======================================================================= ______ _ __ _ __ / ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / / / /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ / / __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/ /_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_) T h e U n o f f i c i a l C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.CirqueFascination.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================= VOLUME 8, NUMBER 6 NOV/DEC 2008 ISSUE #62 ======================================================================= 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} 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 ======================================================================= BELIEVE, the Reviews... {Nov.03.2008} --------------------------------------------- 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" - {UNLV The Rebel Yell} http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=12712 "Magic missing in Cirque show" - {Toronto Star} http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Theatre/article/529255 "Criss Angel, in a word: unbelievable" - {LA Times} http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et- criss3-2008nov03,0,6640068.story "Criss Angel's Cirque Du Soleil Show Bombs" - {Bodog Beat} http://beat.bodoglife.com/entertainment/criss-angels-cirque-du- soleil-show-bombs-91659.html "Illusion is elusive in Angel's 'Believe'" - {Las Vegas Sun} http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/01/illusion-elusive- angels-believe/ And if you're interested in the after-show party, check out the following from the Las Vegas Sun: "Luxor throws lavish bash for 'Believe' premiere" http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/01/luxor-throws-lavish- bash-believe-premiere/ 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! Entertainment Today reviews BELIEVE {Nov.21.2008} --------------------------------------------- Travis Michael Holder of Entertainment Today has taken a different tact with regards to BELIEVE, and you can find his piece online at www.entertainmenttoday.net. From the article: 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. Read the full review here: < http://www.entertainmenttoday.net/content/view/730/28/ > {SOURCE: Entertainment Today} 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. Presse: Dralion in Australia {Nov.30.2008} --------------------------------------------- Over the past couple of weeks a number of articles in the Australian press have been seen regarding Dralion's run there. We've collected these links and now present them to you! Dralion | Cirque du Soleil {Australian Stage}: < http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/brisbane/dralion- cirque-du-soleil-2095.html > Dancer finds her feet in Cirque du Soleil {Courier Mail}: < http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24715748- 5003423,00.html > Cirque du Soleil provides exotic entertainment {Courier Mail}: < http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24721142- 7642,00.html> Cirque du Soleil pitches tent with Aussie connection {City North News}: < http://city-north-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/cirque-du- soleil-pitches-tent-with-aussie-connection/ > The Big Top is here for Cirque du Soleil {Northern Times}: < http://northern-times.whereilive.com.au/lifestyle/story/the- big-top-is-here-for-cirque-du-soleil/ > Cirque de Soleil's Dralion {Brisbane Times}: < http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/whatson/cirque-de- soleils-dralion/2008/11/26/1227491530282.html > Cirque comes to Brisbane {City News}: < http://city-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/cirque-comes-to- brisbane/ > The Cirque will go on {Brisbane Times} < http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/entertainment/the-cirque- will-go-on/2008/11/24/1227491432108.html > Cirque du Soleil readies the big top for Dralion {Courier Mail} < http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24684941- 5003423,00.html > Mystère: Timeless {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. From the article: The first Cirque du Soleil spectacle to make a permanent home on The Las Vegas Strip, it's still No. 1 in many hearts. Mystère 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, Mystère 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. Read the full article here: < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/01/first-cirque- treasure-still/ > {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 {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". From the article: How do you follow an act that forever changed the face of entertainment in Las Vegas? Just add water. After the success of Mystère, 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. Read the full article here: < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/08/o-elegant- watersport/ > {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 {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. From the article: 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. Read the full article here: < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/15/adventure-eyes/ > {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. Read the full press release here: < http://br.sys-con.com/node/777801 > 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. Read the full article here: < http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ ALeqM5jyKJ0syZg9wS9-IfOoqoDXgB1AQQ > {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 {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 it's 10th Anniversary on Tuesday, December 23rd. From his article: 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. I can't go a year at my desk job without missing a day. How do you go 10 years of trampolining? Read the rest of the story here: < http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl- thirty1908dec19,0,7803669.story > Purchase tickets to Cirque du Soleil La Nouba here: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/lanouba/en/tickets/tickets.asp > {SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel} Inside Cirque's Mystique {Dec.20.2008} --------------------------------------------- Lucy Powell of The Times Online in the UK recently learned about the secret world of Cirque du Soleil and wrote about her experiences with Quidam: For one of the most instantly recognisable, 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, multicoloured big top, it takes ten minutes of walkie- talkie conference, in three languages, before they will let us in. Read the rest of her article here: < http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_ entertainment/stage/article5320102.ece > {SOURCE: The Times UK Online} Kohl's, La Nouba Giveaway {Dec.20.2008} --------------------------------------------- Cirque Du 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 {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. Read the full article here: < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/22/zumanity-sates- senses/ > And read the rest of his series here: o) Mystère: first cirque a treasure still < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/01/first-cirque- treasure-still/ > o) "O": is elegant watersport < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/08/o-elegant- watersport/ > o) KÀ: An Adventure for the Eyes < http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/15/adventure-eyes/ {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} ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ======================================================================= 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 } =======================================================================