======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) 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 8, NUMBER 6 NOV/DEC 2008 ISSUE #62e ======================================================================= Bonjour et bienvenue! Greetings, and welcome to another addition of Fascination!, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. As we bring yet another calendar year to a close, we'd like to take a moment to reflect back on this fascinating year of Cirque. As such we’ve prepared a special Cirque History list this issue entitled "This YEAR in Cirque History". You’ll also find a wonderful peek into the world of ZED, Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show in Japan, from Fascination alum Wayne Leung. We've also put together a retrospective piece on Rich Alford and Ricky Russo's gathering of friends we like to call Celebri. You'll find all three in our Features section this month. And if you're interested in becoming part of our next set of historical issues, please drop us a line (richasi@azlance.com), we'd love to have your perspective on Cirque du Soleil related topics that interest you! As always be sure to check out the Itinerary section for any last- minute changes and extensions to tour stops; however, these dates are subject to change. That about wraps up this issue. Until next time! Join us on the web at: < www.cirquefascination.com > Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > - Ricky "Richasi" Russo =========== CONTENTS =========== o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings o) Compartments -- Information on Tour and Behind the Curtain * Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information * Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque * Historia -- Cirque du Soleil's History o) Fascination! Features *) "My Thoughts on ZED" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} *) "No Limits on Adventure - Celebri!" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} *) "This YEAR in Cirque History" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} *) LA PRESSE: "BELIEVE - The Reviews" [EXPANDED] A Special Collection of Reviews in the Press o) From the Fascination! Archives... *) "Taiko - the Heartbeat of Cirque " By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Originally Published: Issue #02 - October 2001} o) Copyright & Disclaimer ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Koozå on Oprah {Nov.14.2008} --------------------------------------------- Fans, tune in to Oprah on Monday, November 17th! The contortion act from Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA will be featured. The performance is part of Oprah's "Amazing Kids" show that was taped on November 6th at her Chicago studio. Check your local listing for times and channels! Mystère performs for Ellen DeGeneres {Nov.28.2008} --------------------------------------------- Tune in to TBS this Saturday, November 29th, at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) to see a performance of the Mystère teeterboard act on Ellen's EVEN BIGGER Really Big Show at this year's Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. Check your local listings for channel and show times. "Dancer finds her Feet" [EXPANDED] {Nov.28.2008} ---------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil performer Neelanthi Vadivel may not know how to fly the trapeze or juggle but she is still mesmerizing to watch. Vadivel is one of four dancers in Dralion, Cirque du Soleil's latest show to arrive in Brisbane. The production, which fuses traditional Chinese circus acts with contemporary stagecraft, opened on Thursday in the company's signature blue and yellow big top, known as the Grand Chapiteau. The dancers play the four elements of earth, water, fire and air, with Vadivel taking on the character of Oceane, Goddess of Water. Dressed in a deep green costume inspired by middle-Eastern fashion, complete with elaborate headwear and soft-flowing fabric that reaches from the end of her skirt to her wrists, Vadivel executes her high energy and skillful dance moves, shaking, gesturing and leaping across the stage. The dancers playing the water and earth elements use moves from different cultures, with earth dancing African style and water Indian style. On stage, the water and fire elements clash in heated dance- offs, their opposing natures setting the floor alight with drama and intensity. While fire is a largely acrobatic part, the air element often floats from wires above, touching the ground to perform pretty pirouettes. It's no coincidence that Vadivel trained as a contemporary dancer and also with the Kala Bharati School of Bharata Natya, a form of east Indian dance. The part of Oceane was created for someone with a strong background in contemporary and classical Indian dance, with five other dancers having played the role before Vadivel since Dralion first opened in Montreal in 1999. "It's changed quite a lot," she says. "I was given the last video of the dancer previous to me, so it was based a lot on what she had developed as a choreographer and then I was also given free rein with some steps to open it up. There is some improvisation involved because the acts aren't always exactly the same - with the acrobatics the timing can change, so you have to play with that." Vadivel was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, in 1976 but raised in Montreal, Canada, the home of Cirque du Soleil since it started in 1984. She remembers going to see their shows in the big tops and being whisked away by the magical world before her. "I was awestruck by the acrobatic acts, it was breathtaking. I really appreciated the acrobatics and the artistry," she says. But dance was Vadivel's true calling and, after studying classical ballet from the age of five, she trained in other styles from jazz to modern, flamenco and ballroom. Vadivel signed her first professional contract in 1995 with the classical Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and stayed for three seasons. In 1998 she joined contemporary dance troupe Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, a dream come true for the young dancer, and didn't leave until 2005. After working freelance in contemporary and commercial works and having her first son, Xavier, Vadivel decided it was time to begin a new chapter in her life, setting her sights on Cirque du Soleil. "I've seen Cirque and I've seen tours before, but I didn't really see where I could fit into the company until a few years ago when some friends started working on the creation of Zumanity. They were involving dancers more in some of the roles, so I sent my tape in," she says. After auditions, she scored the role of Oceane, joining the company in December 2006 and travelling to Germany, Japan and now Australia. "It's completely different to being in a contemporary dance company where I'd do about 70 shows a year. Here I do about 500 well actually about 360 but it feels like 500," she says. Although the technique involved in the dancing isn't as grueling, the part of Oceane demands a heightened theatricality and endurance. "The degree of difficulty in this show is less for me because we have to do it so often," she says. "In the contemporary dance company I was performing for an hour- and-a-half with 12 other dancers and that's it. Here I have breaks; it's not as challenging cardiovascular work, but I'm working for a company that so many people love and genuinely appreciate. You can see that in the audiences' reactions at the end of the show." Performing eight to 10 shows a week, keeping fit is a top priority for Vadivel who suffers chronic injuries from overuse of her lower legs. But she grits her teeth and gets through it, doing dance training each morning for an hour and exercising continuously throughout the day on gym equipment, backstage in the artistic tent, to keep the injuries at bay. She also eats lots of small meals from the daily changing menu cooked up by Cirque du Soleil's touring chefs. "I don't want to feel ill on stage so I try to eat lots of little meals throughout the day," she says. She misses her son desperately when she's away, but manages to get back to Montreal every three months to see him and also spends the Canadian summer with him. In the small amount of free time the artists have, Vadivel likes to chill out, have a meal with friends on the tour and spend time exploring the cities they visit. "They do become like your family when you're so far away from your actual family. You do get very close," she says. {SOURCE: The Courier-Mail} Mystère: Timeless [EXPANDED] {Dec.01.2008} --------------------------------------------- Joe Brown of the Las Vegas Sun recently took a moment to reflect on one of Mystère's most boggling milestones: it's 15th anniversary on the Las Vegas Strip - proclaiming it's still a treasure. * * * “Mystere” is Cirque Classique. The first Cirque du Soleil spectacle to make a permanent home on the Las Vegas Strip, it’s still No. 1 in many hearts. “Mystere” celebrates its 15th anniversary this month, and it hasn’t been dated in any essential way. I’d go so far as to call it timeless. When it opened at Treasure Island, in 1993, “Mystere” established a new standard for Las Vegas — and anywhere — for an all-enveloping theatrical experience. A quantum leap for circus artistry and production shows in general, the surround sound- and-spectacle unfurls within an elegant indoor interpretation of a classic Big Top tent. It always pays to arrive a bit early for a Cirque show, if only to get snacks and absorb the atmosphere. The “Mystere” stage is saturated in Carnaval hues of green, purple and gold, beneath a graceful canopied ceiling that carries out TI’s treasure map theme. You also don’t want to miss a moment of the now customary preshow playing with the audience. A mischievous clown ushers unsuspecting patrons to their seats, leading them on goose-chase journeys that can end in a baptism by popcorn. I had an evening’s worth of big laughs before the show even officially started. Like most Cirque shows, “Mystere” follows a somewhat pretentious story line of sorts. With “Mystere,” the framework is an allegory of the origin and evolutionary ascent of humankind (but you needn’t know that to enjoy what follows). Accordingly, it all begins with a Big Bang — an enormous double- headed Japanese Taiko drum sensationally suspended over the audience, played by two drummers, who, even more sensationally, pound out a primal heartbeat while hanging upside down. “Mystere” is marked by its array of entrancing entrances, including the appearance of a baby carriage glowing from within, introducing a big baby toying with an even bigger ball — and the audience. It’s one of the show’s most delightful recurring bits. But the entrance that stays in my memory is the lizard-like creatures who clamber head first down the walls. They lead into a fluid sequence of physics-defyng acts, including a muscleman who juggles a gleaming cube, moving within and without the geometric figure, recalling Leonardo’s drawings of the human figure. Gravity is apparently suspended within the “Mystere” environment, with precisely in-sync athlete/artists moving in every direction on the Chinese poles, Korean plank (or teeterboard) and bungee. There are also multiple acts of mass trampolining, with acrobats ricocheting around like human popcorn and executing a “Soul Train” line of intricate leaps, bounds and loop-de-loops. Directed by Franco Dragone, who went on to create the unprecedentedly successful “A New Day” for Celine Dion, “Mystere” may just be the most relaxing of the six resident Cirque shows. The music soothes and stimulates, a primordial soup of early Pink Floyd, pan flutes and Irish reels, performed by a 10-piece orchestra (including two vocalists) positioned above the stage in twin balconies. And the dance, puppetry and acrobatics are wondrous and even somehow comforting: While watching the cooperative artistry of 14 aerialists swinging from a great height, it may occur to you that if humans can do this, we’re all going to be OK. The sole element of “Mystere” that betrays the production’s age is the video projections, which look a bit primitive by today’s Cirque standards. But from its Big Bang beginning to the pulse-pounding finale, “Mystere” had me clapping and cheering just like the 5-year-old kid sitting in front of me. So happy birthday, “Mystere.” Long may you run. {SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun} Cirque Expands into Russia {Dec.03.2008} --------------------------------------------- MOSCOW, December 2, 2008 - Cirque du Soleil, one of the world's most important producers of live entertainment, has unveiled today a long term plan to establish the brand in Russia. Cirque du Soleil will develop many forms of entertainment in the Russian Federation. This could include big top and arena touring shows, special events, media partnerships and eventually a permanent show. "We are excited about the Russian market." said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil. "Russians are some of the world's most sophisticated cultural citizens. The opportunities are limitless to create and provide high quality entertainment throughout Russia. We are seeing a bold cultural renaissance in Russia and we are committed to helping take this renaissance to the next level. From small and intimate special events to multi million dollar permanent shows, we are interested in finding ways to bring world class entertainment to many Russians." Cirque du Soleil has partnered with George and Craig Cohon to create Cirque du Soleil Rus., a Russian LLC company having the exclusive rights to the Russian territory. George is the Founder of McDonald's in Canada and Russia and Craig built Coca-Cola's first operations in Russia in the early 1990s. "We see a fantastic opportunity to partner with many organizations throughout Russia." said George. "Cirque is an international company that just happens to be headquartered in Canada. The international appeal of this one-of-kind brand is sensational. It is at the forefront of the entertainment scene and building the business with Russians in Russia will help take Cirque du Soleil to the next level." Since its beginnings in 1984, over 80 million spectators in over 250 cities on five continents have been thrilled by Cirque du Soleil. In 2008, 17 shows are simultaneously presented around the world. Many Cirque du Soleil shows have been greatly influenced by Russian talent and specific know-how. Gilles Ste-Croix, Senior Vice-president of Creative Content at Cirque du Soleil explains: "We began working with the artistic and circus community of Russia as early as 1989. At that time we were just a very young company and we had just one production touring in North America only and we were creating a new production for 1990. We had noticed the great talent of both acrobatic and circus artists from Russia at a festival in Paris and we wanted to integrate and show case this unique talent in our upcoming show. That is how it all began. Today, we have 400 artists from Russia and many others contributing throughout the company. ". Cirque du Soleil Rus is a Russian Company, and will be lead by Russians for Russians. Craig Cohon, Vice Chairman of Cirque du Soleil Rus. is currently establishing the operation in Moscow. "Natalia Romanova, our experienced General Director and I are building a business locally that will last", he says. Our first step will be to bring VAREKAI, an incredible touring production to Moscow in the fall of 2009. This flagship touring show will showcase the Cirque du Soleil brand and serve as a stepping stone to further our business and community development in Russia." {SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil} An ACE award for Alegría {Dec.05.2008} --------------------------------------------- Alegría, which visited Argentina at the beginning of the year, was recently honored with the ACE award for best foreign show. This distinction is bestowed by Argentina's association of performing arts columnists (Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo). Congratulations! The awards were announced on November 26th. "O": Just Add Water [EXPANDED] {Dec.08.2008} --------------------------------------------- Joe Brown of the Las Vegas Sun struck again this week, taking a moment to reflect on 10 years of Cirque du Soleil's aquatic show, "O". * * * How do you follow an act that forever changed the face of entertainment in Las Vegas? Just add water. After the success of “Mystere,” which continues to this day, Cirque du Soleil and writer/director Franco Dragone dreamed up an entertainment that’s like an unexpected oasis in the desert. The elegant enterprise is “O,” and now that it has achieved the 10-year mark, the beloved spectacular is as permanent as anything gets around here. The show is internationally famous, but it’s entirely possible that you may not know that “O” is a play on “eau,” the French word for water. And upon entering the elegantly appointed jewel box theater, you still might not figure out right away that the substance of “O” is 90 percent water (although there is a telltale whiff of public-pool chlorine in the air). When the sumptuous crimson stage curtain is raised, it’s one of “O’s” most phantasmagorical images — and not just because the stage is revealed. Possibly the ultimate water park, the stage is the true star of “O.” Given apparently unlimited license and resources, Cirque created a shape-shifting pool that reconfigures itself to conjure a puddle, a bathtub, an African watering hole, an island, a maelstrom at sea. The 1.5-million-gallon pool accommodates splashdancing as well as plunging dives from terrifying heights. If Bette Midler were working this stage, they could have called it “Beaches.” Having summoned such a stage, Cirque set itself to imagining ways to get every drop out of its ocean of possibilities. So “O” is a panoply of the life aquatic. Playing with the elements, mostly fire and rain, it brings forth a fluid sequence of vignettes, populated by humans and chimeras, uncorking a flood of dream-logic associations. Put another way, “O” is a sensory hot tub. Stop making sense: just let yourself sink into it and go with the flow. The show’s circular structure sets a cast of recurring characters, in procession around the perimeter of the pool — a pair of salty nautical clowns, cadres of bewigged, red-coated footmen, a bridal party (it’s a nice time for a wet wedding), carousel horses that become bathtub toys ... and a literally burning man. Central to the scenario is a squad of synchronized swimmers, acrobats and aerialists, but that’s a rather dry way of describing these water-workers, who meld aesthetics and athletics, taking wild, wet choreography way beyond Busby Berkley and Esther Williams (one stunt was inspired by a Williams flick). Many of the “O” performers have competed in the Olympics. The acts are impressive and exhilarating, expressing the sheer joy of moving freely through water and air. Like kids showing off dives at the pool, a series of divers seems to swim through the air, and it’s impossible to count the twists and tucks they make before splashdown. Zebra-striped tropical fish climb then plummet into a sliver of a pool. A ghostly galleon (doubling as a jungle gym) hovers over the waters, precariously trailing its occupants over the abyss. Perched upon a lily pad, four lovely contortionists arrange and rearrange themselves like human origami, suggesting iridescent dragonflies or a cluster of fuchsia blossoms. And then, the biggest splash: An aerial rig rises from the roiling depths, hoisting with it a lengthy chain of sky-diving aerialists. With the skintight costuming, augmented by masks and makeup, this is a sexier Cirque, considerably more European in style and sensibility than its predecessor. The score, performed by a 10- piece ensemble, is akin to chamber music, with an emphasis on cello and accented by Chinese violin and African kora and percussion. At the best Cirque shows — and “O” is one of the very best — you can truly forget where you are, brought back at the end waves of applause, which sound like a sudden shower, or the surf. After 10 years in the pool, it would be understandable if “O” suffers some sogginess or pruning, or displays at least a bit of bathtub ring. But the crown jewel of Las Vegas still sparkles and surprises. Long may “O” wave. {SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun} More Cirque du Soleil on the Web {Dec.12.2008} --------------------------------------------- Cirque du Soleil is turning up in a number of places in Cyberspace these days besides their own Cirquedusoleil.com and Facebook groups. This month you'll find them here: Corteo in Japan: < http://www.corteo.jp > Alegria in Dubai: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.ae > Cirque in Russia: < http://www.cds.ru > Each of these sites are provided in their native language (Corteo in Japanese, Dubai in Arabic and Rus in Russian), which not only serves as a launching point for the respective tours, but also a unique way to bring Cirque du Soleil to these regions. KÀ: An Adventure for the Eyes [EXPANDED] {Dec.15.2008} --------------------------------------------- Joe Brown of the Las Vegas Sun continues his series on Cirque du Soleil this week by touching on Cirque du Soleil's fourth Las Vegas production, KÀ at MGM Grand. * * * What would contemporary Las Vegas be without Cirque du Soleil? Fortunately we don’t have to dwell on that dreary thought. The Strip is home to five enduring resident shows (and one dud), and crowning them is “Ka,” Cirque’s most epic entertainment, which added heroic adventure and cinematic scale to the Cirque canon. When it opened at the MGM Grand in 2005, “Ka” marked another stunning technological and artistic advance from Cirque, which had turned the showbiz world on its ear with the aquatic opus “O.” Combining visual and thematic elements from Japanese anime and manga comics, Flash Gordon and “The Lord of the Rings,” massive multiplayer games and mixed martial arts, “Ka” takes the SFX techniques of movie blockbusters and makes them come alive on stage, in every imaginable dimension, two shows a night. “Ka’s” panoply of jaw-dropping, heart-stirring effects and imagery was surpassed only by the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. All of these effects serve a story, and “Ka” is the one Cirque show where it’s really important to know what’s going on. Here’s a sketch of the story: A pair of royal twins, brother and sister, are celebrated by the court at a pageant, when the court is attacked by a band of marauding archers and spearmen. They attempt to flee in a boat, but are separated during a storm at sea, and in their quest for reunion, they confront characters and events representing the opposing forces of good and evil. The main villain, it should be noted, has invented a diabolic machine (it looks like a multilevel hamster wheel) that grinds bones to unleash firepower. Audiences are immersed in “Ka’s” otherworldly experience from the moment of entry. Ticket takers are costumed as ragtag gypsies or pirates and remain in character. Ten minutes before the performance begins, a pair of performers play an enormous harp suspended over the lobby, coaxing beauty from a web of strings. Try not to miss this. And leave time to take in the majesty of the “Ka” theater, the most splendid of the Cirque showcases. Glowing in amber light, burnished bronze fittings and weathered wood, it looks at once ancient and modern, as if Jules Verne had drawn up architectural plans for a sea- or space-going vessel. The open stage is a gaping abyss, filled with fog and belching seriously startling fireballs, which hover in the air. You will feel the heat. One of the “Ka” characters delivers the most effective “turn off your cell phone” warning in theater history. The opening of the show is deceptively serene and distanced. A royal barge introduces the characters, then melts into a stylized procession and pageant, a stylized mix of Bjork videos and Japanese theater. This happy scene is stalked by marauders (you may find one crouching next to you). Suddenly, arrows fly, the stage goes up in flames, and we’re plunged into our tale. Facing villainy in the form of a mad scientist and warriors who look like grown-up Mutant Ninja Turtles, the twins’ episodic adventures take them from a violently rocking ship (one of Cirque’s most inventive set pieces to date) to the depths of the sea, from a supersized jungle to an icy aerie at the pinnacle of an arctic mountain. And that brings us to the central innovation that makes “Ka’s” most impossible moments possible. Cirque has created an enormous hydraulic stage platform, which rotates 360 degrees, from level to perpendicularly vertical. This stage will enable an ocean rescue, a cascade of sand, and an awe-inspiring aerial ballet on a vertical wall that outdoes video game graphics and CGI special effects. It’s hard to pull off a movie-style chase scene on a static stage, but “Ka” solves that — even outdoing the movies — sending characters clambering up a sheer rock face and an icy cliff, dodging a rain of arrows and bouncing off the wall like balls in a giant pachinko game. Set to a live score that haunts but really rocks, too, “Ka” was created and directed by Robert Lepage, and his visions are poetically hyper-realistic, with a bold theatricality recalling Martha Clarke’s Boschian “Garden of Earthly Delights” and Robert Wilson’s “The Black Rider.” It’s safe to say you won’t soon forget many of these truly dangerous-seeming images — or the explosive finale. Yet amid all this spectacle there are quiet, subtle moments — a poignant bit of shadow puppetry, a sweetly comic dance by seashore creatures, a breath-stopping baton-twirling dance— that may remain with you longer. It’s this cherishing of these simplest of theatrical elements that is the essence of Cirque shows. And you can see them only in Las Vegas. {SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun} MGM/Mirage to sell T.I.? {Dec.15.2008} --------------------------------------------- This comes as a surprise - MGM/Mirage is selling one of its flagship properties: Treasure Island, or better known these days as just T.I. From the Press Release: LAS VEGAS, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) and Ruffin Acquisition, LLC today announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby MGM MIRAGE, through its wholly-owned subsidiary The Mirage Casino-Hotel, will sell Treasure Island Hotel & Casino ("TI") to Ruffin Acquisition, LLC for $775 million. Ruffin Acquisition, LLC is wholly owned by Phil Ruffin. The purchase price is to be paid at closing as follows: $500 million in cash and $275 million in secured notes bearing interest at 10%, with $100 million payable not later than 175 days after closing and $175 million payable not later than 24 months after closing. The notes, to be issued by Ruffin Acquisition, LLC, will be secured by the assets of TI and will be senior to any other financing. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions contained in the purchase agreement, including receipt of necessary regulatory and governmental approvals. The parties expect the transaction to close by the end of the second quarter of 2009. MGM MIRAGE expects to report a substantial gain on the sale. We wonder, with this sale, since Cirque du Soleil has an agreement with MGM/Mirage, what will happen with Mystère? {SOURCE: PRNewswire} Guy Laliberté invests in Prestige Telecom, Inc. {Dec.16.2008} ------------------------------------------------- According to The Canadian Press, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté is taking a stake in Prestige Telecom, a telecommunications company based in Quebec, Canada. From the release: Novare Holding Inc., an arm's-length private company controlled by Guy Laliberte, will buy 18 million shares and invest $4.5 million in a convertible note for a total investment of $9 million and a 15 per cent stake in the company. Laliberte will nominate a member to Prestige's board of directors to replace Brian McFadden, who will resign his seat. "I have chosen to privately invest in this Canadian company during these difficult financial times because I believe that we need to ensure a solid future for entrepreneurs and Canadian assets," stated Laliberte, a 49-year-old billionaire. {SOURCE: The Canadian Press} Cirque2009 is... ? {Dec.17.2008} --------------------------------------------- On December 9th, Cirque du Soleil and its legal staff applied for a new service trademark. It did so on many varieties of goods and services ranging from media to paper goods, collectibles, clothing and other forms of merchandise and in the following category, which makes us sit up and take notice. This category: Entertainment services, namely, conception, creation, production, and presentation of theatrical performances featuring artistic acts, comical acts, choreography and/or dance, set to music and/or song So, what was registered? [ Ovo ] Keep in mind that this is not official until Cirque du Soleil announces it! La Nouba Celebrates 10th Anniversary [EXPANDED] {Dec.19.2008} --------------------------------------------- Tod Caviness, Staff Writer at the Orlando Sentinel, recently spent "thirty seconds" with Alexander Daniltchenko, a trampolinist for La Nouba, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Tuesday, December 23rd. * * * It's an artistic and acrobatic achievement every time the lights go up on La Nouba, Downtown Disney's very own piece of the Cirque du Soleil phenomenon. Tuesday marks a particular milestone: The show celebrates its 10th anniversary here in Orlando. By their reckoning, that's 2,094,484 feet walked on the high wire; 9,486 people jumped over by mountain bikes; and 853,740 minutes of leaping for Alexander "Sasha" Daniltchenko, a trampolinist whose particular claim to fame is never having missed a show since La Nouba's inception. We sat down before the show last month with Daniltchenko to see what keeps him on (and off) his feet for so long. Q. I can't go a year at my desk job without missing a day. How do you go 10 years of trampolining? Eat healthy food? No, I'm joking. I would call it an accident, maybe. The first time I was sick I went to the doctor's office. I took a note from the doctor to bring to the theater, but I didn't realize it was my day off. In the beginning, we had a little competition going [with the other performers], but. . . Q. That's one thing that surprised me, to hear that you have had a lot of people here from the start. I believe it's about 35 percent of the artists working here since the beginning. Q. What do you do in your off hours? I have a family. I have a little one. She really misses me, and I like to spend time with family. Q. What is your history before Cirque du Soleil? I was a trampolinist. I mean, I'm still a trampolinist, but I was on a national team. I got five gold medals. I'd say I was a professional trampolinist, but the professional people make money. Now, trampolining is in the Olympic games, but I quit before it was included. Q. How hard was it to make the transition to this kind of work, where there are so many other people and objects to interact with? You have to be very observant. You practice every day, and you can only see your partner a little bit. But you can feel him, and you can hear him. You use all your senses. Q. Seems like this show alone has created an entire new job market. Any advice for budding jumpers, aside from buying a trampoline? No, don't buy a trampoline. It's better to go to a gym and be supervised by a professional coach who can spot you. Lots of people have a trampoline in their backyard to have fun, and so many injuries happen. Better to be supervised when you do this, and afterward you can have some fun. It becomes routine, and your brain starts working with your body. {SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel} Inside Cirque's Mystique [EXPANDED] {Dec.20.2008} --------------------------------------------- For one of the most instantly recognizable, globe-bestriding brands ever invented, Cirque du Soleil is a notoriously fierce defender of its privacy. The closest you'll ordinarily get to its performers is the front row of one of its shows. Crew members you won't even see. But ahead of a UK tour of Quidam, one of its best-loved shows, it issued a very rare invitation to The Times to experience a little of life à la Cirque, backstage at its Barcelona big top, and offering a tutorial in a circus skill or two. Down by the Barcelona docks, the burly Spanish security guards aren't buying it. Manning massive iron gates, behind which Cirque's standard flaps proudly in the sea breeze above an iconic, multi-colored big top, it takes ten minutes of walkie- talkie conference, in three languages, before they will let us in. “First experience the show,” a twinkly-eyed press officer says. “Then ask the questions.” Watching Quidam, the only question consistently springing to mind is “How?” A leering, dreadlocked man turns himself into the spokes of a giant aluminum wheel, and propels himself at lightning speed across the stage. Skipping- ropes transform from a recognizable children's game into an eye- watering blur of hemp, hands and feet. Four small Chinese girls, sprayed entirely gold, do such improbable things with the diabolo that you begin to question whether they are in fact the mechanical dolls they're trussed up as. Quidam's show-stopper is “Statue”, in which a couple slowly meld their bodies into one gravity- defying, flawlessly balanced whole. The clowns cannot be dispensed with in any Cirque show. They provide the only moments in which the audience is able to exhale. It's a neat demonstration of the immediately identifiable form of circus (no ring, no animals) that has become such an unstoppable cultural phenomenon. Guy Laliberté, Cirque's founder and CEO, knew from his youth as a travelling street performer that there was an untapped global talent pool of these outlandishly gifted artists already in existence. And, Laliberté understood from the off, circus is wordless, and therefore pan- cultural. Precisely the same show will work from Macau to Moscow. It delivers the same endlessly seductive message, no matter what narrative puff is placed around it: that with years of training, and an astonishing degree of trust, the human body is capable of feats of jaw-dropping athletic prowess, grace and skill. The more sedentary we get, as a culture, the greater our appetite for such live demonstrations grows. Billy Smart presumably knew that, too. But it's Cirque that has revenues of £350 million a year, and is now valued at £1 billion, with six resident shows in Las Vegas, which attract more than 10,000 people a night, every night of the year. The company has grown from a rag-tag assembly of 73 Quebecker street performers in 1984 to today's formidable, sleek corporation of 4,000 employees. And Cirque is the only entertainment company in the world to have secured the much-coveted rights to create shows from the back catalogue of the Beatles and Elvis. Backstage in Barcelona, some inklings of why and how appear. “They have the pick,” says Alessandro Sblattero, a jolly clown turned tent master, born in a trailer in Umbria 31 years ago, the fifth generation of circus performers. “The very best acts in the world want to work at Cirque.” Why? “They take care. In a normal circus, if you get sick, you had better get well again. If you marry someone not from the circus, they had better find what they can do there. They cannot afford any other way. With Cirque you can bring your wife, your kids, on tour. Cirque take care of you. They take care of everything.” With constant logistical back-up from its international headquarters in Montreal, and an international insurance company primed to provide cast and crew with local masseuses, doctors, psychologists or dentists as required, Cirque's touring site is almost eerily well oiled. Jamie Reilly, Quidam's tour services director, is responsible for making sure it stays that way. She explains: “I think of this as a village. There are 160 people, more or less. I'm the bank and I run the school. We have a gym and right now we're in the restaurant.” Though the cast and crew live either in five- star hotels or rented apartments, they're on site most of the time. “We're very close,” Reilly adds, “when you're touring, the people are the one thing that doesn't change in your environment.” Everyone in this travelling village appears inordinately happy. “They know how fortunate they are,” says Roland Richard, a flamboyant 65- year-old stage manager who has been with Cirque for 14 years. “Some of the artists work too hard, but they know conditions are very hard for street performers; they want to make sure they stay here.” But there's also something slightly strange about it. Ella Bangs is a 12-year-old American on tour with her parents and little sister, and one of three child performers in the show. “I love it here,” she says. Do you miss your friends back home? “No.” How's school here? “I get lots more attention, so I learn faster. There's two teachers for seven kids. At home it was one teacher for 31 kids.” Is it normal, I wonder, for a 12-year-old to be able to recite her teacher-pupil ratio? But if Ella is likely to graduate from Cirque school, smiling roundly but coming across as a little peculiar, she's not alone. Every adult employee, whether artist or crew member, has been through a two-month training process at Cirque's HQ in Montreal. They emerge quoting the company mission statement “to invoke, to provoke, to evoke” at will, and unanimously agreed that Cirque's shows and its working environment are the envied acme of live entertainment companies everywhere. They might be right. Eighty million people worldwide have experienced a Cirque show. The company has just extended its forthcoming Albert Hall run by a week, because of demand. Protecting this unflinching commitment to the company, however, means that any hint of negativity is banned from the backstage area. You cannot mention to anyone that some English critics find Cirque shows corporate and soulless, and ask for a response. Bring it up, I'm told, and my interviews with extremely genial, intelligent artistic directors and aerialists alike will come to an untimely end. Ditto what anyone gets paid. When you do ask, the Argentinian clown or Chinese diabolo girl in question will politely tell you they are not allowed to talk about it. Neither can you bring up the ethics of luring punters into vast casino complexes in Macau or Vegas. “There's a Cirque way of doing things,” Reilly says proudly, “and then there's the way everybody else does it.” Which brings us to the contortionism workshop. It seems a perverse choice of circus skill to impart. All Cirque know about me is that I'm English and a journalist. We're not renowned, as a tribe, for our limber athleticism. “Don't worry.” A tiny, boneless 19-year-old Antipodean, whom I last saw dressed up as a doll in a white wig, balanced upside down on the accommodating hands of a large Russian, smiles at me. “We'll warm up first,” she says, before diving into the splits. The splits, it seems, is the warm-up. “Can't you do that?” she asks, amazed. Oddly enough, no. This former acrobat, Veronica Gravolin, remains dauntlessly encouraging, despite my persistent inability to perform such basic moves as a back-flip. Watching her wrap her feet so far around her head that she could blow her nose on her own socks, I ask if she ever worries about arthritis. Gravolin is so shocked she can't answer. “Do I what? We don't talk about that stuff.” Isabelle Vaudelle is a 36-year-old French aerial contortionist, who has been with Quidam on and off since its inception in 1996. A former street performer, Vaudelle is made of sterner stuff. She's also made entirely of muscle. “In an aerial act,” she explains, “the weight of the body is really important, because you must pull your own weight up. In a balancing act, the other person takes care of the weight and you have only to push. It is different work. Someone who is able to do one is not able to do the other.” Some people, it transpires, are entirely unable to do either. With Vaudelle issuing precise commands, and her compact muscle power winching me up, I pull myself up about 2ft of red silk and flip upside down, before testing the give of the custom-made backstage flooring. “So you see?” the sparkly press officer smilingly concludes, “these artists are like Olympic athletes.” What I'd first gleaned in conversation, I've just had confirmed in the ache of my bones. Even if you could excise all trace of anti-Cirque sentiment from your mindset, it would be impossible for any vaguely normal person to run away with this circus. If you're lucky, as I did, you'll hobble away from it. Very gingerly indeed. {SOURCE: The Times UK Online} Kohl's, La Nouba Giveaway {Dec.20.2008} --------------------------------------------- Cirque su Soleil has teamed up with Kohls, Inc to present the "Present Perfect Sweepstakes". You can enter here until December 28th: < http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/ourbrands/ lanoubasweepsintro.jsp >. The grand Prize is $10,000 cash. The First Prize winner will receive A family vacation package for four, to see La Nouba at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The 4-day, 3 night trip includes: o) Airfare and hotel accommodations o) Four Tickets, plus a behind-the-scenes tour to La Nouba o) Tickets to select parks, attractions and shows o) $1,000 spending money, plus a $500 Kohl's Gift Card They are also giving away Ten Daily Prizes of $50 Kohl's Gift Cards every day. Click here to view the tv commercial featuring La Nouba performers, produced for this promotion: < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSnXaqSC1IY > CDS Holiday Offers & Discounts {Dec.20.2008} --------------------------------------------- Cirque Du Soleil launched a holiday deals and discounts web- page, where you can scroll over your city on the US map to view different offers including discounted tickets for upcoming shows. They are also offering up to 20% on multiple items + FREE shipping on orders of $75 or more, in their online boutique. Visit the page here: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/holidays/2008/en/touring.htm? icid=email/xmas/map/imglink&rmid=20081211_xmas_na_map_sample2&rr id=%7B58A66291-370B-41AD-A917-8A44C89FB200%7D > They have also brought back their popular virtual cards web- page! So click here http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ CirqueDuSoleil/en/clubcirque/xmas_club_login.htm?nrcs_nexturl=%2 FCirqueDuSoleil%2Fen%2Fecard%2FXmas2008%2Fcompose%2Ehtm) to spread some Cirque Du Soleil Holiday Magic with your friends and family. (The ecard feature is exclusive to Cirque Club members but its free to join...) Angel on Larry King {Dec.21.2008} --------------------------------------------- Criss Angel, star of Criss Angel BELIEVE by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas will be on Larry King Live December 22nd for an hour long interview. You'll find Larry King on CNN and the interview at 9:00pm Eastern Time, 6:00pm Pacific. Zumanity Sates the Senses [EXPANDED] {Dec.22.2008} --------------------------------------------- Joe Brown of the Las Vegas Sun continues his series on Cirque du Soleil this week by touching on Cirque du Soleil's third Las Vegas production, Zumanity at Zumanity: * * * Maybe “Zumanity” isn’t Cirque du Soleil’s best-selling resident show on the Vegas Strip.But it certainly is the best-smelling. Near the opening of the show, a performer sweeps through the center aisle, trailing an enormous billowing cape — and a captivating fragrance. “Zumanity” is an arousing, amusing appeal to each of the senses. A contemporary burlesque, the 18-and-over revue at New York-New York is Cirque du Softcore, a risque, frisque kinky-winky at the multiracial, pansexual human menagerie and our assorted desires. Americans can be so serious and squeamish about sex — it sometimes seems we’re partisan about our pleasures, puritans versus libertines. Other parts of the world (I’m looking at you, Brazil and Western Europe) know that sex can be fun. And funny. And friendly. Subtitled “The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil,” the anatomically correct “Zumanity” is not a sex show — it’s a variety show inspired by sex in all its variety. It’s not nearly as nekked as some might fear (or hope). Yes, there’s lots of toplessness, female and male, but no nudity in the genital sense. The costumers work ingenious variations on pasties and thongs and codpieces (oh my!) and one very comical dangly prosthetic. Humans have bodies, some of them extraordinary, and luckily, many of these end up employed in Cirque shows. “Zumanity” playfully parades a panoply of body types — tiny, towering, big, small. Bulges and curves are exaggerated and emphasized — everybody in this ensemble is stacked, jacked and packin’. Performers interact occasionally with willing audience members (you can discreetly decline), and if you’re the sort that’s inclined to play along, here’s a word to the wise: Wear nice shoes (and clean undies, of course). Ideally, you want to arrive at New York-New York about an hour before curtain, allowing time to explore the nooks and crannies (and peepholes) of the remarkable theater. Styled as a Viennese cabaret, with art nouveau flourishes and metalwork, it invites touch: The walls are soft, curvy and plushy, and one of the bars is situated in a boudoir. The ticket-takers and ushers wear sheer-backed dresses revealing black lingerie, and the gift shop is stocked with amusing stuff such as “Spank Me” coupons, panties, thongs and masks. Along with aerialists and acrobats, clowning with the audience is a Cirque standard, and the preshow for “Zumanity” (let’s call it what it is: foreplay) is not to be missed, as it warms and loosens up the crowd until the place feels like a particularly sophisticated bachelor/ette party. The racy fun is presided over by an unctuous gigolo who flirts with anything that moves, and two sister clowns, rounded like women painted by Botero, who squeeze through the aisles proffering strawberries and more than a little body contact. Other than the abundance of flesh, “Zumanity” differs from other, nearly wordless Cirque shows in that it is spoken and sung in English (with a liberal sprinkling of polyglot naughty phrases). A series of 14 acts appears on the tongue-shaped thrust stage (that’s the technical term for it), each introduced by a ringmistress, the statuesque hostess Edie, in a black bouffant, spangled minidress, fishnets and strappy heels. She’s a classically sassy glamour gal, in the mode of Rosalind Russell, with perhaps a few extra inches. Let’s just say that’s Edie’s a far better illusionist than the other one more famously in Cirque’s employ — even Edie was amused when some audience members clearly didn’t get what makes her so special. There are multiple variations on the classic striptease, of course, but there are plenty of Cirque-ular specialties. Two sleek women splash and slip around each other in a transparent goblet. Wearing a schoolgirl outfit that has obviously shrunk in the wash, another minx shimmies silvery Hula-Hoops up and down her torso like an armload of bangles. A very fit gent clad only in boxer shorts and gartered socks elastically twists himself into impossible shapes. The aerialists bring new twists to the word swingers, in particular, a fiery redhead who entwines herself in a web of bondage ropes, accompanied by a soundtrack of moist whispers. “Zumanity” makes a point of offering multiple combinations of genders and colors. A man-on-man duet in black and white is played out in a cage (or playpen), a battle/ballet which, among other things, makes explicit the subtext of mixed martial arts. It’s all about voyeurism: While we’re watching the performers, they in turn are watching each other — and us — from balconies and sinuously spiral staircases. It’s all very “Eyes Wide Shut,” but in a good way. There’s a lot of laughs in “Zumanity,” where the clowns resemble such vintage Vegas bawdy “blue” comics as Rusty Warren. Playing on a movable bridge above the stage, the musicians create a surround-soundscape that throbs and pulses with techno rhythms and occasionally gets a bit over-saxed, like the soundtrack to a “Skinemax” late-night movie. “Zumanity” received mixed reactions when it opened in 2003, but in the meantime Cirque seems to have fixed whatever wasn’t working. Or perhaps, and this is more likely, some critics weren’t open to the idea of a sexed-up Cirque on the Strip. So caveat emptor: If you know yourself to be rigid or frigid about sex, do yourself a favor and pick another Cirque show (or Donny & Marie — that’s what they’re here for) — and spare the people seated near you your flinching and grunts of disgust and huffy walkouts. We get it: You would never do that. Not that anyone’s asking you to. Or you could unclench or unbunch, maybe learn a new trick or two and enjoy yourself — and others. That’s what “Zumanity” means. {SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun} Criss Angel NOT on Larry King Tonight {Dec.22.2008} --------------------------------------------- Due to more recent developments, Vice-President elect Joe Biden will bump Criss Angel's appearance slated for tonight's Larry King LIVE on CNN. The hour long interview is now scheduled to be broadcast on New Years Eve. {SOURCE: CNN} FOX Does New Years Eve in Vegas {Dec.24.2008} --------------------------------------------- According to Cinema Blend, the FOX Television Network has announced their plans to spend New Year's Eve rocking Las Vegas directly from the famous Las Vegas Strip. Besides featuring performances by today's hottest groups and spots by the hottest celebrities, special correspondent Chrissy Russo of KSWB/FOX 5 in San Diego will slip behind the curtain at three of Cirque du Soleil's Vegas spectacles - Zumanity, LOVE and BELIEVE - for interviews and a behind-the-scenes look. New Year's Eve Live will air on Wednesday, December 31 at 11:00 PM - 12:30 AM ET live! {SOURCE: Cinema Blend} ======================================================================= COMPARTMENTS -- INFORMATION ON TOUR AND BEHIND THE CURTAIN ======================================================================= o) ITINÉRAIRE - Tour/Show Information o) DIDYAKNOW - Facts about Cirque o) HISTORIA - Cirque du Soleil History ================ ITINÉRAIRE ================ NOTE: The information presented below is for historical purposes only. For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts, please visit our website < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. Alegría: Rio de Janerio, Brazil -- Dec 27, 2007 to Jan 27, 2008 Sao Paulo, Brazil -- Feb 7, 2008 to May 4, 2008 Porto Alegre, Brazil -- May 15, 2008 to Jun 8, 2008 Buenos Aires, Argentina -- Jun 20, 2008 to Jul 27, 2008 Santiago, Chile -- Aug 8, 2008 to Sep 21, 2008 Seoul, South Korea -- Oct 15, 2008 to Dec 28, 2008 Taipei, Taiwan -- Jan 14, 2009 to Feb 22, 2009 Dubai, UAE -- Mar 5, 2009 to April 5, 2009 After Dubai, Alegría becomes exclusively an Arena-based show. See further scheduling in the Arena Shows area. Cirque 2009 (Ovo): Montreal, QC -- Apr 23, 2009 to Jun 14, 2009 Quebec, QC -- Jul 30, 2009 to Aug 23, 2009 Toronto, ON -- Sep 3, 2009 to Oct 4, 2009 Corteo: San Diego, California -- Jan 11, 2008 to Feb 3, 2008 Portland, Oregan -- Mar 1, 2008 to Apr 13, 2008 Seattle, Washington -- Apr 24, 2008 to Jun 1, 2008 Vancouver, BC -- Jun 12, 2008 to Jul 20, 2008 Calgary, AB -- Jul 31, 2008 to Sep 7, 2008 Ottawa, ON -- Sep 16, 2008 to Oct 26, 2008 Miami, Florida -- Nov 13, 2008 to Dec 28, 2008 Tokyo, Japan -- Feb 4, 2009 to May 5, 2009 Nagoya, Japan -- May 21, 2009 to Jul 12, 2009 Osaka, Japan -- Jul 29, 2009 to Sep 30, 2009 Dralion: Tokyo, Japan -- Jan 25, 2008 to Apr 6, 2008 Fukuoka, Japan -- Apr 23, 2008 to Jun 15, 2008 Sydney, Australia -- Jul 17, 2008 to Aug 17, 2008 Canberra, Australia -- Oct 23, 2008 to Nov 16, 2008 Brisbane, Australia -- Nov 27, 2008 to Jan 11, 2009 Perth, Australia -- Jan 29, 2009 to Mar 29, 2009 (*) Melbourne, Australia -- Apr 10, 2009 to Jun 14, 2009 (*) Auckland, New Zealand -- Jul 9, 2009 to Aug 24, 2009 (*) Koozå: San Francisco, California - Nov 16 to Jan 20, 2008 San Jose, California -- Jan 31, 2008 to Mar 16, 2008 Hartford, Connecticut -- Apr 1, 2008 to Apr 27, 2008 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- May 8, 2008 to Jun 15, 2008 Chicago, Illinois -- Jun 26, 2008 to Aug 24, 2008 Boston, Massachusetts -- Sep 4, 2008 to Oct 19, 2008 Washington, DC -- Oct 30, 2008 to Dec 14, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia -- Jan 2, 2009 to Mar 1, 2009 (*) Baltimore, Maryland -- Mar 12, 2009 to Apr 5, 2009 (*) New York, New York -- Apr 15, 2009 to Jun 21, 2009 (*) Minneapolis/St-Paul, Minnesota -- July 2, 2009 to TBA Denver, Colorado -- Aug 21, 2009 to TBA Los Angeles, California -- TBA Orange County, California -- TBA Quidam: Mexico City, Mexico - Nov 16, 2007 to Jan 13, 2008 Monterrey, Mexico - Jan 17, 2008 to Feb 10, 2008 Veracruz, Mexico -- Feb 27, 2008 to Mar 16, 2008 Lisbon, Portugal -- Apr 20, 2008 to May 25, 2008 Màlaga, Spain -- Jun 5, 2008 to Jul 13, 2008 Alicante, Spain -- Jul 24, 2008 to Aug 31, 2008 Barcelona, Spain -- Sep, 11, 2008 to Oct 19, 2008 Brussels, Belgium -- Oct 30, 2008 to Dec 21, 2008 (*) London, UK -- Jan 4, 2009 to Feb 22, 2009 (*) Liverpool, UK -- Feb 26, 2009 to Mar 1, 2009 {ARENA} Belfast, UK -- Mar 4, 2009 to Mar 7, 2009 {ARENA} Newcastle, UK -- Mar 12, 2009 to Mar 15, 2009 {ARENA} Birmingham, UK -- Mar 18, 2009 to Mar 22, 2009 {ARENA} Manchester, UK -- Mar 25, 2009 to Mar 27, 2009 {ARENA} Dublin, Ireland -- Mar 31, 2009 to Apr 5, 2009 {ARENA} Sheffield, UK -- Apr 9, 2009 to Apr 15, 2009 {ARENA} Glasgow, Scotland -- Apr 16, 2009 to Apr 19, 2009 {ARENA} Fortaleza, Brazil -- Jun 4, 2009 to Jun 28, 2009 (*) Recife, Brazil -- Jul 9, 2009 to Aug 2, 2009 (*) Salvador, Brazil -- Aug 13, 2009 to Sep 6, 2009 (*) Brasilia, Brazil -- Sep 18, 2009 to Oct 11, 2009 (*) Belo Horizonte, Brazil -- Oct 23, 2009 to Nov 22, 2009 (*) Curitiba, Brazil -- Dec 4, 2009 to Dec 27, 2009 (*) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- Jan 8, 2010 to Feb 7, 2010 (*) Buenos Aires, Argentina -- Jul 23, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010 (*) Santiago, Chile -- Sep 11, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010 (*) Varekai: London, UK - Jan 6, 2008 to Feb 3, 2008 Amsterdam, NL -- Feb 28, 2008 to May 25, 2008 Berlin, Germany -- Jun 5, 2008 to Jul 13, 2008 Oberhausen, Germany -- Jul 31, 2008 to Sep 14, 2008 Vienna, Austria -- Sep 25, 2008 to Nov 9, 2008 (*) Madrid, Spain -- Nov 20, 2008 to Jan 18, 2009 Seville, Spain -- Jan 29, 2009 to Mar 14, 2009 (*) Bilbao, Spain -- Mar 26, 2009 to May 3, 2009 (*) Hamburg, Germany -- May 22, 2009 to Jul 5, 2009 (*) Oostende, Belgium -- Jul 16, 2009 to Aug 23, 2009 (*) Moscow, Russia - TBA (Fall 2009) [Arena Shows] Delirium: Oberhausen, Germany - Feb 1 & 2 Hanover, Germany - Feb 5 & 6 Bremen, Germany - Feb 9 & 10 Stockholm, Sweden - Feb 13 & 14 Turku, Finland - Feb 16 & 17 Zurich, Switzerland - Feb 25 & 26 Budapest, Hungary - Feb 29 & Mar 1 Berlin, Germany - Mar 6 Nurnberg, Germany - Mar 8 & 9 Milan, Italy - Mar 11, 12 & 13 Turin, Italy - Mar 15, 16 & 17 Birmingham, UK - Mar 22 & 23 Liverpool, UK - Mar 25 & 26 Paris, France - Mar 31 & Apr 1, 2 Antwerp, Belgium - Apr 5 & 6 Glasgow, UK - Apr 9 & 10 Belfast, UK - Apr 12 London, UK - Apr 17, 18 & 19 (Delirium's final curtain call was in London) Saltimbanco: 2008 ------ Quebec, Quebec - Jan 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 Chicoutimi, Quebec - Jan 16, 17, 18 & 19 Detroit, Michigan - Jan 23, 24, 25, 26 & 27 Cleveland, Ohio - Jan 29, 30, 31 & Feb 1 Memphis, Tennessee - Feb 20 & 21 Charlottesville, Virginia - Feb 26, 27, 28, 29 & Mar 1 Little Rock, Arkansas - Mar 4, 5, & 6 Shreveport, Louisiana - Mar 8 & 9 San Antonio, Texas - Mar 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16 Laredo, Texas - Mar 18 & 19 Corpus Christi, Texas - Mar 21 & 22 Wichita, Kansas - Mar 26, 27, 28, 39 & 30 Omaha, Nebraska - Apr 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 Des Moines, Iowa - Apr 10, 11, 12 & 13 Moline, Illinois - Apr 15, 16, 17 & 18 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Apr 23, 24, 25, 26 & 27 Alberquerque, New Mexico - May 14, 15, 16 & 17 Boise, Idaho - May 21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 Victoria, BC - May 29, 30, 31 & Jun 1 Kelowana, BC - Jun 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 Kamloops, BC - Jun 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 Edmonton, Alberta - Jun 18, 19, 20, 21 & 22 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Jun 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29 Regina, Saskatchewan - Jul 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 Winnipeg, Manatoba - Jul 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 Kansas City, Missouri -- July 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 Newark, New Jersey -- Aug 7, 8, 9 & 10 Toronto, Ontario -- Aug 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 Hamilton, Ontario -- Aug 27, 28, 29, 30 & 31 Amherst, Massachusetts -- Sep 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 Buffalo, New York -- Sep 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 Trenton, New Jersey -- Sep 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21 Minneapolis/St-Paul, Minnesota -- Sep 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28 Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- Oct 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Highland Heights, Kentucky -- Oct 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 Honolulu, Hawaii -- Oct 30, 2009 to Nov 16, 2008 Prescott Valley, AZ -- Nov 20, 20089 to Nov 23, 2008 Tuscon, AZ -- Nov 26, 2008 to Nov 30, 2008 Oklahoma City, OK -- Dec 3, 2008 to Dec 7, 2008 Tulsa, OK -- Dec 10, 2008 to Dec 14, 2008 Hidalgo, TX -- Dec 17, 2008 to Dec 21, 2008 2009 ------ Tupelo, MS -- Jan 8, 2009 to Jan 11, 2009 Biloxi, MS -- Jan 14, 2009 to Jan 18, 2009 Hoffman Estates, IL -- Jan 21, 2009 to Feb 1, 2009 St. Charles, MO -- Feb 4, 2009 to Feb 8, 2009 Indianapolis, Indiana -- Feb 12, 2009 to Feb 15, 2009 Batton Rouge, LA -- Feb 18, 2009 to Feb 20, 2009 Rockford, IL -- Feb 24, 2009 to Mar 1, 2009 Youngstown, Ohio -- Mar 4, 2009 to Mar 8, 2009 Louisville, Kentucky -- Mar 11, 2009 to Mar 15, 2009 Mobile, AL -- Apr 2, 2009 to Apr 5, 2009 Nashville, Tennessee -- Apr 9, 2009 to Apr 12, 2009 Huntsville, Alabama -- Apr 15, 2009 to Apr 19, 2009 North Charleston, South Carolina -- Apr 22, 2009 to Apr 26, 2009 Lakeland, FL -- Apr 29, 2009 to May 3, 2009 Gainesville, FL -- May 6, 2009 to May 10, 2009 Tallahassee, FL -- May 13, 2009 to May 17, 2009 Jacksonville, FL -- May 20, 2009 to May 24, 2009 Sunrise, FL -- May 27, 2009 to Jun 6, 2009 Tampa, FL -- Jun 25, 2009 to Jul 5, 2009 Estero, FL -- Jul 8, 2009 to Jul 12, 2009 Alegría: 2009 ------ Halifax, Nova Scotia -- May 27, 2009 to Jun 7, 2009 St. John, New Brunswick -- Jun 10, 2009 to Jun 14, 2009 St. John's, Newfoundland -- Jun 19, 2009 to Jun 28, 2009 Hamilton, Ontario -- Jul 29, 2009 to Aug 2, 2009 (*) [Resident Shows] NOTE: (*) Prices are in United States Dollars (USD) unless otherwise noted. (*) Price reflected in brackets [] is inclusive of 10% Las Vegas Entertainment Tax where applicable, but does not include Sales Tax. La Nouba: Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA) Performs: Tue through Sat, Dark: Sun/Mon Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm 2008 Ticket Prices (adults) / (child 3-9): o Category 0: $121.41 / $96.92 o Category 1: $105.44 / $84.14 o Category 2: $86.27 / $69.23 o Category 3: $69.23 / $55.38 AS OF OCTOBER 7, 2008: o Category 0: $117.00 / $94.00 (+tax) o Category 1: $102.00 / $82.00 (+tax) o Category 2: $83.00 / $67.00 (+tax) o Category 3: $67.00 / $54.00 (+tax) o Category 4: $53.00 / $43.00 (+tax) 2008 Dark Dates: o January 22 to 26 o March 25 o May 20 to 24 o May 27 to 312 o July 29 o September 23 to 27 o November 18 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available Mystère: Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday Two shows Nightly - o Saturday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm o Sunday: 4:30pm & 7:00pm o Monday - Wednesday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm 2008 Ticket Prices: o Category 1: $95.00 [$104.50] o Category 2: $75.00 [$82.50] o Category 3: $60.00 [$66.00] 2009 Ticket Prices: o Category 1: $109.00 (+tax) o Category 2: $99.00 (+tax) o Category 3: $95.00 (+tax) o Category 4: $79.00 (+tax) o Category 5: $69.00 (+tax) 2008 Dark Dates: o January 3 to 18 o February 3 o March 12 o May 1 to 9 o July 9 o September 4 to 12 o November 5 o December 24 2009 Dark Dates: o January 10 - 21 o January 29 o February 1 o March 11 o May 2 - 6 o July 8 o September 5 - 9 o November 4 "O": Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm 2008/2009 Ticket Prices: o Orchestra: $150.00 [$165.00] o Loggia: $125.00 [$137.50] o Balcony: $99.00 [$108.90] o Limited View: $93.50 [102.85] 2008 Dark Dates: o February 10 o April 7 to 15 o June 8 o August 11 to 19 o October 12 o December 8 to 23 2009 Dark Dates: o January 21 o February 1 o April 8 - 12 o June 7 o August 5 - 9 o October 4 o December 9 - 20 Zumanity: Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm 2008 Ticket Prices (18+ Only!): o Sofas: $129.00 USD [$141.90 USD] (Sold in pairs) o Seats: $99.00 USD [$108.90 USD] (Lower Orcestra) O Seats: $79.00 USD [$86.90 USD] (Upper Orchestra) o Balcony: $69.00 USD [$75.90 USD] o Stools: $69.00 USD [$75.90 USD] 2008 Dark Dates: o Feburary 3 o February 19 & 20 o April 6 to 14 o June 9 to 11 o August 3 to 11 o October 14 & 15 o December 1 to 16 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available KÀ: Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Fri through Tue, Dark Wed/Thu Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2008 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12): NOTE: Category locations change based on Early vs Late Show o Category 1: $150.00 [$165.00] / $75.00 [$82.50] o Category 2: $125.00 [$137.50] / $62.50 [$68.75] o Category 3: $99.00 [$108.90] / $49.50 [$54.45] o Category 4: $69.00 [$75.90] / $34.50 [$37.95] 2008 Dark Dates o January 13 to 28 o March 16 to 19 o May 11 to 19 o July 13 to 16 o September 7 to 15 o November 2 to 4 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available LOVE: Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA) Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2009, PERFORMANCE TIMES FOR LOVE CHANGE TO THE FOLLOWING: NIGHTLY - 7:00pm and 9:30pm 2008 Ticket Prices: o Lower Orchestra: $150.00 [$165.00] o Upper Orchestra: $125.00 [137.50] o Lower Balcony: $99.00 [$108.80] o Middle Balcony: $93.50 [$102.85] o Upper Balcony: $69.00 [$75.90] 2008 Dark Dates: o February 3 & 4 o February 11 o April 1 to 9 o May 12 o June 12 o July 29 to August 6 o October 9 o December 2 to 17 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available Wintuk: Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City (USA) Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday Multiple Shows Daily - Wednesday: 2:00pm, 7:30pm Thursday: 11:00am, 7:30pm Friday: 2:00pm, 7:30pm Saturday: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm Sunday: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm 2008 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 2-12): Wednesday & Sunday: o Category 1: $99.00 / $89.55 o Category 2: $65.00 / $59.95 o Category 3: $40.00 / $36.45 Thursday, Friday & Saturday: o Category 1: $200.00 / $180.45 o Category 2: $110.00 / $99.45 o Category 3: $75.00 / $67.95 o Category 4: $50.00 / $45.45 Information regarding the 2008 season is not yet available. ZAIA: Location: VENETIAN, Macao (China) Performs: Tuesday through Sunday, Dark Monday One to Two Shows Daily - Tuesday: 8:00pm Wednesday: 8:00pm Thursday - Saturday: 7:00pm & 10:00pm Sunday: 4:00pm & 7:00pm 2008 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 0-12): o Category 1: MOP$ 1288 / No Child o Category 2: MOP$ 788 / MOP$ 688 o Category 3: MOP$ 588 / MOP$ 488 o Category 4: MOP$ 388 / MOP$ 288 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available ZED: Location: TOKYO DISNEYLAND, Tokyo (Japan) Performs: Varies One to Two Shows Daily - Varies 2008 Ticket Prices (all): o Category 1 ("Premium"): ¥18,000 o Category 2 ("Front"): ¥15,000 o Category 3 ("Regular"): ¥9,800 o Category 4 ("Overview"): ¥7,800 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available 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. 2008 Ticket Prices (all): o Category 1: $150.00 +tax o Category 2: $125.00 +tax o Category 3: $99.00 +tax o Category 4: $79.00 +tax o Category 5: $59.00 +tax 2008 Dark Dates: o September 8 & 9 o September 13 o November 5 to 13 2009 Dark Dates: o Not Available ================================= DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque ================================= o) DidYaKnow that according to Franco Dragone, "Nouvelle Experience was inspired by a book by Jules Verne called La Chasse au Météore, about this meteorite made of gold that was going to hit earth, which meant that everybody would try to find where it fell? I took that idea, and told myself that, if a meteorite was going to hit the earth, it would break into a thousand pieces, and each piece would be a little jewel somewhere. Our show would be a trip across the planet to find these little jewels." o) DidYaKnow that at one time Cirque du Soleil was planning to present a resident show in Berlin, Germany? Cirque du Soleil even announced it on March 26, 1996 on their website: Cirque du Soleil is pleased to announce that it will be presenting a permanent show in Berlin. An agreement in principle with developer Dr. Peter and Isolde Kottmair will provide a theatre for Cirque du Soleil in a large real estate complex that will be constructed on Leipziger Platz, in the heart of Berlin. The hall will seat an audience of 1,600 and will be built in consultation with Cirque du Soleil at a cost of DM70 million. The architect will be Aldo Rossi, winner of the 1990 Pritzker prize. The show is scheduled to premiere in the year 2000, and this project will enable Cirque to ensure its Berlin activities until the year 2015. o) DidYaKnow the set of Mystere "suggests Ulysses, and the mythical obstacles he had to overcome on his own journey? According to Michel Crête, set designer, the two towers represent Scylla and Charybdis, two of the perils Ulysses faced. This is a thematic leftover from the earlier pitch to Caesars Palace by Cirque du Soleil. o) DidYaKnow that over 110 bounces on the trampoline and over 65 teeterboard jumps are executed during a single performance of Mystère? o) DidYaKnow that during the creative process of La Nouba, Guy Laliberte made a radical last-minute change? After watching a rehersal, Guy decided the show was not dynamic enough and insisted an acrobatic cylcing act be added. This became the BMX act we see today. o) DidYaKnow that the name Cirque du Soleil's first resident show in Asia - ZAIA - is inspired by a Greek given name meaning "the life" and points out mythical Gaïa, the Greek goddess of the Earth and symbol of Planetary ecological balance? ==================================== HISTORIA: Cirque du Soleil History ==================================== [November] * Nov.01.1996 -- Alegría opened Hong Kong * Nov.01.2004 -- "20 Years Under the Sun" Book Published * Nov.02.2004 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Fire Within and La Nouba * Nov.02.2006 -- Saltimbanco opened Rio de Janiero, Brazil * Nov.03.1999 -- Quidam opened Madrid, Spain * Nov.03.2005 -- Quidam opened Hong Kong * Nov.04.2001 -- Dralion wins 3 Emmys: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Musical Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program * Nov.04.2004 -- Quidam opened Brisbane * Nov.04.2004 -- Varekai opened Dallas * Nov.05.2002 -- Varekai CD released in Canada (BMG/CDS Musique) * Nov.05.2002 -- NBC purchased BRAVO, the Official Network of Cirque in US * Nov.05.2004 -- Dralion celebrated its 2000th performance [Madrid, Spain] * Nov.06.2003 -- Alegría opened San Francisco * Nov.07.1996 -- Saltimbanco opened Frankfurt * Nov.07.1997 -- Alegría opened Dusseldorf * Nov.07.2002 -- Varekai opened San Francisco * Nov.07.2002 -- Varekai canceled in San Francisco due to Wind Gusts * Nov.06.2002 -- Quidam opened Tampa Bay * Nov.08.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé (Vol 1) CD Released (Nâga) * Nov.08.1994 -- Cirque Réinventé CD Released in US (RCA/Victor) * Nov.08.1994 -- Mystère CD released in US (RCA/Victor) * Nov.08.2007 -- Corteo opened Orange County, California * Nov.09.1999 -- Dralion CD released in US (RCA/Victor) * Nov.09.2006 -- Varekai opened Brisbane * Nov.10.1992 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened in Las Vegas * Nov.10.1995 -- Saltimbanco opened Vienne * Nov.11.2005 -- Corteo opened San Francisco * Nov.12.1996 -- Mystère Live CD released in US (RCA/Victor) * Nov.12.1998 -- Alegría opened Frankfurt * Nov.13.2002 -- Dralion opened Phoenix * Nov.13.2003 -- Cirque presented at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to Honor Prime Minister Jean Chrétien * Nov.13.2008 -- Corteo opened Miami * Nov.15.1993 -- "Cirque du Soleil" 10th Anniversary Book Published * Nov.16.1995 -- Alegría opened Atlanta * Nov.16.2001 -- Dralion opened Dallas * Nov.16.2007 -- Quidam opened Mexico City, Mexico * Nov.16.2007 -- Koozå opened San Francisco, California * Nov.17.2005 -- Saltimbanco opened Guadalajara * Nov.18.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened Atlanta * Nov.18.2005 -- Dralion opened Bilbao * Nov.19.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Atlanta * Nov.19.1998 -- "O" CD Released in Canada (RCA/Victor) * Nov.19.2001 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Inside La Nouba * Nov.19.2002 -- Alegría premiered on Bravo at 8:00pm EST * Nov.20.1989 -- Cirque Réinventé opened San Diego * Nov.20.1997 -- Quidam opened Houston * Nov.20.2006 -- Diesel Marketing (Cirque Website) becomes Sid Lee * Nov.20.2008 -- Varekai opened Madrid * Nov.21.1993 -- Nouvele Expérience closed in Las Vegas * Nov.21.2006 -- LOVE CD Released in US (Capitol Records) * Nov.21.2008 -- ZED Celebrated 100th Performance * Nov.22.2001 -- Quidam opened London * Nov.22.2005 -- Saltimbanco opened Mexico City * Nov.22.2007 -- Alegría opened Belo Horizonte, Brazil * Nov.24.1998 -- "O" CD Released in US (RCA/Victor) * Nov.25.1999 -- Saltimbanco opened Singapore * Nov.25.2004 -- Saltimbanco opened Lille * Nov.26.2004 -- KÀ Premiered (Preview Performances Begin) * Nov.27.2008 -- Dralion opened Brisbane * Nov.28.1989 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Phoenix * Nov.28.2002 -- "Run Before You Fly" documentary premiered on BRAVO * Nov.28.2003 -- Saltimbanco opened Valencia * Nov.29.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Atlanta * Nov.30.2000 -- Dralion opened Atlanta * Nov.30.2002 -- "Fire Within" premiered on ArTV in Canada * Nov.30.2003 -- "SOLSTROM" premiered on CBC * Nov.xx.1999 -- Region 01 DVD release: Alegría: Le Film * Nov.xx.2001 -- Quidam celebrated 2000th performance [Zurich] [December] * Dec.01.2005 -- Varekai opened St. Petersburg, Florida * Dec.02.1999 -- Dralion opened Irvine, California * Dec.02.2008 -- Cirque announces Russian expansion * Dec.03.2002 -- Cirque abandoned "Complexes Cirque" project * Dec.04.2001 -- NY-NY announced as next new Cirque show site. * Dec.04.2003 -- Varekai opened Ponoma * Dec.04.2004 -- Varekai celebrated 1000th performance [Saturday/Dallas] * Dec.05.2001 -- Alegría opened Perth, Australia * Dec.07.2006 -- Dralion opened Neuss, Germany * Dec.10.2006 -- Curtain fell on Saltimbanco - Rio de Janiero, Brazil. * Dec.15.2000 -- Quidam opened London * Dec.15.2006 -- Corteo opened Atlanta * Dec.15.2008 -- MGM/Mirage announces sale of TI, home of Mystère * Dec.16.1999 -- Alegría: Le Film premiered in Singapore * Dec.16.2001 -- Dralion celebrated its 1000th performance [1:00pm/Dallas] * Dec.16.2008 -- Guy Laliberté invests in Prestige Telecom, Inc * Dec.17.2002 -- Varekai Split-Track CD Released (BMG/CDS Musique) * Dec.19.2005 -- "O" wins "Best of Show" at "The Trippies - 1st Annual Readers Poll Awards" at Las Vegas travel guide site VegasTripping.com * Dec.20.2004 -- "Dreams of the Solo Trapeze" Book Published * Dec.20.2005 -- "A Taste of Cirque du Soleil" entertainment showcase for Celebrity Cruises announced * Dec.23.1998 -- La Nouba premiered at WDW (Preview Performances) * Dec.23.2008 -- La Nouba quietly celebrates 10th Anniversary * Dec.24.1993 -- Mystère premiered at Treasure Island * Dec.24.2008 -- Mystère quietly celebrates 15th Anniversary * Dec.24.2003 -- Quidam opened Tokyo, Japan * Dec.26.2001 -- Dralion celebrated 1000th performance [Wed, 1:00pm/Dallas] * Dec.27.2000 -- Region 02 DVD Release: Quidam * Dec.27.2007 -- Alegría opened Rio de Janiero, Brazil * Dec.28.1989 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Phoenix, Arizona * Dec.31.2004 -- Quidam opened Auckland ======================================================================= FASCINATION! FEATURES ======================================================================= Within... o) "My Thoughts on ZED" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} o) "No Limits on Adventure - Celebri!" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} o) "This YEAR in Cirque History" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} o) LA PRESSE: "BELIEVE - THE REVIEWS" [EXPANDED] A Special Collection of Reviews in the Press ------------------------------------------------------- "My Thoughts on ZED" By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) {As Published on Cirque Tribune} ------------------------------------------------------- This review may contain some minor spoilers. For those of you who don't read long reviews I'll cut to the chase; It's a great show, there are parts of it that I absolutely loved, and though it isn't as high-concept or well-drawn out in terms of story, characters and emotional arcs as the Dragone-era shows, the imagery in Zed is stunning and for the most-part the acts are framed in breathtaking theatrical tableaux and accompanied by a lush, musical score. Now for some more details. Zed's aesthetic and structure alternately reminded me of La Nouba and Mystère. It isn't as high-concept with the integration of the circus acts as say Quidam or "O" but the director, François Girard, is able to compose some breathtaking images and the show is really captivating visually and musically. There are many characters in the universe of Zed, although they're not fleshed out as fully as I'd like them to be: Zed (the main character with the crazy anime-style hair-do, played by Reda Guerinik, the Shaman (David Baartman), Djinn (The Baton Twirler, Seishi Inagaki), The bungee girls re-appear periodically throughout the show as these aquatic-alien type characters who dangle from aerial hammocks. The set is visually stunning; the thrust has a center-trap that descends and rotates as well as a rotating outer ring. The backdrop is a quarter sphere that looks like a quarter of a globe, the set designer said he was inspired by the astrolabe an ancient navigational instrument for the set and stars are also a repeated design element. The quarter sphere has three levels of catwalks between which wires are strung in a haphazard web. The director places characters on the backdrop to stunning effect at various points in the show. The costumes are very well-done. Some are highly reminiscent of Mystère's costumes and some also remind me of the styles used in Dralion and La Nouba. The music was the highlight of the show for me. The score is a fusion that the programme described as influenced by the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and Ireland. It's moved along by a driving rock-beat and is really unlike any of René Dupéré's previous work. It is somehow familiar as "Cirque du Soleil" style music but also very fresh sounding. The show's musicians are top-notch and appear on-stage at several times during the show. A standout is violinist Paul Lazar and his airy celtic-sounding violin riffs infused throughout the score. The band also performs a musical piece as an Entr'Acte which features amazing solos by the violinist, along with the bassoonist and the guitarist (Paul Hanson and Patrick Kelly, respectively). I'll say this right now I LOVE the show's two singers. Johanna Lillvik has this gorgeous expressive soprano voice with the lilting, lyrical quality that is unique to Scandinavian sopranos. She reminds me a lot of Zara Tellander. She plays this ethereal fairy-like character and it looks stunning when she periodically descends from the rafters in this gorgeous fibre-optic infused dress to spread her wings. Kevin Faraci is a revelation! His character is fierce, he looks like a male version of the Evil Queen from Disney's Sleeping Beauty but it doesn't look as ridiculous as that sounds and it somehow really works; whenever he's on stage you can't help but watch him. He has this commanding stage presence and I was absolutely captivated by his performance. His voice is amazing, he has a strong tenor, with a quality that is somewhat of a hybrid of pop and musical theatre, his voice has also has a warm, youthful quality that belies his evil overlord costume but it also has a richness and fullness in the lower range that lends depth to a lot of the songs. Frankly, I don't think I could ever tire of watching or listening to him. Some of the acts and moments in the show made a particular impression on me: The show opens with the most jaw-dropping reveal of the set since the "O" curtain. It was a gasp-inducing transportive moment that really draws the audience into the show, it sent chills down my spine. I'll never forget the first time I saw Johanna descend from the cuppola, spread her wings and start to sing as four bungee artists in full body suits glowing in black light performed, one of them literally over my head. The lassos act is lifted from the traditional Chinese circus, and like Dralion, there isn't much difference in the way the act is performed in Cirque as opposed to its traditional setting, however the highlight of the scene was watching Kevin singing at the top of the stairs, four flowing capes radiated from his costume and at the end of the act as he held the final note the capes flew off into space, it was such a grand-opera moment, I loved it. In fact the second time I saw the show, I all but ignored the lasso performers and focused on watching the dancers in the back ground and Kevin. Continuing the Cirque du Soleil tradition of combining circus disciplines to create new acts there is an amazing combination Chinese Poles and Trampoline act, four poles are placed around a central trampoline embedded in the stage. The tramp allows the performers to mount and dismount from the poles in stunning new ways. And it's also refreshing to see Cirque still working on developing new concepts in- house when they've recently stuck to buying acts off-the-shelf for the majority of their shows acts. My least favourite act was the high wire act. It is very difficult to stage a high wire act in a way that is interesting artistically, this one was no exception. It was another one of those "death-defying" acts that had no real artistic integration or presentation quality, it was much too "Kooza" for my taste. Likewise when the group of four jugglers in stylized harlequin costumes came out I thought, "Great, another run-of-the mill juggling act" and I was half right, the act is a standard juggling act with few surprises, much of it is similar to the juggling number in Corteo. But then the staging of the act took a dramatic turn when the performers switched to juggling flaming clubs; Kevin rises from the floor of the stage wearing a costume that looks like a creature out of Pan's Labyrinth, complete with moving tentacles and brandishing the flaming clubs. Characters then fill the catwalks of the stage and manipulate flaming clubs of their own, it was an awesome image. The Banquine act is technically dazzling and as good as (if not slightly better than) the Quidam version in terms of degree of difficulty. I'm not entirely sold on the staging of this version. The Quidam banquine choreography and staging is so ingrained into my mind as the pinnacle of everything that Cirque du Soleil has ever created that it's hard for me to objectively look at this new staging. There definitely isn't as much of a context to the Zed version as there is in the Quidam version so it's less engaging in that respect but technically the act is jaw-dropping, the standard version includes the pendulum toss and the two-person cross over (previously only seen in the Royale version of Quidam's Banquine). And it was definitely a treat to see so many former Quidam cast members performing this act. Conversely, when Yves Decoste and Marie-Laur Mesnage came up on the center trap, my first thought was . . . "Oh, this act, which I've seen dozens of times, again" and while it is basically the same act they performed in Quidam the staging for Zed created one of my favourite scenes in the show. Firstly, the music is gorgeous, the act is performed to the song released in the Audition kit as "The World Meets" and I actually wasn't too fond of the demo version, but tonight when I heard it as a duet between Kevin and Johanna it was so beautiful I was practically moved to tears. It sounds like a sweet, comforting lullaby. The scene also includes dozens of performers on wires descending from the rafters (very reminiscent of scenes from Le Rêve) and after the entire cast gathers on stage they perform as a chorus on the last verse of the song (lip syncing I'm sure but a gorgeous image nonetheless). Continuing with the traditional circus acts, the show closes with a flying trapeze number. The safety net descends from the ceiling in a similar fashion as in La Nouba so I thought the act would be very similar but the pacing of Zed's version is much faster. It's like a fireworks display with the big tricks happening in rapid succession and this version held my attention a lot better. It's performed to the "Charivari" song from the audition kit although the song has been significantly reworked since the demo. It has a much harder edged rock sound and more of driving beat now. As this is the beginning of the show's run, the performance quality has some room for improvement; I'd really like to see more character development, more dramaturgical integration of the disparate acts and more of a chemistry amongst the cast members. Hopefully these things will improve as the cast has a chance to get comfortable with the show and I'd love to come see it again in a few years. Regardless, the show is apparently selling well, both shows today were completely sold out and when I went to buy a ticket to another show this week, I was told there were only a few single seats available for next Friday's show and that next Thursday's show was completely sold- out. I did manage to snatch a seat on Friday so I can see it one more time before I leave Tokyo. Obviously, Cirque picked a good market for a resident show in Tokyo. And it's no surprise the show is selling out, with its high calibre acrobatic acts, stunning imagery and gorgeous score it's not hard to enjoy Zed, it's definitely worth the trip to Tokyo to come see it. ------------------------------------------------------- "No Limits on Adventure - Celebri!" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} ------------------------------------------------------- You may have heard about it in passing but just what is a Celebri? From the Italian, Celebri! is a coming together of friends to celebrate Cirque du Soleil in various geographical settings. By supporting a small reunion multiple times a year, Celebri! desires to ensnare the jubilant, ecstatic, and euphoric feelings that well up inside each avid Cirque du Soleil fan and nurture that festivity into a joyous and wonderful occasion with friends and fellow fans alike. And for just over a year now, Rich Alford and I have hosted five such Celebri's around the world. Each event is different, complete with its own soul and tale to tell. Experience with us now the tales of the first five Celebri outings in New York City, New York; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Seoul, South Korea. # # # Celebri! NYC: "Au Noveau Yorque " ================================= WHERE: New York City, New York (USA) WHAT: Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk & More! WHEN: Nov.09.2007 - Nov.12.2007 Celebri's genesis found its ignitive spark a few short weeks prior to its inaugural run in another Cirque-oriented gathering that both Rich and I are part of (and coordinated): CirqueCon 2007: Orlando! CirqueCon, as you may or may not know, is an assembly of "Cirque Passionates" that found its light on Saturday, May 22, 2004 when 30- plus fans of Cirque du Soleil, from across North and Central America, descended upon the city of Vancouver to celebrate the return of Quidam, which had just delighted audiences in Japan for more than a year. The meeting was so successful that CirqueCon continued and visited Montreal in 2005, Las Vegas for 2006, Orlando in 2007 and Tokyo for 2008. It was during CirqueCon 2007: Orlando that whispers of getting together again soon in a smaller, more intimate fashion began to find its voice. And thus Celebri was born. We chose New York City for its food, for its sights, for its people and most importantly, for Wintuk - Cirque du Soleil's newest resident production (at the time). It was perfect. So, on November 8, 2007, we descended upon the Big Apple and what an amazing time it was! Rich, Nicole (my girlfriend) and I boarded the 7- train at Lowry/41st-Street from Long Island City the following morning and made our way into Manhattan to begin a day of discovery and exploration. Our day started down at the Circle Line docks for a little journey to the Statue of Liberty. If there’s one thing you have to see when visiting the Big Apple, it is lady Liberty. Many know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States by France in 1886 to commemorate the centennial of the United States’ Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and the friendship our two nations established during the American Revolution. She stands triumphantly out there in New York Harbor, lighting the way to the land of prosperity, and if you miss the opportunity to see her (whether in good weather or bad), you’ll be really disappointed. So, even though the weather was not the greatest (it wasn’t too cold and windy like last time I visited the island - man, I nearly froze my lips off! - but it wasn’t clear blue skies and sunny either), I just had to take Rich and Nicole over. And with monument passes in hand, we even got an inside peek! It is unfortunate though that you can no longer make the trek to the observation gallery at the crown. After Ms. Liberty, it was no holds bars for the rest of Manhattan. Continuing our adventure northward, we made a stop in the financial district - There’s Wall Street itself, which is both a street and a neighborhood, that’s the home to America’s financial industry. You’ll find the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the NASDAQ index, American Stock Exchange (AMEX), the Mercantile Exchange (MEX) and The Board of Trade for New York all within the area. Of course the most famous (or infamous) is the New York Stock Exchange building at the corner of Wall and Broad streets and the Federal Hall. Historians may know that it was on this very spot that George Washington, our first President, was inaugurated and just a few months later, where the Bill of Rights was passed. Even Wall Street’s name can be traced back to the original New Amsterdam settlement where the road served as its boundary and then later as the location of an actual fortified wall! Fans of Disney/Touchstone’s "National Treasure" film starring Nicholas Cage may recognize the phrase "Heere at the Wall" and follow the clues to Trinity Church, which sits on the corner of Broadway and Wall Street. Like much of New York City, the church is steeped in rich history. It is a full service Episcopalian parish that began services on site in 1698; however, the church you see today is not the original - it’s actually the second reconstruction! The first burned down in the Great New York City Fire of 1776 and the second was demolished after the structure buckled under heavy snowfall in 1839. Today’s church was built in 1846 and has stood since (believe it or not, at one time this was the highest building in New York City!). If you stick around long enough you may even hear its bells chime. There are 23 of them in its tower, each weighing 2700 pounds. And, no, there’s not a secret passage to huge underground chambers containing large amounts of treasure... not that I can say, really. Part of the Financial District legacy is, of course, Ground Zero - the site of the World Trade Center tower remains. It’s a story that virtually everyone knows so there’s no since in re-iterating it again; however, suffice it to say, it’s always a solemn reminder of that ghastly day and seeing it was important. After a brief walk-by of the famous Brooklyn Bridge, we descended beneath the city to traverse the subway lines through to Rockefeller Center. It’s a massive complex of buildings located in Midtown Manhattan between 48th and 51st streets, and between 5th and 7th avenues. Founded in 1939 by John D. Rockefeller Jr., it is here you’ll find the home of NBC with many of its famous studios right on site. Atop this building is an observation deck (open to the public) called "Top of the Rock", which offers commanding views of Midtown, Downtown and Central Park. Radio City Music Hall (home of the Rockettes) is nearby as is Carnegie Hall, the city’s prestigious concert venue. Although exciting in their own right, these pale in comparison to the main attraction at Rockefeller Center during the holidays - the Christmas tree and ice skating rink. Here at 42nd Street and Park Avenue is the reverent and ever popular Grand Central Station, or should I be exactly correct and say Grand Central Terminal. One of the more recognizable landmarks in this vast City, Grand Central Terminal is a wonder of size (it occupies an area of 48 acres!). It is the largest train station in the world by platform count (you’ll find 44 platforms beneath the bustling streets consisting of 67 tracks), and has about 103 inhabiting businesses (the oldest of which is Oyster Bar, which opened there in 1913. Grand Central is a busy thoroughfare throughout the day, but if you’re ever through, take a moment to stop in. The ceiling offers a breathtaking view of the universe via Skyscape (as painted in 1912 by French artist Paul César Helleu), and the four-faced clock - each of the faces is Made of Opal! Step outside and look over the façade facing 42nd Street and you’ll find the world’s largest example of Tiffany stained glass. And, like the Statue of Liberty, no trip to New York City is complete until you’ve stepped foot in Time’s Square amongst the flashing lights, busy streets and humanity that is The Big Apple. It’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in the entire city and truly doesn’t need an introduction. As you can see, by the end of the afternoon I had Rich and Nicole dizzy from all the sights and subway rides. We calmed things down later on in the evening when we and the rest of the Celebri group all assembled at the corner of 6th Avenue and 36th Street for a wonderful meal at Keen's Steakhouse, a chophouse as famous for its muttons as it is for its collection of clay smoking pipes on display in every nook and cranny of its ceiling. Keen's turned out to be a fantastic, classy establishment that teetered just on the edge of eclectic (just the way we like it!). And while they might be famous for their muttonchops, it was the Prime Filet Mignon that had my mouth watering. MmmmMmm! Then we hit Wintuk at Madison Square Garden - our reason for coming to New York City in the first place. WINTUK is an enchanting winter tale about a boy and his quest for snow and adventure. The boy lives in a city where the arrival of winter has brought long shadows and intense cold - but no snow! He interacts with a cast of high energy urban street characters; but when the snow does not arrive, he embarks on a quest with three companions - a female shaman who’s lost in the city, a shy man destined to discover his courage and the shadow of a young girl - to find the snow and bring it back to where it belongs. Through Charivari, Slack Wire, Juggling, Rola-bola, Rag Doll, Inner Tubes, Cyr Wheel, Hoops, Acrobatic Swiss Balls, Aerial Straps, and Russian Bars, we sat astounded (or confused, you pick). Two and a half hours later, Wintuk came to a snow-filled close. By then it was late in the evening, but who said we had to call it a night? New York is the city that never sleeps, right? So we hit Times Square for an after-show dessert and coffee party! Even though the stagehands union strike put the kybosh on our plans to see Disney's "The Lion King" on Broadway, Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk still tickled our hearts. Everyone seemed to have a grand time at Keen's steakhouse (and we must all thank the Metzger's for picking up the tab for us), at Wintuk and at Junior's afterwards for cheesecake (yum, yum, yum!). I also like to extend my personal thanks to Heather and Jim for their kindness in inviting us out to dinner Sunday night and for taking the time out of their personal lives to be our nighttime tour guides (driving us from Uptown to Downtown and from the Bronx to Queens). It was great fun! Celebri! SFO: "Koozå Palooza" ============================= WHERE: San Francisco, California (USA) WHAT: Cirque du Soleil's Koozå & More! WHEN: Nov.30.2007 - Dec.02.2007 "Turn here!" "Where?" "Right here!!" It's been a right, full day here in the "City by the Bay", and it seems sad that it must come to an end so soon. Less than 20 days after holding our first event in New York City, Rich and I touched down on the west coast of the United States for "Koozå Palooza", the moniker given to our gathering of friends in San Francisco for Cirque du Soleil's newest touring production, Koozå. While it's mostly been just the two of us, our friends Rafael & Angelica Serrano (and kids) from Tijuana, Mexico came out to join us for dinner. And we've had a blast since! Of course, we've had our trials too. Touring the city with a flummoxed GPS system tends to do that. And Rich is not too fond of my quick navigational changes, as the above conversation snippet attests to. But beyond that we've really had a great time here in San Fran - touring the sights, enjoying each other's company, having good times with friends and taking in Cirque du Soleil. That's what Celebri is all about! Of course, Cirque du Soleil isn't the only draw here - there are at least three things you must do when you come to San Francisco: 1) Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, 2) Take a ride on a Cable Car and 3) Visit Fisherman's Wharf on the Embarcadero. And we did all three. The Golden Gate Bridge is a monumental testament of know-how and ingenuity that has become the quintessential symbol of the city itself since it was completed in 1937. Naturally a traveler such as me would want to gaze upon its deep orange hues and marvel at the sheer beauty of its construction - as close up as possible. On my last visit to San Francisco (which happened to be my first), I came no closer to the famed bridge than the waterfront near Fisherman's Wharf - there just wasn't enough time! - So this time I wanted to be sure I got a close up look. And took Rich on a ride in the hills! Psst, here's a little secret: while getting a glimpse of the bridge from its designated viewing platform on the San Francisco side provides great views of the bridge, drive over to Marin County side and take trip into the Marin Headlands. This region is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and while you may find the roads small and winding, the vistas commanded here are so spectacular, I am at a loss for words. Another secret: drive up there at night! The Cable Cars too offer a unique treat for visitors and it's probably my most favorite feature of San Francisco. There's just something about hanging out the side of the car as it speeds down Hyde Street, air rushing past your ears, with Alcatraz looming off in the distance, that's thrilling beyond words. Ding! Ding! Did you know there are three lines in operation today? The Powell-Hyde line, the Powell-Mason line and the California Street line are the only ones left in public use. The most ridden, and perhaps the most famous of these lines, is the Powell-Hyde line, which runs from Powell/Market Street down to the waterfront near the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Here tourists (like us) can take this line through the heart of downtown to such sights as Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), Ghirardelli's (world-famous Chocolatier), Hard Rock Café (which is a favorite of Rich's) and Fisherman's Wharf. Fisherman's Wharf is probably the quintessential tourist destination in San Francisco because anything you want can be found there: from seafood to sea-salts and everything else in between. Especially on Pier 39, where you can shop for puppets, sea salt soaps, Babushka dolls from Russia, socks, herbs, crystal, taffy and fudge. I highly recommend the fudge at Chocolate Heaven; it's to die for. And the little chocolate cable cars are cute too! Oh, and don't mind the seals -- they like it there (even if the establishment's owners don't!) We caught up with the Serrano's here at the Wharf, sat down and had dinner at Hard Rock Café before heading off to Koozå. It was the first time we had met the shy Serrano children, but it was warming to see Rafael and Angelica again. They're such classy people and good friends. Sharing a meal with them is like being with family. You just can't go wrong with that! Before long it was time to enter the grand chapiteau for Koozå. Koozå, whose name is inspired by the Sanskrit word "koza," meaning "box," "chest" or "treasure," tells the story of a melancholy loner (The Innocent) in search of his place in the world taken on a journey through strength, fragility, laughter, turmoil and harmony. "Koozå is also about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad," says the show's writer and director David Shiner. "The tone is fun and funny, light and open. The show doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's very much about ideas, too. As it evolves we are exploring concepts such as fear, identity, recognition and power." Consequently, it was our third time catching the show since its inception; Rich and I had traveled to Montréal the previous April to see the show take its first tentative steps. While in this French enclave of Canada, we had a few crapes, met a couple friends, and even chatted with the director of the show: David Shiner (we even gave him one of Rich's signature buttons, which Mr. Shiner proudly wore!) While we'd likely not see anyone special at the show or have interactions of any kind with the cast and crew, we had a great time never-the-less and answered some of our most pressing questions about the show in the process -- would it be as fun a few months later? The answer? An overwhelming yes! Celebri! SEA: "un funerale a Seattle!" ====================================== WHERE: Seattle, Washington (USA) WHAT: Cirque du Soleil's Corteo & Teatro Zinzanni WHEN: May.02.2008 - May.04.2008 Any time Cirque du Soleil rolls into the Seattle area, Keith Johnson and Rich Alford, good friends and fellow CirqueCon conceptors who live in the area, get a group of friends and family together to see the show. Usually one or the other hosts a pre-show party at their house before-hand, inviting Cirque fans and friends over for drinks and tapas to kick-start a festive mood. For Dralion in 2002 and Alegría in 2004, Keith hosted the gathering at his place; for Varekai in 2006 the party shifted to Richie's Le Petite Chapiteau. And when Corteo rolled into Seattle in May 2008, Rich once again hosted at his yellow-colored bachelor pad in Bothel, north of the site in Marymoor Park. There he had set up for us a wonderful menu of Tapis Rouge proportions! It was the promise of a wonderful adventure... On Friday, I spent most of my time with Heather and Jim (CirqueCon alums from New York's Long Island) GeoCaching around the city (my first experience) and seeing the sights this town had to offer. Our first search took us to Kubota, a Japanese gardens in a residential area of town. There we hunted (and found) a multi-cache by gathering the information requested from the gardens' guide and using those answers to calculate the cache's final location GPS coordinates. With the flowers in bloom, and a crisp, cool morning air, meandering around the gardens was definitely a treat. And I took some good pictures to boot! The second cache was a quickie along side the highway, which ended up being more trouble than it was worth (for me that is, Heather and Jim loved climbing in the underbrush on the hill-side and traipsing through the woods...). We found it, though, and made our way back to the car virtually unscathed. The third, another multi-cache, was hidden at Olympic Sculpture Park, and I must say that I preferred exploring the park in this way. It made the time there very interesting and fun. The sculptures are very abstract (for me) but viewing the pieces while also solving the puzzle was the best way to experience it. There are many different metallic sculptures down at the park, but a small handful stood out. One, called "Wake", is a 300-ton structure spanning 125-feet composed of curved steel set within a small rock/sand garden. Although at first you might think of a ship’s looming hull upon first glance, upon closer inspection you might find yourself in the middle of a mountain ridge or perhaps lost in a strange, new world. You’re encouraged to walk amongst the warped structure but don’t touch (although others most certainly have), as this artists wishes for us to participate in his undulating metallic creation. Another, called "Typewriter Erase, Scale X" is exactly as described: an overblown piece of equipment that may have come from our deepest, darkest nightmares (at least of those who may have had to use one of these in the past and remember it "fondly", smaller version of course). But don’t let the horrors of past usage come to mind, instead, look upon this pop icon fondly: as a harbinger of whimsical folly "like a wild-haired kid on a runaway unicycle" according to the Seattle Times. I like that much better! In "Love and Loss", you might first be attracted here by spotting by a rotating ampersand ("&") symbol and attempt to ascertain what connection it has to the tree, bench and stone tables laid out around it. But if you stake a step back and follow the strips of white paint with your eye, you’ll find the place where love and loss intersect. It’s a poignant piece to reflect on. Heather, Jim and I even stopped by ground zero of the geo-caching movement - Groundspeak - for an intimate and private tour of the facility, a chance to get at their private stash, and meet one of the founders. Boy was I thrust into the Geocashing world, or what? But I loved it! The evening was capped off by a wonderful performance of Teatro Zinzanni whereby most sat in attendance, including: Rich, Jim, Heather, Eric, Keith, Lucy, Barb, Shelly, and myself. "A Suitcase Named Desire" was the theme of the show, and here’s a little bit about it: Master illusionist Voronin returns to the tent, his travel-stained trunk bursting with new secrets and surprises. With the help of two mysterious cohorts - the perfectly Parisian contortionist Aurelia Cats and the sexy, snakelike juggler Viktor Kee, Voronin slowly enchants the entire tent. Join us as Madame ZinZanni (London’s West End singing sensation Melanie Stace) and her merry band of waiters, clowns and acrobats including audience favorites trapeze artists Duo Artemiev, rally to defend Teatro ZinZanni in the name of Love, Chaos and Dinner! Wait, Viktor Kee? The same Viktor Kee, master juggler, from Dralion? Yes! And he came over to our table for a while and chatted! Saturday was spent in and around the Emerald City with Heather and Jim. In the early morning we made our way down to Pike Place Market to catch the flying fish. While there wasn't any fish-a-flying, I did get a chance to grab an espresso drink at the very first Starbucks store. It was busy, yes, but well worth the time and effort. I'm a fan, what can I say? Later on we took Bill Spidel's famous Seattle Underground Tour, a trip into the subterranean passages that were once the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle. It was actually very interesting and informative. Who knew Seattle and Walt Disney World had so much in common -- it's built on the "Second Floor" too! Then it was down to the site of the 1962 World's Fair - Seattle Center - and the Pacific-Northwest's most prominent landmark: The Space Needle. While neither Heather, Jim or I went up to the observation deck this go-round (I've been up before), we did have a good time in the shop trying on funny sun-glasses and taking pictures of ourselves, and wandering about the grounds looking for other micro- caches. (Of course!) By late afternoon, we were rolling into Rich's driveway for a wake, er, I mean the Corteo Pre-show party. Master Chef Rich Alford dazzled our taste buds and enlightened our souls with his original, masterful tapas concoctions. Just what was on the menu? Behold! Garlic and Mustard Grilled Filet Mignon, Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Dipping Sauce, and Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast with Dijon Dipping Sauce, Thai Chicken Bite with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Filet Mignon Bite on Crostini with Bleu Cheese Sauce, Cream Cheese Empanada with Puff Pastry, Garlic Shrimp Shots, Cream Cheese Brownies, and more! And food wasn't the only surprise on the menu -- Quidam astonished everyone by making an unscripted, personal appearance! (Hint: It was me!) For Keith Johnson’s Cirque-themed wedding back in August 2002 I played costumed character Quidam, which was as great representation of Cirque’s version. And we like to get him out every now and then... Many of the CirqueCon crowd were on-hand: Keith Johnson and LouAnna Valentine (from Seattle, Washington), Barb Houde and Shelly Blakeslee (from Missoula, Montana), Rolf and Karen Mogster (from Seattle, Washington), Eric Meadows (from Atlanta, Georgia), Heather and Jim (from Baldwin, New York), and a hand-full of others I had never met before! After feeding heartily, we made our way to the blue-and- yellow swirled Grand Chapiteau where many of the group would be taking in Corteo for the first time. Excitement coursed through the group the moment our eyes fell upon Corteo’s canvas home. Corteo, which means "cortege" in Italian, combines the craft of the actor with the prowess of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a world of playfulness and spontaneity situated in a mysterious area between Heaven and Earth. Corteo is a grand procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The clown is Everyman, a cunning idiot, a colorful loser who shines a light on all that is difficult and beautiful in life. Corteo evokes the full spectrum of emotion and experience: love, friendship, pain, joy, wisdom, beauty, life and even death. Corteo, a timeless revel in which illusion teases reality. By the end we were all singing with friendship, love and joy! The weekend was closed out with a fabulous brunch buffet at Salty's on Alki Beach with Rich, Heather and Jim. It was yummmmmmmmmmmmy! Celebri! LAS: "beLIEve it!" =========================== WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) WHAT: Criss Angel BELIEVE & More WHEN: Sep.12.2008 - Sep.14.2008 When Cirque du Soleil announced the premiere date for their newest spectacle in Las Vegas - Criss Angel BELIEVE - Rich and I were all about grabbing tickets to this and other Cirque du Soleil shows as quickly as we could and organize the next Celebri! What better reason do you need to get together with friends and other Cirque du Soleil fans than the premiere of a brand new show, right? Of course, Rich and I had an ulterior motive - we already had an invite to BELIEVE's Gala Premiere and after-show party being held on September 12th (which Rich won during CirqueCon 2006 in Las Vegas - I was his "date"), so why not just stay in town and take in other shows? That was the plan when we began the endeavor; however, as you may know delays at BELIEVE pushed the premiere off our weekend and later delays even pushed off the previews -- so we never even got to see the show! (We were comp’d Carrot Top instead, who needs no kind of introduction.) But that doesn’t mean good times weren’t had. We made the best of some of the more unique attractions that the Las Vegas area had to offer. Over at the Wynn, which is a fabulously appointed casino-hotel by mogul Steve Wynn (he previously owned Mirage Resorts, which built The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio), you’ll find its flagship Ferrari-Maserati car dealership. While you have to have a lot of money to own one of these sports cars, it only takes $10 to take a peek at them. They are truly magnificent machines, but don’t touch! Hell, don’t even breathe on them. But if you are so inclined, take a seat in one specially set aside for public use... and smile: you’re on candid camera! While the Wynn is a departure from the Mirage and Treasure Island, you’ll still find a little bit of the Bellagio here. And if you plan to stick around, try Sugar and Ice over in the Esplanade. It has a great selection of comfort foods for lunch (and, yes, gelato too!) Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe this little café! In an attempt to "get out of the city", Rich and I took a little road trip to nearby Valley of Fire state park, located 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas. As Nevada’s oldest state park, it offers a wealth of history and intrigue for the casual explorer. Many come for the red sandstone formations that give the area its name, but did you know that the area was once inhabited in prehistoric times? The ancient Pueblos (the Anasazi) once called Valley of Fire home, which you’ll find evidence of all around. Including, but not limited too their rock art, which you can view at various pull offs and locations within. It’s a great little day trip to make, and quite picturesque if you like desert locales. Consequently, Valley of Fire state park is often used by the Motion Picture industry. Captain Kirk fell to his death here in Star Trek: Generations and Autobots were seen driving along roadways in Michael Bay’s Transformers film. For a Cirque du Soleil connection, programme photos of Mystère’s characters were shot here and it’s a location where huge cast parties are sometimes held. Back in town, Madame Tussauds at the Venetian is a cool way to spend an hour or so. At this museum, you can wax poetically with your favorite celebrities, including: the Rat Pack, Diana Ross, Cher, Elton John, Elvis, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland, Liberace, Pavarotti, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Wayne Newton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, The Rock, Humphrey Bogart, Hugh Hefner, Jenna Jameson, Patrick Stewart, The Blue Man Group, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford (as Indiana Jones), Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Siegfried & Roy, amongst many, many others. And unlike many other museums where their hands-off policy is strictly enforced, here you’re encouraged to browse, touch and get involved in the scenes. Madame Tussauds at the Venetian truly is a unique Las Vegas attraction. Looking for something a little more controversial? Try BODIES, the Exhibition at the Luxor if you can stomach it. Rich and I were given free tickets to the presentation due to the BELIEVE schedule debacle, and although Rich chose not to use his, I couldn’t resist - I’d always wanted to see what this was like! For the uninitiated, BODIES showcases dissected human bodies and its multiple systems in various ways preserved through a special polymer process that prevents decay. These are real human specimens, not fakes, which convey the controversial nature of this exhibit; but it’s fascinating! You’ll not only learn about, but see our skeletal system, muscular, nervous and circulatory systems; digestive, respiratory and urinary systems; and, yes, the reproductive system (including fetal development in its various phases). Through successive rooms you’ll find specimens arranged performing various activities (such as basketball, tennis, discus throwing, running, and the like), intestines stretched out from end to end, skulls and skeletons showcasing various medical procedures, the polluted lungs of a smoker, the brain and various arteries and veins. It really is an enthralling display. And last but not least, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit over at Tropicana offers an interesting experience for those who are fans of the ill-fated ship and its journey. There are more than 300 authentic artifacts on display that have been brought up to sea level from the Titanic herself. You’ll have to traverse a huge portion of the casino and the hotel to get to it, and Jack and Rose won’t be there to greet you upon arrival, but you can see a 1st class cabin, check out a re- creation of the Boiler Room, see sections of the ship’s hull, and go out on deck the evening of the infamous iceberg strike. For a personal connection, you’re handed a boarding pass with a passenger’s name on it that matches your birthday. Of course, we attended Cirque du Soleil shows as well. Rich and I had an interesting time over at Zumanity. Neither one of us could get into Eddie, the show’s newest emcee. Eddie took over the role from phenom Joey Arias earlier this year replacing Joey’s raw and sometimes flamboyantly raunchy dialogue with a more toned-down, baby- doll-esque discourse. While definiately adequate, I must say there’s no one who can replace Joey Arias in that role. The show itself was luke-warm at best. Most of the acts were found within and generally enjoyable; however, Aerial Tissue with Alan and Olga (one of my favorites) did not perform, it was replaced by Roue Cyr instead. Jonas Woolverton is the new Cyr Wheel artist and came to Cirque du Soleil from Cirque Eloize. From what I understand (although I’ve not seen the production), Jonas performed the number in Eloize’s "Rain" production. overall we left Zumanity a little limp. At "O", we had excellent seats three rows from the front, just on the left-hand side, but were amidst a chatty group of people, which ultimately detracted from our enjoyment of the show. KÀ was dark, unfortunately, so we couldn’t share in the rescue of the twins, but LOVE was on. Regrettably a technical glitch with the rollerblade set automation stopped the show (Help! I need somebody!). The cast took it in stride (as did the audience) but the sudden break was so jarring that I could no longer turn on, tune in, and drop out. The show went on after about 15 minutes, but the mood was forever spoiled. Over at Mystère something wonderful happened. After so many years of watching others get the opportunity to be placed front and center at a Cirque du Soleil show, I finally got my 15 minutes of fame. There are some within our special group of friends who can lay the same claim, some who have been at the mercy of the Generics in Quidam, or taken hostage by the Les Cons in La Nouba, or even subjected to the pickpocket in Koozå. My friend Rich had this very same honor not but two years previous (almost to the day). He had the dubious honor of claiming 6057, but 6992 was mine - tonight I became an honorary inductee; an official member of... "THE POPPA CLUB!" And it was an experience I will forever cherish. Besides becoming Papa for the evening, our experiences with Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor were equally exciting, if you can BELIEVE that. For hanging on the outside of the pyramid was a ginormous banner advertising Criss Angel BELIEVE at the hotel and we just had to have a picture, or two, or twelve! Spotting it from our rental car while driving down the Strip was our first introduction to the huge banner, and in hindsight we probably should have just pulled over at that moment and taken some shots then, but as the rules that govern hindsight go, you don’t realize that until much, much later. Rather we came upon the bright idea of capturing a picture or two of the huge banner upon visiting the Luxor; however, one of the problems with photographing something that is unusually large is that it’s really huge up close. So our first idea was to snap the photo from outside by the obelisk - that was far enough away to get most of the hotel in the camera’s frame. Or so we thought. In order to get better shots of the banner (which included all of the pyramid, the sphinx and the obelisk), we needed to get even further back - but the sidewalk was as far as we could go. Not to be deterred, we wondered then, could we get across the street somehow? Upon first glance though there weren’t any traffic lights or cross-walks within easy reach or at least not ones we wanted to walk a half-mile down to just to cross, so what to do? "Do you think we can make a run for it?" Can you imagine us sprinting across Las Vegas Boulevard just to get a picture? Sure, why not; we did! And in the process I learned something about Vegas I didn’t know, but should have figured: did you know the grass in the median is not real grass, but Astroturf? Oh yeah! And our pictures turned out great! Celebri! ICN: "Viva L’Alegría!" =============================== WHERE: Seoul, South Korea WHAT: Cirque du Soleil's Alegría WHEN: Sunday, November 16th, 2008 @ 7:00pm As co-organizers of CirqueCon we knew that Tokyo would be the destination of choice for our 2008 event, since we also knew of Cirque du Soleil’s scheduled premiere of ZED that year. But what Rich and I didn’t know at the time was how close another famous Cirque du Soleil show would be to Tokyo so when we learned that Alegría would set up stakes in nearby Seoul, South Korea we knew exactly what our next Celebri would be! After a wonderful, if not tiring, expedition in Japan that took Rich and me from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka, Koyasan, Uji, Nagoya, Inuyama, Matsumoto, and Nagoya and back to Tokyo, we left Tokyo bound for Seoul on the 9:20am Korean Air flight touching down in Seoul-Incheon around Noon the afternoon of Sunday, November 16th. Walking into Seoul- Incheon International airport was like walking into EPCOT itself - this airport was truly a wonder to behold. From there it was an hour ride into Seoul proper on the ultra-new (and ultra-clean) A’REX train. And after a jaunt through the efficient Seoul subway, we arrived at Hongik University station, our home for the night. Keeping with a true traveler’s spirit we opted for a backpacker’s guest house near central Seoul - LEE & NO (www.lnguesthouse.com). Lee & No is run by a family who are also long-time travelers and they have graciously opened their residence to us and other visitors over the years. As nice as that sounds (and as adequate as the house ultimately was), we were taken aback by the note left for travelers on how to get past their gate security (I mean, who leaves a note telling passersby what the code is?). Once settled, Rich and I turned round and headed out to hit the town to see a few sights. Unfortunately here we ran into a few hiccups. Don’t attempt the Seoul Tower unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Namsan Seoul Tower is probably what most travelers think of when they ponder the city’s attractions. And how could you miss it? It measures 777-feet (236-meters) high and rises 1574-feet (479-meters) above sea level. Perched atop Mt. Namesan in the middle of town, it calls as one of the best observatories in the entire city (although it is by no means the only one). Built in 1969, and opened to the public 11 years later, N Seoul Tower features gift shops, restaurants and an unparalleled view of every dong (re: neighborhood) in Seoul. Unfortunately because we didn’t know what we were doing, we popped out of the subway at the wrong station and took a taxi ride up. And boy was that a ride! Around and around the tower we spiraled before we even began the journey up the tree-lined roadway! Little did we know that a cable-car, taken from near the Meyong-dong station (on line 4) would take us directly to the tower? Because of our short-sidedness, we only got to spend a few rushed minutes here, but the view was spectacular! Getting the taxi driver to understand "Sports Complex" for the ride down, though, was a little more complicated. And not only that, the Jamsil Sports Complex was clear across town and we were about to brave the roads in the middle of rush hour traffic. Would we get there in time? Rounding the corner of the Sport Complex found the white spires of Alegría big top thrusting ever skyward. The grounds were eerily dark and quiet - patrons had not yet begun to arrive (and little did we know at that point attendance for the show would only be about 25%) but we found Heather & Jim already waiting for us there. And we were right on time. Fancy that! Like a bolt out of life, Alegría thunders into being with an unsociable need to tell its story. It is a story born of the desire for a better world. A stage is set where old age and youth collide, where fantasy and magic are integral parts of everyday life. Alegría, the Spanish word for "joy", "elation, "jubilation", and "happiness", is a celebration of life in its most primitive form: survival. Uncertainty surrounds us all in every day life. It's a "world of contrasts - power and powerlessness, cruelty and kindness." In our world evil and hardship remain a constant force, but through this uncertainty is the glow of the human spirit. It is unconquerable, resolute in its strength. Alegría celebrates this strength by crying out for change, to shake the foundations of society and force those who control to see the error in their ways -- to change. So that together we, as a unified people, can build a better tomorrow. Settling into our seats in section 200, Row I, the group of us watched intently as Little Tamir took to the stage. His warnings about not using flash photography or cell phones during the show were well met, although he did incite a chuckle out of the audience with his attempt to welcome the group in their native Korean tongue (I guess he misspoke), and just as quickly as he shuffled on stage, he was gone, replaced with three clowns, a bright, white light and the wonderful sounds of Alegría. And from the very start we received few thrills through exposure to the show’s back-up and alternate acts. Solo Trapeze took the place of Duo Trapeze and I must say I prefer Solo to the normal Duo performance; Stephanie Gasparoli twisted about the trapeze bar like I’ve not seen in ages -- truly a technically strong and visually exciting performance! Trapeze was followed by Fast Track, which was just as poignant as ever, even with a quarter-full big top. Fire Dance followed FastTrack and I was pleased to see that both men (Malli Mafakigi Sumeo and Karl Sanft) came out to give all they could. Hoops/Manipulation was canceled and in its place stood Denys Tolstov’s amazing Hand-balancing act. Both elegant and strong, Denys uses his incredible upper body strength to hold figures and poses on canes of various heights (one is at least a meter or more tall!). And you’ll be amazed when you see him jump down from one to the next using only his hands. Strong Man was also absent from our performance, replaced by a young artist who normally performs in the Russian Bars number. It is said he wished to create his own act and thus learned the art of juggling; however, either by nature of the audience or the number of mistakes made, I was not overly impressed. And, of course, the Snowstorm closed out Act One. Act Two was sadly devoid of Flying Man (either Aleksandr Dobrynin’s famous number or Aerial Cube, which was performed as an act-in- rotation for Alegría 2 in Japan); after Danse Vazoule the show went immediately into Russian bars, which itself was a very short presentation. I’m not sure what choreography the artists were using but it was neither the latest nor the first (as seen on the DVD). Only a few tricks here and then they were off - I was quite disappointed, as Russian Bars is one of my favorite performances from Alegría! Ulziibuyan Mergen and Oyun-Erdene Senge saved the moment with their slow, fluid movements. Contortionists both; it had been such a long time since I had witnessed both performers I had forgotten how beautiful an act it was - duality truly in motion. High Bar closed out the show as usual. While I can’t speak for my traveling companions, overall I’d give this performance of Alegría a 3.5 out of 5. There were some bright spots within (such as Solo Trapeze, Hand-Balancing, Fire/Knife Dance and Contortion) but otherwise the absences were greatly missed. Seoul is very much the international destination it packages itself to be. Getting around the city is as easy here as it is in Tokyo, London, Paris or any other hugely international destination. Its subway announcements are in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English, which makes getting lost in Seoul a very difficult proposition. Unfortunately our time in Seoul was just under 24 hours, and by the wee hours of the following morning, Rich and I concluded our last Celebri of 2008 and were on our way back to the United States. I’d like to return to Seoul again someday, though, to take on the city at a little slower pace. # # # Celebri! is a coming together of family and friends to celebrate our friendship and Cirque du Soleil in various parts of the world. We desire to ensnare the jubilant, ecstatic, and euphoric feelings that well up inside each avid Cirque fan and nurture that festivity into a joyous and wonderful occasion with friends and fellow fans alike. Through these first five events we've had a chance to meet and be with great people who have become fast friends - folks we could call family. And while we don't always see them at every event we hold, they're always with us in spirit. If you've enjoyed what you've read about Celebri, we'd love to have you at our next adventure. We announce the city and our timetable and all that's required is for you to set your itinerary and join us. There are no sign-up fees, no restrictions and no limits on fun! Upcoming Celebri!: Celebri!: YUL - "À l'Aventure en Montréal" ========================================== WHERE: Montréal, Quebec (CAN) WHAT: Koozå (NYC) & Cirque 2009 (Montréal) WHEN: Wednesday, April 22nd to Sunday, April 26th, 2009 Join us in the beautiful city of Montréal to witness the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's latest touring production, tentatively titled "Cirque 2009"! Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Cirque du Soleil at their newest show with the hometown crowd! But first, journey with us to the Big Apple as we take in Koozå under the Grand Chapiteau, at New York City's Randall's Island Park and Lion King on Broadway! SEE YOU THERE! WWW.CELEBRI.ORG joinus@celebri.org ------------------------------------------------------- "This YEAR in Cirque History" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Issue Exclusive} ------------------------------------------------------- Each issue, Fascination! publishes a column detailing points of historical interest inherent to Cirque du Soleil. We've been doing so since our very first issue back in September 2001, updating the listing each month as we republish month after month, year after year. While we continue this tradition this issue with the "This Month in Cirque History" for November and December, we thought it would be fun to recap the entire year of 2008 in this way. This is by no means a comprehensive list (and if you think there's something to add please let us know!), but a brief run down of Cirque du Soleil this year. Enjoy! [January] * Jan.03.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Quebec, QC * Jan.06.2008 -- Varekai opened London, UK * Jan.16.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Chicoutimi, QC * Jan.17.2008 -- Quidam opened Monterrey, Mexico * Jan.20.2008 -- Corteo celebrated 1,000th performance [San Diego, CA] * Jan.25.2008 -- Dralion opened Tokyo * Jan.29.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Cleveland, OH * Jan.31.2008 -- Koozå opened San Jose, CA [February] * Feb.01.2008 -- Delirium opened Oberhausen, Germany * Feb.01.2008 -- Announcement that Delirium will fold in London, UK (April 2008) * Feb.05.2008 -- Delirium opened Hanover, Germany * Feb.07.2008 -- Alegria opened Sao Paulo * Feb.10.2008 -- Delirium opened Bremen, Germany * Feb.10.2008 -- Cirque du Soleil performs "A Day in the Life" from The Beatles/Cirque du Soleil LOVE at the Mirage at Grammy's. * Feb.10.2008 -- Cirque du Soleil wins 2 Grammy's for LOVE album. - "Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Medium" - "Best Surround Sound Album" * Feb.13.2008 -- Delirium opened Stockholm, Sweden * Feb.16.2008 -- Delirium opened Turku, Finland * Feb.20.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Memphis, TN * Feb.25.2008 -- Delirium opened Zurich, Germany * Feb.26.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Charlottesville, VA * Feb.27.2008 -- Quidam opened Veracrux, Mexico * Feb.29.2008 -- Varekai opened Amsterdam * Feb.29.2008 -- Delirium opened Budapest, Hungary [March] * Mar.01.2008 -- Corteo opened San Diego, California [April] * Apr.01.2008 -- Koozå opened Hartford, CT * Apr.15.2008 -- APM Music Launches New Film Trailer Library with Cirque du Soleil Composers * Apr.17.2008 -- Name of "Cirque Luxor" Announced - "Criss Angel: BELIEVE" * Apr.20.2008 -- DELIRIUM's final curtain call [London, UK] * Apr.20.2008 -- Quidam opened Lisbon, Portugal * Apr.23.2008 -- Dralion opened Fukuoka, Japan * Apr.24.2008 -- Corteo opened Seattle, Washington * Apr.26.2008 -- Artisans de I'maginarie: The World of Cirque du Soleil is staged in Omotesando Hills, Tokyo [May] * May.08.2008 -- Koozå opened Philadelphia, PA * May.09.2008 -- Koozå CD unofficially Available * May.15.2008 -- Alegría opened Porto Alegre, Brazil * May.29.2008 -- Name of "Cirque Macao 2008" Announced - "ZAIA" [June] * Jun.03.2008 -- Name of of "Cirque Tokyo 2008" Announced - "ZED" * Jun.04.2008 -- Cirque Partners with YuuZoo, Online Video Sharing Website * Jun.05.2008 -- Quidam opened Màlaga, Spain * Jun.05.2008 -- Varekai opened Berlin, Germany * Jun.12.2008 -- Corteo opened Vancouver, BC, Canada * Jun.19.2008 -- La Nouba celebrated 4500th performance [Thursday, 6:00pm] * Jun.20.2008 -- Alegría opened Buenos Aires, Argentina * Jun.24.2008 -- Koozå CD Released US/Canada * Jun.26.2008 -- Koozå opened Chicago, IL * Jun.30.2008 -- BELIEVE officially delayed (#1) [July] * Jul.06.2008 -- René Dupéré named "Chevalier" in the Order de la Pléiade * Jul.11.2008 -- LOVE celebrated 1000th performance [Friday] * Jul.17.2008 -- Dralion opened Sydney, Australia * Jul.24.2008 -- Quidam opened Alicante, Spain * Jul.31.2008 -- Corteo opened Calgary, AB, Canada * Jul.31.2008 -- Varekai opened Oberhausen [August] * Aug.06.2008 -- Nakeel of Dubai purchases 20% Stake in Cirque * Aug.08.2008 -- Alegría opened Santiago * Aug.08.2008 -- Koozå celebrated 500th Performance [Fri, 4:00pm/Chicago] * Aug.14.2008 -- Alegría opened Santiago, Chile * Aug.20.2008 -- DELIRIUM premieres on Digital Theater Screens [September] * Sep.04.2008 -- Koozå opened Boston * Sep.16.2008 -- Corteo opened Ottawa * Sep.24.2008 -- Cirque2009 tickets go on sale! * Sep.25.2008 -- Varekai opened Vienna, Austria [October] * Oct.01.2008 -- ZED Gala Premiere in Tokyo * Oct.15.2008 -- Alegría opened Seoul, South Korea * Oct.19.2008 -- Guy Laliberte awarded honorary doctorate by Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec * Oct.20.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary screened in theaters * Oct.21.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary released on DVD * Oct.30.2008 -- Koozå opened Washington, DC. * Oct.30.2008 -- Quidam opened Brussels, Belgium * Oct.31.2008 -- BELIEVE gala premiere in Las Vegas [November] * Nov.13.2008 -- Corteo opened Miami * Nov.20.2008 -- Varekai opened Madrid * Nov.21.2008 -- ZED Celebrated 100th Performance [December] * Dec.02.2008 -- Cirque announces Russian expansion * Dec.15.2008 -- MGM/Mirage announces sale of TI, home of Mystère * Dec.16.2008 -- Guy Laliberté invests in Prestige Telecom, Inc * Dec.23.2008 -- La Nouba quietly celebrates 10th Anniversary ------------------------------------------------------- LA PRESSE: "BELIEVE - THE REVIEWS" [EXPANDED] A Special Collection of Reviews in the Press ------------------------------------------------------- The reviews are coming in for Cirque du Soleil's latest collaboration - Criss Angel BELIEVE - and, as expected, they are not good: "Believe it; Angel's new show mars 'Cirque' legacy" From: UNLV The Rebel Yell --------------------------------------------------- Lack of magic, too many bunnies make “Believe” painful mess. Anybody who has attended a high school or college party knows that if there’s one person to avoid, it’s the guy who gets overly excited and jumps around saying, “This is going to get nuts!” The enthusiasm of this guy always masks insecurity and is typically fueled by booze and bad pick up lines. He was the sole reason I stopped partaking in these extracurricular activities. Only a precious few minutes into Criss Angel’s “Believe,” the rock star magician began bounding down the aisles, slapping hands with audience members and screaming, “This is going to be nuts! It’s about to get crazy!” This was the moment I knew the audience was doomed. “Believe” never got crazy; it never got nuts. The Cirque du Soleil show never got its feet off the ground, which is ironic considering the fact that Criss Angel is a magician who once levitated in the Luxor beam. For a magic show, there was frighteningly little magic. This makes sense for a magician primarily known for over-the-top, obviously post- production ridden television performances. Still, you’d expect more from an established magician. For a Cirque show, there were only glimpses of the power, elegance and beauty found in the chain’s established shows. It never materialized into anything worthwhile. An adorable rabbit’s head (as opposed to the show’s abundance of evil rabbits) rolling over to do a dance on its ears was cute and reminiscent of other Cirque shows. The makeshift garden with flowers falling from the sky and twirling dancers was beautifully staged, but only five minutes of the 98-minute running time. The vast majority of the show, however, was a complete waste of time and money. The completely pointless dance numbers, involving dancing with dismembered limbs and giant moles, were better suited for the opening sequences of “So You Think You Can Dance?” than a show on the Vegas Strip. Then, there was Angel. First, he promoted his A&E television show “Mindfreak,” and paraded through the audience talking about visions received in his dressing room. Laughable, but expected. The moment you wish Angel would stop with the infomercial, he does. Suddenly, the show becomes a mindtrip into the mindfreak’s subconscious — which is, perhaps not surprisingly, filled with bunnies and women fighting over him. Angel is essentially playing himself, but his acting is as terrible. (Plus, his Long Island accent is unbearable.) The illusionist isn’t at ease on stage, which is unacceptable because magic is best performed in front of live audiences. With no stage presence whatsoever, audiences are left to wonder why Angel was needed at all. After all, unlike the Broadway-turned-Strip musicals, Cirque shows don’t need a headliner to fill seats. Angel running around stage (too often without his shirt on) seemed like a futile attempt to give audiences members a theme where there wasn’t one. If not that, then it was an equally-futile attempt to justify the paycheck Angel is receiving. Cirque shows don’t need a theme; if anything the incongruity is a selling point of these shows. In a market where hilarious shows like “The Producers” and “Avenue Q” cannot find a permanent home, if “Believe” lasts longer than three months, it will be the biggest travesty to ever hit Las Vegas. "Magic Missing in Cirque show" From: The Toronto Star ------------------------------------------ Not all marriages, alas, are made in heaven. Despite the fact that both partners have great appeal on their own, the partnership of a Long Island Goth and a Montreal sophisticate that was unveiled at the Luxor Hotel on Halloween night is going to need a lot of work if it's to emerge as the successful union that everyone hoped for. The show is called Criss Angel BeLIEve and it combines the wildly popular illusionist with the even more beloved Cirque du Soleil, marking the sixth show that Cirque has on display in Sin City, with the longest running one, Mystere, about to celebrate its 15th anniversary next month. But ever since BeLIEve started previews in September and postponed its opening, the word on the Strip was that the show was in trouble. A lot of changes have supposedly been made to it in the interim and what's finally onstage is certainly not a disgrace. In fact, large sections of it work very well, redeeming Guy Laliberté's initial impulse to match up Criss Angel with Cirque. But there are problems still to be solved. It all begins almost as if Angel was doing one of his typical shows, only in a Cirque setting. Then a near-death experience during one of the illusions sends Angel into a dark fantasyland, kind of like The Wizard of Oz with Alice Cooper replacing Judy Garland. Surrealistic rabbits run rampant, Angel levitates and director Serge Denoncourt weaves visual magic within a world of lush red velvet drapes and spectral black presences. By the time we reach a nightmarish wedding sequence where two sides of femininity fight for possession of Angel and he literally rips himself in half, it's all working in a way that fulfills whatever dreams you may have had for the show. It's just that it takes a long while to get there. Part of the trouble is that Angel loves to talk to his fans; it's part of his charm. But Cirque shows are usually wordless. This causes a curious disconnect off the very top that we never really recover from. Angel is all openness, sharing his thoughts and feelings freely; Cirque is about leaving things opaque and making us stare with added intensity to discover their true nature. This isn't to say that either party is really at fault here. Some of the illusions that Angel comes up with are indeed spectacular and they're given added resonance by being part of the ebony-hued fable that Cirque is spinning. And a lot of the images Denoncourt has designed for the surrounding performers are breathtaking in their depth. It's just that they don't always go together. Many of the newspaper critics have been unduly harsh to the show, almost as if they were taking out a personal vendetta against Angel for his past successes, or on Cirque for working with an established star. The public doesn't seem to care about that, however, and the advance sales are among the strongest in Cirque's Vegas history. There is also a history of Cirque shows that stumbled when they first opened (like Zumanity) righting themselves after a few months in front of an audience. One feels that will be the destiny of BeLIEve. Angel is too canny a showman and the Cirque team too skilful to leave something up that doesn't dazzle. My advice is to wait and let the Angel fans fill the theatre while the show works out its problems. Then go see it. When BeLIEve works, even now, it's impressive enough that you wait in anticipation for it to reach its final form. "Criss Angel, in a word: unbelievable" From: The LA Times ------------------------------------------ If Criss Angel were blindfolded, straitjacketed, run over by a steamroller, locked in a steel box and dumped from a helicopter into the Pacific Ocean, he still might be easier to salvage from disaster than "Criss Angel: Believe," the gloomy, gothic muddle of a show that officially lurched into being on Halloween night like some patched- together Frankenstein's monster. The multimillion-dollar production, which its backers hope will play at the Luxor casino until sometime around election day 2028, is nominally a collaboration by Angel, ne Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, the talented illusionist and star of A&E's "Criss Angel Mindfreak," and Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based franchisers of whimsical, breathtakingly acrobatic entertainments. Yet "Believe" suggests less an artistic marriage made in accounting heaven than a shotgun wedding of clashing sensibilities in which the shotgun messily discharges en route to the altar. Indeed, the smeared blood and entrails are piled high and deep throughout "Believe," the most death-obsessed show to emerge from Sin City since "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Keeping faith with the Las Vegas adage that nothing succeeds like overkill, the production opens with a video montage of Angel's greatest hits, immolations, levitations, self-mutilations and assorted suicidal tendencies. (If you're worried about spoilers or have a weak stomach, flip now to the comics page.) Angel then materializes in torn jeans and a dark pullover, and warms up the audience with a bit of banter ("I feel your love!") before he and co-writer/director Serge Denoncourt lay out the show's central conceit. "Believe's" framing device is that Angel accidentally receives a 6-million-volt jolt of electricity that fries off most of his face (a spectacle captured by an ever-present video camera). This propels him into deep hallucinatory space where our Siegfriedian hero must confront demons and angels that stalk his imagination. These include a sinister troupe of dancing rabbits who, in one early sequence, tear Angel's parboiled "corpse" apart and dance, exultantly hoisting his severed limbs and torso. In a later scenario Angel gets sliced in half with an electric blade, his oozing intestines visible through the smoky atmospherics. Magic, like the circus, is an inherently dark and cruel art form, so there's no harm in sprinkling a little S&M titillation around the edges of the production. After all, people come to Vegas for kinky thrills and the seductive whiff of make-believe danger. The problem is that "Believe" doesn't really have the courage of its most extreme convictions. So it swathes its fearless Grand Guignol fetishes in an awkward mishmash of themes, metaphors and visual stratagems. You name it, they try it here: rear-screen projections of dramatic cloud-swept skies, Middle Eastern dance music, "The Night on Bald Mountain," giant poppies, whirling dervishes. Cirque's high technical standards are maintained by the designers, especially Ray Winkler (sets), Meredith Caron (costumes) and Michael Curry (props and puppets), but to what end? Then there are . . . those rabbits, some beautifully stylized, and others far scarier than anything encountered by Alice in Wonderland or Grace Slick. Whenever the manic pacing starts to flag, a posse of clowns in punk-Edwardian drag tumble on stage to mug, break-dance or shriek high-pitched gibberish. There's a sequence in which a straitjacketed Angel frees himself while spinning upside down above the audience and a couple of big, loud production numbers that play like excerpts from an aging heavy metal band's reunion tour. But there's little that expresses something interesting or unique about Angel as an artist, or a person. And while Cirque's poetic imagery at its best can leave you rubbing your eyes and holding your breath, spectators here are more likely to find themselves stifling a yawn or wincing with embarrassment. None of this would matter as much if Angel had a compelling live-stage presence. But "Believe" exposes him as a natural-born showman, which isn't the same as a natural-born entertainer. He lacks comic timing and ad-libbing ability, falling flat with some very lame erectile dysfunction jokes. His personality simply disappears for long stretches of the show. "Illusion is elusive in Angel's 'Believe'" From: The Las Vegas Sun ------------------------------------------ No wonder. That — among its many, more obvious failings — is the fatal flaw at the heart of “Criss Angel: Believe.” There’s just no wonder in it. In fact, there’s shockingly little magic to be seen in this much- anticipated Cirque du Soleil spectacle constructed around a celebrity magician. No shock, no awe, precious little surprise, even. Cirque throws everything in its considerable arsenal of stage genius at Angel — the expected array of lush, loud music, expert dancers and aerialists, lavish settings and boundary-breaking special effects, all intended to amaze. The single most amazing thing about “Believe” is that it’s still so boring. For a reported $100 million, Cirque has bought itself its first bona fide bomb. Angel, who is signed to a 10-year contract, hasn’t managed to make all that money vanish completely, however. Cirque makes everything look and sound sumptuous, of course. The 1,600-seat purpose-built theater at the Luxor makes a promising first impression, with its gilded rococo proscenium arch and decadently luxe crimson curtains. After the customary preshow clowning, the show kicks off abruptly with an intentional false start, a very loud video infomercial for Angel’s A&E TV series “Mindfreak.” And then Angel materializes, descending slowly from the ceiling in Jesus pose. (He’s been outdone by Cher in the Big Entrance category). Angel romps through the audience, shrieking “Mindfreak!” and “I’m tellin’ you, this is gonna be CRAZY!” and “I swear to you, this is just nuts!” in his Lawn Guyland accent, slapping hands and accepting gifts, including lots of stuffed animals and a homemade banner with ironed-on images of Angel’s cat Hammy and other significant Angel icons on a white bed-sheet. (This turns out to be a rather obvious plant.) The video run-through of Angel’s greatest stunts — being crushed by a steamroller, cutting himself in half, etc. — serves only to show up how puny and paltry his stuff looks on stage. He’s got nothing without postproduction editing. “Believe” contains very few of the sort of extreme stunts and illusions Angel made his name on. At one point, he invokes his beloved late father, and then taunts death. “What you’re lookin’ at is 6 million volts,” Angel shouts, and, costumed in skintight reflective foil, he tosses a baked potato into an enormous, buzzing and hissing Tesla coil to demonstrate its deadliness. BOOM! Blackout. Cut to video of Angel, gruesomely burned, one-eyed, his face bubbling like bacon, being wheeled away on a gurney as actors scream in horror offstage. Then Angel — and the show — plunges into fever dream, an enactment of Angel’s interior Inferno. His delirium involves ascents and descents and births and deaths, depicted by squads of dancing bunnies and moles. And there’s a continual struggle over his usually shirtless bod between his stage assistants, Kayala, an angelic ever-receding woman in white and Crimson, a devouring, demonic black woman. (Not even going there.) Angel’s near-death fantasies are dominated by bunnies (a wink to rumored girlfriend Holly Madison?). Big bunnies, small bunnies, robot bunnies and giant puppet bunnies, good bunnies and bad, bad bunnies. The show’s single most memorable image involves a giant severed bunny head that rolls over and tap dances on its ears. There’s also a gorgeous scene in which a field of giant red California poppies gradually gathers, floating down and sprouting up and putting his demons to sleep. An onstage tornado blew away. The entire hallucination sequence is a Frankenstein quilt of undigested chunks of “Donnie Darko,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and even Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album. At one point, after rising from his gurney, Angel actually says, “And you were there, and you were there — and you tried to kill me. And (to the audience) you were there!” Camp followers — the types who relish gems of unintentional badness like “Showgirls” and well, “Springtime for Hitler” — are advised to get tickets soon. As I said, magic-lovers are shortchanged. We get a remote-writing trick involving a suspended locked box, a flock of doves that appear and fly above audience, some piddling flashpaper fire-work, lots of clever screenplay, with Angel popping in and out of the projected images, and an enjoyably gory set piece with Angel sawed in half by a chainsaw-wielding bunny. All his illusions are obscured by flashing strobes, clouds of fog and other standard methods of distraction and misdirection. The Fright Dome Halloween haunted house at Circus Circus employed many of the same effects, to better result, for $35. A charmless mook, Angel is a rudimentary stage performer — he’s barely believable playing himself. But those who are hoping for an in-person look at his gleaming tattooed torso will get their money’s worth. Many of the Cirque set pieces seem familiar by now: There’s a scaled- down version of the vertical wall-walking from “Ka,” and the onstage rock guitarist and drummer, too. A quartet of frantic clowns serve as Angel’s bumbling “Ushers,” and a pair of grotesque living dolls are tarted up like Victorian prostitutes. Aerialists sport angel wings, and the squad of dancers is ingeniously costumed as bunnies, rats, moles and spiny reptiles, although their stiff-legged, copy-“Cats” moves suggest seizures in progress. The music, usually an enchanting, unifying element of Cirque productions, is a disappointment, a banal, bombastic mishmash of “Carmina Burana” melodrama, mix-tape exoticism and mock-rock opera. The incoherent evening is haunted by a recurring Magritte-like image of an empty gilded picture frame. And that, finally, is the truest metaphor for “Criss Angel: Believe”: a gorgeous golden structure surrounding a void. "Luxor throws lavish bash for 'Believe' premiere" From: The Las Vegas Sun ------------------------------------------------- While the country is in the midst of an economic downturn, there were no signs of recession at the Luxor Friday night and Saturday morning as Cirque du Soleil threw an extravagant party to mark the premiere of its latest Vegas-based show, “Criss Angel Believe.” After investing a reported $100 million in the circus-meets-magic spectacle, the price tag for the lavish party, which was reportedly near half a million dollars, is relative pocket change. Cirque du Soliel threw the lavish poolside bash for the show’s star, cast and crew. More than 3,000 ticketholders who attended the 7 and 10 p.m. showings of “Believe” also were invited to attend the exclusive affair. No tickets were sold and no one was admitted without a commemorative “Believe” dog tag necklace. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté was joined by several VIP guests who walked the “Believe” black carpet earlier that evening, as well as members of the Cirque creative team who flew in from Cirque headquarters in Montreal. Angel and his date, former “Girls Next Door” star and Hugh Hefner playmate Holly Madison, partied side-by-side in the event’s VIP section. They were joined by Angel’s mother, Dimitra, and brothers, J.D. and Costa, and about a dozen other family members and friends who flew in from across the country for the gala. Angel’s aunt Stella was also there. She is credited with teaching her nephew his first magic trick at the tender age of 7. In addition to Angel’s family members and “Mindfreak” crew, an attractive mix of toned and flexible Cirque cast members mixed and mingled with the crowd as the evening progressed. As circus performers performed and high-energy music blasted across the concourse, partiers were treated to an array of amenities. There were few tricks but more than ample treats on hand for the Halloween affair. Party-goers were treated with complementary chair massages, flavored tobacco at a hookah lounge, MAC makeup touch-ups and imported cigars. Crimson-colored boxes of chocolates served as party favors, each filled with gold and silver foil-wrapped milk and dark chocolates marked “Criss Angel Believe.” Several food stations were set up across the pool deck to keep party- goers fueled and nourished. An array of delicious party nibbles were available, including melt-in-your-mouth miso-marinated sea bass, seafood paella and full-size T-bone steaks. Staying true to Cirque du Soleil’s French-Canadian roots, bite-sized portions of foie gras and smoked salmon parfaits also were handed out. In addition, no sweet tooth was left unsatisfied, thanks to the many desserts on hand, including chocolate and vanilla milkshakes, raspberry panecotta, dulce de leche parfaits and traditional circus fare, such as candy apples and cotton candy. Several well-stocked open bars made sure no partiers were thirsty, and ample supplies of Red Bull ensured revelers endured the hours-long affair until it ended at 4 a.m. Once the soirée ended, the party moved inside to LAX, where the after- party was held. Laliberté also hosted a super-exclusive party for his inner-circle crowd at his Las Vegas home. Anticipating a long night of merry-making, “Believe” organizers earlier had canceled performances Saturday to allow the cast and crew time to recuperate. The show will resume its twice-a-night, five-days- a-week schedule on Sunday. Cirque du Soleil's Criss Angel's BELIEVE From: Entertainment Today --------------------------------------------- For anyone in the business of reviewing theatrical productions—or for anyone attempting to critique anything as illusive and subjective as the creation of any artform—the most important thing is to maintain a perpetual sense of wonder for this miraculous evolution of the decidedly intangible. The ability to enter every situation with a blank slate is the key, but since most of us crusty old critics spend several nights a week dissecting everything we see in print for public consumption, it’s easy to get a tad jaded and lose that initial sense of amazement, to somehow gradually compromise our original hushed respect for the creative process. Keeping this in mind, the reviews of Cirque du Soleil’s sixth and newest permanent Las Vegas extravaganza, Criss Angel’s Believe, which opened Halloween night at the sadly un-Egyptifying Luxor Hotel, have been decidedly mixed. For me, the problem is that most critics have forgotten to wipe away all those nasty expectations and have failed to keep that slate clear as though they’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil production performed before. Guaranteed, if this had been the first exposure to the continuously stellar work offered by the Cirque—or, for that matter, a first look at the individual style and signature talents of Criss Angel—those same writers would have been sufficiently awestruck. This must also be the problem for a lot of patrons not in the business of writing about theatre but instead perhaps, as diehard Cirque du Soleil fans, think Angel’s in-your-face style of non-traditional roughhewn sleight-of-hand gets in the way of the company’s lyrical dreamlike splendor, while the generally rabid Angel fans must equally feel balletic rabbits and Eric Serra’s ethereal musical score have nothing to do with watching their Joe Pesci-voiced rockstar-y Goth- dripping New Yaawk-bred cult hero let himself be run over by 20-ton industrial steamrollers. See, again: if no one had any preconceptions of what to expect, I’m convinced no one would be disenchanted with Believe for a minute. Angel says Believe is the culmination of a lifelong dream and frankly, I for one think he should be proud as hell for what he has accomplished along with the inimitable sanction of the Cirque’s unwavering and unrestricted support for the innovative methods its artists need to create. As Cirque founder and perpetual guide Guy Laliberte commented at a press conference in the Believe theatre the afternoon of the production’s glittery opening night gala, “What we’ve concocted together is a blend of the Cirque’s artistic knowledge with the mysteries of what is Criss’ magic.” Don’t let anyone tell you different: this is a haunting one-of-a-kind production that truly defies anyone’s expectations, even the creators’ original concepts, I’m sure. Believe begins with a loud and trendily choppy video montage of scenes from Angel’s ultra-popular TV cable series Mindfreak before the often pleasantly bare-chested star of the show descends from above to perform a few stock Copperfield-esque audience participation tricks— all perhaps added after comments from the first preview audiences polled signaled there was too much Cirque and not enough magic. Soon an “accident” during a demonstration featuring high voltage supposedly turns Angel into a bubbling overcooked version of Freddy Krueger with help from the Cirque’s longtime make-up designer Nathalie Gagne, but of course, he ain’t down yet. This nightly staged tragedy only allows the guy to pull himself out of his hat and levitate above the televised gurney racing his smoldering ass (no pun intended) to the hospital followed by stagehands, EMTs, and news crews. He rises like the east coast street phoenix that he has become and dramatically alters from monstrous crispy critter to enter into a bizarrely otherworldly fantasy journey all his own and that of his director and Believe’s co-writer Serge Denoncourt. Here, Angel wanders off into a gorgeously psychedelic hallucination inhabited by demonic forest creatures of all shapes, sizes and robotic functions on a sweepingly dark and grandly atmospheric set by Ray Winkler. It’s suddenly an Alice in Wonderland-inspired world where rubbery Donnie Darko-clad aerialists from various places in Eastern Europe so familiar to Cirque audiences soar and dip high above the stage and the proscenium arch, while duly amazing Michael Curry puppets, including a giant burned six-sectioned Criss Angel voodoo doll that’s put back together in grandly Guingoled Frankenstein monster style, romp and evolve. Throughout it all, exceptional performances by a graceful ensemble of world-class dancers working under the guidance of master choreographer Wade Robson complete Believe’s elegant chimera. Although opening night had its glitches, particularly when the usual saw-in-half illusion, which could be so wonderful as updated to feature dripping tendrils of intestines hanging from Angel’s two wriggling halves as though it were from some original movie on the Sci-Fi Channel, was ruined by the fact that the body parts were separated and spun around before the chainsaw ever hit the box, Angel is still continually fascinating in his raucous and rough-edged street performer’s ability to make doves appear from satin sleeves and operates with smooth precision when asked to escape from a straightjacket suspended Houdini-like over the audiences’ heads. As he explores this magnificently peculiar new world, Angel makes magic—though surprisingly, all fairly standard illusions. There are hints of pure brilliance here, but also the overall feeling remains that… well… this show will be absolute dynamite a few months from now when it cures and ages and grows into something even more individually spectacular. One of the things still needed in the fine tuning of Believe is coaching for Angel himself, a guy who’s obviously a major, major player as a showman but not yet someone who has found his sea- legs as an actor. Unfortunately, when the magician claims Believe’s obviously well rehearsed illusions are spontaneous and unplanned, one can’t buy it for a second. And when he’s zapped by into la-la-land by what he proclaims to be six million volts and the Wizard of Oz-themed story takes over for the initial live session of magic tricks, suddenly Angel seems to be a duck out of water. His heavily Lon-gah Island- tinged accent becomes even more strident, coming off not unlike classic Tony Curtis pointing out “Yondah lies da castle of my fadda” as it lingers and echoes smackdab in middle of the gossamer Victorian filigree motif that weaves throughout the show. But I tell you, all Believe needs is an open-minded audience (and critics) willing to suspend preconceived expectations and a little judicious seasoning, especially considering how often parts of all the Cirque’s permanent Sin City shows transform and mature over time. Add in that Criss Angel, whose exceptional talents, unstoppable imagination, and streetwise charisma are the heart and soul of this show—and that he’s contracted to headline Believe at the Luxor, which is also his primary residence, for the next 10 years—I suspect by the time this one reaches a milestone anniversary like “O” and Mystere have attained, it will have developed into one of Cirque du Soleil’s most impressive Vegas efforts to date. ======================================================================= FROM THE FASCINATION! ARCHIVES ======================================================================= ------------------------------------------------------- "Taiko - The Heartbeat of Cirque" By: Ricky Russo - Celebration, Florida (USA) {Originally Published: Issue #2 - October 2001} ------------------------------------------------------- When you hear the beat of the Japanese drum what do you hear? Do you hear centuries-old harmonies calling out to those who will listen? Or, do you hear the beating of just another drum? What do you feel? Anything? A longing perhaps? Wonder? Do you even know? Listen... hear it? No? If not, you're missing out on something very special. Once your attention has been captured by the Taïko drum, it is hard to turn away. For that brief moment you will be transported to and from a realm that is both ancient and modern. You have been given a sense of order and of chaos. And, you have born witness to an age-old tradition hundreds of years old. Listen now... feel the rhythm? Feel the power? Cirque du Soleil harnessed that power and featured it in three of their productions. It is an instrument hundreds of years old. An instrument that lies within the religion of a culture just as old. But did you know that the instrument is not entirely of Japanese descent? Believed to have been brought to the Japanese islands by the Chinese, the Japanese people adapted and made the drum more ornate. It was first used, possibly, on the battlefield and later put in practice to wake the god of rain in time for the rice planting ceremonies. It has been used to mark the boundaries of a new village and to keep the traditional stories of those villages alive. The word Taïko literally translates into "big or fat drum" in the Japanese language and it has served its traditional role well. Today, the drum and its varieties can be heard all across the Japanese Islands and many places from Australia to Europe, and from North America to the Middle East. Taïko drums come in all shapes and sizes. They are typically made from a single hollowed-out piece of wood (a large tree trunk for example), but can be made from sections of any number of trees. The ends of the drums are then covered with cow skin - usually from one cow, which is stretched over the ends of the drum. Once that is complete the drum is finely tuned -- a painstaking process -- you have a completed drum. Sizes for these drums range from a tiny six-inch diameter striking end to a gigantic six-feet surface! One can play these drums in many positions - sitting down, standing up, or at an angle. To strike the drum, one uses one or two sticks of various sizes (even large ones resembling baseball bats! And each size drum as its own name. For instance, the O-daiko is the largest drum, the Chu-daiko is a middle-sized drum and the Hirado- daiko is a flat-barrel drum. But there are many other different names to choose from. The Taïko discipline has a vast and rich history. And in that history lays an ocean of great information. Unfortunately, there is no way to cover it all, and so I must stop here and turn the focus to Cirque du Soleil's use of this wonderful instrument. Featured in three productions, Cirque's use of the Taïko drum has been limited throughout the years. The drum made its first appearance in the 1992 production of "Saltimbanco". "Saltimbanco" is a show that celebrates life. Originally created as an antidote to the violent world around us, this production shows us a new vision of the world, full of optimism and happiness. For this show, the Taïko drum was used more traditionally - a single piece, sparingly used and played by drummer Alain Bergé. You can hear the drum in the song "Kazé". While its role was limited, one can not mistake the beat the drum makes. It adds a simple, yet basic tone to the music... a lone heartbeat if you will... A heartbeat that is fully explored in the second and most prominent use of the drum in any of Cirque du Soleil's productions -- "Mystère". By all accounts, "Mystère" is a mega-production, melded from the creative minds of Cirque du Soleil president Guy Laliberté and Steve Wynn -- Mirage Resorts Chairman and CEO at the time. What they gave birth to is a powerful image of the journey of man. A reflection back... an age-old tale. A tale of a mountain and a bird. And two babies crying at two separate points of the universe. The creativity of these two men, amongst many others, turned a traditional Japanese instrument -- the Taïko drum -- into a prominently featured apparatus from which to begin their narrative. During the prologue and epilogue of each show the Taïko invades the very essence of "Mystère"... It is of Mystère's drums we'll examine further. Percussionist Pierre Dubé has the distinction and honor of playing the Taïko for "Mystère". In preparation for his own journey, Pierre traveled to Japan to learn the art. His teachers? None other than Kodo, a magnificent group of forty-two members from Sado Island, Japan. And they taught him well; so well that he is responsible for teaching the other artists of the troupe to play. Which, from what I have been told, isn't always an easy task. First off, the person must have what is referred to as "the touch". This is the delicate balance between force and grace. Hit the drum too softly, and nothing good comes out of it... hit the drum too hard... and your entire arm can go right through the outer cow-skin covering. And that is a very costly mistake! (upwards of $10,000 or more!) If an artist does not take care in how they play the drums, that artist can find themselves in a bad situation during the middle of a performance. (And yes, that has happened!) For the show, we see a flawless routine by Pierre and his students. The drum we most associate with Mystère is his O-daiko piece. Laying on its side, the drum is 6 feet long and 8 feet wide and was put together by Pierre himself along with a friend he found in Japan. As mentioned earlier, the drums are usually manufactured out of one tree -- in this case a Japanese Cypress tree. But, the drum was so large that the one seen in the show was actually constructed out of more than one tree. When not in use, the O-daiko rests within the theater ceiling, 75 feet in the air. It is accessed by a catwalk structure (in place from the very beginning -- which, in fact, the catwalk is an interesting story into Mystère's beginnings, and its possible failure the first year). While Mystère is the show that features the Taïko drum the most, the third and final place it is used is in the IMAX 3-D movie "Journey of Man." Its use in the film presented an interesting challenge. The drums themselves are delicate as they are very finely tuned and are susceptible to the elements. The sun can damage them and moisture can cause problems to their striking surfaces. So, the drums used for "Journey of Man" were made especially for the production. The scene used for filming the sequence was shot on a set -- the only scene in the film to do so! Pierre hand-selected his team of acrobats and performers to be part of his Kumi-daiko, or grouped drums, team. Many of them are dancers, acrobats or otherwise non-musicians... but only the best that have taken to his teachings were able to perform on the big, big screen. Most of them play the Shime-daiko drums, which is a general term a rope-tensioned drum. These drums usually have very thin heads and are relatively small compared to other Taïko drums. The next step up is the Chu-daiko, which are "Medium Sized Drums", played by two talented artists. Two other drums, called Hirado-daiko for "Flat Drum", were manned by Natasha Hallett, a former Olympian from Canada and Greg Wise, a stunt man who went on to become one of the Grinch's stunt doubles in the Jim Carrey production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Other drummers in the cast are Maria Akhlatkina, Nathalie Bollinger, Annick Moreau, Ursula Trpin, Mark Ward and Michelle Wise. The final drum used on the Journey of Man set is the O-daiko. Pierre Dubé once again wields his Bachi ("drum sticks") and provides us a beat for the beginning of our Universal Child's journey. The cavern itself symbolizes the womb of a mother and the beating of the drums creates the heartbeat. But, I bet you didn't know the drum itself is actually... a fake drum! That's right, the O-daiko featured on screen is actually not an O-daiko at all! The drum had only one side (O- daiko's, of course, have two) to allow a camera to be placed behind it... Unfortunately, the rich history and world of the Taïko drum cannot be discussed within the confines of this article -- there's just too much to tell. However, if you are interested in the history and culture surrounding this great instrument, you find a great online resource called "Rolling Thunder: The Taïko Resource" at < http://www.taiko.com/ >. It comes complete with a dictionary, a drum resource catalog and even a lesson or two on learning how to play. If you are interested in hearing what Taïko sounds like outside of Cirque du Soleil, the Sado Island group "Kodo" is recommended. You can reach them at this address: < http://www.kodo.or.jp/ >. I wish to thank the generosity and time of Mr. and Mrs. Dubé for their help with the creation of this article. They've been excellent friends and my guides. Thank you so much. ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Compendium Volume 8, Number 6 (Issue #62) - Nov/Dec 2008 "Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c) 2001-2008 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. { Jan.09.2009 } =======================================================================