======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 7, NUMBER 3 MAY/JUN 2007 ISSUE #53 ======================================================================= I invite you to visit our website for the latest news, rumors and information about Cirque du Soleil. What you're reading here is only a collection of what was posted daily on the Fascination website for a specific period of time (in this case July, August and September.) For more current information about Cirque du Soleil's activities, please visit < www.cirquefascination.com >. And if you're interested in having our daily postings sent directly to you, don't hesitate to take advantage of our Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed! Simply use the following URI with your favorite email/news program: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >. - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings o) Compartments -- Information on Tour, Online & on-Screen * Télémagik -- Cirque du Soleil on Television * Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information o) Columns -- Behind the Curtain * Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque * Historia -- Cirque du Soleil's History * CirqueTech -- The Technical Side of Cirque o) Fascination! Features * "Steben Sisters Interview for Fascination!" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) * "CirqueCon 2007: Orlando Updates" By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA) o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Cirque Dubai to open 2010 {May.02.2007} --------------------------- An article by James Bennett in Arabian Business online confirms recent rumors that Cirque du Soleil will set up a permanent production within the borders of the United Arab Emirates following the smashing success of Quidam in Dubai this past January/February. Some points from the article include: o) A multi-million dollar, 15-year deal with Cirque was signed. o) The show will be at the heart of the Palm Jumeirah o) The show is expected to open by first quarter 2010, with the official premiere to occur in December of that year. o) The theater will sit approximately 1800 spectators o) The name and theme of the show has yet to be determined; however, look for a more traditional theme this go round {SOURCE: ArabBusiness.Com} Own a Quidam LCD TV! {May.02.2007} ---------------------- Quidam coming to a living room near you? You betcha! LG, a South Korean electronics company, has just introduced the "Quidam", a series of flat-panel LCD TVs based on Cirque du Soleil's world- famous show of the same name. From an article posted on ENGADGETHD: Taking a page out of Samsung's book of naming conventions (see Bordeaux and Cannes), LG has introduced the Quidam series of flat-panels: six LCDs based on a show by world- famous performers Cirque du Soleil, which follows a little girl's desire to escape from sadness and alienation into an imaginary world - fitting for a screen you use to forget about your dreary life. With a semicircular stand and automatic brightness adjustment sensors, the sets will be available as a 32-incher for $1,614 or 42-incher for $3,336. Life's Good! {SOURCE: EngadgetHD.com} La Nouba Gift Certificates Available For Mom's Day! {May.02.2007} ----------------------------------------------------- Not sure what to get your mom for Mother's Day? How about a gift certificate to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney West Side at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! Does that sound like a great idea? It does to us! From a CirqueClub email: Bonjour, Mother's Day is around the corner and for those of you still looking for that perfect way to treat Mom, I have an excellent idea! A passport to a place that challenges us to re discover the passions we thought we'd lost. A place where anything is possible: La Nouba! Gift certificates to La Nouba, our resident show at the Walt Disney World(r) Resort in Orlando, are now available. Call 407 939-7600 for a truly magical gift that will spark your mother's curiosity! To all mothers out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day! Au revoir, Anne-Josée Cirque Club Ringmaster Cirque du Soleil Get your Mother's Day certifcates through CirqueClub at www.cirqueclub.com today! Cirque du Soleil Celebrates 20 Years in Los Angeles {May.11.2007} ----------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil Celebrates 20 Years in the City of Angels Let the Celebration Begin! "20 years ago, the people of Los Angeles and Orange County helped propel Cirque du Soleil onto the world stage. To thank you for your support since 1987, we're planning a series of special events throughout the coming weeks and months - and we want you to be part of it! Stay on top of events here. And be sure to join us in the fun!" And we all can be part of the celebration by visiting Cirque du Soleil's special website regarding the 20th Anniversary at: http://www.20angels.com/ Catch Up With the Steben Twins {May.16.2007} -------------------------------- Judith Lewis of LA WEEKLY wrote a little introspective on the Steben Sisters that appeard on Wednesday, May 9th and we think you'll be interested in. Karyne and Sarah Steben performed in Saltimbanco for a number of years before opening with "O" in 1998. An exceprt of the article follows: During a heart-thumping moment In Cirque du Soleil's 1992 production of Saltimbanco, Karyne Steben would lay her body on top of her twin sister, Sarah, who was sitting outstretched on the bar while the trapeze, on 70-foot ropes, swung in wide, violent arcs high above the stage. Suddenly, at the weightless back end of one fast swing, Karyne would slide her body off her sister's and launch into space. It was reasonable to think at this point that she would begin to fall - what was there to stop her? And she would - until, at the last possible minute, Sarah would catch her sister by the armpits. With her feet. Read the rest of this article at the following address: http://www.laweekly.com/la-people-2007/the-steben-sisters/16343/ {SOURCE: LA Weekly} Top 10 Vegas Shows? {May.16.2007} --------------------- On May 15th, TicketNews announced its top 10 analysis for the week of May 7th through 13th. How did Cirque fare in the Top 10 Las Vegas Shows category? This Last Event Week Week ----- ---- ---- Celine Dion 1 1 Cirque du Soleil: "O" 2 3 Cirque du Soleil: LOVE 3 2 Bette Midler 4 4 Elton John: The Red Piano 5 5 Fab Four 6 7 Toni Braxton: Revealed 7 6 Monty Python's Spamalot 8 n/a V - The Ultimate Variety Show 9 n/a Mamma Mia! This Week 10 n/a TicketNews information is based on ticket sales from the TicketNetwork Exchange(tm), the world's largest secondary market exchange. For more information, visit www.TicketNews.com. {SOURCE: TicketNews.Com - May.15.2007} "Hour" Reviews Koozå {May.17.2007} ---------------------- Isa Tousignant of Hour, a weekly publication in the Montréal area, recently reviewed Koozå, Cirque du Soleil's latest touring show. She has a very interesting take on the show, which we'd like to share. An excerpt: Finally, the Cirque puts on a show to write home about. I kvetched, I bitched, I complained, I wrote - I even got into fights. Over the last couple years, I voiced my disappointment with what the Cirque du Soleil was becoming so loudly that it's kind of ridiculous, considering how little I actually cared at the outset. Over time, though, it became an undeniable irritant. It became symbolic: The Cirque du Soleil, which I remembered with so much rosy- coloured amazement from my childhood, was selling out to the bullshit of Vegas, forgoing acrobatics and human feats for the sake of unbearable music and flash. But at last - far be it from me to take it egotistically and conclude they listened to me, oh no - it has dawned on them. Circus is about circus. And the circus is back in town. Read the full article and review at the following address: http://www.hour.ca/stage/stage.aspx?iIDArticle=12077 {SOURCE: Hour.ca} Top 10 Vegas Shows: as of 5/27/07 {May.30.2007} ----------------------------------- Here's the latest Top 10 Vegas Shows count by TicketNews for the week ending 5/27/07: 1. Céline Dion: A New Day 2. Cirque du Soleil: "O" 3. Cirque du Soleil: LOVE 4. Bette Midler 5. Elton John: The Red Piano 6. Le Rêve 7. Monty Python's Spamalot 8. Phantom of the Opera 9. Cirque du Soleil: KÀ 10. Danny Gans {SOURCE: TicketNews.com} Not Guilty? {May.30.2007} ---------------------------- According to ABC News Online in Australia: A Cirque Du Soleil performer has pleaded not guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to allegedly exposing himself to a female cleaner at a Griffith serviced apartment, in Canberra's inner south. It's alleged that while Italian national Giuseppe Bello was staying at the Pinnacle Apartments last month, he removed his towel and rubbed his groin against the woman. He was charged with an act of indecency without consent and common assault. He appeared in court today where his lawyer requested Bello report to Victorian Police as he's now based in Melbourne. {SOURCE: ABC NET Online Australia} Use Skymiles Have Koozå {Jun.06.2007} ------------------------- As of today, Delta Airlines Skymiles members can use their miles to bid for a variety of merchandise online, such as travel packages, tickets and gifts! One of the items caught our eye: Tickets to the Premiere Performance of KOOZA(tm) from Cirque du Soleil(r) in Toronto - Winning bidder will enjoy access to the Tapis Rouge(tm) VIP Suite and the Premiere celebration after the performance. For more information visit: www.delta.com. Laliberté Wins Award {Jun.06.2007} ---------------------- On June 2, 2007, professional services firm Ernst & Young named Cirque du Soleil CEO Guy Laliberté "World Entrepreneur of 2007." Congratulates Guy! {Source: Business Wire} Cirque Cancel's Minneapolis/St.Paul Run of Koozå {Jun.11.2007} -------------------------------------------------- From the Cirque du Soleil website: Bonjour, Cirque du Soleil announced the cancellation of its Saint Paul performances due to uncontrollable circumstances. If you are a ticket holder for this engagement, you will be fully credited. Within the next few days, you will receive a follow-up e-mail confirming the credit to your credit card account. For further ticketing information please contact the Cirque du Soleil Customer Relations Service at tickets@bo.cirquedusoleil.com or call 1 877 688-2699. We understand and apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment these circumstances may cause. Cirque du Soleil originally scheduled Koozå in Minneapolis/St. Paul from October 4, 2007 until October 23, 2008. Variety: Empire of the Soleil (Article) {Jun.13.2007} ---------------------------------------- Kathy A. McDonald of entertainment magazine Variety takes a peek into the empire that Cirque built in Las Vegas this week by highlighting the fact that Cirque's sixth resident show (Criss Angel/Luxor project) will debut in the Summer of 2008. From the article: In Vegas, "Mystere," Cirque's first resident show, is going strong after 14 years; in 2008, the entertainment company will add its sixth local spectacular, Criss Angel at the Luxor, and later this summer, Cirque expects to welcome its 20 millionth audience member. Cirque consistently succeeds where other legit productions have fizzled for several reasons. Most importantly, there's no cannibalization of Cirque product. The in-residence Vegas shows have no touring companies. "Each work is individual and unique artistically," explains Jerry Nadal, Cirque's senior VP, resident shows division. "To see 'O,' you have to come to Las Vegas and see it at the Bellagio Hotel. "We've tried to find unique and rare talent around the world; and if you find a specialty act or character, you can't re-create that," the exec notes. Read the rest of this article at Variety.Com: < http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966696.html? categoryId=2599&cs=1 > LOVE Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary {Jun.27.2007} ------------------------------------ LAS VEGAS, June 27 /CNW/ - Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte took part in a special dedication ceremony today in honor of John Lennon and George Harrison. Two plaques designed by Cirque du Soleil creators were unveiled in the LOVE Theatre Lobby at The Mirage in Las Vegas to celebrate the two former Beatles and their contributions to the production, LOVE. To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/cirquedusoleil/28726/ Paul McCartney said, "It's great to be unveiling this because the guys aren't here and the show's been such a great success. They were magnificent men and it is an honor to unveil this plaque to them." Ringo Starr said, "George was a great musician, he was a dear friend. I love him and miss him. God bless him and I'm sure wherever he is, he's smiling right now." Yoko Ono said, "I'd just like to say that John would have been very happy and glad that this show was such a success and also that Paul, another magnificent man is here to present John's plaque." Olivia Harrison said, "I'd like to thank The Mirage for giving us a home here and also to Guy and to Cirque and their artists. This show is so demanding on them and their lives revolve around 10 performances a week. I don't think George would be surprised at the success of this collaboration." Guy Laliberte said, "It's our first anniversary but I think it's much more than that. I think it's a celebration of a great journey that started a year ago. And you know at Cirque du Soleil, we can only be proud to have done what we've done in Vegas so far." This event celebrates the one-year anniversary of LOVE and coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. In the past year, LOVE has played to sold-out audiences, some of whom have discovered The Beatles music and their message of love for the first time. LOVE celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles and is presented exclusively at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The project was born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. {SOURCE: PRNewswire} ======================================================================= COMPARTMENTS -- INFORMATION ON TOUR, ONLINE, AND ON-SCREEN ======================================================================= o) ITINÉRAIRE - Tour/Show Information ================ ITINÉRAIRE ================ NOTE: The information presented below is for historical purposes only. For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts, please visit our website < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. [Touring Shows] Alegría: London, UK -- Jan 5, 2007 to Feb 11, 2007 Barcelona, Spain -- Feb 22, 2007 to Apr 29, 2007 Saint-Denis, France -- May 10, 2007 to July 15, 2007 Gijon, Spain -- Jul 26, 2007 to Aug 26, 2007 Curitiba, Brazil -- Sep 14, 2007 to Oct 7, 2007 Brasília, Brazil -- Oct 19, 2007 to Nov 11, 2007 Belo Horizonte, Brazil -- Nov 22, 2007 to Dec 16, 2007 Rio de Janiero, Brazil -- Dec 27, 2007 to Jan 27,2 008 Sao Paulo, Brazil -- Feb 7, 2008 to May 4, 2008 Porto Alegre, Brazil -- May 15, 2008 to Jun 8, 2008 Corteo: Atlanta, Georgia -- Dec 15, 2006 to Jan 28, 2007 Dallas, Texas -- Feb 9, 2007 to Mar 11, 2007 Houston, Texas -- Mar 22, 2007 to Apr 29, 2007 Columbus, Ohio -- May 11, 2007 to Jun 10, 2007 Denver, Colorado -- Jun 22, 2007 to Aug 5, 2007 Los Angeles, California -- Aug 23, 2007 to Oct 8, 2007 Orange County, California -- Nov 8, 2007 to Dec 23, 2007 San Diego, California -- TBA Dralion: Neuss, Germany -- Dec 7, 2006 to Jan 7, 2007 Tokyo, Japan -- Feb 7, 2007 to May 6, 2007 Sendai, Japan -- May 23, 2007 to Jul 8, 2007 Osaka, Japan -- Jul 25, 2007 to Oct 14, 2007 Nagoya, Japan -- Oct 31, 2007 to Jan 6, 2008 Tokyo, Japan -- Jan 25, 2008 to Mar 2, 2008 Fukuoka, Japan -- Apr 23, 2008 to Jun 15, 2008 (*) Koozå: Montreal, Quebec -- Apr 19, 2007 to Jun 24, 2007 Quebec City, Quebec -- Jul 5, 2007 to Jul 29, 2007 Toronto, Ontario -- Aug 9, 2007 to Sep 23, 2007 San Francisco, California -- Nov 16, 2007 to Dec 9, 2007 San Jose, California -- Jan 31, 2008 to Feb 17, 2008 Saint Paul, Minnesota -- TBA Quidam: Dubai, UAE -- Jan 4, 2007 to Feb 28, 2007 Seoul, South Korea -- Mar 20, 2007 to Jun 3, 2007 Shanghai, China -- Jun 28, 2007 to Aug 26, 2007 Guadalajara, Mexico -- TBA Mexico City, Mexico -- TBA Monterrey, Mexico -- TBA Varekai: Auckland, New Zealand -- Jan 5, 2007 to Feb 18, 2007 Canberra, Australia -- Mar 15, 2007 to Apr 8, 2007 Melbourne, Australia -- Apr 19, 2007 to Jun 24, 2007 Adelaide, Australia -- Jul 5, 2007 to Aug 4, 2007 Perth, Australia -- Aug 17, 2007 to Sep 23, 2007 Antwerp, Netherlands -- Oct 30, 2007 to Dec 2, 2007 London, UK -- Jan 10, 2008 to Feb 3, 2008 Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Feb 29, 2008 to May 4, 2008 [Arena Shows] Delirium: Detroit, Michigan - Jan 24, 25 & 27 Grand Rapids, Michigan - Jan 31, Feb 1 & 2 Moline, Illinois - Feb 7 & 8 Minneapolis/St-Paul, Minnesota - Feb 9 & 10 Fort Wayne, Indiana - Feb 14 & 15 Chicago, Illinois - Feb 17, 18 & 19 Kansas City, Missouri - Feb 21, 22 & 23 Ames, Iowa - Feb 24 & 25 Green Bay, Wisconsin - Feb 28 Peoria, Illinois - Mar 1 & 2 Madison, Wisconsin - Mar 4 Indianapolis, Indiana - Mar 7, 8 & 9 Wichita, Kansas - Mar 12, 13 & 14 Oklahoma City, Illinois - Mar 15 & 16 Charlotte, North Carolina - Mar 21 & 22 Birmingham, Alabama - Mar 24 & 25 Shreveport, Louisiana - Mar 27 Batton Rouge, Louisiana - Mar 28 New Orleans, Louisiana - Mar 29 & 30 Raleigh, North Carolina - Apr 1 & 2 Miami, Florida - Apr 4, 5, 6 & 7 San Antonio, Texas - Apr 20, 21 Corpus Christi, Texas - Apr 22 Monterrey, Mexico - Apr 27, 28, 29 & 30 Saint Louis, Missouri - May 4, 5 & 6 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - May 10, 11, 12 & 13 Spokane, Washington - May 16 & 17 Salt Lake City, Utah - May 19 & 20 San Diego, California - May 23, 24 & 25 Glendale, Arizona - May 26 & 27 Little Rock, Arkansas - May 31 Nashville, Tennessee - Jun 1 & 2 Greenville, South Carolina - Jun 6 & 7 Atlanta, Georgia - Jun 8 & 9 Charleston, South Carolina - Jun 10 Richmond, Virginia - Jun 12 & 13 Buffalo, New York - Jun 15, 16 & 17 Albany, New York - Jun 19 & 20 Washington DC - Jun 22, 23 & 24 Machester, New Hampshire - Jun 26, 27 & 28 Boston, Massachusetts - Jun 29, 30 & Jul 1 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Sept 13, 14, 15 & 16 Hamburg, Germany - Sep 18 & 19 Helsinki, Finland - Sep 22, 23 & 24 Stockholm, Sweeden - Sept 27, 28 & 29 Oslo, Norway - Oct 1 & 2 Mannheim, Germany - Oct 5 & 6 Manchester, United Kingdom - Oct 8 & 9 Birmingham, United Kingdom - Oct 10, 11 & 12 Sheffield, United Kingdom - Oct 13 & 14 Munich, Germany - Oct 19 & 20 Vienna, Austria - Oct 22 & 23 Prague, Czech Republic - Oct 26 & 27 Budapest, Hungary - Oct 30 & 31 Cologne, Germany - Nov 2 & 3 Zurich, Switzerland - Nov 5, 6, 7 & 8 Pesaro, Italy - Nov 10 & 11 Milan, Italy - Nov 13, 14, 15 & 16 Turin, Italy - Nov 18, 19, 20 & 21 Saltimbanco: London, Ontario - Jul 31, Aug 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Ottawa, Ontario - Aug 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Aug 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19 St. Johns, Newfoundland - Aug 23, 24, 25 & 26 St. John, Newbrunswick - Aug 30 & 31, Sep 1 & 2 Syracuse, New York - Sep 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - Sep 12, 13, 14, 16 & 16 Greensboro, North Carolina - Sep 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23 State College, Pennsylvania - Sep 26, 27, 28, 29 & 30 Norfolk, Virginia - Oct 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 East Lansing, Michigan - Oct 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 Peoria, Illinois - Oct 17 & 18 Montreal, Quebec - Dec 19 - 30 Quebec City, Quebec - Jan 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 [Resident Shows] NOTE: (*) Prices are in United States Dollars (USD) unless otherwise noted. (*) Price reflected in brackets [] is inclusive of 10% Las Vegas Entertainment Tax where applicable, but does not include Sales Tax. La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tue through Sat, Dark: Sun/Mon Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm 2007 Ticket Prices (adults) / (child 3-9): o Category 0: $112.00 / $90.00 o Category 1: $97.00 / $78.00 o Category 2: $79.00 / $63.00 o Category 3: $63.00 / $50.00 2007 Dark Dates: o January 14 to 22 o March 18 to 20 o May 30 to June 4 o July 29 to July 31 o September 23 to October 1 o November 25 to 27 Mystère: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm EFFECTIVE JANUARY 20, 2007 (for performances January 21st on) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two shows Nightly - o Saturday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm o Sunday: 4:30pm & 7:00pm o Monday - Wednesday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm 2007 Ticket Prices: o Category 1: $95.00 [$104.50] o Category 2: $75.00 [$82.50] o Category 3: $60.00 [$66.00] 2007 Dark Dates: o January 4 to 19 o February 4 o March 21 o May 3 to 11 o July 11 o September 1 to 7 o October 31 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm 2007 Ticket Prices: o Orchestra: $150.00 [$165.00] o Loggia: $125.00 [$137.50] o Balcony: $99.00 [$108.90] o Limited View: $93.50 [102.85] 2007 Dark Dates: o April 9 to 17 o June 10 to 12 o August 6 to 14 o October 7 to 9 o December 3 to 18 Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm 2007 Ticket Prices (18+ Only!): o Sofas: $129.00 USD [$141.90 USD] (Sold in pairs) o Seats: $99.00 USD [$108.90 USD] (Lower Orcestra) O Seats: $79.00 USD [$86.90 USD] (Upper Orchestra) o Balcony: $69.00 USD [$75.90 USD] o Stools: $69.00 USD [$75.90 USD] 2007 Dark Dates: o February 4 o April 2 to 10 o June 4 to 6 o August 1 to 7 o October 15 to 17 o December 4 to 19 KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday Tue, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:30pm EFFECTIVE JANUARY 23, 2007 (for performances January 24th on) Performs: Fri through Tue, Dark Wed/Thu Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2007 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12): NOTE: Category locations change based on Early vs Late Show o Category 1: $150.00 [$165.00] / $75.00 [$82.50] o Category 2: $125.00 [$137.50] / $62.50 [$68.75] o Category 3: $99.00 [$108.90] / $49.50 [$54.45] o Category 4: $69.00 [$75.90] / $34.50 [$37.95] 2007 Dark Dates: o January 9 to 22 o March 20 o May 15 to 19 o July 17 o September 11 to 15 o November 13 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:30pm 2007 Ticket Prices: o Lower Orchestra: $150.00 [$165.00] o Upper Orchestra: $125.00 [137.50] o Lower Balcony: $99.00 [$108.80] o Middle Balcony: $93.50 [$102.85] o Upper Balcony: $69.00 [$75.90] 2007 Dark Dates: o January 18 o February 11 and 12 o March 5 o April 19 to 23 o June 14 o August 16 to 20 o October 11 o November 29 and 30 o December 1 to 10 Wintuk: Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday Multiple Shows Daily - Wednesday: 2:00pm, 7:30pm Thursday: 11:00am, 7:30pm Friday: 2:00pm, 7:30pm Saturday: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm Sunday: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm 2007/2008 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 2-12): Wednesday & Sunday: o Category 1: $99.00 / $89.55 o Category 2: $65.00 / $59.95 o Category 3: $40.00 / $36.45 Thursday, Friday & Saturday: o Category 1: $200.00 / $180.45 o Category 2: $110.00 / $99.45 o Category 3: $75.00 / $67.95 o Category 4: $50.00 / $45.45 Previews for the 2007 season will be presented from November 1 to 4. The official season will run from November 6, 2007 to January 6, 2008. ======================================================================= COLUMNS - BEHIND THE CURTAIN ======================================================================= Within... o) DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque o) HISTORIA - Cirque du Soleil History o) CIRQUETECH - The Technical Side of Cirque ================================= DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque ================================= DidyaKnow? - Why is there more than one Saltimbanco CD? {May.04.2007} ------------------------------------------------------------ (From the CirqueFAQ...) [4.5.5] Why is there more than one Saltimbanco CD? Other than the original studio album (denoted "Saltimbanco (1994)") and the Extended edition album (denoted "Satlimbanco (Extended)"), only one other commercially available album exists under the Saltimbanco moniker. Its official title is simply "Saltimbanco" but denoted (2005) because the album's music was remixed and re-released that year making it different than the original studio and limited Extended edition albums that have been previously released by either RCA/Victor or BMG/Cirque du Soleil Musique alliances. The "Saltimbanco (2005)" album is the only one currently in production and available. Consequently, as a side note, there is one other album in the Cirque du Soleil repertoire bearing the name "Saltimbanco" and that is "Saltimbanco Live in Amsterdam." The album is an employee issue CD, recorded live under the big top in Amsterdam 1996 through the sound board. Since it was never commercially available, the title is not consiered a canon album in the Cirque du Soleil music catalog (listed above). DidyaKnow? - Dralion's Costume's and Props {May.18.2007} ------------------------------------------------------------ For this edition of DidyaKnow we've rummaged through Fascination's archives to pull together a few interesting tidbits about Dralion's costumes and props: COSTUMES o) Working closely with the Director and drawing his inspiration from the mythical fantasy world of Dralion, François Barbeau set out to create costumes that reflect the distinctive features of the four elements and the families of associated charters. o) The colours of Dralion- Each of the four elements and its associated family is represented by its own unique colour. Blue is identified with air, green symbolizes water, red is for fire, and ochre represents the earth. o) Over 5,000 metres of fabric were used in creating the costumes. o) Natural and synthetic fabrics such as silk, lycra, velvet, leather and cotton blend together harmoniously in Dralion's costumes. Marrying a wide variety of fabrics helps ensure that the artists' specific costume needs can be met. o) The fabrics come from regions around the globe, including China, the United States, Italy, France, England and Quebec. o) Materials that might be considered somewhat unusual were used in accessories and to add finishing touches to costumes: horse hair, raffia, metal, window screen, emu feathers, crystal, styrofoam, plastic, fun fur, springs and even hardware! o) The artisans of Cirque du Soleil's costume workshop worked for over three months making all the costumes, hats, wigs and footwear required for Dralion to the specifications of the Costume Designer. PROPS o) In Dralion, 18 rings are used in the hoop diving act. o) The bamboo poles used in Dralion are 16 feet long (the height of a two-story building) and weigh 16 pounds each. o) The Dralion trapeze is set up by the artists themselves. Once they've carried it from the wing to the stage, it is ready for use in two minutes' time. o) The light bulbs used in the balancing platform on Dralion are custom-made in China. o) In Dralion, the band of blue cloth used in the pas de deux act is 60 feet long. {SOURCE: CirqueClub & Cirque du Soleil Press Room} DidyaKnow? - Who are the crew behind LOVE? (Part 1 of 3) {Jun.01.2007} ------------------------------------------------------------ In celebration of LOVE's 1-year anniversary, we would like to take the opportunity to list and thank the crew members involved in not only bringing the show to life each night, but being there during its creation. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged, including those who helped bring it all together... PROJECTIONS o) Head of Projections: Jon Stolzberg o) Assistant Head of Projections: Mike Davis o) Lead Projections Technician: Monte Davis o) Projections Technician: Thomas Juliano AUDIO o) Head of Audio: Jason Pritchard o) Asst. Head of Dept.: Aaron Beck o) Giga Sampler Operator: Gavin Whiteley o) Asst. Giga Audio Technician: John Kessler o) Lead Audio Technician: Bradlee Ward o) Audio Technician: Eric Maultsby AUTOMATION o) Head of Automation: Tom Wegis o) Asst. Head of Automation: Tennessee Smith {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} DidyaKnow? - Who are the crew behind LOVE? (Part 2 of 3) {Jun.15.2007} ------------------------------------------------------------ In celebration of LOVE's 1-year anniversary, we would like to take the opportunity to list and thank the crew members involved in not only bringing the show to life each night, but being there during its creation. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged, including those who helped bring it all together... CARPENTRY o) Lead Automation Technicians: Jason Burgess, Dave Ball o) Automation Technicians: Richard Perkins, Patrick Riley, Jeffrey Tribitt, Chris Cameron, Ray Dorman o) Head of Carpentry: Paul Reams o) Asst. Head Carpenter: Ken Ramsey o) Lead Stage Carpenters: Craig Norman, Wayne Robinson o) Stage Carpenters: Jacob Lesarge, Scott Barnett, Joe Cress, Scott Fadale, James Murry, Jeremy Headrick, Werner DuPlessis, Clarissa Smith, Benjamin Stephenson, Justin Neruda, James Barnett, Jason Roscher, Stefan Gueorgiev, Kevin Quibell RIGGING o) Head of Rigging: Brett Barrett o) Asst. Head Rigger: Robert Fejer o) Lead Riggers: John Hegyes, Scott England o) Riggers: Archie Chan, George Wilson, Rob Devlin, Claudiu Tempe, Oleg Prodan, Doug Boyd, Jason Black, Dee Fuji, Jason Dewey, Riccardo Canestrelli, Michael Cooper, Patrick Blais, Brian Lapp PROPS o) Head of Props: Mark Jenkins o) Lead Props Technician: Michelle Bisbee o) Props Technicians: Dan Pribison, Carus Waggoner, Richard Amiss, Jared Peter, Merrill Whittenberger, Bob Dysinger, Ryan Steimer {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} DidyaKnow? - Who are the crew behind LOVE? (Part 3 of 3) {Jun.29.2007} ------------------------------------------------------------ In celebration of LOVE's 1-year anniversary, we would like to take the opportunity to list and thank the crew members involved in not only bringing the show to life each night, but being there during its creation. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged, including those who helped bring it all together... WARDROBE o) Head of Wardrobe: Sandra Fox o) Asst. Head of Wardrobe: Lisa Chapman o) Lead Costume Technician: David Paul Svisco o) Costume Technicians: Kate Rogers, Naomi Weber, Ann Hoang (On-Call) o) Craft Technicians: Kirstin Storlie, Mirela Tempe, Stephen Veater, Sylvia Burton (On-Call) o) Lead Wig/Makeup Technician: Laura Strebel o) Wig/Makeup Technicians: Christie Wilson, Johnny Stilwell, Maria Militair o) Lead Wardrobe Attendant: Timothy Miano o) Wardrobe Attendants: Jenny Salzano, Meredith Tomkovitch, Theresa Snyder, Jonelle DeBlanc, Brit Baines, David Heckman, Julie Parkinson, Victoria Vazquez, Catherine Poochigian (On-Call), Mary DeWerth (On-Call) LIGHTING o) Head of Lighting: John Bartley o) Asst. Head of Lighting: Mike Cassarra o) Board Op Moving Light Technician: Robert Brassard o) Lead Moving Light Technician: Dexter Bryant o) Atmospherics & SE Lead: Bill Allen o) Atmospherics & SE: Alan Pilukas o) Lead Follow Spot Operator: Curt McCormick o) FollowSpot Operators: Katie Barry, Vincent Sims, Stuart Pitts, Brian Wise, Steve Mack, Viva Sallee, Eric Ludacer o) On-Call Technicians: John Kohli, Lisa Fiorello, Clark Boyan, Matt Obernesser, Gina Walker, Pat Nieto, Mike Dorough {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} ==================================== HISTORIA: Cirque du Soleil History ==================================== [May] * May.01.1986 -- Cirque Performs at Expo 86 in Vancouver * May.01.2003 -- Cirque nominated for Drama Desk Awards: Outstanding Set Design in a Musical - Stephane Roy Outstanding Costume Design - Eiko Ishioka Outstanding Sound Design - Francois Bergeron Unique Theater Experience - Varekai * May.02.2000 -- Journey of Man (IMAX) premiered in USA * May.02.2000 -- Journey of Man CD Released in US/Canada (RCA/Victor) * May.02.2006 -- Cirque announced Macau permanent production * May.02.2007 -- Cirque announces Dubai 2010 show * May.04.2006 -- Dralion opened Valencia * May.04.2006 -- Varekai opened Seattle * May.05.2006 -- Saltimbanco opened Buenos Aires * May.06.2004 -- Quidam opened Vancouver * May.06.2004 -- Alegría opened New York City * May.07.1987 -- Le Cirque Réinventé Premiered in La Salle * May.08.1990 -- Nouvelle Expérience Premiered in Montréal * May.08.2006 -- Cirque announced Elvis-themed productions * May.09.2002 -- Quidam opened Pittsburgh * May.10.2007 -- Alegría opened Saint-Denis, France * May.11.1986 -- Cirque leaves Expo 86 * May.11.2000 -- Saltimbanco Pacific-Northwest Tour Began (Portland) * May.11.2007 -- Corteo opened Columbus, Ohio * May.11.2007 -- Cirque Celebrates 20 Years in Los Angeles * May.12.2005 -- Quidam opened Adelaide * May.13.2006 -- La Nouba celebrated 3500th performance [Saturday, 6:00pm] * May.13.2006 -- Dralion celebrated its 2500th performance [Valencia, Spain] * May.14.1985 -- 1985 Tour Began in Montréal [Vieux-Port de Montréal] * May.15.1997 -- Alegría opened Munich * May.15.2003 -- Dralion opened Montreal * May.17.2005 -- Solarium-Delirium CD Released (CDS Musique) * May.18.1986 -- Le Magie Continue opened Sherbrooke * May.18.1987 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Sherbrooke * May.18.1989 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Chicago * May.18.2000 -- Quidam opened Bilbao * May.18.2003 -- Cirque loses Drama Desk Awards (nominated 5/1/03) * May.18.2006 -- Quidam opened Ottawa * May.19.1995 -- Saltimbanco opened Munich * May.19.2006 -- Varekai opened Baltimore * May.20.1999 -- Alegría premiered permanently in Biloxi, Mississippi. * May.20.2007 -- Quidam opened Seoul, South Korea (first time in Korea!) * May.21.2003 -- Quidam opened Nagoya * May.21.2004 -- CirqueCon 2004: Vancouver Began (through 5/24) * May.22.1992 -- Fascination Premiered in Tokyo (Until Sep.) * May.22.1998 -- Alegría opened Hamburg * May.23.2007 -- Dralion opened Sendai, Japan * May.24.2002 -- Mystère celebrated 4000th performance [Friday, 7:30pm] * May.25.1988 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened New York City * May.27.1999 -- Alegría: Le Film premiered in Netherlands * May.28.1987 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Montréal * May.28.1999 -- Saltimbanco opened Brisbane, Australia * May.28.2003 -- BRAVO sneaks Varekai - Midnight to 2:00pm * May.29.1986 -- Le Magie Continue opened Montréal * May.29.1997 -- Quidam opened Oakland * May.29.2001 -- Alegría opened Sydney, Australia * May.30.2006 -- Varekai celebrated 1500th performance [Tues, 8:00pm/Seattle] * May.31.1996 -- Saltimbanco opened Stuggart * May.31.2001 -- Quidam opened Hamburg [June] * Jun.02.2006 -- LOVE Premiered at Mirage (Previews Begin) * Jun.02.2007 - Ernst & Young named Cirque du Soleil CEO Guy Laliberté "World Entrepreneur of 2007." * Jun.03.2004 -- Varekai opened Denver * Jun.03.2004 -- Dralion opened Vienna * Jun.03.2005 -- Dralion opened Rotterdam * Jun.04.2003 -- Alegría opened Calgary * Jun.05.2003 -- Saltimbanco opened Cologne * Jun.06.2000 -- Dralion opened Denver, Colorado * Jun.06.2002 -- Region 02 DVD release: Dralion * Jun.06.2006 -- Cirque Las Vegas named 6th most popular attraction in US by TripAdvisor * Jun.07.1985 -- 1985 Tour opened in Sher-Brooke [Plateau Parc] * Jun.07.1992 -- Fascination opened Nagoya * Jun.09.1994 -- Alegría opened Ste-Foy * Jun.10.2002 - Official Title of 13-episode TV series announced - "Fire Within", previously titled "A Fly on the Wall" * Jun.11.2002 -- Alegría Extended CD Released (BMG/CDS Musique) * Jun.12.2002 -- Alegría opened Denver * Jun.12.2002 -- Dralion opened Portland * Jun.13.1992 -- Saltimbanco opened Ste-Foy * Jun.13.2002 -- Announcement of NY-NY and MGM-Grand Shows * Jun.14.2003 -- Varekai premiered on BRAVO at 8:00pm EST * Jun.14.2005 -- Quidam CD Released (CDS Musique) * Jun.16.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Gaspé * Jun.16.1995 -- Alegría opened Toronto * Jun.16.2002 -- Dralion burglarized in Portland; stealing $11,000 * Jun.16.2003 -- Mystère celebrated 4500th performance [Monday, 7:30pm] * Jun.16.2004 -- MGM-Mirage and Mandalay Resort Group merged * Jun.18.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened Toronto * Jun.20.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Ste-Foy * Jun.20.2002 -- Quidam opened Detroit, Michigan * Jun.21.1985 -- 1985 Tour opened in Ottawa [Plaines Le Breton] * Jun.21.2001 -- Saltimbanco 2000 opened Osaka, Japan * Jun.22.1999 -- La Nouba CD Released in Canada (RCA/Victor) * Jun.22.2001 -- Dralion opened Chicago * Jun.22.2005 -- Entertainment Complexes in Montréal announced * Jun.22.2006 -- Dralion opened Malaga * Jun.22.2006 -- Varekai opened Vancouver * Jun.22.2007 -- Corteo opened Denver * Jun.23.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Bai-Comeau * Jun.24.1999 -- Dralion opened Quebec * Jun.24.2004 -- Quidam opened Calgary * Jun.25.1992 -- Fascination opened Hiroshima * Jun.25.2004 -- Saltimbanco opened Gijon * Jun.26.2005 -- Alegría opened Osaka * Jun.27.1989 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Ste-Foy * Jun.27.2002 -- Vaerkai opened Quebec City * Jun.27.2004 -- Mystère celebrated 5000th performance [Sunday, 7:30pm] * Jun.28.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Jonquière * Jun.28.2007 -- Quidam opened Shanghai, China (First time in China!) * Jun.29.1999 -- La Nouba CD Released in US (RCA/Victor) * Jun.29.1999 -- Dralion opened in Toronto * Jun.30.2005 -- Corteo opened Quebec City * Jun.30.2005 -- Quidam opened Perth * Jun.30.2005 -- Varekai opened East Rutherford * Jun.30.2006 -- LOVE Gala Premiere (Previews End) ========================================== CIRQUETECH: The Technical Side of Cirque ========================================== CirqueTech - Illuminating LOVE, Part 1 of 2 {May.11.2007} --------------------------------------------- Unfortunately love is not ALL you need in order to make a show like Cirque du Soleil's LOVE function each night. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged. In this installment of CirqueTech, we're going to peek at some of the material LiveDesign published in its fabulous article; specifically, the equipment used to help illuminate the show night after night. Illuminating LOVE, Part 1 of 2: LUMINARIES o) 54 - Vari-Lite VL-3500Q o) 64 - Vari-Lite VL-3000Q Spot o) 30 - Vari-Lite VL-3000Q Wash o) 56 - Vari-Lite VL-2500 Spot o) 24 - ETC Source 4 5° Ellipsoidal o) 48 - ETC Source 4 10° Ellipsoidal o) 200 - ETC Source 4 19° Ellipsoidal o) 125 - ETC Source 4 26° Ellipsoidal o) 6 - ETC Source 4 PAR o) 40 - Altman MR-11 Micro Strip o) 8 - Robert Juliat Ivanhoe 2.5kW HMI Followspot CONTROL o) 2 - MA Lighting grandMA Console o) 1 - MA Lighting grandMA Light Console o) 1 - MA Lighting grandMA PC o) 9 - MA Lighting NSP o) 12 - ETC Sensor+ 48-Module Installation Rack o) 24 - ETC SmartSwitch 24-Relay Panel o) 70 - ETC ETCNet2 Touring Dual Node o) 9 - ETC ETCNet2 Rack Mount Node 4-Out o) 2 - ETC ETCNet2 Rack Mount Node 2-In/2-Out o) 2 - ETC ETCNet2 Portable DMX Node ETC Net/2 o) 4 - ETC ETCNet2 Video Node ETC Net/2 o) 1 - Soundsculpture Inc. RC4-TX32D 32 Channel Transmitter o) 1 - Soundsculpture Inc. RC4-TXD-Series High Power Antenna o) 5 - Soundsculpture Inc. RC4-RX4 STD 4 x 150W Receiver/Dimmer o) 5 - Soundsculpture Inc. RC4-RX4 STD 4 x 50W Receiver/Dimmer o) 14 - Pathway Connectivity 6-Way Opto Splitter o) 3 - AMX 15" Portable Station o) 2 - AMX 12" Wall Mount Touch Screen o) 2 - AMX CP-4 Wall Mount Touch Screen o) 4 - AMX NI-2000 Processor o) 2 - AMX AXB DMX 512 o) 4 - Dell Rack Mount PC o) 12 - Cisco Catalyst 3560-48 Network Switch o) 2 - Cisco Catalyst 3560-24 Network Switch o) 7 - Cisco Catalyst RPS-675 Redundant Power Supply o) 2 - Cisco Catalyst 3550 Fiber Core Router o) 4 - Fiber Optic Backbone {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} CirqueTech - Illuminating LOVE, Part 2 of 2 {May.25.2007} --------------------------------------------- Unfortunately love is not ALL you need in order to make a show like Cirque du Soleil's LOVE function each night. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged. In this installment of CirqueTech, we're going to peek at some of the material LiveDesign published in its fabulous article; specifically, the equipment used to help illuminate the show night after night. Illuminating LOVE, Part 2 of 2: EFFECTS o) 21 - Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes o) 16 - Wildfire LT404S/F 400W Long-Throw Spot/Flood Blacklight o) 16 - Wybron Eclipse 2 Dousers for Blacklights o) 12 - Wildfire 4' Blacklight Fluorescent with DMX o) 130 - Color Kinetics ColorBlast(r) 6 o) 12 - Color Kinetics iW(tm) Blast 12 o) 20 - Color Kinetics iW(tm) Profile, 82° o) 100 - Color Kinetics iColor(r) Flex SL 12" Black, Clear Dome o) 60 - Color Kinetics PSD 60ca 7.5V Power Supply o) 6 - Color Kinetics iW(tm) PDS-150 Power Supply o) 1 - Color Kinetics Light System Manager o) 1 - Color Kinetics iPlayer(r) 2 Controller o) 5 - City Theatrical PDS 750TR Power Supply o) 5 - City Theatrical PDS 375TR Power Supply o) 6 - MDG Atmosphere ADV Fog Generator o) 4 - MDG Ice Fog Q Low Fog Generator o) 6 - MDG Max 5000 ADV Fog Generator o) 8 - MDG Max 3000 ADV Fog Generator o) 2 - MDG MM Max Fog Generator PROJECTION o) 24 - Digital Projection HIGHlite 12000Dsx Projector o) 4 - Digital Projection Lightning 30sx+ Projector o) 20 - Green Hippo Hippotizer HD Dual-Output w/ Custom Software o) 1 - MA Lighting grandMA Light Console o) 6 - MA Lighting grandMA NSP o) 4 - ETC ETCNet2 Nodes o) 7 - Brother, Brother & Sons ApS v-Base Moving Projector Yokes o) 2 - MOTU - Midi Time Code Conversion o) 2 - MIDI Solutions T8 o) 1 - Brainstorm Electronics, Inc. SR-15+ Timecode Distripalyzer o) 1 - Adobe - Production Studio (Premiere Pro 2.0, After Effects 7.0 Pro) o) 1 - Stardraw - Remote Control Software o) 3 - Dtrovision DS-1818M 18-in × 18-out DVI Matrix Router o) 1 - Raritan / KVM switching network Paragon II o) 30 - thinklogical(tm) Fiber Optic DVI KVM Extender o) 2 - Cisco / Data switches: Catalyst 3560g o) 6 - Netgear / Data Switches FSM7328s o) 1 - Sencore Pattern Generator o) 1 - Sencore Projector Pro o) 1 - Sencore/Quantum Data 802b Test Pattern Generator o) 12 - 19" ViewSonic Monitors o) 2 - Planar - Touchscreens o) 22 - Furman - Power Conditioners, UPS and Rack Lights o) 12 - Furman LED Rack Lights {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} CirqueTech - LOVE SoundScape, Part 1 of 2 {Jun.08.2007} --------------------------------------------- Unfortunately love is not ALL you need in order to make a show like Cirque du Soleil's LOVE function each night. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged. In this installment of CirqueTech, we're going to peek at some of the material LiveDesign published in its fabulous article; specifically, the equipment used to help us hear the show night after night. LOVE SoundScape, Part 1 of 2: SPEAKERS o) 16 - Meyer Sound Laboratories M1-D Line Arrays o) 30 - Meyer Sound Laboratories M1-D o) 28 - Meyer Sound Laboratories M1-D for Surrounds o) 28 - Meyer Sound Laboratories CQ-1 for balcony delays o) 22 - Meyer Sound Laboratories M2-D for Surround and Catwalks o) 42 - Meyer Sound Laboratories and Danley Sound Labs Subwoofers o) 6,039 - Custom Innovox Audio Speakers in the 2,013 Seats o) 40 - Various Speakers Used for Overhead Ambient Surrounds SHOW PLAYBACK SYSTEM o) 1 - Level Control System CueConsole with: o) 88 - Inputs o) 64 - Busses o) 280 - Outputs o) 8 - Auxiliaries o) 16 - Track Wild Track Playback o) 1 - Dual G5 Macintosh, running Logic Pro 7 o) 2 - Linux machines running Realtime Music Solutions Sinfonia Software o) 2 - Custom Windows PCs running Magix Sequoia and TASCAM GigaStudio Software o) 1 - 17" Apple G4 PowerBook Laptop o) 2 - 12" and 15" Fujitsu PC laptops o) 1 - Apple 23" Cinema Display o) 1 - Level Control System VRAS (Variable Room Acoustics) with o) 8 - Microphone Inputs o) 22 - Outputs {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} CirqueTech - LOVE SoundScape, Part 2 of 2 {Jun.22.2007} --------------------------------------------- Unfortunately love is not ALL you need in order to make a show like Cirque du Soleil's LOVE function each night. In 2006, LiveDesign Media jumped into this colorful world and in the process uncovered a great many secrets about how this psychadelic marvel is staged. In this installment of CirqueTech, we're going to peek at some of the material LiveDesign published in its fabulous article; specifically, the equipment used to help us hear the show night after night. LOVE SoundScape, Part 2 of 2: PRO TOOLS o) 1 - Digidesign ProTools(r) Studio Containing 32 Channels of Input/Output MISCELLANEOUS o) 1 - Yamaha PM5D Console o) 2 - RME ADI-642 MADI to ADAT Optical Converter o) 4 - Apogee DA-16X Digital to Analog Converter o) 1 - Apogee Big Ben 192k Master Digital Clock o) 6 - Waves MaxxBass Processor o) 18 - Lectrosonics VRT Trans/Receiver o) 8 - Sennheiser In-Ear Systems o) 24 - Wireless BTR Telex with Six Main Stations o) 30 - Lectrosonics IFB with One Main Station o) 40 - Digital and Analog Clear-Com Station o) 85 - Motorola Walkie Talkie o) 1 - Powerware 50KVA UPS o) 4,800 - Audio Patch points o) 20 - Fiber Patchbays o) 8 - Video Patchbays with 26 Channels of Modulated Video {SOURCE: LiveDesign Media - http://livedesignonline.com/mag/love_need/} ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= ------------------------------------------------------ "Steben Sisters Interview For Fascination!" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) ------------------------------------------------------ We are proud to present a live (if several years old) in-depth exclusive interview with those fabulous ladies of the flying trapeze, the Steben Sisters! In 2003, when we heard that the Steben Sisters would be appearing for a limited time in our local Seattle production of Teatro Zinzanni (www.zinzanni.org), we knew we had to try and see if we could talk to them. So I got in touch with One Reel Productions (www.onereel.org), the non-profit arts organization that produces Zinzanni. Would the Stebens possibly consent to talk with us? I asked. Of course any Cirque fan worth their clown nose knows of the Steben (STEH-ben) Sisters. Karyne (kah-REEN) and Sarah Steben, identical twins, wowed audiences as the Duo Trapeze act in Saltimbanco. Their feet to feet and ankle to ankle catches were breathtaking (and can be seen in all their glory on the Saltimbanco DVD). They also amassed a mantle full of awards for their innovative act. From that fame they went on to also be featured in "O". After leaving Cirque they conquered new vistas, such as appearing as the Siamese twins Alexandria (Karyne) and Caladonia (Sarah) on the spooky HBO series, "Carnivale." They appeared in movies ("When Night Is Falling"), an Aerosmith Video ("Jaded") and created an act for Madonna's "Drowned World" tour. Karyne even has two pregnancy fitness videos (available through www.progressiveparent.com). Since this interview, the Stebens have stopped performing as both now have children. They were last seen teaching a circus arts class (including a workshop especially for women) at Le Studio, a Santa Monica, CA rehearsal space run by fellow Québecois Nathalie Gaulthiér. (http://www.gaulthierartists.com/) Though they say they may some day return to performing they are enjoying their break from the circus life, residing in LA where they live five minutes apart. It was a sunny spring Friday when my wife and I parked near Uptown Expresso at the corner of Fourth and Wall Streets in Seattle, just two blocks from the Teatro Zinzanni tent and right across the street from condos in which the Stebens were staying. I had my questions, and gift Aplets and Cotlets all at the ready. In a small conference room off to the side of the shop we set up and waited. It wasn't long before a man and woman walked in and I knew it was my One Reel contact with one of the Stebens. Though since they're identical twins I couldn't be sure which one. As we shook hands I asked not to be told which Steben she was so I could take a stab at telling them apart. Though I was ready and had carefully studied photos of the duo, I didn't need to. Upon mentioning that her sister had to deal with "the baby" and would be coming by shortly, we knew instantly that this was Sarah. The cat was out of the bag! Close-up the twins are adorable and virtually identical (though there are ways to tell them apart ). As they spoke, their responses tinged with French Canadian accents, it was easy to tell how close they are - finishing each others sentences, looking at each other as if sharing unspoken thoughts, occasionally touching. With Sarah (the "catcher") to our right, her sleeveless shirt revealing trim muscular arms, and Karyne (the "flyer") to our left, we began. # # # KJ: I found contradictory information about your history on the websites I looked at. Let's go through it. You were born in 1974 in Montreal, and you started appearing in your fathers' TV show, Les Satellipopettes, when you were six? SARAH: Yes. KJ: And you started gymnastics at age seven? SARAH: Nine. KJ: And then moved to the trapeze at age ten? SARAH: Sixteen. KJ: There are lots of errors out there! SARAH: I know! People publish without checking with us first. And they make so many mistakes. (Laughs) KJ: In your trapeze act, your foot-to-foot technique takes everyone's breath away. How did that become about? Has that technique been around a long time? KARYNE: We were the second couple in the world to do it. The first were two African guys, the Ayek Brothers. Their teacher was our teacher as well. Actually our teacher was doing it too so I guess it comes from him. He says he tried it in practice but never performed it. SARAH: He was a contortionist, very tall and impressive. KARYNE: He was from Africa but lives in England and speaks Dutch. When we met him he didn't speak French very well and we didn't speak English. So it was really funny [trying to communicate]. KJ: Who brought you and your teacher together? SARAH: Andrew Watson. He wasn't Artistic Director then, he was an Artistic Coordinator for Saltimbanco. And he wanted to take this project [us] under his wing. KARYNE: So he asked Guy if he could take us and make an act. SARAH: [Andrew] was a trapeze artist himself. So he contacted Basil (Soultz), who was his teacher back in London and told him, "I have these girls, they're identical twin sisters, they have long legs, I think we could do something great with them." And Basil said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Let's do a feet-to-feet number." Basil had seen this technique in a circus performance when he was young and wanted to create an act like it. KJ: So Cirque was responsible for creating your act? Cirque found you and put you together with your teacher of the feet-to-feet technique? SARAH: What we said was, "Let's give it a try." And working with our teacher we found new positions and ways to do the movements. We also gave names to the movements. KARYNE: And we invented several new movements. It was a really nice experience. At first when they asked us to try the feet-to-feet catch... SARAH: ...We tried, for a couple of seconds. But we couldn't hold it! KARYNE: We hid and cried. We were like, "What are you thinking? It's impossible!" It's hard enough to catch each other like this (clasps arms) because we're the same weight. I remember saying to my sister that night, "I don't want to do this." SARAH: The bruising of the skin was the worst. The skin on the top of the foot is so sensitive and thin that it bruised right away. We broke the veins in our feet so many times, so there was this big bump. And they said, "Keep on doing it." SARAH: You know you've had a successful move when you can feel the pain. If you don't feel the pain you know you're falling. (Laughter) KARYNE: That was at the beginning. SARAH: And now we have crocodile skin. KARYNE: Yes, the skin got thicker. Now we don't feel anything. KJ: In 1992, when you were 18, you won a Gold Medal at the Cirque du Demain (Circus of Tomorrow) Festival in Paris. When did you join Cirque? KARYNE: We had already joined Cirque at that time. We hadn't signed anything, that was kind of the [audition]. They wanted to see how we performed. Cirque du Demain was our first performance. SARAH: There was one before that in Russia though. Cirque sent us to Russia to make sure we were good performers. KARYNE: It was quite an experience for us. SARAH: They sent us to Latvia, and for us it was another world. KARYNE: It was our first experience of circus. We were in this show - not a festival, it's called a gala. SARAH: It was a little bit hard for us because we had this blue silk costume that was shiny with big diamonds and things. KARYNE: Cirque offered these costumes to us. SARAH: When we got there everybody was dressed in khaki or long, yellow, dirty, falling apart kind of costumes. We felt really bad. We didn't want to perform in our costumes. KJ: So in only your second public performance you won the gold medal? KARYNE: Yes. And then Cirque said they would sign us for the next tour. But as soon as we started training with Cirque [way before the Paris Gold Medal performance] we had an idea that we were going to be in the next show. But we knew that they wanted to test us and see how good performers we were. How we endure pain, etc. SARAH: When they accepted us for training they said, "In one year you'll be the trapeze artists for the next new show." And that knocked us out in a way, but in another it gave us so much confidence. Because we had to do it, we had to go for the goal they gave us. It gives you so much responsibility, even at 16. You become more adult. It's like, "They trust us, let's prove it." SARAH: It was nice that they trusted us, so we took on the challenge. KJ: That's a heck of an audition. Talk about pressure! KARYNE: When we arrived in Paris we were sure we were going to win. Even though we had no idea, we had confidence. SARAH: But we didn't know we were going to win the Gold. KARYNE: Right, but we knew we were going to win the hearts of the people. Because we were trained to give to the walls. Which was hard because when you train in an empty gymnasium the walls don't give back. As soon as you get in front of the public it's like, "Whoa! It's so much easier." KJ: So you had two years to develop the act you performed? KARYNE: One Year. Six months before going to Russia. KJ: Let's go through the rest of your history. In 1991 Cirque said they wanted to work with you. In 1992 you won the Gold Medal and joined Saltimbanco. Did you join during the creation process or after the show was touring? SARAH: We arrived during the creation process, after everybody was hired. We had a number all ready but we had to learn the show and the dancing, the characterizations. KARYNE: We were the first act chosen for the new show. I mean chosen and trained already. But we were really excited to meet the rest of the [crew]. Everyone was very welcoming, like family. It's a funny fact, but we're re-uniting with Andrea Conway, who was with us at the beginning of Saltimbanco, when we move to Teatro Zinzanni in San Francisco. We haven't seen her for 8 years. KJ: In 1994 you won a Gold Ring Award at the First International Festival of Circus in Geneva, Italy when you were 20. And in 1995 you took a Silver Crown at the Festival de Cirque de Monte Carlo. Were you still with Saltimbanco then? SARAH: Yup. KJ: You were with Saltimbanco for the North American Tour but didn't appear in the Japan tour. Then you toured with Saltimbanco again for the European Tour? SARAH: First we did the North American Tour of Saltimbanco. Then they asked everybody if they wanted to go to Japan. We battled between yes and no, to go or not to go. At that time the biggest concern in our minds was that we were still teenagers that had been with our circus family for so long. We needed to go it alone, get away from our family for awhile. So we didn't go to Japan. We took classes, we also went and performed in the Tigerpalast cabaret in Frankfurt, Germany. We really wanted to see the world, just the two of us. But in the back of our minds we knew we'd return to Cirque one day. So when they asked us to do the European Tour it was very interesting so we said yes. KARYNE: A funny fact - You [Sarah] had in mind you were going to be back with Cirque, but I was done. I was done three times with Cirque du Soleil. Three times I thought, "Let's move on, I'm ready for something else." And then they would call and tell us their plans. And we'd say, "Oh, that sounds cool," so we wanted to go back. KJ: In 1998 you moved from Saltimbanco to "O". How did you get involved in "O"? SARAH: During the Saltimbanco European Tour, they talked about taking the show back to Japan and China. There was a big hard tour proposed that nobody really wanted to do. And for our feet-to-feet technique that would be scary to do in Japan because the humidity level is very high. And that's hard for us, no matter how much rosin you use, it slides. So for half our number we'd have to be really cautious, especially during the swinging part where we had no net. We would have been really nervous. It was too much for me to think I could drop her in Japan. So as we're talking about this, Gilles Ste-Croix came to us and said, "Girls, how about a water show in Las Vegas?" Of course Las Vegas was not attractive, this was in 1996. But we said, "Let's do it, let's go for it." So at the end of the European tour we went home. KARYNE: We knew we had a year. Half a year to relax and half a year to prepare. SARAH: But in the relaxing time we still trained and prepared for "O", to build a new number and characters. We did some other things during that time, too. KJ: So you were brought in twice during the creation process, both for Saltimbanco and "O". What's the creation process like? KARYNE: Amazing! SARAH: Exhausting! KARYNE: But fun. KJ: Have you seen Cirque Du Soleil: Fire Within? (Both nod yes.) It sounds like there are a lot of parallels between your experience and that of the aerial strap Atherton twins. Would you say what you experienced was similar to the process Fire Within documents? SARAH: That's exactly how it is. Even worse. KARYNE: Harder. Mentally hard. You give everything, and keep giving and giving. Then at the end of the day they say they're scrapping everything and we'll start fresh tomorrow. Or they change the apparatus. And you know all your effort is wasted, you just want to die. SARAH: But it's nice because you learn about yourself. If somebody asked me to go through another creation process I'd jump right in. KARYNE: But I wouldn't do it right now because of my child. SARAH: You put in 12-hour days, even more. It's a big commitment. But with a director like Franco Dragone you also have to trust and put everything in his hands and he directs you. During that six-month creation process he calls the circus tent a Cathedral and he wants you to be respectful, as if you were in a church. KARYNE: Because it could be a big mess if no one listens or respects, or if you don't do what someone asks. SARAH: I think he's one of the hardest directors. He's demanding, but in a good way. KARYNE: It's fun, he makes it fun. KJ: Fans tend to think that Dragone directs the most interesting Cirque productions. They seem to spark the imagination more, are more open to interpretation, compared to later shows like Dralion and Varekai. But, for example, I like Varekai with its storyline. KARYNE: That gives the story directly to the people. But with Franco, he makes it so you can take whatever you want out of it. It touches everyone differently, everyone sees it differently. KJ: You were with "O" for two years, then you went away and came back for awhile some time in the Fall of 2002? KARYNE: That was the other time I never thought I'd be back with Cirque. SARAH: Karyne had just had her baby. Two months afterward we got a call. We had always told them if they had problems they could call us, and they did. The girls who were replacing us... KARYNE: ...Those girls [The Alimova Sisters] are so sweet. They're so good, they learned the act in six months. They had never done trapeze before. And they're close to 30, and both have children. It's amazing... SARAH: ...They had a hard time because one of them had a shoulder problem. And the replacement wasn't doing too well, she had had surgery. They had to cover 10 shows a week, which is hard. KJ: So they called you and asked if you could sub for them? SARAH: We did four shows a week. KARYNE: They gave us a week to think about it. But after a day we called back and accepted. So we had a week to train, train, train. SARAH: Karyne had had her baby, but it was a very fit pregnancy. In fact she has a pregnancy fitness video [available at www.progressiveparent.com.] So she was very much in shape from doing that. KJ: (To Karyne) When was your daughter born? KARYNE: August 9th, 2002. Azia Rose. (AH-zee-uh) KJ: You were with Cirque du Soleil during its formative years, when the company was small and just starting to becoming successful. Fans are very interested, what's Guy Laliberte like? KARYNE: He's passionate, kind of crazy... SARAH: ...Very creative. A very hard worker, a workaholic. He used to be very close to the artists. Back then he would take us out to the beach in San Francisco to fly kites with him. KARYNE: He was like a big brother... SARAH: ...But the bigger and bigger the company got the less and less people could reach him. KARYNE: Also he has no time. KARYNE: He's omnipresent. But people don't know him. SARAH: But we got to know him. KJ: It's sounds like he's an ethereal figure. This person who just appears every once in awhile, like in Fire Within. SARAH: Yeah. But we were there at the beginning. We went to Monte Carlo with him. KARYNE: We know his mom and dad, they're from our town. SARAH: But you know, Guy started on the streets. He left school... KARYNE: ...He's open minded. But now I think he's so big and rich. He's not the same person, I guess. KJ: There's a new book out, an unauthorized autobiography of Cirque du Soleil ("Dans les coulisses du Cirque du Soleil" by Jean Beaunoyer, Quebec Amerique, 2004, ISBN: 2-7644-0242-2 (French)). It talks a lot about the early years. SARAH: We'd like to write a book about us, our stories. KARYNE: But we'll wait until we're 80. SARAH: Then we'll have lots of stories to tell! (Laughter) KJ: Do you feel Cirque compensates fairly? KARYNE: You do make a fair amount of money for a young person. Especially if you come from Russia or China. When we started we were 16 and making more money than anybody else we knew. But it doesn't last forever. There isn't enough money on the side toward retirement, like sports like hockey have. SARAH: It's a production similar to a Broadway show but isn't compensated like Broadway. Yet it's a circus. If you compare it to other circuses, like those in Europe, Cirque pays well. KJ: What I hear from the artists perspective is, Cirque is the top. If you want to work for anybody in the circus world you want to work for Cirque du Soleil. Because of the type of product they produce. Where you're able to showcase your talent... SARAH: ...And it looks good on your resume, too. KARYNE: Circus is really nice for athletes because after your career is over there's not much you can do. To have this kind of opportunity is just amazing for any athlete. Someone who doesn't even think about what they're going to do after their competitive career is over. Except maybe teaching or doing something completely different. KJ: Being independent contractors, how many jobs do you do a year? SARAH: At least two a month. Sometimes more than that, say 5 a month. For us it's a big vacation. KARYNE: It's like, "Oh, you're getting fat!" (Laughter) SARAH: It's much easier. You can do less for more money. SARAH: Yes, that's what's fun. You have more time to do other things, like research. KJ: There was an episode of Solstrum that involved twins, fans were wondering why you weren't there? SARAH: That was when we were filming the first season of Carnivale. KARYNE: We were ready to do it, the contract was all done. But then the filming schedule for Carnivale changed and we couldn't commit. SARAH: We were sad about that. KARYNE: We read the script and it looked like fun. And the girl (director) that was doing it was really fun. KJ: In Teatro Zinzanni, what characters do you play? SARAH: It's fun because we play a surprise kind of character. At first we're just one flower girl. KARYNE: The flower girl is being invited to celebrate the birthday party of El Vez who's one of the main characters in the show. He kind of falls in love with the girl and she is kind of innocent. But something happens and we fool the public. I don't want to let out the secret though. (Smiles) KJ: The concept of Teatro Zinzanni is very intimate. There's lots of interplay between the characters and the audience. That's different from being in a circus ring. How does that work for you? SARAH: The biggest reason I wanted to do Zinzanni was the intimacy. When we were in Saltimbanco we were on top of the public a lot, swinging. We could see their facial expressions. And that was very intimate in a way with the tent, the sound and everything. When we got to "O" we started to suffer from the "fourth wall." We weren't out over the audience and it was a completely different experience. We missed the intimacy so much we thought we'd try something like Zinzanni. KARYNE: In "O" I kind of felt far away from the people, it was less intimate. SARAH: That's one thing we find that's special - when you're up there [on the trapeze] whatever relationship you have with your sister everybody sees. In "O" I was with her but I couldn't tell if everyone was connecting with what was happening. But here at Zinzanni everybody can see what's happening. It's good, it's a nice sharing feeling. We love to share, that's why we do trapeze. What we'd like everyone to take away from our performance is: Love each other no matter what. Whether you're brothers, sisters, lovers, or partners... KARYNE: ...Trust. Help. When they're down pick them up, 'cause next time you'll be down and they'll pick you up. SARAH: Use each other in a good way, that's the message we like to send. In Zinzanni it's very nice... KARYNE: ...'Cause we feel like we can give that message. SARAH: The fact that we touch people. At the end [of our act] we go down and we talk with the audience. That's a little bit hard, it's a challenge. Before we do our act it's okay, we're playing a character. After the act we try to play [our] character but everybody's like, "How old are you? Where are you from?" And you're thinking, "Ahhhh!" KARYNE: We can't be mean and cold and not answer their questions. SARAH: At first we would answer in French but they felt we were being rude. KJ: What one thing or experience has had the most effect on your career, on your life? KARYNE: Working together so intensely. For me, anyway. Because if we hadn't worked together and we each had done different things I think it would have been easier to see what our relationship is. I feel so close to her and so together in mindset. We're not just sisters, we're partners. We're this mix of things. SARAH: Sometimes you forget you're two, you start to think you're one. It's a whole life experience to try and figure it all out. KARYNE: We're trying to be more focused on, "Who Am I? Who Is She?" Our differences. Because we work together it's really hard [for us] to see. The first time we ever realized that there was someone else besides ourselves was the first week of trapeze we did. SARAH: Andrew asked us, "What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of you?" And we didn't like it. We answered, "We're the same! We don't have any differences." KARYNE: But Andrew said he saw differences, "You're more flexible, and you're stronger." He saw the differences between the two of us. And it's true. Since we were born we've moved forward holding each others hands, literally. And when we started doing trapeze he made us look at each other and see that there is a different person there. And to work together with the strengths and weaknesses we both have. KARYNE: And that's how I think it should be in companies, partnerships, or couples. SARAH: You're better at doing dishes, and I'm better at cooking. KJ: Who inspires you? What inspires you? SARAH: A lot of things. Music, we've always been really inspired by music. KARYNE: Musicians in general, the way they express themselves with music. SARAH: We like every kind of music except heavy metal. And country, we like so-so. KARYNE: We're inspired by our dad, our mom, our friends. The guy who washes the dishes. Everyone gives us something every day. SARAH: Something we learned that we really try to live by is this: You can go walking in the mountains and be really amazed by the size and beauty of it. But you have to remember that when you walk in the park or on the street and you see a little flower that that is just as beautiful as the mountain. So if you don't have inspiration look at the little things and try to find inspiration there. Performing is hopefully something you can also project, for people to get inspiration from and inspire others, too. SARAH: You always have to be inspired so you can inspire other people. Every day we have to feed [inspire] ourselves with something, you know. KARYNE: At the circus they give people the chance to take classes. Which is amazing because they pay for it. People can take classes in whatever they want. For me it was cello, for Sarah it was drawing. If you take a class during the day, even if it's for just an hour you come out of it so excited. You did something new, you learned something new. And when you go and perform you have this new thing to give. Even if you stay home you can also be inspired, like by the radio. So learning something new is always good. KJ: Is there one attribute you think someone who wants to be involved in circus arts has to have in order to be successful? SARAH: A dream. Determination. Discipline. KARYNE: Craziness. (Laughs) SARAH: I think you need to have a dream. Of course, if I leave the circus world and I want to try something in another direction I'll have to see if it works. But we had a dream, we had a passion and we went for it 100%. We stopped seeing our friends, we didn't go out, we didn't drink. We just worked so hard at it that we got it. And I think if you're dedicated you can get pretty much what you want. KARYNE: Also I think in the performing arts you need to have a lot of imagination. Because when you keep on doing something over and over, like in the circus world where you do something over and over, you need to be using your imagination every day, for every show. And feel like you're a bird, feel like you're flying or in the water, a fish, whatever. SARAH: It's like taking drugs without having any drugs. It's like having a good trip every day. KJ: What words of wisdom do you have for young artists? What would you say to encourage them or make them aware of what the challenges are? KARYNE: When you want it, you can have it. If you really want it you'll be able to do it. SARAH: And also, be open. KARYNE: Be very open to ideas, everything. Another thing I keep on telling myself is, I'm a unique person even if I have a twin sister who looks like me. I am like a diamond, a piece of art, and diamonds are all different. We're all unique, each of us. So if I just stay myself and be truthful when performing I can project myself out to the audience. And people will be interested in seeing it. SARAH: So people will see who you are. KARYNE: Knowing that you're different than anyone else, that's really a big help. Even if I am trying something new, playing music or singing for example, I think about that. And I trust that people will be interested in it enough to see me inside it. # # # At that point our interview had to stop as they had to get to the tent to prepare for the evenings show. We chatted a bit more about our mutual love of Cirque du Soleil and other topics but were interrupted when adorable baby Azia came toddling up to her mommy. We also got to say a brief hello to Karyne's husband. Our sincere thanks for this interview to Karyne and Sarah Steben for being so giving in talking with us, our contact at One Reel for graciously running interference, and my wife LouAnna for patiently putting up with my obsessive hobby. ------------------------------------------------------ "CirqueCon 2007: Orlando Updates" By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA) ------------------------------------------------------ Inside: o) Update #1: Friday, March 30, 2007 o) Update #2: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 o) Update #3: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 o) Update #4: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 o) Update #5: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 UPDATE #1: Friday, March 30, 2007 ================================== Greetings, fellow Cirquesters. We have some excit-- wait, Cirquesters? Yes, it seems we have yet another label thrust upon us, as if "Cirquies" (coined by Vancouver press in 2004) wasn't enough, but unlike the connotations behind "Cirquies" this one was given with kindness and compassion. While we prefer "Passionates," as it precisely describes our feelings for Cirque du Soleil, don't be surprised to hear "Cirquesters" thrown around here and there at La Nouba during our event! You may also notice that the style of our updates has changed. It's Not an April Fools joke - this is Ricky "Richasi" Russo speaking, stepping up to chair our 2007 event. Rich Alford and I will be hosting you in Orlando while Keith Johnson and Louanna Valentine will be concentrating on our Tokyo 2008 event. So, please let Rich and I know if you have any questions about CirqueCon 2007 by emailing us at the following address: orlando@cirquecon.com. Now, as we said, we have some exciting announcements regarding CirqueCon 2007: Orlando! This is a huge update, so grab a snack, something to drink, and a comfy chair. There's a lot of information to review and digest. So, without further adieu: In This Update ------------------------------------- °o°) Event Date Confirmed °o°) Cirque Activities °o°) Cirque Tickets °o°) Hotel Information °o°) Reserving Your Room °o°) Disney Park Tickets °o°) Transportation °o°) Epcot Dessert Party °o°) Social Activity: "Cirque Swap" °o°) CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo Update °o°) In Conclusion... # # # EVENT DATE CONFIRMED ---------------------- We apologize for being ambiguous about our selected weekend up till now, but we are very happy announce our weekend dates now! And they've been confirmed "A-OK" by all parties involved: +--------------------------------+ | | | Thursday, August 9, 2007 | | through | | Sunday, August 12, 2007 | | | +--------------------------------+ Q. Why did we select that weekend? A. We chose August 9th through 12th as our event weekend to provide an opportunity for families with children to attend a CirqueCon event. We felt welcoming families with children by scheduling our event prior to the start of the school year allowed the perfect opportunity for our Passionates with children to introduce (or re-introduce) them to the fun of both Cirque du Soleil and Walt Disney World. Imagine CirqueCon 2007 being a child's first exposure to Cirque du Soleil coupled with the excitement of Walt Disney World. We could ignite a passion that could burn forever! CIRQUE ACTIVITIES ------------------- Although we cannot promise anything from Cirque du Soleil, after hearing from our Las Vegas hosts how special our weekend in the desert was, our Orlando contacts are excited about us coming! We have had preliminary discussions with Cirque du Soleil here in Orlando, but nothing to announce yet. Just as soon as we know, you'll know! CIRQUE TICKETS ---------------- We have selected Saturday, August 11, 2007 @ 9:00pm as our Official CirqueCon performance of La Nouba. Cirque currently has a block of tickets in two sections on reserve; however, they are not yet ready to begin selling these seats to us. But don't worry, we have them on reserve! +---------------------------------+ | | | *** CIRQUECON OFFICIAL SHOW *** | | | | Saturday | | August 11, 2007 | | @ 9:00pm | | | +---------------------------------+ Due to time constraints, CirqueCon WILL be facilitating the purchase of these tickets (i.e., we'll be selling them to you, rather than Cirque,) so we will have purchase details available for you just as soon as we can. Hang in there! HOTEL INFORMATION ------------------- Rich and I are excited to announce that we have chosen a Disney resort that best matches our event, our location and our budgets (we're saving for Tokyo too!) Therefore, I'd like to announce the following hotel and rate! +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | DISNEY'S PORT ORLEANS: FRENCH QUARTER | | $125.00 USD + 12.5% Tax / Night | | (TOTAL $140.63 USD / Night) | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter is one of the World's "moderate" resorts, New-Orleans-inspired with the magical Touch of Mardi Gras, sitting on the banks of Disney's own Themed river: the Sassagoula. The resort is described as "an enchanting combination of amenities and value," that Features "charming facilities, delectable dining and lively Locales to enchant and enterain your entire family." What makes this resort our best option is that it's not far from Downtown Disney (where La Nouba is performing,) it has a wonderful selection of amenities (below,) and access to Disney's legendary transportation alternatives, including direct access to Downtown Disney via Water Launch (just get on a water launch and go straight to La Nouba!!) Some highlights include: °o°) Service and Amenities: .) Limited room service .) Concierge desk .) Babysitting and child services .) Pak-n-Play Crib available .) Rooms and facilities for Guests with disabilities .) Laundry facilities/services .) Convenient self-parking °o°) Recreational Options: .) "Doubloon Lagoon" Pool .) Spa/Hot Tub .) Video Arcade .) Playground .) Jogging Trail (One-mile) .) Watercraft Rentals (Kayak, Canopy & Pontoon Boats) .) Bike Rentals .) Fishing (Catch and Release Only) .) Horse Drawn Excursions °o°) Room Features: .) Most rooms are available with two double beds. A limited amount of rooms with king-size beds are also available. .) Disabled accessible rooms available .) In-room pizza delivery .) Non-smoking rooms available .) Irons & boards, hair dryers and coffee pots .) In-room refrigerators .) In-room safes .) Cable TV w/Disney Channel and ESPN .) High Speed Internet Access .) Laundry facilities/services Want a peek at the resort? Visit Walt Disney World's website on Port Orleans: French Quarter to acquaint yourself with this fabulous hotel: < http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/ resortLanding?id=PortOrleansFrenchQuarterResortLandingPage >. RESERVING YOUR ROOM --------------------- As a special treat for all CirqueCon 2007: Orlando attendees, we have reserved a modest block of rooms at the group-discounted rate of $125.00 USD (+ 12.5% tax) [Total: $140.63 USD] a night, each of the three nights of the event (Thursday 8/9, Friday 8/10 and Saturday 8/11), regardless of whether there are 1 occupants or 4 (max). ARRIVING EARLY / STAYING LATER? "Hakuna Matata!" It means "no worries" and by staying with us you don't have to! Our group rate is guaranteed up to three days prior and three days after our event weekend, just for early arrivals (Monday 8/6, Tuesday 8/7, Wednesday 8/8) and late departures (Sunday 8/12, Monday 8/13, Tuesday 8/14). "It's our problem-free philosophy!" So come join us! +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | To Reserve Your Room: | | | | 1) Call Disney Group Reservations at 407.938.4868 | | | | 2) Use Group Name: CirqueCon 2007 Orlando Group | | (Group # G0491779 just incase it is needed) | | | | NOTE: This code is for CirqueCon 2007 Members ONLY. | | Please do not give this number and code to non-members! | | | | *** THIS SPECIAL OFFER ENDS FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2007! *** | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ °o°) Have the following information on hand: a) Check-In Date b) Check-Out Date c) Number of Rooms d) Number of Occupants (1 to 4) e) Your Name, Address, Phone Number f) Bed Preference: 1 King or 2 Queen h) Smoking Preference: Smoking or Non-Smoking i) Any Accessibility or Special Needs issues DISCLAIMERS: °o°) First night's room charge and tax is due as a deposit at time of call to guarantee reservation. They accept Visa, American Express, The Disney Credit Card, MasterCard, Diner's Club Card, Discover Card, and JCB Card. °o°) They'll also want to know your Group Disney Park Ticket order. (see the "DISNEY PARK TICKETS" section of this update for more information on Park Ticket prices.) °o°) Confirm Disney's Magical Express Airport Transfer - if you have your airline reservations confirmed, please advise Disney so you can take advantage of the free service offered by Disney (see information under the "TRANSPORTATION" section of this update.) Whether or not you make your reservations at CirqueCon 2007: Orlando's Headquarters Hotel (Port Orleans: French Quarter), please let us know! We'd love to know where you are! DISNEY PARK TICKETS --------------------- Not only are we Cirque du Soleil Passionates, we're also huge Disney park fans, therefore, we plan to do a little park-hopping ourselves during the weekend and we'd like you to join along in the fun! (We're currently looking at our schedule, but tentative plans exist for an evening on Thursday and/or all-day Friday.) To help ease the pain, members of CirqueCon 2007 have the opportunity to purchase Group Theme Park tickets directly through Disney Group Reservations for a 10% discount! Now, we can't tell you which ticket to get, but we'd love for you to join us! Prices below include tax): /-------------------+----------------------+-\ | Magic Your Way | Magic Your Way Group | / | Group Base Ticket | Park Hopping Ticket | \ /-----+-------------------|----------------------|-/ | Day | Age 10+ | Age 3-9 | Age 10+ | Age 3-9 | \ |-----+---------+---------|----------------------|-/ | 1 | $71.36 | $59.64 | $119.28 | $107.57 | \ | 2 | $127.00 | $106.00 | $170.00 | $149.00 | / | 3 | $185.00 | $154.00 | $228.00 | $197.00 | \ | 4 | $194.00 | $162.00 | $235.00 | $203.00 | / | 5 | $198.00 | $162.00 | $236.00 | $204.00 | \ \-----+-------------------+----------------------+-/ °o°) MAGIC YOUR WAY GROUP BASE TICKET This is the starter ticket for Walt Disney World and includes ONE (1) theme park admission(*) PER DAY for the number of days on the ticket to: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom PLUS one (1) admission to Pleasure Island(**). °o°) MAGIC YOUR WAY GROUP PARK HOPPING TICKET This ticket includes UNLIMITED theme park admission(*) PER DAY for the number of days on the ticket to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom PLUS one (1) admission to Pleasure Island(**). DISCLAIMERS: (*) Except for activities/events separately priced. (**) Guests under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a Parent or legal guardian in order to be admitted to Pleasure Island. °o°) Magic Your Way Tickets expire 14-days from first use Unless the "no expiration option" is added at an Additional cost. °o°) PLUS admission to Pleasure Island is NOT included on The 1-day pass. HOW TO PURCHASE DISNEY PARK TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased through Disney Group Reservations in two ways: 1) At the time the room reservation is made. 2) You can call back later using the GROUP NAME and CODE above to purchase tickets AFTER the room reservation has been confirmed. NOTE: Group Theme Park tickets are *NOT* available for sale at the resorts or Theme Parks, you will need to purchase tickets ahead of time if you plan to take advantage of the 10% discount. Otherwise, regular priced tickets and passes are available through the resort concierge desk and, of course, through ticket offices at each park. TRANSPORTATION ---------------- So, how are you gonna get from the hotel to Downtown Disney where La Nouba is showing? Or, better yet, how are you going to get from the Airport to the hotel? Have no worries, we have those answers for you! °o°) TO AND FROM ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MCO): For CirqueCon attendees staying with us at Port Orleans: French Quarter using the group code above, Disney provides Disney's Magical Express -- a free service that will shuttle Disney Resort guests to and from the airport. They will pick up your bags and transport them to your room - there's no waiting at the airport (except for the bus.) In order to take advantage of this fabulous service, you must request it at the time you reserve your room so don't forget! °o°) TO AND FROM DOWNTOWN DISNEY/LA NOUBA: There are two (2) ways you can reach Downtown Disney West Side from Port Orleans: French Quarter, they are: 1) via free Disney Resort Bus, which has pickups at various points around the resort, and 2) via Water Launch, a boat from the central building's dock straight to Downtown Disney. If you need further information about Disney World transportation alternatives, visit their online FAQ: < http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/helpFAQ? id=HelpFAQTransportationPage > EPCOT DESSERT PARTY --------------------- There's one last indulgence we would like you all to consider - one that is not included in the membership fee of CirqueCon and therefore will cost a little extra: an Epcot Dessert Party. If you're a regular Disney Park visitor, you've seen certain groups behind closed doors having special VIP parties with delicious looking foods to eat and impeccable service from Disney castmembers catering to their every whim. Why are they Receiving the red carpet treatment while all you can do is Walk by? Well, how would YOU like to be a Disney VIP too? How would you like having our own "group only" area just for Us, Desserts and drinks to sample as we mingle with our fellow Passionates, with our very own spot to watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth? Does this sound like something you'd be interested in? As my gift to Cirque Passionates who are also Disney Park fans, we would like to arrange for a special VIP Epcot Dessert Party on one of the evenings during our event weekend. It's $250.00 + tax to reserve a party (which is our personal gift,) however, the cost of attendance changes based on the menu selected. AND there's a minimum guest count of 20 before they'll even consider our reservation. Would you be interested? IF so, vote for the "Dessert Package" of your choice and if we get enough people interested, we'll update you on how you can reserve your spot. We're looking at either the evening of Thursday, August 9th or Friday August 10th, so please also let use know your date preferences along with your menu choice. We're really torn - they all look delicious! NOTE: Admission to Epcot is required and is in addition to the Dessert party price. See the "DISNEY PARK TICKETS" section of This update on information pertaining to the purchase of Disney Park tickets (at a discount!) /--------+--------\ | Base | With | | Price | Taxes | /----------+--------+--------| | Dessert 1 | $19.50 | $24.67 | | Dessert 2 | $24.50 | $30.99 | | Dessert 3 | $27.00 | $34.16 | | Dessert 4 | $31.50 | $39.85 | \----------------------------/ °o°) Dessert 1: The Child in You Florida Lemon Bars, Double Chocolate Brownies, Large Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Sugar Cookies, Chewy Rice Crispy Treats and Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 2: Old World Classics in Miniature Pastries in Miniature to include: Chocolate and Pistachio Cannoli, Fresh Fruit Tartlet, Vanilla Cream Filled Pastry Horns, Chocolate Éclairs, Raspberry and Cream Roulade, Oreo Cookie Cheesecake, Chocolate Pecan Pies; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 3: Build Your Own Desserts Fresh Baked Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream, Seasonal Berries and Fresh Fruits,Fruit Sauce, Whipped Cream, White and Dark Chocolate Sauce, Chopped Nuts, Crushed Cookies, Colorful Sprinkles and Broken Candies; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 4: Deluxe (Minimum of 30 guests) A Variety of Miniature Stemware Glassed to include Classic Tiramisu, English Trifle, Fresh Fruit and Berries; Pastry Selections in Miniature to include: Fresh Fruit Tartlet, Vanilla Cream Filled Pastry Horns, Chocolate Éclairs, Chocolate and Pistachio Cannoli; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch SOCIAL ACTIVITY: CIRQUE SWAP ------------------------------ Rich and I have been spinning our wheels in an attempt to come up with new and exciting activities we can engage in while everyone is with us in Orlando, besides the Epcot Dessert Party (which is a separate cost from CirqueCon membership,) our Group Meal and Meet & Greet options (we'll have more to say on this in a future update,) and other ideas we still have in the planning stages. We wanted something that would bring us all together, something that also touched on our passions for Cirque, but a little different than past endeavors. We couldn't find the right tone until... What if we took all our slightly used, duplicate or unwanted Cirque du Soleil stuff, brought it with us, and facilitated a swap meet - a Cirque Swap? Would that be something interesting to do? Let's try it and see! T-shirts, programme books, magnets, books, pens, pins, buttons, posters, toys, banners, puzzles, CDs, DVDs, hats, masks... you name it; bring it. And maybe someone else out there has some- thing you've been looking for and is looking to swap! We're still looking at our schedule to find an appropriate time and location to facilitate this activity, so just as soon as we know, we'll let you know. But if you're interested in taking part, don't forget to bring your items with you! CIRQUECON 2008: TOKYO UPDATE ------------------------------ And while we have your attention, Keith and Lucy have a few words about our next event - CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo! As with Las Vegas, we have been urged to steer clear of the Tokyo Cirque show during World Premiere Weekend (currently scheduled for August 8, 2008 though that may change). We will heed Cirque's advice, and are now looking toward some time in the fall with October, 2008 a likely candidate. We won't have an "official" weekend for some time, and won't be discussing Tokyo with Cirque again until early August, 2007. However, we feel it's never too early to begin dreaming, planning and saving, so we invite any and all of you to join us for this adventure - like the more than 20 "early adopters" already have! Membership is only USD $20.00 ($21.00 thru PayPal). If you have any questions (from our limited knowledge) feel free to ask us at Tokyo@cirquecon.com. Be seeing you! IN CONCLUSION --------------- Wow, so that's a lot of information to take in, but we're excited, can't you tell?! To recap all the announcements, we have: 1) Our weekend has been finalized as Thursday, August 9th through Sunday, August 12th. 2) Our Headquarters Hotel has been announced: Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter, at a rate of $125 + Tax each night for Thursday, August 9th, Friday August 10th and Saturday August 11th. Our group rate will disappear on Friday, July 6th so don't forget to call and reserve your room today! After the 6th, any unused rooms in the block are returned to Disney! 3) Disney Tickets and Airport Transportation can be arranged through Disney Group Reservations. 4) Our "Official" showing of La Nouba is Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm - a block of seats in two different sections has been held for us, and CirqueCon (rather than Cirque itself) will facilitate the tickets - more in a future update. 5) We haven't quite decided which evening to have the Epcot Dessert Party; however, in order to make our reservations we need at least 20 guests... so if you're interested please let me know as soon as you can! Remember, Epcot park admission is required to take part in this event and is a separate cost from the Dessert party's ticket. We know this is a lot of information to digest, so if you should have any questions regarding these announcements or future plans please do not hesitate to contact us at orlando@cirquecon.com. We'll get a response to you just as soon as we can! Get ready for a Zippity-du-Soleil time! UPDATE #2: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 ================================ Greetings, fellow Cirquesters. It's exactly 100 days until CirqueCon 2007: Orlando -- are you excited?! Rich and I have recently returned from taking part in the premiere previews of Koozå, Cirque du Soleil's latest touring production, in Montrèal and it was a fabulous time! (Although we are a little worn out.) Excited as we are about the new show (you're going to love it!) we wanted to quickly bring you up to date with the goings-on at CirqueCon 2007 here in Orlando. In this update we have a date, time and venue for our Epcot Dessert Party to announce so if you haven't yet decided to join us, please do! See the "EPCOT DESSERT PARTY" section of this update for RSVP information and costs. Wonder what the weather will be like in August? We know it'll be hot, but just how hot we can't say. But we can project the temperatures based on last year. You'll find that in the "WEATHER CONDITIONS" section of this update. Park hopping with us? In the "WDW PARK INFORMATION" section of this update we have provided the estimated park hours and times for specific events, such as daytime and nighttime parades and fireworks shows. There's a lot to see and do at Walt Disney World, so we hope this information is of benefit to you. And you'll find other CirqueCon specific information inside. (Including Koozå!) Also don't forget you can make your hotel reservations for CirqueCon 2007 right now by using our group rate and code below. See the "CIRQUECON 2007 FAQs" section of this update and reserve your room today! It'll save you money and you'll be with the group at one of Disney's great resorts -- Port Orleans: French Quarter! We have ours, do you have yours?! Please let Rich and I know if you have any questions about CirqueCon 2007 by emailing us at the following address: orlando@cirquecon.com. In This Update ------------------------------------- °o°) CirqueCon 2007 FAQs °o°) Cirque2007 is Koozå °o°) Epcot Dessert Party - Update °o°) WDW Park Information .) Expected Park Hours .) Parade & Fireworks Schedule °o°) Weather Conditions °o°) Update Wrap-up # # # CIRQUECON 2007 FAQs --------------------- Missed our last update? No problem! Here's some of the pertinent information you might need regarding our event. Our website at www.cirquecon.com is also up to date with the latest involving CirqueCon 2007: Orlando! °o°) Event Date -- Thursday, August 9th through Sunday, August 12th. °o°) Official CirqueCon La Nouba show -- Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm. °o°) Headquarters Hotel -- Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter $125.00 USD + 12.5% Tax / Night (TOTAL $140.63 USD / Night) To Reserve Your Room: 1) Call Disney Group Reservations at 407.938.4868 2) Use Group Name: CirqueCOn 2007 Orlando (Group # G0491779) NOTE: Room offer ends Friday, July 6, 2007 For more information on our Headquarters Hotel, please visit our website at the following address: < http://www.cirquecon.com/2007/hotel.htm >. °o°) What's the Epcot Dessert Party? As our gift to Cirque Passionates who are also Disney Park fans, we would like to arrange for a special VIP Epcot Dessert Party on the evening of Friday, August 10th (8:30pm!) It's $250.00 + tax to reserve a party (which is our personal gift to you,) however, the cost of attendance changes based on the menu selected. AND there's a minimum guest count of 20 before they'll even consider our reservation. Are you interested? See the "EPCOT DESSERT PARTY" section in this update. Cirque2007 is Koozå --------------------- Koozå tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. Koozå is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog. Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, Koozå explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement. The Fascination! Newsletter has more information about Koozå - follow the links below! Koozå: Unveiled! -- http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=397 Koozå: The Set -- http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=398 Koozå: The Costumes -- http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=399 EPCOT DESSERT PARTY --------------------- In our previous update we teased and tantalized every Passionate (of both Cirque and Disney) with the following question: Does having a "group only" area at Epcot just for us, desserts and drinks to sample as we mingle with our fellow Passionates, in our very own exclusive spot to watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (Epcot's night-time fireworks extra- vaganza) sound like great fun? Many of you responded with a resounding YES!? Therefore we are pleased to announce the selection of the following date, time and venue for the Epcot Dessert Party: +--------------------------------+ | | | Friday, August 10th | | at 8:30PM | | | | United Kingdom Pavilion | | Lower Terrace | | EPCOT World Showcase | | | +--------------------------------+ But there's a catch (drat, you knew there would be.) As before, the cost of attendance is based on the menu selected, admission to Epcot is required and is in addition to the Dessert party price, AND there's a minimum guest count of 20 before Disney will cater the event. (Sadly, we'll have to cancel if we cannot meet our minimum attendance requirement.) WHEW, get all that? So, we're calling all Disney Park fans! Don't miss this opportunity for tapis rouge treatment - Disney style! To RSVP: send an email to orlando@cirquecon.com and say, "YES!" to the Epcot Dessert Party and let us know the "Dessert Package" of your choice (options and pricing is listed below), and the number in your party. Cost is per person. /--------+--------\ | Base | With | | Price | Taxes | /-----------+--------+--------| | Dessert 1 | $19.50 | $24.67 | | Dessert 2 | $24.50 | $30.99 | | Dessert 3 | $27.00 | $34.16 | | Dessert 4 | $31.50 | $39.85 | \-----------------------------/ So far Dessert #4 has been the huge favorite and we've almost met our attendance minimums, so cast your vote today and come eat, drink and be merry with us under the fireworks at Epcot's World Shocase! Dessert Options: °o°) Dessert 1: The Child in You Florida Lemon Bars, Double Chocolate Brownies, Large Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Sugar Cookies, Chewy Rice Crispy Treats and Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 2: Old World Classics in Miniature Pastries in Miniature to include: Chocolate and Pistachio Cannoli, Fresh Fruit Tartlet, Vanilla Cream Filled Pastry Horns, Chocolate Éclairs, Raspberry and Cream Roulade, Oreo Cookie Cheesecake, Chocolate Pecan Pies; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 3: Build Your Own Desserts Fresh Baked Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream, Seasonal Berries and Fresh Fruits,Fruit Sauce, Whipped Cream, White and Dark Chocolate Sauce, Chopped Nuts, Crushed Cookies, Colorful Sprinkles and Broken Candies; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch °o°) Dessert 4: Deluxe (Minimum of 30 guests) A Variety of Miniature Stemware Glassed to include Classic Tiramisu, English Trifle, Fresh Fruit and Berries; Pastry Selections in Miniature to include: Fresh Fruit Tartlet, Vanilla Cream Filled Pastry Horns, Chocolate Éclairs, Chocolate and Pistachio Cannoli; Beverages: Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Fruit Punch WDW PARK INFORMATION ---------------------- Planning on visiting one of the parks during your stay with us at CirqueCon 2007: Orlando? If so, we have the expected park Operating Hours and Parade/Fireworks schedule times just for you! Please remember to check your park's guide map and times sheet upon arrival as these hours are subject to change and parades/firework shows can be canceled due to inclement weather conditions at any time. °o°) EXPECTED PARK HOURS .) Magic Kingdom Th/09th - 9:00am to 10:00pm (EMH) Fr/10th - 9:00am to 10:00pm (EMH) Sa/11th - 9:00am to 7:00pm Su/12th - 9:00am to 10:00pm .) Epcot Th/09th - 9:00am to 9:00pm (EMH) Fr/10th - 9:00am to 9:00pm Sa/11th - 9:00am to 9:00pm Su/12th - 9:00am to 9:00pm (EMH) .) Disney/MGM Studios: Th/09th - 9:00am to 9:00pm Fr/10th - 9:00am to 9:00pm (EMH) Sa/11th - 9:00am to 9:00pm Su/12th - 9:00am to 8:30pm .) Animal Kingdom Th/09th - 9:00am to 7:00pm Fr/10th - 9:00am to 7:00pm Sa/11th - 9:00am to 7:00pm (EMH) Su/12th - 9:00am to 6:00pm °o°) PARADES & FIREWORKS SCHEDULE .) Magic Kingdom: 03:00pm = Disney Dreams Come True Parade 09:00pm = Spectromagic! Parade 10:00pm = Wishes Nighttime Spectacular .) Epcot: 09:00pm = Illuminations: Reflections of Earth .) Disney/MGM Studios: 03:00pm = Disney Stars and Motorcars Parade 09:00pm = Fantasmic! .) Animal Kingdom: 04:00pm = Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade Q. What is EMH? A. EMH stands for Extra Magic Hours (not Emergency Medical Hologram for you Star Trek fans) and is an exclusive benefit of Disney Resort guests! Each day one of the Disney Theme Parks opens an hour early or stays open up to three hours after regular Park closing, so Disney Resort Guests (with valid resort ID) can enjoy easy access to select attractions - even the most popular ones! With Extra Magic Hours, you can make the most of your vacation time and see and do everything at an easy, relaxed pace. If you want to take advantage of this benefit and have a Magic Your Way Base Ticket, your Theme Park selection must be the Park offering the Extra Magic Hours benefit that day. Remember, you can only visit one Theme Park per day with the Magic Your Way Base Ticket. To get the most out of the Extra Magic Hours benefit, just add the Park Hopper(r) Option to your ticket. Then you can go from Theme Park to Theme Park on the same day, including whichever Park has Extra Magic Hours. What's open? °o°) Magic Kingdom Park .) Mornings: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, "it's a small world", The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape!, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. .) Evenings: Includes attractions listed above and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain. °o°) Epcot .) Mornings: Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE, Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Test Track. .) Evenings: Includes attractions listed above and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Mexico-Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Norway-Maelstrom, The American Adventure. °o°) Disney-MGM Studios .) Mornings: Muppet Vision 3-D, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Star Tours, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. .) Evenings: Includes attractions listed above and The Great Movie Ride, Voyage of The Little Mermaid. °o°) Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park .) Mornings: DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, It's Tough to be a Bug!, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. .) Evenings: DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to be a Bug!, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin. WEATHER CONDITIONS -------------------- We recognize that August presents weather challenges: daily afternoon thunderstorms are the norm, August is the middle of the Atlantic Hurricane season, and temperatures and humidity soar. While these weather phenomenons do pose as challenges, we hope these will not be deterrents. There are plenty of indoor locations both inside and outside the parks to get out of the sun and into an air-conditioned setting - such as: the resort pool, AMC Movie Theater complex, stores and shops at Downtown Disney Marketplace, other WDW resorts (check out Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Pop Century) and even our resort's main house! For the weather conscious, here are some high and lows from last year to give you an idea of what to expect in August: /-----------------------------\ | 2006 Temperatures | +--------+------+------+------+ | Date | High | Low | Hum. | +--------+------+------+------+ | AUG 09 | 93°F | 72°F | 94% | | AUG 10 | 95°F | 72°F | 100% | | AUG 11 | 95°F | 74°F | 94% | | AUG 12 | 96°F | 74°F | 94% | \-----------------------------/ UPDATE WRAP-UP ---------------- That's it for this update. We'll have more soon! Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this update, our previous update or anything else relating to CirqueCon. Also, don't forget, our website at www.cirquecon.com is up to date with information pertaining to our Headquarters Hotel, Cirque Show Tickets and our Social Activities (including the CirqueSwap and Epcot Dessert Party!) C-ya real soon and get ready for a Zippity-du-Soleil time! UPDATE #3: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 ================================== Greetings, fellow Cirquesters. We were going to be a little cheeky and sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall in honor of it being the 99th day until CirqueCon 2007: Orlando, but we decided that might be a bit obnoxious so we thought better of it. :) In our rush to get out an update to our members we forgot to mention one or two items - OOPS! Therefore, this update is only a little addendum to what we sent out yesterday. More to come just as soon as we have it! Please let Rich and I know if you have any questions about CirqueCon 2007 by emailing us at the following address: orlando@cirquecon.com. In This Update ------------------------------------- °o°) CirqueCon 2007 FAQs °o°) Stuff We Forgot To Mention... °o°) CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo Quick Update °o°) Special Corteo Shows/Q&A Session For So-Cal Passionates # # # CIRQUECON 2007 FAQs --------------------- Missed our last update? No problem! Here's some of the pertinent information you might need regarding our event. Our website at www.cirquecon.com is also up to date with the latest involving CirqueCon 2007: Orlando! °o°) Event Date -- Thursday, August 9th through Sunday, August 12th. °o°) Official CirqueCon La Nouba show -- Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm. °o°) Headquarters Hotel -- Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter $125.00 USD + 12.5% Tax / Night (TOTAL $140.63 USD / Night) To Reserve Your Room: 1) Call Disney Group Reservations at 407.938.4868 2) Use Group Name: CirqueCOn 2007 Orlando (Group # G0491779) NOTE: Room offer ends Friday, July 6, 2007 For more information on our Headquarters Hotel, please visit our website at the following address: < http://www.cirquecon.com/2007/hotel.htm >. °o°) What's the Epcot Dessert Party? As our gift to Cirque Passionates who are also Disney Park fans, we would like to arrange for a special VIP Epcot Dessert Party on the evening of Friday, August 10th (8:30pm!) It's $250.00 + tax to reserve a party (which is our personal gift to you,) however, the cost of attendance changes based on the menu selected. AND there's a minimum guest count of 20 before they'll even consider our reservation. Are you interested? See the "EPCOT DESSERT PARTY" section in this update. STUFF WE FORGOT TO MENTION... ------------------------------- 1) CIRQUE TICKETS -- Some of you have asked where we might be sitting during our official CirqueCon performance of La Nouba and at what cost these tickets will be. Unfortunately we do not yet know the cost of the tickets for our CirqueCon members (meaning, whether there will be a group discount or not) but we do have on hold a number of seats in two sections: 103 (Front and Center) and 204 (around the Sound Booth.) Why two? We were advised section 204 represents the best seats in the house for sound quality and show visuals but we also recognize there are a great many of you who also like that front and center experience; therefore, we've reserved seats in both areas to accommodate everyone's taste! A win-win situation! Don't forget that our official show is scheduled for Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm. We'll have further announcements regarding ticket sales and seat assignments just as soon as we can. We know you're excited but hang in there! 2) GROUP MEAL -- One of the most important aspects of CirqueCon is facilitating activities and events that allow our guests the opportunity to mingle and acquainted with one another in an understanding and relaxed environment. It's something that brings us together as a community. One of them is, of course, our Group Meal and we've had a number of ideas as to where a huge group can sit down and have a great, relaxing meal together. We're currently leaning toward the House of Blues at Downtown Disney - you can't beat the location! But we'd like to hear from you, our members, where you might like to go. Have a suggestion? Let us know! Email us at orlando@cirquecon.com. 3) VOLUNTEERS -- A few of you have expressed interest in helping us out this year; THANKS! We're not exactly sure what kind of help we'll need this year, but we do thank you for your interest and your willingness to give up your precious time to assist us. We'll definitely keep you in mind! As always, if you should have any questions regarding our upcoming event in Orlando, please let us know! CIRQUECON 2008: TOKYO UPDATE ------------------------------ Hi Folks! Keith here with a short update on CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo! Not much to mention right now, besides our gratitude to those of you who have already become members; we're humbled. We're also humbled by our initial research into costs (USD $1000.00 per person for flights from Seattle to Tokyo in August, and $1300 if leaving from Orlando - ouch!). But nobody said Tokyo would be cheap. We've started to research hotels in the area, and fellow Passionate Steve Long has graciously consented to a photoreconnaissance mission to have a look around for us, for which we're very appreciative. We're considering facilities in the Tokyo Disneyland "Resort" area (which at first glance look a bit pricey - $160.00 per night and up), as well as close-by areas connected to the resort by local mass transit (where the rates look better). We'll be learning more when Steve returns at the end of the month. SPECIAL CORTEO SHOWS / Q&A SESSION FOR SO-CAL PASSIONATES ----------------------------------------------------------- While we're telling you about special stuff WE have planned, we wanted to clue you in to something special Cirque itself has planned! At two stops in the Los Angeles, California area, Corteo will be hosting special nights especially for Cirque Club members. And from what we've been hearing from our contacts at Cirque, they are looking to be special nights indeed! On Friday, August 24 at Corteo's site at the LA Forum, and on Friday, November 9 at the Orange County Fairgrounds, Corteo will play host to a special meet and greet/Q&A with at least one veteran of Cirque du Soleil. And we mean from the beginning, back before they were a household name. Before Saltimbanco even! And though plans are just forming, there might be more than that, depending on how many True Fans fill the seats. Tickets are on sale now exclusively for CirqueClub members (check out Corteo's LA and OC dates on the "Shows & Tickets" page of the Cirque website). We haven't heard any confirmed names, but these two performances are just after the premier night in each location, which suggests to us the possibility of "big" names. Cirque has told us they'd like to fill the theater with true Passionates (Cirque Clubbers) who can appreciate what they are planning. If this appeals to you, get your tickets now! UPDATE WRAP-UP ---------------- That's it for this update. We'll have more soon! Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this update, our previous update or anything else relating to CirqueCon. Also, don't forget, our website at www.cirquecon.com is up to date with information pertaining to our Headquarters Hotel, Cirque Show Tickets and our Social Activities (including the CirqueSwap and Epcot Dessert Party!) C-ya real soon and get ready for a Zippity-du-Soleil time! UPDATE #4: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 =================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 71 DAYS UNTIL CIRQUECON 2007: ORLANDO! THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2007 through SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings, fellow Cirquesters. Dateline Wednesday, May 23rd: CirqueCon.com Hacked! It's hard to believe our website was hacked last week, but during the wee hours of the morning, our site was attacked by an unknown assailant. He, or she, found a vulnerable spot in one of the scripts - probably through the forum - and was able to alter our main page, the main forum page, and the main page for the pictures site. Despite the trouble this may have caused, we're pleased to announce that we have fixed this intrusion without much of a fuss, although we ran into a problem updating the forum to repel such future attacks - our forum imploded! So it is with much sadness that we must begin again and start the forum from scratch. Please drop on by, re-register your user ID, and take part in our discussions about CirqueCon 2007: Orlando and CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo today! But while we're at it, how about an Orlando update? You'll find all the latest information about our various activities, the Hotel, the Dessert Party and La Nouba tickets below. As always more will come just as soon as we have it, and if you should have any questions regarding this, or any of our previous updates, please let Rich or I know - email us at the following address: orlando@cirquecon.com In This Update ------------------------------------- °o°) Headquarters Hotel - Come Join Us! °o°) Group Meal - House of Blues? °o°) Epcot Dessert Party - A Go? °o°) CirqueSwap - Who's in? # # # °o°) HEADQUARTERS HOTEL - COME JOIN US! Still not sure where to stay for CirqueCon 2007 in Orlando? Come join Rich and I at CirqueCon's Headquarters Hotel - Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter! As a special treat for all CirqueCon 2007: Orlando attendees, we have reserved a modest block of rooms at a group-discounted rate each of the three nights of the event (Thursday 8/9, Friday 8/10 and Saturday 8/11), regardless of whether there are 1 occupants or 4 (max). +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | DISNEY'S PORT ORLEANS: FRENCH QUARTER | | $125.00 USD + 12.5% Tax / Night | | (TOTAL $140.63 USD / Night) | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter is one of the World's "moderate" resorts; New-Orleans-inspired with the magical touch of Mardi Gras, sitting on the banks of Disney's own themed river: the Sassagoula. The resort is described as "an enchanting combination of amenities and value," that features "charming facilities, delectable dining and lively locales to enchant and enterain your entire family." What makes this resort our best option is that it's not far from Downtown Disney (where La Nouba is performing,) it has a wonderful selection of amenities, and access to Disney's legendary transportation alternatives, including direct access to Downtown Disney via Water Launch (just get on a water launch and go straight to La Nouba!) So come join us! +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | To Reserve Your Room: | | | | 1) Call Disney Group Reservations at 407.938.4868 | | | | 2) Use Group Name: CirqueCon 2007 Orlando Group | | (Group # G0491779 just incase it is needed) | | | | NOTE: This code is for CirqueCon 2007 Members ONLY. | | Please do not give this number and code to non-members! | | | | *** THIS SPECIAL OFFER ENDS FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2007! *** | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ ARRIVING EARLY / STAYING LATER? "Hakuna Matata!" It means "no worries" and by staying with us you don't have to! Our group rate is guaranteed up to three days prior and three days after our event weekend, just for early arrivals (Monday 8/6, Tuesday 8/7, Wednesday 8/8) and late departures (Sunday 8/12, Monday 8/13, Tuesday 8/14). "It's our problem-free philosophy!" Whether or not you make your reservations at CirqueCon 2007: Orlando's Headquarters Hotel (Port Orleans: French Quarter), please let us know! We'd love to know where you are! °o°) GROUP MEAL - HOUSE OF BLUES? One of the most important aspects of CirqueCon is facilitating activities and events that allow our guests the opportunity to mingle and acquainted with one another in an understanding and relaxed environment. It's something that brings us together as a community. One of these activities is, of course, our Group Meal and we've had a number of ideas as to where a huge group can sit down and have a great, relaxing meal together. We were leaning toward the House of Blues at Downtown Disney - you couldn't beat the location! But we've heard from the House of Blues and while they can accommodate our group and have favorable meal options, it is unfortunate for us to announce that their contract requirements are a bit beyond our means. There are plenty of other eating establishments at Downtown Disney so we will be checking with each of them. In the meantime, we'd like to hear from you, our members, on where you might like to go for our Group Meal. Have a suggestion? Let us know! Email at at orlando@cirquecon.com °o°) EPCOT DESSERT PARTY - A GO? Response to our plans for a Dessert Party at Epcot has been very positive; however, we still need more outstanding Passionates to make this a party! As of this update we have 18 of our 20 minimum slots filled. What that means is, before Disney will sign us up, we need to have a minimum guest count of 20 (for desserts 1, 2 or 3) and a minimum count of 30 (for dessert 4). Sadly, we'll have to cancel this exciting opportunity if we cannot meet our minimum attendance requirements. Haven't made up your mind to join us for the Epcot Dessert Party? Don't delay any further! We're calling all Disney park fans! Don't miss this opportunity for tapis rouge treatment - Disney style! Come join us for sweets and fireworks at Epcot's World Showcase today! +--------------------------------+ | | | Friday, August 10th | | at 8:30PM | | | | United Kingdom Pavilion | | Lower Terrace | | EPCOT World Showcase | | | | * menu to be announced soon * | | | +--------------------------------+ For information regarding menu selection, prices and other disclaimers, please see our Epcot Dessert Party page on our website by following the link below: < http://www.cirquecon.com/2007/social.htm#dessert > °o°) CIRQUE SWAP - WHO'S IN? CirqueSwap? Here's the premise - what if we took our slightly used, duplicate or unwanted Cirque du Soleil stuff, brought it with us, and facilitated a swap meet - a Cirque Swap? Would that be something interesting to do? T-shirts, programme books, magnets, books, pens, pins, buttons, posters, toys, banners, puzzles, CDs, DVDs, hats, masks... you name it; bring it. And maybe someone else out there has some- thing you've been looking for and is looking to swap! Are you interested? Want to participate? Let us know at orlando@cirquecon.com today, so we can find the most appropriate venue and time to have our swap meet! °o°) LA NOUBA SHOW TICKETS - WHEN CAN WE GET 'EM? In one word: SOON. We know you're anxious to hear where we might be sitting during our official CirqueCon performance of La Nouba and at what cost these tickets will be. Unfortunately we still do not yet know the cost of the tickets for our CirqueCon members (meaning, whether there will be a group discount or not) but we do have on hold a number of seats in the following two sections - 103 (Front and Center) and 204 (around the Sound Booth) - so don't worry, you will have a seat! Why two? We were advised section 204 represents the best seats in the house for sound quality and show visuals but we also recognize there are a great many of you who also like that front and center experience; therefore, we've reserved seats in both areas to accommodate everyone's taste! A win-win situation! Don't forget that our official show is scheduled for Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm. We'll have further announcements regarding ticket sales and seat assignments just as soon as we can. We know you're excited but hang in there! °o°) LOS ANGELES AREA CORTEO WEBSITE UP In addition to our previous update, there is now a special website set up for the 20th Anniversary return of Cirque du Soleil to the Los Angeles area. There are some fun videos and (for Southern Californians) an essay contest! The website design suggests there will be more "celebratory activities" happening than just the Q & A sessions we discussed last update (Aug 24 for LA, Nov 9 for OC). Check out www.20angels.com today! As always, if you should have any questions regarding our upcoming event in Orlando, please let us know! C-ya real soon and get ready for a Zippity-du-Soleil time! UPDATE #5: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 ==================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 58 DAYS UNTIL CIRQUECON 2007: ORLANDO! THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2007 through SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings, fellow Cirquesters. I'm off on a little adventure this weekend, but before I go, I want to drop a line and update everyone on our progress for CirqueCon 2007 in Orlando. In many ways we're zipping right along (creation of our programme book, goodies, and activities) but in others even we are still in the dark (La Nouba tickets, Group Meal and possible Cirque Activities.) However, let me just get right to it... After reading our latest update, if you should have any questions regarding this, or any of our previous updates, please let Rich or I know - email us at the following address: orlando@cirquecon.com -- Ricky "Richasi" Russo In This Update ------------------------------------- °o°) CirqueCon 2007 Tentative Schedule °o°) CirqueCon 2007 Tentative Schedule Chart °o°) Epcot Dessert Party - CONFIRMED! °o°) Headquarters Hotel - Come Join Us! °o°) CirqueSwap - Who's in? °o°) La Nouba Show Tickets - When Can We Get 'Em? # # # °o°) CIRQUECON 2007 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE We know you've been waiting for it - our schedule of events - and we apologize for the delay. What we've got here is a tentative schedule of what our weekend might look like if certain planets fall into alignment. While we wait for further confirmation, we'd love to present to you some of our ideas and gage your interest in partaking in them: Thursday, August 9th ---------------------- We're kicking off our celebration on the evening of Thursday, August 9th with a little early Disney Magic. After you've checked in and settled, join us at Downtown Disney West Side for a sneak peek at the La Nouba theater, explore with us as we wander the shops of Downtown Disney, then join us as we get a little sweet at Ghirardelli at the Marketplace. And just as the evening winds down, come with us as we jump into the party at Pleasure Island! I, myself, recommend the Adventuer's Club for those looking for just a spot of the quirk. And then it's back to the rooms to settle in for the night. It'll be a long, hot afternoon tomorrow! Friday, August 10th --------------------- On the morning of Friday, August 10th, join us as we make an impromptu registration area within our rooms (from 9:00am until 11:30am). Feel free to stop by and pick up your Epcot Dessert party tickets, your programme packets, to say hello or to just mingle with other passionates. After we've closed for the day, we're off to partake in the magic of the Walt Disney World resort -- Relax. Park Hop. Enjoy the Hotel. Go Swimming. Take a walk on the Boardwalk. Get a sundae at Ghiradelli's. See a movie at AMC 24. Splash at Typhoon Lagoon. Putt on one of several Disney golf courses. Whatever. You name it! The day is yours! Carpe Diem! At 8:30pm our Dessert Party begins at the United Kingdom Pavilion, Lower Terrace at EPCOT World Showcase. Good Evening and Welcome. A "group only" area has been reserved just for us to mingle with our fellow Passionate, with desserts and drinks to sample, as the spark of a thousand fireworks cast their brilliance over the waters of the World Showcase Lagoon. Epcot's night-time fireworks extravaganza: Illuminations 2000 Reflections of Earth is the perfect night cap to a magical Disney day. [NOTE: This is a special "D-Ticket" attraction. You must be registered for the Dessert Party ahead of time - no walk-ups available, sorry.] Not quite ready to tuck in? Don't worry! Get ready to let out that child inside you. How would he or she like to play at Fantasia Gardens Mini-Golf? From 10:00pm until 11:30pm, come putt with us at Fantasia Gardens located across from the Disney/MGM Studios and within walking distance from many EPCOT area resorts and hotels. "Play as hippos dance, fountains leap and broomsticks march, and enjoy interactive obstacles inspired by memorable scenes from Disney's classic animated feature film 'Fantasia.' It's a golfing fantasy!" Or, if you're in for more of a challange than whimsy, try your shot at Fantasia Fairways, a miniature grass course complete with sand traps, water hazards and par-three and four holes up to 75-feet long! Saturday, August 11th ----------------------- This is the day we've all been waiting for. Join us once again Saturday morning as we open our rooms for registration purposes, then, depending on our friends at Cirque du Soleil, prepare yourselves for a morning of circus delights! At 4:00pm we'll break for our Group Meal... ... but first gather with us outside the La Nouba theater in front of the Cirque du Soleil logo for a day-time photo of the group! Then it's off to La Nouba at 9:00pm, where, once upon a time a door opened and two worlds collided. Dreams clashed with reality. The mundane mixed with the marvelous. It was no longer possible to tell where one world began and the other ended. This new place was called La Nouba. Stick around because this circus isn't yet over... who knows what may happen AFTER the show! Sunday, August 12th --------------------- On Sunday morning, join us once again in our hotel rooms for the Kaffeeklatsch - an impromptu get-together to give us your thoughts about the weekend. Come have a cup of coffee or tea and let us know how we did and what can be improved for our next adventure: CirqueCon 2008: Tokyo! Or just stop by to say "good-bye!" °o°) CIRQUECON 2007 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE CHART For those who may want a quick read of our tentative schedule for reference... THURSDAY, AUGUST 9TH - 5:00pm -- Arrivals and Check-in 7:30pm - 9:00pm -- Disney Magic 11:00pm - 1:00am -- Pleasure Island FRIDAY, AUGUST 10TH 9:00am - 10:30am -- Registration (Our Hotel Room) 11:00am - 8:00pm -- Disney Magic 8:30pm - 9:30pm -- Epcot Dessert Party 10:00pm - 11:30pm -- Fantasia Mini-Golf (??) SATURDAY, AUGUST 11TH 10:00am - 11:30am -- Registration (Our Hotel Room) 12:00pm - 4:00pm -- Possible Cirque Activities (??) 5:00pm - 7:30pm -- Possible Group Meal (??) 8:30pm - 11:00pm -- La Nouba (9:00pm Show) 11:00pm - 11:45pm -- Possible Cirque Activities (??) SUNDAY, AUGUST 12TH 10:00am - 12:00pm -- Kaffeeklatsch (Our Hotel Room) 12:00pm - -- Wrap Up & Departures °o°) EPCOT DESSERT PARTY - CONFIRMED! +--------------------------------+ | | | Friday, August 10th | | at 8:30PM | | | | United Kingdom Pavilion | | Lower Terrace | | EPCOT World Showcase | | | | * menu to be announced soon * | | | +--------------------------------+ In our previous updates we've teased and tantalized every Passionate (of both Cirque and Disney) with the possibility of having a "group only" area at Epcot just for us, desserts and drinks to sample as we mingle with our fellow Passionate, within our very own exclusive spot to watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (Epcot's night-time fireworks extra- vaganza). As we've said before, response to these plans has been quite positive but there was always been this "catch" looming over our heads: the minimum guest count before Disney would consider catering the event. We would like to thank every passionate who has thus far leant their support to the endeavor, and for their patience as we inched our way toward that goal. Truly, thank you. that patience and perseverance has paid off. And so we're very pleased and happy to announce... THE DESSERT PARTY IS READY FOR LIFT-OFF! GET READY FOR TAPIS ROUGE TREATMENT - DISNEY STYLE! Registered Guests ------------------- The following guests are registered for the Epcot Dessert party today - if you're interested and your name does not appear here, please email us immediately at: orlando@cirquecon.com. Russo (party of 2) Preece (party of 2) Alford (party of 1) Parisot (party of 1) Metzger (party of 5) Fallis (party of 1) Colton (party of 1) Garrett (party of 2) Meyd (party of 2) Peck (party of 2) Gaveau (party of 2) NOTE: Once the final menu has been confirmed (by July 6th) we will have further payment details. Thanks for your support! ALSO NOTE: Due to the nature and cost of this event we will not be able to accept walk-ups. You must be registered in advance to partake in this event! There's Room For You! ----------------------- While we have met our minimum guest count to have Disney cater dessert 1, 2 or 3, we'd love to have more outstanding Passionates to make this a grand adventure! Still haven't made up your mind to join us for the Epcot Dessert Party? We have until July 6th to set the dessert menu so don't delay - come join us for sweets and fireworks at Epcot's World Showcase today! For information regarding menu selection, prices and other disclaimers, please see our Epcot Dessert Party page on our website by following the link below: < http://www.cirquecon.com/2007/social.htm#dessert > °o°) HEADQUARTERS HOTEL - COME JOIN US! Still not sure where to stay for CirqueCon 2007 in Orlando? Come join Rich and I at CirqueCon's Headquarters Hotel - Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter! DON'T DELAY - OUR CIRQUECON 2007 HEADQUARTERS HOTEL SPECIAL OFFER ENDS ON FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2007 - HURRY AND GET YOUR ROOM TODAY! * * * As a special treat for all CirqueCon 2007: Orlando attendees, we have reserved a modest block of rooms at a group-discounted rate each of the three nights of the event (Thursday 8/9, Friday 8/10 and Saturday 8/11), regardless of whether there are 1 occupants or 4 (max). +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | DISNEY'S PORT ORLEANS: FRENCH QUARTER | | $125.00 USD + 12.5% Tax / Night | | (TOTAL $140.63 USD / Night) | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter is one of the World's "moderate" resorts; New Orleans-inspired with the magical touch of Mardi Gras, sitting on the banks of Disney's own themed river: the Sassagoula. The resort is described as "an enchanting combination of amenities and value," that features "charming facilities, delectable dining and lively locales to enchant and entertain your entire family." What makes this resort our best option is that it's not far from Downtown Disney (where La Nouba is performing,) it has a wonderful selection of amenities, and access to Disney's legendary transportation alternatives, including direct access to Downtown Disney via Water Launch (just hop on a boat and float down river to La Nouba!) So come join us! +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | To Reserve Your Room: | | | | 1) Call Disney Group Reservations at 407.938.4868 | | | | 2) Use Group Name: CirqueCon 2007 Orlando Group | | (Group # G0491779 just incase it is needed) | | | | NOTE: This code is for CirqueCon 2007 Members ONLY. | | Please do not give this number and code to non-members! | | | | *** THIS SPECIAL OFFER ENDS FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2007! *** | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ ARRIVING EARLY / STAYING LATER? "Hakuna Matata!" It means "no worries" and by staying with us you don't have to! Our group rate is guaranteed up to three days prior and three days after our event weekend, just for early arrivals (Monday 8/6, Tuesday 8/7, Wednesday 8/8) and late departures (Sunday 8/12, Monday 8/13, Tuesday 8/14). "It's our problem-free philosophy!" Whether or not you make your reservations at CirqueCon 2007: Orlando's Headquarters Hotel (Port Orleans: French Quarter), please let us know! We'd love to know where you are! °o°) CIRQUE SWAP - WHO'S IN? CirqueSwap? Here's the premise - what if we took our slightly used, duplicate or unwanted Cirque du Soleil stuff, brought it with us, and facilitated a swap meet - a Cirque Swap? Would that be something interesting to do? T-shirts, programme books, magnets, books, pens, pins, buttons, posters, toys, banners, puzzles, CDs, DVDs, hats, masks... you name it; bring it. And maybe someone else out there has some- thing you've been looking for and is looking to swap! Are you interested? Want to participate? Let us know at orlando@cirquecon.com today, so we can find the most appropriate venue and time to have our swap meet! °o°) LA NOUBA SHOW TICKETS - WHEN CAN WE GET 'EM? In one word: SOON. We know you're anxious to hear where we might be sitting during our official CirqueCon performance of La Nouba and at what cost these tickets will be. Unfortunately we still do not yet know the cost of the tickets for our CirqueCon members (meaning, whether there will be a group discount or not) but we do have on hold a number of seats in the following two sections - 103 (Front and Center) and 204 (around the Sound Booth) - so don't worry, you will have a seat! Why two? We were advised section 204 represents the best seats in the house for sound quality and show visuals but we also recognize there are a great many of you who also like that front and center experience; therefore, we've reserved seats in both areas to accommodate everyone's taste! A win-win situation! Don't forget that our official show is scheduled for Saturday, August 11th at 9:00pm. We'll have further announcements regarding ticket sales and seat assignments just as soon as we can. We know you're excited but hang in there! As always, if you should have any questions regarding our upcoming event in Orlando, please let us know! C-ya real soon and get ready for a Zippity-du-Soleil time! (fin} ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Compendium Volume 7, Number 3 (Issue #53a) - May/Jun 2007 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2007 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. { Jul.15.2007 } =======================================================================