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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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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 7 July 2010 ISSUE #78e
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CONTENTS
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o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
* Venue Shows -- Venue & Seasonal Productions
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
* Networking -- Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Flickr
o) Compartments -- A Peek Behind the Curtain
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Historia -- Cirque du Soleil's History
o) Fascination! Features
*) "Cirquey-oke: Discovering Cirque's Musical
Audition Kits"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
OYEZ! OYEZ! - Cirque du Soleil Goes Tech:
Global iPhone Application Launched June 2nd!
{Jun.02.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
iPhone users now have Cirque du Soleil right at their fingertips
with the launch of its new iPhone application on June 2, 2010.
The new Cirque du Soleil application can be found in the iPhone
App store under "CirqueSoleil."
Cirque du Soleil will join the forefront of entertainment
theatre applications as its APP allows users to have a
functional, useful resource to book tickets, find shows and have
fun with the global mobile world of Cirque du Soleil.
Special features include:
o) SHOWS -- Delve into the unique world of each of the 21
productions with show information, videos, locations and
ticket buying information. The NEAR ME tab in SHOWS uses GPS
technology to allows users see the Cirque du Soleil
production closest to them.
o) PROMOTIONS -- Be the first to see special offers on show
tickets and merchandise for your favorite Cirque du Soleil
show.
o) ABOUT -- Learn more about the history and direction of Cirque
du Soleil.
o) TRACKER -- Track and earn badges for the shows you have seen
and post it on to Facebook to share with your friends.
o) CIRQUE CLUB -- Sign up to become a Cirque Club member and
receive priority ticket access, special offers, exclusive
content and more.
o) GAME -- Display your acrobatic ability while playing the
interactive game inspired by Cirque du Soleil performances.
The Cirque du Soleil APP is available as a free download from
Apple's App Store on iPhone, iPad and iTouch or at
www.itunes.com/appstore.
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
Guy Laliberté sued for defamation [EXPANDED]
{Jun.02.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
CBC News is reporting that Cirque du Soleil founder Guy
Laliberté has been served with a $500,000 defamation lawsuit
over remarks made about Ian Halperin following the pulbication
of his book "Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of
Cirque du Soleil."
In an interview with The Canadian Press in July of 2009,
Laliberté described the book as "a piece of crap" and full of
lies. In subsequent interviews, he described Halperin and his
lawyers as "crooks."
According to court documents, Halperin's lawyers have sent
several letters to Laliberté demanding that he stop attacking
the book.
Laliberté has replied with letters from his own lawyers, asking
Halperin to stop repeating the book's "lies and defamation" in
media interviews about it.
In court documents filed at the courthouse on May 26, Halperin
claims Laliberté's criticism has had a "devastating effect" on
his reputation as a journalist.
The document cites an appearance last month on the Radio-Canada
television show Tout le Monde en Parle, where Halperin claims he
was "ridiculed throughout the entire interview."Ian Halperin
claims Laliberté's criticism of his book has had a negative
effect on his writing career. Ian Halperin claims Laliberté's
criticism of his book has had a negative effect on his writing
career. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)
The Cirque has threatened to sue Halperin for punitive damages
on behalf of Laliberté and the company, but has yet to file a
claim.
In his article and his book, already a bestseller in Quebec,
Halperin describes sex, illegal drugs and wild parties
associated with the early days of Cirque du Soleil and its
founder.
His book paints a flattering portrait of Laliberté's business
acumen and the dynamic personality that helped him build the
Montreal-based circus troupe, but also detailed descriptions of
1980s-era parties.
Halperin, also a Montrealer, is known for his unauthorized
biographies of the rich and famous, including Michael Jackson
and Céline Dion.
{SOURCE: CBC News}
LiveDesign Interviews Eric Champroux [EXPANDED]
{Jun.07.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Warm, colorful lighting by Eric Champoux helps create a
wonderful world of kinetic, acrobatic insects' living under the
big top in OVO, Cirque du Soleil's most recent touring show.
Live Design's Ellen Lampert-Gréaux chats with the LD about the
challenges he found in lighting OVO, and his ultimate success in
creating a beautifully vibrant production.
Q. This is your first show for Cirque du Soleil, as well first
show in a tent. What challenges and constraints did you find
designing for a tour and in the tent?
First of all, there were restricted lighting positions: four
masts, the cupola, and the touring towers. Coming from the
theatre, I am used to traditional stages with a large number of
electrics and a lot of power. The second surprise came from the
fact that in the tent, the majority of the hanging points belong
to the rigging department, because there are dozens of cables
that have to circulate around the masts and in the cupola to
create the performance style embraced by Cirque du Soleil.
Q. What were your solutions to these challenges?
From the beginning, I felt the need to have a grid. So I
duplicated the shape of the cupola and enlarged it in order to
be lower and larger than the original cupola. Yet in doing so, a
new challenge cropped up, as I had to leave the central aerial
space free for the number, Flying Act. Since I had to greatly
reduce the number of sources on the masts, I opted for a design
based almost entirely on moving lights.
Q. How would you describe the lighting "look" for OVO?
The lighting for OVO is very naturalistic, warm, and full of
color. I worked exclusively in that direction. In fact, it was a
joint decision made by Deborah Colker (director), Gringo Cardia
(sets) and me. I worked with a lot of images inspired by nature.
At first, we wanted the entire performance to take place within
the space of 24 hours, and we wanted to recreate the changing
light of day
under the grass, under the water, in the fog, etc
So I disciplined myself to follow the logical order of things. I
created a photo dossier and storyboards for each moment of the
day, and for each number. I even went as far as completely
redoing the lighting for a number simply because it was moved in
the order of the show, and I was worried about keeping the time
of day in the right order. My assistant regularly kept me in the
right time frame during moments of intense creation, by showing
me the images in my timeline for the show.
Right up to the moment where I let myself be carried away by the
bright, bold colors that surround us, when I realized that the
color in nature does not come from the light but from living
beings and objects. Thus the green of the forest does not come
from the light, but from each of the leaves on each of the
trees; the blue of a lake is the reflection of the sky through
light; the bright orange or clear mauve of the clouds at sunset
are not created simply by the light by also by the layers of gas
that live between the clouds and the sun. From that moment on, I
started to create my images differently. I found the key to what
I was looking to reproduce. Using lights and artificial colors,
I wanted to reproduce the exuberance of the entire biosphere.
Q. Which luminaires are where, and why? Is there a workhorse
among the fixtures? LED fixtures?
Considering the space restrictions, I opted for a rig of moving
lights with a few conventionals. Pour the wash units, I used 22
Martin TW1 Tungsten fixtures, since I didnt want to lose the
warmth in the lamps. And since I love the light of a standard
PAR64, I wanted a wash that would marry perfectly with my PAR64s
with color scrollers. Five wash units per mast, and two on the
floor. As for the spot fixtures, I chose 15 Martin MAC700s, a
fixture that already proved itself on Kooza in 2007. There are
two units per mast, two on the floor, and five in the grid. Each
of the wash and spot fixtures was programmed in 50 different
positions to allow me maximum freedom once we got on stage. As I
also needed to move to the next scene in a fluid manner, I added
a complete backwash of PAR64s with scrollers that blend nicely
with the TW1s, and provide a unified point of view. The
conventionals also comprise a lot of ETC Source Fours with gobo
patterns for the double layer of Skins (scenic fabric) and for
all the aerial positions. To light the fabric of the Big Top
behind the scenic wall, I used 5kW Fresnels with scrollers to be
able to work against a backdrop of color. By doing so, I used
the tent as a cyclorama in a traditional theatre. I also used
approximately 185 G2-LED RGB units as footlights around the
stage and also at the foot of the wall, to help light the skins,
add color to the wall, and pick out the characters that live
under the skins. There are also about 15 LDDE SpectraWOW DMX-
controllable LEDs with color mixing system
small, luminous
jewels, powerful and easy to use, which are built into the Wall
to simulate luminescent insect eggs.
Q. Did you do anything specific to evoke the animal kingdom on
stage? How did you light the insect-like costumes?
You can see I used a lot of foliage gobos and breakup patterns
as well as other textures taken from nature, plus a lot of
spider web gobos for the number, Web. This was a great number
to work on as there was already an immense white spider web
under the Big Top and I added dozens of spider web gobos,
layering texture upon texture. The costume designer, Liz Vandal,
did incredible work. All of the costumes are extremely vibrant
and easy to light. The colors are so lively and the fabrics very
rich.
Q. Which scene do you especially like? Can you describe what is
happening with the lighting in this scene?
I quite like the lighting design for the number, Slackwire. In
fact, it was a double challenge since the artist was extremely
demanding in terms of safety for his act. And in spite of
everything, the result is striking. I like the depth of the
colors on the Wall, with the acrobat floating in the air on his
wire, and the structure that holds the wire moving up and down.
At first I wanted to follow the artist with a followspot, but
his position and the position of the aerial structure meant that
he was completely blinded, and with the ups and downs, it was
far from being easy to cover him in a traditional way. So I used
four MAC700s at the tops of the masts. The board operator moves
these manually between a low position and a high position. This
allows the artist total freedom of movement. I find that this
number comes closest to my eye as a painter, in its colors, its
structure, and the way the light hits the body and the objects.
{SOURCE: LiveDesign}
Cirque Plusses Tapis Rouge! [EXPANDED]
{Jun.09.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
At Cirque, renewing ourselves is hardly novel; in fact, it is
part of our fundamental values-to give our audiences the best
experience possible. The Merchandising and Hospitality team
proved as much last year with their overhaul of the front of
house on OVO, earning a couple of prizes along the way. They
have since turned their attention to the Tapis Rouge tent, which
is now more chic and more uniquely Cirque than ever! Deployed
for the first time on TOTEM in Montreal and Quebec City, the
redesigned Tapis Rouge tent sets a new gold standard for
hospitality.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
About a year ago, the Merchandising team set up a focus group to
gain a better understanding of the Tapis Rouge clientele. The
challenge is that people have very high expectations when it
comes to Cirque du Soleil. While they may be satisfied with the
food and service, they expect the experience to have that
typically eccentric Cirque stamp on it.
A task force was then formed to improve the Tapis Rouge
experience, bringing in people from different teams, including
Marketing, Technical Operations, Corporate Alliances and
Lifestyle. To maximize the impact on peoples perception, the
task force concentrated its action on the design within the
technical constraints imposed by a touring showthat is, it had
to be easy to install and transport.
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LIFESTYLE CREATION TEAM
To bring the experience to life, who better than the Lifestyle
team? Led by Jean-François Bouchard, they already had enough
ideas to fill a big top! To pick up on the spectators
comments, we had to adjust the lighting and also bring the world
of Cirque to the people, reveals Lyne Tremblay, Lifestyle
Project Manager, who teamed up with Artistic Coordinator Lisanne
Blain-Sabourin to design the new tent. I wanted to add a Cirque
aspect to the décor and create an ambience that was at once chic
and festive, and imbued with movement to reflect touring life,
Lisanne adds.
She started by adding curtains hung from a central ring to
surround and envelop the space to give it a more intimate
atmosphere. To prevent it from becoming too dim inside, we used
sheer curtains with life-sized Cirque characters printed on
them. There is also an opaque curtain that can be used to create
VIP areas when necessary.
It was important to have a space that could be adapted to suit
our needs from one evening to the next, says Lisanne. The
furnishings also had to allow for different setups and layouts.
For example, magnificent flavour bouquets were designed to
showcase the catering service. Inspired by the traditional
Chinese circus art of plate spinning, these organic sculptures
allow guests to help themselves to glasses of wine, snacks and
gifts. These five easy-to-move self-serve stations can be placed
anywhere in the space and, with their intriguing look, serve as
natural gathering points. In addition to lighting up the finger
food, the glow emitted by their perforated aluminum bases adds
to the liveliness of the décor.
The new Tapis Rouge tent began its adventure with TOTEM in
Montreal and Quebec City, but the remainder of its journeywhich
depends on the tour itinerary is still to be determined. But
wherever it goes, with the royal treatment it is already
promising our clientele, this new Tapis Rouge tent will shine!
o) Red, black and gold are at the heart of the décor in the new
Tapis Rouge tent, with gold as the accent colour throughout.
o) A circular golden bar, decorated with a luminous ring,
occupies the centre of the tent.
o) The lighting has been redesigned; now, in addition to the
illuminated bar and self-serve station bouquets, large
chandeliers light up the space.
o) The Tapis Rouge tent is LEED-certifiedthat is, it meets
stringent criteria in terms of sustainable development and
energy efficiency.
{SOURCE: CirqueClub}
AQUA's technological feats rewarded!
{Jun.09.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
From the Cirque du Soleil Press Room:
Last May 5 in Montreal, the AQUA multisensory experience
received a NUMIX award of excellence in the Business Production
- Museums category. ONE DROP is especially proud of this
distinction that highlights AQUA's technological feats.
Needless to say, the challenges that AQUA's production team
encountered when creating AQUA were numerous. The 360º
projections come to mind, as well as the interactive simulation
of water's movement that required 27 computers, 10 projectors...
and the hundreds of billions of neurons of 3 computer engineers.
You can find out more on the technology used for the experience
by visiting the AQUA section of ONE DROP's website .
The NUMIX contest is an initiative of the Regroupement des
producteurs multimédia, an association of multimedia producers
whose mission is to reward the creativity of Quebecers in the
burgeoning field of multimedia production.
AQUA will be at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa until
September 6.
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
Banana Shpeel... Shplitting?
{Jun.14.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
LAST TWO WEEKS TO SEE BANANA SHPEEL AT THE BEACON THEATRE
Producers announced today that Banana Shpeel will give its final
New York performance Sunday, June 27 at the Beacon Theatre (2124
Broadway). Banana Shpeel began performances in New York on April
29, with an official premiere on May 19. Prior to New York ,
Banana Shpeel played an engagement at the Chicago Theatre in
Chicago from November 19, 2009 through January 2, 2010 . Banana
Shpeel will begin a North American tour this fall.
Banana Shpeel is the latest show from producer extraordinaire
"Marty Schmelky's and features a colorful array of slapstick
comedy, eclectic dance and unique acrobatic acts. The larger-
than-life personality presents the diverse talent he has
gathered from around the world, as zany characters spread chaos
throughout the theatre.
Ticket Information
For all performances through June 27, tickets are available for
$39 and $49. All ticket holders for cancelled performances
(after June 27) will receive full refunds at the original point
of purchase.
To purchase tickets, go to www.schmelkyproductions.com or
www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-866-858-0008.
Show Schedule (through June 27, 2010)
o) Wednesday at 2 pm & 8pm
o) Thursday & Friday at 8pm
o) Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
o) Sunday at 2pm & 6pm
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
Enter Cirque's "Summer Getaway" Contest!
{Jun.16.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Vote for your all-time favorite Cirque du Soleil destination and
you could win the luxury trip of a lifetime to one of the 63
exciting cities Cirque will visit in 2010!
Grand prize trip for two includes:
o) Round-trip airfare;
o) Luxurious hotel accommodations;
o) $500 USD cash;
o) Tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show in the city of your
choice.
Second place prize:
Two winners will receive a $250 USD credit for Cirque du Soleil
show tickets.
Click here for more information about the contest:
< http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/promo/2010/
summer/contest.aspx >
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
Where Are They Now?: Kinnie Starr [EXPANDED]
{Jun.17.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
The Ottawa Citizen catches up with ex-Zumanity singer Kinnie
Star as she promotes her latest recording.
# # #
I'm taking a rest while hip hop gets better," says Kinnie Starr
with a laugh, when asked about the lack of beats and rhymes in
her latest work.
One can't help but think the versatile singer-songwriter has
trotted out this sound bite-worthy line once or twice before
while on the publicity rounds behind her new album, A Different
Day. True to its title, her fifth disc is certainly different
from her last four, particularly in its dearth of hip-hop
sounds. But the outspoken Calgary native makes it clear that her
temporary alienation from the form is based on some compelling
outside factors, not just the creative restlessness that has
always defined her work.
I know there is a lot of great music being made still, she
says. But I just have to take a break from it. Im kind of sick
of the way its become. Im sick of the scene and Im sick of
all the posturing and (expletive) like that. Lets talk about
someone like Jay-Z. He even says (expletive) hip-hop, hip-hop
is dead. Its weird, I mean if you know its dead, then push
it. Dont just do the videos with the girls in bikinis. Dont
continue pushing the fame image forward, if thats what you
think is killing hiphop. Maybe people could stop writing about
drinks and clubs and girls and guns.
Of course, Starr has never really fit comfortably into any
genre, including hip-hop. But its easy to see why she might be
frustrated by those who rest on their laurels rather than push
their art, no matter what form it takes.
Fans of the singer have become used to her genre-jumping and raw
experimentation, which has taken her down some seemingly strange
paths.
Shes done everything from publish a book of her poetry to sign
up for a short-lived stint performing in a Las Vegas production
of Cirque du Soleil. So while she may have problems with the
state of hip-hop, the backto-basics feel of A Different Day is
no doubt also the product of an interest to push herself
creatively.
Theres less lyrics, basically, Starr says. That comes from
an interest in editing and an interest in being sparse. Im
looking at artists like Sade and Lou Reed, people who
communicate a lot with a little amount. Its sort of the polar
opposite of hip-hop. I was interested to see what would happen
if I was able to pare everything down to the core, so it leaves
the listener with the option to make (her) own story out of it
rather than spell everything out. That was my attempt and
challenge that I took upon myself. Im just trying to be a
better songwriter.
So its perhaps ironic that A Different Day may be Starrs most
accessible album. If radio programmers had any imagination,
hook-heavy songs such as the propulsive and catchy High Heels or
full-throttle rock-out of the title track might actually find
some airplay. Starr isnt holding her breath.
If a song like High Heels comes in and theres a Lady Gaga or a
Beyonce single, no DJ is going to be allowed to play a Kinnie
Starr song, she says.
Im nobody compared to those superstars that are heavily
financed. Its kind of sad, because the general public seems to
think theres more power in the hands of artists, but we have no
power over stuff like that.
Not that Starr has ever seemed overly concerned with pop
stardom.
After attending Calgarys Western Canada High School, she earned
a degree in Womens Studies from Queens University and had
established herself as a visual artist before making the move
into music.
When she made the leap, she found herself the focus of a bidding
war between major labels. Bigwig Clive Davis, who has overseen
the careers of Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, even wined and
dined Starr in hopes of signing her. She finally signed with
Island/Def Jam in 1997, but left one year later after the
industry sank into a haze of downsizing and mergers. These days,
Starr is approaching her art in a very solitary, but celebratory
way.
Currently on tour with Bedouin Soundclash singer Jay Malinowski
and Michael Rault, shes presenting the songs from her new disc
in stripped-down form.
Im one of the lucky few artists who can make a living from
music, but that living is becoming harder and harder, she says.
Ive really had to find love in music. That was one of the
reasons to not make hip-hop for a minute. Ill sing really
beautiful songs for a bit, because singing makes my body vibrate
in a different way than rapping and trying to keep up with the
boys game. It works. Im really in love with these songs. When
Im playing them onstage, Im so happy.
{SOURCE: Ottawa Citizen}
Where Are They Now?: Raven O. [EXPANDED]
{Jun.17.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Theater Mania catches up with Raven O, ex-Zumanity emcee, in
"One Night With You" - his new show!
# # #
Raven O moves with a sexy self-assurance that instantly commands
the stage in his new show, One Night With You, playing Tuesday
evenings at 45 Bleecker. Part cabaret, part autobiographical
solo show, the piece amply displays the performer's talents as
both storyteller and song stylist - and even hints at his
abilities as a composer.
The artist first emerged on the New York scene as a go-go boy at
nightclubs and a singer at underground cabarets in the late
1980s. More recently, he spent three years as one of the stars
of Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity in Las Vegas and had a long-
running gig as host at the NYC burlesque club, The Box.
In One Night With You, Raven relates tales about how he left his
native Hawaii, lived homeless on the streets of New York, worked
as a hustler, experienced drug addiction, and endured various
relationship woes. There's a clear arc of self-realization --
and learning to let other people in -- that provides the show
with a narrative spine. And while that's hardly a unique theme
as far as autobiographical shows go, Raven's stories are funny,
and at times, genuinely moving.
Interspersed with his tales are numerous songs. For someone who
was a fixture in New York's punk and post-punk scenes, his
selections may come across as surprisingly traditional. He
croons "Fly Me to the Moon," delivers a sultry "Ring of Fire,"
and sings a sweet version of "Rainy Days and Mondays." Many of
his selections have a jazzy arrangement, with the performer
backed up by musician Daniel Fabricatore on bass. Particularly
noteworthy is his soulful interpretation of the Rodgers and
Hammerstein standard "My Favorite Things," from The Sound of
Music.
The majority of the tunes also tie into the stories he's
telling, such as back-to-back renditions of "Just a Gigolo" and
Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," as Raven relates his philosophy
about being a whore in both the literal and metaphorical sense.
He also gets to the heart of Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive"
from Company as he talks about how he always liked the song, but
could never figure out how to sing it properly until he fell in
love and learned what it means to be in a good relationship.
However, while he's very "out" in printed interviews, within the
show Raven is oddly coy about the gender of his partners. He
never drops a pronoun regarding his lovers and in relating
details about one of his exes, he refers to the person by simply
using a derogatory term for a part of a woman's anatomy. The
omission probably wouldn't even seem so strange if he weren't so
candid about so many other aspects of his life.
The final song Raven delivers is an original entitled
"Together," for which he wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music
with Robert Cowie. It's quite catchy and makes you wonder why
the performer didn't include more self-penned tunes. Maybe he
simply wants to leave the audience begging for more, as just one
night with Raven O is clearly not going to be enough.
{SOURCE: TheaterMania}
Cirque is a "Dream Weaver"
{Jun.17.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
On May 26, the Dream Weavers - Costumes by Cirque du Soleil
exhibition opened at Montreal's McCord Museum, one of the most
important museums in Canada. This exhibition was first presented
in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, as part of Cirque's 25th anniversary
celebrations and is now being presented in Montreal until
October 11, 2010!
Made up of costumes, photos, audio clips and video documents
recounting the company's quarter-century history, this
exhibition seeks to capture visitors' imagination as they delve
into the fantastic world of Cirque du Soleil. It was conceived
to pay tribute to the great contribution of Cirque's designers
and artisans over the years and presents:
o) 25 complete costumes from Cirque du Soleil shows created
between 1984 and 2009.
o) 30 different costume props (masks, shoes, hats, wigs, etc.).
o) 50 audio sound bites and video segments in which artisans
talk about their passion for their trade, interview excerpts
with costume designers reflecting on their experience and
what inspires them, as well as video excerpts from Cirque du
Soleil shows.
If youre in Montreal, its definitely worth a visit!
{SOURCE: CirqueClub}
Daniel Lamarre: The Boss [EXPANDED]
{Jun.21.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
I come from a small town called Grand-Mère, or grandmother,
about halfway between Quebec City and Montreal in other words,
in the middle of nowhere.
I was the oldest of five children and was equally involved in
sports and theater while I was growing up. I loved hockey and
was good enough to make it up to juniors, which is a pretty high
level in Canada. I dreamed of playing for the Montreal
Canadiens.
At 16, I was able to start working as a journalist on the local
newspaper. After high school, I got a job at the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation, which helped pay my way through Ottawa
University.
My degree is in communications. All the way through college, I
assumed Id be a journalist forever. But after college, I got a
job at a Montreal public relations firm.
When I was 28, I got a call out of the blue from a headhunter.
Burson-Marsteller, the big public relations firm, was looking
for someone to open a Montreal office, and it wanted to talk to
me. I told the headhunter I wasnt interested. The firm was
looking for someone who was 40 years old and had 15 years in the
P.R. business, so why would it want me? To my surprise, I was
still offered the job.
Burson-Marsteller was a big breakthrough in my career. It taught
me a lot about business development, international business,
public relations and working with major corporations.
Four years later, I joined a Canadian entrepreneur to start
National Public Relations, which became the largest P.R. firm in
Canada. After 10 years there, I went back to Harold Burson and
bought the entire Canadian Burson-Marsteller operation. That was
a thrill.
One of our early clients was Cirque du Soleil, which at the time
was a struggling young company. In fact, Guy Laliberté, Cirques
founder, called to tell me he couldnt pay our fee. I forgave
the bill and wished him luck.
I used to tell my son and daughter that I would never work for
someone else because I had the privilege of having my own firm.
Of course, that was before André Chagnon offered me the C.E.O.
position at TVA, his French television network based in
Montreal.
I had no experience running a media outlet, but I loved
television due to my journalism and theater background.
André had great confidence in me and delegated a lot of
responsibility to me right away. When I took over TVA, I called
Guy Laliberté, who over the intervening 12 years had grown
Cirque into a successful international company, and I asked him
to sell me the television rights to a Cirque series. He
explained that he had already begun to make arrangements with an
international firm.
But the next day, I received a copy of a note that Guy had sent
to the person in charge of Cirques television efforts. It said:
This guy helped me out 12 years ago, and he wants our television
rights. Do what you have to do.
I was touched that he not only remembered me but would act on my
behalf.
We got the television rights, and I got to know Guy over the
years. When André Chagnon announced that he was selling the
television network, I received a call from Guy. He said, I know
your spiritual father has left; why dont you join the circus?
So I did.
I joined Cirque in 2001, as chief executive of what was then its
new-enterprises division, and became C.E.O. of the company in
2004. It took a lot of time to learn the business. It is such a
unique entity that there is no benchmark to study. I succeeded
here because I love artists. My mission is to find work for
artists.
{SOURCE: New York Times}
Luxor promotes BELIEVE via text [EXPANDED]
{Jun.22.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
The Luxor Las Vegas hotel and casino will launch a mobile
campaign July 1 to promote the Criss Angel Believe Cirque de
Soleil show. The effort will encourage consumers to text to win
a prize that can only be discovered by visiting the hotel box
office.
Consumers will be able to text the keyword "win" to the short
code 25025 during the promotion. The hotel will respond with a
message instructing recipients to "bring this message to the
Believe box office at Luxor to claim your prize." The campaign,
which is slated to kick off early next month, is a joint effort
between the casino and mobile partner Cellit.
"The goal of the campaign is to spark additional interest in the
show and generate additional ticket sales," said Natalie Glover,
interactive marketing manager at Cirque du Soleil. "The campaign
will target people staying at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, as
well as foot traffic from visitors to the hotel and casino."
Consumers will be able to place the image they received via
mobile phone under a special piece of clear plastic at the box
office to reveal their offer. Prizes will include a percentage
off a ticket purchase or free tickets.
It is essentially an instant win that is a fun and new way to
reach people via mobile, said Ilyssa Cohen, senior account
manager at Cellit. It drives people to the box office and is
very interactive as well.
Programs like this are great because they encourage people to
take action in the real world, said Augie Ray, senior analyst
at Forrester Researcher. Getting people to visit the spot in
the real world allows consumers to get excited and encourages
them to take action. It is one thing to know that there is a
Cirque de Soleil show nearby, but it is more exciting to show up
and see the event going on.
Luxor has worked with Cellit since June 2008 on the Cirque du
Soleil mobile rewards club. The companies are also encouraging
visitors to text to find out more information about Luxor's
shows through hotel signage.
Consumers can also text keywords to get show information and
discounts for all of the Luxor's shows, including Zumanity,
Believe, Ka, Mystere, O and Viva Elvis.
Consumers can also opt in to receive regular updates from the
hotel, which are distributed numerous times a month.
The hotel will send consumers specific messages, depending on
what kind of information they want. Consumers will be able to
text letters to prompt responses for showtimes or special
offers, for instance.
Cellit is calling the effort the image reveal campaign. Luxor
is the agency's first client to use the platform, although Cohen
said the technology will be available to other customers. She
said client Feld Entertainment, which produces Disney on Ice
shows and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses, has
expressed interest in the platform.
For the live theater industry it is the perfect match, said
Cohen. It could also work for retail; you text in for your
secret percentage off. It could even work for restaurants.
Anywhere that there is mobile couponing, I think it would go
hand in hand.
{SOURCE: DMNews}
Presse: Report on Acrobats Death Released
{Jun.25.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
From the Montreal Gazette:
A Cirque du Soleil acrobat prematurely released his feet from
the strap of a Russian swing and fell, sustaining fatal
injuries, according to a report released Wednesday by the
commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST),
Quebec's occupational health and safety organization. The report
comes more than eight months after the death of 24-year-old
Oleksandr Zhurov in October 2009.
A Russian swing is a platform that is controlled by a pusher,
who stands on one end while acrobats dismount from the other
end. Zhurov, who was acting as pusher, had just completed a 360
degree rotation when he fell. Instead of placing his feet one in
front of the other, he placed them side-by-side and lost
balance, said Alexandra Reny, a spokesperson for the CSST.
"The movement is so quick. His feet flew behind him and he only
had his arms to keep him balanced," she said.
The CSST has recommended that Cirque du Soleil reevaluates the
risk that pushers face while on the Russian swing.
{SOURCE: Montreal Gazette}
"How Cirque Slipped on its 'Shpeel'" [EXPANDED]
{Jun.28.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Banana Shpeel closed up shop on Sunday, June 27th - far earlier
than expected. On Friday, the New York Times published the
following great article about the show, its failure, and what it
means to Cirque du Soleil.
# # #
Less than six weeks after opening in New York, Banana Shpeel
the latest high-budget, high-profile show from Cirque du Soleil
is scheduled to close on Sunday. For Cirque, the show was
supposed to be another milestone: a production that could
compete artistically and commercially with Broadway, blending
signature Cirque acrobatics and clowns with elements of
vaudeville, dance and musical theater. Instead Banana Shpeel
will go down as one of the most frustrating failures in Cirques
history.
With an original budget of $20 million, the production not only
had the Cirque touch but also a team led by David Shiner, the
renowned clown and co-creator of the hit 1993 Broadway show
Fool Moon, as writer and director. And the show was booked for
the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, which had reopened in 2009
after a $16 million restoration.
Now the closing notice stands as the first time that Cirque has
quickly shuttered a major show, said Daniel Lamarre, the
company's president and chief executive. And the experience has
clearly had an effect: Mr. Lemarre said it was too early to say
if Cirque would try a theatrically driven entertainment like
"Banana Shpeel" again.
"We tried something very new and very different for Cirque,
which is what we love doing - tackling new creative challenges -
but obviously this was a difficult and somewhat surprising
process for us," Mr. Lamarre said in a telephone interview from
the company's headquarters in Montreal. "I think it will take
some time to understand what happened with Banana Shpeel' in
New York."
According to interviews with nine executives and artists who
worked on Banana Shpeel, the production appeared to suffer
from competing creative impulses. Cirque is known for using a
highly improvisational, free-form process to create shows,
preferring to experiment with clown or circus acts rather than
to work with a script. In the case of Banana Shpeel, however,
the plan was to use a conventional plot, with music and dancing,
as well as actual characters, like an overbearing, off-color
theater impresario named Marty Schmelky, and an array of clowns
and actors who spar with him.
Yet for long stretches of development in 2009, Mr. Shiner and
his team were still not working with a scripted story; instead,
artists involved with the production said, Cirque emphasized the
importance of working with a blank canvas and creating
vaudeville numbers with bits of story interspersed. (Several
attempts through intermediaries to reach Mr. Shiner, who lives
in Germany, were unsuccessful over the last week.)
There was such a struggle getting everyone, people in the
rehearsal room, senior Cirque executives, on the same page about
what the show was supposed to be, said Annaleigh Ashford, a
Broadway actress (Hair, Legally Blonde) who was hired in
late 2008 to play the main female role in the show. But I got
the clear sense that Cirque, while wanting a different sort of
show, also didnt want a show that looked too much like
Broadway.
Mr. Lamarre said Cirque wanted to avoid putting labels like
Broadway and musical theater on Banana Shpeel, so as not
to predetermine the shape of the show or the expectations of
audience members. Still, he added, When youre working on a
show that youre hoping will be different from other productions
out there, you can run into problems as people try to determine
what the show is.
Within Cirque, meanwhile, the problem of determining what
Banana Shpeel would be came to a head last fall, when Mr.
Shiner and his cast and team held a closed-door performance of
their work for senior Cirque executives, including Guy
Laliberté, who created Cirque in 1984 and built it into a global
brand with total revenues of more than $700 million a year.
By all accounts, the performance was poorly received. The show
struck executives as a little of everything (vaudeville,
theater, clowning, acrobatics) but neither entrancing nor
memorable by the standards of Cirque whose popular shows
include Ka (a gravity-defying production, inspired by martial
arts performers) and O (a water show). It was also a nerve-
racking performance, according to several people involved, since
a pre-New York run of Banana Shpeel was soon to open in
Chicago.
Shortly afterward Ms. Ashford and another actor hired for his
theater experience, Michael Longoria (Jersey Boys), were let
go from the production. (The shows composer, Laurence OKeefe,
who was a co-writer of the music and lyrics for Legally
Blonde, had already quit the show last June because of concerns
about the competing, conflicting visions for the production, he
said.)
Mr. Shiner and his team quickly and heavily reworked the show,
focusing on Schmelky, his troupe of clowns and the vaudeville
acts rather than the more traditional musical numbers. But it
was all to disappointing ends: In December Banana Shpeel
opened in Chicago to disastrous reviews, and Cirque executives
declared that the show was not even close to ready for New York.
A lot of people have told me that a normal producer would have
given up after Chicago, but were not a normal producer, Mr.
Lamarre said. That said, we dont think were invincible, we
werent arrogant about it. We werent pleased after Chicago. But
the spirit of Cirque, working day and night to make the show
work, is a point of pride for us, and we wanted to give our team
a chance to fix the show.
The Beacon in Manhattan, meanwhile, passed up bookings for three
months awaiting Banana Shpeel preview performances, which
ended up being delayed three times, from early February to,
ultimately, April 29. With continued reworking of the show, the
production budget ballooned to at least $25 million from $20
million, Mr. Lamarre said.
More people began weighing in with proposed changes, including
executives at MSG Entertainment, which owns the Beacon Theater
and is a partner in Banana Shpeel and other Cirque
productions. (The Cirque show Wintuk has become a
Christmastime staple at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.)
The Cirque team had sole artistic control over Banana Shpeel,
but the MSG Entertainment team had a financial stake in the
show, as well as in the decision to turn over the Beacon Theater
to Cirque, which meant ousting its popular March residency by
the Allman Brothers.
Once Banana Shpeel finally began its run in New York, opening
on May 19 and accompanied by heavy television advertising,
weekly ticket sales were only a fraction of Cirques
projections. And almost four weeks after opening, Cirque
officials announced they would close the show.
Paul Binder, the founding artistic director of Big Apple Circus,
with which Cirque has been competing in New York City in recent
years, was invited to a dress rehearsal of Banana Shpeel and
also attended opening night. While he said he admired much of
the talent in the show, he added that he sensed right away that
Cirque might have a problem building an audience.
The reality is, people have very specific expectations with
Cirque shows, and Banana Shpeel turned out to be neither fish
nor fowl neither circus act nor theatrical vaudeville
entertainment, Mr. Binder said. So I think it was probably
difficult to get a large audience excited about a show when many
didnt really understand what it was.
The final decision to close was Cirques, Mr. Lamarre said,
adding that the company never came under pressure from MSG
Entertainment to leave the Beacon so it could book more
profitable acts. For his part, Jay Marciano, president of MSG
Entertainment, said in a statement that regardless of the
Banana Shpeel debacle, his company would continue its long-
standing relationship with Cirque, including on a major Cirque
production scheduled for Radio City Music Hall in 2011.
While Mr. Lamarre said Cirque was very excited about that
Radio City show, details of which remain secret, he added that
executives were not casually moving on from Banana Shpeel. The
show is expected eventually to have a run in Toronto, where, Mr.
Lamarre said, Cirque was hopeful that the show would finally
find an audience.
{SOURCE: New York Times}
Les Chemins Invisibles: Chapter Two
{Jun.28.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Over 500,000 spectators enjoyed the Les Chemins Invisibles
street event last year in Quebec City. This year, Cirque had to
modify at least 25% of the show, as per its agreement with the
city. Writer and creator Julien Gabriel tells us that almost the
entire content has been changed, however.
A TALE IN FIVE CHAPTERS
"The first chapter was about the meeting of the three tribes
(Brumes, Brasiers and Sables), who instinctively meet up in an
unknown location, where they discover the Embarrassants," Julien
explains. "This group possesses the Anciens' masks, which allows
the three tribes to regain their powers, infuse the grey
concrete with color and reveal the wonders hiding within the
Embarrassants." The show ended on a positive, festive, even
poetic note.
"I'm lucky to have the opportunity to write a story that takes
place over five years, in five parts," Julien confides. "This
second chapter lets us discover what happens to the tribes after
meeting up last year." In Furrow of Dreams, the three tribes
create a new community that takes over the area and is seeking
to understand the origin of the Anciens' masks. It is during
this search that they discover a sculpture that allows them to
enter their dreams and heal their internal wounds. We also
follow certain members of the community who had left to explore
the world, accompanied by the Embarrassants. They come back with
two new characters, Tapage and Discorde. These intensely
tormented beings will plunge the community into lyrical chaos,
and then drag it into a fantastic adventure through the portal
of dreams.
A WHOLE NEW SHOW
Presenting a new part of the tale each year also allows us to
change the artistic content. For instance, the costumes in
chapter two are a mixture of the three tribes' costumes from
last year. Plus, many new acrobatic acts have been added: "We've
developed a great banquine act with the house troupe. In
addition, there's a new Wheel of Death act right in the middle
of the show. It's a pivotal part that drives home the fragile
balance between chaos and light."
The Events team also paid attention to the public's comments. To
improve visibility, the stage has been elevated, the focus has
been put on acrobatic aerial acts, a raised nest and catwalks
have been added, and the projections are brighter.
This year, the public is invited to catch up with the adventures
of the characters they discovered last year. One thing is for
sure-this new chapter has many surprises in store!
Les Chemins invisibles
Chapter two: Furrow of Dreams
Presented June 24 to September 5 in Quebec City
For more information about this event, Discover the official
Website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/events/chemins-
invisibles/show.aspx >
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Quidam, Totem & Varekai}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Saltimbanco, Alegría, Quidam & Dralion}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
ZAIA, ZED, Believe & VIVA Elvis}
o) VENUE - Venue & Seasonal productions
{Wintuk & Banana Shpeel}
NOTE:
.) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate
touring dates and locations available, the information in
this section is subject to change without notice. As such,
the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility
for the accuracy of these listings.
.) Dates so marked (*) are not official until released by Cirque
du Soleil.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit our website: < http://www.CirqueFascination.com/ >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=39 >
Corteo:
St. Petersburg, Russia -- Jun 26, 2010 to Aug 8, 2010
Kazan, Russia -- Aug 21, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010
Moscow, Russia -- Oct 9, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010
Koozå:
Seattle, WA -- Jun 3, 2010 to Jul 11, 2010
Vancouver, BC -- Jul 22, 2010 to Sep 5, 2010
Calgary, AB -- Sep 16, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Miami, FL -- Nov 12, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010
Tokyo, JPN -- TBA (*)
Ovo:
Hartford, CT -- Jun 17, 2010 to Jul 11, 2010
Boston, MA -- Jul 22, 2010 to Aug 15, 2010
Washington, DC -- Sep 9, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Atlanta, GA -- Nov 4, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010
Quidam:
Santiago, CL -- Jul 11, 2010 to Aug 15, 2010
Lime, PE -- Sep 3, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010
Bogota, CO -- Oct 9, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010
NOTE: Begins Arena Tour after Bogota!
Totem:
Montréal, QC -- Apr 22, 2010 to Jul 11, 2010
Québec City, QC -- Jul 22, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010
Amsterdam, NL -- Oct 7, 2010 to Dec 18, 2010 (*)
London, UK -- Jan 5, 2011 to Feb 13, 2011 (*)
Charlotte, NC -- TBA
Pittsburg, PA -- TBA
Baltimore, MD -- TBA
Montreal, QC -- TBA
Toronto, ON -- TBA
San Francisco, CA -- TBA
Varekai:
Frankfurt, DE -- Jun 17, 2010 to Jul 18, 2010
Oostende, BE -- Jul 29, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010
Zurich, CH -- Sep 16, 2010 to Oct 10, 2010
Barcelona, ES -- Nov 5, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=1831 >
Saltimbanco:
Newcastle, UK -- Jun 30, 2010 to Jul 4, 2010
Dublin, IE -- Jul 7, 2010 to Jul 18, 2010
Nottingham, UK -- Jul 21, 2010 to Jul 25, 2010
London, UK -- Jul 28, 2010 to Aug 1, 2010
Hamburg, DE -- Aug 19, 2010 to Aug 22, 2010
Dortmund, DE -- Aug 25, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010
Berlin, DE -- Sep 1, 2010 to Sep 4, 2010
Munich, DE -- Sep 8, 2010 to Sep 12, 2010
Milan, IT -- Sep 15, 2010 to Sep 18, 2010
Zaragoza, ES -- Sep 22, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010
Granada, ES -- Sep 29, 2010 to Oct 3, 2010
Madrid, ES -- Oct 6, 2010 to Oct 10, 2010
Lisbon, PT -- Oct 13, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Prague, CZ -- Nov 12, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010
Zagreb, HR -- Nov 17, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010
Basel, CH -- Dec 1, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010
Budapest, HU -- Dec 8, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010
Alegría:
Toronto, ON -- Jun 30, 2010 to Jul 4, 2010
Winnipeg, MB -- Jul 22, 2010 to Jul 25, 2010
Regina, SK -- Jul 27, 2010 to Aug 1, 2010
Saskatoon, SK -- Aug 4, 2010 to Aug 8, 2010
Edmonton, AB -- Aug 11, 2010 to Aug 22, 2010
Kelowna, BC -- Aug 25, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010
Kamloops, BC -- Sep 1, 2010 to Sep 5, 2010
Victoria, BC -- Sep 8, 2010 to Sep 12, 2010
Tacoma, WA -- Sep 15, 2010 to Sep 19, 2010
Spokane, WA -- Sep 22, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010
Honolulu, HI -- Oct 15, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010
Boise, ID -- Nov 4, 2010 to Nov 7, 2010
Houston, TX -- Nov 10, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010
Phoenix, AZ -- Nov 17, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010
Tucson, AZ -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010
El Paso, TX -- Dec 1, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010
Oklahoma City, OK -- Dec 23, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010
Wichita, KS -- TBA
Baton Rouge, LA -- TBA
Colorado Springs, CO -- TBA
Broomfield, CO -- TBA
Loveland, CO -- TBA
Laredo, TX -- TBA
Hidalgo, TX -- TBA
Corpus Christi, TX -- TBA
Tulsa, OK -- TBA
Quidam:
Kingson, ON -- Dec 11, 2010 to Dec 14, 2010
Montréal, QC -- Dec 18, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010
Dralion:
Trenton, NJ -- Oct 20, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Buffalo, NY -- Oct 27, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010
Reading, PA -- Nov 2, 2010 to Nov 7, 2010
Youngstown, OH -- Nov 10, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010
Windsow, ON -- Nov 17, 2010 to NOv 21, 2010
Oshawa, ON -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010
Worcester, MA -- Dec 16, 2010 to Dec 19, 2010
Philadelphia, PA -- Dec 21, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011
St. Louis, MO -- Jan 19, 2011 to Jan 23, 2011
Peoria, IL -- Apr 22, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011
---------------------------------
RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre
---------------------------------
NOTE: (*) Prices are in United States Dollars (USD) unless otherwise
noted.
(*) Ticket prices exclude the 10% Live Entertainment Tax, the
$7.50 per-ticket processing fee, and sales tax where
applicable.
Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=40 >
Mystère:
Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12):
o Category 1: $109.00 / $54.50
o Category 2: $99.00 / $49.50
o Category 3: $79.00 / $39.50
o Category 4: $69.00 / $34.50
o Category 5: $60.00 / $30.00 (Limited View)
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 7
o September 4 - 8
o November 3
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
2010 Ticket Prices:
o Orchestra: $150.00
o Loggia: $130.00
o Balcony: $99.00
o Limited View: $93.50
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 4
o August 11 - 15
o October 10
o December 8 - 21
La Nouba:
Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
2010 Ticket Prices (adults) / (child 3-9):
o Category 0: $120.00 / $97.00
o Category 1: $105.00 / $85.00
o Category 2: $85.00 / $69.00
o Category 3: $69.00 / $56.00
o Category 4: $55.00 / $45.00
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 27
o September 21 - 24
o November 16
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday
Dark: Wednesday & Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2010 Ticket Prices (18+ Only!):
o Duo Sofas: $135.00
o Orchestra Seats: $99.00
o Upper Orchestra Seats: $79.00
o Balcony Seats: $69.00
o Cabaret Stools: $69.00
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 13 - 14
o August 3 - 8
o September 14
o October 12 - 13
o November 30
o December 1 - 14
2010 Added Performances:
o July 15th
o September 16th
o October 14th
o November 29th
o December 30th
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 5-12):
o Category 1: $150.00 / $75.00
o Category 2: $125.00 / $62.50
o Category 3: $99.00 / $49.50
o Category 4: $69.00 / $34.50
2010 Dark Dates
o September 7 - 11
o November 16 - 17
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2010 Ticket Prices:
o Lower Orchestra: $150.00
o Upper Orchestra: $130.00
o Lower Balcony: $99.00
o Middle Balcony: $93.50
2010 Dark Dates:
o August 5 -9
o October 7
o December 3 - 13
ZAIA:
Location: Venetian, Macao (China)
Performs: Every Day, Dark: Wednesday
One to Two Shows Daily - Times Vary
2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 2-11):
o VIP Seating: MOP$ 1288 / MOP$ 1288
o Reserve A: MOP$ 788 / MOP$ 394
o Reserve B: MOP$ 588 / MOP$ 294
o Reserve C: MOP$ 388 / MOP$ 194
ZED:
Location: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo (Japan)
Performs: Varies
One to Two Shows Daily - Showtimes vary
2010 Ticket Prices (Non-Peek / Peek Time):
o Category 1 ("Premium"): ¥15,000 / ¥16,000
o Category 2 ("Stage-Side"): ¥12,500 / ¥13,500
o Category 2 ("Center"): ¥12,500 / ¥13,500
o Category 3 ("Wide View"): ¥9,500 / ¥10,500
o Category 4 ("Value"): ¥7,500 / ¥7,800
BELIEVE:
Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm
NOTE: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by
an adult. Children under the age of five are not permitted
into the theater.
2010 Ticket Prices (all):
o Category 1: $160.00
o Category 2: $125.00
o Category 3: $99.00
o Category 4: $79.00
o Category 5: $59.00
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 6 - 10, 13 - 17
o October 12 - 16
VIVA ELVIS:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
Preview Performances: December 18th to January 28th
2010 Ticket Prices (Previews / Regular)
o Category 1: $149.38 / $175.00
o Category 2: $128.75 / $150.00
o Category 3: $108.13 / $125.00
o Category 4: $86.68 / $99.00
2010 Dark Dates:
o July 14 - 29
o September 14 - 16
o November 17 - 25
--------------------------------------
VENUE - Venue & Seasonal Productions
--------------------------------------
Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=251 >
Wintuk:
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City (USA)
Wintuk's 2009 Season has drawn to a close. See you next
winter!
Banana Shpeel:
Location: TBA
Banana Shpeel closed early on June 27, 2010 and is expected
to tour proscenium arch theatres around the United States in
the coming months.
One location may have been booked already, but has not been
confirmed by Cirque du Soleil.
Orange County, CA -- Dec 7, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010
Performance schedule and ticket prices for this version of
Banana Shpeel have not yet been set.
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE'S SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
o) Networking -- Cirque on Facebook, Youtube & Flickr
---------------------------------------
CLUB CIRQUE: This Month at CirqueClub
---------------------------------------
Recently CirqueClub went through a dramatic transformation -
refocusing and rebranding their efforts through their web page.
Currently a "Beta Version" of the website is up to experience for a
short while, but upgrades and new features will be rolling out soon!
Stay tuned for new and exciting features!
---------------------------------------------------
NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Flickr
---------------------------------------------------
--- [ ALEGRIA ] ---
{Jun.25}
Fans from Target Center in Minneapolis review the show after the
Opening Night on Wednesday!
Video [0:31] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php
?v=398089578371&ref=mf >
VIDEO [0:30] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php
?v=398094248371&ref=mf >
{Jun.24}
Twin Cities Live: Emily Engberg was able to spend some time with
the performers, promising that their performance at the Target
Center this weekend can't be missed. | With each performance,
Cirque du Soleil shows have reached incredible new heights,
traveling around the globe and astounding audiences through
acrobatics and artistic routines. Emily Engberg was able to
spend some time with the performers of "Cirque du Soleil
Alegria," promising that their performance...
Read More:
LINK /// < http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/
S1622484.shtml?cat=10741 >
{Jun.22}
Denys Tolstov, Hand Balancer, on KARE11 this morning! | GOLDEN
VALLEY, Minn. -- Alegria, a classic Cirque du Soleil production
that has received international acclaim, and wowed over 10
million people since it premiered in 1994 is coming to the Twin
Cities.
LINK /// < http://www.kare11.com/news/local/mornings/sunrise_
article.aspx?storyid=854310&catid=16 >
--- [ BANANA SHPEEL ] ---
{Jun.18}
The cast and crew enjoyed a stage door visit from the Mr. Softee
Ice Cream Truck to celebrate the 100th performance of Banana
Shpeel.
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=5779507&id=153330866799 >
{Jun.16}
Make-up Designer Eleni Uranis applying the contortionist's make-
up for Banana Shpeel
VIDEO [2:14] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php
?v=411352437995&ref=mf >
{Jun.9}
Gotta stay fashinonable in New York, right? Schmelky's costume
in the first act of Banana Shpeel is made of a moiré lamé that
goes through a five-layer process to create the irridescent
fabric that moves between silver and green under the show
lights.
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=5699867&id=153330866799 >
{Jun.4}
Dancer DeWitt Fleming, Jr. gets ready for the show. He's become
quite the Mascara Master.
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=5651804&id=153330866799 >
--- [ KÀ ] ---
{Jun.30}
Hi everyone! We're still recovering from a night with Regis at
the Emmy Awards, and we'll have some photos to share this week,
but in the meantime please enjoy this article on the humongous
acrobatic nets and airbag at KÀ! (There's also a great article
on the contortionists at "O" and a behind-the-scenes video from
Viva ELVIS, check them out!)
LINK /// < http://behindtheshell.msn.com/#/articles/24668973 >
{Jun.25}
I think we have a mole! Tune in to CBS this Sunday night at 9pm
ET/PT and let us know which character entrance was your
favorite! Also, our iPhone app has been updated for those that
have downloaded ...it (and for those that haven't: no time like
the present)!
LINK /// < http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/arts/
music/08met.html >
--- [ KOOZA ] ---
{Jun.28}
Examiner Review - KOOZA in Seattle!
LINK /// < http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-45561-Seattle-
Places--Faces-Examiner~y2010m6d24-Cirque-Du-Soleil-
is-back-once-again-at-Marymoor-Park-in-Redmond >
{Jun.18}
Seattle Weekly - Review
LINK /// < http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-06-16/arts/
opening-nights-kooza/ >
{Jun.17}
Learn the make-up and costume process - along with a with a few
tricks from King of Clown artist Ron Campbell & Hoops
Manipulation artist Irina Akimova.
LINK /// < http://www.king5.com/on-tv/evening-magazine/Behind-
the-scenes-magic-of-Cirque-du-Soleils-Kooza-
96405879.html >
{Jun.10}
KOOZA invites you to learn a few Trapeze figures with KOOZA
artist Yulia!
LINK /// < http://www.q13fox.com/videobeta/481514f7-a52d-
41a0-935d-404ce84732a7/News/Kaci-Goes-Behind-
The-Scenes-Of-Cirque-Du-Soleil-s-Kooza- >
{Jun.08}
Get an adrenaline rush of acrobatics in a zany kingdom during
KOOZA's stop in Seattle.
LINK /// < http://www.kirotv.com/video/23794818/index.html >
{Jun.04}
REVIEW Seattle Times - Cirque du Soleil's 'Kooza' is more laughs
and thrills than poetry and whimsy | Cirque du Soleil's show at
Marymoor Park, "Kooza," is not one of the more whimsical and
poetical of Cirque shows. It's meat and potatoes - or, rather,
yuks and thrills. And that's plenty to hold the attention of
circus-goers of all ages.
Read More:
LINK /// < http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/
2012024945_cirque04.html >
--- [ LA NOUBA ] ---
{Jun.22}
Les Cons x 5??? No you aren't seeing things. Hayden Honeycutt,
known for coming to La Nouba once a year dressed as one of the
characters (in the past he has dressed like The Green Bird, The
Red Pierrot, and the Titan), came to La Nouba on June 11 dressed
as one of our beloved Les Cons. Sitting in the front row, he
c...aught their attention and they came out after the show to
meet their kindred spirit. Rumor has it that next year he will
come to the show as The Little Walker... Stay tuned. (Thanks for
being a fan, Hayden!!)
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=4431302&id=16315569901 >
{Jun.08}
The La Nouba Boutique: Redesigned | During the May/June dark,
the boutique was completely transformed. New paint, new
fixtures, new merch! Stop by and say hello!!
FOTO [39] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=174382&id=16315569901&ref=mf >
--- [ MYSTERE ] ---
{Jun.24}
Great answers for yesterday's question! The real and honest
truth is that the sad umbrella Spermato makes his appearance
while the Bebe is driving the golf cart through the theatre. The
stage is pretty dark at that moment but the next time you see
the show make sure to look for it!
{Jun.23}
OK, die-hard Mystère fans, you all know there's so much going on
during a performance that if you see the show more than once
you'll always find new things to watch. Now's your chance to
prove how well you know the show. There is a moment in the show
when a seemingly sad Spermato crosses the stage with an
umbrella. During what act does he appear?
{Jun.11}
It's Fun Fact Friday! Over 110 trampoline bounces and over 65
teeterboard jumps are performed during each show. That's more
than 83,300 per year! No wonder our artists stay in such great
shape!
{Jun.07}
Hi Mystère fans! In honor of this Monday, here's a little trivia
to share around the water cooler! The Odaiko drum used in the
opening and finale of Mystère is the largest Taiko drum of its
kind in North America. It was hand-crafted by the Taiko
Crossroads/Asano Taiko company in Japan, which first started
making drums ...in 1609! The use of the Odaiko represents the
director's interpretation of the creation of the universe with a
big bang.
{Jun.04}
Here's some alliteration for you, Mystère fans! It's a Friday
Fun Fact! The images of faces projected on the "Sky" during
Mystère are photos of the original cast which were taken during
training in Montreal, before coming to Las Vegas.
--- [ OVO ] ---
{Jun.29}
Cirque's astonishing 'OVO' invades Hartford - Norwalk News
LINK /// < http://www.thehour.com/story/488301 >
{Jun.19}
"OVO" Comes to Hartford - Courant.com
LINK /// < http://www.courant.com/entertainment/arts/
hc-ovo-cal-cover-0617-20100616-16,0,3128290.story >
{Jun.18}
Ovo in Hartford
VIDEO [4:15] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=V7p0GavO930&feature=player_embedded >
{Jun.10}
OVO, Raising the Bigtop!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=4028066&id=62744104613 >
--- [ SALTIMBANCO ] ---
{Jun.19}
Cirque du Soleil rolls into Birmingham
LINK /// < http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/06/18/
cirque-du-soleil-rolls-into-birmingham/ >
{Jun.16}
Theatre: A feather in Nathan's cap | NATHAN Dennis was just 13
when he first saw Cirque du Soleil's show Saltimbanco in
Brisbane in his home country of Australia. And he knew straight
away he wanted to be in it.
Read More:
LINK /// < http://www.birminghammail.net/what-is-on-in-
birmingham/best-of-birmingham/2010/05/28/theatre-
a-feather-in-nathan-s-cap-97319-26542293/ >
{Jun.13}
Cirque Du Soleil: Saltimbanco - Greater Manchester's CityLife -
Days Out | It was only a couple of months ago that Cirque du
Soleil was last in Manchester with the spectacular Varekai. But
as Britain's Got Talent recent winners, Spellbound, proved -
audiences can't get enough of choreographed circus acrobatics.
Read More:
LINK /// < http://www.citylife.co.uk/days_out/reviews/18363_
review__cirque_du_soleil__saltimbanco___men_arena >
{Jun.09}
Group shot taken last week in Glasgow!! 100 people on tour!!
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php
?pid=5687230&id=41245692958 >
--- [ LOVE ] ---
{Jun.30}
"4 Theme" Fun Facts as we celebrate the 4th Anniversary of LOVE!
Many of LOVEs most notable characters come in groups of four such
as the Nowhere Men, Kids of Liverpool, Skaters, Nurses, Bungee
Couples, Comets, Crinyls and Gopis. The technical design of LOVE
was also created with the foundation of four in mind: trampolines,
traps on stage, giant balloons, scrims, elevators in the theater,
and automation control boards. The LOVE album debuted at #4 on
the Billboard 200 in November 2006. LOVE was also chosen for
the past four years as "Best Show" by the Review-Journals "Best
of Las Vegas" Awards (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). Four letters,
L-O-V-E!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-beatles-love-by-
cirque-du-soleil/4-theme-fun-facts-as-we-celebrate-
the-4th-anniversary-of-love/442831765179 >
{Jun.30}
As the basis of four prevailed throughout the creation of LOVE,
the Beatles' music was beautifully brought to life on stage.
When it came time to choose a name for the show, affection,
pleasure, attraction, tenderness and desire seemed to be a
reoccurring message in Beatles' music. Coincidentally, these
elements were ...all expressed in just four letters, L-O-V-E!!!
Happy 4th Anniversary!!!
{Jun.30}
An excerpt from Ringo Starr, featured in the critically
acclaimed, GRAMMY® winning documentary ALL TOGETHER NOW,
explains the catalyst LOVE's Director Dominic Champagne used in
creating LOVE with a theme of "four"...check out this clip, it's
less than a minute long!
VIDEO [0:58] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfZU9aTdpEY >
{Jun.29}
Everything you ever wanted to know about the wigs at
LOVE...check it out! | After seeing the incredible LOVE show
(www.cirquedusoleil.com) in Las Vegas, Maggie headed backstage
to speak with Christie Wilson, lead wigmaster and makeup
technician for this Beatles-themed performance. Have an interest
in wigs? Watch this video to see how wigs are made and cared
for.
VIDEO [3:16] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXn3J_tfE8c >
{Jun.24}
LOVE ROCKS THE 2010 NHL AWARDS! 17 cast members from LOVE
performed a 3 minute act on the 2010 NHL Awards last night (Wed,
June 23). Music for the "LOVE inspired" act was produced by
Giles Martin, son of Sir George Martin. Both Giles and George
produced the LOVE Album, which won them 2 GRAMMY Awards in
2008!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-beatles-love-by-
cirque-du-soleil/love-rocks-the-2010-nhl-awards/
440749280179 >
{Jun.24}
Check out our ROCKIN' performance on the 2010 NHL Awards! Music
by Giles Martin, choreography by NappyTabs! Peace and LOVE xoxo
VIDEO [2:58] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=mJMSSEI4Raw&sns=em >
--- [ TOTEM ] ---
{Jun.21}
TOTEM on Morning show at Vtv!
LINK /// < http://vtele.ca/emissions/leshowdumatin/
chroniques/2010/06/des-trapezistes-du-cirque-du-
soleil-en-studio---partie-1-5300.php >
--- [ VAREKAI ] ---
{Jun.17}
Varekai's private preview in Frankfurt
FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=188965&id=30414380348&ref=mf >
{Jun.11}
Starting June 17, don't miss Varekai by cirque du soleil in
Frankfurt, Germany
FOTO [5] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=187167&id=30414380348&ref=mf >
{Jun.01}
Varekai cast was in Frankfurt today. Don't miss the show there
starting June 17.
FOTO [4] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=184747&id=30414380348&ref=mf >
FOTO [1] /// < http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/
hs558.ash1/32535_399674045348_30414380348_
4030836_4407700_s.jpg
--- [ VIVA ELVIS ] ---
{Jun.17}
Here's a video look at Sir Richard Branson's time with us!
VIDEO [1:54] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php
?v=10100128510440929&ref=mf >
{Jun.16}
Sir Richard Branson made a cameo appearance in Viva ELVIS on
June 15, riding in the pink Cadillac during Blue Suede Shoes.
FOTO [10] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=174282&id=167136344108&ref=mf >
{Jun.16}
Viva ELVIS cast members were on hand at the airport to welcome
Sir Richard Branson. He arrived in Vegas to celebrate Virgin
Atlantic's 10th anniversary of flights from the UK to Vegas.
FOTO [5] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=174278&id=167136344108&ref=mf >
{Jun.07}
To celebrate the new release of "Elvis On Tour," you could win a
trip to Vegas to see Viva ELVIS! Details and entry info below! |
Put on your best mini-dress or leisure suit, throw on your
platform shoes and join us for a funkadellic night at The
Orpheum Theatre in downtown Memphis.
LINK /// < http://bit.ly/cRHqWi >
--- [ WINTUK ] ---
{Jun.16}
Wintuk returns to New York on November 17 for the FINAL YEAR!
Buy 4 tickets for $199 and get FREE popcorn & soda!
LINK /// < http://bit.ly/a1yW2d >
--- [ ZED ] ---
{Jun.10}
Our incredible baton twirler, Seishi Inagaki will be doing a
live performance at Hanamaru Market TBS on Monday 14th from
8:30am Japan time. Don't miss the opportunity to see from up
close his precise technique and outstanding skills!
{Jun.06}
Our beautiful aerialist Ginger Ana Griep- Ruiz performed for
TEDex Tokyo on May 15th. Check out her amazing performance!
VIDEO [4:33] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=qg8nehovAow&feature=channel >
--- [ ZUMANITY ] ---
{Jun.30}
Zumanity announces a new show schedule! Starting this week, our
schedule will be Friday through Tuesday with show times at 7:30
and 10pm.
{Jun.08}
Our sexy Vixen Vanessa films a commercial spot for LOGO TV
Network!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php
?aid=160312&id=13931088846&ref=mf >
=======================================================================
COMPARTMENTS -- A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
=======================================================================
o) DIDYAKNOW - Facts at a Glance about Cirque
o) HISTORIA - Cirque du Soleil History
---------------------------------
DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque
---------------------------------
o) On several of Cirque's tours, truck bodies are used for various
purposes, including: equipment transportation from city to city,
dressing rooms, dining room floors, and merchandise storage.
o) On average a touring show moves to a new city every six weeks.
o) More than 48 trucks carrying 750 tons of equipment are required to
transport the Quidam tour from one stop to the next.
o) The artist tent is approximately 1300 square feet and houses the
wardrobe area, training area, physio and individual dressing rooms.
o) A Grand Chapiteau measures 50 meters (165 feet) in diameter and is
supported by four 25-meter (82-foot) steel masts.
o) In Dralion ballet on lights act, the bulbs can hold a static weight
of 700 pounds.
o) The light bulbs used in the balancing platform on Dralion are
custom-made in China.
o) Some 150 people of 19 different nationalities make up the cast and
crew of Quidam.
o) The Saltimbanco tour kitchen has hosted numerous celebrities,
including Boris Becker, Bryan Adams, The Supremes, The Temptations,
Jean-Paul Gaultier, Roman Polanski, Phil Collins, and Princess
Mathilde and Prince Philippe of Belgium
o) The video projections in KÀ are an intricate mix of computer-
generated effects and human input that turn the performance space
into a cinema screen.
o) To fill the KÀ Theatre with sound takes 524,150 total watts of
amplifier power pumping an intricately layered mix of sound effects
and music to 4,774 loudspeaker drivers in 2,139 cabinets.
o) ZED includes seven musicians: a band leader/keyboardist, a bassist,
a bassoonist, a drummer, a guitarist, a percussionist and a
violinist.
o) For ZED, René Dupéré was inspired by world and ethnic music as he
composed almost two dozen musical pieces for the show.
o) The bodysuit, or leotard, worn by dancers and acrobats got its name
from French gymnast and trapeze artist Jules Léotard.
------------------------------------
HISTORIA: Cirque du Soleil History
------------------------------------
* Jul.01.1990 -- Cirque Réinventé (Vol 2) CD Released (Nâga)
* Jul.02.2002 -- La Nouba Boutique pepper spray incident
forces evacuation
* Jul.03.2009 -- Koozå opened Minneapolis/St-Paul
* Jul.04.2007 -- Cirque named top Canadian Brand by Brand
Finance Canada.
* Jul.05.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Rimouski
* Jul.05.1985 -- 1985 Tour opened Québec [Vieux-Port de Québec]
* Jul.05.1986 -- Le Magie Continue opened Québec
* Jul.05.1990 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Seattle
* Jul.05.1996 -- Quidam opened Ste-Foy
* Jul.05.2007 -- Koozå opened Quebec City
* Jul.05.2007 -- Varekai opened Adelaide, Australia
* Jul.06.2000 -- Saltimbanco 2000 opened Seattle
* Jul.06.2006 -- Quidam opened Philadelphia
* Jul.06.2008 -- René Dupéré named "Chevalier" in the
Order de la Pléiade
* Jul.07.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Québec
* Jul.07.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Dublin, IE
* Jul.08.2004 -- Alegría opened Philadelphia
* Jul.09.2009 -- Quidam opened Recife, Brazil
* Jul.09.2009 -- Varekai opened Gijon, Spain
* Jul.10.2002 -- Saltimbanco opened Vienna
* Jul.10.2003 -- Alegría opened Vancouver
* Jul.10.2009 -- Dralion opened Auckland
* Jul.10.2009 -- La Nouba celebrated 5,000th performance [9:00pm]
* Jul.11.1990 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Montréal
* Jul.11.1997 -- Alegría opened Berlin
* Jul.11.2008 -- LOVE celebrated 1000th performance [Friday]
* Jul.11.2009 -- La Nouba celebrated 5000th performance
* Jul.11.2010 -- Quidam opened Santiago, CL
* Jul.12.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
* Jul.12.1994 -- Alegría opened San Francisco
* Jul.13.2003 -- Cirque nominated for 1 Emmy - 55th Emmy Awards
Outstanding Nonfiction Program Alternate - Fire Within
* Jul.14.1992 -- Fascination opened Osaka
* Jul.14.1992 -- Saltimbanco opened San Francisco
* Jul.14.2006 -- Alegría opened Amsterdam
* Jul.14.2006 -- Corteo opened Chicago
* Jul.16.2003 -- Varekai opened Chicago
* Jul.17.2008 -- Dralion opened Sydney, Australia
* Jul.18.2002 -- Cirque nominated for 2 Emmys in 54th Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety, Music or
Comedy Special - Alegría
Outstanding Choreography for 74th
Academy Awards - Debra Brown
* Jul.19.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Baie-Saint-Paul
* Jul.19.2003 -- Quidam opened Osaka
* Jul.20.2004 -- Varekai CD released in Canada (CDS Musique)
* Jul.20.2004 -- Alegría CD released in Canada (CDS Musique)
* Jul.20.2007 -- Corteo Nominated for Emmys
o) Category 6: Art Direction for a Variety,
Music Program or Special
o) Category 28: Picture Editing for a Special
(Single of Multi-Camera)
* Jul.21.1995 -- Saltimbanco opened Berlin
* Jul.21.1999 -- Saltimbanco opened Adelaide
* Jul.21.2005 -- Dralion opened Oostenede
* Jul.21.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Nottingham, UK
* Jul.22.1998 -- Alegría opened Antwerp
* Jul.22.1998 -- Quidam opened Chicago
* Jul.22.2010 -- Kooza opened Vancouver, BC
* Jul.22.2010 -- OVO opened Boston, MA
* Jul.22.2010 -- Totem opened Québec City, QC
* Jul.22.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Winnipeg, MB
* Jul.23.1988 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Toronto
* Jul.23.2006 -- Varekai NAT 1 Ends (2002-2006)
* Jul.24.1992 -- Fascination opened Sapporo
* Jul.24.2003 -- Saltimbanco opened Oostenede
* Jul.24.2003 -- Dralion opened Columbus
* Jul.24.2008 -- Quidam opened Alicante, Spain
* Jul.25.2002 -- Quidam opened Boston
* Jul.25.2007 -- Dralion opened Osaka, Japan
* Jul.26.1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Québec
* Jul.26.1985 -- 1985 Tour opened Toronto [Harbour Front]
* Jul.26.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Toronto
* Jul.26.1995 -- Alegría opened Chicago
* Jul.26.1996 -- Saltimbanco opened Angers
* Jul.26.2001 -- Quidam opened Copenhagen
* Jul.26.2007 -- Alegría opened Gijon, Spain
* Jul.27.2004 -- Varekai opened Boston
* Jul.27.2004 -- Varekai CD released in US (CDS Musique)
* Jul.27.2009 -- LOVE celebrated 1,500th performance [7:00pm]
* Jul.27.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Regina, SK
* Jul.28.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened Chicago
* Jul.28.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened London, UK
* Jul.29.1999 -- Dralion opened Toronto
* Jul.29.2009 -- Corteo opened Osaka
* Jul.29.2010 -- Varekai opened Oostende, BE
* Jul.30.2009 -- OVO opened Quebec, QC.
* Jul.31.1990 -- Cirque Réinventé opened London
* Jul.31.1997 -- Quidam opened San Jose
* Jul.31.2003 -- Zumanity Begins Preview Performances
* Jul.31.2004 -- Quidam celebrated 3000th performance
[Sat, 1:00pm/Calgary]
* Jul.31.2008 -- Corteo opened Calgary, AB, Canada
* Jul.31.2008 -- Varekai opened Oberhausen
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
Within...
o) "Cirquey-oke: Discovering Cirque's Musical Audition Kits"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Cirquey-oke: Discovering Cirque's Musical Audition Kits"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Cirque Du Soleil Passionates love most all aspects of Cirque shows.
They especially tend to pay particular attention to show music. In
many cases it is the timeless beauty of the melody and the virtuosity
of the musicians and singers that first pulls a viewer into Cirque's
magical world and makes them fans for life.
But how does Cirque find those musicians? Not surprisingly for a
company of Cirque's stature the musicians find Cirque and apply for
jobs directly with the company by sending audition kits.
The number of audition packages sent to Cirque from hopeful artists is
impressive. Each year, Cirque receives more than 4000 demo tapes for
its six artistic disciplines (dancing, acting, acrobatics, circus
arts, singing and musicians). Of those 4000 demo tapes Cirque
seriously considered only 1900-2000 of those tapes in 2003. And only
about half of those (1000) were extended an invitation to an audition.
And of those that auditioned only 100-200 were hired as artists. And
a very small number of those were musicians.
The sheer quantity of submissions presents Cirque with a problem; how
should it evaluate potential musician candidates' talents and
abilities on their chosen instrument? How can it separate the truly
talented worthy of further consideration from those who wouldn't make
the cut?
To address this, several years back Cirque du Soleil started creating
"Audition Kits" for various instruments and vocal ranges. The kits
include multi-language instructions for submitting an audition kit
along with several MP3 musical samples along with score sheets for
that particular instruments part in the song.
It might not be obvious at first blush, but while created for the
"behind-the-scenes" business purpose of evaluating candidates, what a
treasure trove this is for Cirque music lovers! Over SIX HOURS of
musical segments as played by the show bands in performance, many
tracks complete! And at absolutely no cost to download!
The songs are presented in the audition kits in two forms; a
"Reference" version with the particular instrument included in the mix
(normally isolated in the right channel with the rest of the band
plays in the left channel) and an "Accompaniment" version for the
candidate to play (or sing) along to. The selections are a variety
from all of Cirque's productions except Ovo, Love, Viva Elvis, Wintuk,
and Believe, and were chosen to provide a challenge to the candidate.
As the introductory letter in the package explains:
"For each piece, you will find the full mix version as a reference and
an instrumental version that you will use to record your
interpretation. Please reproduce the melody, phrasing, style and
texture of the songs, staying in the spirit of the song while adding
your own vocal colour and personality. In other words, we do not need
to hear how well you imitate the sound of another voice, but how you
make each piece your own while respecting its essence."
The audition kits are divided between those for singers and those for
musicians, and are listed on different pages.
On the page for Singers, found at < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/
en/jobs/casting/demorequest/singers.aspx > are links these kits:
o) Mezzo-Soprano
o) R&B Mezzo-Soprano
o) Soprano
o) Baritone
o) Tenor
o) Counter-Tenor
On the page for Musicians, found at < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/
en/jobs/casting/demorequest/musicians.aspx > are links to these kits:
o) Bandleader (which leads to two kits - "Bassist" (which goes
to a kit called "Electric Bass" and "Keyboardist" (the same
as the "Keyboard" kit listed below))
o) Keyboard
o) Guitar
o) Bass and Double Bass (which leads to "Bass and Upright")
o) Drums
o) Percussion
o) Saxophone / Keyboard
o) Violin
o) Accordion
o) Oboe (which leads to a kit called "Dralion Woodwind")
o) Recorder (which leads to a kit called "Varekai Woodwinds")
o) Trumpet
o) Trombone
o) Bassoon (which leads to a kit called "Bassoon-Duduk")
o) All Other Instruments (this listing does not link to any kit)
The tracks in the kits are not pristine studio recordings. In some
cases they're not even complete versions of the songs, including only
enough for a good demonstration or challenge for the candidate. For
the most part they were recorded live, on tour and in resident show
theaters during actual performances. These are often referred to as
"soundboard" recordings because they were recorded straight from the
audio mixing board in the tent or theater with no audience or tent
ambiance and no post-production or careful mixing.
Because of that you can hear muffled audience applause for the acts
being showcased while the music is performed. Sometimes you can hear
stray musician noise and instrument clicking on open microphones.
You'll hear an occasional "stray" note. Some tracks have slight
distortion. There is also the occasional "click track," a metronome
that the musicians use to keep in sync that is removed from the sound
before it reaches the audience. Occasionally this can be a
distraction but it can also add to the momentum of a track.
Show tracks are spread throughout the various kits; if you were to
download one version of each track here's a breakdown of what you'd
get sorted by show.
o) Alegria - 6 tracks - 13 minutes
o) Corteo - 14 tracks - 30 minutes
o) Delirium - 4 tracks - 14 minutes
o) Dralion - 7 tracks - 14 minutes
o) KA - 8 tracks - 21 minutes
o) Kooza - 7 tracks - 28 minutes
o) La Nouba - 5 tracks - 10 minutes
o) Mystere - 1 track - 3 minutes
o) O - 4 tracks - 14 minutes
o) Quidam - 4 tracks - 9 minutes
o) Saltimbanco - 4 tracks - 16 minutes
o) Varekai - 13 tracks - 40 minutes!
o) Zaia - 1 track - 3 minutes
o) ZED - 6 tracks - 31 minutes!
o) Zumanity - 9 tracks - 29 minutes!
A look at the kits reveals many collectible tidbits for collectors of
Cirque music, all free for download - right now! Several tracks are
not available in any "official" form elsewhere, including:
* Several tracks from Varekai (totaling almost 40 minutes) appear in
the Woodwind and Violin kits and are sprinkled throughout several
other kits. Since the official CD's arrangements are radically
different from the live show these tracks are especially interesting.
In addition, several tracks are presented in full-length versions,
such as "Straps" in Baritone, "Luna" in Bass and "Trapeze" in
Woodwind. The tracks feature original singers Mathieu Lavoie and Zara
Tellander.
* Several tracks from Zumanity (totaling a half-hour) appear in the
Trombone, Trumpet and Bass kits and are sprinkled throughout several
other kits. Since the official CD used very little of the show music
these tracks are also especially interesting. Included here is the
sung "Warning" (thou shalt not photograph) from the beginning of the
show.
* "Debbie" (otherwise known as the "Journey of Man" theme) from "O" in
both the Mezzo-Soprano and Soprano kits. Sung by a fan favorite,
Roxane Potvin.
* The Fire Knife music from Alegria, in Drums.
* "Ledjendia" (show opening) from Dralion, in Countertenor.
Several songs in the kits are not just excerpts but full-length
versions as played in the show. Some examples include:
* "Let Me Fall" from Quidam (3:35) in Tenor. Sung in the
original "Cirque-ish."
* Juggler music from Corteo (6:09) in Keyboard-Sax.
* High Wire music from Kooza (7:42) in Mezzo.
Several tracks from Tokyo Disney Resort's ZED appear in the kits as
well. Of note is "Birth of the Sky" in the Soprano kit. It's divided
into two parts, with the acapella introduction separated from the rest
of the song. (The second part includes the "improvised" dialog
missing from the official CD.) "Birth on Earth" in the Bassoon kit
includes a virtuoso bassoon solo. And the high wire acts
"Celebration" and hand-to-hand acts "World's Meet" are included in
their full length (though without the prerecorded choral
embellishments played through surround speakers in the theater) at 7
and 9 minutes plus, respectively!
On occasion, Cirque would create a kit for a specific purpose. In
many cases these tracks eventually found their way into the standard
kits, which over the years have been refined and generalized.
Occasionally they have had specialized kits available for only as long
as it takes them to fill a position, or until they move in a different
creative direction. These "special" kits are only found in job
listings on their main Jobs Listing page, found at <
https://cirquedusoleil.taleo.net/careersection/10120/moresearch.ftl?
lang=en >
Past "special kits" (which are no longer available on the site) have
included:
* Early demo versions of high wire and hand-to-hand music (newer
"performance" versions of each are now available) when they
were looking for a male singer for ZED.
* Five excerpts of Zoe's singing in Quidam when they were
seeking another young girl to perform the role.
* Two demo tracks for a singer for the delayed second Macao
show.
* Two demo tracks for a female singer for the show that would
become OVO.
* An accompaniment track for "If I Could Dream" from Viva Elvis,
when the show was looking for a Young Elvis character.
This is a source of Cirque music every Cirque musical fan should
seriously consider downloading. It's also a good idea to check
occasionally for new tracks that are sometimes placed in the kits.
So do it now, while it's free. Before it's put behind a firewall.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 10, Number 7 (Issue #78) - July 2010
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2010 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
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Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way
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Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil,
Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright
infringement intended.
{ July.07.2010 }
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