Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Fascination Issue 045 expanded
=======================================================================
______ _ __ _ __
/ ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / /
/ /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ /
/ __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/
/_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_)
T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
------------------------------------------------------------
E X P A N D E D I S S U E
------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
Issue #45e www.CirqueFascination.com August 2005
=======================================================================
As we say in the southern part of the United States, it's been a
spell, but we're off and running again! I apologize to all our loyal
readers for the two-month absence, but it's been a necessary pause. It
was entirely fueled by personal reasons; during the last few months I
have returned to university to complete my degree after a 3-year
break. It has not been an easy time, as all of my courses are now
upper-level. This means it's about as tough as university gets (minus
Masters programs). Each course is focused on a specific topic, and
that topic must be understood and mastered before going onto the next,
higher-level (a.k.a., harder), topic. There's no room for error;
stumbling now would only set me back and further discourage me from
ultimately earning that Bachelor of Science Degree. But I have a
renewed passion and a new life-long goal fueling that passion. Due to
the time and resources needed to stay focused on what was important,
Fascination! had to take a back seat. In the months to come, as I
finish my last two semesters, publication of Fascination! may be
further interrupted. But don't worry we'll get out news and
information about our favorite circus as often as we can.
Over our two-month absence there have been a ton of developments in
the Cirque du Soleil community, from new lawsuits to interesting new
products on the horizon. Some of this news has already permeated the
Cirque online community and we apologize for not covering it sooner.
Bear with us, however, as we do a bit of catching up and present to
you all the new developments since our last issue (even if it's old
news!)
Inside this issue we review the provocative Zumanity spread in August
2005's issue of Playboy magazine. As Keith says, "It's a tough job,
but somebody has to do it," and so he takes more of a technical tone
in his review of the spread than a pictorial one, so it should be
quite easy even on the youngest of eyes. We also take a look at the
recent lawsuit brought against Cirque du Soleil from an accident
behind-the-scenes at Cirque du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio. That
lawsuit has concluded and an agreement reached, but we still want to
present the facts of the case and what each side was saying (and not
saying) about the other. You can read my to-the-quick feature on this
lawsuit within. Cirque du Soleil was gracious enough to provide us the
text for articles they wrote about CirqueCon 2005: Montreal for their
Intranet publication, so we present that to you as well.
Also, if you're interested in reviewing some segment of Cirque du
Soleil, have something Cirque related you want to speak about, or have
a desire to explore all the many facets of Cirque du Soleil, we invite
you to join us! Fascination! is always looking for people who wish to
speak passionately about Cirque du Soleil. Wanna join us? Let me know!
We need your help! Use our email address below.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Fascination!
/// EXPANDED ISSUE: Once again our expanded articles reside in the LA
PRESSE section. This month you'll find a transcript from yet another
60 Minutes/CBS News peek into Cirque ("An Eye on Cirque"), a USA
Today overview on the company's need for athletes ("Cirque's Siren
Call to Athletes"), and a wonderful interview with Franco Dragone in
the Las Vegas Sun ("Dream Weaver: Dragone Talks Le Reve"). ///
- Ricky
===========
CONTENTS
===========
* Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* CRQ-TV -- Cirque on Television
* CRQ.NET -- This Month in Cirque Club
* LA PRESSE -- Cirque in the Press [EXPANDED]
* Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Le Spectacle:
"Cirque du Soleil vs. Mark Brown"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
* Le Spectateur:
"It's a Tough Job, But Somebody's Gotta Do It"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Special Engagement:
"Cirque Passionates at IHQ"
Special Reprint from Cirque du Soleil
* Parting Quote
* Subscription Information
* Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
New Entertainment Complex Announced!
------------------------------------
On June 22, 2005, Cirque du Soleil and Loto-Quebec announced a
proposal to establish a world-class entertainment complex in
Montreal. This announcement confirms years-old rumors about
Cirque involving themselves in entertainment venues that would
offer a wide range of entertainment options branded with Cirque
du Soleil's flair.
The facts of this announcement are as follows:
- The location of this complex is proposed for the Peel
Basin in the du Havre sector of Montreal.
- The project would create approximately 6500 new jobs.
- The project is budgeted at approximately $1.2 Billion
CDN; $997 Million CDN coming from Loto-Quebec and $178
Million CDN from private partners.
- Loto-Quebec will manage the project while Cirque du
Soleil will provide design aesthetic and creative and
artistic direction.
- The complex would encompass a 300-room hotel, a 2500-
seat performance hall, a spa, an "Artists' Wharf", and
a park where Cirque can set up their Grand Chapiteau.
- The Casino de Montreal would be relocated to the site.
- Further development of the site could include an
exhibition center, and the development of a monorail
to interconnect the complex and a soccer stadium.
- Cirque du Soleil and Loto-Quebec are looking to
inaugurate the new complex in 2010/2011.
With every large project comes controversy, and such has not
escaped this new project. To us it looks on the surface like a
great match; the Montréal Casino has suffered as "high roller"
customers have taken their business to other, more exciting,
cities. Lotto-Quebec obviously feels they must modernize or
risk falling further behind. Yet they aren't insensitive to
concerns about gambling in general - noting that though this
huge project will have many facets, it will not include an
increase in space allocated to gambling.
But there are concerns. Placing this new project in the Peel
Basin/Point St-Charles area (which, on our map is marked as an
industrial area) has activists concerned that any move will mean
more crime and traffic in the area, in what some consider to be
a residential area. But Lotto-Quebec officials insist that the
area was selected because it is out of the way of most
residential areas of the city, yet close to the big hotels and
Old Montréal.
It will take years for this proposal to move its way through the
planning and approval process. In the meantime, check out the
website and pictures, they present exciting possibilities.
Save on La Nouba!
-----------------
The performances? Awe-inspiring. The music? Amazing. The
savings? Yours. As a Disney Passholder, you can enjoy the Walt
Disney World Resort-exclusive Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba at
25% off the regular price of Category 2 admission. This offer is
good for performances from May 1 through September 20, 2005
(there are no shows on Sundays and Mondays, nor 6/5-20, 8/14-17
and 8/28-30,2005). And you can bring up to three Guests along to
enjoy the savings as well! Tickets may be purchased up to 30-
days in advance, so call 407-939-7604 today! [Source: Mickey
Monitor, Disney Passholder Newsletter]
Cirque du 5K
------------
Cirque du Soleil hosts the fifth annual Run Away with Cirque du
Soleil 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk at Paseo Verde Park in
Henderson on Labor Day (Sept. 5). All proceeds from the event
benefit the Center for Independent Living. Race-day registration
begins at 6 a.m. with the 1 Mile Fun Walk starting at 8 a.m.
followed by the 5K Run at 8:15 a.m. Pre-registration will be
from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Findlay Volkswagon in Henderson on
Sept. 4. You also may register on-line at active.com (search
word: Cirque). Pre-registration entry fees are $20 for the 5K
run and $15 for the 1 mile fun walk. There is a $2 early bird
discount if registering before Aug. 26. On the day of, both
events are $40. The Center for Independent Living is a
residential facility for at-risk youths ages 16 to 20.
According to a Cirque marketing message written about the event:
"It will be a day of entertainment, exercise and prizes! There
will be live music from Cirque du Soleil musicians, and you'll
have a chance to meet some of the performers from our Las Vegas
shows. The day will also include face painting for kids,
massages, food, refreshments and a whole lot more! Prizes will
be awarded to the winners in each category. Also, all
participants will be entered in a raffle where they can win
other great prizes including tickets to La Nouba, KÀ, Mystère,
"O" and ZUMANITY!" [Source: The Las Vegas Sun, Cirque du Soleil]
An Eye on Cirque
----------------
On August 7, 2005, Cirque du Soleil was once again featured on
the CBS News Evening Magazine, "60 Minutes". Some of the more
interesting pieces released in the transcript (which is
available on the CBS News/60 Minutes website) are:
- Today Cirque employs 3,000 employees worldwide.
- 700-750 of the employees are performers.
- There are 3 new shows currently planned.
- Ka's moving stage weighs 175 tons.
- 170 behind-the-scenes technicians are needed to support
Ka's cast of 80.
- Mystere was a sell-out 10-days after it opened.
- Cirque du Soleil keeps 50-percent of all ticket sales
for every show in Las Vegas.
- Guy Laliberte does not believe Cirque has reached a
saturation point in Vegas. He believes there is yet
more Cirque can do in that desert town.
Gilles Ste-Croix, Cirque du Soleil's Director of Creation, also
spoke briefly about what to expect for the Mirage 2006 Beatles
show: "We discovered in India, in Agastan, a little
contortionist. And the number is done while they are carrying a
little bowl with a little candle on their forehead. While
they're doing all their contortion," says St-Croix. "And it's so
meditative, I would say, to have this tiny little girl who does
that. And she climbs a rope while she's doing it. And it's just
whooo." Which Beatles song is the act supposed to illustrate?
"'Sun King'" and 'Here Comes the Sun'," says Ste-Croix.
The transcript of Leslie Stahl's feature is available in our
LA PRESSE section. [Source: 60 Minutes, CBS News]
Clowning Around Pays!
---------------------
The Wall Street Journal takes notice when unusual occupations
start turning into big bucks. And so it noticed - circus
clowning! An article entitled, "The Power Clown" appeared on
page D1 of the Friday, August 12 edition of the Journal.
Written by Kelly Crow, the article discussed the new breed of
"superstar clown," the reasons star clowns are becoming more
important parts of the circus structure, and some of the perks
they are receiving. Since only paid subscribers can access the
article, we can't simply post a link. But we can pull out some
interesting tidbits...
- The circus industry is estimated to be worth $1.8
Billion dollars. Ringling Brothers is said to control
80% of it. For most circuses, almost 20% of the overall
budget goes to insurance.
- Big Apple Circus' "Grandma" (Barry Lubin) gets 5% of the
pre-tax gross on sales of Grandma souvenirs. The
company also let him write its latest show, "Grandma
Goes to Hollywood." In addition, a substitute Grandma
fills in for Lubin during 80% of the spring and summer
shows. Taking the "syndication" approach favored by Bob
Bell's "Bozo," Mr. Lubin suggests, "...if it were up to
me, there'd be a thousand Grandmas all over the world."
- Bello Nock, one of the two star clowns in Ringling
Brothers, makes $600,000 per year, and has a staff
including a personal assistant and driver for his 78-
foot custom RV. He also negotiated for more creative
control of his routines and to appear in about 40
minutes of each 2-hour show.
- David Larible, the other Ringling star clown, has
copyrighted seven of his acts, and also gets royalties
from dolls of his likeness.
- The article also points out that Francois Dupuis, who
plays "Baby" in Cirque's "Mystere" gets royalties - on
top of his salary - from licensing his character to the
company.
The article points out the evolution circus has gone through
since the turn of the last century. Much of the reliance on
clown stars comes from economics; animals can be very expensive
to keep and maintain, and engender protest from activists. And,
by being able to focus their marketing efforts on one person,
they can compete with other live-action shows such as "Rugrats"
and "Barney" that rely on characters youngsters instantly
recognize.
They've also had to reduce the size and length of their shows.
Ringling has found that youngsters with shorter attention spans
prefer show lengths no more than two hours, and so has reduced
the number of acts they employ accordingly (another budget
saver!). [Source: Wall Street Journal, Keith Johnson]
Another Cirque Book on the Way? Not quite.
-------------------------------------------
With her impending "retirement" as COO of Cirque, Lyn Heward
will certainly have more time on her hands. But she's filling
up her time already, by branching out and - writing a book!
"The Spark: Igniting The Creative Fire That Lives Within Us
All", written by Lyn with John Bacon, is due to be published
next February by Currency. This sounds like a title just
perfect for a high-placed former executive in the Cirque
organization! The English-language book looks to retail for
about $20.00 and hopefully will have more than it's reported 128
pages. To keep track of it, the ISBN is 0385516517. [Source:
Amazon.com, Keith Johnson]
Who Knows, This Might Just be a Skill Cirque Needs!
---------------------------------------------------
The Saturday, July 9 Dilbert had a funny payoff. Dilbert's boss
is pictured in the doctor's office with his left arm crooked
behind his left shoulder. The doctor sites it as a case of
"Manager's Elbow." "It's caused by patting yourself on the back
and covering your butt at the same time," he explains.
His prognosis: "I recommend you join the Cirque Du Soleil. I'm
giving you a prescription for a leotard."
Actually, it might be a good career change. Sharp-minded
readers will recall an anecdote in our "audition" series, where
our host mentioned an artist who, while walking around the
rehearsal space with his arm crooked behind his back (much in
the same way as the boss), was noticed by Franco Dragone, and
recruited to do just that very thing during "O". Sometimes
that's all it takes!
See the original strip at: < http://news.yahoo.com/comics/
050709/cx_dilbert_umedia/20050907 >
Filling Up La Nouba
-------------------
Disney is always pro-active in its promotional activities, often
gobbling up dozens of website names way before it might ever
want to use them. Jim Hill, who writes interesting articles
about Disney over at jimhillmedia.com, has taken to occasionally
listing recent site acquisitions by the Disney Company. A few
that struck our eye:
-- Lanoubadvc.com
-- Lanoubapassholder.com
-- Lanoubaregistration.com
-- Lanoubavipcast.com
Looks like Disney might be gearing up to sell discounted (or
otherwise "special") La Nouba tickets to passholders or maybe
Disney Vacation Club members. But what really intrigues us is
the "lanoubavipcast" title. "Vip Cast" huh? Wonder what that
could mean. [Source: Jim Hill Media]
Jacques Méthé joins the Cirque
------------------------------
Éric Fournier, Senior Vice-President, New Ventures at Cirque du
Soleil, is pleased to announce the arrival of Jacques Méthé as
head of Cirque du Soleil Images. As General Manager, Mr. Méthé
will manage all television, film and DVD projects for Cirque du
Soleil.
For the past thirty years, Mr. Méthé has actively taken part in
the production of dozens of films and television series in
Canada and abroad. Among other things, he was General Manager of
Atlantique Productions in Paris, and President of Allégro Films
in Montreal. "Cirque du Soleil will benefit from his
international expertise and his strong management skills,"
stated Éric Fournier. "His background will certainly be a major
asset for the development of Cirque du Soleil Images. "
"It is an honor for me to make a contribution to such a
motivated team, dedicated to the production of original and
innovative products for film and television," commented Jacques
Méthé. "In addition to its regular activities, our division will
develop films and programming which will meet the high standards
of quality and originality of Cirque du Soleil. There are many
exciting challenges ahead." [Source: Cirque du Soleil]
Final CD Reissues on their Way
------------------------------
The final set of three "reissues" from Cirque du Soleil Musique
are scheduled to hit US record stores on September 6 (and make
their way to Canada on September 20). On that date you'll be
able to "complete your collection" with the CD's from La Nouba,
O, and Mystere (Live) - all sporting new graphics. Sadly, it
looks like the original studio version of Mystere has joined
"Cirque du Soleil" and "Nouvelle Experience" in soundtrack
heaven, to be seen again only on EBAY.
And have you heard about the "tribute" Cirque CD? Global Stage
Orchestra (which has previously put together a Beatles Tribute
CD), now has "Music You Heard at Cirque du Soleil Shows" coming
out stateside any day now. The three-CD set sports 29 remakes
of Cirque songs, with quite an eclectic collection. When we
snag a copy, we'll be sure to review it for you. If you want to
see more, check out Amazon.com and search for "Global Stage
Orchestra." [Source: Keith Johnson, amazon.com]
In The Ring
-----------
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Cirque du Soleil
will hire between 150 and 180 local staff members to work box
office and other sales for Varekai in St. Petersburg, Florida
{starting December 1, 2005}. It will spend about $300,000 on
local advertising, $40,000 to $350,000 in site improvement costs
and $125,000 on equipment and office rental.
[tampabay.bizjournals.com]
According to the Associated Press and WPRI-TV, in September,
Cirque du Soleil will help kick off a campaign to re-open the
Adams Theater in Adams, Massachusetts. "The gala will include
former Ringling Brothers jugglers and trapeze artists from
Cirque du Soleil." [www.wpri.com]
=======================================================================
CRQ-TV -- CIRQUE ON TELEVISION!
=======================================================================
Discovery Channel Canada
< http://www.exn.ca/dailyplanet/ >
==================================
Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque airs Tuesday, September 6th through
Friday, September 9 at 7:00pm Eastern/8:00pm Pacific.
Tues, Sept 6 - Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque "KÀ"
---------------------------------------------------
KÀ tells the epic story of twins who set out on a perilous
journey to discover their shared destiny - but the danger is not
limited to the fictional story of the twins. Currently in
production at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, the producers of
KÀ have created a performance space out of a void - with no
traditional stage. Instead, inspired by the mechanics of an oil
rig, the show employs twin platforms - 116 m² and 84 m² - that
rise, rotate and tilt, forcing the performers to fight gravity
and physics to keep from falling into the void. How do they do
it? And how do the producers marry aesthetics with engineering
to serve the battle-filled quest of KÀ's storyline?
Wed, Sept 7 - Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque "O"
-------------------------------------------------
In contrast with KÀ, Cirque du Soleil's resident production at
Las Vegas'Belagio hotel, O, is a mesmerizing and lyrical
interpretation of the elements - but every bit as challenging.
Centre stage is a 46 x 30-metre pool - synchronized swimmers,
high divers and aerialists are among the spectacular athletes
and artists in the spotlight. But equally impressive are the
mechanics of a "stage" where 5.7 million liters of water
disappears in seconds only to fill the pool again moments later.
In this episode, Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque explores the
pool as a stage and the unique consideration for lighting,
sound, how the artists hear underwater and manage breathing - on
cue - and the safety and engineering challenges tackled in this
aquatic spectacular.
Thurs, Sept 8 - Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque "Performance Physics"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The trapeze, the Russian swing and the trampoline are common to
circus acts everywhere - but Cirque du Soleil reinterprets these
circus staples, taking the engineering and acrobatic execution
to the extreme. Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque meets with
Rigging Designer Jaque Paquin to learn how he made a seemingly
impossible modification to the Russian swing, making it half the
weight of the usual swing - and witness the resulting
spectacular aerial feats in Varekai. Then, on the rebound, Daily
Planet: Secrets of Cirque explores La Nouba's trampoline wall, a
vertical trampoline designed like a high-rise building that the
acrobats bounce in, out and around the walls, "windows" and
roof. Performers must master spatial relationships - knowing
where they are during each flip in relation to the trampoline,
the wall, the "windows" and other performers. This episode also
looks at the extreme athleticism of these international
performers; the masters of gymnastics, diving and other
disciplines that make each Cirque du Soleil =company so
distinctive.
Fri, Sept 9 - Daily Planet: Secrets of Cirque "Costumes"
--------------------------------------------------------
The world's most extreme stage show has the power to captivate
the imagination even before the first acrobatic stunt is
executed - the vivid and exotic costumes are showstoppers in and
of themselves. But beyond beauty, go inside the Cirque costume
shop and learn how the designers work with the performers and
producers to develop one-of-a-kind costumes that meet the safety
and aesthetic needs of each show. From a contortionist's
caterpillar costume that metamorphoses into a butterfly, to a
design that allows performers to "body skate" across the stage
and the special underwater needs for O, see how every costume
element is given life through extensive collaboration.
[ Broadcaster Magazine - http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/
article.asp?id=46267&issue=08092005 ]
=======================================================================
CRQ.NET -- THIS MONTH IN CIRQUE CLUB
=======================================================================
(By: Keith Johnson)
So much can happen when you take a break! Since our last installment,
Cirque web sites have been very busy.
In Cirque Club, reports from Saltimbanco's "Eddy" and Dralion tour
member Jeroen discuss returns to their home towns (Paris and
Rotterdam, respectively). Setting up a Cirque tent site after a
hurricane hits is well documented by Rob Mackenzie, Tour Manager for
Saltimbanco, as their setup in Monterrey, Mexico had to be moved!
There is also a report about load-in of Varekai in New Jersey, and a
short piece on a Saltimbanco "hockey game" in Paris. And there's a
nice rundown of the facts and figures behind the Corteo Tour, and an
interesting article about how show names are chosen.
But the best article to come out of Cirque Club in some time is a long
one about picking audience victims out of Cirque audiences. It's
longer than most other articles, and gives a good rundown of its
topic, concentrating on the clown acts in Quidam. Nice job - we would
have loved to have that one for ourselves!
In the Press Room, Cirque announces the Loto-Québec Complex proposal
(commented on in this issue), trumpets how more people saw Corteo
during its Montréal run than any previous touring show, and talks
about the arrival of Jacques Méthé as new head of Cirque du Soleil
Images.
Cirque also has good coverage of "Reflections in Blue," their special
Opening Ceremonies show for the XI Fina World Aquatics Championships.
They covered it well on their general site, only being a little late
to the gate with a listing of worldwide Official Broadcasters who
might have carried the ceremonies. Afterword, Cirque Club has some
nice coverage with two galleries, a summary of the show and interviews
with cast and crew members.
Having not been too deeply into the CDS site lately, I was happy to
find more Wallpapers in the "Goodies" section, for Solstrom, O, and
Mystere. There are two new virtual cards for O and Mystere as well.
And the sections of the site talking about O and Mystere have also
been enhanced.
And the Boutique has a bunch of new items as their Fall line debuts.
Much new and darker colored clothing can now be found on the site.
They've added a very cute series of figurines from the shows to their
offerings, as well as what looks like the beginning of a new set of
refrigerator magnets. And they have a couple of interesting (if
expensive) items, a "swingpack" bag ($90.00) and "courier" bag
($190.00) made from authentic Cirque tent canvas. Way to recycle!
Looking at other Cirque-related sites produced some surprises as well.
"Madame" is back at Zumanity.com with some Q&A with the ladies who
were involved in the August Playboy pictorial. And KA.com has several
new installments of the "From The Abyss" series from Carpenter Wayne
C. Robinson.
In Cirque Marketing Messages, Anne-Josée "wrote" quite a bit, taking
credit for almost all of the entries we excerpt below:
The Pre-Sale of tickets for Saltimbanco's premiere in Monterrey,
Mexico included an interesting caveat. In order to purchase advance
tickets, you could only use a Visa card! Visa is a prime sponsor of
the Saltimbanco tour in Mexico, but even then the restriction was
interesting. But it came with a nice payoff, as tickets were
discounted 10%!
Varekai arriving in Columbus (a surprising two-parter) -- "Before the
bright colors of our Grand Chapiteau can grace the skyline of
Columbus, there is a lot of work to be done! Despite the fact that
performances are still in full swing in East Rutherford, a number of
Varekai crew members have gone ahead to the corner of Neil Ave. and
Nationwide Blvd. Why, you ask? Before our trailers roll into town,
technicians will spend the next few days in Columbus making sure that
the area designated for our enormous tent is good to go! Any debris
or broken asphalt will have to be cleared away, markers set up to
indicate exactly where our masts will be erected, and hook-ups with
local water and telecommunications systems secured. Only once these
details have been finalized will we be able to roll in and set up our
temporary home in your city."
"You may have already spotted them: our tractor-trailers have rolled
into town, and set-up for next Thursday's premiere of Varekai in
Columbus is already well under way. In my message last week, I
promised to share some amazing details about our Grand Chapiteau.
Here are just a few! Did you know that the entire infrastructure, or
as we prefer to call it, our "village on wheels," occupies an area of
170,000 square feet (16,000 square meters)? The central tent or
"Grand Chapiteau" is manufactured in France, measures 184 feet (56
meters) in diameter, and is supported by four steel masts 89 feet (27
metres) in height. The stage, built of steel, aluminum, and wood,
takes 48 hours to set up. Finally, we are completely self-sufficient
in electrical power: the site needs only a local water supply and
telecommunication facilities to be operational."
Dralion in Oostende -- "Just recently I was lucky enough to chat with
Simon Howett, our Hospitality Supervisor currently on tour with
Dralion in Oostende. "When you travel a lot like we do and every few
months brings another town," says Simon, "it's nice to go somewhere
where it's not all new. Oostende is definitely familiar territory for
me and really brings back a lot of memories. "I was born in Belgium
but grew up in England. I was 6 years old when I first went to
Oostende with my parents and grandparents. Since my first visit, I've
driven through the city many times to get to the ferry to England. I
have also worked in Oostende; during my teenage years, I worked on the
busy terraces, and later in several casino shows as a dancer. My last
visit was two years ago when I came with Cirque du Soleil's
Saltimbanco show. "I'm looking forward to eating "garnaalkroketten"
(shrimp croquettes) with a cool beer on a terrace, going to the beach,
taking walks on the dike, enjoying the many festivals going on during
our stay and having fun with my friends who live there."
Quidam leaving Australia -- "August just last year marked our arrival
down under with Quidam! Since then, we've had the good fortune to
discover what it's like to live on the opposite side of the world. It
all began in Sydney, our first stop, and one we're not likely to
forget soon. While in town, we were honoured to perform at the TV
Week Logie Awards. We were also lucky enough to visit several of
Sydney's hot spots, including our favourites the Harbour, the rocks,
Centrepoint Tower and Chinatown. From Sydney, we wove our magic (and
more than 48 tractor trailers hauling our set-up) all the way to
Brisbane. And despite the pesky, poisonous cane toads that seemed to
adore the atmosphere beneath the Grand Chapiteau, we had a wonderful
stay! Then, in March, at Federation Square in Melbourne, a team of
local graffiti and stencil artists created two colourful murals
featuring characters and acts from Quidam. In fact, we've just
learned that these two creations will be displayed at Cirque's
International Headquarters in Montreal. After Melbourne, it was off to
Adelaide! One of the highlights of this stop was the gobsmacked look
on Channel 10 sports presenter Mark Alston's face when our clown, Voki
Kalfayan, planted a big, sloppy kiss right on his lips! Then, at last,
Perth, a fantastic and cheery city, but our last stop in Australia
before cast and crew head to Singapore. All of you welcomed us with
open arms and bright smiles, and we cannot thank you enough! We hope
to be back in Australia more sooner than later..."
Saltimbanco in Mexico -- "I can hardly wait to bite into a spicy
burrito! Allow me to explain: the everyday dishes we've become
accustomed to while on tour with Saltimbanco in Europe are getting
repetitive. Thankfully, with our arrival in Mexico, menus will soon
reflect local, spicy cuisine! In fact, our chefs are already hard at
work scoping out local markets for fresh and zesty ideas to complete
their Mexican-inspired menus. Have you ever wondered what and where we
eat? Without a doubt, one of the most amazing amenities on tour is
the kitchen, the heart and soul of our mini-village! In a facility
made up of six trailers, a dining area and two outdoor terraces, the
Saltimbanco kitchen crew (12 members in all) prepares approximately
400 meals a day, six days a week. While in Mexico, several of these
meals will certainly include tacos, nachos, tortillas, beans, salsa,
chili and jalapeño! And to wash down these spicy new flavors,
thousands of litres of fruit juice (we drink an average of 31,200
litres a year) will provide welcome relief for our overexposed taste
buds."
Alegria in Japan (planning to leave for England) -- "Just last week I
was lucky enough to chat with Montse, a crew member with Alegría,
which is currently visiting Nagoya, Japan. She explained that with
only nine months to go before Alegría's premiere in London, the team
has been planning and preparing for the huge changeover from Japan to
the United Kingdom for several months already. She went on to say that
our transfer team at the Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters
in Montreal and our own tour crew are both used to transporting the
Grand Chapiteau and its surrounding facilities from city to city, but
we have to admit the transport from Asia to Europe is a bit of a
challenge! Just imagine the preparations needed to move 145 cast and
crew members and 12 huge sea containers carrying 800 tons of show
equipment overseas for thousands of miles in an operation that will
take over a week. Also, imagine the culture shock we'll be facing:
changing from sushi and noodles to shepherds' pie and scones, from the
Japanese yen to the Great Britain pound, and from riding the Japanese
bullet train to "mind the gap!" Montse continues: "To perform, work,
live in and discover a country like Japan has been an amazing
experience for me. Japan has surprised me with its colorful costumes,
amazing culture, beautiful shrines, typhoons and even earthquakes!
However, I'm very much looking forward to the premiere at the Royal
Albert Hall in London on January 5, 2006. I hope to meet you at
Alegría!"
And there is a special offer available for La Nouba -- "Have you ever
sat back in your seat during a Cirque du Soleil show and wondered:
"How on earth did they do that?" Well here is your invitation to ask
the unbelievable performers from La Nouba in person! This summer we
will be holding special Question and Answer sessions with some of the
gymnasts, bicyclists, trapeze artists and other great performers that
bring La Nouba to life. All Cirque Club members who have purchased
tickets to see La Nouba between June 21 and September 30 can register
to attend one of the three sessions to take place in the Cirque du
Soleil Theater at Downtown Disney West Side on select Saturdays
between July 23 and September 17. Places are limited, so register
soon!"
And finally, Madame wrote again, about the Playboy spread. Her
writing is just so delicious! -- "Here is my personal little summer
forecast for you: July is going to be HOT! And I'm not just talking
about the weather... A few short months ago, on a steamy afternoon in
the ZUMANITY theatre, eight gorgeous seductresses from the show
encountered the intimate lens of Playboy. The human zoo was exposed
like never before as one by one these fabulous creatures donned a
seductive glance... and not much else. What a beautiful afternoon that
was! If you so desire, I invite you to read all about that sexy day,
including a brief Q&A with the ladies, in a little something I call
Exposé! And keep an eye out for the August issue of Playboy that came
out just recently: it promises to bare all the secrets of that
unforgettable afternoon! Oh, one more little thing. You are cordially
invited to come down to Vegas on July 15 and 16 to join our beautiful
sirens, who will be signing copies of their Playboy pictorial... Get
all the delicious details below! P.S. I'm glad you decided to come
this far. Now go a little further... The girls will be at the
ZUMANITY boutique on July 15 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and on July 16
they'll be at The Playboy Concept Boutique (at The Forum Shops at
Caesars) from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Hope you can make it! P.P.S. Good
things come in threes... forward this message to someone special!"
Above text courtesy of Cirque Club.
=======================================================================
LA PRESSE -- CIRQUE IN THE PRESS [EXPANDED]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------
"An Eye on Cirque"
From: 60 Minutes / CBS News
-----------------------------------------------
Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes a new Cirque du
Soleil.
For 20 years, a band of French-Canadians has been re-inventing the
circus, creating shows that are ever more magical, daring, exotic,
stylish, and sophisticated.
But its biggest productions are in, of all places, Las Vegas, the land
of the glitz.
As Correspondent Lesley Stahl reported last February, Cirque du Soleil
doesn't just dominate entertainment in Las Vegas. It's also changing
the city's entire economy.
Las Vegas has been transformed by a circus with a French name. Cirque
du Soleil has four permanent shows up and running on the strip.
The first was "Mystere." It was so successful (packing crowds in for
two shows a night) that they opened a second, "O," and called it
Cirque in water.
Then, there was a third show, the R-rated "Zumanity," and now a
fourth, "Ka," in which not only do performers fly, but so does the
stage.
Cirque, headquartered in Montreal, is run by its founder, Guy
Laliberte. "It's pretty good," he says of the group's success in Las
Vegas.
It's pretty good for a guy who began as a street performer in
Montreal, stilt-walking and breathing fire for tips. Twenty years ago,
he put together his first traveling tent show. Today, he's sole owner
of a global showbiz empire with 3,000 employees, including 700 to 750
performers.
Laliberte says there are 10 shows (including tent shows) up and
running and three are in preparation.
Cirque's tent shows, each one completely different from the next, tour
all around the world. But the most elaborate, over-the-top productions
are in Vegas. Every night, roughly 10,000 people pay between $60 and
$150 apiece to see their shows.
"Cirque du Soleil put an entirely new face on entertainment in Las
Vegas," says Bobby Baldwin, a top executive with the MGM/Mirage hotel
chain, Cirque's business partner in Vegas. "Ka," the newest show, is
at the MGM Grand.
"I think when all the money is counted, it's gonna be about $185
million, for one show," says Baldwin.
There are entire hotels in Vegas that have been built for less than
that. Most of the money went to build a huge new theater just for
"Ka," with a giant moving stage that weighs 175 tons, powered by
super-computers and super-hydraulics.
Just like the acrobats, the stage itself contorts into a boat, a
beach, and a battleground. Cirque spent four years and millions more
to develop the show, an epic tale of war in which the staging is so
elaborate (and the stunts so risky that 170 behind-the-scenes
technicians are needed to support the cast of 80.
"These shows are designed to last forever. Some people, they say,
'Well, the Broadway show ran 32 weeks or 18 weeks.' 'Mystere' at
Treasure Island has been running for 14 years," says Baldwin.
Back in 1990, bringing "Mystere" to Vegas was a big gamble. At the
time, entertainment in Vegas consisted of fading stars, comedians and
a couple of guys with white tigers.
"Our approach was very simple. It was about creating a universal
language," says Laliberte. "A show that will be attractive toward
every people coming from all over the world. And that was a big
thing."
"I said, 'What language?' And they said, 'It's Cirque du Soleil
language,'" says Baldwin. "So everything they do is different. And at
the beginning, that's what made it so scary as an investment."
Before Baldwin was a casino executive, he won the world series of
poker. Some of Cirque's own people had their doubts, like Gilles St-
Croix, the vice president of Creation.
Did he think it was a crazy idea? "In '89, I went to Vegas for the
first time. I was in Vegas and I said, 'What am I doing here? This so
far away,'" says St-Croix. "So foreign and so far away from
everything.
And Guy said, 'We will not do a show like Wayne Newton.
We will do a show like Cirque du Soleil.'"
That first Cirque show, "Mystere," was a sellout within 10 days of
opening. It was the beginning of a sea change for Las Vegas that
hasn't stopped.
The profile of the "typical" Las Vegas visitor has changed
dramatically over the last couple of years. Retirees from Middle
America, who play the nickel slots, don't come to Vegas anymore. With
Native-American and riverboat casinos popping up across America, they
can find slot machines closer to home.
Today's Las Vegas visitors are wealthier, younger, more international
and far more sophisticated.
"We had contributed this city to grow culturally, artistically," says
Laliberte. "We had proved that people could be sophisticated."
Casino owners in Las Vegas used to practically give away show tickets,
hotel rooms, and food, just to lure people to the slots and the
tables. But that strategy doesn't work with the new breed of visitor.
"They're very finicky as to what they eat, where they sleep and what
kind of shows they go to see. And before they didn't care," says
Baldwin. "They just wanted to play blackjack or shoot dice and get out
of town."
But they didn't have shows like "O," with all of its "How'd they do
that?" numbers. There's 1.5 million gallons of water on that stage,
and all of the costumes have to be replaced every couple of months
because the chlorine eats away at the Lycra.
"I think people plan their trips, particularly vacations, with the
idea that 'O' or one of the other Cirque du Soleil shows will be on
the itinerary," says Baldwin.
And that has turned the entire economic equation of Las Vegas on its
head.
"I make just as much money off of you as a company, whether you gamble
or you don't gamble, because most of our revenues are non-gambling,"
says Baldwin. "In the Bellagio hotel, 60 percent are non-gambling, and
40 percent are gambling."
He adds that "we make money off of everything," which includes shows,
restaurants and the incredible shops.
Cirque, however, makes a bundle, too. Under their deal with MGM, they
keep 50 percent of all ticket revenues for every show.
"So you're a billionaire," Stahl tells Laliberte.
"That's what they say," says Laliberte, who still runs his empire from
French-speaking Montreal, where he may have the largest laboratory of
circus arts in the world. Twenty full-time talent scouts scour the
planet for the best benders, flyers, bouncers and spinners, and then
bring them all to Montreal to teach them the "Cirque way."
They find talent in the smallest circus in Romania, and the biggest
stadium in Athens from the Olympics. "It's a second life for those
people," says Laliberte.
Some of their most talented performers are behind the scenes in the
workshops, where every costume for every show is sewn by hand. They
dye and paint the fabrics themselves, hand make the wigs and
headdresses, and even the shoes.
It's pretty obvious that Laliberte likes to control every aspect of
his shows, and in his contracts with MGM in Las Vegas, he demands it.
Did they give him 100 percent artistic freedom? "It's not about
giving. It's about, that's a non-negotiable thing," says Laliberte.
"But they accept that right at the beginning."
Baldwin says he has "zero control of the creative." But Cirque
continues to deliver shows that sell out night after night.
"It is important for us to make sure that every creation we'll be
doing, we're doing in Vegas are distinctive, from one to the other
one," says Laliberte. "Because then we start to copy ourselves. In
Vegas, there's two types of people. There's the people who create, and
the people who copy. And I don't want to be somebody who will copy."
You'd think they've finally reached their limit, with four shows in
Vegas. But they're actually working on a fifth, set to open next year.
It'll be "Cirque Meets the Beatles." Laliberte has made an
unprecedented deal with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and the widows
of John Lennon and George Harrison, to do a production based on the
most famous music of our time.
"You know, the Beatles were one of the biggest things that happened in
the last century," says Laliberte. "It's a serious thing. It's a risky
thing. It was not about bringing back the Beatles. But their spirit
will be there. That's for sure."
Now, Laliberte's creative team is brainstorming, and Cirque's scouts
are searching the world for performers who can bring the songs to
life.
"We discovered in India, in Agastan, a little contortionist. And all
the number is done while they are carrying little bowl with a little
candle on their forehead. While they're doing all their contortion,"
says St-Croix. "And it's so meditative, I would say, to have this tiny
little girl who does that. And she climbs a rope while she's doing it.
And it's just whooo."
He says he needs four little girls. "And which song is that supposed
to illustrate?" asks Stahl.
"'Sun King' and 'Here Comes The Sun,'" says St-Croix.
"Have you reached your point of saturation, if you have a fifth show
with the Beatles?" Stahl asks Laliberte.
"I don't think so," says Laliberte. "I think there's a lot of other
types of shows that we could do [in Las Vegas]."
"People say this about you: that you're a real gambler," says Stahl.
"Always been. All my life," says Laliberte. "[Las Vegas] it's the
perfect place for me."
-----------------------------------------------
"Cirque's Siren Call to Athletes"
From: USA Today
-----------------------------------------------
Corey Fox spent more than 20 years learning to be an elite athlete. As
a gymnast and a diver, he devoted thousands of hours to mastering
split-second maneuvers that would impress judges and move him up the
competitive ladder.
Fox was an All-American at LSU and competed in 10-meter platform
diving for the U.S. national team. After he graduated, he briefly
performed in a diving show in Indiana, then worked as a committee
staffer for the legislature in his home state of Nevada.
"I decided to take a break from it all and try the real world, but I
didn't like that," says Fox, 26.
What he really wanted to do was run away with the circus or more
precisely, land a job with Cirque du Soleil, the international
entertainment juggernaut where hundreds of former athletes have
parlayed their skills into a career extension.
Cirque du Soleil has grown from a small troupe of Montreal street
performers in 1984 to a company that grossed $500 million last year.
There are 700 performers from 40 nations in 11 productions, some based
in Las Vegas, Orlando and New York and others that tour the world.
Shows feature stylized storytelling that merges acrobatics with
artistry.
Three-quarters of the Cirque cast are former athletes, including a
dozen or so Olympians. About 40 are Americans, chiefly from
gymnastics, diving and synchronized swimming.
Many leave their sports with distinguished résumés but limited options
mostly seasonal shows at theme parks or short-lived tours to make
a living using their muscle memory and acquired expertise.
Cirque offers an alluring combination of glamour and job security.
Performers earn from $45,000 to $200,000 a year (plus expenses for
touring companies), depending on experience and the demands of their
roles.
Some, like Fox, approach the company. Cirque also scouts the Olympics
and other major events to find talent, conducting long, discreet
courtships through coaches and federation officials so they aren't
accused of stealing athletes in their prime.
Fox trained with Chinese Olympic gold medalist Gao Min in Edmonton to
get back into shape for his initial audition, but transforming into a
full-time Cirque performer isn't just about regaining muscle tone.
Flawless form in the air matters a little less and artistic flair
means a lot more.
Making the transition might seem easy for a former athlete. After all,
there's an element of performance in what they do. They compete before
large crowds. The way they look can affect how they are judged.
Yet there are huge differences, too. Before they're fit to be on
stage, athletes have to reprogram years of ingrained instincts, such
as maintaining a rigid posture or focusing on scores. That's why Fox
is enrolled in Cirque's 16-week training program in Montreal, trying
to break some habits in hopes he'll land a contract.
"Competing is so robotic," Fox says. "You basically do what you're
told. You're not really feeling it. You train so much that when you
get into competition, you don't have to think about it.
"Here, you're constantly in a state where you show emotions and
express yourself through body movement and facial expressions. It's
exhausting but rewarding."
During the Montreal training sessions, head coach Philippe Aubertin
tells former athletes there is no such thing as a perfect 10 in
entertainment.
"They have to shift from being an athlete who had to be strong and not
show emotion to an artist who has to be vulnerable," Aubertin says.
LOSING THEIR 'GAME FACES'
Every April, 50 or 60 athletes are invited to the company's huge
industrial-style headquarters on the outskirts of Montreal and
instructed in acting, movement, voice and even makeup application, as
well as acrobatic and athletic training. They receive a stipend and
are housed in dorms.
Inside vast, hangar-like training "gyms" with 60-foot ceilings, small
groups of athletes tackle pieces of equipment simultaneously in a
scene that resembles an exotic gymnastics meet.
A man and a woman stand on a platform and take turns swinging on a
trapeze. Tumblers somersault the length of a "power track," a long
strip with built-in spring. Other acrobats bounce off a trampoline at
an angle and "climb" a wooden building façade with cutout windows.
This activity looks chaotic, but it's quite organized. Cirque's
casting department assigns each athlete to the specific apparatus he
or she would eventually perform on in a show.
This spring, Fox found himself working on the "Russian swing" a
large rocking contraption that launches divers in the O show in Las
Vegas with a Russian woman who spoke no English.
Classes focus on helping athletes lose their game faces and become
more open and expressive. Although their acts still require much of
the physical coordination and strength they honed as competitors,
Cirque performers are portraying characters.
"We don't just want them to do their flip-flop and exit," acting coach
Pierre-Philippe Guay says.
Movement coach Valerie Dean tries to break down the regimented way
athletes often carry themselves by asking them to crawl like babies or
breakdance with their backs on inflatable exercise balls. Guay has
trainees run wildly around a pit filled with mulch or walk around a
studio, randomly shout and fall backward, trusting classmates to catch
them.
Adapting to new standards can be stressful for former champions
accustomed to excellence. Athletes meet weekly in small groups with
sports psychologist Madeline Halle, who encourages them to keep
journals.
"They're used to competing four or five times a year, and now they
have to do several hundred shows a year," she says. "Their old idea of
competition is not useful now. The main goal is to do the best but not
compare it to something or someone else."
Many former athletes find the adjustment liberating, if slightly
disorienting. Former U.S. rhythmic gymnastics member Meaghan Muller
did a temporary stint in the La Nouba show in Orlando without having
gone through the Montreal training, then enrolled to bolster her
performance technique and await an opening.
"You don't have to worry, 'Did the judges like me tonight?' " says the
27-year-old Muller of Roswell, Ga. "The crowd always loves you."
PRIOR SUCCESS NOT MANDITORY
More than half the trainees will be offered contracts and gradually
worked into shows as the cast turns over. Others are hired after
several months or a year. Once signed, many athletes stay until their
bodies or family demands dictate another lifestyle.
A number of top U.S. Olympians have had successful runs in Cirque
shows. Chelle Stack, a member of the 1988 U.S. gymnastics team that
finished fourth in Seoul, performed in tumbling and dance acts for
three years in La Nouba.
"I was a ham," says Stack, 32, who runs a gymnastics academy in
Orlando. "I loved doing floor exercise because I got to show more of
myself.
"Egotistically, the experience of getting a standing ovation every
night is quite amazing."
Yet the coaches in Montreal say many of the best athletes-turned-
performers are those who didn't reach their ultimate competitive
goals.
The Cirque cast is studded with "almosts," like O performers Emilie
Fournier, a Canadian gymnast who was injured days before she would
have competed in the 2000 Olympics, and U.S. diver P.J. Bogart, who
finished third in the 2000 Olympic trials, four points short of making
the team.
"It was devastating," says Bogart, 31, a U.S. and NCAA champion from
the University of Minnesota who was recruited by Cirque scouts.
His Cirque training period was no picnic, either. Bogart missed
competition and struggled with acting exercises that sometimes put
athletes in a position they detest looking foolish. He recalls
trainees having to walk toward a mirror, screaming, "Why are you
looking at me?" with each step.
"Once you do that, you can do anything," says Bogart, who plays a lead
role in O. He thinks he was more motivated because some of his
athletic ambitions went unfulfilled. "When you're not the best, you
never try to get by with just enough. You always give a little bit
extra."
Cirque doesn't overtly market the cast's sporting pedigree, relying on
the shows' reputation to attract customers. But the former athletes
performing under the big top are still, in many ways, at the top of
their games.
SOME NOTABLE US ATHLETES IN CIRQUE
Suzannah Bianco: Synchronized swimming, Santa Clara Aquamaids; 1996
Olympic team gold medalist, 1994 world championship team gold
medalist; Cirque show: O at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
P.J. Bogart: Diving, University of Minnesota; 2000 Olympic team
alternate; U.S. indoor 1-meter champion; U.S. 3-meter champion; 1995-
96 NCAA 1-meter champion; 1993 NCAA platform champion; Cirque show: O.
Tracy Bonner: Diving, University of Tennessee; 1995 NCAA 3-meter
champion; two-time U.S. 3-meter synchro champion; Cirque show: O.
Rory Bratter: Wu Shu, USA Wu Shu A-team; 2001 world champion (Chinese
martial arts, 2008 Olympic demonstration sport); Cirque show: KÀ at
the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
Ebon Grayman: Gymnastics, Temple University; Eastern Intercollegiate
Gymnastics League (now ECAC) all-around champion; Cirque show:
Zumanity at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas.
Mark Andrew Griffith: Trampoline, Top Flight Gymnastics (Crestview
Hills, Ky.); 2000 U.S. trampoline champion; Cirque show: La Nouba in
Orlando.
Sarah Harding: Gymnastics, Stanford University; 1999 first-team All-
American, floor exercise; 1996 Hawaii high school diving champion;
Cirque show: KÀ.
Kari Kreitzer: Synchronized swimming, Santa Clara Aquamaids; 1991 Pan-
American Games gold medalist; 1993-96 U.S. champion; Cirque show: O.
John Maxson: Diving, Michigan State University; Academic All-American;
school recordholder in 1- and 3-meter dives; Cirque show: O.
Bill May: Synchronized swimming, Santa Clara Aquamaids; 2000-01 U.S.
solo, duet and team champion; 2002 USOC athlete of the year; Cirque
show: O.
Kristen "Kristy" Powell: Gymnastics, Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy,
1997 U.S. all-around co-champion; Cirque show: La Nouba.
Rio Ramirez: Diving, University of Miami; 1997-99 NCAA 1-meter
champion, 1999 NCAA 10-meter champion, 1991 Pan-American champion;
Cirque show: O.
Mary Sanders: Rhythmic gymnastics, Ritmika Club (North York, Ontario);
2004 Olympic team member; 10th place, world championships; 2002-04
U.S. all-around champion; 2003 Pan-American Games gold medalist;
Cirque show: Corteo, a touring show
Frederic Umali: Gymnastics, U.S. Olympic Training Center; 2003 U.S.
high bar silver medalist; Cirque show: Corteo.
Chrissy Van Fleet: Gymnastics, University of Florida; Eleven-time All-
American, 2000 Southeastern Conference gymnast of the year; Cirque
show: La Nouba.
Trent Wells: Gymnastics, University of California; 2000 U.S. parallel
bars champion, 1998 NCAA champion (team); Cirque show: Mystère at
Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas.
-----------------------------------------------
"Dream Weaver: Dragone Talks Le Reve"
From: The Las Vegas Sun
-----------------------------------------------
"Le Reve," the aqua-production at Wynn Las Vegas, premiered April 28
to rave reviews -- mostly raving against the cerebral show that delves
heavily into symbolism.
Fans complained that it was too dark and foreboding. No one got it.
A wave of rumors quickly spread -- the show was a flop; it had been
canceled, or soon would be; it had been reduced from two shows a night
to one.
But most of the rumors have turned out to be false -- the production,
at the outset, was intended for one show a night. A second could be
added when it gets its legs.
Audiences seem to have adapted to the unique production, which
involves a lot of acrobatics in and out of water.
It has not been canceled, nor is it likely to be in the near future.
There are five performances weekly, Thursdays through Mondays.
Still, producer, director and creator Franco Dragone has taken a lot
of heat over "Le Reve."
Some wonder if the Italian-born artistic genius had lost his touch.
Dragone, who lives in Belgium (where he grew up), has created some of
the most enduring entertainment in Las Vegas, including "Mystere" at
Treasure Island (1993) and "O" at Bellagio (1998).
Both of those were created during Dragone's tenure with Cirque du
Soleil, for which he created a dozen shows that have been performed
around the world.
He left Cirque after "O" and formed his own company, which created "A
New Day ..." for Celine Dion at Caesars Palace.
Recently, Dragone spoke to the Las Vegas Sun about his latest
creation, discussing changes that have made vast improvements to the
show, explaining some of his thoughts about the symbolism and
defending himself against the criticism and denouncing the rumors.
Las Vegas Sun: I read somewhere that you said you would never do
another show in Las Vegas. Is that true?
Franco Dragone: It is true that I said that, but it was not correctly
translated. For me, I would be stupid to do another show like this one
in Las Vegas. I did "O" and "Mystere" -- in "Le Reve" I wanted to look
deeper, to approach differently the performance.
But I would be stupid if I do another show with a Cirque du Soleil
scale. Now I want to do something, finally, that is literal -- a
musical, or something with a story.
Sun: So you will do another Las Vegas production?
FD: Absolutely. I am not exaggerating. I loved to do the show with
Celine.
Placido Domingo asked me two years ago why we don't do (the opera)
"The Enchanted Flute," and I said it would be great to do this in Las
Vegas -- a kind of edgy opera for Las Vegas, very classy, very
sophisticated -- but at the same time, very mainstream.
Sun: Are you working on something now that might be suitable for Las
Vegas?
FD: Yes, but I cannot talk about it.
Sun: Since "Le Reve" opened there have been rumors -- that the number
of shows had been reduced, that it had been canceled. How do the
rumors get started?
FD: I don't know. I have to ask you. I have heard so many things bad
... if someone don't like the show, I don't have a problem, but all
these bad rumors about the show was canceled -- for me it was a
strain. I don't know why we have these kind of rumors.
Sun: Do you think some people want you to fail?
FD: I think the competition is stronger now than when I did "Mystere"
in '93, of course. It is a pity that people would be jealous.
Sun: Some have said "Le Reve" is too dark and foreboding for Las Vegas
audiences. What is your reaction to their reaction?
FD: I think in Las Vegas we have to do something. We have to progress.
We have to go further and further. Las Vegas is a big responsibility -
- there are at least 30 million or 40 million people who come every
year to Las Vegas.
We have the responsibility to improve our thought, to not impress them
only with big technology and things like this, but to give them food
for the mind, for the heart.
Everybody says Las Vegas is the city of the party, but we do not
become stupid because we party. I really feel that in Las Vegas -- and
I don't want to give lesson to nobody; I don't want to teach nobody --
in Las Vegas with the artist community we have now, hundreds come from
all over the world working in Las Vegas and they are creating a kind
of underground, not only on the Strip but everywhere, that is changing
things.
I think the future of Las Vegas, it will be the unique show that you
can find nowhere else in the world. We have to go further into the
meaning of the show, we can't stay only with revues.
Sun: So you don't believe "Le Reve" is too esoteric for Las Vegas
tastes?
FD: I consider the audiences intelligent. We have a lot of different
people and not all of them see all of the symbolism, but they receive
the show. They laugh, they cry. I really think it is a show for
everybody.
Some kids watch the show and they have fun. Celine Dion's 4-year-old
son, he laughed all through the show. I don't think we have to become
a child again, but why not have the same sensitivity as a child?
Sun: Isn't the show's symbolism a little confusing?
FD: I really believe we can talk to the people with images -- we can
talk to the heart of the collective sub-consciousness that we have.
We all have the same images in our brain. We see a lot of images on
TV. Images are everywhere. We are in the era of the images.
So in "Le Reve" we make a journey in a kind of dream ... an
ideological dream. I'm sure we tease their minds.
Sun: So you are challenging fans to think, to find something
meaningful.
FD: Yes. I really believe the public that come to my show, they have
thoughts. They see what they want to see. It is, for me, a kind of
introspection, but others see what they want to see -- some people are
bored, other people love it. Some people are moved: I've seen people
crying.
I want the audience to think. I don't want to feed them fast food.
We really need in this world today to consider people as people that
think, that are citizens of the world and they have something to think
about. We need to entertain them, but we need to ask some questions.
Sun: When I first saw the production it seemed much darker than it is
now, more somber. But in the past few weeks you seem to have lightened
things up a bit -- the cast members are smiling; there is more humor.
Did you make the changes because you listened to the complaints by
your fans?
FD: I have to say the truth, yes, I listen. But the show, it is a work
in progress. I did only four preview performances, which is
impossible. We cannot do this with this kind of show. We need to do
previews longer, we have learned this.
In the beginning, the show is rough. Everything that is dark is too
dark, everything that is light is too light ... yes, it was very
solemn, and this I did not want. But at the beginning, you are rough
in everything. It is too exaggerated in one way or another, so I
change. I listen to people and I make changes.
Sun: What are the most important changes you have made to the show
since the premiere?
FD: The finale has changed.
I have speeded up all the show. All the transitions are more tight.
The music, we have cut some music to shorten the acts that last too
long.
We have improved the performance, the costumes. We have some beautiful
costumes that audiences did not see because it was too dark -- we are
working with the lighting to make it brighter so you can see them.
We are reaching where I wanted to go now. I think the show has to be a
show that makes the audience feel good, not trouble them -- and never
do I want to shock somebody only to shock somebody. It is stupid, and
I don't want to do it.
Sun: You have one scene in which several pregnant women are dropped
into the water by men who are attached to bungee cords. What is the
significance of the pregnant women?
FD: For me water is the source of life, and pregnant woman is the
source of life. Water is tender and it is strong -- it can be very,
very tough; water kills people, but to watch it is very tender.
Pregnant women, they are as strong as they are fragile. They give
life. For me, in a dream you make different associations -- in this
one it is a kind of rebirth, that is the meaning I put on it.
The difficulty in this kind of show is finding a balance between the
literal and the figurative.
Sun: We all bring our own interpretations to the show.
FD: Exactly. For me, when we use this kind of performance, I don't
want to be completely literal. I want people in the audience to build
their own story. It's a way to put a mural in front of ourselves and
say, "let's watch what we want to watch." "I don't feel comfortable."
"I feel comfortable."
It is what I try to do. It is what we have to do in Las Vegas. We have
to ask the people not only to open their wallet, but we need to ask
them to open their heart and their soul -- and their mind.
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
[Touring Shows]
Alegría:
* Osaka, Japan:
Jun 26, 2005 to Sep 25, 2005
* Tokyo, Japan:
Oct 13, 2005 to Nov 13, 2005
* London, England:
Jan 5, 2006 to Jan 29, 2006
* Milan, Italy -- TBA
* Rome, Italy -- TBA
Corteo:
* Toronto, Ontraio, Canada:
Aug 4, 2005 to Sep 11, 2005
* Minneapolis, Minnesota:
Sep 23, 2005 to Oct 23, 2005
* San Francisco, California:
Nov 11, 2005 to Jan 8, 2006
* San Jose, California::
Jan 19, 2006 to Mar 5, 2006
Dralion:
* Oostende, Belgium:
Jul 21, 2005 to Aug 28, 2005
* Zurich, Switzerland:
Sep 8, 2005 to Oct 16, 2005
* Bilbao, Spain:
Nov 18, 2005 to Dec 4, 2005
* Seville, Spain:
Jan 12, 2006 to Jan 29, 2006
* Valencia, Spain -- TBA
Quidam:
* Singapore:
Sep 8, 2005 to Oct 2, 2005
* Hong Kong:
Nov 3, 2005 to Nov 20, 2005
Saltimbanco:
* Monterrey, Mexico:
Aug 4, 2005 to Sep 11, 2005
* Mexico City, Mexico:
Sep 22, 2005 to Oct 16, 2005
* Guadalajara, Mexico:
Nov 24, 2005 to Dec 11, 2005
Varekai:
* Columbus, Ohio:
Aug 11, 2005 to Sep 11, 2005
* Hartford, Connecticut:
Sep 22, 2005 to Oct 9, 2005
* Charlotte, North Carolina:
Oct 28, 2005 to Nov 20, 2005
* St. Petersburg, Florida:
Dec 1, 2005 to Dec 18, 2005
* Miami, Florida -- TBA
[Resident Shows]
La Nouba:
* Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
* Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
* Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- August 14th - 17th -- November 13th - 15th
-- August 29th - 30th -- December 4th - 13th
-- October 9th - 12th
Mystère:
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
Beginning June 13th: Except Sundays; 4:30pm and 7:30pm
* Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- September 12th - 20th
-- November 13th - 15th
"O":
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- August 22nd - 30th -- December 5th - 20th
-- October 16th - 18th
Zumanity:
* Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
* Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- August 15th - 18th -- December 7th - 22nd
-- October 10th - 13th
KÀ:
* Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
* Location: MGM Grand: City of Entertainment, Las Vegas (USA)
* Note: One show nightly at 8:00pm from Nov 26 to Dec 7.
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- August 1st - 2nd -- November 14th - 15th
-- September 9th - 13th
=======================================================================
DIDYAKNOW? -- FACTS ABOUT CIRQUE
=======================================================================
IN THEIR OWN WORDS - Questions and answers from people we've had the
honor of meeting and talking with in the last three years. While we
can't reveal identities, since several of them still work for Cirque,
we think some of the things they have to say would be interesting to
fans and aspiring artists and musicians.
We wondered if the Guy Laliberte you see in "Fire Within" - making
quick decisions and dashing weeks of work with a word - is the true
man. A kind source had another take, "It's his talent, and you have
to give him his due for that. It's not done in a malicious way; it's
done with a specific purpose. He knows what's going to work and
what's not going to work. Even if he wasn't the owner any company
would hire him to do that, because he's really good at it. But it's a
very difficult role because sometimes somebody has to say that things
have to change, somebody has to say no and disappoint someone. It's
not easy to do but he has to do it. But he doesn't do it in a
capricious way."
=======================================================================
LE SPECTACLE:
"Cirque du Soleil vs. Mark Brown"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
=======================================================================
It's unfortunate that we must cover yet another lawsuit against Cirque
du Soleil. Yet this lawsuit was quite different from those we've
reported on in the past. It wasn't about trademark rights to the word
"Cirque" or even about Discrimination, as in the 2003 case involving
Matthew Cusick. This time Cirque du Soleil was dealing with a more
fundamental problem: an injury - a catastrophic injury that had mostly
incapacitated its victim. Who was he? What happened? Who was to blame?
"Fascination!" reserves the right to hold its judgment; instead, we
will present the facts of the case as detailed and let you decide who
is at fault.
What are the facts in the case? Let's start by answering the questions
posed by the six most important interrogative words in the English
language:
Who -- Mark Brown, an electrician at the Bellagio.
What -- A 14-foot, 1,000-pound, prop that looks similar to an
alligator's head suspended approximately 50-feet in the air fell upon
the electrician, injuring him.
Where -- Backstage at the "O" theater at the Bellagio; the show was
not performing at the time.
When -- The incident took place on Wednesday, January 30, 2002.
Why -- The lawsuit was filed because Mr. Brown has sustained severe
injuries, including, but not limited to complete paralysis of the
lower torso and the loss of 25% of his skull.
How -- No one is sure how the incident occurred. The original suit was
filed in April of 2002.
What was Cirque Saying?
- Attorney: D. Lee Roberts
- Cirque placed the blame on the Bellagio (but the Bellagio was
not named in the lawsuit).
- Cirque placed the blame on Brown, citing negligence on his
part.
- They maintain the prop was hung (by Bellagio) from the ceiling
using the wrong type cable.
- This cable had a tendency to spin, causing the rigging to
unscrew.
- The Bellagio never inspected the rigging in over 194 weeks of
use.
- They did provide technical schematics showing how rigging was
done.
What was Brown saying?
- Attorney: James Crockett
- They said Cirque spent months designing the prop in Montreal
but the rigging design took about a week.
- Guy Plante, the project manager, was a recent college
engineering graduate who had never before worked on a show of
this complexity.
- There was never a final inspection of the prop in Montreal.
- Cirque never told the Bellagio how to inspect the prop (which
was to be done once a week).
- Only a screw "about the size of a baby's tooth" held the prop.
The amount of money Brown was originally asking for was not originally
disclosed. However, according to Brown's lawyer as reported in the
Las Vegas Sun, Brown needed approximately $10 million for medical
bills and lost wages since the incident. At the time, both sources
stated the proceedings were scheduled to last about three to four
weeks.
Later, in a most surprising turn of events, Cirque du Soleil settled
with Brown for an undisclosed sum just as the verdict was about to be
delivered! The jurors had reached a verdict and a settlement amount,
and were called back into court only to hear from the judge that a
settlement had been reached in the case and their services (and
verdict) were no longer needed.
Interviews with jurors later reported that, should the verdict have
been handed down, jurors were looking to award almost $40 million to
Brown. Cirque du Soleil has not admitted any wrong doing in the
settlement, though some of the jurors were upset that all their time
spent listening to the evidence and reaching a verdict was all for
naught.
=======================================================================
LE SPECTATEUR:
"It's a Tough Job, But Somebody's Gotta Do It"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
The blurb on the plastic bag (that keeps prying hands from thumbing
through the pages) proudly proclaims, "Stars of the hottest show in
Vegas bare all!"
The August, 2005 Playboy Magazine hit the stands recently, with a
pictorial featuring some of the female (and male) stars of Zumanity
within. While I myself am no expert on the subject of men's
magazines, the duty fell to me. And with all the arguments of whether
Playboy objectifies women acknowledged, we shall plunge ahead.
Playboy has been known as a magazine that glorifies the image of a
nude woman, while not overly stressing her sexuality in its
pictorials. So the pictures of the women featured there have tended
to be on the "soft-core" side, and such is also the case with the
Zumanity feature. Add to that the idea that this is more of a
"celebrity" pictorial (the "celebrity" in this case being Cirque du
Soleil) and you get a variety of beautiful pictures of beautiful nude
women, while not stressing the erotic factor these pictures might have
the capacity of containing.
The women here are showing their beauty, and their bodies, but very
few pictures bare the artists soul. In Madame's Zumanity.com artist
Q&A several ladies spoke of their discomfort - not of appearing nude,
but from having to hold their poses for long periods of time. These
pictures (taken by Stephen Wayda) are stylish and sensual, but not
sexual. While comfortable in their bodies, it would have to be noted
that those bodies, as demanded by the physicality of the artists life,
are fit and trim. There is beauty in that, to be sure, but not a
great deal of voluptuousness. (Not to worry, cover girl Doira Baird
fills that quotient quite nicely.)
The accompanying article, written by Scott Dickensheets, is short and
pedestrian, with no new information. But it does contain a great
quote from Joey Arias, who says, "If people leave with an attitude,
great or crappy, we did our job."
It opens on Page 72 with a two-page spread of Tissu artist Olga
Vershinina with Alan Jones Silva. The striking lighting adds a
purplish tint to her body. Then Dancer Agnes Roux holds a bouquet of
Roses in front of Alex Castro's privates. Elena Gatilova poses in
front of the TV she uses for her "TV Dance" with several castmembers
(Alex, Ugo Mazim and Anton Drija) surrounding her. Below that, ex-
Zumanite Laurence Jardin leans back onstage, wearing a lace mask and
killer stiletto heels.
Jonel Earl, in one of my favorite pictures, looks powerful with her
ruby-red hair and corset, surrounded by the admiring Anton, Jeronimo,
Antonio, Stephane and Alex. On the following page, Dancer Wassa
Coulibaly poses with nicely placed body jewelry. Next to her, in my
favorite of the feature, Hoops Artists Julia Kolosova twirls her
hoops. The picture manages to convey both her sensuality and athletic
ability at the same time, something I wish more of these pictures were
able to capture.
The Water Bowl act is represented by a picture of contortionists
Gyulana Karaeva and Bolormaa Zorigtkhuyag, emphasizing Gula's backside
with some nice water trails. And finally, in what might be considered
the most "erotic" picture of the bunch, Vanessa Convery allows Ugo
Mazim to pour milk over her naked backside.
And that's it! About what I was expecting when I first heard about
the photo shoot. Zumanity can't be hurt by their appearance in the
magazine, it is, after all, a show about sexuality. It would have
been interesting to have the more extreme examples of Zumanity's
talent represented (Joey Arias? the Botero Sisters?) but that might
have been outside the bounds of Playboy's mandate. Even Playboy has
it's foibles.
Thanks to Rod Mariano for help with the cast members names.
For more on the Playboy layout, read some tantalizing reviews by Las
Vegas' premiere publication: the Las Vegas Review-Journal...
# # #
The girls of 'Zumanity' turn to Playboy to help promote the show
By MIKE WEATHERFORD
REVIEW-JOURNAL
A Playboy photo shoot can be unnerving. But the cast members of
"Zumanity" have more than a little experience with public nudity.
"I'm a classical ballerina. I have to say it wasn't an easy
transition," Vanessa Convery says. "I remember our very first day of
rehearsal. Debra Brown (the show's original choreographer), says, 'OK
everybody, let's take our tops off and do the orgy scene.' ''
"You can imagine, stunned faces. Everybody was like, 'She's got to be
kidding. She's got to be joking.' But maybe it was the best way for us
to all get comfortable, to get to know each other."
Convery restages her topless "milk bath" sequence with Ugo Mazinwosu
for an eight-page "Zumanity" photo spread in the latest Playboy (which
has an August cover date, but is already on sale). She is one of 10
female cast members baring all for the magazine feature Cirque pursued
to help brand "Zumanity," the erotic cabaret revue subtitled "Another
Side of Cirque du Soleil." (The women will be signing copies of the
magazine from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today in the "Zumanity" souvenir store
at New York-New York, and from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Playboy
Concept Boutique in the Forum Shops at Caesars.)
The photos were taken in the "Zumanity" theater this past summer by
veteran lensman Stephen Wayda. Cirque began negotiating for the piece
after Hugh Hefner attended the show's official debut in September
2003. The layout is true to the exotic, international aesthetic of
"Zumanity" and so marks a change of pace from Playboy's Midwestern
girl-next-door fantasies.
The photos are also a reminder of the show's unusual reverse creation.
Instead of auditioning for specific roles, many performers were cast
with no predetermined purpose. "Because there are 50 different
characters, they were chosen for the way they look and what they can
do ... They are 50 gorgeous people," says artistic director Ria
Martens.
All Cirque shows are drawn from different nationalities, but in the
others "you don't see that, because you have those big group acts
where they all kind of dress the same," Martens notes. "Zumanity"
costume designer Thierry Mugler "brought out the best of the
personality. A specific thing that they already had."
Among those featured in Playboy, Wassa Coulibaly was born in Senegal
and performed with an African dance troupe before auditioning for
"Zumanity" in Los Angeles. Elena Gatilova was a Ukrainian gymnast who
now stars in one of the show's wittiest sequences, doing a striptease
on top of a TV set in a futile attempt to divert the men's attention
from a football game.
Gatilova confesses that at first she didn't get the joke -- she didn't
even speak much English. Now, says Coulibaly, "More and more we just
get closer. We feel like we're home, we're family. We do things
together."
"We live here almost," Gatilova says.
Convery was a principal dancer with Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal and
New York's Feld Ballet, but "Zumanity" inspired her to come up with
the milk bath idea on her own.
"I wanted to reach out to the audience members. I wanted them to feel
something," she says. "I wanted them to come to the show and leave
with a smile on their faces and say, 'You know what? That was very
kinky. That was very sexy. I want to try that.' "
"I think women are such beautiful, sensual creatures. I think women
are always looking to have fun," she adds. "They want to make love,
but they want to have fun as well. If I can inspire a woman to maybe
come a little bit out of her shell, then I feel like I really did my
job tonight."
The milk bath sequence is one of the standout sequences of "Zumanity"
that survived from its earliest days. The backward creation process
had its merits, but also fueled backstage chaos in the formative days.
Creative turnover was evident in the early product, where a few
moments of brilliance were surrounded by a lot of dead-end streets.
Enter Martens, the new artistic director who brought the focus of her
dance background to the show a full year after it opened. "It was a
show that needed to come together as a whole," says the Belgian
director. "There were strong points that were already there, but the
things around them needed to be developed more. ... The artists had to
take the next step."
Martens began studying in her teenage years with Lynn Simonson's Jazz
Dance Theatre. "Because I came from their background -- they're such
strong individual artists and dancers more than in any other (Cirque)
show -- I knew where they were coming from. What I needed from them I
could go and get because I speak their language."
Now, "I feel like the show has a really good base, that artists are
challenged in one way or the other and we can grow from there," she
says. "It always is a work-in-progress and there is continuous
change."
=======================================================================
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT:
"Cirque Passionates at IHQ"
Special Reprint from Cirque du Soleil
=======================================================================
(Note: After our weekend for CirqueCon 2005: Montreal, Cirque
published a short series of articles on the weekend over their company
Intranet. They were able to supply us with parts two and three of
their coverage, but they couldn't locate part one to send us. We'll
have more coverage of CirqueCon in the coming months.)
The Internet Marketing team came up with an agenda for the day,
including a tour of the Studio's lobby and cafeteria. In addition to
discovering the International Headquarters, the super-fans were
treated to a presentation by Michel Leblanc, Rigging Team Leader and a
Cirquester since our beginnings, and Bernard Petiot, Vice-President of
Artistic Products, who explained the process by which an athlete is
transformed into a performance artist. Bernard was pleasantly
surprised by the meeting, and says that he learned a lot from their
impressions and comments. A happy meeting indeed!
True fandom is often made clear in the souvenir department, and this
bunch certainly stepped up to the plate. In one hour, the
Merchandising boutique, specially opened for the occasion, sold almost
CAN $8,000 worth of merchandise!
A buffet was provided by our partner Celebrity Cruises, and the fans
were introduced to the concept of the Bar at the Edge of the Earth.
Keith Johnson (left on the photo) is the main organizer for the Cirque
Passionates. The first Cirque show he saw was Mystère, in 1997.
"Before then, I'd seen shows on TV, on Bravo, but never on stage," he
explained. The first meeting of the Passionates took place when Quidam
visited Vancouver in May and June 2004. Keith recounts: "A guy from
the Yahoo Groups website talked about organizing a group to go see the
show in Vancouver. I was organizing the same thing at the same time
with friends, and had already made bed-and-breakfast reservations in
Vancouver.
"So I went to the Yahoo group in question to say that if they moved
their reservation to another weekend, I could reserve an adjacent bed-
and-breakfast and we could go together. They agreed, and we joined
forces. And that's how the Cirque fans met!
"André Bélanger then got in touch with one of us-the Yahoo group
organizer-to say he could give us a hand. During our e-mail
conversation, he offered us a tour of the site. André took charge of
the concept of bringing together a fan group, and we had an excellent
time.
"For the second meeting, I thought Las Vegas would naturally be the
destination. But André suggested we come to Montreal to see the new
show. We thought about it, we worked with André, and here we are!"
Did you say "Cirque Passionates"?
---------------------------------
An Australian couple stay in Montreal is the beginning of a ten-week
journey that will take them all over the world to see almost every one
of Cirque's shows!
They started in Perth, and headed to Montreal to see Corteo. Next,
they're heading to Toronto and Niagara Falls, and then to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania (to see Varekai). Then they go to New York, and will fly
from there to Orlando for La Nouba. They'll hit Las Vegas and see
Cirque's four shows there, and then hop over to Europe and visit Paris
(where they'll see Saltimbanco) and London, followed by a final stop
in Tokyo, where Alegría is visiting for the second time. Then they'll
head home to Perth and finish things off in style with Quidam.
Now that's a trip!
---
Kristi lives in Arizona. After seeing "O" a few years ago, she saw
Varekai in December 2003, where the Atherton twins' act had a profound
effect on her. Starting right then, she started to look for a way to
work at Cirque, without having any knowledge of acrobatics. She
checked the job openings on Cirque's website and saw a posting for a
physiotherapist. From that moment on, she wanted to be a therapist.
She sent a letter to the Atherton twins to thank them for having
inspired her towards a professional goal. Since then, she's been
exchanging e-mails with them every once in a while, and feels lucky to
have become their friend.
---
Manuel came from Mexico just for this meeting. Once he entered the
Studio, he asked to meet Kim Patenaude, from Cirque Club's customer
service team, with whom he had exchanged a few e-mails. He was very
happy to meet his correspondent, and gave her a candy he had brought
specially from home for her.
After seeing Corteo, Manuel was blown away. "I've seen all the DVDs of
the shows and live I've seen Varekai, Mystère, "O", Zumanity and now
Corteo. My best Cirque experience had been Varekai but Corteo totally
surpassed it. It is my top Cirque experience now. Everything was just
amazing and the music was so great that I was sad that the CD wasn't
available yet. I'll have to wait for it!"
=======================================================================
PARTING QUOTE
=======================================================================
"It does us good to imagine our funeral. For a moment, we feel
needed, and that inspires us to keep moving along, to continue
the journey--which, in the end, is nothing more than a long trip
home."
- Daniele Finzi Pasca
Creator and Director for Corteo
=======================================================================
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
=======================================================================
Fascination! is a monthly newsletter, available through subscription
via Yahoo! Groups or on the World Wide Web in text format at the
newsletter's website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >. To
subscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To unsubscribe, please send an email to:
< CirqueFascination-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To view back
issues, or other online Newsletter content, please visit us at:
< http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >.
Have a comment, question or concern? Email the Fascination!
Newsletter staff at: < CirqueFasincation-owner@yahoogroups.com >.
We are anxious to hear any and all comments!
=======================================================================
COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
=======================================================================
"Fascination!" is Ricky Russo, Keith Johnson, and Wayne Leung.
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2005 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.
=======================================================================
