On November 9, 2015, MSC Cruises announced a long-term partnership with Cirque du Soleil to create a total of eight brand new shows exclusively for MSC guests aboard the cruise line’s next-generation Meraviglia-class ships that would set “new standards in live entertainment at sea” in multi-million dollar, ground-breaking entertainment and dining venues. “We have found in MSC a long term partner with a clear vision about trends in the cruising industry and a strong desire to be the leader by bringing entertainment on board to a whole new level,” said Yasmine Khalil, President 45 DEGREES. “For Cirque du Soleil, this is what inspires us and provides us with a great creative challenge that we require for each new relationship and project that we embark on.”
Back in 2013 Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, is said to have had a vision to take the entertainment offered on board his ships to the next level. Since MSC Cruises seeks to work with innovative, world-class leaders, it was only natural to approach Cirque du Soleil. The 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia, the initial ship in the class, is the first cruise ship ever to feature a multi-million dollar, ground-breaking entertainment and dining venue able to meet the unique needs of Cirque du Soleil also whilst at sea.
With Cirque du Soleil and MSC Cruises having just announced its next pair of shows for the MSC Bellissima (due to launch in March 2019), we thought taking a look at the first two shows created for this partnership were in order (and a bit overdue if we’re being honest…)
THE CAROUSEL LOUNGE
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Cirque du Soleil was tasked to create two shows, each with a different concept, ambiance, storyline, costumes and make-up. The two very different, contrasting shows – VIAGGIO and SONOR – each lasting 40 minutes, are performed twice a night for six nights in the ship’s £20m Carousel Lounge high-tech theatre.
The Carousel Lounge was designed by MSC Cruises together with the Architect Marco De Jorio to meet these very specific needs. Equipped with the most cutting-edge technology and special rigging, the 10,760 sq ft, 450-seat space is very intimate – one of the smallest venues for Cirque du Soleil – but one that enables the performers to deliver sublime performances, making the interaction between the guest and performers for the exclusive enjoyment of MSC guests even more special.
The name carousel was chosen to convey the combined spirit of MSC Cruises offering unforgettable experiences and of Cirque du Soleil’s unique performances, conjuring up festive and magical emotions. A carousel is associated with childhood memories of festive outdoor fairs. And there is something inherently captivating about a carousel – The music, colours, lights, and movement all combine in a unique, breath-taking experience. But it’s not just about the visual experience for MSC Cruises, they’re also in it for the gastronomy a well: “We wanted to elevate the experience even further for our guests and for this we have worked hand in hand with the creative team from Cirque du Soleil to create the first Dinner & Show experience on our fleet,” said Gianni Onorato, Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises.
The dinner experience is a gastronomic delight, where every detail from the table settings, the costumes, the music and visual effects through to the menus have been specially designed to complement each pre-show experience. The dining experience starts one hour before the show performance begins and is a treat for the senses with surprise animation from performers, live music, stylish table settings topped off with a table d’hôte three-course menu of eclectic creative dishes. The dining experience to complement SONOR guests is invited into a parallel world where culinary creations will not only trick the eye but the senses, whilst VIAGGIO immerses guests in a universe of colour, testing the imagination of guests from beginning to end. Other guests can enjoy a Cocktail & Show experience that will begin 30 minutes before the performance starts and will include a specially designed signature cocktail and tempting treats.
CREATING THE TWO SHOWS
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Creating a cruise show brings up some unconventional theatrical considerations. “You have to keep that high level that Cirque offers of acrobatic performance, but you’re not on flat unmovable land,” said Susan Gaudreau, show director of Cirque du Soleil at Sea. “It upped the level for us a little bit.” Plus, space on a cruise ship is limited. The intimate Carousel Lounge can accommodate 413 spectators, a fraction of the big-top settings that can seat up to 2,500. The setting called for added creativity. “The trapeze wouldn’t work because the ceiling is a lower height than what a big top is,” Gaudreau said. They had to find other ways to move performers through the air, such as using aerial tracks and creating a carousel that transports them.
That wasn’t the only challenge. Gaudreau and Marie-Hélène Delage, creative director of Cirque du Soleil at Sea, knew that they were limited to one theater, one cast and one crew, but they needed to create two unique shows with their own costumes and concepts. “We wanted them to be as different as possible,” Delage said. “Not only in aesthetics but also in the acrobatic performance.” That meant they needed to find a range of abilities in anyone they hired, so that they could call on a particular circus talent in the first show – say, juggling – and then another in the next show – say, aerial work – to keep the productions distinct and audiences enthralled. “If you came to both shows you would not even recognize the same artists; you wouldn’t even know it was the same team of designers that created the two shows,” Gaudreau said.
She said that the shape and size of the venue helped her dream up each show. “Viaggio” is the tale of a painter following his muse and discovering a world of color and imagination, and Gaudreau was inspired to use the Carousel Lounge’s expansive LED screen as a blank canvas to paint his masterpiece. The story of “Sonor” was inspired by the theater’s immersive sound system, and the narrative about a hunter pursuing his prey is driven by rhythm and music. “The sound system was so amazing I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve got to do something with sound.’ That was my main trigger,” Gaudreau said.
While audiences shouldn’t expect any heavy nautical themes at the shows, Gaudreau says they should look for a wink to the unique setting: “We call it ‘a little kudos to life at sea.'”
THE COLORFUL VIAGGIO
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VIAGGIO is the story of a passionate and eccentric artist who hears the call of his Faceless Muse, a woman he has attempted to paint many times but always in vain. Mysterious and seductive, she beckons the Painter to boldly cross the threshold between reality and illusion into the vivid landscape of his unbridled imagination where he will finally complete his masterpiece. Animated by the music from his old radio, each stroke of the Painter’s brush reveals the details of his grandiose tableau. Electrifying colours fill the theatre with intriguing motifs and rich textures. A majestic aerial performance comes to life and the artists weave a vivid tapestry, transforming the theatre into a canvas. A lyrical duo of dancers mirrors the amorous interplay between the Painter and his Faceless Muse. Suspended high above the crowd, jugglers enter the scene and become part of this surrealist artwork, multicoloured acrobats soar through hoops, and ladders reach for the heavens, celebrating the artist’s impossible quest. The space around the Painter becomes a living canvas for his imaginary world. Before our very eyes, a masterpiece comes to life.
Scenes
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o) Painter’s Studio — Character/choreography
o) Wind Tunnel and colours — A-frame ladder flight with aerial silks
o) Transition Aerial to Juggling — Video
o) Transition Bike — Rigged double bike
o) Brotherly Brushes — Juggling
o) Cloud Transition — Video
o) Painter’s Reflection — Hand to Hand Acro Duet
o) Shadows transition — Video
o) The Painter’s Act — Acro Ladder
o) Introduction to Finale — Panels with choreography
o) The Masterpiece — Charivari
o) Salut — Bows
Characters
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The tale of the Surrealist Painter, who, in pursuit of his haunting yet Faceless Muse, steps boldly into the surreal and magical landscape of his own unfinished painting, and discovers that both artistry and inspiration come in many varied and fantastical forms. The VIAGGIO characters are inspired by the surrealist world, which are represented by the Painter (Real) and the Muse (Surreal). The others characters are an interpretation/representation of a surreal object.
o) The Painter — An eccentric and passionate artist. The Painter is the heart of the story. In search of discovering his Faceless Muse, he journeys through the illusionary and vivid world of his surrealist imagination in order to complete his Masterpiece.
o) The Muse — Alluring yet always elusive to the Painter, the Faceless Muse is graceful and poetic. Enticing the Painter to cross the threshold between reality and imagination, the Faceless Muse guides him through a voyage of magical discoveries. After she reveals herself to him, he can complete his Masterpiece.
o) The Brotherly Brushes — Two loud, expressive brothers, who speak an indecipherable language. These characters evolve from a classical “British Gentlemen” look and feel (tweed suit, vintage style). They have two very distinct personalities from one another. They are argumentative with each other yet work together despite the fact that they can never agree on anything.
o) The Colors — Aerialists represent the paint colours with which the painter works. As they move dramatically through the air, their costumes create a visual movement of flying colour and texture.
o) The Portals — Cheer and stunts represent the motion of the paint moving across the canvas. They are portals between the real and surreal worlds.
Costume & Makeup Designs
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The main inspiration being the surrealist imagery, the designer used the surrealist archetypes and actual clothing looks. Magritte was also a big inspiration, with its Derby hats and Classical men’s suits, butterflies and blue sky and clouds. Prints are used throughout, adding to the “surrealist” theme of the show, along with all sorts of bold colours: red, to represent the intensity of the Muse, pink, green, yellow, orange in addition to the colours in nature – sky blue, grass green and cloudy white.
o) The Painter — The main character of the show, the painter lives in the real world. He is a real man saturated by the pigments and colours that he works with. This is reflected in his make-up, which is natural with splashes of colour.
o) The Muse — The Muse starts with a painting of a woman’s face hidden by a giant butterfly, wearing a red dress with mermaid legs, blending the butterfly with the beta fish wings. Supported by the show’s female characters, portrayed by creatures midway between the sky and the ocean. She is the current piece of art of the painter. She is a dream that can never fully be created in his mind. The Muse is his inspiration, his masterpiece, the image that keeps him striving to stay true to his work. A formation of childhood memories; his first love, his mother. She is part painting, part woman, part mermaid. Inside her dress is a memory of a sunset hidden that is reflecting all the way to her face. This sunset and the colours are reflected in her make-up design.
o) Portals — These characters are inspired by their costumes and surrealist art. The key to the concept of the makeup design was to have different painting techniques to fit with the story of the show. Some designs feature washing effects, others stippling or flicking even dabbling. The point was to convey the feeling of a work of art in the make-up of every artist.
o) Brotherly Brushes — They are theatrical, comical characters. They are human brushes with different colours; one is green the other orange. Their moustaches are painted on to fit with the surrealist theme. The tip of their eyebrows and moustaches are dipped in their respective colour just like a paint brush. Their moustaches have flicked the paint on their cheeks to create freckles.
o) Colours — The make-ups for these characters is designed in accord with their respecting costume and character colour. The Green artist is also a Portal character so her make-up has been adapted a little for the two characters.
o) Hand to Hand / Colours — For the Hand to hand/ Colours characters, their make-up is an hybrid between two different roles they play in the show. The main role they play is the reflection of The Painter and The Muse in a dream vision of The Painter. The Blue artist is an hybrid between The Muse and the Colour concept. The Orange artist has the orange blending a little more discretely than the other Colours men and the blue painted line only on his jaw line.
THE SONIC SONOR
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With sound at its heart, SONOR takes us on an auditory adventure with dancers, acrobats and characters, all moving to a rhythm. Its beat stimulates the senses and fuels our emotions. Main character Sonor, a playful, elusive virtual character, first appears in the form of a single sound. Continually altering in appearance, Sonor guides the audience through the show and instigates all that is seen and heard. His nemesis, the Sound Thief, explodes into life and takes on a strangely human form. The Sound Thief traps and steals sounds, accumulating them like treasures and uses them as playthings for his own amusement. In their struggle over sounds, Sonor and the Sound Thief lead each other through a series of unique and captivating acts, taking our senses along for the ride. Sound is the ultimate winner of this joyous battle and is transformed into a symphony of artistic and acoustic movements. SONOR conjures a world of unique sensations, astonishing sounds, bold music and immersive projections. It culminates in a grand finale for the senses.
Scenes
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o) The Opening — Video
o) Sound Thief — Character work
o) Motion of Sound — Cyr Wheel
o) Transition: Sound Throwing — Character work
o) Visual of Sound — Straps and Vertical Dance
o) Transition: “Ne me quitte pas” — Character work
o) Human Symphony — Beatbox Number
o) Seeing through Movements — Dance Number
o) Artistry of Sound — Hoop act and walking globe
o) Vibration of Sound Finale — Acro Partner Stunts and Dance
o) Salut — Bows
Characters
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The thread throughout the show is the playful interaction between a virtual character and the Sound Thief. The virtual character Sonor loves to tease the Sound Thief by playing games with him.
Sonor is represented by a video image – a likeable, light, abstract, and morphing character that is always elusive to the Sound Thief. This image has a specific sound that is heard throughout the show. During the Human Symphony Act, Sonor is personified (becomes embodied) in the Beatboxer.
Sonor is a playful, visual character that interacts with the audience through video projection, lighting paths and sound trajectories. Comparable to the circus ring master, he instigates what is heard and seen and he leads the audience into a musical journey. Continuously altering its appearance throughout the show, Sonor guides the audience through an auditory voyage full of rich and unimaginable acts.
o) Sound Thief — Expressive and charismatic; the Sound Thief’s motivation is to take everything he can hear and store it within his body. In constant interaction with Sonor, whom he wishes to capture, The Sound Thief can either project or accumulate sound through the physical movements of his body. A physical dancer/mover, his character is dark in appearance and he is always surrounded by smoke.
o) The Tribe — The SONOR artists are seen as a support for the sense of Sound. Seen as a tribe, they all have their own particularities but together they are all linked, personifying sounds imagined and captured by the Sound Thief.
Costume & Makeup Designs
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The main goal was to create costumes that would replicate real-life clothing, creating a ‘tribal-futuristic-avant-garde’ collection. The chicness of greys is explored throughout – cold greys and warm greys, with shiny and mat fabrics, creating a multitude of combinations, creating a subtle but rich palette.
The beauty of this choice of greys, reacts to the light in an amazing way, the costumes literally becoming the colour of the light – if the light is a cold colour, the cold greys react to it and vice-versa for the warm colours.
The Sonor character represents purity and the opposite pole to the Sound Thief. All dressed in white, with a glittering skin tone motifs creates the effect of a soft lace.
The Cyr wheel costume is more on the classical side, in shades of grays, with a snake motif, a costume which illuminates when the UV lights are turned on, bringing abstraction to the human shape, becoming a luminous star twirling infinitely.
o) Sound Thief — This character gets very close to the different sounds that provide him with energy but sound is a very powerful element so that when he gets too close to the sounds he can get burned. To represent this, the make-up has been designed to represent a burned mask around his eyes. This is covered by a high collar for some of the show.
o) Artistry of Sound (hoops) — This character is very light and very pure. She is simple and young. She possess the silver element of sound, which is very small and refined. To show how this sound is channelled, the make-up design features a small line from her lips through to her throat.
o) Cyr Wheel — This artist is spreading the sound through the UV light reflecting from his costume. The white arched lines on his face are creating a perfect UV sphere as he is fabricating sound energy true to his act.
o) The Tribe — This concept for this show is modern and contemporary. The lines for the make-up had to be clean, inspired by the fashion runway but not too futuristic. The artists represent a tribe living in a parallel universe but they are human. Their costumes are similar but with personalised touches on each and this inspired the approach for the make-up designs. So the makeup has similar themes but is personalised for each artist featuring decoration with different geometric styles. Theses shapes represent sound being captured by each artist. They can feel, breathe and communicate through the decoration close to their ears. Theses shapes placed close together create a sound energy.
MUSIC: AN INTROSPECTION PROCESS
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“When it comes to doing music for Cirque du Soleil, inspiration is a big deal since you don’t write music on images like you would do for TV or Cinema. You have to start working before seeing anything, so the inspiration must come from something else than the visual. Basically, all the inspiration comes from the director, in these cases, Susan Gaudreau. Susan described the content of the scenarios of the two shows. She talked about the specific energy that she wanted to emanate for each scene. Afterward, with this information, I imagined these scenarios like movies in my head, and I simply did music for these two movies. Then, there is the question of style. With my previous experiences with Cirque, I always wondered where should I situate the work stylistically: should it be traditional? Should it be modern? Well, I had the unique opportunity here to go into each of these directions.
Viaggio
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Viaggio is telling the story of a painter, linked to the surrealist period. This called for neo-classical style, music featured during the surrealist era. Poulenc, Ravel, Debussy, Satie are all French composers who were an inspiration for this. Also, French music like “valses-musettes” from performers like Patachou and Frehel were also inspirations. These are references, with strong melodies played by accordions and violins, that have, for sure, also inspired Yann Thiersen in Amelie Poulain, but in our case we chose a more classical approach rather than pop.
The melodies in this project remain extremely important; the orchestration is always colorful and calls a lot to the imagination. To express « surrealism», I used sometime, like these composers, a few soft dissonances or weird harmonic juxtapositions, which creates a feeling of strangeness, but most of the time, when used with major chords, just a feeling of magic. The task here was to stay on the joyful and colorful side of the spectrum, as requested by Susan for this show. The light use of touches of piano, harp, celesta and glockenspiel also brings touches of magic here and there.
I also used syncopations like the ones we find in modern dance or house music, but here used by classical instruments, for example, like the clarinets we find in the The Brotherly Brushes. The envelope is completely classical but the content is basically dance music and, most satisfyingly, often brings the audience to handclap.”
Sonor
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The concept for Sonor was that the sound would be at the heart of everything. Hence, sound here is very important. That somewhat abstract aspect naturally oriented the style toward a more modern direction. Electronic music gives so many possibilities with playing, transforming and even creating new sounds, that it became an obvious choice. However, the real concern that electronic would bring a cold ambiance brought the idea to add human sounds in every numbers. This “human” participation was meant to balance the warmth of the show and to bring an organic and friendlier side. Human panting, breath, shouts, singing and other body sounds like clapping and kiss sounds are all displayed in various ways during the show. The sound characterizing the entity of Sonor was thought to be Morse-code-like by Susan, which can symbolize communication. At the same time, I thought of using ’Sine’ wave for Sonor, the simplest and purest form of sound waves, which, funnily, happened to be used originally for Morse codes.”
MAXIME LEPAGE
Composer & Music Director for VIAGGIO and SONOR
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM
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MARIE-HÉLÈNE DELAGE
Creation Director
Marie-Hélène started her career in the entertainment industry in 2001 as a customer services trainer and merchandising viability consultant for Cirque du Soleil. She quickly evolved towards the artistic and event production side, where she played the roles of Assistant creative director, Project manager, General stage manager, Artistic coordinator and Assistant stage director working on projects like: Love (Las Vegas 2006), opening act at the Super Bowl in 2007, Les Chemins invisibles (Québec 2009), Pan-American Games Opening ceremonies (2015), JOËL (Barvikha, Russia 2015). Her experience goes beyond Cirque du Soleil, acting as the Assistant creative director for Productions du Piano Sauvage, a Quebec-based entertainment production company, for 8 years, followed by a stint at Moment Factory as Production coordinator for Madonna’s MDNA Tour. She also collaborates with Cirque Éloize’s special events team. Acting as Creative Director now for Cirque du Soleil at Sea productions, Marie-Hélène takes with her an extensive experience in the creative process of circus-entertainment shows, having played the roles of Assistant production director for Cirque Éloize’s Cirkopolis (2012), Assistant to the Executive and Creation director and production project manager for their Music-Hall de la Baronne (2013) production, as well as Assistant Stage director and General Stage Manager for their Saloon (2016) production.
SUSAN GAUDREAU
Show Director
Throughout her 30-year career in the performing arts, Susan Gaudreau has taken on numerous roles behind the scenes in the circus, special events, film, television, and dance milieu. In 2005 she joined Cirque du Soleil as an Artistic coach, collaborating with designers on Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL, Zarkana and Amaluna. In 2014, she was a designer for KURIOS-Cabinet of curiosities. Since 2013 Susan has been designing and directing special events and shows for numerous Montreal based companies, including 45 DEGREES.
JAMES GREGG
Choreographer
Colorado born, Oklahoma raised. James Gregg has produced choreographic work for many dance companies in North America. Winner of prestigious awards such as the 2015 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award, his choreography work has also been recognized by the Ballet Austin’s New American talent, the Milwaukee Ballet’s Genesis Choreographic competition and by the International Choreographic Competition at Festival des Arts in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. As a performer, James has worked with Bodytraffic, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Aszure & Artists, Rubberband Dance Group and River North Dance Company, interpreting the works of renowned choreographers such as Victor Quijada, Barak Marshall, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Rodrigo Pedernieras, Frank Chauves, Danny Ezralow, Mauro Bigonzetti, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto, and more. James’ work has been featured in several music videos, feature films and TV documentaries and specials. Elton John, I am Lyon, Kresha Turner, Ils Dansent, On the road, and Soul Survivors are some of the people James has worked with. His biggest interest is to create movement from the inside out, exploring the different paths and routes through which the body can move. Discovering how these various avenues can evoke emotion and how those emotions translate throughout the body.
NADIA RICHER
Acrobatic Performance Choreographer
Animated by the movement of the body and the soul, Nadia Richer has had a passion for circus art and dance since she was little. A high level athlete in gymnastics, she graduated from the National Circus School of Montréal, which gave her a solid base for her carrier as a multidisciplinary artist, with Deborah Brown, Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia, which she followed on a world tour for five years. She also collaborates on other major projects and events. Her interest for dance and circus art have led her to explore various aspects of this industry, both on stage and behind the scenes. Nadia has worked as a trainer, coordinator, assistant and choreographer for six years now for Cavalia and Cirque Eloize. In addition to her every day work with the circus artists succession at the National Circus School, as a coach in acrobatic and aerial disciplines.
PIERRE MASSE
Equipment and Acrobatic Riggings Designer
After several years in the profession, in the entertainment industry, Pierre Masse joined Cirque du Soleil in 1996 as an automatization consultant for Quidam. His skills as Assistant Acrobatic designer and Technical Director have been highlighted on a number of projects, such as Complexe Cirque, Sport Extrême Aréna, and Cirque du Soleil shows: Varekai, Zumanity, KÀ, Love, CRISS ANGEL Believe. He subsequently held the position of equipment and acrobatic rigging designer for the shows Totem, MJOne, JOYÀ, Toruk and Paramour.
ALEXANDRE PICOTTE
Lighting Designer
Born in Montréal, Alexandre was fascinated by light and the art of lighting from a very early age, producing his first lighting concept for a theatre troupe at the age of 16. Alexandre graduated with a theatre production diploma from the Saint-Hyacinthe CEGEP in 1994. Right out of school, he was asked to join the, then young, Cirque du Soleil team, as Head of the lighting department, overseeing the multinational’s various creations. In 2009, Alexandre founded Lumière Verte Inc., a company that specializes in visual and lighting concepts, using his passion for lighting to personally brand each of his projects. The quality of his work has given him a very enviable reputation, his unique way of branding large artistic projects with a palpable theatrical feeling having given him the opportunity to work with some of the biggest circus creators as well as with many dance and theatre companies. He has been amongst a selected group of lighting designers involved in many special events created by Cirque du Soleil, 45 DEGREES, La Cité de l’Énergie in Québec, the École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal and Moment Factory.
ALEXIS LAURENCE
Multimedia Designer
Merging art and technologies in his scenic and video designs, Alexis creates, crafts, animates, generates and invents engaging visual environments. Specializing in media art and experiential design, Alexis has shaped innovative and creative solutions for nearly two decades. Namely, he has created dozens scenic designs for the Mexico City and Montreal editions of MUTEK, an International Festival of Digital Creativity. Alexis authored the video design on ID and Cirkopolis by Cirque Éloize; the scenic and video design for Scalada VISION, 45 DEGREES in Andorra; the video signature for Montreal’s QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES; the artistic and video direction on various TV shows in Quebec and has contributed to a number of video environments such as IGLOOFEST, the Montreal Pavilion for the Shanghai International Exhibition as well as the international concert tours for DJ Sasha and the Mexican band ZOE.
MAXIM LEPAGE
Composer & Music Director
After finishing his studies in music at the University of Montreal, Maxim Lepage started his career as a composer working in the colorful world of VRAK TV (children and teens specialty TV channel), theatre and video games. It was his two albums, signed under the name of Monsieur Max: Oncle Bijoux (Uncle Jewelry)(2006), Ida & Gaspara (2010), that got him noticed by the duo Lemieux-Pilon, with whom he went on to work on several projects as an audio designer and/or composer: Cintinuum presented at the Planétarium, Territoires Oniriques at MBAM (Montreal Museam of Fine Arts), Icare at TNM (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Montreal) as well as Cité Mémoire, a huge audio-visual project that celebrates the 375th-year anniversary of Montreal. He began his collaboration with 45 DEGREES by composing and designing the music/SFX for the gigantic Opening ceremonies of the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015, followed, in 2016, by La Forge aux Étoiles at the Futuroscope in Poitier (France).
JEAN-MICHEL CARON
Sound Designer
Working in the sound designing field for more than 20 years, Jean-Michel Caron has been creating sound environments for more than six years, for numerous special events designed by Cirque du Soleil. Currently, Jean-Michel has taken on the role of sound designer for VOLTA, after being sound co-designer for Kurios – Cabinet des Curiosités in 2014. He has also participated in diverse productions with the new studio Moment Factory, including Ode à la Vie, a multimedia show presented on the facade of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in 2012. He has also collaborated on some exhibitions and theatre projects in Québec. In his early days with Cirque du Soleil, Jean-Michel participated in several creations as a sound project manager and sound engineer. Subsequently he was appointed assistant sound designer for OVO, Zarkana, TOTEM, and Amaluna and lately Toruk from Cirque du Soleil. Since 2012, Jean-Michel has been teaching sound at the Alma High School.
LIZ VANDAL
Costumes Designer
As an “architect of the body in extreme movement”, her costumes reach the ultimate goal: “Equilibrium between esthetics and technique”, as beautiful as they are functional. Liz Vandal started her career as a fashion designer. Self-taught, she entered the universe of clothing twenty-five years ago. From dazzling beginnings she brought her originality to the rigorous domains of dance, circus, cinema and special projects. Vandal joined forces with Yveline Bonjean and Réal Houle, together, building a company of excellency.
Great partnerships link Liz Vandal with numerous choreographers and dance companies around the world: Edouard Lock; Compagnie Marie Chouinard; Margie Gillis; José Navas; Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal; Le Ballet National du Canada; The Washington Ballet; Mannheim Theater; Stuttgart Ballet (Germany); l’Opéra de Paris; Göteborg Theater (Sweden). Vandal explores all domains of show business, from creating costumes for The Backstreet Boys ‘Black ‘n Blue Tour’, to films including ‘The Lathe of Heaven’ directed by Philip Haas and Quebec’s Director Manon Briand’s ‘La Turbulence des fluides’.
Vandal enters the circus’ world, designing flamboyant insect costumes for OVO, the 25th Cirque du Soleil show; CIRKOPOLIS, a Cirque Éloize creation; and the opening duo for ‘LES 7 Doigts de La Main’s ‘Tryptique’.
Collaborating with multi-national IGT (International Gaming Technology) in Las Vegas, Vandal created AVATAR costumes approved by Jon Landau and 20th Century Fox. As a design, innovation, production and team synergy consultant, Liz offers her services to Sportswear multinational Oxylane, owner of Decathlon stores to develop avant-garde products. As the company continues to expand, an incomparable opportunity leads Vandal’s creativity to Azerbaijan for the first European games in June 2015 where she designed an incredible 3000 costumes for the closing ceremony.
MARYSE GOSSELIN
Make-up Designer
Since 2003, Maryse has collaborated in twelve creations with Cirque du Soleil. It’s in 2014 that she holds the key makeup artist position with TORUK – THE FIRST FLIGHT. Following this production’s insightful experience, Maryse designed the make-up for LUZIA. Being a makeup designer outside the walls of Cirque du Soleil as well, Maryse has worked on various theatrical productions in Montreal, most recently at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde for the play Around the World in 80 days by French novelist Jules Vernes. She also created and produced the makeup designs for the play Pinocchio that was held at Place des Arts and also for the play The Adventures of Baron Munchausen at the Denise-Pelletier theater. In the event world, Maryse has developed concepts for 45 DEGRESS and is currently working on the make-up design for their next project in collaboration with MSC Cruises.
