. Everyone wants the Cirque to help anchor a project, or to make their exposition a unique happening. That's the whole reason why the Special Events team was created in the first place! A number of items we'll talk about in this series were definitely within the realm of possibility, as Cirque du Soleil themselves had press releases about them, or the rumors themselves were so credible there was no question that Cirque had the concept in development. But before we get into those, let me whet your appetite with a couple that are a little more off-the-wall than your average rumor, and certainly raised a lot of eyebrows here at Fascination! For instance... take this little blurb we published in June 2017: Robin Leach, an entertainment reporter and writer out of Las Vegas (though he's best known for hosting the television series "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" from 1984 to 1995), had heard a couple of "rock related" whispers... "Are Cirque du Soleil execs taking a hard look at staging a new Las Vegas show centered on the antics and adventures of the legendary heavy metal group Mötley Crüe?" he asked. SAY WHAT?! Robin was usually on top of things with regards to Vegas entertainment, but this one... if it was true at one time just never went anywhere nor was mentioned again. To be fair, Cirque du Soleil did once attempt to get into the Rock'n'Roll business by acquiring a 20% equity-stake in Rock in Rio USA, a music festival held for two weekends in May 2015 where more than 100 acts representing the best music of America, Britain, and Brazil would entertain hundreds of thousands of fans. This concept, modeled on the legendary music festival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Lisbon, Portugal would occupy at a 37-acre plot on MGM Resorts land from Circus Circus to the edge of Sahara Avenue opposite SLS Las Vegas called the City of Rock. Unlike other music festivals, the creators wanted "Rock Streets" where audience and artists could interact in a 500-foot area featuring 20 “homes” filled with shops, restaurants and a stage. Rock Street USA used the imagery of New Orleans, its culture and music as its backdrop with a diner, parked Cadillac, street-side cafes, jam sessions, the blues and dozens of street-dance styles with an official crew. Rock Street U.K. featured the heritage of music from Great Britain and Ireland on a street created to resemble London’s Camden Town and Ireland’s Grafton Street with houses inspired by traditional Irish and English pubs and shops. And Rock Street Brazil captured the warm and colorful culture of Brazil featuring some of the country's most charismatic. Had it been successful, Rock in Rio USA would be held again in 2017, and again in 2019, but it was not meant to be. The inaugural Rock in Rio USA was not successful, so the convention in 2017 did not occur and there have been no further plans for future gatherings. A VANCOUVER RESIDENCE? ---------------------- Cirque du Soleil did not start out as a company that was comfortable staying in one place for long. As self-proclaimed "Merchants of Happiness", it was harder to "follow the sun" and bring joy to the masses if you're standing still waiting for them to come to you. And the nascent Cirque was not one to stand still. After conquering English-speaking Canada (which they accomplished following Expo '86 in Vancouver) and later the United States in 1987 (at The Los Angeles Festival), an offer to reside permanently in Las Vegas was just a pipe dream. But by 1992, Cirque du Soleil was performing five days a week there with Nouvelle Experience at Steve Wynn's Mirage Resort and Casino. The contrast between the Cirque's high-concept circus art and the glitzy artlessness of the desert city is obvious. But officials say it's a natural union. "There is no contradiction," Guy Laliberté said. "I believe in marriages of money and art. People say you have to be in pain and suffering for art but I don't believe that." The decision by the Cirque to set up a permanent base in the United States was a major step forward and highlighted its profound evolution from a group of street performers almost wholly dependent on government grants to a profitable worldwide concern with hundreds of employees. "It's a very simple deal," explained Jean David. Negotiations with Caesar's had been under way for several years, but fell through at point of signing. When the word got around Vegas that the Cirque was no longer under the yoke of the Roman Empire, the phones began to ring. David said the Mirage won out because, "They offered the best deal and they were the quickest." It's been both a profitable and lucrative partnership ever since. Because of the exposure and success in both Las Vegas and later Orlando, Cirque du Soleil is frequently used as a "cultural bonus" for real estate projects world-wide, even if the company hasn't entered a formal agreement with the developer or is even aware of the venture. The company also receives a constant stream of proposals from developers eager to lure the Cirque to their towns or resorts. "The conversation generally stops cold when we explain that it costs $100 million to build a theater and $40 million to develop a new show," Lamarre muses. Only the hardy, deep-pocketed few then persist. Like Casino moguls... In March 1994, Cirque du Soleil was a venerable three-ring circus wonder. In addition to prepping Alegría for premiere in Montreal, there was Mystère, just permanently anchored in Las Vegas, and Saltimbanco opening in Tokyo, following Fascination's fantastic introductory run. But there was more on the horizon. On March 9th, the Montreal Gazette reported that Mirage Resorts Inc., headed by Steve Wynn, had just won a bid to build a casino in Vancouver. And part of the deal was a permanently installed Cirque du Soleil-produced show. The casino proposal began when the federal Vancouver port authority, which paid for half the $300-million Canada Place convention center, realized the burgeoning cruise-ship business had outgrown its single terminal. Unwilling to spend more public money on an expansion, yet more unwilling to lose the cruise ships to Seattle, it called for private-sector tenders for redevelopment. Four proposals were short- listed and all contained a casino. Wynn got involved after Canadian construction magnate Jack Poole introduced himself while in Las Vegas attending a rodeo. The result of the meeting was a joint venture in which Mirage would finance and manage the Vancouver resort complex, while holding 49 per-cent of the equity. The rest would be held by B.C. businesses, public and labor, and the casino would be owned and regulated by the provincial government. (The development included two cruise-ship terminals, a 1,000-room hotel and a convention center; the controversial casino represented only 5 per-cent of the proposed building area. Two theatres would be constructed, including one devoted exclusively to Cirque du Soleil.) The proposal did not expose the taxpayer to any risk, would create 15,000 permanent jobs, and would generate some $256-million in annual tax revenues to all levels of government. But there was a catch: the B.C. government was still debating whether or not to legalize for-profit casinos in the province. On June 28, 1994, Wynn made his first public appearance in Vancouver, telling 600 business people at a Board of Trade meeting that Vancouver was ripe for a "value-added" resort that took advantage of the city's natural beauty. Wynn said he was not interested at all in operating a casino in Vancouver if it didn't complement other entertainment activities. That is why Mirage wanted to build a $25 million theater inside the center to house Cirque du Soleil. But he also acknowledged the project couldn't go ahead without the revenues a casino would generate. Wynn, who had been in Vancouver for three days meeting with planners and the media, expressed frustration that people were focusing on the casino to the exclusion of the project's other beneficial aspects. "We don't think of it as a casino. I can't keep saying that enough times. If this was just a casino, we wouldn't be here. I don't trust casinos. They're not enough. A slot machine or a blackjack table has as much dynamic appeal as a telephone pole." Wynn devoted much of his luncheon speech to complimenting Vancouver on its scenery and explaining how the Seaport project would enhance the city's reputation. "I know that if you give anybody any excuse to come here, they will. Make no mistake about it. The reason I want to come to Vancouver is because Vancouver is magnificent. We don't make Vancouver. Vancouver makes us. But we do give Vancouver an aspect and a facet to its personality that is tested and worthwhile." But his words fell on mostly deaf ears. The Globe and Mail, who was covering the developments out of Toronto, suggested their brethren were just a bit xenophobic and suffered from an outbreak of hypocrisy arguing against the project. Why? Gambling was already legal in B.C., where 18 casinos, government lotteries, race tracks, and charity bingos raked in about $1.5-billion a year. Demand for gambling exceeded supply. "But the plan to develop a casino and cruise-ship terminal on the harbor-front, right next to the five white sails of Canada Place, has tapped the city's thick vein of bucolic xenophobia," they said. The prospect of a private-sector casino had thrown churches, charities, hotels, and elected officials into a tizzy, and the newspapers were filled with warnings about Vancouver turning into a Vegas North. "Given that these same churches, charities, and governments relied on their monopoly over gambling for revenues," the paper continued. "They couldn't be more convincing if they called for a crackdown on prostitution while selling sex charters to Bangkok." "I get up each morning," says Paul Manning, vice-president of the joint venture, "and pray for this thing to stay alive long enough for the public-hearing process." The opposition is visceral and seems to revolve around Mr. Wynn, even at the punter level. The company's own polling shows that three-quarters of B.C. residents surveyed would like the casino if it brought all the promised benefits, but 68 per-cent have reservations if it is to be operated by a Las Vegas croupier. A month later, Mirage official Alan Feldman said the company was frustrated at how the provincial government had greeted their $750 million project. He said the company hadn't formally asked if it should pull out, but the time was approaching when it would reconsider its commitment. "If we continue to get stony silence from the government about its willingness to review this proposal, we will have to ask ourselves that question, about whether or not this is a proper place for our shareholders' money," he said. "We're at the point now where we have to make some decisions. I mean, my God, how much money are we going to spend here?" The company has already spent $750,000 on architect's fees, polling, public information brochures and site planning." Furthermore, Feldman said the company was absolutely frustrated that it could not get a hearing with the province or participate in the government's review of gaming policies. In response, the government said the Mirage project was never supposed to be part of the policy review and that it would have to wait, like others with proposals, until the review was finished. "When we announced the [gambling] review, we said we would not be addressing individual proposals," said Mike Hughes, communications director for the government services ministry. "We have not entertained applications on a specific basis, but once this review is complete and a policy has been put in place, the government will begin reviewing proposals." After six months of abuse and indifference, Wynn and his partners "temporarily suspended" the project, and it was never heard of again. The NDP completed its gambling review in the fall of 1994. It rejected a destination resort and casino, and instead proposed allowing video lottery terminals in the province's bars instead. Not that it mattered to Wynn much. By November 1994, he announced the launching of his next multimillion-dollar casino in Las Vegas - The Bellagio - with the Cirque as regular headliners. This new show would feature "watery acrobatics and fireworks, presented in a specially designed, 1,500- seat water theatre." It took a while, but "O" would go on to debut at the Bellagio in October 1998. To be continued... ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 20, Number 8 (Issue #199) – August 2020 Volume 20, Number 9 (Issue #200) – September 2020 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C) 2001-2020 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., All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. { Sep.16.2020 } =======================================================================