======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ E X P A N D E D I S S U E ------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================= VOLUME 14, NUMBER 2 February 2014 ISSUE #121e ======================================================================= Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. Well, there've been quite a few interesting developments since we last spoke, hasn't there? Cirque du Soleil finally released the name of its newest touring show - KURIOS: THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES. And to be a little punny, we're ever curious about KURIOS here at Fascination! What does it mean? And what kind of show are we likely to get? Some of those answers can be found within, as we repurpose some of Cirque's press-room texts this month to provide information on the show's theme and background on its creators. But if there's one word that sums KURIOS up for me it's this: steampunk. And Cirque might wear the genre quite well indeed! More details about Cirque's newest touring show should begin to trickle out soon. The other most interesting development this past month was Cirque's out-of-the-blue announcement that it had tapped Scott Zeiger, co- founding partner of Base Entertainment (a company that develops, produces, and manages intellectual properties that reach audiences through various platforms, including live, digital, broadcast and licensing. Lion King and Wicked in Singapore, Phantom - the Las Vegas Spectacular, Absinthe, Jersey Boys and Rock of Ages in Las Vegas were produced by BASE), will serve as President and Managing Director of a totally new division that Cirque du Soleil created: Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. The goal: to develop unique theatrical opportunities for Cirque, using the Cirque's signature style and aesthetic. You know, a more successful version of Banana Shpheel. Naturally my first reaction was not kind. In fact, it fell along the lines of: "Are you outta your mind? Didn't Banana Shpeel teach you anything?" - But if Cirque Eloise and many other similar companies can find success there, maybe Cirque du Soleil could break that market. And with Scott Zeiger on board, we should all hope that the sting of failure with Banana Shpeel will only not happen again, but be totally forgotten. Of course, we don't yet know what projects are likely to come out of this new division, but wouldn't it be interesting to see a new version of Alegría? Seems to me Alegría's aesthetic would transfer well enough... what do you think? Next month all of Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas shows will go dark for One Night for One Drop - that's right, it's back! One Night for ONE DROP, imagined by Cirque du Soleil in support of ONE DROP, will be back on March 21, 2014 for a second edition. This all new production has been specially created for a one-night-only performance, due to commence at the MICHAEL JACKSON ONE THEATER at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas. It's sure to be as amazing as last year's event, but will people like us get to see it via the web like last time? Nothing concrete on that front has been announced but I remain hopeful. And last, but certainly not least: in our previous issue I alerted you to a new Cirque du Soleil-themed podcast entitled "Solar Flare". Since then a second 30-minute podcast has been produced and is now available! This episode is completely fan-centric; Ian interviews two hardcore fans of the Cirque (and one of them is yours truly!) So, go check it out! (http://www.sfcirque.com/#!listen/c1h6a) As for what we've got inside this month: Keith continues looking at Cirque du Soleil's Social Media initiatives by analyzing Cirque's Facebook stats. After speaking with Mr. Andrew Levey, Director of Customer Relationship Marketing for Cirque (a.k.a. the Social Media guru for Cirque du Soleil), Keith wondered: how often do the various Cirque shows use social media as a means of reaching out to their fans on a monthly basis? Check out his results within! And, as promised last time, I take a peek at the Amaluna DVD, but the results are rather... perplexing. You'll see what I mean. As always we've got the latest news items posted to Fascination! Web and, of course, updates to Cirque's tour schedule. So, let's get started. Join us on the web at: < www.cirquefascination.com > Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information * BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau * Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues * Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets * Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube o) Fascination! Features * "Cirque 2014 is: ‘KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities'" Edited By: Ricky Russo – Atlanta, Georgia (USA) * "QUANTITY OR QUALITY: A look at Cirque Facebook Stats" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) * "AMALUNA ON DVD: A Quick Peek" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) Subscription Information o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Mystère Swings into 20th Anniversary [EXPANDED] {Jan.06.2014} ------------------------------------------------- As Mystère celebrates its 20 year Anniversary on Dec 25th, we are reminded how Cirque du Soleil sparked a revolution in the entertainment world, and changed the Las Vegas landscape for good. Now generations of highly trained athletes and Olympians dazzle at Cirque du Soleil shows all around Las Vegas. Micheline Nassler – a medaled gymnast from Canada – is one of these athletes currently swinging her way high above the Mystère stage every night at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. To hear Mimi tell this story, her urge to run away and join the circus started, oddly enough, with a trip to the zoo. "I was eight or nine and I was already doing gymnastics," Nassler recalled during a recent phone interview. "And I went to this zoo where -- as part of their on-site entertainment -- the zoo had these circus acts. And I remember watching this beautiful woman perform on the trapeze. And because the space that she had to perform in at the zoo was very tight, her trapeze act was very basic. And as I was sitting there, watching her, I realized that -- thanks to my gymnast training -- I could already do a lot of the same tricks that she was performing." "And that's when I thought 'I want to do that. I want to be her,' "Mimi continued. "But that's when I realized that -- back in those days, anyway -- you had to already be part of that circus world in order to be able to perform tricks like this. And since no one in my family was circus folk or had an act of their own ... Well, there was just no way for me to enter this world. So I had to let go of that dream." Ah, but sometime dreams really do come true, but not necessarily in the way that you expect. Nassler continued on with her training and eventually became such an accomplished gymnast that she won actually gold for her work on the double mini trampoline in national championships in 1990 & 1991. "Which was great," Mimi admitted. "But I have to admit that I was growing tired of the grind & the stress of competition. But then one day -- this was my last year of trampoline competition -- I learned that one of the judges actually had his own little acrobatic troupe. And after a competition, he approached me and said 'I'm looking for three gymnasts to train to be part of my act and we'd tour.' And he then said 'Would you be interested?' And I was, like, 'So you would pay me to do what I love and allow me to step away from the stress of competition? Hmm... This is a no-brainer." So after several years of performing with that acrobat troupe, Nassler eventually meets her husband. Who is also a gymnast and -- at that time -- was one of the performers who were directly working with Cirque du Soleil as they developed their very permanent residence show for Las Vegas, which would become Mystère. "That's honestly the oddest part of this story. I mean, I was actually there in Montreal when Cirque was just beginning the development of Mystère. And because my husband was a member of the original cast, I would periodically drop by the rehearsal hall and come visit him at work," Mimi remembered. "And because of that ... Well, I basically got to watch the whole formation process for this show. I was there at the very, very beginning and go to watch as Mystère changed & grew as it moved through the rehearsal process." And because Nassler was spending so much time at that rehearsal hall and was becoming such good friends with members of the original cast of Mystère (Not to mention being accomplished gymnast in her own right), Cirque du Soleil officials invited her to audition. Not for Mystère, mind you, but another Cirque du Soleil show, Alegria. "Which was a wonderful opportunity, but between my first callback and my second callback for this touring Cirque du Soleil show, I wound up spraining my ankle. And since they were being very specific about the acts that they wanted for Alegria and since -- at that time -- all I could do was hop around like a clown, I didn't land a role in that show," Mimi continued. "Which -- I have to admit -- was really disappointing. But after I healed, I went off on my own for five years with this other acrobatic troupe where I learned to do bungee." It turned out to be a real smart thing to do in the long run. For -- in 1997 -- Cirque du Soleil gives Nassler a call because they're now looking for bungee artists to join the cast of their Mystère show in Las Vegas. "So I had to go back to Montreal because then they had to make sure that I was actually in good enough shape to do this routine in the show. But because they really needed me to join the cast of Mystère right away ... Well, they just loved the fact that -- because I had been there at the very beginning and watched as this Cirque du Soleil show was being developed. More importantly, because my husband had been a member of this show's original cast -- I pretty much already knew Mystère backwards and forwards," Mimi said. "So after I showed them how good I was at bungeeing, the Cirque folks said 'Great. Do you want to go to Las Vegas?' I said 'Sure.' And I've now been performing in this show for over 15 years." Mind you, Cirque du Soleil puts a lot of time and effort into making sure that its permanent residence shows stay sharp & fresh through regular rehearsals as well as cast enrichment activities. "We performers typically have to go in some days of the week earlier than our usual call time to do what are called spacings, which are basically clean-up rehearsal. Cirque wants to make sure that everyone still knows where to go when the music sounds. More importantly, that we're still being faithful to Mystère's overall bible and respecting the characters in this show," Nassler said. "There are also additional rehearsals once a week for the specific acts in the show." And given that her husband is also still a Cirque du Soleil performer (He's also in Las Vegas appearing in "Zarkana." Which is being presented at the ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter), the Nassler household -- as you might expect -- is kind of a mini-three ring circus. "We have two boys. They are five and seven. And given that they are the children of two acrobats, yes, they are kind of hyperactive. They're always climbing on things. So it can get a little crazy at home sometimes," Mimi laughed. But one of the upsides of being the child of a performer who appears in a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas is that they then get exposed to all of the other Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas. Which - - at least in the case of Nassler's oldest boy, Aiden -- had an impact that Mimi knew all too well. "We took the boys to see 'Love' -- you know, the Cirque show that's built around the music of the Beatles. And there are these four young boys in 'Love' who represent the Beatles when they were boys. And after we saw that show, Aidan, my oldest, turned to me and said 'Mom, I want to do that when I grow up,' Nassler smiled. 'And I couldn't help but think back to my fateful trip to the zoo. Only this time, things were different. My son actually knows someone who's in the business. Two people, actually. And we can actually help guide him. Suggest that with gymnastics, then maybe take a little bit of acting and…dancing as well because you have to be able to move well onstage pretty much for any Cirque show. If you look stiff, it's not as interesting." "Mind you, we're not going to push Aiden because you know how little boys are at this age. One day they want to perform. The next they want to design video games. So if he persists in this desire -- he keeps saying that he wants to audition for 'Love' when he turns 8 -- we'll give him the tool. But my husband and I aren't going to force him. If Aiden really wants to audition ... Well, that he'll have to do on his own." Mimi concluded. So who knows? Maybe in a year or so, there might be another Nassler appearing in a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, following in Mom & Dad's very athletic footsteps. { SOURCE: Best of Vegas | http://goo.gl/7xWfsc } ‘Kurios' seeks to transport to new realms {Jan.14.2014} ------------------------------------------------- The Cirque du Soleil is known for putting on ambitious shows. With "Kurios – Cabinet of curiosities," it plans to transport its audiences to a whole new world populated with fantastic characters. OK, not literally. But director Michel Laprise isn't just looking to entertain. He wants people to go home with plenty of food for thought about creativity and how it can be used to see life's possibilities. It takes place under what appears to be a Big Top circus tent that harks back to the 19th century, an era Laprise described as a golden age because of its rapid societal and technological advancement. "It was a phenomenal time for humanity," Laprise said. "People were travelling, they were dreaming of other worlds." He pointed out that people's lives were changing through the use of electricity, distances were shrinking as rail travel expanded and became faster, and people were able to communicate with each other quickly through the invention of the telegraph. "People were very enthusiastic and they had the feeling that everything is possible," he said, adding he wants audiences to believe when they leave the show that possibilities are limitless for them too. "If people take that from our show, that everything in life, with your imagination, can become more interesting, can bring you closer to another person, then I think we'll have succeeded." He said he feels people are now living in an era with an abundance of possibilities, despite the various problems that plague society. Laprise, who wouldn't give out details of what audiences might see when the show opens, described "Kurios" as a microcosm. "It's the different elements that compose a world." Set designer Stephane Roy said there are plenty of psychological aspects to the show, which features a giant hand among its props. There are also elements of the popular Steampunk culture, where current objects are meshed with antiques. He predicts audiences will feel like they're in a whole new world. "It's not only a stage," he said. "You're inside somebody's mind. It's kind of crazy." Laprise acknowledged it's a lot of work getting the new show together but he's pumped. "It's the 35th show so we have to be relentless. We have to take this responsibility very seriously. I am so excited." { SOURCE: The Canadian Press | http://goo.gl/qzt685 } Scott Zeiger to Head Cirque's Theatrical Division {Jan.14.2014} ------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil just announced the creation of a new division, Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. Scott Zeiger, co-founding partner of Base Entertainment, will serve as President and Managing Director of the new division. Zeiger will develop unique theatrical opportunities for Cirque du Soleil. Based on traditional theatrical practices, these new productions will be created using the Cirque du Soleil signature style and aesthetic but will provide a very different experience for Cirque du Soleil audiences. This new division will be based in New York City and will continue to promote Cirque du Soleil's on-going strategy of diversifying its content and live-entertainment activities worldwide. Zeiger's extensive experience in theatre and broad-based live entertainment will ensure the rapid growth and success of this new division. During his tenure at BASE, Zeiger helped create many international successes such as the 6-year run of Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular, Disney's The Lion King, and Wicked, presented in Singapore. His credits also include current hit Broadway shows such as Jersey Boys (Las Vegas and world tour) and Rock of Ages (Las Vegas). "I have been close to and have worked with Cirque du Soleil for more than 10 years. I have witnessed their incredible ability to create, produce and distribute the very highest quality live entertainment. This new venture for Cirque is very exciting for me and I look forward to developing new theatrical productions and having access to the best creative talent in the world. I believe there is a huge potential for us on Broadway, the West End and global touring," said Zeiger. President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Daniel Lamarre said: "Scott's extensive experience in this important segment of the entertainment industry is a huge asset. We are thrilled that he has accepted the invitation to join our team. His outstanding reputation and credibility in theatrical and live entertainment are based on his past successes with major entertainment companies such as Clear Channel, SFX and, of course, Base Entertainment. Cirque du Soleil Theatrical will be a key player." Scott will also enable Cirque Eloize – a Cirque du Soleil sister company – to take its development and promotion in theatrical venues to a new level. Base Entertainment will continue to thrive under the strong leadership of its CEO and co-founder Brian Becker, and Scott Zeiger will take on his new responsibilities at Cirque du Soleil Theatrical beginning March 3, 2014. { SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/DOmgLe } Robin Leach on Cirque du Soleil Theatrical (LVSun) {Jan.14.2014} --------------------------------------------------- Guy Laliberte's Cirque du Soleil is expanding into the development of unique theatrical opportunities with new productions, and this morning he announced that Scott Zeiger, the co-founding partner of Base Entertainment, will run the new division, Cirque Theatrical, as president and managing director starting in March. It is certain to shake up the Las Vegas Strip entertainment scene and also the global theatrical business from New York's Broadway to London's West End and elsewhere around the world. Although continuing to be based in New York, Scott is already well-known in Las Vegas. He helped create the successful six- year run of "Phantom — the Las Vegas Spectacular" at the Venetian. His credits also include "Rock of Ages" at the Venetian, "Jersey Boys" at Paris, "Absinthe" at Caesars Palace and launching "Peepshow" with Holly Madison at Planet Hollywood. President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Daniel Lamarre commented: "Scott's extensive experience in this important segment of the entertainment industry is a huge asset. We are thrilled that he has accepted the invitation to join our team. "His outstanding reputation and credibility in theatrical and live entertainment are based on his past successes with major entertainment companies such as Clear Channel, SFX and, of course, Base Entertainment. Cirque du Soleil Theatrical will be a key player." Scott Zeiger commented: "I have been close to and have worked with Cirque du Soleil for more than 10 years. I have witnessed their incredible ability to create, produce and distribute the very highest-quality live entertainment. "This new venture for Cirque is very exciting for me, and I look forward to developing new theatrical productions and having access to the best creative talent in the world. I believe there is a huge potential for us on Broadway, the West End and global touring." The new productions from Cirque Theatrical will be created using its signature style and aesthetic but will provide a very different experience for Cirque audiences. Guy says it's his continuing strategy to diversify his company's content and live entertainment activities worldwide. In his first interview after the announcement, Scott said: "We're not doing circuses. Cirque already has extraordinary shows with residencies and touring companies. We're going to do the traditional with book, lyrics and definitive storylines. Even with traditional musicals, we would have interesting composers and lyricists and use traditional production numbers, but with spectacular features that only Cirque could produce with their overall artistic aesthetics. "I'm not going to go to Broadway and rent a theater to present ‘Ka.' But I will rent a theater for an original story or a licensed book or movie to be turned into a theatrical show. My assignment is to produce pure theatrical ventures, but with the artistry of Cirque. "This new division will create shows that can be replicated and duplicated globally with other companies playing as far afield as London and Australia and New York. Guy says Cirque needs to grace those platforms, those stages, and that's the project I am about to tackle. Until now, they haven't, and it means we can use the strength of their wonderful, incredible facility in Montreal to achieve that together. "We're creating unique, cool, fun and successful shows with the goal of the most innovative productions in the best venues around the world." Scott says he's not aiming specifically to increase Cirque's presence on the Strip. "Las Vegas has proved theater works with our successful shows as the former ‘Phantom,' the current ‘Rock of Ages,' ‘Jersey Boys' and now the upcoming return of ‘Mamma Mia!' "If Cirque Theatrical produces a show on Broadway that could work in the Las Vegas environment, then Guy will place it there. My aim is at Broadway-type shows that can play anywhere in the world. My worry is solely to create unique content, and we'll have announcements within the next few months about the first projects." Meantime at Base, it is business as usual. "I want it to be successful with its own new content in the future," said Scott. "I'm still involved, and Brian, who will now run it, has a lot of new, solid things circulating, maybe one or two or three specifically winding up on the Strip." { SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/eCKRTJ } DHL Becomes Cirque's Official Logistics Partner {Jan.15.2014} ------------------------------------------------- DHL today announced that it will support Cirque du Soleil, a leading live entertainment company, as Official Logistics Partner. DHL will be integrated into Cirque du Soleil's supply chain activities, with its DHL Global Trade Fairs & Events team, a subsidiary of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, supporting the event logistics of Cirque du Soleil Big Top and Arena tours worldwide. DHL will also provide global logistics support for the corporate headquarters of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, Canada. The partnership will see the two global leaders in their respective industries engage in joint branding and marketing activities for their worldwide customer bases, partners and employees. "Cirque du Soleil and DHL are a perfect fit," said Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express. "We have both grown from entrepreneurial beginnings into global brands through a commitment to conquering new frontiers and amazing and delighting our customer bases. As we pool our respective strengths through this partnership, both brands' proven ability to innovate and deliver excellence will contribute to even more exciting customer experiences in the future. We look forward to replicating the breathtaking performances under the Cirque du Soleil Big Top in our own operations behind the scenes." "Cirque du Soleil is delighted to be partnering with industry leader, DHL, as our official global logistics partner," said Finn Taylor, Senior Vice President, Touring Shows, Cirque du Soleil. "This is a fantastic alliance for us, marrying two beloved brands known for their commitment to excellence in their respective fields. With a global touring operation spanning over 150 locations across more than 6 continents, logistics is critical to the success of Cirque du Soleil. In announcing DHL as our worldwide Official Logistics Partner, we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with another global brand that shares our commitment to excellent quality. We look forward to integrating DHL's services into our supply chain and to introducing the Cirque du Soleil experience to new audiences and markets together." The main logistics requirements of Cirque du Soleil consist of the set-up and "tear down" of shows and transfers between tour venues, including the use of air, sea and land transport and customs clearance services. A single Big Top show can involve the movement of up to 80 freight containers. The Canadian based entertainment company also has a range of standard supply chain requirements within its day-to-day business operations, including small package shipping, warehouse management and merchandise distribution. A total audience of 15 million people is expected to attend any of the 19 Cirque du Soleil shows around the world in 2014. Check out this fantastic video: LINK /// < http://t.co/yJjBboXMUT > { SOURCE: DHL & Cirque du Soleil | http://goo.gl/Eivuj0 } "The Tenors" Join Cirque for One Night for ONE DROP {Jan.17.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- Award-winning vocal super group The Tenors take the stage at ONE DROP's second annual global philanthropy event, One Night for ONE DROP Friday, March 21 inside the Michael Jackson ONE™ Theatre at Mandalay Bay. For the first time, The Tenors will perform alongside artists from all eight Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows in a completely original production created and directed by Mukhtar Mukhtar. Tickets are available by visiting http://onenight.onedrop.org or by calling (702) 778-3772. "After watching the inaugural gala last year, we are honored to share the stage with the talented artists of Cirque du Soleil and to join in their efforts in raising awareness and crucial funds needed to combat water issues around the world," said The Tenors. Since their inception, The Tenors have thrilled audiences with more than 500 live performances on five continents, and over 150 international television performances, including a heartfelt performance on the 2011 Prime Time Emmy Awards and a surprise performance by Celine Dion with them on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Blending powerful vocal styles with classical music and contemporary pop, these international singing sensations – Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, Remigio Pereira, and Fraser Walters – deliver music that is rich and soulful, featuring powerful anthems, classic cover songs, and original scores. One Night for ONE DROP is a joint effort between Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts International, which includes Mandalay Bay among its resorts, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Las Vegas Springs Preserve's ongoing effort to support water conservation and sustainable living in the Las Vegas Valley. The evening will feature Cirque du Soleil artists, as they bring together the message of ‘ONE THOUGHT, ONE WORLD,' as a metaphor of time, and its effect on society, telling us to create the world in which we want to live. More on Cirque Theatrical via Montreal Gazette {Jan.19.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil announced the launch of a new division called Cirque du Soleil Theatrical this week. When Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre spoke to The Gazette on Tuesday evening at the opening of Robert Lepage's Jeux de cartes, Pique at Tohu, he said Zeiger was someone Cirque du Soleil knew well. The company has collaborated with him before on its New York projects. "Scott has a lot of experience on Broadway," Lamarre said. "He has produced a lot of Broadway shows." Zeiger has been hired to help Cirque du Soleil produce a type of show that Lamarre frankly admits his company doesn't know well. (There's no better proof of this than the fact that the Cirque's Banana Shpeel crash-landed on Broadway in 2010.) But Cirque Éloize, which recently affiliated itself with Cirque du Soleil, has always specialized in producing circus shows of a more intimate nature for theatres. And another Montreal-based circus company, Les 7 doigts de la main, also works the theatre market. Won't the Cirque be cutting into Éloize's turf? Not at all, according to Lamarre. "We're quite involved with Cirque Éloize," he said. This deal should help them attain a new level, he added. "Jeannot Painchaud (artistic director of Cirque Éloize) has already started to work with Scott to develop new content for theatres," Lamarre said. Cirque Éloize has been very successful internationally. "But I think there is a huge market for them in North America, particularly in the U.S.," he continued. "They needed someone who knew the theatre business in the U.S. for that." That's one element of the Zeiger hire. "The other element is that we want to use our production house here in Montreal to develop our own Broadway shows. Or for the West End," Lamarre said. Just for Laughs also recently created a theatrical division, headed by Adam Blanshay, in New York, which is where Zeiger will also be based. But Lamarre said Cirque du Soleil wasn't taking its cue from the comedy festival, but rather from Zeiger. In Las Vegas, his Base Entertainment was behind the truncated Phantom of the Opera, which ran for six years at the Venetian resort, and Jersey Boys at the Paris resort. He sees a bright future for Broadway. Although Variety reports that overall Broadway attendance dropped from 12.16 million in 2012 to 11.58 million last year, a handful of shows, like The Lion King and Wicked, remained highly profitable. And London's West End has been boasting record- breaking box office figures. The launch of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical does not mean the Cirque is throwing in the towel on its movie division after its inaugural 3D film, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, co-produced by James Cameron, failed to live up to financial expectations. "That's a different business," Lamarre said. What the launch of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical means, along with the company's 2012 partnership with Bell Media to create content for television, film and other platforms, "is that we want to work with partners in the future," he said. "Because we are able to manage our business within the traditional Cirque du Soleil type of shows, but we'd like to work with partners in segments (of the market) that we don't know that well. That's the idea." It's not that they're taking on the Disney empire, he said. "We're a small, small potato compared to that big empire. We don't see ourselves like an empire." When will Cirque du Soleil Theatrical launch its first project? "We have a lot of ideas," Lamarre said. "So the next step for us is to establish which one we want to do first." Cirque du Soleil isn't planning to throw millions into theatrical productions just yet. Au contraire — this could actually represent a step toward relative frugality. The company usually bankrolls its own shows 100 per cent, except for Las Vegas, where resorts normally throw in 50 per cent of the financing. "On Broadway the business model is very different," Lamarre said. "You bring in a pool of investors that get involved." Everyone shares the risk. What if Just for Laughs boss Gilbert Rozon wanted to dive into the pool, with Just for Laughs Theatricals, for a Cirque du Soleil Theatrical show? "Why not?" Lamarre replied with a smile. "He'd be more than welcome." { SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/tQYcT3 } TOTEM Saying "Ciao!" to Pippo Crotti Tonight {Jan.23.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- From Cirque du Soleil – Totem Facebook Page: We are saying goodbye today to original cast member Pippo Crotti who is moving to new creative adventures after close to 4 years without missing a single TOTEM performance!!! Good luck in your new projects Pippo and thank you for your passion and dedication!! Ciao Bella Ciao! A pair of gymnasts from Japan are living the Dream {Jan.24.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- On their way to the stage for rehearsal, Umihiko Miya and Riki Fujimaki barely took notice of what would be an astounding sight for most people: four young women on unicycles, kicking steel bowls into the air, with another cyclist catching them all on top of her head. Such is the life in Cirque Du Soleil. Miya and Fujimaki are performers in "Totem," the newest production from the world's most celebrated circus, running though March 16 under the big top at the Santa Monica Pier. "I never thought about ever joining a circus," said Miya, 32. "The idea just popped up one day, because I love traveling and performing. Also, I could make money, so I thought it was perfect." Both men have world-class experience in gymnastics, and are part of "Totem," which features frog-like creatures swinging from high bars and soaring above a large nest of a stage. Miya, who speaks in a confident, baritone voice, said he had dreams of making it to the Olympics, but alas, it was not to be. "Most of my friends made it," he said with a hearty laugh. Once his competitive career was finished, Miya moved from Tokyo to Panama to coach the national gymnastics team there and to help develop a physical education curriculum for the country. On a whim, he sent an audition video to Cirque Du Soleil, but got a stunning surprise when they called and said they did not want him to audition. "They offered me a contract right there on the spot," he recalled. Fujimaki, a 23-year-old from Chiba, also competed in gymnastics, and had received his teaching certification when a friend suggested he also look into joining Cirque. "I wasn't supposed to be anything serious, just for fun," Fujimaki said. He was shocked when he learned he had passed the audition and began training in Montreal in 2012. Like all Cirque shows, "Totem" is filled with emotion as much as the physical spectacle, and the two Japanese athletes had to learn how to perform, to convey emotion and connect with audiences without the use of language. "Entertainment has no one answer," Fujimaki said. "Every night, there's a different audience, so we have to be ready each day, to feel the audience, for their looks and their smiles, and at some point, I was able to find my own voice." For the outgoing Miya, performance was a natural fit. "Honestly, I never struggled to be open or show my emotion, I've always been this way." # # # By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS Rafu Arts & Entertainment Editor http://www.rafu.com/ { SOURCE: Rafu.com } Enter BET's Michael Jackson ONE Contest {Jan.25.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- Cirque De Soleil & BET's 106 & Park are looking to give the biggest Michael Jackson fan with a trip for 2 to Las Vegas to see Michael Jackson: One at the Mandalay Bay. Check out the video here: http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4418 o) START: January 24, 2014 @ 06:00 pm (US/Eastern) o) END: February 10, 2014 @ 06:00 pm (US/Eastern) o) ELIGIBILITY: You must be at least 21 years old to enter. o) PRIZES: A trip for 2 to Las Vegas to see Michael Jackson: One at the Mandalay Bay. Hotel accommodations at the Mandalay Bay and flights for the winner and a guest. Find out more information – and to enroll – at BET's Website: LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kNWHXQ > { SOURCE: BET } Guy Laliberté Awarded Economic Excellence Award {Jan.29.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- As part of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce's State of the City event on Monday morning, which included the address by Mayor Pam O'Connor, four people were recognized by the Chamber for their commitment to Santa Monica. The Economic Excellence Award was given to Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberte for his ongoing commitment to the Santa Monica Comunity. It was fitting that the Chamber event was held under Cirque du Soleil's big top currently at Santa Monica Pier. Senior Vice President of resident shows for Cirque du Soleil Jerry Nadal accepted the award on Laliberte's behalf. Third District County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky received the Community Excellence Award for his dedication to advocacy in the Santa Monica community, particularly in the fields of fiscal, health care, transportation, cultural and environmental matters. The Innovation Award for a Small Business was given to Richard Chacker, of Perry's on the Beach. Chacker was recognized for his commitment to sustainability with Santa Monica's leading bike and skate rentals and storage. To date, Perry's has nine locations – five in Santa Monica, one on the Santa Monica Pier and three in Venice. The Innovation Award was presented to Adam Miller of Cornerstone on Demand. Miller founded the company in November 1999 in a one- bedroom apartment in New York, together with the company's CFO Perry Wallack, and EVP of Straegic Accounts Steven Seymour before relocating to Santa Monica. Today, Cornerstone is considered one of the fastest growing cloud software companies in the world. { SOURCE: Santa Monica Patch | http://goo.gl/MX1p0i } Fabrice Lemire: "I have my own little touch." [EXPANDED] {Jan.30.2014} -------------------------------------------------------- Fabrice Lemire, Artistic Director for Varekai, talked to TheSpec.com recently about the way he attached his particular vision to Varekai, Cirque du Soleil's newest arena show. # # # I have my own little touch." Fabrice Lemire is talking about the way he attaches his particular vision to Varekai, Cirque du Soleil's fantastic arena show. "I am not the original creator of the work, but I am the one who has morphed the production from a tent show to one set in an arena. I am adding my own inspiration. That's the challenge." Born in France, Lemire studied at the Paris Opera Ballet School. He danced with Ballet de Nancy, the Oregon Ballet Theatre, New York City Opera Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. "I decided in my mid-20s to work as a guest artist moving from company to company. I loved the challenge of new choreography. Eventually I began to appreciate the hands-on work behind the scenes. When I was a dancer it was all about me. When I began choreography and staging it was about the company and the ideas I could offer. It was about being more open. That made me more fulfilled." In 2005 Lemire was in Las Vegas coaching a Celine Dion show. "Someone from Cirque watched me working and offered me a chance to join the production team there. It was an opportunity to grow, to gain new knowledge. In 2008 I became a dance master for Cirque, eventually becoming artistic director for the production Quidam." Restaging Varekai is a huge undertaking for Lemire. "It's almost like staging a new show. There's so much to discover. The arena setting has a lower ceiling so the flying work has to be rethought. We have to find ways to make the artists comfortable in the new space. Then too, technology has changed since Varekai was first conceived. Lighting and sound are so much more advanced." Lemire sees himself as the liaison person for the production. "I have to make sure all the pieces fit." Lemire believes people continue to come to Cirque shows because they offer escape from reality. "They defy gravity. They provide inspiration and entertainment. They keep you on the edge of your seat. Then there's the spectacle of the sets and costumes. The formula is unique, there are thrills and there is laughter. Any age can enjoy a Cirque production." When you ask Lemire about the tragedy that happened in Las Vegas last year with a Cirque performer falling to her death, he is circumspect without being evasive. "That tragedy reminds us of how difficult these disciplines really are. It reminds us of the talent on our stages. Of course we were saddened by the accident but we do not go on stage in fear. We go with confidence. We are taking highly developed athletes and asking them to create stage artistry. Safety is always our main issue. But an accident is always the reality of life." Lemire says he comes to work every day focusing on his performers. He believes in them. If anyone is not in top shape physically or emotionally he or she is not allowed to go on stage that night. "We are not here to take risks, but we are here to deliver excitement." { SOURCE: TheSpec.com } LiveDesign: Varekai Relaunches with BlackTrax {Jan.30.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil's Varekai, which has been touring the world since 2002, returned to Montreal, Quebec in December 2013 for its re-launch as an Arena Show. The production team proposed to lighting designer, Nol van Genuchten, the deployment of the BlackTrax realtime tracking solution from CAST BlackTrax Ltd for moving light tracking of performers. Improving production efficiency "As lighting designer for the very first edition of Varekai, it's great to be working on it again as it evolves. With the new arena tour, Varekai is hosted at a different location each week and presents its own lighting challenges allowing me to adapt the lighting to ‘the arena' of each new environment," said van Genuchten. "We introduced BlackTrax as an operational efficiency and cost saving tool as well as a way of calibrating lighting highlights to track performers on the stage area. BlackTrax works by accurately tracking people and objects using a proprietary infra-red sensor and a LED beacon that is attached to a performer giving positional information for X, Y, and Z coordinates. "Using BlackTrax we placed a tracker and beacon and designated certain fixtures to track certain performers throughout the show. At each venue of the Arena tour, BlackTrax quickly calibrates moving lights making sure that the performer and high-res light beam control is used, and that the beam of light is kept at minimal width," added van Genuchten. BlackTrax enhances creativity As well as significant recurring cost savings, BlackTrax became interesting as it gave van Genuchten and Varekai more creative control with lighting. "With BlackTrax, I had a lot more freedom to create and place highlights on performers within the imagery and doing so in a way that I couldn't have done with a traditional follow spot." "The BlackTrax software interface is very well developed and the physical practicality of creating trackable LEDs and beacons worked well. What's more, BlackTrax is supported by a very good technical team at CAST that were there to assist us with any queries we had." "BlackTrax is a very powerful tool for the future," concluded van Genuchten. Gil Densham, President and CEO of CAST Group Group said: "Did you know that in English "Varekai" means "wherever", which also describes the renown of Cirque du Soleil for its highly creative, hugely artistic entertainment and clever leveraging of technology to consistently deliver magical results! BlackTrax is the solution that makes possible seamless, spontaneous creativity + artistry + technology – its job was to simplify. Nol and the creative team of magicians + artists used hot-wired technology to help spin a thrilling, vibrant and colorful yarn. And, we are pleased that BlackTrax played its part by streaming the critical, precise, target coordinates to lighting technology in realtime so the planned creative effects augmented the artistry." { SOURCE: LiveDesign | http://goo.gl/C7PGHc } Cirque to go dark in Vegas for One Night/One Drop {Jan.30.2014} ---------------------------------------------------- From BlogVegas.com: It's just for one night, but dozens of Cirque performers, stagehands and celebrity performers are hustling to put on a theatrical production to raise money for Cirque du Soleil's charitable foundation, One Drop. On March 21, all of Cirque's resident shows on the Las Vegas Strip will go dark while some 85 Cirque performers and musicians, 100 stagehands and more than a dozen celebrities from outside Cirque descend on the "Michael Jackson ONE" stage to perform a show described as straying from Cirque's traditional style. Last year's inaugural event, One Night for One Drop, raised $5.4 million, and Cirque hopes to meet or exceed that amount this year, said Jerry Nadal, Cirque's senior vice president of resident shows worldwide. That $5.4 million constitutes the revenue Cirque brings in with its Las Vegas shows in just one week, Nadal said. With the funds raised with ticket sales and the silent auction, "we want to hit that target or exceed it and I think we will," he said. Nadal said the Cirque performers and stagehands participating in the One Drop event are doing so by working around their performance schedules. They aren't taking any nights off from their regular shows. "It's a production imagined by Cirque to benefit One Drop," Nadal said. "It's amazing to see this come together because they are working from eight in the morning to one in the afternoon, around the schedule of the Michael Jackson show (we're on their stage) and then they work until midnight, until three or four in the morning. … Everybody participates. We use all of our resources." But don't expect to see a traditional Cirque production, Nadal said. One Night for One Drop creator and director Mukhtar Mukhtar originally announced the vision for this year's show during Cirque Week in November 2013. Since then, the One Night show has transformed into a show with more performers volunteering than he expected. Everyone needed for the show — performers, stagehands, backstage technicians, celebrities — have been brought on, and four of the acts are already finished, Mukhtar said. With seven weeks until the performance, he said the show is on track. Mukhtar said the show follows a character in a third world country — he experiences a lack of water and sees that there's a problem and he needs to find what the problem is. To do this, he goes on a journey where he collects drops of water to bring back to his land. The show has four chapters: the character's experience with lack of access to water; his travels to a city where he discovers its technology might be the cause of his land's lack of water; the oasis, where he hopefully finds the water source he's been looking for; and, the future of our planet, which is the enduring question. "To see (performers) really light up and support that (vision) fully, it's an amazing thing," Mukhtar said. "It's stunning. Usually people do things for money … but people are really supporting this project." Mukhtar said he sought a contemporary feel with the music used in the show. Using both Cirque musicians and outside artists, such as Canadian vocalists The Tenors, who performed their scene during a media rehearsal event Jan. 30 in the "Michael Jackson ONE" Theater. Mukhtar, who was a choreographer in last year's One Night show, said the show will be a success if people get the message of the show — and of the One Drop organization. "What will make this show a success is if everyone who watches this show says, ‘Wow, I really got touched by the show. I really need to help out and do something about (water accessibility).' "They see the cause, see the message we're trying to push out that water is not something we should take for granted. … It's a natural thing for a lot of people and I think that's where the problem lies." The One Night for One Drop performs at 7:30 p.m. March 21 at the "Michael Jackson ONE" Theater in Mandalay Bay. Tickets start at $225. { SOURCE: BlogVegas.com | http://goo.gl/QI6p4d } ======================================================================= ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau {Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Kurios} o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues {Quidam, Dralion, MJ Immortal & Varekai} o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre {Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, Believe, Zarkana & Michael Jackson ONE} 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 ------------------------------------ Amaluna: San Jose, CA -- Jan 22, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014 New York, NY -- Mar 20, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Boston, MA -- May 30, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Washington, DC -- Jul 31, 2014 to Sep 21, 2014 Atlanta, GA -- Oct 3, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014 Corteo: Rio de Janeiro, BR -- Dec 26, 2013 to Feb 23, 2014 Porto Alegre, BR -- Mar 6, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014 Còrdoba, AR -- May 3, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Buenos Aires< BR - Jun 6, 2014 to Aug 3, 2014 Koozå: Munich, DE -- Jan 31, 2014 to Feb 28, 2014 Amsterdam, NL -- Mar 13, 2014 to Apr 27, 2014 Vienna, AT -- May 9, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Port Aventura, ES -- Jul 9, 2014 to Aug 30, 2014 Düsseldorf, DE -- Nov 6, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014 Kurios: Montreal, QC -- Apr 24, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Quebec City, QC -- Jul 24, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014 Toronto, ON -- Aug 28, 2014 to Oct 28, 2014 Ovo: Tokyo, JP -- Feb 12, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 Osaka, JP -- Jul, 17, 2014 to Nov 2, 2014 Nagoya, JP -- Nov.20, 2014 to Feb 1, 2015 Fukuoka, JP -- Feb 21, 2015 to Apr 5, 2015 Sendai, JP -- Apr 23, 2015 to Jun 7, 2015 Totem: Santa Monica, CA -- Jan 17, 2014 to Mar 6, 2014 Portland, OR -- Mar 27, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Vancouver, BC -- May 15, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 ------------------------------------ ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues ------------------------------------ Quidam: London, UK -- Jan 4, 2014 to Feb 16, 2014 Brussels, BE -- Feb 27, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014 Toulouse, FR -- Mar 5, 2014 to Mar 9, 2014 Strasbourg, FR -- Mar 12, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014 Toulon, FR -- Mar 19, 2014 to Mar 23, 2014 Montpellier, FR -- Mar 26, 2014 to Mar 30, 2014 Lyon, FR -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Rouen, FR -- Apr 30, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Berlin, DE -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Nuremberg, DE -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Hanover, DE -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Bremen, DE -- May 29, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 Hamburg, DE -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Luxembourg, LU -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Tel Aviv, IL -- Aug 7, 2014 to Aug 16, 2014 Zurich, CH -- Oct 16, 2014 to Oct 19, 2014 Lille, FR -- Dec 10, 2014 to Dec 14, 2014 Dralion: St. Petersburg, RU -- Jan 22, 2014 to Feb 2, 2014 Chelyabinsk, RU -- Feb 7, 2014 to Feb 16, 2014 Kazan, RU -- Feb 21, 2014 to Mar 1, 2014 Moscow, RU -- Mar 6, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014 Minsk, BY -- Mar 20, 2014 to Mar 23, 2014 Hernig, DK -- Mar 27, 2014 to Mar 30, 2014 Wroclaw, PL -- Apr 3, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Malmö, SE -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Glasgow, UK -- May 8, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Sheffield, UK -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Birmingham, UK -- May 22, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Dublin, IE -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 London, UK -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014 Manchester, UK -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014 Santiago de Compostela, ES -- Jul 10, 2014 to Jul 20, 2014 Granada, ES -- Jul 23, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014 Bilbao, ES -- Aug 16, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014 Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 28, 2014 to Sep 6, 2014 Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour: Worcester, MA -- Feb 28, 2014 to Mar 1, 2014 Amherst, MA -- Mar 5, 2014 to Mar 6, 2014 Rochester, NY -- Mar 10, 2014 to Mar 11, 2014 Baltimore, MD -- Mar 18, 2014 to Mar 19, 2014 Fairfax, VA -- Mar 21, 2014 to Mar 22, 2014 Philadelphia, PA -- Mar 25, 2014 to Mar 26, 2014 Trenton, NJ -- Mar 28, 2014 to Mar 29, 2014 Raleigh, NC -- Apr 1, 2014 to Apr 2, 2014 Norfolk, VA -- Apr 4, 2014 to Apr 5, 2014 Charlotte, NC -- Apr 8, 2014 to Apr 9, 2014 Greensboro, NC -- Apr 11, 2014 to Apr 12, 2014 Richmond, VA -- Apr 15, 2014 to Apr 16, 2014 Columbus, OH -- Apr 18, 2014 to Apr 19, 2014 Little Rock, AR -- Apr 22, 2014 to Apr 23, 2014 Toledo, OH -- Apr 29, 2014 to Apr 30, 2014 Varekai: Hamilton, ON -- Jan 29, 2014 to Feb 2, 2014 Detroit, MI -- Feb 5, 2014 to Feb 9, 2014 Youngstown, OH -- Feb 12, 2014 to Feb 16, 2014 Frisco, TX -- Feb 19, 2014 to Feb 23, 2014 Cedar Park, TX -- Feb 26, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014 Beaumont, TX -- Mar 5, 2014 to Mar 9, 2014 Baton Rouge, LA -- Mar 12, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014 Pensacola, FL -- Mar 19, 2014 to Mar 23, 2014 Pittsburgh, PA -- Mar 27, 2014 to Mar 30, 2014 East Lansing, MI -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014 Knoxville, TN -- Apr 9, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014 Loveland, CO -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014 Broomfield, CO -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014 Kansas City, MO -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014 Oshawa, ON -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014 Lonson, ON -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014 Bangor, ME -- Jun 18, 2014 to Jun 22, 2014 Manchester, NH -- Jun 25, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014 Providence, RI -- Jul 1, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014 Indianapolis, IN -- Jul 24, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014 --------------------------------- RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre --------------------------------- Mystère: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o February 2 o March 12 o May 8 - 16 o July 9 - 11 o September 4 - 12 o November 5 - 7 Added performances in 2014: o April 18 o December 26 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o February 2 o March 21 o April 7 - April 15 o June 8 o August 4 - 12 o October 5 o December 1 - 16 Added performances in 2014: o March 25 o June 3 o December 29 La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o TBA Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o February 2 o March 21 o April 9-17 o June 13 o August 20-September 4 o October 21 o December 10-18 Added performances in 2014: o January 1 o March 12 KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o March 15 o March 21 o May 18-26 o July 19 o September 21-29 o December 2 Added performances in 2014: o February 16 o August 31 o December 28 LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o February 2-4 o March 21 o April 1-9 o June 5 o July 29 - August 6 o October 2 o December 2 - 17 Added performances in 2014: o February 5 o March 25 o August 12 o December 31 BELIEVE: Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm NOTE: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under the age of five are not permitted into the theater. 2014 Dark Dates: o January 5 - Feb 3, 2014 o March 21, 2014 o April 6 - 14, 2014 o June 15 - 30, 2014 o September 1 - 8, 2014 o November 9 - 17, 2014 ZARKANA: Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2014 Dark Dates: o TBA MICHAEL JACKSON ONE: Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two Shows Nightly: 7:00pm and 10:00pm 2014 Dark Dates: o March 13 - 21 o May 21 - 23 o July 24 - 31 o September 24 - 26 o November 13 - 28 Added performances in 2014: o August 29 o December 26 ======================================================================= OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS ======================================================================= --------------------------------------------------- NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter --------------------------------------------------- {Compiled by Keith Johnson} ---[ AMALUNA ]--- {Jan.10} We celebrated our 600th show last night! Did you get the chance to catch Amaluna yet? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1nfuo3 > {Jan.19} Loading in our costumes to prepare for Wednesday's Premiere in San Jose! Did you know we have over 130 costumes featured on stage, with over 800 components?! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/MDqgHa > {Jan.22} Congratulations Amaluna on a wonderful Premiere tonight in San Jose! Let's celebrate with some Amaluna-themed cookies! (Ed Note: very cleverly decorated cookies!) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vADk9m > {Jan.28} Yes! Google! We are getting ready for a very special event at the Google HQ in Mountain View this afternoon! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/g5sJeZ > {Jan.28} Thank you for a wonderful afternoon Google, we hope you enjoyed having us as much as we enjoyed performing for you! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/71Bjv7 > {Jan.31} Check out Amaluna - Cirque du Soleil at Google this week, with our very own Company Manager Jamie Reilly, and Balance Goddess Lili Chao. From one amazing company to another... (Note: Video is almost an hour long) LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJuTmlVDiLk > ---[ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ]--- {Jan.08} Need a little help with your 2014 resolution of getting in shape like our artists? LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eGirnAi530 > LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE5EihHD4PM > ---[ CORTEO ]--- {Jan.04} Nos bastidores (6 photos) Dê uma espiadinha na sessão fotográfica da Revista #CARAS... LINK /// < http://goo.gl/TjtliA > {Jan.14} Você sabia que os artistas do Cirque Du Soleil fazem sua própria maquiagem? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/tkRZ3b > {Jan.23} Treinamento de "Diablo" no estilo Carioca! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/m6wp4i > ---[ CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE ]--- {Jan.07} We were recently named best magic show in Las Vegas by InVEGAS Magazine! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/BsDPyq > ---[ DRALION ]--- {Jan.22} Dralion opens tonight in St-Petersburg, Russia! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/YlbzhB > {Jan.23} Dralion premiered last night in St-Petersburg and Marina was quite excited to perform with the show in her hometown. Join us in congratulating Marina and the entire team on an excellent opening to our Russian tour. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ypv8U7 > {Jan.26} Today, we are saying goodbye to a very special person: Coach Michael. Michael you have been an inspiration for all of us on tour. We wish you lots of fun on your next venture with Varekai. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/cDpeM6 > {Jan.27} Take a look at this behind the scene video of the show! LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFvlO6gLOk > {Jan.30} Dralion with UPSALA Circus (12 photos) - Yesterday, more than 20 kids from the Upsala Circus program in St.Petersburg got to learn some circus skills with members of our cast. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3UD7r1 > {Jan.30} Happy Chinese New Year! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/uwkxEV > ---[ KOOZA ]--- {Jan.05} Ever wondered what artists do backstage while waiting to go on stage? Some of them relax playing backgammon!!! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5bpdRN > {Jan.09} KOOZA in Focus Magazine (Germany) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/EqYADV > {Jan.23} Kooza's pastries for Amsterdam media...we are here for a media day David Shiner, Kooza's creator! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/p6ewJ6 > {Jan.27} Our Head of Wardrobe is getting everything ready for our opening in Munich. Artists arrive tomorrow and, this Friday we will present KOOZA for the 1st time in Germany! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kSnFTZ > ---[ KURIOS ]--- {Jan.13} Surprise and excitement at Cirque du Soleil IHQ as we reveal the name of our newest creation. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/iy3XKS > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/QBZToD > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/FxQeM1 > ---[ MJ IMMORTAL ]--- {Jan.06} IMMORTAL Contortionist, Baaska Enkhbaatar, takes the ultimate selfie photo backstage before the show at Dubai World Trade Centre! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/QqVRNV > {Jan.10} The beautiful IMMORTAL band ladies gearing up for the first show of the day! 5 more shows to go in Dubai - don't miss your chance to see us! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Ra6jvc > {Jan.16} Thank you to the thousands of fans who came out for our performances in Dubai! It was an incredible experience for the entire IMMORTAL family. (Photo: Contortionist Baaska Enkhbaatar posing in the middle of desert!) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/eJ9jsr > ---[ OVO ]--- {Jan.04} Bye bye Taipei! Thank you for 7 beautiful weeks! We are packing up the artists and the Big Top before heading to Tokyo! See you soon!!!! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/zvGLDk > {Jan.24} Konichiwa Japan! OVO is here! The Fuji Dome is up in Tokyo and we are getting ready for the Premiere on February 12 2014. Who's coming? LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rA2c20 > {Jan.27} Did you know that OVO is the 10th Big Top show to hit Japan? ---[ QUIDAM ]--- {Jan.02} #quidamLondon Happening right now — at Royal Albert Hall. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/XZlJA7 > {Jan.03} The Quidam technical crew load in day 2 in Royal Albert Hall - the hardest working team in show-business! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/hAkcrf > {Jan.18} Today Quidam is performing 3 shows!!! - To show the cast&crew our support the #BackstageCirque Tour Management office got together and created a "survival kit" with snacks, chocolate and energy boosting drinks. How would you encourage them? — at Royal Albert Hall. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/aQRpVV > {Jan.26} Quidam's awesome catering team Red Radish Supper Club made a special menu to bring a little bit of home to our native Aussie Quidamers. Can you guess how many Australians are part of our cast & crew? — at Royal Albert Hall. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/26UHlF > {Jan.29} Our awesome fan Taylor James C. wrote us this amazing message: "Quidam was the most breathtaking thing I have ever experienced. Thank you all for reminding me what it is to be transported into another world by art. You're all utterly stunning. Thank you" We liked it so much we printed it and passed it around to the cast and crew... check out their feedback! Thank you Taylor you made our day #BackstageCirque #quidam (Note: Check the notes for a heartwarming story of Cirque going "above and beyond") LINK /// < http://goo.gl/MFiyD3 > {Jan.31} Ever wondered what happens backstage during the show? Here is a sneak peek of our banquine artists rehearsing their signature move just before going on stage! LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7-RUmEeNhM > ---[ TOTEM ]--- {Jan.12} And we are now at the Santa Monica Pier ladies & gentlemen! We are very excited to start the 30th year of Cirque du Soleil in the Los Angeles area, first ever tour stop of the company outside of homeland Canada! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/mG3KqO > {Jan.14} Our frogs and blue fish had a great time taking over the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium today! Did you get a chance to see them? Cirque du Soleil's frog people escaped on to the Pier today! #DontFeedTheFrogPeople Their show #TOTEM opens at the Pier this week. LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Xe8Qd6 > {Jan.14} We just visited our neighbor the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium with our amphibians! (4 photos) LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nYFVQK > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2OI15a > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HHtgOa > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/oXLMqc > {Jan.26} Happy Australia Day!! Tour Services is helping the cooks today for the special menu! Photo credit: Sally Yu LINK /// < http://goo.gl/uE3iZH > {Jan.30} TOTEM on The Queen Latifah Show (6 photos) - Roller Skaters Denise and Massimo from TOTEM appeared on The Queen Latifah Show on January 30, 2014! Watch the performance here: LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRFvZ3fMapA > LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nrJkr3 > ---[ VAREKAI ]--- {Jan.14} Varekai is officially on the road as an arena tour and is in full rehearsal mode to adapt to our new environment! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pVFBqZ > {Jan.22} Detroit! Be sure to tune into NBC Local 4 from 11:30-12:00 today as Varekai is taking over the newsroom! We'll be performing at the Joe Louis from Feb 5 - 9! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0MN5PN > {Jan.22} We took some of our characters out to the #DetroitRedWings game tonight to reward a lucky row with some tickets to see Varekai. Goooo RedWings! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/yXTHIw > ---[ ZARKANA ]--- {Jan.28} Catch Zarkana performers in #LastVegas – now out on DVD! LINK /// < http://goo.gl/SzdykW > ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= o) "Cirque 2014 is: ‘KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities'" Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) o) "QUANTITY OR QUALITY: A look at Cirque Facebook Stats" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA) o) "AMALUNA ON DVD – A Quick Peek" By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- Cirque 2014 is: "KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities" Edited by: Ricky Russo – Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- "Things are getting curious and curiouser at the Cirque du Soleil," said the Montreal Gazette this morning, as Cirque du Soleil revealed the unusual moniker for its newest touring production today: KURIOS – the Cabinet of Curiosities, directed by Michel Laprise. Presented under the Big Top in Montréal's Old Port starting April 24, the show will then go to Quebec City as of July 24 and Toronto on August 28. /// THE SHOW: REALITY IS RELATIVE What if you could alter reality at will? Delve into a world of curiosity where seeing is disbelieving: the world of KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities from Cirque du Soleil. The show immerses you in a mysterious and fascinating realm that disorients your senses and challenges your perceptions, leaving you to wonder: "Is it real, or just a figment of my imagination?" Step into the curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. Suddenly, the visible becomes invisible, perspectives are transformed, and the world is literally turned upside down in a place that's as beautiful as it is mysterious. In this realm set in the latter half of the nineteenth century, reality is quite relative indeed as our perception of it is utterly transformed. The name of the show refers to the humble and strange characters that inhabit the Seeker's Cabinet of Curiosities. KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities takes is inspiration from the latter half of the 19th century, when railroads made long-distance travel easier and inventions like the telegraph improved communications. "For the people of the 19th century, everything seemed possible," Laprise said. KURIOS is an ingenious blend of unusual curiosity acts and stunning acrobatic prowess from Cirque du Soleil. Let KURIOS show you that anything is possible through the power of imagination. /// CREATIVE TEAM KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities' creative team comprises 17 creators under the artistic guidance of Guy Laliberté (Guide) and Jean-François Bouchard (Chief Creative Content Officer): o) Michel Laprise — Writer and Director o) Chantal Tremblay — Director of Creation o) Stéphane Roy — Set and Props Designer o) Philippe Guillotel — Costume Designer o) Raphaël Beau — Composer and Musical Director o) Yaman Okur — Choreographer o) Ben Potvin — Choreographer o) Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui — Choreographer o) Susan Gaudreau — Choreographer o) Jacques Boucher — Sound Designer o) Jean-Michel Caron — Sound Designer o) Martin Labrecque — Lighting Designer o) Rob Bollinger — Acrobatic Performance Designer o) Germain Guillemot — Acrobatic Performance Designer o) Boris Verkhovsky — Acrobatic Performance Designer o) Danny Zen — Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer o) Eleni Uranis — Makeup Designer /// CREATIVE TEAM BACKGROUNDS MICHEL LAPRISE Writer & Director Michel Laprise worked in theater for nine years as an actor, director and artistic director before joining Cirque du Soleil in 2000. Even before he was out of theatre school, Michel had started his own creation company, Théâtre Pluriel, which spawned the innovative productions Fenêtre sur Qui?, Tonalités and Masculin-Féminin that have garnered both popular and critical acclaim. He also went on international tours with the Théâtre des Deux-Mondes as well as with the duo formed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. At Cirque du Soleil, Michel spent five years as a talent scout before taking on, in 2006, the role of Special Events Designer. In that capacity, he directed the act with Quebec diva Diane Dufresne during the Opening Ceremonies of the Montreal 2006 Outgames; the large-scale performance event created for the launch of the Fiat Bravo in Italy (2007); the Cirque du Soleil performance event celebrating Quebec City's 400th anniversary (2008); the launch of Microsoft's Kinect console at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo, broadcast on MTV; the opening show at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Russia in 2009; and the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 FIBA International Basketball Federation World Championships in Istanbul. In 2012, Michel collaborated with pop star Madonna, providing artistic direction for her performance at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show; he later went on to direct her MDNA tour. In 2013, he directed the musical Robin des Bois – Ne renoncez jamais, to be presented in France, Belgium and Switzerland. A graduate of the National Theatre School in Montreal, Michel Laprise studied at London's Royal Academy and at the Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico in Reggio Emilia (Italy) as an Acfas grant holder. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is Michel Laprise's first engagement as Director of a Cirque du Soleil touring show. CHANTAL TREMBLAY Director of Creation At the end of the 1980s, while living in New York pursuing a career in dance, Chantal Tremblay decides to join Cirque du Soleil after having seen one the company's shows. Chantal started out as a dancer on a Cirque project and then became choreographer Debra Brown's assistant on the creation of Mystère. Before KURIOS –Cabinet of Curiosities Chantal has worked on many Cirque projects including the shows Alegría, La Nouba and Mystère for which she once was the Artistic Director. In 2006, she becomes the Director of Creation for The Beatles LOVE, followed by OVO in 2009, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour in 2011. STEPHANE ROY Set & Props Designer Stéphane Roy has worked as both a set designer and artistic director on over 100 productions in Montreal and abroad among which L'Odyssée, directed by Quebec playwright Dominic Champagne, at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (2002), and Les Âmes mortes, directed by Gilles Maheu, at Carbone 14 in Montreal (1996). Since 1990 he has designed sets for dance productions by such internationally-acclaimed dance troupes as La La La Human Steps and O Vertigo.While primarily active in theatre and dance, he has also worked in film, television, advertising and variety shows. Since 2011, Stéphane has been one of three artists in residence appointed by the Montreal Nature Museums group to create organic links between the city's four natural science museums. He also designed The Warrior Emperor and China's Terra Cotta Army exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2011. His achievements have earned him many awards and honors, including being named Revelation of the Year, All Categories Combined, by the Association Québécoise des Critiques de Théâtre in 1989. In 1992, the same association honored him with the award for best set design. His talent has also been recognized by the Conseil des Arts de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and the Académie Québécoise du Théâtre. For Cirque du Soleil, Stéphane designed the set for Dralion, Varekai, Zumanity, KOOZA, Zarkana and KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities. PHILIPPE GUILLOTEL Costume Designer Philippe has worked for many high profile French movie and theatre directors. Since 1985, he has had a long working relationship with the renowned French choreographer Philippe Decouflé for whom he designed the astonishing costumes seen in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. He also worked with Decouflé on the opening ceremonies of the 50th Cannes film festival in 1997 and Tricodex, a multimedia work for the Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, in 2003. Between 2001 and 2005, his designs were featured in four ballets, including La Belle, staged by the Ballets de Monte Carlo. In cinema, Philippe designed the exuberant costumes for the 2002 feature film Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cleopatra, for which he received a César award, and prior to that, the films Doggy Bag and À la Mode. In 2007 he designed the costumes for choreographer Jean- Christophe Maillot's production of Gounod's Faust in Wiesbaden. He has been equally active in the world of live shows, designing the costumes for the musical Starmania in 1995 for Canadian composer and director Lewis Furey, and videos for a number of artists such as Julien Clerc and Alain Souchon. With KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities, Philippe Guillotel collaborates with Cirque du Soleil for the third time after The Beatles LOVE and IRIS. RAPHAEL BEAU Composer & Musical Director After studying the piano and writing at Conservatoire national de région de Toulouse, Raphaël Beau deepened his knowledge of musical language at the Conservatoire national de région de Paris with Jean- François Zygel. At the same time, he undertook musicology studies at Université de la Sorbonne in Paris and became a certified music teacher (holder of the agrégation). From 2000 to 2004, Raphaël goes on a European tour with the band Spook and the Guay and performs in several festival in France including Les Vieilles charrues, Le Printemps de Bourges, Le Fête de l'humanité. The tour also took him to the Zigets Festival in Budapest and the BAM Festival in Barcelona, among others. In 2008, he turned toward composing for orchestra and wrote the music for Georges Feydeau's musical L'Âge d'or staged by Yves Pignot. In 2009, he composed the original music for Jean-Pierre Jeunet's latest motion picture Micmacs, a director with whom he collaborated again in 2010 on a commercial. In 2010, he composed the music for "Grants," an Australian advertisement for Commonwealth bank made by Jeunet. A year later, he composed the soundtrack for Defective Detective, a short American animation film written by Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis – winners of the 38th Student Academy awards – picking up an award at the Burbank International Film Festival. With KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities, Raphaël Beau writes his first score for a Cirque du Soleil show. YAMAN OKUR Chroeographer It was in his early teenage years that Yaman Okur discovered his love for dance. After only a year of refining his talent as a student of contemporary dance, ballet, and jazz at the Académie Internationale de Danse (France), he was invited to join the French crew of "Trafic de Style" before becoming an integral dancer of "Wanted Posse" in Paris in 1999. Only a few years later in 2001, Yaman took home the remarkable title of BBoy World Champion at the International Battle of the Year in Germany. Yaman, though anchored in hip-hop, further perfected his own style over the years, which resulted in his first place win in the Experimental category of Juste Debout's 2007 competition in France. His acute sense of music and unparalleled body control have led him to win numerous battles and competitions. He finished third at the 2010 TV series La France a un incroyable talent. His choreographic abilities and work have been recognized both nationally and internationally, reflected in works created for his own dance crew, Pro Phenomen to work for Madonna (Sticky and Sweet and MDNA tours). Yaman Okur takes part in the creation of a Cirque du Soleil show for the first time with KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities. BEN POTVIN Acrobatic Choreographer A former national competitive gymnast, Ottawa-born Ben Potvin joined Cirque du Soleil as an artist during the creation of "O" in 1997. He performed on this show for six years and acted as coach-performer for the production's aerial hoops act. In 2004, he joined Dragone as an artist, coach-performer, dance captain, talent scout and act designer. In 2009, he came back to Cirque du Soleil as a head coach on the show Viva ELVIS and later took on the acrobatic development role during the creation of Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour and Amaluna. After Michael Jackson ONE, KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities marks Ben's second assignment as Acrobatic Choreographer, a mandate in which he leverages his vision and experience in both the acrobatic and artistic realms. SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI Choregorapher Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has worked for theaters, opera and dance companies, ranging from the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Sadler's Wells in London, the Grand Theatre of Geneva to Les Ballets C. de la B. His choreographies have earned him a series of prizes including a Benois de la Danse, two Laurence Olivier Awards and two National Dance Awards. In 2008 and 2011 Tanz magazine proclaimed him 'Choreographer of the Year'. In 2010, he founded his own company. For Eastman he created Play with Shantala Shivalingappa and Babel(words) with Damien Jalet and Antony Gormley. In 2011 he set up TeZukA, a piece for 15 dancers and musicians inspired by the Japanese manga author Osamu Tezuka. In 2012 he created Puz/zle with the Corsican men's choir A Filetta, Lebanese singer Fadia Tomb El-Hage and Japanese musician Kazunari Abe. That same year he helmed the choreography for Anna Karenina, Joe Wright's movie. In 2013, Eastman was recognized as a European cultural ambassador and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui created 4D, a production composed of four duos, as well as ?? GENESIS, co-created with Chinese dancer Yabin Wang. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is his second collaboration with Cirque du Soleil after Michael Jackson ONE. SUSAN GAUDREAU Choreographer Susan Gaudreau has worked as a dancer and choreographer for over 20 years in a variety of styles that include contemporary dance, jazz, ethnic, tap and classical ballet. She has worked with a number of Montreal dance companies such as Rubberband Dance, FLAK, Cas Publique and La La La Human Steps, among others. From 1989 to 2008, she was principal dancer, dance captain and assistant to the artistic director at Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, for which she choreographed Rhythm #5 (2000) and ZAP (1996). Throughout her career, Susan took part in a number of projects as a freelance artist. She danced in YES (2001), created by Debra Brown and René Bazinet, collaborated on television specials and variety shows, and was involved in a series of special events for Cirque du Soleil in Canada and abroad. Susan Gaudreau lent her talents as artistic coach to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE and was assistant to the choreographer on Amaluna, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL and Zarkana. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is her first engagement on a Cirque du Soleil show as choreographer. JACQUES BOUCHER Sound Designer For over 25 years, Jacques Boucher has been creating sound environments for a number of productions from Quebec and beyond. Jacques also worked as a sound technician for various Quebec artists, including Richard Séguin, Laurence Jalbert, Diane Dufresne and Bruno Pelletier. He went on to develop an expertise in sound design for musicals such as Dracula (2006) and large-scale events, including the mega-show 2000 voix chantent le monde, presented in Quebec City in 2000, with over 2,300 singers on stage. In 2008, Jacques was asked to handle the sound for almost every event presented as part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. As Sound Designer and Head of Sound, he designed sound for the Quebec Symphony Orchestra's performance of the Symphonie des mille by Gustav Mahler, The Image Mill by Robert Lepage, for which he designed the impressive sound system spanning 1.2 km, and the special show presented by Cirque du Soleil. Jacques also works as Sound Designer and Head of Sound for some Cirque du Soleil special events. After TOTEM and Amaluna, he is taking part in his third Cirque du Soleil show with KURIO – Cabinet of curiosities. JEAN-MICHEL CARON Sound Designer Jean-Michel Caron has spent the past 20 years in the realm of sound and KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is his first engagement as Sound Designer of a Cirque du Soleil show. Jean-Michel has been creating soundscapes for the past five years, including for a number of Cirque du Soleil special events. He took part in several productions by new media and entertainment studio Moment Factory including Ode à la vie, a multimedia show projected on the façade of the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona) in 2012. He also worked on various exhibition and theatre projects in Quebec. At Cirque du Soleil, Jean-Michel was involved in a number of creations as Project Manager and Head of Sound. He was also Assistant Sound Designer on the shows OVO and Zarkana, an experience he repeated on TOTEM and Amaluna alongside Jacques Boucher. Since 2012, Jean-Michel Caron teaches sound at Collège d'Alma, in Quebec. MARTIN LABRECQUE Lighting Designer Martin Labrecque's professional credits include more than 140 theatrical productions, as well as circus shows. Martin contributed to the critical success of several Quebec shows. He has won many Quebec awards for his lighting design in addition to several nominations. Martin Labrecque created the lighting for two critically acclaimed circus shows produced by Cirque Éloize, Rain and Nomade, as well as Cirque du Soleil shows Corteo, KOOZA, Viva ELVIS and Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour before KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities. In 2009, Martin designed the lighting for an eleven-hour show by Canadian author, director and actor Wajdi Mouawad, which was presented in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. He also worked on the show Paradis Perdu, directed by Dominic Champagne and presented in Montreal and Belles Soeurs (2011) directed by René Richard Cyr. ROB BILLINGER Acrobatic Performance Designer Rob Bollinger was a competitive trampolinist at the age of 9 and partnered with his father on the invention of the double mini trampoline as his family owned a trampoline club in Illinois, where he grew up. He studied Business at Indiana University on a scholarship as a competitive springboard diver. He won two Big Ten and two NCAA national diving championships and qualified for the 1980 and 1984 Olympics trials. He did not make the team on either occasion, and at first turned away from the world of competitive sports. After a brief period working in aeronautics and insurance, Rob found the pull of acrobatics too strong to resist, so he went to work in diving shows in theme parks, which led him around the world. On his return to the United States he put his talents as a diver and trampolinist to work in film and television as a professional stunt man, notably for Universal Studios. Rob joined Cirque du Soleil in 1993 during the creation of the first resident show Mystère as a coach and artist in the show's original house troupe. In 1997 he joined "O", first as a coach, then as artistic coordinator and eventually he was appointed the production's artistic director. He also added the artistic direction of Mystère to his responsibilities. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is Rob's third show as Acrobatic Performance Designer after ZAIA, Amaluna and Michael Jackson ONE. GERMAIN GUILLEMOT Acrobatic Performance Designer Germain Guillemot began attending circus schools at the age of 11 and completed his studies eight years later at the Centre national des arts du cirque de Châlon-en-Champagne in France. After touring with various circus companies including Cirque Archaos, he created the French circus company Les Arts Sauts with other circus fellows where he worked both as a creator and performer for 15 years. Germain joined Cirque du Soleil in 2007 as a coach for the flying trapeze act on ZED and then became Acrobatic Training Manager for Viva ELVIS. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is Germain Guillemot's third collaboration with Cirque du Soleil as Acrobatic Performance Designer after Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour and Michael Jackson ONE. BORIS VERKHOVSKY Acrobatic Performance Designer Following his graduation from the Institute of Physical and Sports Culture in Minsk, Belarus with a degree in Physical Education and Sports, Boris Verkhovsky rose through the ranks to become a coach of the national acrobatics team of the former Soviet Union. Boris emigrated to Canada in 1978 and eventually became Head Coach of the Canadian national trampoline and tumbling team, and was approached by Cirque du Soleil in 1993 to consult on a proposed tumbling act for the Las Vegas resident show Mystère. He was subsequently named Head Coach of Acrobatic Training at Cirque du Soleil and is currently Director of Performance Design and Development. Although KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is Boris' second "hands-on" Cirque du Soleil show as Acrobatic Performance Designer after IRIS, he has been deeply involved in the development and creation of every Cirque production since he joined the company. DANNY ZEN Acrobatic Equipment & Rigging Danny Zen first arrived at Cirque du Soleil in 1990 to work as a welder in the company's workshops. That same year he went on the first European tour of Le Cirque Réinventé, then moved on to Nouvelle Expérience on which he worked as a welder, assembler, mechanic and head usher. In 1992 he toured with Saltimbanco as a tent technician. Danny has worked at the National Circus School in Montreal and has, over the years, contributed to the design of most of the aerial acrobatic equipment used in the Cirque du Soleil shows Alegría, Mystère, Quidam, Dralion, Varekai, "O", La Nouba and KÀ. He was also Head Rigger for Quidam in 1996. In 2008, he designed the rigging and equipment for the acrobatics show at the Quebec City 400th anniversary celebrations. KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities is Danny Zen's fourth engagement as Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer for a Cirque du Soleil show, following Corteo, KOOZA and Zarkana. ELENI URANIS Makeup Designer Eleni Uranis joined Cirque du Soleil in 1989 as Assistant to Costume Designer Dominique Lemieux. She then worked on various shows, where she was responsible for materials research, fittings and artistic quality control. She then designed costumes for the show Pomp Duck and Circumstance, performed in Hamburg (Germany) from 1997 to 1999. In 2002, she worked alongside world-renowned designer Thierry Mugler to design the costumes for Zumanity. In 2004, Eleni Uranis' career took a sharp turn when she joined the Cirque du Soleil make-up workshop, where she would see her ideas brought to life by the artists of Dralion. Between 2004 and 2006, Eleni Uranis assisted Make-up Designer Nathalie Gagné with several shows and, in 2005, she designed the make- up for Reflections in Blue, the show Cirque produced for the opening ceremonies of the XI FINA World Aquatic Championships. With KURIOS – Cabinet of curiosities, Eleni is designing the make-up for her seventh Cirque du Soleil production after Dralion, Wintuk, ZED, Banana Shpeel, Zarkana and Amaluna. # # # More about Kurios as Cirque du Soleil makes it public! ---------------------------------------------------------- "QUANTITY OR QUALITY: A look at Cirque Facebook stats" By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washigton (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- For the last two months we featured an interview with Mr. Andrew Levey, Director of Customer Relationship Marketing for Cirque du Soleil, about Cirques efforts on social media. As part of our research homework, we wanted an idea of how often the various Cirque shows use social media, specifically Facebook. So we did what we love doing, gathering the facts and doing an analysis! For our analysis we looked at entries between March 1 and December 31, 2013. This was just after Saltimbanco closed, followed in the next month by closure of the resident show IRIS, and was when the Facebook page for Michael Jackson ONE had first started up. We didn't measure just the sheer number of entries. Instead, we didn't count repeated content (one piece of news posted over multiple shows pages, such as posts pushing One Night for One Drop for example). We also didn't include posts whose only purpose was to encourage ticket sales. So our totals are more curated, but the same culling process was made equally across all the pages. Let's go to the numbers! Here are the results for all of Cirque's shows, organized by type of show. (We include Varekai in Big Top Touring Shows because it wasn't converted to the Arena format until 2014.) Cirque du Soleil (corporate page) – 83 total, 8.3 average per month. Resident Shows: o) Zumanity – 8 total, .8 per month o) KA – 9 total, .9 per month o) Criss Angel BeLIEve – 11 total, 1.1 per month o) La Nouba – 17 total, 1.7 per month o) O – 17 total, 1.7 per month o) Mystere – 24 total, 2.4 per month o) The Beatles LOVE – 26 total, 2.6 per month o) Zarkana – 35 total, 3.5 per month o) Michael Jackson ONE – 63 total, 5.30 per month Big Top Touring Shows: o) Varekai – 23 total, 2.3 per month o) OVO – 53 total, 5.3 per month o) Amaluna – 60 total, 6 per month o) Corteo – 60 total, 6 per month o) Kooza – 74 total, 7.4 per month o) Totem – 154 total, 15.4 per month Arena Touring Shows: o) Quidam – 31 total, 3.1 per month o) Alegria – 84 total, 8.4 per month o) Michael Jackson Immortal – 87 total, 8.7 per month o) Dralion – 100 total, 10.00 per month By Type of Show: o) Resident Shows – 192 total posts, 24 group average, 2.4 average per show. o) Big Top Touring Shows – 424 total posts, 70.67 group average, 7.07 average per show. o) Arena Touring Shows – 302 total posts, 75.50 group average, 7.55 average per show. Breaking down the numbers, we find that Resident shows post half as much as Big Top shows and Arena shows post 30% more than Big Top. The touring pattern is a large factor why; Arena shows visit a new city every week so need to produce content applicable to the latest local market more frequently (which also explains the frequent posting of load-in pictures). Big Top shows nest in a city for six weeks or so at a time so have less need for frequent content. Resident shows don't tour so they have even less opportunity for content. KÀ, La Nouba, Zumanity (which due to its mature nature finds it harder to create content for a family-friendly web) and Believe post on average less than twice per month. (Though it needs to be mentioned that since the artist death last Spring, KÀ has been silent, not posting anything since July. Before that, it had kept to an average of 2.3 posts per month. If it had gone back to that average in August, it would bring the show right into the middle of the pack of resident shows in terms of total Facebook postings. As it is, we have heard nothing from the page in five months.) The Big Top shows mostly keep to the average of 5-6 per month (except Totem which way overachieves at 15). And the Arena shows come in at an average of 8 per month (except Quidam which underperforms at an average of 3). The Cirque du Soleil corporate Facebook page is also busy, though it frequently reposts interesting things from other shows pages. If we recalculate the averages to not include the one show in each category that either out- or under-performs the others, we come up with this: By Type of Show: o) Resident Shows – 147 total posts, 18.4 group average, 1.8 average per show. (Michael Jackson ONE removed) o) Big Top Touring Shows – 270 total posts, 54 group average, 5.4 average per show. (Totem removed) o) Arena Touring Shows – 271 total posts, 90.3 group average, 9 average per show. (Quidam removed) Now the posting disparity is starker. Here Resident shows post one- third (not one-half) as much as Big Top Shows and Arena shows post almost double Big Top shows (not 30% more). Quite a difference! When we mentioned our findings to Mr. Levey, (as first quoted in our interview) he replied, "It's a tough balance and we don't think there's a perfect equilibrium. They're different situations. With the touring shows, if it's an arena show you're in a different city every week. So [in order] to be relevant you really have to post a lot. You want to tell people – ‘hey you know what we're in Brazil now', or ‘we're in Minnesota now.' With the resident shows there isn't that traveling activity so sometimes there's not a lot of news. And honestly sometimes there's nothing to update." "And sometimes there's content that is repurposed or we find that we just posted [something similar] a month ago and people are going to know. [It's] something that we're trying to figure out because we know that there's that discrepancy between shows that post 2 to 3 times a week versus some shows where you don't have any updates." It will be interesting to see if Varekai's postings become more frequent with its conversion to an Arena format. And how will the new KURIOS show perform? We'll have to wait and see. ---------------------------------------------------------- "AMALUNA ON DVD – A Quick Peek" BY: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA) ---------------------------------------------------------- UPC –- 8-43277-06686-3 Catalog -- 516323 Video -- 1.78:1 Wide screen Audio -- English 2.0/5.1/DTS Run Time –- 1 hour 48 minutes Region –- 0/All Just as our January 2014 issue "headed to press" last month, I'd received via mail the package I had been waiting over a week for: my copy of the AMALUNA DVD, which had quietly been released to the Cirque du Soleil Online Boutique and on-site under the Grand Chapiteau. To say I was excited to view AMALUNA again would be an understatement; I fell in love with the show at premiere in Montreal. I had such an amazing experience with AMALUNA, if you don't mind me saying again – more amazing than any touring show premiere that had come before. My first experience with this brand of euphoria came when witnessing Varekai's birth in 2002. I knew from the moment I stepped foot on the cobblestoned streets of the venerable old port of Montréal this was how you celebrated a premiere, and I wanted to be a part of it from then on. Varekai and Koozå were well received by the hometown crowd (how about standing ovations DURING the performance?); OVO not so much. For me personally Corteo was not a particularly good premiere, especially after coming off that spectacular Russian Swings ending to Varekai three years before, but the crowd enjoyed it. OVO fared much, much worse by both me and the crowd I saw it with; in fact, the response was so tepid I was sure Cirque had its first bona-fide flop on its hands! (That honor would later befall BANANA SHPEEL.) TOTEM was much better, but even it had a "WOW + WTF" combination that made it a little uneven at the start. But Amaluna took the cake. Whereas with Varekai (my prior high point) I came away thinking, "I really like this show" (and still do), I came out of AMALUNA thinking, "I LOVE this show!" And I shocked my friends who were there with me too, because I didn't really like the show the first night. Sure, I enjoyed it and some of its acrobatic elements, but overall Amaluna didn't "speak" to me, nor seem to hold a candle to some of Cirque's more sophisticated offerings, such as Quidam, Alegria, Mystere, "O" or ZED. Then something strange and amazing happened: as we assembled for the performance the following afternoon, I grew more and more excited about seeing it again. Then as I sat, allowing the opening moments of the show wash over me, something clicked. I don't know why and I don't think I could ever explain it succinctly beyond: I "got" it. I got the show, what it was attempting to say, how the music was used, and all the visionary elements the creators stirred into it. And then I fell in love with the whole kit-and-caboodle, grinning like a slack-jawed idiot. It was uncanny, and welcome. I felt enlightened, invigorated and hungry for more. Naturally I devoured the music CD when it was released, comparing and contrasting the studio version of the show's tracks to those played live, but what I really wanted was a video recording of the show. Rumors began floating regarding a DVD as soon as the tour left Montreal for Quebec City and Toronto. By December 2012, DVD-like footage turned up – about 50 minutes worth of highlights – on French/German network ARTE (fans might remember that a similar highlight reel of KÀ had aired on the network in years past), further stoking rumors. And as the old axiom "where there's smoke, there's fire" told us: surely a DVD release was around the corner. Nice turn of phrase, but, it didn't apply here. The smoke petered out. News about an imminent release trickled to a halt. Rumors stopped. What happened? It turns out that thanks to the filming and subsequent release of Worlds Away 3D to theaters in December 2012 pushed the DVD release of Amaluna back. But now we can finally get our hands on it. So how does the DVD fare against some of Cirque's more recent home releases? Perplexing. Much like Cirque's more recent DVD releases ("ZAIA: Crossroads in Macao", "ZED in Tokyo" and "Cirque du Soleil Presents: Koozå"), the title is presented in the company's "new" recycled paper packaging, adorned with the show's poster, and a quick blurb on the back describing the product in hand: "Cirque du Soleil presents Amaluna, the coming-of-age story of Miranda, who meets a brave young suitor named Romeo upon his unexpected arrival to her mysterious island. Miranda and Romeo must endure a series of trials that teach them both about trust, harmony, balance, and inner strength through the art of Cirque du Soleil." And much like the company's previous show DVD releases, AMALUNA is also presented as a 2-disc package. But after viewing both discs I'm left scratching my head in wonder: why there was a need for two discs? The "Show Disc" doesn't really need much in the way of comment. The basic options are available here; the video and audio here is stunning, and the video recording presents 99.9% of the show as you would have seen it in Toronto – currently cut acts and all. This disc is the true gem of the package! An un-cut show! It's the inclusion of the second disc that confounds me: the "Bonus Disc" doesn't really contain much on it, and that's the real perplexing part. Slipping it in you'll find five (5) menu selections: THE STORY, MUSIC, DIRECTOR, UNVEILING THE NAME, and CASTING – each containing a little peek into the world of Amaluna. And I do mean little. o) THE STORY – is a 1 min 44 sec video giving us a brief peek into what the story of the show is all about and how it draws from "The Tempest", using clips and interview style, but there isn't anything new here. o) DIRECTOR – a 1 min 44 sec video featuring the show's Director – Diane Paulus – enlightening us how she came to Cirque du Soleil and why. However, as before, there isn't anything here of real substance. o) UNVEILING THE NAME – is a 1 min 2 second video describing the show's name, the reason it was chosen, and a little passage on the show's theme in relation to its chosen name. However, this is nothing the blurb on the back of the DVD didn't already tell us. o) CASTING – a 1 min 17 sec commercial for the Cirque du Soleil Casting Department. Want to be an acrobat? But perhaps the most interesting "bonus" of this disc is found under the MUSIC category. Here I expected a short video on the show's compositions, perhaps with a little blurb from the composers: Bob & Bill (Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard). What we are treated to instead are five tracks from the Amaluna CD, as released on November 20, 2012: o) "All Come Together" (5:54) o) "Hope" (3:28) o) "O Ma Ley" (4:29) o) "Burn Me Up" (3:44) o) "Run" (4:23) The music is the truly surprising addition to the "bonus disc", in my opinion, and I'm forced to ask: with the release of the CD a year prior, why were these even included? The immediate answer could be because the two (the CD and the DVD) were scheduled for release at the same time, and this offered Cirque du Soleil a convenient cross- promotion opportunity. Even with that being true why the second disc at all? If you add up the various video segments you only come to 5 minutes and 47 seconds of added material. Certainly this could have fit on the "Show Disc", could it not? Add the music tracks there and viola, you've got a complete package without the waste of an added disc. Perplexing, isn't it? Still there's no reason not to add the title to your collection, especially if you fell in love with Amaluna like I did! ======================================================================= SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ======================================================================= Fascination! is a monthly publication, available through subscription via the World Wide Web in text format at the newsletter's website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. To subscribe, please visit our website and enter your name and email address in the "About Fascination" box and press Subscribe. You'll receive an email to confirm your selection. Once confirmed you'll be added to our mailing list. To Subscribe via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News) use the following: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >. To view back issues, or other online Newsletter content, please visit us at: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. Join us on the web at: < www.cirquefascination.com > Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Volume 14, Number 2 (Issue #121) - February 2014 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2014 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. { Feb.05.2014 } =======================================================================