======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ '/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ '/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 23, NUMBER 6 August 2023 ISSUE #221 ======================================================================= =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings * La Presse -- General News & Highlights o) Itin raire -- Tour/Show Information * BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau * Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues * Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre o) Fascination! Features * "Is Gen Z Down to Clown? The Circus is Counting on It" SPECIAL /// Republished from the New York Times * "LIFE IS A CIRCUS 4: Posts from the Cirque Blog" By: Cirque's Artists, Editors, and More... o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= *************************************************************** LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights *************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque brings Big Top razzle-dazzle to corporate events {Aug.01.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- (NOTE: This article was written by Cirque du Soleil for publication.) At Cirque du Soleil, the adventure starts with an idea. Whether an organization is looking for an event to celebrate with its team, highlight the loyalty of a long-term client relationship or plan an unforgettable date - Cirque's dedicated team can assist in creating a one-of-a-kind experience. "From its beginning, Cirque looked for ways to redefine circus arts, and sees the planning of events as a way to enhance the guest experience. "Our VIP space can be adapted for tailored events and accommodate small to larger groups, starting when you step on our beautiful site," said Mike Newquist, president, touring shows division at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. Cirque knows how to entertain a crowd, especially when it comes to its VIP experience. The redesigned VIP tent can welcome organizations, partners and employees inside an air-conditioned lounge to celebrate, treat and delight guests. "There is no experience that replaces seeing and collaborating with your colleagues, partners, friends or loved ones (and showing them) how much they mean to you than by hosting an in-person event for them," said Newquist. The VIP experience allows guests to taste locally sourced food prepared by the Cirque touring chef, strike a pose with our artists in a beautiful setting, access the best seating close to the action and inspire teams creatively in many ways. "Our VIP guests leave with giant smiles after having such a great time with their guests," Newquist said. The VIP lounge also includes an exclusive gift, a full bar available upon arrival on site to the end of intermission, sweet treats, an exclusive entrance and VIP restrooms. THE LATEST BIG TOP CREATION Cirque du Soleil ECHO, Cirque's newest Big Top creation, will have its U.S. premiere in Tysons, Virginia, on Sept. 6. Packed with vibrant characters, inspiring music, astounding lights and projections, and never-before-seen acrobatics, ECHO takes audiences on a journey through a universe of color, wonder and infinite possibilities. Fresh off its run in Montreal, where it received rave reviews, ECHO is expected to dazzle audiences in the D.C. area. Cirque du Soleil brings modern and surprising twists under the Big Top with ECHO, a story of connection, intention and the bond between humans and the animal kingdom. When Future (the protagonist) and her best friend the Dog stumble upon an enigmatic Cube, they set in motion a journey of life, discovery, hope and empathy, quickly learning how their actions have the power to shape this world. As Author-Director Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar says, "I think it's important when people come to ECHO to be blown away by the performances and acrobatics, and at the same time, I want them to leave feeling empowered." "It's incredible to watch our performers accomplish such amazing acrobatic feats," said Newquist. 'the Big Top offers such an intimate setting that we immediately feel immersed into the world of "ECHO." ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR GROUP Watching a Cirque du Soleil performance creates excitement and anyone who has watched a performance will likely say it must be seen to be believed. Cirque will provide the resources to design the VIP experience organizations want their guests to have. Cirque's dedicated staff will offer personalized hospitality. Additionally, Cirque can provide equipment and the technology to make a speech or corporate presentation. For organizations planning a corporate event or a unique occasion, events such as ECHO will deliver a breathtaking experience. { SOURCE: Washington Business Journal } ---------------------------------------------------------- Motorola Recruits CDS ACrobats for the Reveal of RAZR+ {Aug.01.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- "Our No. 1 goal was to flip the script and challenge the status quo. This is a category that's very traditional in the way it does reveals, and we feel the razr+ is so different that we wanted people to connect differently to this device and the brand. We want the razr brand to stand for self-expression. Since the 2000s it's been an icon, so we wanted to bring that back in the same way." - Maria Jose Martin, Marketing Director, Motorola If you were of age in the aughts, you'll recall that Motorola's Razr flip phone was a pop culture sensation (yes, we had one, and yes, we cherished it almost as much as our MySpace profile). The iconic device has since returned as a foldable smartphone, and for the global unveiling of its latest iteration, the razr+, Motorola aimed to reinfiltrate the zeitgeist with the help of Cirque du Soleil. At a launch event on June 1, performers from the renowned troupe officially revealed the new phone through a custom, 20-minute spectacle that incorporated the device both literally and figuratively. A post-show soiree featuring photo booths, installations and experiential F&B inspired by the razr+, along with a performance by Grammy Award winner Kim Petras, supported the unconventional reveal. Media and influencers were invited to the historic Weylin event space in Brooklyn, NY, to witness Cirque du Soleil contortionists, acrobats and other high-flying performers transport the razr+'s "Flip the Script" tagline into a narrative-driven, on-stage extravaganza across two stages and a giant LED backdrop. The show served as a "celebration of self-expression" encompassing bold colors (like Pantone's Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, one of three colors the razr+ comes in), lighting effects, technology integrations and gravity-defying acrobatics, all built to represent the phone's design and functionality. "When we are building our campaigns, every single thing we do is [about] 'show, don't tell," says Maria Jose Martin, marketing director at Motorola. "If you think about the combination that Cirque du Soleil has with mixing music, color, dance, different materials, the aerial show, they are able to represent and build a story of the creation of razr+. For us, showcasing foldable technology in an artistic moment could only be done by them." Following the performance, as the artists were taking their final bows, a large theater curtain parted to reveal the Weylin's domed event space. The performers then escorted attendees into the environment, where they were met with custom-fabricated plinths that reflected the razr+'s unique colors and shapes, and how it enables users to create content from multiple angles; trippy photo moments that matched the colors of the device; a dj performance; and opportunities to experiment with the phone and its features (like a large preview screen and hands-free recording capabilities). Across every touchpoint, Motorola aimed to cement the razr+'s positioning as the ultimate content-capture tool. The evening additionally included tray-passed fare, pour-over cocktails featuring ingredients inspired by the razr+ and food installations that highlighted the device's shapes. To round out the evening, Petras took the stage for an hour-long performance during which she sang and dj-ed while capturing the experience on her Viva Magenta razr+. "We really believe that this phone is going to be the center of cultural life as it was in the 2000s, and if we want to build that, we need to make sure we're bringing back that mantra of showing and not just telling," says Martin. "I cannot tell people this phone is cool; people need to see "Wow, this phone is cool!" We love the digital world, but having that experiential moment blows people's minds. And this is just the starting point of many other spaces that we are exploring. Cultural moments where people can interact with the phone are going to come through the year, and we're going to keep building these experiential stories that are critical for the success of this product." Partners: Mirrored Media (lead experiential agency); Cirque du Soleil; LaForce. { SOURCE: Event Marketer } ---------------------------------------------------------- Immersive Cirque du Soleil Tycoon Experience is Now Officially Available on Roblox {Aug.02.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- After months of anticipation, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is excited to announce that its first-ever immersive experience on Roblox - Cirque du Soleil Tycoon - is now available to all community members. In partnership with the leading metaverse game developer, Gamefam, families around the globe can now experience Cirque du Soleil's newest contemporary circus show, ECHO, and raise the Big Top from the comfort of their homes. Known for its world-renowned artistic performances, Cirque du Soleil fans will have the chance to experience a behind-the-scenes look at how each show is crafted and performed. Users on Roblox can build and manage their own Big Top show by unlocking crucial show elements, including artists, acrobatic performances, training studios, costume and makeup workshops, all while interacting with other users and their friends. Those who engage in the experience will also have the opportunity to dress up their avatar in true Cirque du Soleil fashion, try out interactive challenges to test their skills, and design their stage, which can then be performed later for other community members on the platform. "Having thrived for almost four decades, Cirque du Soleil has continuously amazed audiences with unparalleled live experiences. Now embracing the digital realm, we eagerly embark on a new journey to connect with our audience in novel ways, fostering shared moments among the upcoming generation of Cirque du Soleil enthusiasts," said Nickole Tara, Chief Growth Officer. "We are committed to offering people worldwide an immersive means to explore the boundless creativity and universe of Cirque du Soleil." As the first entirely digital offering from the brand, Cirque du Soleil hopes the Tycoon will allow its fans to express their creativity and discover the universe of Cirque under the Big Top. "Since Cirque du Soleil Tycoon launched in beta, we've been gathering feedback from the fans and fine-tuning the gameplay experience. The game has achieved nearly 2 million visits in the lead up to global release as excited fans build their virtual Big Tops concurrently," said Ricardo Briceno, Chief Business Officer at Gamefam. "This is another great example of how beloved brands can extend their reach and engage fans where they are." To learn more, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/roblox or view the Cirque du Soleil Tycoon trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=SsNs7WiPaCo HOW TO PLAY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TYCOON IN ROBLOX Hire acrobats, jugglers, instructors, show technicians, make-up artists, and costume designers, among others, to distinguish your performance. In order to play the event, follow the steps below: 1. Launch the Roblox Player (https://www.roblox.com/download) on your device. 2. Head over to the Cirque Du Soleil Tycoon page (https://www.roblox.com/games/13388158627/FREE-UGC-Cirque-Du- Soleil-Tycoon) on the platform. 3. Press the green Play button to launch the event. 4. Customize your avatar and you're done! { SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil } ---------------------------------------------------------- "Drawn to Life" Performers Talk Unique Artistry {Aug.03.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- When you think of a Cirque du Soleil show, you are likely to think about the groundbreaking acrobatics, beautiful costumes and some standing-ovation choreography. You also might think of some of the comedic acts that are brought to life through clowns. At "Drawn to Life," these clowns are not your average red-nose artists traditionally found under the big top. In fact, they are crucial characters, helping drive the show and, at times, sparking emotion in the audience members watching from their seats. This week, the Cirque du Soleil clowns are celebrating their skills during International Clown Week. "Drawn to Life" first debuted at Disney Springs in 2021. The story follows the character Julie, a determined girl who discovers an unexpected letter from her Disney animator father. As she dives into the inner world of animation, she is guided by a surprising pencil, which helps inspire her quest that is filled with childhood Disney memories. "It's very special - there is enough to celebrate. There are so many types of clowns and there are so many clown techniques, schooling from different countries," said Emily Carragher, who plays Miss Hesitation in the show. "You could say there is a clown for every person. There is a lot." Carragher's character is a crumpled ball of paper compromised of Julie's rejected drawings. During the show, her character feeds on Julie's self-doubt and her mistakes. "Clowns are not necessarily big shoes, red nose. Clowns can be anything they want to be, which is fantastic, and a freedom for any performer," explained Carragher. "What I do is play a part of myself, and there is no fourth wall. I'm experiencing a story in a room with a couple thousand people every day, twice." Miss Hesitation is one of the characters that is considered, in the clown world, a "white clown" or "clown blanc," a sophisticated character traditionally seen in white makeup, sometimes sad, with a pointy clown hat. One of the other prominent characters is Mr. Pencil. "I'm like her guide in the show," said Guerassim Dichliev, who plays Mr. Pencil. "In this show, I'm a clown - I'm clown blanc. I'm rich with so many experiences to be a mime, physical actor and a clown. It's good to celebrate the profession of the theater, and it's good to know the origin of where we came from." Dichliev, who originally wanted to be an astrophysicist growing up, is one of the roughly 60 artists on the show that have evolved their talents of clowning, or miming, in areas around the world. 'the audience members, when they come to this show, they come for the spectacle and the unique moment that they will see before they leave," Guerassim explained. Some of the other clowns helping Julie in her journey through the pages include four animators. They guide Julie through the principles of animation, teaching her how to complete her father's unfinished drawing. Ekaterina Pirogovskaya, who has a history of clowning in three Cirque productions and places around the world, plays one of the four animators. "For me, a clown is a person who builds their own world with their imagination, and they invite the audience inside and, in this world, you can be imperfect and through this an atmosphere is born when you can't see but you can feel - it's beautiful," Pirogovskaya said. Pirogovskaya not only plays one of the comedic animators but also is the female animator that pays tribute to Disney Legend Mary Blair. During the Dream of Colors act, Pirogovskaya helps bring to life some of Blair's concept art for Disney Animation classics such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Cinderella. "For me, I feel really honored for this trust that our director Michel Laprise has put in me," Pirogovskaya explained. "When we do this scene, it's like honey for your soul. I tried to look through her eyes and bring this to the stage." "Drawn to Life" has 10 unique acrobatic acts with all of them featuring original music and pieces of Disney animation. Back in April, the show evolved with all-new acts including aerial artists and a "flying guitarist." { SOURCE: Click Orlando } ---------------------------------------------------------- What a Colorado alpine rescue team can learn from CDS {Aug.04.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- The margin of error is 5 millimeters. "Five millimeters is big for us," said Andrew Barrus, technical director of the Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza" show. "It's huge!" responded a volunteer from the Alpine Rescue Team, a three-county search and rescue organization based in Evergreen. On Wednesday, eight volunteers from the Alpine Rescue Team arrived at the Cirque du Soleil's temporary Denver big top in the parking lot of Ball Arena. They aren't there to see the show (though some admit they"ll be back for it). They"ve been invited to tour the technical side of the circus, to see how "Kooza's" ropes rigging systems might help with their own acrobatics rescuing injured skiers, climbers, mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. "Kooza" is one of Cirque du Soleil's 11 touring shows. It arrived in Denver from Toronto in late June, and will pack up and head to Calgary later this month. The whole operation takes 10 days to set up and three to tear down. By the time any performer actually touches the equipment, the setup crew, which includes the technical team, will have sunk 1,200 stakes into the ground and raised four 82-foot masts, hundreds of smaller poles and 84 grounding stakes in case of lightning. "All of it has to be exactly laid out. A performer is a performer they're only thinking about performing," Barrus said. "So, you have to make sure everything is exact so that there is no question in their mind." This resonates with the rescuers, whose weekly training that night is about lowering a subject what they call the injured person on a rescue using pass-through knots, so that the subject "doesn't feel anything," Howard Paul, a rescue volunteer, said. Though their daily efforts are wildly different, the Alpine Rescue Team and the Cirque du Soleil technical team speak the same language. Both crews operate under pressure in high-stakes environments. They both have training quotas and practice high-intensity situations, but they also spend a lot of time together outside of the job and call one another "family." They are whizzes in geometry and can quickly calculate the safety factor of a rope passing through a pulley at a 90-degree angle, or dangling over the edge of a cliff. RECREATION AND REPETITION The rescue team arrived during high wire practice, so Barrus took them to the big top - the circus's main stage - where performers were laughing, dancing and jumping rope 30 feet off the ground. "Is that steel? And he's doing that with his bare hands?" rescue volunteer Shane O"Brien asked, as the crew gawked at a high wire acrobat, spinning his body like the hands of a clock around and around and around a cable. "How is he doing that?" "He's 62, that's how," Barrus answered. "He's been doing that for a long time." The high wire is strung between two of the four masts, which also support the tent. Barrus launched into an explanation of torque and tension that the rescue volunteers nodded along to, peppering him with questions throughout. How do the performers tell technicians the tension is wrong? Hand signals. What happens if there's lightning? A signal light turns red, the tech crew holds their arms across their chest in an "X," and the performers get down. Kooza has 22 variations of the same show, which they can toggle between if necessary to account for performer injuries, technical difficulties or inclement weather. Barrus said the most common reason they switch up a show is for weather. And by weather he means lightning. "About two months ago we got a notification from our app that we were going to be struck by lightning, I didn't believe it," Barrus said. "But about 15 minutes later we got struck by lightning." "What's the name of that app you're using?" O"Brien asked, pulling out his phone. Half of the volunteers huddled around Barrus" phone while he spelled out the app's name, Sferic, and showed them the homescreen. On his display was a map with concentric circles emanating from Ball Arena. He pointed to the innermost circle. 'this one is 6 kilometers. If lightning strikes within 6 kilometers, we pause anything that's in the air," he said. They also send ushers to guard the masts from audience members. The team is trained to quickly bring the performer down and switch the act out for something on the ground. Like the contortionists, or the unicyclist, or the hoops. "It's interesting you talk about how there are so many ways to do a show," Paul said. "For us, there are so many ways we can accomplish a task based upon terrain, where the subject is located - are they above us, below us, on the side of a creek or a river? There are six different ways to accomplish a task and we just fit it to the situation." The rescuers wanted to know who makes the call about whether to bring a performer down, whether to switch the set mid-show. "that'd be the technical manager," Barrus said. 'that's our 601," Paul responded, referring to the mission coordinator's radio number. Paul joined the Alpine Rescue Team in 1985. He knows everybody on his team's strengths and weaknesses, and can quickly assess who plays what role on a rescue. They all can. "We recreate together a lot - we climb, we ski, we snowmobile, we ATV, we hike and camp, we raft the river, so we know each other's skills," Paul said. According to Paul, being together in the outdoors, without the time constraints of a rescue, is the best way to get to learn how each person operates. Alpine Rescue has about 65 field active members, and another 30 people or so associated with the team, according to Paul. Which means there's always something to do on the weekend. "If you think about it, it's the only emergency service where you go out and do the same thing, but playing," he said. "I mean firefighters don't get together on the weekend and light a house on fire, but we get together and go backcountry skiing." IT's ALL ABOUT BALANCE Besides the technical banter, the rescue and circus teams had one other thing in common: consistency. On top of their recreating and rescues, the Alpine Rescue Team hosts 38 trainings per year, two in- field trainings per month of the highest frequencies in the state, Paul suspects. On the circus side of things, the technical team practices weekly rescue situations, and the performers have weekly training days written into their contract. After about two hours, the highliners are done with practice. The rescue team gathered to watch the changeover. Half a dozen technical crew members paced around the circular stage, unclipping massive hooks from the masts and the ground, replacing them with cables connected to the "wheel of death," a 1,600-pound rotating steel structure, suspended above the stage that two performers run on to make it spin. The technicians hang massive tension meters on the cables and called out numbers. Men with clipboards circled the stage. The whole process took about 45 minutes, but during the show they'll do it in four. A technician ran over to a spot where the cables are connected to the ground in front of the rescuers, a wrench in each hand. "If you tighten this one here, do you have to tighten the cable opposite, too? " a rescuer asked. "Of course," the tech answered. "Balance is key with the wheel of death." { SOURCE: Colorado Sun } ---------------------------------------------------------- 'twas the Night Before" Makes Highly-Anticipated Return {Aug.07.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) announced today that the acclaimed family holiday theatrical - 'twas the Night Before! by Cirque du Soleil - is returning to both The Theater at Madison Square Garden and The Chicago Theatre this holiday season. The holiday themed show will run concurrently at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and The Chicago Theatre for 28 performances each from December 7 through December 28. Tickets for both engagements go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 11, 2023 at 10:00AM local time. 'twas the Night Before! is Cirque du Soleil's first holiday show, based on the classic poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore. Memorable lines from this cherished classic inspired Cirque's story about a jaded young girl who rediscovers the magic of the holidays. A festive flurry of love and cheer created especially for families, 'twas the Night Before! features thrilling acrobatics, lovable characters, and a soundtrack including holiday classics re- invented by Cirque du Soleil. The show was conceived and is directed by Cirque du Soleil Senior Artistic Director James Hadley, a 25-year veteran of circus productions and live theater. With something for everyone in the family to enjoy, 'twas the Night Before! is the perfect show to introduce the incredible world of Cirque du Soleil to the next generation of theatergoers. This dazzling production, inspired by the joy of giving and the wonder of the holiday season, promises to spark lasting memories in the hearts of children young and old this holiday season. Whether five, 50, or 95 years old, audiences are sure to be wowed by the amazing acrobatics and heart-warming story. Tickets for 'twas the Night Before! at The Theater at Madison Square Garden start at $46 and will be available for purchase online at www.msg.com/cirque or at the box office. Tickets for 'twas the Night Before! at The Chicago Theatre start at $36 and will be available for purchase online at www.chicagotheatre.com/cirque or at the box office. Service charges apply to internet orders. For groups of nine or more, please contact the Group Sales Department at 212-465-6080 or Group.Sales@msg.com. Accessible and companion seats are available via the Accessibility Services Department at 888-609-7599. { SOURCE: PR Newswire } ---------------------------------------------------------- Still Flying High {Aug.09.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- High above a 17-foot-deep pool filled with scuba divers and spare oxygen aerators, nearly a dozen acrobats swing across a steel-framed ship suspended from the ceiling as a 1,600-person audience gasps and claps. Below the ship, at O, Cirque du Soleil's flagship Las Vegas show at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, a handful of old-timey aristocrat characters stoically walk off stage left. Backstage, the chaos is far less controlled. The aristocrat characters, called Comets, dart both behind and beneath the stage to circle around and reappear at stage right, sprinting past a shirtless colleague dancing wildly with a folding fan. A dozen metres away, a technician gets ready to light torches for swimmers in the pool. Soon after, a pair of clowns straddling a shared bathtub skip off stage. Then they pass a man in the wings named John Maxson, stretching his hamstrings in a rare moment of solace. Life has been a roller coaster for Maxson, and not because his youngest kid has just finished high school and community college at the same time. Beyond his family, O has been his entire life since before it even opened in October, 1998. He helped shape the show, a Las Vegas mainstay, as one of its original cast members. The show in turn shaped the rest of his life. It's here that he met his wife, who still works on another Cirque show, in the early days of O. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Vegas, the global capital of excess and entertainment, Maxson, like so many of his colleagues, underwent the most jarring change of his career - going from performing for thousands of people hundreds of times a year to sitting at home, waiting, hoping the world would come back. And yet as O's 25th anniversary looms, he's backstage, wearing makeup instead of a mask, preparing to hit the stage as the show's voiceless Strong Man, the guardian of its amorphous world. Life has resumed. The pool-based show, named after eau, the French word for water, was designed with a near-liquid level of adaptability in mind - written to accommodate its performers" strengths, readapting its routines over the years without changing its structure. Thanks to luck, careful planning and guile - plus a dollop of corporate bankruptcy protection and restructuring - O is surviving COVID-19. Maxson walks on stage, the steel ship receding, and faces the Bellagio audience for at least the eleven-thousandth time. Maxson wasn't the original Strong Man of O. The character was created and first played by Didier Antoine, a French gymnastics and trampoline coach who, by pure coincidence, once subbed in for a trapeze troupe's catcher during a performance where Cirque co-founder Guy Laliberté was watching. Laliberté hired the troupe. In 1990, Antoine was suddenly a Cirque performer. He swiftly fell into the orbit of the Italian-Belgian theatre director and performance-art enthusiast Franco Dragone, who since 1985 had come to shape many of Cirque's biggest performances. In the mid-nineties, Dragone began to dream up the company's most ambitious project yet: a water-based show at the soon-to-be-built Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip. Antoine was involved from the very start, helping to put the show together as part of a creation process as fluid as the stage itself. The crew of immensely talented circus misfits shared their strengths and dreams as Dragone stitched them together through complex choreography and staging. He encouraged the performers to play themselves, rather than being actors who play a role, Antoine said during a break from afternoon training at the Bellagio theatre, as performers swung from the steel ship, practising the act - the bateau - that Antoine, now the head coach of O, had designed for the show a quarter-century earlier. Dragone, who died of a heart attack last year at 69, had a unique way of communicating with his performers and show designers. "One day, out of the clear blue sky, he said, 'show me the ocean,'" said Tony Ricotta, who came on board in those days to help with automation – such as, say, for the seven hydraulic-powered stage segments that rise and fall from the pool. Ricotta took a moment to realize that his director wanted to see more of the water rolling off the downstage gutter as the stage moved. "We had to learn the director's vocabulary of art to make his vision happen." (Ricotta went on leave from O several weeks after his conversation with The Globe and Mail after a diver injured his neck on a set piece; Cirque declined to provide any further information about his employment because it was a personnel matter.) Maxson, a diver from Washington State, joined the O team as it came together, too, performing in a handful of acts including the high dive and Russian swing - where a series of divers launch into the pool from floor-mounted swings. Dragone challenged his performers to push the limits of their performance, seeing how their skills could best adapt to the stage. "You have to be very open with your ideas yourself," Maxson said. This kind of openness, from all involved, formed into a near-plotless show about love that begins as it ends, serving entertainment up from circus history while embedding enough pool technology to splash directly into its future. The talent Dragone had assembled allowed the audience to interpret the story as they wished. "Franco was so successful because he doesn't try to change the beauty inside you," Antoine said. As O approached its 22nd anniversary at the start of 2020, Cirque was flying high. The company had six permanent shows in Vegas and many others around the world. O was so popular that Cirque had just expanded its Bellagio run to 14 shows a week, up from 10, with head count set to rise by a full third among both cast and crew - well worth the US$120-million or so Cirque had invested in it since the nineties. By early March, staff in Vegas began trading calls and messages with Cirque's headquarters in Montreal, trying to draw up a plan if this mystery COVID-19 illness found its way to Nevada. Of course it did. Ricotta, who'd risen through the ranks to become the senior company manager overseeing O and Zumanity, had to call both casts the second week of that March and tell them that their final performance for a while would take place that Saturday. They thought, as just about everyone did back then, that the delay might last for two months. Maxson trudged home, suddenly finding himself without an audience. At first it felt like a vacation. But then the restlessness set in. He'd always been moving: diving, training, learning. But for the first time in Maxson's life, 'there were no other opportunities to continue." The usually exceptionally toned diver didn't have the training equipment of O's two gyms on hand, nor the careful eye of the show's strength and conditioning coach. He struggled to stay in shape. The mental toll was just as bad. Slowing down, he said, "was never something that I had even remotely considered." The health of Cirque itself was spiralling, too. Though it launched a series of digital specials and tried early show relaunches in countries such as Mexico and China, its $100-million-a-month revenues were sapped, with most audiences stuck at home. The company filed for creditor protection in June, 2020, and all but 600 or so temporarily laid-off employees became permanently laid-off employees. But many cast and staff in Vegas were among those spared, with hopes they'd be ready for a swift return when the public-health situation allowed. As time dragged on, Cirque's financial situation got more dire. Its bankruptcy proceedings became massively complex. By the end of 2020, the equity stakes of some major shareholders, including the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, were erased, as new majority owners Catalyst Capital took over. But by the spring of 2021, life for performers at O began to spring back to life. Cirque's imperilled finances had stabilized, vaccines were starting to roll out and public-health authorities were moving toward the restricted reopening of society. The company set a mid-year deadline to relaunch both O and its oldest Vegas companion, Mystère. Maxson remembers the near-delirious experience of walking back into the Bellagio theatre, suddenly surrounded by dozens of others after having barely spoken to anyone besides his wife and kids for a year. "Even though they're your friends, and you miss them, you have a fear of getting sick because that's all you've watched on the news and thought about for over a year," he said. But the anxiety of being around others was soon supplanted by a more logistical one: As they trained and later performed, the cast would need to stay masked at all times unless they were heading into the pool. "Otherwise, you're pretty much waterboarding yourself," Maxson says. Even regular masks were hard to breathe through in the midst of intense performance. The Strong Man had to buy a rubberlike adapter to wear under his, so that it didn't stick to his lips and constrict. Backstage, social distancing was a little easier. The company had expanded its dressing area to fit 40 more people just before the pandemic as it prepared to expand to seven-days-a-week staffing. With a regular-sized staff - about 75 cast and 75 crew - they could space out, with some cast members using back offices to apply makeup. Cirque implemented weekly COVID-19 testing and emergency sick leave. Though O doesn't have traditional understudies, its cast are trained to be flexible, and people who did become sick had more backups than usual: the people they'd hired to expand O in early 2020, and staff from still-shuttered O, offered two pools of substitute talent. "I can't say we didn't have a share of people who got COVID regularly - you know, it's hard when everybody's jam packed together," Ricotta said. But on July 1, 2021, the show went on. Sitting in the house of the theatre two years later, Maxson said his sense of purpose was renewed: 'this is where I feel most alive." Maxson then ambled down the theatre's stairs and through the backstage entrance, soon emerging in a bathing suit. He nabbed a bunch of other impossibly fit performers for a huddle: some were old hands, others new recruits, and he was going to coach them how to gracefully execute their moves on the Russian Swings. Though the first few months of O were rough, what with all the masked acrobatics, the show's official protocols follow present guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - which, in mid-2023, isn't much. "you're much quicker to put on a mask" if you're feeling sick, Maxson said. The audiences returned, too. As social distancing and the worldwide sense of unease dissipated, O jumped back to near-sellouts. And two years later, here was Maxson, adapting the show to new performers, yet again to keep it fresh after 25 years. As a dozen or so people watched from the seats, the house lights on, he wandered between the stage's three swings, shouting safety instructions to the divers as they prepared to fly high in the air. Reaching the swing at stage right, he clambered aboard in front of two others. One swing, two swings, three swings. "Up!" he yelled, flung himself backward, then leapt dozens of feet in the air. As he did, he raised his hands above his head into a shrug, facing the Bellagio with a smile, as if to say: This is no big deal. { SOURCE: The Globe and Mail } ---------------------------------------------------------- Review: Let's face it - Cirque clowns just aren't funny {Aug.10.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- "Corteo" is a great premise, whiffed. You can just picture the Cirque du Soleil execs backflipping over the brainstorming table, back before the show's 2005 premiere. A piece about imagining one's own funeral, but as but as a carnival parade, sounds perfect for circus. It could be a chance to revisit childhood memories, to embark on dreamy visions, to create a fantastical passageway between life and death, and make it not sad and scary but wondrous and friendly, all with the aid of aerialists, jugglers and tumblers. But in "Corteo," the first Cirque du Soleil show to tour the Bay Area in more than three years, the man having those elegiac visitations and flights of fancy is so unpleasant that you might wish he'd hasten his demise. In the show, which opened Wednesday, Aug. 9, at San Jose's SAP Center in advance of runs in Oakland and San Francisco, Mauro (Mauro Mozzani) is just the latest in a long line of spectacularly painfully unfunny Cirque du Soleil clowns. they're the uncles who still think you're 4 when you're 14. they're the irrelevant figurehead bosses who can't imagine ceasing their chatter, since no one's ever had the power to give them a social cue scolding them for their narcissism. In "Corteo," Mauro barely reacts to his magical situation, instead blustering about as if his sickbed's taking flight is exactly what he expected. When his youth starts to unfurl before him, he'd rather keep talking and drown it out rather than let a gorgeous scene speak for itself. It's his grandfather's home, and oversized beds make adult performers look like children, conjuring how vast the world seems when you're little. When acrobats reveal the beds as trampolines, springing from one to the next, you might remember how in your own youth you saw every surface as platform for play, and wonder whatever became of those imaginative eyes. Part of the problem is the way that speaking performers keep switching among languages - English, Italian, others - without offering an extra hand to help us keep up. But another part is that Mozzani performs as if behind thick fog. His live audience doesn't matter; he needn't earn our care or establish that crackling connection with us. He just keeps lurching through his track. The other acts in "Corteo," which was written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, deserve better. One performer, Roman Munin, skitters up one side of a straight ladder and down the other without balancing it against anything; he makes it into his dance partner, then his stilts. At one point, with the ladder angled slightly against thin air, you'd swear an invisible wall was holding it up, so firmly does the acrobat manipulate his instrument. Aerialist Ste phanie Waltman wraps her legs around a swinging pole, as if she were sitting cross-legged on a nonexistent flat surface, then arches her back and gazes up, as if in worshipful paean to the art of motion. She's in earthy red, and white-frocked angels descend from above. Here, circus truly is the portal from ground to sky, from mortal to immortal. Throughout the show, Pasca uses the floor-to-ceiling boundary of the playing space as only his art form can. The stage floor proves porous to trap doors. Angels are always swooping in from above, handing performers props just when they're needed. Giant balloons carry another performer, Valentyna Pahlevanyan, out into the audience. The stage is one long aisle, with audience on either side; you're looking at them looking at you, mirrors of each other, an apt setup for a show that's supposedly about looking back on your life and forward into the beyond. But "Corteo" isn't really about those things. It's about wincing through the narrative frame so you can get to the good stuff. { SOURCE: Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle } ---------------------------------------------------------- How Cirque du Soleil Copes with Climate Change {Aug.11.2023} ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque de Soleil has seen the effects of climate change on a firsthand basis. It's been holding outdoor shows in its big top tents for nearly 40 years, and it's had to adapt to extreme heat and more intense thunderstorms. Duncan Fisher, VP of operations and GM of the touring show division at Cirque de Soleil, spoke with CFO Brew about changes the company has implemented to cope with rising energy costs while reducing its impact on the environment. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Q. What changes has Cirque de Soleil made to reduce the financial impact from climate change? Energy costs have gone up across the board, be it for cooling or for trucking. We want to make sure that we're as environmentally friendly as possible, and financially responsible as possible as well, by not using as much fuel. So, there's a couple of things that we've done. We typically return year after year to the sites we go to with the big top. Over the last five or six years, we had a big push on installing regular shore power [A/C power from the electrical grid] onto the sites rather than using generators. we've been in touch with the electric companies in the cities that we go to, and have installed transformers on what may have just been a vacant field or parking lot at a stadium that had no reason to have electricity before, so we can use regular power for the shows, which is much less impactful than a generator. And we don't have noise pollution as well. If you look back at Cirque's history, the iconic big top was always blue and yellow. We don't use that anymore. And the reason that we don't is that the blue and yellow had a very high rate of absorption of sunlight. So, we tend to now use either blue and white, or gray and white, or completely white tents. The white is much more reflective of the sun's rays. Just by changing the color of the tent, we had about a 20% reduction of the energy that we had to use for air conditioning. Q. How has climate change impacted your scheduling? We typically try to avoid the storm seasons. we've got the hurricane season, so we're never going to go to Miami in summertime. The same with Korea and the typhoons. We do know from history as well, when is it going to be really hot in a place" We just set up a show in Osaka, Japan. Traditionally we set up [our shows there] in the middle of August when it's ridiculously hot. And with our partners in Japan, we changed the schedule and started a month earlier. And it really was to avoid the heat, because it was unbearable for the guys [setting up the tent] previously. Q. Are there other changes you've made to be more environmentally friendly? In Montreal we just launched a new show called Echo. And we did not sell drinks in single-use plastic. And theoretically people were supposed to give us the cup back to be washed for the next show. But because they are branded with the name of the show, we seem to lose a lot of them, but yes, we're doing away as much as we can with single- use plastic. { SOURCE: CFO Brew } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Alegría INAL, Kooza , Kurios, Luzia, Bazzar} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {Crystal, Corteo, Messi10, OVO} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", LOVE, MJ ONE, JOYA, and Mad Apple} NOTE: .) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate touring dates and locations available, the information in this section is subject to change without notice. As such, the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of these listings. For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts, please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >. ------------------------------------ BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau ------------------------------------ Alegría-In a New Light: Osaka, JP -- July 14, 2023 to October 15, 2023 London, UK -- January 11, 2024 to February 11, 2024 Barcelona, ES -- March 20, 2024 to April 14, 2024 Madrid, ES -- December 4, 2024 to January 6, 2025 Kooza: Denver, CO -- July 5, 2023 to August 13, 2023 Calgary, AB -- August 25, 2023 to October 8, 2023 Vancouver, BC -- October 21, 2023 to December 31, 2023 San Francisco, CA -- January 17, 2024 to March 10, 2024 Kurios: Knokke, BE -- July 27, 2023 to August 27, 2023 Brussels, BE -- September 7, 2023 to October 29, 2023 Paris, FR -- November 16, 2023 to December 17, 2023 Luzia: Seoul, SKR -- October 25, 2023 to December 3, 2023 Bazzar: Oaks, PA -- September 26, 2023 to October 22, 2023 San Antonio, TX -- November 5, 2023 to December 3, 2023 Charlotte, NC -- December 16, 2023 to January 14, 2024 St. Petersburg, FL -- February 22, 2024 to March 24, 2024 ECHO: Montreal, QC -- April 20, 2023 to August 20, 2023 Washington, DC -- September 6, 2023 to October 22, 2023 Atlanta, GA -- November 5, 2023 to January 21, 2024 TWAS THE NIGHT: Minneapolis, MN -- TBA Phoenix, AZ -- December 15, 2023 to December 24, 2023 Baltimore, MD -- November 24, 2023 to December 3, 2023 Chicago, IL -- December 7, 2023 to December 28, 2023 Milwaukee, WI -- November 24, 2023 to November 26, 2023 New York, NY -- December 7, 2023 to December 28 2023 ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ CRYSTAL - A BREAKTHROUGH ICE EXPERIENCE: Sydney, AU -- Aug 3, 2023 to Aug 13, 2023 Melbourne, AU -- Aug 17, 2023 to Aug 27, 2023 Adelaide, AU -- Aug 31, 2023 to Sep 3, 2023 Perth, AU -- Sep 15, 2023 to Sep 24, 2023 Windsor, ON -- Nov 30, 2023 to Dec 3, 2023 Oshawa, ON -- Dec 7, 2023 to Dec 10, 2023 Hamilton, ON -- Dec 14, 2023 to Dec 17, 2023 Montreal, QC -- Dec 22, 2023 to Dec 31, 2023 Hershey, PA -- Jan 11, 2024 to Jan 14, 2024 Pittsburg, PA -- Jan 18, 2024 to Jan 21, 2024 CORTEO: Sacramento, CA -- Aug 3, 2023 to Aug 6, 2023 San Jose, CA -- Aug 9, 2023 to Aug 13, 2023 Oakland, CA -- Aug 17, 2023 to Aug 20, 2023 San Francisco, CA -- Aug 23, 2023 to Aug 27, 2023 Palm Springs, CA -- Aug 31, 2023 to Sep 3, 2023 San Diego, CA -- Sep 6, 2023 to Sep 10, 2023 Phoenix, AZ -- Sep 13, 2023 to Sep 17, 2023 Wichita, KS -- Nov 9, 2023 to Nov 12, 2023 Dayton, OH -- Nov 16, 2023 to Nov 19, 2023 Cleveland, OH -- Nov 22, 2023 to Nov 26, 2023 Omaha, NE -- Nov 30, 2023 to Dec 3, 2023 Winnipeg, MB -- Dec 7, 2023 to Dec 10, 2023 Regina, SK -- Dec 14, 2023 to Dec 17, 2023 Saskatoon, SK -- Dec 21, 2023 to Dec 24, 2023 Edmonton, AB -- Dec 27, 2023 to Dec 31, 2023 Penticon, BC -- Jan 4, 2024 to Jan 7, 2024 Victoria, BC -- Jan 11, 2024 to Feb 14, 2024 Baton Rouge, LA -- Feb 22, 2024 to Feb 25, 2024 Jacksonville, FL -- Mar 7, 2024 to Mar 10, 2024 MESSI10: Rosario, AR -- Aug 16, 2023 to Aug 21, 2023 Buenos Aires, AR -- Oct 5, 2023 to Nov 12, 2023 OVO: Gijon, ES -- Jul 26, 2023 to Aug 6, 2023 Gran Canaria, ES -- Aug 12, 2023 to Aug 20, 2023 Amsterdam, NL -- Sep 7, 2023 to Sep 10, 2023 Rotterdam, NL -- Sep 14, 2023 to Sep 17, 2023 Bordeaux, FR -- Sep 21, 2023 to Sep 24, 2023 Turin, IT -- Sep 28, 2023 to Oct 1, 2023 Berlin, DE -- Oct 5, 2023 to Oct 8, 2023 Zurich, CH -- Oct 11, 2023 to Oct 15, 2023 Bratislava, SK -- Oct 19, 2023 to Oct 22, 2023 Pesaro, IT -- Oct 26, 2023 to Oct 29, 2023 Bologna, IT -- Nov 2, 2023 to Nov 5, 2023 Florence, IT -- Nov 8, 2023 to Nov 12, 2023 Lyon, FR -- Nov 15, 2023 to Nov 19, 2023 Toulouse, FR -- Dec 7, 2023 to Dec 10, 2023 Granada, ES -- Dec 13, 2023 to Dec 17, 2023 Lisbon, PT -- Dec 20, 2023 to Dec 30, 2023 Santiago, ES -- Jan 3, 2024 to Jan 7, 2024 Zaragoza, ES -- Jan 10, 2024 to Jan 14, 2024 Lausanne, CH -- Jan 18, 2024 to Jan 21, 2024 Vienna, AT -- Feb 1, 2024 to Feb 4, 2024 Budapest, HU -- Feb 8, 2024 to Feb 11, 2024 Bucharest, RO -- Feb 15, 2024 to Feb 18, 2024 --------------------------------- RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre --------------------------------- Mystere: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Variable Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2023 Dark Days: o) September 8 thru 12, 2023 o) November 10, 2023 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Friday, Dark Monday/Tuesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2023 Dark Days: o) August 16-20, 2023 o) October 22, 2023 o) November 29-30, 2023 o) December 1-3, 2023 o) December 6-10, 2023 KA: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2023 Dark Days: o) August 16, 2023 o) October 21 - 25, 2023 o) November 18, 2023 o) December 13, 2023 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm Age Requirements: - Children under 5 not permitted. 2023 Dark Days: o) September 5-9, 2023 o) September 12-16, 2023 o) November 18, 2023 o) December 25, 2023 MICHAEL JACKSON ONE: Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday - Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2023 Dark Days: o) August 10 - 14, 2023 o) October 16, 2023 JOYA: Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday DRAWN TO LIFE: Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 5:30pm and 8:00pm MAD APPLE: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm Age Requirements: - Children under 16 not permitted. - Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 2023 Dark Days: o) August 21 - 22, 2023 o) October 27 - 31, 2023 o) November 3 - 7, 2023 o) December 18 - 19, 2023 ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "Is Gen Z Down to Clown" The Circus is Counting on It" SPECIAL /// Republished from the New York Times o) "LIFE IS A CIRCUS 4: Posts from the Cirque Blog" By: Cirque's Artists, Editors, and More... ---------------------------------------------------------- "Is Gen Z Down to Clown" The Circus is Counting on It" SPECIAL /// Republished from the New York Times ---------------------------------------------------------- The circus is a thrill, a locus of nostalgia for people who remember summers with family members under colorful tents, a beloved amalgam of the athletic and the absurd, the rare place where jugglers and acrobats and fire breathers can fly free, fodder for countless movies and a Dr. Seuss book - and, not to be a downer, a business. The circus has to make money to keep its clowns clowning. Coming out of the pandemic, Cirque du Soleil was in trouble. The company had staked nearly all its revenue in live shows, with their dizzying displays of balletic grace and gravity-defying gymnastics. After filing for bankruptcy protection in 2020, Cirque decided it had to be more than just a circus. It wanted to be a brand, something that could sell perfumes, sunglasses, tote bags and video games. So, over the past year the circus brought in consultants, which yielded months of meetings peppered with phrases like these. "I think there's a real opportunity to elevate the art of clowning." "Don't focus on the Cirque, focus on the Soleil." "We want to think of Soleil as the building blocks of vibe." "we've thrown a lot at you." "Lots of Soleil!" 'so much Soleil." Cirque du Soleil hired a "cultural analysts" firm, called Cultique, to answer an age-old question: Is it possible to hack popularity" Cultique argues that it is. Analysts there are in the business of selling cool. And their work with the circus this year has offered a glimpse into what it takes to change a business's reputation, to do a brand makeover at a time when social media has made branding both more important than ever and more fraught. Cirque's leaders felt confident that their company embodied everything Gen Z loves: campy outfits, kitschy makeup, feats of athletic daring. Sequins, spandex, being extra. Yet few of that generation - people born from 1997 to 2012, who now have $360 billion in consumer power – seemed interested in the circus. Cirque's more than 40 shows sell 10 million tickets a year around the world, with a focus on its American home in Las Vegas, but mostly to a middle-age (or very young) audience. The average Cirque attendee is 42, according to the company. More than two-thirds have children under 18. Cirque du Soleil turned to Cultique to become relevant. And Cultique promised, improbably, that even at a moment when culture seems to move at the speed of (sorry) a flying trapeze, it's possible for a savvy old business to catch up. "We literally help people get ahead of the curve," said Linda Ong, Cultique's co-founder and chief executive, later adding, 'the secret sauce to our business is we help brands anticipate what's going to change before it's widely acknowledged." It's not exactly obvious how to define culture. It's everything we wear (crochet, sheer); listen to (Dua Lipa, Doja Cat); watch ("Real Housewives," "Barbie"). Ms. Ong uses water-based metaphors to describe it. Culture is a wave. You can ride it or get pulled under. Seemingly invincible brands have shown what it's like to feel the culture wave crash. Pepsi ended up pulling a 2017 advertisement that showed Kendall Jenner handing a soda can to a police officer. Bud Light lost its status as America's top-selling beer after it faced backlash for a video from a transgender influencer promoting the beer this spring. If culture is water, the surface is murky. Enter Ms. Ong and her business partner, Sarah Unger, who promise to help companies devise business strategies, marketing campaigns and products that appeal to cultural sensibilities - before those sensibilities are even fully formed. Cultique doesn't rely much on data. Ms. Ong and Ms. Unger believe that once trends show up in surveys, it's too late. It's best to identify cultural obsessions before they're on TikTok, before young people are talking about them, right before anyone recognizes they're real. 'there are two kinds of people," Ms. Ong, 60, said. "People who get turned on by culture and people who don't understand it." The notion that anyone - let alone a 60-year-old and 37-year-old corporate duo Zooming from Los Angeles - can describe cultural fixations before they manifest sounds dubious. Popular culture, after all, is not all that different from other cultures, like cheese, yogurt or kombucha. It's alive. It's organic. It isn't designed by some all-knowing authority. It just happens. But Cultique's founders swear that cultural relevance, like any element of business, can be studied and controlled. Last year, that work brought in $3.8 million in revenue for Cultique, which has just two full-time employees and typically a dozen or so contractors. Skeptical, I decided to follow them as they took on the task of transforming Cirque du Soleil. "HOW DO WE BECOME THE THEME AT THE MET GALA?" --------------------------------------------- Everyone at Cirque du Soleil was astounded to hear I'd never been to Cirque du Soleil. "It's your first Cirque"" said the company's senior tour director, Michael Veilleux, during intermission at a Cirque show called Corteo (theme: funeral meets carnival) in Newark. "You don't meet many people who it's their first Cirque." He really doesn't. That's partly the problem. Cirque's shows, as I witnessed, have pole dancers, upside-down shoes without feet and clowns dressed up like horse butts. They have audiences of parents looking harried and children chucking popcorn on the floor. What they don't seem to have is an expansive base of young adult fans. It was Covid that prompted Cirque du Soleil's existential crisis, and decision to chase a new cultural image. After Cirque's executives tended to all their immediate March 2020 demands sending performers home, storing hoops and silks away in warehouses - the Montreal-based company furloughed 95 percent of its 5,000-person staff. Only roughly 150 remained. After vaccines, as the circus began to rehire those workers, executives swore they'd pandemic-proof their business. Cirque couldn't be entirely reliant on its performances. Today, about 80 percent of its revenue comes from live shows. The company's chief growth officer, Nickole Tara, can envision a time when performances will account for just 20 percent of the revenue stream. Executives at Cirque are experimenting with anything a young person curious about the circus might buy. A video game called Cirque du Soleil Tycoon set for release on July 28, with the gaming company Roblox, in which players can build their own circus world. A signature fragrance (for the clown lover in your life) and a line of home goods (think maximalist rugs and psychedelic curtains). Corporate partnerships with companies like Motorola, which introduced its new flip phone in an event in June produced with Cirque. Cirque is working on a television documentary series, likely to be called "Down to Clown." It is planning a convention styled after Comic-Con, the fantasy events that draw tens of thousands of people annually, which it hopes to launch this year. "We are going to try so many new things," said the circus's head of growth, Ms. Tara, 39, who last year left the music festival world for a newly created leadership position at Cirque. "We have to embrace the Cirque of the modern era." Some brands ooze the kind of cachet that people want to wear. Supreme sneakers. Kylie cosmetics. Others have to think a little harder about the version of themselves that they could commodify - like how to turn a zany old circus into a brand people consider relevant. On this question, Cultique has been full of ideas, especially during a meeting in early March, when a handful of Cirque executives joined its cultural analysts to discuss what success would look like for their partnership. "How do we become the theme at the Met Gala"" Ms. Tara mused. "It's not a crazy idea," Ms. Ong responded. "How do you make your events the Met Gala equivalent?" The assembled group which included Cirque's head of global branding and social media, Chris Bower, and the Cultique analyst Rajiv Menon agreed that it wanted Cirque to be ubiquitous. They wanted people to wonder why everywhere they looked there was Cirque du Soleil. Roaming Art Basel. Holding court at New York Fashion Week. Spotted with Jenna Ortega. Partnering with Versace. "'Oh my God, everywhere I turn Cirque is doing cool things with cool people,'" Ms. Ong said, imagining the party chatter she wants to generate. To Ms. Ong, this doesn't seem like an inordinately tall order, because she already sees young people embracing the qualities associated with the circus, especially over-the-top performance. they're just not making the connection to Cirque's business. In her mind, Cirque needs to publicly own the themes percolating in culture, what she and Ms. Unger refer to as "the Soleil Strategy." "It's like porn," Ms. Ong said. "Everybody knows the Cirque du Soleil vibe when they see it." THE ZEITGEIST WHISPERERS ------------------------ You'd be forgiven for thinking "cultural analysis" was required reading for a humanities seminar, or a mash-up of modern art and Freud. But for Cultique, it's a business venture, which can feel like a surprise even to Ms. Ong and Ms. Unger, who are still processing the fact that they make their living talking about the television, art, fashion and music they love. (Their weekly Substack is called "Culture Porn.") Ms. Ong grew up in the 1970s in Texas, where she was the only Chinese American in her mostly white elementary school class. Once while playing dodge ball, one of her classmates pointed at her and yelled: "Give the ball to that Mexican girl!" Culture made Ms. Ong feel less lonely. She binge-consumed "Hotel California," "Gilligan's Island," Reader's Digest and 'the Brady Bunch." Ms. Ong moved to New York after college and then bounced around advertising jobs. She helped lead branding for Bravo. She realized she had a talent: telling corporate people what cool people were talking about. As a longtime marketer, Ms. Ong loves metaphors. One of her favorites compares Cultique's work to testing the atmosphere in preparation for a rocket launch. Their clients are building the ship, making sure all the parts are working. Doesn't it make sense to ensure the atmosphere is amenable to flight" American Express Global Business Travel hired Cultique in 2021 to study how corporate travel is changing. Cultique's white paper recommended that companies appoint "chief journey officers," making travel a bigger part of company life. Cultique characteristically interspersed corporate phrases with zeitgeisty lingo: wellness, burnout, hybrid work. Buttoned-up clients (including Amex) like Cultique because even its workplace policies are playful. The company has a four-day workweek. Ms. Ong and Ms. Unger did a boot camp to study their brain waves and determine which parts of the day they"d be most productive. Both Ms. Ong and Ms. Unger regularly enter what they call the "cone of silence," when they stop communicating with one another and instead rabidly consume culture, which can mean, depending on the day: "Love Is Blind" (Ms. Unger); 'the Bear" (Ms. Ong); heavy metal (Ms. Unger); World Wrestling Entertainment (Ms. Unger); going to a wolf sanctuary (Ms. Ong); getting on a motorcycle (Ms. Unger). They keep group chats with their clients going all day, sending articles, songs, videos or TikToks that relate to the work, which in Cirque's case they call "Cirquecore." "Has there ever been a CIRQUE Barbie?" read one recent text from Cultique. "HERMES" new fragrance is 'the sun as perfume,"" read another. "I also am interested to think of Cirque's performance as religion," Ms. Unger wrote to the group one day. "People are more spiritual than ever, esp. Gen Z." MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR -------------------- The word nostalgia came up often in conversations about reinventing Cirque. "Nostalgia brands are having a moment," Mr. Menon, a Cultique cultural analyst, declared over Zoom one day. What could be more nostalgic than the circus, with its popcorn and clown noses" Speaking of nostalgia, sometimes what Cirque seems to be chasing is its history. Before Cirque was a company making close to $1 billion per year which it is doing again today, after bouncing back from its pandemic slump it was a scrappy group of acrobats and stilt walkers putting on a show for residents at a youth hostel in Quebec City. Cirque's founder, Guy Laliberté, who stepped down as chief executive in 2004, came up as a fire-breathing performer on the streets of Montreal. He cobbled together his artist friends to create a festival. Mr. Laliberté has attributed part of the show's success, over the years, to parties he threw at his lakefront mansion: Women sang opera on gondolas, a 19-piece orchestra serenaded the crowds, the host himself breathed fire. These raucous gatherings have attracted celebrities to Cirque's mission, including George Harrison, who once attended randomly while in town to watch Formula 1 and was so impressed that he asked Mr. Laliberté to make a Beatles-themed show. (The first business meeting between Cirque and the band ended as Paul McCartney drew a picture of Nowhere Man, handed the paper over and told the Cirque team to "figure out what this means.") If the Beatles loved Cirque's brand, why not Gen Z? Sitting through a Cirque performance is also a reminder of the features that to some audiences could seem out of step with the times. At the show I attended, one of the longest sequences focused on a little person named Valentyna Pahlevanyan, who attached herself to balloons and floated over the sprawling arena as audience members pushed on her feet to send her upward. The room rang out with cries of "I want to touch her!" Then she and her husband, Grigor, also a little person, performed a humorous version of "Romeo and Juliet" with interruptions from clowns. There were also jokes about a large man jumping on one end of a seesaw with a smaller man at the other end. To Cirque, this is a testament to the show's inclusivity. Michel Laprise, who has directed three of Cirque's shows, said the performers help shape their own roles. Choking up, he likened the performers' relationship with the show to a marriage. "I want them to be loved by the audience," he said. "It's important that we have little people in our shows. It's a way to say they exist. they're not victims." 'the show tells you that no matter how tall you are, how big you are, whatever your background is or what you look like, you can still work here and do the job that you're meant to do," said Ms. Pahlevanyan, 60, adding that she and her husband helped create their "Romeo and Juliet" sequence to capture the comedy and chaos characteristic of Cirque. Still, part of what Cirque is looking for is a version of its brand that doesn't need the show for relevance (or for all its revenue). That ambition is distilled, partly, on the company's social media. On Cirque's TikTok there are prank ideas, fitness tips, Halloween costume inspiration, wedding proposals and Black History Month reflections. In one video, Cirque dancers do ballet to the saccharine strains of Michael Buble. In another, they compete in a push-up competition. Since starting its TikTok in 2021 and beginning to emphasize its other social media accounts, the company has accumulated more than eight million followers across platforms. Some of its TikTok videos get three million views, and many of those viewers are far younger than the 42-year-old show attendees. "Last month the question was raised: How do we get more of our TikTok fans to buy tickets to shows?" Ms. Tara said. "I don't know if that's the point." Cirque had its strongest financial year in 2022. Sitting at the Ludlow Hotel during a visit to New York this spring, Cirque's executives told their cultural analysts that they"d been creating a video that showed how Cirque's brand could be translated into fashion and home goods. The video cycled through images of acrobats, trapeze artists and clowns. Then commercial items appeared on the screen - tote bags, sunglasses, pantsuits, pottery - along with the text "Prime for retail expansion." It was a vision of what Cirque, divorced from the circus, could be. "This is what Cirque du Soleil - and the Soleil - can look like in a physical object someone would actually go and buy," said Mr. Bower, Cirque's head of branding. The cultural analysts were dazzled. "We love this relationship," Ms. Ong said. "It's like improv. Y'all take the ball and you're like, "Great, OK, let's do this!"" Later that night was Cirque's event with Motorola in Brooklyn. Half- naked acrobats spun through purple, misted air. Eerie percussion music filled the room. Dancers in extraterrestrial-looking leotards leaped across the stage. And as the performers did acrobatic flips, Motorola unveiled its new flip phone, a nostalgic take on the early 2000s accessory. "OVER THE TOP, OTHERWORLDLY, and AVANT GARDE," Ms. Ong declared over text. Totally on brand!" { SOURCE: New York Times } ---------------------------------------------------------- "LIFE IS A CIRCUS 4: Posts from the Cirque Blog By: Artists, Editors, and More... ---------------------------------------------------------- From life outside the big top to peeks behind the curtain, Cirque du Soleil has started a blog to allow fans to get up close and personal with their fascinating talent as well as a look at the know-how that goes into giving a Cirque show its spark - the kinds of things you might not get to see from beyond the stage. Here are a few more of the recent posts that we found interesting to share! # # # # # EXPERIENCING CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD BY: Cam DS, Blogger | May 17, 2023 Several years ago, visiting Japan during cherry blossom season was on top of my travel bucket list. This year, I finally decided to make this dream a reality. From the moment I set foot in Tokyo, I was amazed by the buzz and grandness of this metropolis. It's an electrifying, eclectic, innovative and strangely welcoming city. I just knew I would leave this place a changed person. My itinerary included six very important stops: Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagano, Nara, Osaka, and Mount Fuji. On my last evening in Tokyo, I had the great privilege of seeing Alegría. The legendary show was completely reimagined and put back on stage to mark its 25th anniversary. It was a memorable evening I got to experience with my better half and best friend. THE CLASSIC YELLOW AND BLUE BIG TOP AWAITED Surrounded by multi-coloured tulips, it was both unreal and surreal. I was so grateful for the chance to watch Vincent Lavoie, a Quebec artist and friend performing on this iconic stage. When we entered the big top, I noticed that it was very different from those in America. I was told it was created specifically to withstand earthquakes. Improved sound, a perfect view of the stage since there are no obstructions, and the additional 600 seats made me feel deep down like I was soon going to witness an indescribable experience. We were guided to our seats in the front row and... WOW! Let the show begin! TWO HOURS OF PURE FUN! Cirque du Soleil redefines and pushes the creative limits of the traditional circus. It's an indescribable experience and impossible to look away from the stage. It's pure magic! The artists gave breathtaking performances, bold and impressive acrobatics filled with feats of strength and agility, while blending theatrics, stunning costumes and an enchanting soundtrack. I grew up listening to Alegria, and to hear it here was just! captivating! From the contortionist to the fire-knife dancer, along with a duet of totally fabulous trapeze artists, the acrobats once again made my heart skip a few beats. I was also impressed by each of the hoop dancer's performances. M. Fleur and the Pablos put me under their spell, and I was also touched by their zany, but passionate relationship. I loved the two singers who gave the audience an exceptional performance. ALEGRIA IS FUNNY, MOVING AND GRANDIOSE In short, it's a must-see EXPERIENCE! After the show, we had the opportunity to go backstage, where met some of the artists, talked to the Costume Makers, and explored the site to better understand the reality of these exceptional performers and artisans. Let yourself be whisked away to the magical world of Cirque du Soleil. You will create lasting memories and get the feeling of witnessing a larger-than-life artistic performance. The Alegria show will stay in Japan until October 2023 before heading to Spain. Don't miss your chance to check it out if you're in the area. # # # # # HUMANS... CAST AS ANIMALS! BY: Sebastien Guglielmo, Global Partnerships | May 18, 2023 Up until now, circus shows were relying on their menageries to bring in spectators. Bear trainers from the Middle Ages, balancing acts on horses in the 18th century, taming and caging exotic beasts in the early 1900's. The audience was enthralled at the idea of domesticating animals, especially the wildest ones. During the second half of the 20th century, circus shows would give more value to the human performances. Even if circuses would still be a place where the impossible could be done, the art form would focus more on physical prowess rather than showcasing trained animals. Outrage from the audiences and from animal rights activists would slowly lead to the removal of these animal-centric acts from the Big Top all over the world. A FIRM DECISION FROM CIRQUE Back in the 90's, Cirque du Soleil vowed to have every animal interpreted by human artists, however big that animal would be. In Alegria, launched in 1994, artists take on the roles of birds. In KA, they personify crabs and turtles. In Cirque du Soleil ECHO, our latest creation, multiple characters are half-human and half-animal, adorned with masks representing a bull, an elephant, and a seal, amongst many more. This is reminiscent of the artists on JOYA performing as the lizard, the lemur, the peacock, or the rabbit. These costumes, makeups and accessories were all designed and hand- made in the International Head Quarters" workshops in Montreal. The artisans work their creative muscles tirelessly to find ingenious ways to bring these creatures to life, before they take the stage in front of millions of spectators. That's where the bugs from OVO and the mechanical jaguar from LUZIA, who have travelled from continent to continent for years, come from. More than a simple circus show, Cirque's experiences are where fantastic and legendary creatures come to life. Animals like the Dralions or the extraterrestrial fauna of the planet Pandora, from the universe of Avatar, with larger-than-life puppets, blue-skinned Na'vis costumes and the imposing Toruk flying above the crowd. Even at the very beginning, Cirque du Soleil has always steered clear from the idea of domesticating animals. Quite the contrary actually, each and every original creation is tinted by a philosophy of friendliness and collaboration with natural life. This wonderful symbiosis with our home planet and all its inhabitants deserves a starring role in productions like ECHO and LUZIA. # # # # # KOOZA - AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE BY: Abhishek Dekate, Blogger | May 18, 2023 When you see the iconic Cirque du Soleil Big Top in your city, you know you're in for a treat. Making a comeback into Toronto since its premiere back in 2007, KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil. It combines a mix of vibrant and captivating performances that blend acrobatics, theatrical storytelling and the art of clowning. Having watched several Cirque shows in the past, I was particularly excited to see this production. As I walked into the Big Top and grabbed my seat, I was instantly mesmerized by the set production and design! and this was just the beginning. As a viewer, you're transported into a world of wonder and enchantment. The beauty of the Big Top is that no matter where you're sitting, you have the "best seat in the house". WHAT IS KOOZA? KOOZA is an innovative journey viewed through the perspective of The Innocent, an endearing yet na ve clown looking for his place in this world. The show begins with The Innocent receiving an unexpected delivery in the form of a big, red box - think jack-in-the-box but better. Hiding inside is the enigmatic trickster, acting as The Innocent's consciousness. The Innocent is then transported into a bizarre but exotic universe taking the audience with him. THE SHOW The Trickster guides the show as he takes The Innocent through a journey of self-discovery. All of the acts are examples of exploring oneself through trial and error. The show explores the themes of strength, fragility, laughter, turmoil and harmony. Each theme is brought to life via performances by skilled contortionists, aerialists, trapezists, and more. All stunts are executed with precision, strength, and grace, leaving you in awe of the performers" abilities. The tightrope juggling, Wheel of Death and the jaw-dropping chair-balancing acts had everyone in utter amazement. Broken into two segments with a short intermission in between, KOOZA is a show full of surprises that has you at the edge of your seat. To provide comedic relief between acts, the show incorporates an enchanting trio of clowns: a King and his two sidekicks who help add moments of laughter and light-heartedness to the overall experience. Audience interaction is always a vital part of all Cirque shows and the trio does a great job of involving the audience. Without giving the full show away, each act kept getting progressively intense (in the best way). As a viewer, you are transported into The Innocent's reality, feeling the same range of emotions that he's feeling with each act. As The Innocent uncovers the meaning of life, the show ends on a wholesome note with a spectacular finale. No surprise, a standing ovation was in order. FINAL THOUGHTS Cirque du Soleil is known for creating a memorable and transformative experience and KOOZA is no exception. The thrilling acrobatics, dazzling costumes, intricate set designs and live music with influences from around the world created a truly immersive experience. There's a reason why it's been around for all these years and I'm grateful to have gotten the chance to see it for the first time myself here in Toronto. KOOZA now files under one of my favourite Cirque shows. A show for all age groups, you don't want to miss it! # # # # # A SHORT HISTORY OF DJ-ING BY: Tony Babinski, Writer and Creative Director | May 19, 2023 The Art of the DJ - or disc jockey - goes back more than a century, and has evolved along with technology, entertainment and international culture. The role of the DJ emerged in the 1920s, with the dawn of radio. The first commercial radio broadcast took place on November 2, 1920, and soon radio time was filled with on-air hosts playing phonograph recordings of music - in other words, vinyl records. These hosts would physically queue up music on turntables, which ran at 78 revolutions per minute, then eventually slowed to 45 rpm for singles and 33 rpm for long-playing records. In addition to operating the phonographs, the host - later dubbed "disc jockey" for handling the vinyl records – would comment between the songs. Over time, the single radio-studio turntable became two turntables, allowing the DJ (or music operator, as the functions became separated) to mix music in a continuous fashion. The 'two turntables and a microphone" set-up - basic elements of the DJ arsenal - was born. With the advent of affordable hi-fi systems, DJs moved out of the radio studio and onto the dance floor at private parties and dances. English radio personality Jimmy Saville claimed to be the first DJ to play public parties with two turntables in 1943. In 1947, the Whisky a Go Go became the world's first discotheque. (The word "disco," taken from vinyl records, referred to venues that featured recorded music rather than live musicians.) Dance clubs soon spread the world over. In Jamaica in the late 1950s, DJs built powerful sound systems and threw giant block parties. By 1968, dance clubs were in decline, as these outdoor parties spread to Europe and the boroughs of New York City. And that led to what is probably the single biggest cultural explosion since the birth of rock'n'roll. In the Bronx, Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc started making new music with beats taken from records and techniques like scratching, giving birth to hip-hop. Over the following decade, hip-hop culture exploded around the world, with DJs such as Public Enemy's Terminator X taking center stage. The 1990s were the age of the rave scene, which gave birth to its own superstars. But with the advent of digital music and MP3 files in 1992, digital music mixes began to replace the traditional two- turntables-and-a-microphone set-up. By the 21st century, DJ culture and the dance scene were ubiquitous – and technology allowed DJing (mixing music) to be combined with VJing (creating and mixing video). # # # # # CIRQUE DU SOLEIL UNDERGROUND BY: Tony Babinski, Writer and Creative Director | May 19, 2023 The long history of Cirque and DJ culture. Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté has done many things besides starting the company and acting as its guide for many years. Perhaps, the least surprising thing to those who know him is his recent role as a DJ. Over the last few years, Laliberté has been playing the DJ trade at parties and nightclubs the world over. Given Cirque's long association with DJ culture and night life, this is no surprise. In addition to creating and producing live shows, Cirque du Soleil has long been active in the club and party worlds, producing parties and VIP events, mainly through its long-standing events division. Working with brand partners and associates in immersive technology, Cirque du Soleil has created unforgettable events and happenings. While its live shows are celebrated for the performances of live musicians, these club and party events always feature DJs. Cirque has a roster of DJs from Montreal, including Musical Director Alain Vinet and longtime friends such as DJ Stephane Cocke. Their sets and mixes can be found with a quick internet search. Like Cirque music in general, these sets feature an international blend of beats and flavors, helping create unforgettable environments. Indeed, DJing is such an intrinsic part of Cirque culture that it has actually been incorporated into MUV, the company's show in Andorra. Today, Cirque often collaborates with internationally celebrated DJs such as Moby, who played a set at the closing party for the inaugural C2 festival, co-created by Cirque du Soleil. # # # # # PASSING DOWN THE CIRCUS SPARKLE BY: Maxim Potvin, Blog Editor | June 15, 2023 Like father, like son! Las Vegas-based artist and dad is lucky to share his passion for circus arts with his son! MEET SPEE-D Q. Could you introduce yourself in a few words? My name is Philip, but I usually go by my stage name: Spee-d. I specialize in Capoeira, breakdancing, and acrobatics. I have been with KA for about 7 years now. I am a generalist in the show, and I also backup 2 main characters! So much fun! Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in the circus arts and entertainment industry? I have been performing since I was 10 years old. I love being on stage and sharing my talent. I am a first-generation performer, and my son Noah is now the one continuing this legacy. Q. How do you balance your career with your family life and responsibilities as a father? I love being a dad. While my career is important to me, my responsibilities as a father will always take priority. I don't find it difficult because my family understands the lifestyle of a performer. It's a lot of fun, especially since my son has similar interests to mine and his momma's. Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in the circus arts? I would say that no matter what you decide to do as a performer, always strive to be the best. My dad gave me this advice when I was younger, and it really kept me on track and helped me to be the best I could be. I gave the same advice to Noah, as well. Q. How do you see the future of the circus industry evolving in Las Vegas and how would this shape your son's future career? I think the industry is growing. We will soon see many more shows and new performers will take the stage. I see a ton of opportunities for Noah and other young circus enthusiasts looking to work in the field of performing. Q. How involved is your son in your career and training? He is very involved since we train together as a family, both for work and for competitions. He is a very hard worker and dedicated to his craft. He loves what he does, and I think that is extremely important. MEET NOAH Q. Can you introduce yourself in a few words? My name is Noah, I'm 12 years old and I play all 4 characters of the Kids of Liverpool in The Beatles LOVE show. Q. What is your favorite act to perform on The Beatles LOVE? My favorite circus act to perform in The Beatles LOVE is "Day in the Life". I like doing it because I get to act a lot and it's such a fun number to be part of. Q. How do you balance your training and practice with your schoolwork and other activities? I used to be in regular school, but now I'm homeschooled. However, when I was in regular school, it wasn't hard to balance work and everything else. The days I had training or a show, my mom and dad would pick me up early from class so that I could finish my homework. It worked well, when I came home from work, I didn't have to do schoolwork. Q. How has your father's career and passion for the circus arts influenced your own interests? Without my dad I wouldn't be where I am now. My dad was working on KA before I auditioned, he was the one who told me about the role and got me to try out for it. Knowing how cool my dad's show was, I wanted to join a Cirque show. He coached me well so I could get this job. This way, we can both be at Cirque! Q. How do you see yourself progressing and growing as a circus performer in the future? My dream is to work in the circus industry and perform in front of thousands of people. I see myself growing as a performer and progressing enough in my discipline so that I can join a circus when I'm older. Having my current role helped me become a better performer too. Q. What advice would you give to other kids who are interested in the circus arts? Some advice I could give to kids who are interested in circus arts is that it won't come easy. If you want it, you will have to train hard for it. If you don't get it at first, don't be upset because there will always be more opportunities for you. # # # # # CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TURNS 39 YEARS YOUNG BY: Maxim Potvin, Blog Editor | June 16, 2023 Put on your party hat: it's Cirque Week and we're celebrating 39 wonderful years! The past year was filled to the brim with exciting happenings and wonderful news for us. Cirque Week is just around the corner and June 16th, our birthday, marks the start of the celebrations. There are many ways to celebrate alongside us and commemorate all we've accomplished in our 39th year as creators, innovators, and entertainers. "Celebrate What Exactly?", You Might Ask. Our artists', cast's, crew's and employee's multiple accomplishments over the year. So many things happened that we can be proud of! It's been quite the year at Cirque, in Montreal, in Las Vegas and all over the world! The list of reasons to raise our glass keeps getting longer and longer every day, so much so we couldn't possibly list them all! But here's to trying anyways! ACROSS THE GLOBE Cirque has been a household name internationally for decades, but we're still making waves everywhere we set foot. In the past year, our touring shows shined bright and dazzled audiences of every horizon. o) ECHO premiered in Montreal, making it our first original creation to do so since the pandemic shut down the entertainment industry. o) we've hosted a record number of spectators in Big Tops, theaters, and arenas all over the world with LUZIA, KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities, and KOOZA. o) KURIOS made its way to Europe and took the Royal Albert Hall by storm, bringing the total number of Cirque performances at the Hall over 1,300. o) New shows were announced and debuted in every corner of the world like AMORA, FESTA, GUY! GUY! GUY!, and more! Let's not forget our upcoming residency in idyllic Hawaii - more on this big announcement soon. o) Alegria set up shop in Tokyo and held a very special event to honor their 300,000th guest and their family. A BIT CLOSER TO HOME Home is wherever our epic artists, talented crew and devoted employees are. o) All year long, the 30th anniversary celebrations are being held in Vegas. This is no small feat, as iconic shows like Mystère and "O" turn 30 and 25 years old respectively. But that's not all, 10 years ago, Michael Jackson ONE opened the doors of its theater to the public. 30 very busy years on the Strip that went by at lightning- speed. o) Internally, we recruited a team of sensitive and knowledgeable personnel who came together to form a DEI committee set towards new diversity, equality, and inclusivity goals and they were given tools and resources to educate the Cirque du Soleil family. o) Discover the Extraordinary, an artsy and impactful look into what makes Cirque du Soleil so unique saw the light of day. This campaign is the successor of The Sun Rises and The Intermission is Over campaigns. A fitting follow-up after the post-pandemic relaunch. o) Our online community kept growing and growing up until we reached a colossal milestone: we passed 1.7M followers on Instagram! Join our community and follow us there. o) We partnered up with world-renowned brands like NYX, Air Canada, and Mastercard, amongst other, so we could bring to life anything our crazy imagination could make up. We're even holding a giveaway with our partners at Sun Life, check it out! o) And, finally, we launched a blog so we can keep our dear Cirque fans updated on all things CDS (and we're very happy about that!) HIGH HONORS FOR THE TEAMS All this hard off has paid off in the most flattering way possible. We do what we do out of passion for the arts, but I think we can all agree that getting recognition from our industry peers brings validation that we're doing it right! o) Cirque went all in on TikTok and reached a whooping 1.6M followers very quickly, making it a prime candidate to be nominated for two Webby Awards - and we won one!! o) The Artist-Generated Content team also brought home Shorty Awards in two categories: Cirque du Soleil TikTok Account & Livestreams (Category - TikTok Presence) and for Blue Man Group & The TikTok Community (Category - Community Management). o) Mystere has been inducted into the Las Vegas Magazine Hall of Fame for its record-breaking run at Treasure Island Hotel. o) Back in June of 2022, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group won "Marketing & Publicity Campaign of the Year (More than $10,000 campaign)" at the EAMC Awards for the relaunch campaign Intermission is Over! o) Four of our resident shows, K , "O", The Beatles LOVE, and Michael Jackson ONE, made it onto USA Today's Top 10 Best Casino Shows list! More reasons to hop on a flight to Las Vegas and see for yourself! # # # # # THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CDS PIANO PLAYERS BY: Tony Babinski, Writer and Creative Director | July 21, 2023 It takes experience, skill and great instincts to be a pianist at Cirque. With so many touring and permanent shows in production, Cirque du Soleil is always looking for talented pianists. But if you ever want to play with us, there's something you should know: our musicians have three essential qualities. First, you need to be a very accomplished musician. This is true for everyone at Cirque du Soleil - people like Gerald Peter, a composer and keyboard player from Vienna; Anne Charbonneau, who has been performing on stage since age 5; and Steve Bach, who has played with Stanley Clarke, Robbie Krieger and Sergio Mendes, among many others. The people who play in Cirque du Soleil shows have real chops. You also have to be dedicated. Many Cirque shows will run eight or more performances a week for several weeks at a stretch, including holidays like New Year's and Christmas. It means that, for the time you are with a show, your life is all about that show and its music. Not every piano player can handle that pressure and level of commitment. And here's a trade secret: you must be prepared to vamp. Most live music for Cirque shows has in-built vamps, sections that can be drawn out when needed, with some improvisation. Why" Because, although the music is formally composed, the precise length of many acts can vary from performance to performance. The piano player has to be in tune with what's happening on stage, and be prepared to roll with it. Luckily for Cirque du Soleil, such amazing players exist, and we have them on our team. # # # # # IN ECHO, THE EARTH AND ITS CREATURES SPEAK IN MUSIC BY: Tony Babinski, Writer and Creative Director | July 21, 2023 The animal world guides humans to a better future, through a truly universal language. In the new Cirque du Soleil show ECHO, the lead character, Future, is on a quest to solve the environmental problems facing our world today. The show conveys hope - hope that we can come to grips with what's facing us, and together build a better tomorrow. To deliver on this promise, the characters in the show have to learn to listen to the wisdom of the planet, in particular to creatures from the animal world who guide them on their quest. The show's creators chose to have those animals express themselves through music. Paul Barton's experience with elephants in a Thai sanctuary provides a real-world example of how music can unite humans and other creatures. And, really, it should come as no surprise that living organisms of all kinds - not just animals, but plants, too – respond to the emotion and harmonies in music. The power of music has long been a force uniting cultures and peoples in Cirque du Soleil productions around the world. Cirque artists, playing to universal audiences, communicate through powerful emotions, not relying on the words of a particular language. Music is key to this communication. Some theorize that singing came before language. If that's true, it reinforces the belief that music is common to all living things. Close your eyes in a forest, and you will hear all of nature's voices raised in song. Recent evidence suggests that the Big Bang itself echoes with a single note that unites the cosmos - a frequency that can be measured emanating from black holes. The note? B Flat Major! # # # # # CIRQUE DU SOLEIL STICKS THE LANDING ON ROBLOX! BY: Maxim Potvin, Blog Editor | July 28, 2023 Stretch out your fingers and get your devices charged for Cirque du Soleil Tycoon. we're launching a brand-new free immersive experience, available exclusively in the world of Roblox! Dare to take on interactive challenges and try your hand at exciting quests as you build and manage your very own show under the Big Top. Assume the role of company manager and lead your circus to success. You will hire acrobats, crew members and on-site workers to provide your guests with a live-entertainment experience like they've never seen before. Progress in-game to uncover the secrets behind the brand- new show, ECHO, and work towards building the fully-fledged circus of your dreams. In for a thrill" Watch acrobatic performances as your circus grows, and your cast expands. Familiarize yourself with the world of Cirque's performers and discover their various acts, each more impressive than the precedent. From the entrance gates to the backstage area, where you can train with acrobats, you're in charge of everything! With an array of brand-new exclusive items, you can deck out your avatar with unique virtual pieces of clothing and accessories, all inspired by the real costumes from ECHO. Come up with crazy outfits, show the world your #Cirquecore style and unleash your imagination in true Cirque du Soleil fashion! Join us online and be part of the incredible Cirque community on Roblox, where extraordinary adventures through the world of Cirque du Soleil await you! ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 23, Number 6 (Issue #221) - August 2023 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C) 2001-2023 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (C) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. { Aug.16.2023 } =======================================================================