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Fascination Issue 040 expanded
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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
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E X P A N D E D I S S U E
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=======================================================================
Issue #40e January 2005
=======================================================================
We're off and running again!
Reports of our assimilation by the Borg (if you're a Star Trek fan) or
conversion to the Dark Side of the Force (if you're a Star Wars fan)
are greatly exaggerated! Fascination! is still alive and kicking;
we've just taken a little break. We've been going non-stop for the
last three years and with the holidays and preparations for CirqueCon
Montreal 2005, we thought a short vacation was in order. There have
been a lot of interesting things to come out within the last couple of
months and over the next two to three issues, Fascination! will try to
cover them all. Please be patient as we juggle our own private lives
with publishing Fascination! on a timely basis! So, without further
adieu... We hope you enjoy this issue of Fascination!
/// EXPANDED ISSUE: There's just one expanded item for this month -
"Columnist Unveils KA [EXPANDED]" and you'll find it in the CIRQUE
BUZZ section within. ///
- Ricky
===========
CONTENTS
===========
* Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* CRQ-TV -- Cirque on Television
* CRQ.NET -- Cirque du Soleil Online
* Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Le Spectacle:
"CirqueCon Montreal 2005 Update"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Beyond the Bigtop:
"Tales from the CirqueCon, Part the First"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Le Spectateur:
"Cirque Rituals: What Do Fans Do?"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
* The Cirque Connection:
"What is a Charette Anyway?"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Parting Quote
* Subscription Information
* Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
Clarification on Show "Trade-Up" Priveledges
--------------------------------------------
Last month we talked about the program allowing Cirque Club
ticket holders to "trade up" their seats from seats further back
to seats down front (when they were available). We neglected to
mention that a special club email (which must be brought with
you to the show) will be sent for specific shows in specific
cities when the upgrade plan is available (it isn't always). So
make sure you are a member of Cirque Club and set your
preferences for cities available to you.
Columnist Unveils KA [EXPANDED]
-------------------------------
On November 26, 2004, Las Vegas Sun columnist Jerry Fink
unveiled Cirque du Soleil's newest production -- KÀ -- to his
readers, and there were some interesting bits that we wanted to
bring to your attention.
-- The total cost of the production is $165 million US. $135
million is for the theater alone; $30 million is for staging
costs.
-- KÀ is designed to be 90-minutes long; however, according to
production manager Stephane Mongeau, the first run-through on
October 11, 2004 took nine hours. "We stopped a few times,"
he said. By October 24, 2004, the production came in just
under three hours. The November 5, 2004 run-through lasted
two hours. Just prior to the premiere, "we did it in one hour
and 45 minutes without stops," Mongeau said. "With time, it
will get shorter. Transitions are getting smoother.
-- Cirque spent $12 million US on the stage alone. "Robert
wanted to do a show about gravity, to change the perspective
of the people," Mongeau said. "At one point they felt the
seats could go back and the audience could look up in the
air." That idea was rejected. "But he always wanted to change
the perspective of the audience," Mongeau said.
* * *
Cirque du Soleil's latest child, "Ka," will be born at 8 tonight
at the MGM Grand.
The parents are anxious.
They've invested $165 million in this baby -- $135 million in
the eye-popping, jaw-dropping theater and $30 million in what is
being described as an "epic saga."
Through Feb. 2 the baby will be learning to walk. Producers are
calling the first couple of months of performances "preview
shows," meaning you should be tolerant because you might see the
infant stumble here and there.
The official premiere will be Feb. 3. Tickets, for both the
preview shows and those thereafter, range from $99 to $150.
Cirque du Soleil is famous for (among other things) not putting
its best foot forward when one of its productions debuts. The
company likes to get it in front of the public and tweak it.
"There are still a few things that are going to evolve,"
production manager Stephane Mongeau said. "We're too close to it
now. We need to get back, to see it with an audience. See how
people are going to react, let it breathe, and then go back to
the table and say, 'OK, here's something we have missed. Can we
do something with it?' "
Creator and director Robert Lepage said it is a tale about
twins, a boy and a girl, who "are separated by fate and embark
on a perilous journey to fulfill their linked destinies."
"We wanted it to be an epic story told not with the use of
words, but with the universal language of body movement and
music."
Epics can be unwieldy. This one is designed to be 90 minutes
long. Mongeau said the first run-through on Oct. 11 took nine
hours.
"We stopped a few times," he said.
But by Oct. 24 they were bringing it in at just under three
hours. The Nov. 5 run-through lasted two hours.
"Last week, we did it in one hour and 45 minutes without stops,"
Mongeau said. "With time, it will get shorter. Transitions are
getting smoother.
"The audience will make a difference."
There is a cast of 75. One of the stars of the stage production
is the stage itself.
Cirque spent almost $12 million on a unique mechanical stage
that operates in a void, at times becoming a mountain, at times
a platform.
Why not a standard stage as a base for the acrobats, dancers and
puppeteers who move the story along?
"Robert wanted to do a show about gravity, to change the
perspective of the people," Mongeau said. "At one point they
felt the seats could go back and the audience could look up in
the air."
That idea was rejected.
"But he always wanted to change the perspective of the
audience," Mongeau said.
Mongeau, whose job is to keep the operation running as smoothly
as possible during the start-up phase, has been with the
production almost from the conception.
"I've been there from day one," he said. "I was one of the first
to start, and I will be one of the last to leave when the show
is up and running."
It has been an enormous project from the beginning, involving
more than 500 people -- from technicians to artists and
craftsmen.
One of the earliest issues was which would come first, the
production or the theater. They ended up working on them
simultaneously.
Besides the unusual stage and the creation of a customized
theater that seats almost 2,000, Mongeau said it was difficult
working with so many people from all over the world, each with
their own cultural and artistic perspectives.
"But we have always found a way to achieve our goals as a team,"
Mongeau said.
He will leave the show in April, after tying up all the loose
ends.
Mongeau says he has not given any thought to trying to top "Ka."
"You don't look for it," he said. "We've done it. Now I go for
something more simple. I'm not looking for the next biggest
project. I was excited to start this, but it is almost done."
"Ka" will be the fourth member of Cirque's Las Vegas family,
which also includes "Zumanity" at New York-New York, "O" at
Bellagio and "Mystere" at Treasure Island.
It is expecting its fifth Vegas child in May 2006, a show at the
Mirage with a Beatles theme.
Mongeau is talking with Cirque about future projects.
"I don't know what I'm doing after this, but I'm not going to
the Mirage," he said. "The first thing I will do is take a long
break."
He deserves it.
Birthing babies is not an easy task, even for a family as large
as Cirque du Soleil.
In the Ring...
--------------
Did you know that a Reuters photo by Max Rossi of a Saltimbanco
performer kissing Pope John Paul II was selected by Reuters as
one of their Pictures of the Year?
Saltimbanco in the Americas? As oft rumored, Saltimbanco seems
to be finally fulfilling a prophecy to return to the Americas
with its first ever stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While this is
only Cirque's official released stop on a combined South
American/North American tour, OCESA, the entertainment company
in Mexico that brought Dralion to the country in 2004), is
rumored to have confirmed recently that Saltimbanco is scheduled
to be in Mexico City around October 2005, followed in Monterrey
in January 2006 and later appear in Guadalajara. Other rumored
stops are as yet unconfirmed but place the production within the
United States and Canada.
Quidam, which is currently touring the Asia-Pacific region, has
also been rumored to return to North American soil in 2006.
[Thanks to Keith Johnson, Roderick and Rodolfo Elizondo]
=======================================================================
CRQ.NET -- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ONLINE
=======================================================================
This Month in Cirque Club
(By: Keith Johnson)
-------------------------
Holiday wishes abound at Cirque Club this month. No less than 12 ways
to send electronic messages, available in either Traditional Cards,
Creative Cards (that add a special Cirque-ey note to your message),
Animated cards, as well as two special Video cards - the first
featuring performers from "O", Mystère, and KÀ, the other featuring La
Nouba. These greetings in multiple languages are especially nice.
The cards can be found at: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/
go.asp?p=3319&l=en >. Get 'em fast, they will probably not last past
the season.
CirqueClub has a nice article on Saltimbanco's performance for the
Pope, and the next installment of their "History" series, looking at
Alegria and Cirque du Monde. At the KÀ website, they have posted two
more entries in Armand Thomas Stage Manager's Log, which looks to be
the last of them. But the site also covers the first night well, with
a long article and three photo galleries. And in their Press Release
section they announce the creative team behind Cirque 2005, and even
have a release talking about Cirque Club itself!
In the Boutique, we're just starting to see how sophisticated their
new site is. You now select the country you're from, and the site
sorts items and displays availability and prices for your country.
For example, the new DVD of "Midnight Sun" is available (though out of
stock) for Canada residents, while it doesn't show up at all on the
U.S.A. side. That might lead us to believe it will soon be issued by
a stateside distributor but you can never tell.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AND ME - There is an extraordinary contest in
CirqueClub. Called "Cirque du Soleil and Me", if offers Quebecers
only (sorry rest of Canada, the US, and the World) the opportunity to
win a "dream" with Cirque du Soleil. Want to train a day with Cirque?
Play in their band? Give the safety announcements at a performance?
Here's your chance.
The premise is simple; They are looking for 200 word-maximum stories ,
anecdotes or special moments folks have had with Cirque du Soleil.
(They also want to know what your "dream" is, maximum 50 words.) They
will pick 10 stories each week for 7 weeks (that all win Le Best of
CDs) and publish them on Cirque Club. Cirque Club members then get to
vote for their favorite. The final seven (that all win copies of the
"20 Years Under The Sun" coffee-table book), will go into the finals,
that are also voted upon by Cirque Club. The grand prize winner gets
their "dream."
Entries are accepted for seven weeks, starting Mondays on January 4
and ending February 20 The 10 weekly candidates will be posted the
following Mondays, starting on January 17 and ending March 6. The
seven finalists go head-to-head in a Grand Prize vote from March 14-
20. You can vote for one story per week, so check back each week to
read 10 new stories and vote!
But heed the rules - there are eleven pages of them! (Somebody was
really thinking this contest through.) The maximum value of the
"dream" is $5,000.00 CDN. It also must be "achievable." And it "must
not include specific Cirque du Soleil people" (So nix on meeting Guy
Laliberte in person). Cirque has the right to make alterations to the
"dream" to make it achievable, and if that's unacceptable to the
winner there is a "Compensation Grand Prize" (basically a weekend in
Montreal with an IHQ tour, dinner with artists, and tickets to the
2005 touring show).
And don't worry about the Fascination! staff entering, we're US-based.
Not that we don't have a bunch of fun Cirque stories to tell, we just
couldn't keep them to 200 words! <G>
In Cirque Club marketing messages:
Anne-Josée wrote about Varekai's 1000th performance -- "The weeks have
just flown by and with only 11 days left of our stay, it is almost
time to bid you a fond farewell. The cast and crew want me to tell
you how much they loved being in Dallas and how much they will miss
it. If you have a ticket for this Friday's (12/3) matinee performance,
you will be taking part in Cirque du Soleil history as Varekai is
presented for the 1,000th time. I thought you might be interested in
a few facts about what goes on behind the scenes.
Did you know?
-- Since its premiere in 2002, the tour has visited 18 cities
and traveled over 15,000 miles.
-- Over 310,000 bags of popcorn have been sold.
-- The kitchen has served more than 420,000 meals.
-- Five performers and three musicians have never missed a show.
-- The show has used over 17,000 pounds of dry ice, and over
1,000 green LED lights for the fireflies.
-- Over 500,000 red petals have fallen from the Varekai sky, and
many more are sure to fall..."
Above text courtesy of Cirque Club.
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
Note that any information in brackets [] is UN-official information
and subject to change.
[Touring Shows]
Alegría:
* Tokyo, Japan:
Dates: Oct 29, 2004 to Jan 23, 2005
* Fukuoka, Japan:
Dates: Feb 9, 2005 to Apr 3, 2005
* Nagoya, Japan:
Dates: Apr 20, 2005 to Jun 12, 2005
* Osaka, Japan:
Dates: Jun 25, 2005 to Aug 10, 2005
Cirque 2005:
* Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- Jacques-Cartier Pier
Dates: Apr 21, 2005 to Jun 19, 2005
* Quebec City, Quebec, Canada -- Galeries de la Capitale
Dates: Jun 30, 2003 to Jul 17, 2005
* Toronto, Ontraio, Canada -- TBA
Dates: Aug 4, 2005 - Aug 28, 2005
Dralion:
* London, England -- Royal Albert Hall
Dates: Jan 6, 2005 to Feb 6, 2005
* Barcelona, Spain -- TBA
Dates: Mar 17, 2005 to Apr 24, 2005
* Rotterdam, Netherlands -- TBA
Dates: Jun 3, 2005 to Jun 19, 2005
* Oostende, Belgium -- TBA
Dates: Jul 21, 2005 to Aug 7, 2005
* Zurich, Switzerland -- TBA
* Bilbao, Spain -- TBA
Dates: Nov 18, 2005 to Dec 4, 2005
* Seville, Spain -- TBA
Dates: Jan 12, 2006 to Jan 29, 2006
* Valencia, Spain -- TBA
Quidam:
* Auckland, New Zealand -- Auckland Showgrounds
Dates: Dec 31, 2004 to Feb 12, 2005
* Melbourne, Australia -- The Oval at Melbourne Park
Dates: Mar 4, 2005 to Apr 24, 2005
* Adelaide, Australia -- Bonython Park, Port Road
Dates: May 12, 2005 to May 29, 2005
* Perth, Australia -- Langley Park
Dates: Jun 30, 2005 to Jul 17, 2005
Saltimbanco:
* Manchester, UK -- Trafford Centre
Dates: Jan 6, 2005 to Feb 13, 2005
* Birmingham, UK -- StarCity Junction 6, M6
Dates: Feb 24, 2005 to Mar 13, 2005
* Boulogne Billancourt (West of Paris)
Dates: Apr 8, 2005 to May 8, 2005
* Sao Paulo, Brazil -- TBA
Varekai:
* Houston, Texas -- TBA
Dates: Jan 6, 2005 to Feb 13, 2005
* Austin, Texas -- Former Mueller Airport
Dates: Feb 24, 2005 to Mar 20, 2005
* Pittsburg, Pennsylvania -- TBA
Dates: Apr 9, 2005 to May 8, 2005
* Baltimore, Maryland -- TBA
Dates: May 19, 2005 to Jun 19, 2005
* Hartford, Connecticut -- TBA
* Columbus, Ohio -- TBA
* Detroit, Michigan -- TBA
* Charlotte, North Carolina -- TBA
* St. Petersburg, Florida -- TBA
* 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:
-- February 6th - 9th -- August 28th - 30th
-- April 3rd - 6th -- October 9th - 12th
-- June 5th - 20th -- November 13th - 15th
-- August 14th - 17th -- December 4th - 13th
Mystère:
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
Beginning June 13th: Except Sundays; 4:30pm and 7:30pm
* Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
Beginning June 9th: Wednesday - Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- January 3rd - 18th -- July 10th - 12th
-- February 6th - 8th -- September 12th - 20th
-- March 13th - 15th -- November 13th - 15th
-- May 16th - 24th
"O":
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2005 Dark Dates:
-- February 20th - 22nd -- October 16th - 18th
-- April 18th - 26th -- December 5th - 20th
-- August 22 - 30th
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:
-- February 7th - 10th -- August 15th - 18th
-- April 18th - 21st -- October 10th - 13th
-- June 8th - Jun 16th -- December 7th - 22nd
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:
-- January 24th - 27th -- June 6th - 7th
-- February 1st - 4th -- August 1st - 2nd
-- March 23rd - 31st -- September 9th - 13th
-- April 1st - 14th -- November 14th - 15th
=======================================================================
DIDYAKNOW? -- FACTS ABOUT CIRQUE
=======================================================================
IN THEIR OWN WORDS - Where we feature questions and answers from some
of the 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 asked a Cirque musician which gets more jobs - niceness, attitude
(or self-confidence, some might call it arrogance), or talent?
"To be really successful you have to have the total package. If you're
a nice person but have no real talent or skills, you can only go so
far. People hire people that can deliver "the goods" more or less.
Likewise, if you're amazingly great at what you do but have lousy
people skills, are dishonest, mean, or are bad in handling business,
then as great as you may be talent-wise you will only go so far as
well. I think you can be confident and very able without being a jerk
or dysfunctional. But unfortunately I've found that most of the bad
rap that musicians get is well deserved. A lot of musicians are one
way or the other - either amazingly talented but impossible to count
on and/or work with, or are really easy to work with but cannot do the
job correctly and have very little talent. Then you have the nightmare
person - the person who is a jerk, is mean and/or dishonest, and also
cannot play or perform. And amazingly enough these people are working
a lot. It's a strange brew. Personally I have learned from many over
the years how not to be or act. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the
imagination, but my goal has been and is to be the best person I can
be, deliver the best possible product, and help as many as possible
whenever possible. I think with this philosophy success will follow
you!"
=======================================================================
LE SPECTACLE:
"CirqueCon Montreal 2005 Update"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
We've grown quite a bit since the first CirqueCon in Vancouver, and
continue to grow. For comparison here are some figures from last
time. Quite impressive for a first-time ad-hoc fan event! For
CirqueCon Vancouver 2004 we had:
-- 31 members total, all of whom attended Quidam
-- 11 rooms rented at the "Headquarters" Bed and Breakfast
-- 4 rooms rented by members at other places
-- 15 total hotel rooms, approximately 33 room nights.
Before Cirque sent their "marketing message" plug for us on December 7
we had achieved a nice level of members for Montreal. Of course after
the message went out to 50,000 stateside Cirque fans we got an influx
of new interest. (The numbers are broken out below for the figures-
obsessed.) To date we have:
-- 128 members total
-- 54 purchased our $10.00 Standard membership (43%)
-- 67 purchased tickets through us
-- 34 purchased tickets elsewhere
-- 101 total tickets purchased
-- 36 rooms rented at the Marriott SpringHill Suites through us
-- 5 rooms rented at other places
-- 41 total hotel rooms, 118 room nights total at the Marriott
(1/3 of their capacity)
WOW! About on track with where I thought we'd be - triple Vancouver's
figures. No doubt more people will surface between now and April,
while others will pull out as finances become cloudier. We now have
members from 26 states, 5 Canadian provinces (all the ones that touch
the US except Manitoba), 4 locations in Mexico, and Perth, Australia.
It is also clear this years' event won't be the intimate gathering of
close friends we had in Vancouver. For some that might be a
disappointment, but the potential to meet other new Cirque fans from
all over North America should present new opportunities.
The group ticket order deadline has passed. And the hotel reports
they have no more rooms to give us for the time being, so we will have
to start a waiting list and see if we can't recommend an alternate
hotel. Now we need to look for a restaurant in the area that would
be willing to host up to 100 diners at one sitting, yet all paying
separately - a tall order.
And, as always, you can stay in touch with the latest developments by
visiting:< www.azlance.com/~richasi/Cirque/CirqueCon/ >.
Wave One and Two numbers broken down:
-------------------------------------
Before Cirque sent their "marketing message" (what I am calling "Wave
One"), we had:
-- 96 members total
-- 39 purchased our $10.00 Standard memberships (40%)
-- 52 purchased tickets through us
-- 23 purchased tickets elsewhere
-- 74 total tickets purchased
-- 23 rooms rented at the Marriott SpringHill Suites through us
-- 5 rooms rented at other places
-- 28 total hotel rooms
-- 80 room nights total at the Marriott
After Cirque sent their message on Tuesday, December 7 we got an
influx of new interest (what I am calling "Wave Two"). To date (Mon
12/20), our additional numbers are:
-- 32 members total
-- 16 purchased our $10.00 Standard memberships (51%)
-- 15 purchased tickets through us
-- 11 purchased tickets elsewhere
-- 26 total tickets purchased
-- 13 rooms rented at the Marriott SpringHill Suites through us
-- 38 room nights total at the Marriott
That's outstanding considering the sort amount of lead-time given.
Even more impressive is that 80% of those that responded have already
purchased tickets, so are likely to be in Montreal!
=======================================================================
BEYOND THE BIGTOP:
"Tales from the CirqueCon, Part The First"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
We knew it was going to be a learning experience.
As preparations for CirqueCon continue, we thought it would be fun to
"tell the story" of our preparations. We're not whining about how
hard it is, but some of the challenges we've faced have sure been, uh,
interesting, and worth telling. So consider this the first of what we
hope to be a running commentary.
When CirqueCon Vancouver 2004 ended, the "instigators" (Jeff Tolotti,
Ricky Russo, and I) started talking about the direction we should
take. The issue was whether to keep it smaller and exclusive (a
gathering of good friends), or larger and inclusive (the big tent).
Over time, the thinking evolved that if we were to do another one,
this time with Cirque's blessing from the start, the approach would
have to be more inclusive. But this would mean it would be different
from the smaller "gathering of close friends" that was CirqueCon
Vancouver 2004. We knew it would be bigger, involve a longer lead-
time, and present different challenges. And as we expected, new
challenges sure did arise! But we knew we had to handle them simply
and with as low cost as possible.
Offering a "group purchase" of tickets was one of them. I was hoping
we would function the same way we had for Vancouver - everyone buys
his or her tickets separately. And when Cirque came to us with a
proposal for a group purchase I hoped we could do the same thing -
have Cirque set aside a certain number of tickets that could be
purchased individually.
But that's not how group sales work. They were happy to set aside a
block of seats - and some of the best in the tent, in middle Section
205 directly surrounding the soundboard. They also offered us 200
tickets, which I felt was more than enough for our needs. But they
wanted one check for the final purchase. So the only way to make it
work was if we did all the accounting work in-house - taking tickets,
processing money, paying Cirque and distributing the tickets back to
our members. It would be a headache, but we thought if we came up
with a simple record-keeping system we could make it work. It also
sounded like a good service to offer our members.
So we agreed and set up the tickets to be offered until the end of
October. We converted the value of the tickets from Canadian dollars
to US Dollars with exchange rates we had at the time (this will become
important later). We set up a PayPal account so people could send
money electronically, and erstwhile editor Richasi set up our
"official" website.
We got quite a lot of interest, but many people felt the date of the
show (April 23, when several colleges are still going through finals)
combined with the early cutoff (6 months prior to show date) meant
they couldn't commit. I expressed this to our Group Sales contact at
Cirque who, while noting the general public on-sale date had been
postponed from November to December, allowed another month for taking
tickets. So the new deadline became the end of November, and we got
several more ticket purchases.
At the end of November we had sold 52 tickets. We communicated that
to Cirque, who faxed us an invoice to pay. Then we ran into our
first, um, challenge. In the months since we first offered the
tickets, the US dollar plunged 15% in value against most world
currencies, including the Canadian dollar. So tickets that were worth
$68.00 USD in July, were costing us $76.00 USD when it came time to
pay in December. How embarrassing to not have accounted for that! It
put us in a panic; this was something we weren't expecting. Yet
having had contact with all our ticket purchasers, we suspected they
would understand if asked to pay the balance. We are, after all, just
fans doing this for other fans. But we had promised to get tickets in
their hands before Christmas, so we couldn't hold them while we waited
for extra money to come in. What to do? My wife LouAnna and I
decided to cover the shortfall temporarily out of our own personal
funds, advise all the tickets buyers and ask them to contribute an
additional $8.00 per ticket. So far, we've had good response.
With the invoice from Cirque in hand, we now had to pay for our
tickets. Cirque takes some credit cards, cashiers checks or certified
checks in Canadian dollars. We figured this would be no big sweat;
we'd give them our American Express card and let the card do the
Canadian to US dollar conversion for us (after all, that's what they
recommend you do on vacation). So we happily gave Cirque the AMEX
card and thought we were done with it. But the charge was rejected
the first time as being too large for a card used as infrequently as
our card was. After we reconfirmed our status with AmEx Cirque tried
the card again, again without success - this time Cirque needed to
provide AmEx with our billing address (a security measure). Finally,
on the third try the charge was accepted.
But then I found out it was a hundred American dollars more than I
estimated. I then learned American Express charges a 3% fee for the
conversion process itself, which, with the large amount of the invoice
was somewhere in the range of the aforementioned $100.00. That was
insane, it was way more than I would ever want to pay for that
service. So I asked Cirque to cancel that charge and I would pay them
in some other manner. They agreed to cancel the credit card but only
when they had received some other form of payment (smart of them!).
So I looked at any other way I could cheaply get payment to Cirque.
Bank checks would cost between $35-45. I could wire the money
directly to Cirque's bank account, but that would cost $60.00 and be
too complicated. And it would cost $20.00 to send any check to Cirque
via overnight mail. After looking at multiple options I decided on
getting a "bank check" from my local bank (which would take four
business days and cost $35.00), and overnight it to Cirque. Within a
week the problem was handled. Cirque sent me the initial order of
tickets, which my wife and I promptly divided, enveloped and mailed on
December 10th.
Meanwhile, Cirque had another idea brewing. While I was happy with
our numbers, Cirque wanted to increase our participation. We felt we
had covered as much of "Cirque Internet fandom" as we could with
updates and posts to Cirque Club, Cirque Tribune, and the faulty
Cirque du Soleil Yahoogroup. But they proposed something
extraordinary - a special message from Cirque Club to a number of
their vast database of Cirque Club members! While that was a nice
offer, we privately wished they had come up with the idea sooner. In
any case the deadline for tickets had already passed and tickets would
soon be going on sale to the general public. They responded by
offering to hold tickets another two weeks, until December 15th. Not
only that, they offered to continue to hold our seats in Section 205
and also blocked the last two rows of the lower-priced Category 2
Section 203.
With a shortened lead-time of two weeks, could we be "light on our
feet" and responsive enough quickly enough? If Cirque was making such
an extraordinary offer we felt we had to at least try. So we dropped
everything and quickly revamped the website to reflect the new
reality. We made sure we could easily handle any additional requests,
though we really weren't sure how many we would get. A day later we
told Cirque we were ready and waited for the message to be sent out.
And waited. For a week.
On December 8th a message went out from Cirque Club to 50,000 of their
members. It said...
"Is there anything more magical than Old Montreal in the springtime?
Well maybe Old Montreal in the springtime during a Cirque du Soleil
world premiere weekend!
Some of our most dedicated fans are organizing an event next spring in
Montreal for Cirque du Soleil fans from around the world. This
unofficial gathering, headed by Keith Johnson from Seattle,
Washington, will be taking place during the world premiere weekend of
Cirque 2005 next April and we are thrilled to help him get the message
out to you.
- The event runs from Friday, April 22, 2005 to Sunday, April 24,
2005.
- Cirque 2005 tickets for the conference are for Saturday, April 23,
2005 at 8:00 p.m.
- The conference is organized by Keith Johnson, LouAnna Valentine and
Ricky Russo.
This event is not being organized by Cirque du Soleil but we will be
there to help make it an unforgettable weekend! For more information,
please visit their website < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/go.asp?
p=3288&l=en&m=97F504FC37CF4F0D96E9AEF9C6C4AD4F&v=0 >.
See you in the spring!"
Boy, what a build-up: "...An unforgettable weekend!" Thankfully they
were saying it, not us, so it had some credibility. And the emails
started rolling in. We added another 30 or so members who bought 15
tickets (and with others getting their own, 23 total tickets meant
almost 80% would be going). But it was a rush to get people into the
database and paying within the compressed week we had. But by putting
in a whole lot of time, we got it done.
With almost 100 people this isn't going to be anything like CirqueCon
Vancouver. I'm sure that will disappoint some, who were looking
forward to another intimate gathering of Internet-related friends, as
Vancouver was. But we knew when Cirque suggested Montreal as our next
stop that we would have to be more inclusive and thereby larger.
Though we're right where I expected us to be - three times the members
we had in Vancouver - our larger numbers present tactical problems.
But that's mostly Cirque's issue; they will have to deal with 100
people for whatever we do with them. My next major project will be
trying to find a restaurant that might be able to work with us on a
group meal in a reasonable fashion.
Have I mentioned searching for a hotel?
THE HOTEL
With Cirque pitching their 2005 show tent in their traditional
location of Jacques Cartier pier in Old Montreal, I wanted to try and
find a reasonably priced hotel within walking distance. Montreal has
an excellent subway system, but I though we should first try to find a
facility in Old Montreal. Though the area is full of hotels and inns
most all of them presented two problems.
First, they were all expensive. With 15% taxes their total cost per
night averaged $180-200 USD. In our initial budgeting my wife and I
had used a figure of $100.00 per night for lodging, basing that on
what we paid for Vancouver. But that was a Bed and Breakfast outside
of the downtown core. Now we were trying to look in-town, in the
highest-rent area of town, filled with up-scale "boutique"-type
hotels.
Second, the hotels were small. We had rented 16 hotel rooms in
Vancouver, and I felt that we would at least double and possibly
triple it. So that meant we needed between 30 and 50 rooms. That
threw out most of the hotels in Old Montreal.
But there was one hotel that caught my eye, an offshoot of a chain
well known in America for its quality; the Marriott SpringHill Suites
Old Montreal. The hotel is a business-oriented facility (very similar
to Residence Inn), offering amenities geared toward traveling
businessmen. The rooms are slightly larger than normal and each comes
complete with a double-sized sleeper sofa. In addition they offer a
complete hot continental breakfast included with the room. And, most
importantly, it was about 1/4 mile from the Cirque tent!
But would they want to do business with such an "informal" event as
CirqueCon? Once I convinced their sales department that we were
really a large "family reunion" we were able to work out a deal.
There was some risk on our end, as we had to guarantee the hotel a
certain number of room/nights (1 room occupied for 1 night is one
room/night). If we failed to reach our number of 62 we would be
financially on the hook to the hotel, and would have to compensate
them for any lost income. Potentially dangerous, but we felt we could
easily fill 62 room nights.
We convinced the Hotel to offer us a room/night price slightly better
than any other deal out there (even the Internet) advising them our
members wouldn't have any hesitation booking through cheaper means if
available. Soon they were ready to open up the reservation lines to
anybody who said they were with CirqueCon. But by our rules we had to
restrict reservations to those that had paid for the research, namely
paid Standard Members. So, once again, we were compelled to keep the
process in-house. But after thinking through what we needed we made
the offer to our Standard members and got quite a bit of response. We
quickly filled 22 rooms, with their 80 room nights easily surpassing
our minimum of 62. That made us feel a whole lot better, as we were
off the (financial) hook!
For the first 22 rooms everyone got the kind of room they requested.
Then business realities kicked in. In terms of business to the hotel
we are small fry. We don't want a lot of rooms, don't want to use and
pay for function space, and want to do everything with as little cost
as possible. Another, larger group reserving space in the hotel would
be given preference. And so it was, with a large tour group checking
in Thursday evening.
After we had sent the hotel our first wave of room requests they
informed us they only had 12 or so more rooms to give, and that they
didn't have any two-bed rooms available. This could put a crimp on
us, as I thought the double/double bedrooms would be quite popular.
By this time Cirque was in preparation for sending their Cirque Club
message, so we updated the website to mention the restriction and that
the hotel would want a minimum two-night stay for any further
reservations. Still we got an additional 13 room reservations,
bringing our total to 35 rooms - 30% of the total rooms at the Hotel!
And with that the hotel advised they had no more rooms available for
the time being, so we have had to start a waiting list.
That brings us up to date! The first wave of folks now has their
tickets and room reservations. And "Wave 2" will be getting their
tickets by the end of January. Next up on our agenda: getting our
members to put their room reservations on their own credit cards.
And looking for a place to eat.
=======================================================================
LE SPECTATEUR:
"Cirque Rituals: What do Fans do?"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
=======================================================================
Ritual: 1) the established form for a ceremony; specifically,
the order of words prescribed for a religious ceremony. 2)
ritual observance; specifically, a system of rites. 3) a
ceremonial act or action 4) a customarily repeated often formal
act or series of acts.
Throughout the sports world, practicing a ritual throughout the sports
world is a fact of life for fans and players alike. While the players
may be more superstitious -- wearing a certain sock for the entire
season, making sure they touch a certain part of a sign in their
locker room, or never saying a certain phrase during an interview, for
example -- fans also have their own regimen of superstitions and
rituals they go through in order to help their team pull through or to
celebrate the event as it occurs.
As a fan of Cirque du Soleil, I often wondered then what fans of our
chosen sport -- watching Cirque du Soleil productions -- do? So I
posed that question to the Cirque fandom at large through the
CirqueTribune forum and my own LiveJournal -- "Does anyone have a
specific set of rituals they perform at Cirque shows or when listening
to the music? The responses confirmed that yes, we Cirque du Soleil
fans do perform certain acts or series of acts before, during, and
after a Cirque du Soleil show, when listening to the music or watching
on Television.
And what are some of these rituals?
Carrie, who goes by the nickname Ambergrey online, eloquently sums up
what many no doubt experience before the start of a Cirque du Soleil
show, when one first steps upon the site and basks in the glow of the
Big Top. She told me she enters the VIP or regular tents before each
show to look at everything. "Not only the stuff I want to buy," she
says. "I look at the display items, the decorations. I watch what is
going on and absorb the atmosphere. It makes me feel I am immersing
myself into the world of Cirque [and] leaving my own every day
[problems] behind.
"When I get into the Grand Chapiteau right before they start the
show," Carrie continues, "I close my eyes. My head empties of all else
except what I am there for [and then] I am in another world for a
precious two and a half hours." She doesn't care whether the artist
messes up, a singer isn't quite on cue or she sees an act she doesn't
care for. For Carrie, being on site listening and watching what is
going on around her is her own celebration. "I'm still immersed in
something that I love which is outside of my normal everyday life. It
amazes me, the power of CdS -- the music and visually stunning
performances and environments -- and how they allow me to immerse
myself like that. So when I am at a show, I will 'center myself' if
you will to emphasize that feeling and experience."
Jeff Tolotti, who runs the online CirqueTribune forum, had this to say
about his rituals: "My biggest has to do with the music, of course.
When I'm within a month [of] seeing a show I don't listen to its music
at all. Even though I'm completely familiar with every aspect of the
music, I still feel like it makes hearing it live that much more
special." He also confesses that he mimics the angel moves during
"Malioumba" (the song that accompanies the "Flying Man" act in
Alegría) and "I also snap my head to the side during a point in the
Triple Trapeze (in Varekai), because Zara (the show's original female
singer) used to do that." He's usually also "just about the first
person to start the standing ovation on the first curtain call (after
the artists have left the stage once)."
Rod, who is known as "junebug" online, feels similarly as Jeff. He
also leans to the left at the appropriate time in "Malioumba", but
also gyrates his hips similarly like Sheetal Gandhi did in Dralion's
handbalancing act. He's also known to summon the curtain away like
Eugen in Cirque du Soleil's "O".
Rie Sugawara, a huge Cirque du Soleil fan from Japan, says "when
Quidam was in Tokyo, I bought something from the shop every time,
[since] there were a variety of [original Japanese] goods [not
available] in the United States or Canada." She also adds that, "when
I was seated in the first row I wore a white shirt to be spotted by
the clowns -- I was picked up twice! [And] I voiceless-copy (aka
lipsynch) the opening MC in English, French and Japanese."
"Jah206" says this about his daughter: "My daughter's favorite show is
Alegría. We have seen it six times. Every time we went she would
always go up to the stage steps after [the Snow Storm] at intermission
and collect a handful of snow to keep."
Gabrielle, A_La_Lune_719 online, has many things she does for her
favorite show, La Nouba: "For starters, I always listen to the La
Nouba CD and look at my La Nouba program before I go to sleep." Yes,
every day, she adds, since she first saw the show in July 2003. "Any
day I have a Cirque function [or] band concert I wear a Cirque shirt
to school. I write out Cirque countdowns in my calendar for shows, new
releases, etcetera." Exactly 30 days before a show she avoids
listening to the show's CD (like Jeff) or "pretty much anything
related to that show."
Some like to work out to Cirque du Soleil, while others try and obtain
the same section, row or exact seat at each performance. So what about
yours truly, do I have any rituals or celebratory acts that I do
before, during or for Cirque du Soleil shows? Yes I do. For
instance...
Whether I'm listening to the show's soundtrack or watching it
live under the Big Top, I will always lean to the left at the
appropriate time during "Malioumba", the same way the performer
does just before he soars into the heavens.
During performances of Mystère I will mimic the movements of the
Taïko drummers during the Opening and Closing of the show, as
well as scoot down in my chair for the Bungee act so I can watch
them perform their angelic mastery in a surrealist-like mode.
If I'm walking past the La Nouba Theater at Downtown Disney West
Side and "Once Upon a Time" is playing on the LCD preview screen
I will march past just like the Urbanites in the show. Or, on a
good day, I'll crane by like Le Titan, complete with a scowl
upon my face.
During the Balancing on Chairs act in La Nouba, the Green Bird,
originally played by Elena Day, has a hard time coping with the
uncertainty of the stack of chairs and at some point makes her
feelings known quite vocally, as she passes out. Her performance
brings a tint of humor to an otherwise tense situation; I
perform it right along with her either in the theater or while
listening to the soundtrack. It's great!
If I'm standing, I'll perform the same little leg kick that Ebon
Grayman's Fleur did in Alegría at the start of the Russian Bar
performance. If I'm not standing, I'll pretend I did by snapping
my head in the same direction.
In the crescendo of "Atmadja", which is a theme used throughout
Quidam, but more specifically during the start of the show, I
will mimic John's movements as Zoë places Quidam's hat upon her
head. Also, during John's interstitial where he attempts to
please Zoë by spinning rings around his bicycle handles he's
conveniently placed in his suspenders; I will pull on my
invisible suspenders the same way John does as the drummers file
on stage.
And while I'm sure there are others, like grabbing for snow at Alegría
or watching Alice the Snail until the very last person leaves in
Mystère, perhaps the Cirque Experience is best summed up by what
"Jochen" does at the end of a performance. "I turn around at the last
step [when exiting the Grand Chapiteau] and whisper 'I will return!'".
Bravo!
=======================================================================
THE CIRQUE CONNECTION:
"What is a Charette Anyway?"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
It never ceases to amaze when one of my interests occasionally crosses
with my interest in Cirque du Soleil. I also keep track of Disney
park fandom, and recently ran across some interesting prose.
Laughingplace.com is one of the biggest and best places to get Disney-
related news and information. They have a lot - of everything, from a
website directory (with ratings), to park guides with trick and tips,
to a merchandise ordering service, to several columns.
One such column is by Bob Gurr, who worked as a Disney design engineer
from 1954 to 1981, as well as being a much-in-demand mechanical design
subcontractor since then. His column, "Designer Times," is now in its
56th installment, each one talking about a different design project
Bob has worked on. This is one fascinating engineer, who has
contributed mechanical designs to the Pirate Battle at Treasure
Island, movies like Godzilla and Jurassic Park, tons of Disney (and
other) theme park rides, and other things. Including being at the
table during design discussions for the "O" theater!
In an excerpt from one of his recent columns, Mr. Gurr describes the
process in general terms.
"One Las Vegas job extended over several years - The Cirque du Soleil
"O" Show at the Bellagio Hotel. Late in 1994, Steve Wynn started
formal monthly design charettes to figure out his dream for an
underwater show. The conceptual design period was quite lengthy as
the show toyed with outdoor, indoor, and motorized stunt shows a bit
like the famed Florida Cypress Gardens. Steve had engaged the Cirque
creators led by Guy Laliberte to be the show producers.
"Steve had invited maybe twenty or so specialized subs to kick ideas
around with the Cirque guys. I was so impressed with Guy's guys and
their "cat off the wall" French thinking methods. This was a joyful
time watching a fabulous show develop in a formal charette setting
each month. Steve was a superb committee leader. One day Design
Architect John Jerde and I enthusiastically doodled some ideas
together in the meeting. "Gurr....shut up. Fellas, no sidebars. All
your ideas are important and we will hear them together....no more
sidebars".
"At the end of every day, Steve would invite every single person to
summarize their thoughts on the day's progress. He made sure we all
had plenty of time to voice our concerns, good and bad, before we
ended the meeting. It was hard for the first guy, but everyone voiced
freely after that. I never forgot that lesson. If you hire talent,
listen to it all....not just get guys to sanction your scheme in
silence. What a lesson for organizations that value creative
success."
For those confused, as I was, about what exactly a "charette" is, one
definition defines it as, "An intense effort to solve any
architectural problem within a limited time. From a creative
standpoint, a Charette can be divided into three portions: Listen,
Envision, and Draw Fast!"
You can find the complete article, as well as other installments in
his series, at: < http://www.laughingplace.com/News-Previous-C-
GURR.asp > And while you're at www.laughingplace.com take a bit of
time to explore the site, there's lots to see for any Disney fan.
Thanks to Mr. Bob Gurr and Laughing Place Head Honcho Doobie Moseley
for allowing us to reprint this excerpt.
=======================================================================
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
=======================================================================
Fascination! is a monthly newsletter, available only through sub-
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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)
2001-2004 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.
=======================================================================
