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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 10 October 2010 ISSUE #81e
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Bonjour et bienvenue!
Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter. It's been a rather interesting month to say
the least, wouldn't you say? Cirque du Soleil officially announces
its next two productions - IRIS in Hollywood, California (set to
debut Summer 2011) and "Radio City" in New York City, New York
(also set to debut Summer 2011) - but there's also rumblings about
the closure of one of its newest productions - BANANA SHPEEL. At
press time the premature closure of BANANA SHPEEL has not been
officially announced; however, its scheduled stop in San Francisco
has been officially canceled without news on the show's future. So
interesting times indeed.
That being said I'd like to thank Wayne Leung for allowing us to
include his review of Banana Shpeel in Toronto, which provides a
well thought out analysis of the good, the bad and the ugly of
BANANA SHPEEL. Also inside this month we've got the latest news
items posted to Fascination! Web and, of course, all the pertinent
posts on Cirque du Soleil's various social widgets in our OUTREACH
section.
So, let's get started!
Join us on the web at:
< www.cirquefascination.com >
Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only):
< http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
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CONTENTS
===========
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
* "My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel"
By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
{As Published on Cirque Tribune}
* "Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED]
By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger
A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
OYEZ OYEZ - Banana Shpeel - Canceled!
{Oct.05.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
According to the Examiner.com, Banana Shpeel, Cirque du Soleil's
new style vaudeville show, just cancelled its San Francisco
engagement. The show, currently running in Toronto through
October 10th, was to play the Golden Gate Theatre October 16
through November 14, 2010.
Patrons who have purchased tickets for Banana Shpeel
performances through SHN Theaters will receive a full refund.
They will be contacted by SHN Audience Services or they may call
888-SHN-1799 directly.
Banana Shpeel was also set to play to audiences in Orange
County, California following the San Francisco engagement.
Information pertaining to that engagement or the show's
immediate future has not beenmade available.
La Nouba's New Rope Act [EXPANDED]
{Sep.02.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Dewayne Bevil, the Orlando Sentinel's self-proclaimed "Theme
Park Ranger" writes today about the recent changes to Cirque du
Soleil's La Nouba, performing nightly at Downtown Disney West
Side.
To tweak "La Nouba" requires more than a hop, skip and a jump.
The Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney's West End now
sports a skipping-rope segment that involves two new Japanese
artists as well as many troupe members - including trampoliners,
trapeze artists and women who normally dangle high above the
stage floor from red ribbons.
Skippers Yusuke Funaki, 29, and Shoichi Kasuo, 24, arrived in
Orlando in June to prepare for the new act, which was placed
near the beginning of the show in July. They were inspired by a
performer in another Cirque show - Nori, a skipper in "Quidam."
"My first impression was 'What a fun thing to do,'" Funaki says
through a translator. At the time, he was an aerospace engineer
on weekdays and skipped rope on weekends.
"It's not about transition," he says of his career path. "It's
more like the priority has changed."
"La Nouba" marks the first time the skippers have performed on
any stage, although Kasuo earned three jump-rope titles in Asia.
In the show, the duo descends from the rafters in hooded black
costumes with day-glow designs and break into individual
routines. Some parts are rapid-fire skipping (Kasuo completes
four rotations on a single jump). Some parts are more like rope
tricks one spins the rope matador-style, one is more like a
whip-cracking Zorro.
Eventually, the act expands into double-Dutch with acrobats
sailing through the ropes. A triangular formation with three
ropes, three turners and nine jumpers is a logistical challenge.
The skippers skip from rope to rope three women going
clockwise, six men going counterclockwise.
Kasuo says his favorite part is called "jumpline," where nine
men stand shoulder-to-shoulder and he skips once with each of
them in rapid succession. (Audience tip: Don't blink, it's that
fast.)
"Then, at the end, everything stops and then the big applause,"
Kasuo says via translator. "This is a risky part of the act
because it's really difficult to make it perfect.
"We all hold our breath."
Even more of the cast is roped in for a final push of the five-
minute act.
"We had to do a lot of work with technicians backstage on the
setting of ropes, because we have a lot of ropes backstage of
various different lengths and various different thicknesses,"
says Nicola Roberts, general stage manager. "We need to make
sure they're all in the right place at the right time."
With more folks on stage the ropes bit replaced the German
wheel act there were more cues to learn and reprogramming of
the elaborate stage. Earlier this year, juggler Anthony Gatto
was added in the middle of the show.
Members of the troupe are doing more multitasking now. Tumbler
Vladislav Dunaev, 38, who has been with "La Nouba" since it
opened in 1998, is now one of the turners in the triangle.
"It's very important to be consistent, to do the same thing, to
watch with both eyes
to watch both partners," he says.
The ropes are not timed to the music because the beat is too
fast, Dunaev says.
The troupe trained for a few months before the ropes were added.
A professional skipper from Cirque's headquarters in Montreal
came for that.
"It's fun to learn new, to go beyond what you used to do,"
Dunaev says.
"For athletes like we are, it's easier to learn. We know the
rhythm, we know the tricks, we know the tips. For the person
from the streets, it's not as easy to do."
Expect more rope work.
"We're still continuing to perfect the act," he says. "We
started with the simplest thing to make it clean on stage for
right now. Then, as we grow as performers in this act, we're
going to add more stuff."
{SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel}
Cirque Announces Radio City Show!
{Sep.14.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TO PREMIERE A MAJOR NEW SPECTACLE AT RADIO CITY
MUSIC HALL IN SUMMER 2011
Cirque du Soleil announced today that it will debut a major new
acrobatic spectacle next summer at the legendary Radio City
Music Hall in New York. Proudly presented by iShares(r), the new
show, whose name will be announced in the coming weeks, will be
directed by acclaimed film and theatre director François Girard
(The Red Violin, Silk). Previews will begin for the new
production in June 2011, with the premiere date to be confirmed
shortly.
Directed by François Girard, the new showtakes place in an
abandoned theatre and follows a magician who has lost his love
and with her, his magic has disappeared. As he cries and begs
the Gods for her return he is plunged into a world inhabited by
surreal creatures. The diverse cast of 71 international artists
transports the audience into a fantastical and suspenseful
world, blurring the boundaries between the real and imaginary.
Along with François Girard, the creative team consists of 12
creators under the artistic guidance of Cirque du Soleil Founder
Guy Laliberté:
François Girard - Writer and Director
One of Quebec's most highly-regarded creators, François Girard
is equally at ease in cinema (Silk, The Red Violin), opera,
visual arts and theatre and has earned an enviable international
reputation over the years. A keen music lover, he is
particularly known for the hybrid worlds he creates in which
music plays a predominant role. His works are recognized for
their great musicality, both in terms of sound and image. This
will be his second creation for Cirque du Soleil, following ZED,
the Tokyo resident show.
Line Tremblay - Director of Creation
Line Tremblay has worked in many capacities for Cirque du Soleil
since the company was founded in 1984. Starting in 1992 she
worked as the assistant to the director for the creation of the
shows Mystère, Alegría, Quidam, "O" and La Nouba. Line also
contributed her talent to Quidam as Artistic Director and was
Director of Creation for the Corteo and ZED.
Stéphane Roy - Set and Props Designer
Stéphane Roy has worked as both a set designer and artistic
director on over 100 productions in Montreal and abroad. While
primarily active in theatre and dance, he has also worked in
film, television, advertising and variety shows. Stéphane
designed the sets for the Cirque du Soleil shows Dralion,
Varekai, Zumanity and KOOZA.
Alan Hranitelj - Costume Designer
Alan Hranitelj has participated in many group exhibitions and
fashion shows both in Slovenia, where he's been living for the
past 25 years, and abroad. In 1991, he designed haute couture
collections in Milan, but he soon quit catwalks and returned to
his first love, stage. He mostly designs for drama, opera and
film. This is his first show for Cirque du Soleil.
Nick Littlemore - Composer and Musical Director
Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as
frontman of acclaimed electronic act Pnau (with Peter Mayes) and
one part of electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun (with Luke
Steele). He is also a member of art-rock band Teenager (with Pip
Brown a.k.a Ladyhawke). As a producer he has worked with Sir
Elton John, Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams,
Flora Purim and many others. This new production will be his
first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
Sir Elton John will be guiding his protégé Nick Littlemore
through the creative process of this new production.
Debra Brown - Choreographer
Dancer and choreographer Debra Brown is internationally-renowned
for her unique body of work blending acrobatics and dance. Ever
keen to diversify and reinvent, Debra has forged her impressive
and unconventional creative path, working with artists and
groups from a wide variety of disciplines. She worked with
François Girard on ZED and this new production will be her
eleventh production with Cirque du Soleil.
Elena Kolyadenko - Choreagrapher
Elena Kolyadenko has been active in the artistic world in
Ukraine and Russia for many years. For the past seven years, she
has created and has been managing the Ukraine dance group
FreedomBallet. She has worked on a number of productions on many
capacities: casting, staging, musical orchestration, and costume
design. Moreover, she has been a ballet coach for the Shchepkin
Theater (Ukraine), as well as manager and choreographer for the
Art Classic Ballet. This will be her first collaboration with
Cirque du Soleil.
Alain Lortie - Lighting Designer
More than 25 years ago, Alain Lortie began working with multi-
talented Quebec artists such as Michel Lemieux, Marie Chouinard
and Edward Lock, and has since collaborated on many variety,
opera and music shows both in Quebec and Europe. He also
designed the lighting for several productions in Asia. Alain has
worked with many Quebec stage directors including Robert Lepage
and François Girard. He created the lighting design for the
Cirque du Soleil shows Soleil de Minuit and DELIRIUM.
Raymond St-Jean - Image Content Designer
Director, video designer, writer and editor Raymond Saint-Jean
began his career directing music videos and short films. Since
then, he has turned to dramas, documentaries and films about the
performing arts. Raymond has made his talents as a "video set
designer" available to a number of artists and companies in the
arts world across North America. Raymond previously worked on
the Cirque du Soleil show, ZAIA, the resident show in Macau.
Steven Dubuc - Sound Designer
A self-taught creator with an adventurous mind, Steve Dubuc
worked on a large number of artistic projects across the globe
as a sound engineer, chief sound engineer and sound technician.
He has worked as a technical director on various Cirque du
Soleil shows. This will be his second Cirque du Soleil show as
sound designer, following ZAIA.
Florence Pot - Acrobatic Performance Designer
With her university training in physical education and sports
psychology, Florence Pot took on many projects in the world of
gymnastics as a trainer and choreographer prior to joining
Cirque du Soleil as an acrobatic scout and, later, chief scout.
In 2006 she accepted the invitation to become Acrobatic
Performance Designer on the Cirque du Soleil resident show ZED
in Tokyo-a role she reprised on the big top show TOTEM.
Danny Zen - Rigging and Acrobatic Equipment Designer
Danny Zen first arrived at Cirque du Soleil in 1990 to work as a
welder in the company's workshops, and then worked as mechanic,
head usher and tent technician before becoming head rigger on
Quidam in 1996. Danny also worked at Montreal's National Circus
School and later participated in the development of aerial
acrobatic elements at Cirque du Soleil. Danny was on the
creation team for the big top shows Corteo and KOOZA.
Eleni Uranis - Makeup Designer
Eleni Uranis joined Cirque du Soleil in 1989 as assistant to
costume designer Dominique Lemieux. This led to many other
projects and in 2004 Eleni's career took a new direction with
the Cirque du Soleil makeup department, creating designs for the
touring show Dralion. She has also designed the make-up for the
Tokyo resident show ZED and the New York seasonal holiday show
Wintuk.
iShares(r) is the presenting sponsor of this new production.
American Express(r) is the official sponsor.
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
BANANA SHPEEL Reviews in Toronto = Not Good [EXPANDED]
{Sep.20.2010}
------------------------------------------------------
Although a recent review from the Toronto Star have been
rather glowing of Cirque du Soleil's "Twist on Vaudeville",
other media outlets in Toronto haven't been as nice on
their take of the show:
From The Toronto Sun:
More than two decades after successfully reinventing the circus,
the folks at Cirque du Soleil have apparently been overcome once
again with an uncontrollable desire to take something old and
magically make it new again.
Or at least, make the attempt.
In this case, the focus of their reawakened creative juices is
not on the circus ring but the dress circle as they move up
entertainment's evolutionary ladder from the big top to the
theatrical stage -- or more specifically, the vaudeville stage.
But despite their best efforts, first in New York and then in
Chicago, it doesn't seem that they've managed to do for the
borscht belt what they did for the big top, at least judging by
the production of Banana Shpeel that pulled into the Canon
Theatre Sunday for a Toronto run.
Put succinctly, Banana Shpeel doesn't so much serve to usher in
a thrilling vaudeville renaissance as introduce us to a
heightened state of ambivalence with a show that walks a new
kind of tightrope, managing in the end to be neither bad enough
to hate nor good enough to love.
That it is not traditional Cirque fare is to be expected, even
celebrated -- and indeed, that isn't the problem, for if
anything there are far too many of the big, bold Cirque acts on
offer, re-thought and reconfigured for the proscenium stage.
In fact, the impressive roster of contortionists, jugglers,
spinners and gymnasts on offer are all certifiably Cirque, even
though their skills seem to be have been reined in to
accommodate the diminished height and depth of the conventional
stage.
And then of course, there are the clowns -- a slate of seven of
'em, in fact, all of them seemingly convinced their form of
comedy is interchangeable with the stand-up skills of great
comedians who once spent years honing their skills on the
vaudeville circuit.
And indeed, they just might be, for Danny Rutigliano, Claudio
Careiro, Patrick de Valette, Shereen Hickman, Daniel Passer,
Gordon White and Wayne Wilson are all hugely talented. But under
the direction of writer David Shiner, they get precious little
chance to show it -- at least to their advantage.
Instead, they are charged with carrying the full weight of a
second-rate narrative that Shiner has imposed as seeming
justification for forsaking the big top for the theatrical big-
time.
And frankly, that's where things start to fall apart; for in
attempting to hitch a ride on vaudeville's rather shabby
coattails, the folks at Cirque seem to have overlooked the
audience on whose collective imaginations Cirque's success has
been built.
Over the years, Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix have
consistently refused to simply tell a story, instead setting
scenes that force every member of their audience to impose his
or her own narrative -- a brilliant way to draw an audience into
a show.
Now, with a narrative served up on a platter -- Shiner takes the
whole premise of the Ed Sullivan Show and almost succeeds in
converting it into the Dead Sullivan Show as a Schmelky
Spectacular, overseen by impresario Marty Schmelky, played by
Rutigliano -- it all just seems a little tedious, as he tries to
pass an amuse-bouche off as a main course.
In the end, one has to be grateful for the artistry of
choreographer Jared Grimes, whose tap numbers fairly sparkle,
and designers Patricia Ruel and Bruno Rafie, whose respective
sets and lighting are often delightfully breathtaking.
But ultimately, though no one is killed in this collision
between Cirque and vaudeville, no one really walks away
uninjured either.
From The Globe and Mail:
Despite rough rides from critics and disappointing ticket sales
in Chicago and New York, Banana Shpeel, Cirque du Soleil's new
vaudeville-inspired comedy, dance and circus show, has hit the
road, starting with a stop in Toronto. The New York Times may
have written that this variety show "will go down as one of the
most frustrating failures in Cirque's history," but the Quebec-
based entertainment giant has, characteristically, just shrugged
the naysaying away.
Demonstrating a stubbornness one can't help but respect, if not
always admire, Cirque du Soleil never says die. (Actually, the
performers rarely say anything else either - one of the clear
benefits of staging most of your shows in gibberish.)
Since Banana Shpeel's New York run, only minor changes have
taken place. The show still seems like, if I can quote myself,
"a reinvention of The Muppet Show with clowns in the place of
Kermit and his cohorts" that works in its own idiosyncratic way,
but never feels entirely worth the effort.
On a second viewing, I was (banana) split in two about whether
the show is worth the skins you have to peel out of your wallet
to see it.
On the one hand...
The five circus acts interspersed through the show are as
stunning as you'd expect. Dmitry Bulkin, who performs an
impossible gymnastic pole routine that must be the front-runner
for next year's Nobel Prize in physics, is still the standout,
combining athleticism with artistry in time-honoured Cirque du
Soleil fashion.
But on the other hand...
There is something lost in presenting circus acts behind a
proscenium arch. As with magic, physical feats are more
impressive when all angles are visible - even if you can't see
all the angles yourself. Just as Shakespeare works wonders on a
thrust stage, circus comes to life best in the big top.
In the glass-is-half-full department...
This clown-heavy show features skilled miming and physical
comedy. Against your better judgment, you will enjoy the silly
antics of the long-haired human gecko Patrick de Valette; the
flirtatious, gap-toothed Claudio Carneiro; and the sputtering
Gordon White.
But from the half-empty perspective...
The scripted jokes fall pretty flat much of the time. Perhaps,
in retrospect, it was unwise for Cirque to hire a mime (David
Shiner) to write and direct their first show with proper
dialogue.
On the one hand...
A Cirque du Soleil show with a plot? What an idea.
But on the other...
Plot may be too strong a word. Banana Shpeel's throughline is
the emotional journey of producer Schmelky (Danny Rutigliano)
from crank to hippie to some sense of inner balance. With
Rutigliano struggling to find the truth to play in the shtick,
it doesn't resonate and drags the show down.
And yet, on the other other hand...
I did very much love Shereen Hickman as Schmelky's besotted
emphysemic assistant. She delivers a soft prick to the heart,
while the other characters are all busy introducing foam hammers
to the groin.
But then again...
The foulness of the language and the sexual jokes are a poor fit
with this colourful show. Sure, they would hardly raise an
eyebrow in a teen comedy, but in the context of Cirque's
otherwise uplifting aesthetic, the crassness (a character
calling another "retarded", an "elderly" clown shaking like he
has Parkinson's) seems tasteless - even, perhaps, sacrilegious.
On the bright side (literally)...
Bruno Rafie's rich lighting is gorgeous, illuminating Patrica
Ruel's often-inspired sets.
But on the less-appealingly bright side...
Dominique Lemieux's shiny, spangly costumes are the definition
of gaudy. Particularly appalling are the neon and glow-in-the-
dark flapper outfits - they look like the early Nineties doing
the Twenties.
And another thing...
Simon Carpentier's songs are a mish-mash poorly matched with the
dance sequences. Jared Grimes's tap numbers are all about
clatter, speed and athleticism, but leave subtlety in the wings.
They're the equivalent of watching Bulkin do 1,000 push-ups:
impressive, but what's the point?
Line up the pros and the cons and the latter are definitely more
numerous. There is no shaking the fact that Banana Shpeel is a
disappointment compared to most other Cirque entertainments that
have passed through town. It's glossy and fun enough - and
Cirque du Soleil has a strong enough track record - that this
flawed experiment will probably find an audience on the road,
however.
{SOURCE: Toronto Sun & Globe and Mail}
Well, Someone Liked Banana Shpeel [EXPANDED]
{Sep.20.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Alls well that ends well.
Thats what the gang at Cirque du Soleil can say to themselves
after the opening of Banana Shpeel Sunday night at the Canon
Theatre. (This reviewer saw it at its final preview the same
afternoon.)
A show that was practically run out of Chicago and yawned to
death in Manhattan is now a highly entertaining way to spend a
couple of hours in the theatre.
No, its not perfect yet and well get to that later maybe for
the benefit of audiences still to come but if anyone wants to
hurl rocks at this brightly coloured bauble of an out-to-make-
you-happy show, they should be ashamed of themselves. Its not
going to hurt anyone and I think its likely to give a great
many people a lot of pleasure.
What you have to do first is banish the notion from your mind
that its like the other Cirque du Soleil shows youve seen,
either here on tour or in Las Vegas. Were dealing with
something very different.
A conversation I heard between two dads in the mens room at
intermission summed it up.
This isnt like the things I saw in the tent.
Naw, its more of a dance show.
I think its more of a clown show.
I think were both right.
But I like it.
So do I.
Banana Shpeel is a new-style vaudeville and even if some of the
jokes are very old school, the whole presentation has a kind
fresh pizzazz thats highly welcome.
You might think its never going to get started, because the
opening welcome duologue between the two central clowns,
arrogant John Cleese-esque Daniel Passer and put-upon Dudley
Moore-ish Wayne Wilson, seems to go on forever.
But once we swing into the world of Schmelky Spectacular, with
its arrogant boss, the eponymous Marty Schmelky, all is well.
It doesnt look quite like any variety show youve ever seen,
mainly because designers Patricia Ruel (sets), Dominique Lemieux
(costumes) and Bruno Rafie (lights) seem to be taking their cues
from Bob Fosse. This is a world full of slightly menacing
shadows, sex going on in the wings and everyone out for
themselves.
Most of the entertainment consists of scenes between the various
clowns interspersed with Cirque-style acts. The most successful
include a spectacular sensual woman named Vanessa Alvarez who
does what she calls Foot Juggling and I call illegal in some
prairie provinces and many American red states.
Theres also a great juggler called Tuan Le, who keeps six hats
going in the air all at once, and it wouldnt be a Cirque show
if there werent three Asian female contortionists. This time
around theyre from Mongolia and theyre pretty impressive.
We also get to see a lot of dance, pleasantly enough performed,
but it tends to lean heavily on ensemble tap, which can get
repetitious if you dont have Busby Berkeley behind you ramping
up the spectacle.
But, unlike other Cirque shows, this one works best when they
send in the clowns. In addition to our interlocutory duo (Daniel
and Wayne) and our driving demon Schmelky (well performed by
Danny Rutigliano), theres the long suffering secretary,
Margaret, beautifully sketched in by Shereen Hickman as a cross
between Erin Davis and Carol Burnett.
We also meet three hysterical losers. One is the oldest mime in
the world brought to deliciously decrepit life by Gordon White.
How old is he? When he does the famous walking against the
wind routine, he breaks more wind than he walks against.
Claudio Carneiro is hilarious as an arrogant would-be heartthrob
who finally takes a random woman from the audience on a
nightmare mime date.
Then theres my favourite, the modern dancer, Patrick de
Valette. He weighs 90 pounds wringing wet, has the lankest,
greasiest long blond hair youve ever seen and made me laugh
every time he came onto the stage.
There are times when the shows book slows things down, but
isnt that true of many musicals? And theres an infelicitious
use of epithets like fairy and retarded that arent
acceptable, even if the characters are supposed to be crass.
But all in all, the great news is that finally! Banana
Shpeel has appeal.
{SOURCE: Toronto Star}
Q&A w/Delphine Gaillard - "Julia" in LOVE [EXPANDED]
{Sep.21.2010}
----------------------------------------------------
Delphine Gaillard is a lead performer in the Cirque du Soleil
show LOVE. The show features lots of classic Beatles tunes as
well as with some you might not recognise so easily. Its an
enormously challenging role for Delphine, but one that she
relishes.
Q. Hi Delphine, can you tell us how you got into this line of
work?
When I was a little girl I wasnt really interested in dancing,
although my mother wanted me to get involved. However, around
the age of eight I became interested in the local circus school
in Verdun, France, which is my hometown. I joined up and was
training as a contortionist until I was about 13, when I became
interested in the trapeze skills. From then I was training for
this with pull-ups and so on.
Q. Wow, Im not sure I could even do one pull-up now!
Well, many years of hard training followed and when I was 17 I
went to Paris to start working as a professional aerial and
trapeze artist. Eventually, when I was about 25, I heard that
the Cirque du Soleil was hiring, and I travelled to Montreal,
Canada, to audition for them. I spent some time working on their
special events before they began to set up a new production show
set around the music of the Beatles.
Q. And how does that process work?
Each show has a very long creation process. For the Love show
this meant nine months of preparation. This involves everything
from the basic story, costumes and sets as well as the
performers blocking in all of their moves and routines. For this
show, the old Siegfried and Roy theatre which was unused
after the accident [where one of the tigers attacked Roy and
left him in a critical condition] was completely gutted and
rebuilt specifically for this show. Eventually we were able to
move into the Mirage theatre and finalise the show before
opening in June 2006. The creation process as a whole cost over
$150 million.
Q. Thats a serious investment. How many people are involved?
We have about 65 performers and 120 crew and management staff
involved in each show. The show plays twice each night, and five
nights per week we get Tuesday and Wednesday off. With a
couple of other gaps in the schedule this means we have 497
shows per year.
Q. I understand there are 2,013 seats in the theatre given
that its pretty full every show I can start seeing how that
big creation spend is justified. How much training do you
have to do on an ongoing basis?
The shows themselves keep us all pretty fit, but in some cases
mine particularly the work we do is not very balanced. For
example, my work in this show is entirely aerial and relying on
my arms, so I have to train my legs doing various exercises to
compensate.
Q. And what exactly is your role in the show all about?
I play Julia, John Lennons mother, who also stands within the
piece as a representation of motherhood in general. My work is
all aerial, so Im suspended from the grid at the top of the
theatre and fly above the stage during several parts of the
performance. Im always either at the top of the building or
down in the basement! My role is very unusual for a Cirque du
Soleil show as its based specifically on a real person, while
most of the characters are either abstract representations of
imaginary people or entirely fantastical creatures.
Q. And do the cast members back up each others roles?
Within the company as whole, yes, most cast members are able to
assume another role in case of injury or sickness, so they can
rotate as required. My skill set is much more specific however
even the highly trained dancers and artistes within the company
generally wouldnt be able to step straight into my role. Even
for the main team, it takes a pre-trained Cirque performer about
two months to be ready to take on a specific role within a show
as demanding as this one.
Q. Do you all tend to stick together outside of work?
Well, yes, our schedules help that to happen. When you finish at
2am and all have the same days off it tends to help define your
social life. The good thing is that in Vegas there are always
lively places to go, at any time of the day or night. Its kind
of like a big family, and although there are over 20 different
nationalities in just this one show, we do tend to stick
together. We might all head round to someone house at 2.30am for
a barbecue or a few crepes.
Q. Crepes at 2.30am if I didnt already know you were French,
I think Id know now. What kind of places do you hang out in
Vegas? Lots of the people Ive interviewed tend to avoid the
Strip outside of work.
Not when theres so much great shopping to be done! We go to all
kinds of places; a couple of our favourites are Firefly, a
really relaxed Tapas spot near the Hard Rock casino and Brio,
down at Town Square.
Q. And how did you find moving to Las Vegas?
Id been here on vacation before and never thought Id want to
live here. Once I arrived though, I changed my mind; its a
wonderful place to work in a trade like mine, especially being
open all night to relax after the shows. Its like another
planet here, although if I didnt do this job Im not so sure
Id like it so much.
Q. And do you gamble at all?
No, I dont even know how! I was in a gas station the other day
and they even had slots in the toilet cubicles. This place is
crazy.
Q. Do you get to see the other Cirque shows in town? [There are
currently seven in Las Vegas, including O at Bellagio,
Zumanity, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil at New York
New York, Ka at MGM Grand and the newest attraction Viva
Elvis at Aria Resort.]
Yes, Ive seen them all. Occasionally people transfer between
shows if the roles suit them or if they want a change of scene.
Q. Finally, have you had a chance to meet anyone famous through
the show?
Absolutely, on the opening night of Love (30 June 2006) and on
the first anniversary of the show we met the Beatles themselves.
Paul and Ringo, plus Paul and Georges wives Yoko and Olivia
came to see the show with their families. Love is a partnership
with the Beatles corporation, Apple, so everything about the
show is approved by the band members and wives. As you can
imagine it was amazing to meet the inspiration behind the
performance.
{ SOURCE: Gambling Online }
Hollywood 2011 is - "IRIS"
{Sep.22.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil announced today that it will debut a brand new
production, IRIS, exclusively at Kodak Theatre, home of the
Academy Awards next summer.
The name
The word "iris" refers to the adjustable opening-or diaphragm-
that controls the amount of light that passes through a camera
lens. The word also refers to the colored part of the eye. IRIS
will take a unique look at the world of cinema.
Directed by French director-choreographer Philippe Decouflé,
IRIS is a lyrical, fanciful, kinetic foray into the seventh art.
Bringing together dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed
sequences and animation, the show takes spectators on a
fantastic voyage through the history of cinema and its genres,
taking them into the heart of the movie-making process. From
illustration to animation, black and white to colour, silent
films to talkies, fixed shots to swooping camera movements,
spectators witness the poetic construction/deconstruction of
this art as an object and as a way of transcending reality.
Along with Philippe Decouflé, the creative team consists of 13
creators under the artistic guidance of Cirque du Soleil Founder
Guy Laliberté:
Philippe Decouflé - Writer and Director
Trained in multiple disciplines including miming and circus
arts, French dancer and choreographer Philippe Decouflé founded
his own company - DCA - in 1983. His career path also led him to
create videos and a series of outstanding advertisements during
the 1980s. Teaming up with costume designer Philippe Guillotel,
he staged the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter
Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992, which attracted
considerable attention. Philippe Decouflé also created the show
Désirs that has been running at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris
since 2009. IRIS is his first show with Cirque du Soleil.
Jean-François Bouchard - Director of Creation
The signature of Jean-François Bouchard is associated with many
interior design concepts (bars, restaurants, boutiques, etc.)
brought to life in Montreal between 1985 and 1995. He joined
Cirque du Soleil as a designer in 1988 to create the interior
design of the boutique connected to the La Nouba theatre in
Orlando. He later became one of the key players in Cirque du
Soleil's special events team. IRIS is Jean-François Bouchard's
first show as Director of Creation.
Jean Rabasse - Set Designer
Jean Rabasse has earned an enviable reputation in the world of
film, theatre and dance as a set designer and decorator. He has
been the resident designer for Philippe Decouflé's dance company
DCA for more than ten years. His film credits include award-
winning movies such as Vatel, directed by Roland Joffé, as well
as Delicatessen and La Cité des enfants perdus, both directed by
Caro and Jeunet. After Corteo and The Beatles LOVE, IRIS marks
Jean Rabasse's third participation in a Cirque du Soleil show as
Set Designer.
Philippe Guillotel - Costume Designer
After a decade in the world of fashion, designer Philippe
Guillotel discovered dance, and through it, his true calling-
costume allied to movement. His signature is associated with the
works of some of the most prominent stage and film directors in
France. Since 1985, he has worked extensively with renowned
French choreographer Philippe Découflé for whom he designed the
costumes seen in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992
Winter Olympics in Albertville. In cinema, Philippe Guillotel
designed the costumes for the feature Astérix et Obélix :
Mission Cléopâtre, directed by Alain Chabat. He has also made
his mark in the worlds of show business and music. IRIS is
Philippe Guillotel's second Cirque du Soleil show following The
Beatles LOVE.
Danny Elfman - Composer
Danny Elfman is a musician best known for composing music for
television and cinema and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as
singer/songwriter for almost 20 years. He is a frequent
collaborator of long-time friend Tim Burton and has scored most
of his films. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and
won a Grammy Award for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for
his Desperate Housewives theme. He is also known for creating
the main title theme for The Simpsons. IRIS is his first Cirque
du Soleil show as Composer and Musical Director.
Daphné Mauger - Choreographer
Daphné Mauger has been active on the French artistic scene for a
number of years. Former graduate of the Conservatoire de danse
de Paris, she pursues her career as a dancer and choreographer
on a number of productions. In 2008, she worked with Philippe
Decouflé on the production Triton 2 ter. IRIS is her first
collaboration with the Cirque du Soleil.
Patrice Besombes - Lighting Designer
Patrice Besombes began his training in theatre before he
discovered dance. After joining Maison de la danse de Lyon as a
technical director in the early 1980s, he worked with the
emerging generation of French choreographers of the time. He
became one of the official lighting directors of creators such
as Carolyn Carlson and Philippe Decouflé. Patrice Besombes'
credits as a lighting designer include the works On the Other
Side for the New York City Ballet and Triade et Amoveo for the
Paris Opera, both by choreographer Benjamin Millepieds. His work
can also be seen in theatre and opera. This is Patrice Besombes'
first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
Anne-Séguin Poirier - Props Designer
For the past 10 years, Anne-Séguin Poirier has worked as a set
and costume designer for theatre, circus, opera and exhibits.
Since 2005, she has created sets for multimedia creators Michel
Lemieux and Victor Pilon, including DELIRIUM (Cirque du Soleil)
and the Starmania opera they both directed. She has also
designed costumes for choreographers and directors Peter James,
Gypsy Rider, Shanna Carroll and Guy Alloucherie, at Montreal's
National Circus School. Anne-Séguin Poirier's credits as a
costume designer include the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver
2010 Olympic games. IRIS is her first Cirque du Soleil show as
Props Designer.
Olivier Simola et Christophe Waksmann - Projection Designers
Olivier Simola and Christophe Waksmann are both members of the
dance company DCA founded by French director Philippe Decouflé,
with whom they have worked closely for many years. Olivier
Simola has worked on many productions either as film director
(video and cinema), stage director or dancer. Christophe
Waksmann works as a dancer, camera operator, director, film
editor and image designer for numerous dance companies in
France. IRIS is their first Cirque du Soleil show.
François Bergeron - Sound Designer
François Bergeron is a long-time collaborator with Cirque du
Soleil. Since 1990, he has worked in Europe, Asia and North
America for numerous museums and producers of variety shows,
plays and musicals, including Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby,
which toured or ran on Broadway from 1997 to 1999. He created
his own company in Los Angeles that produces shows worldwide,
including in Asia and the Middle East. François Bergeron took
part in the creation of the Tokyo DisneySea theme park in Japan
for Walt Disney Entertainment.
Boris Verkhovsky & Shana Carroll - Acrobatic Performance
Designers -- A former athlete in the Russian Men's National Team
in Sport Acrobatics, Boris Verkhovsky immigrated to Canada from
Byelorussia in 1978 following studies in physical education and
sports (specializing in coaching). Later, he became head coach
of the Canadian National Trampoline and Tumbling Team and, in
1993, was approached by Cirque du Soleil to consult on a
proposed act for the show Mystère. Boris Verkhovsky was named
head coach of acrobatic training and is currently director of
acrobatic performance and training at Cirque du Soleil. He also
contributes his expertise to the design of acrobatic acts for
new shows. This is his first Cirque du Soleil show as an
Acrobatic Performance Designer.
Pierre Masse - Acrobatic Rigging and Equipment Designer
Pierre Masse's career spans just about every genre of the
performing arts. He was involved in major productions with the
Opéra de Montréal, the Grands Ballets Canadiens and Céline Dion
as well as a production of Les Misérables. He has collaborated
with Cirque du Soleil since 1996 and took part in the creation
of Quidam, Varekai, Zumanity, KÀ and CRISS ANGEL Believe. This
is Pierre Masse's second Cirque du Soleil show as Acrobatic
Rigging and Equipment Designer following TOTEM.
"We are thrilled to have found such a spectacular home in LA,"
said President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Daniel Lamarre. "The
city is at the forefront not only of film, but music,
architecture and art as well. It is our hope that IRIS will be a
welcome addition to Hollywood as a destination for visitors. "
IRIS features a cast of over 72 performing artists from all over
the world and will be presented exclusively at Kodak Theatre
next summer.
Tickets information
Tickets are currently on sale for parties of 12 or more through
Cirque du Soleil group sales by calling 877-504-7164.
For advance ticket information, join Cirque Club at
www.cirquedusoleil.com.
For Preferred Seating and other American Express(r) Cardmember
benefits, please visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/amex.
Sponsors
Infiniti and American Express are the official sponsors of this
new production.
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
Viva Elvis: The Album Tracklisting Revealed!
{Sep.29.2010}
-----------------------------------------------
First Single, "Suspicious Minds," Mixed by Brendan O'Brien,
Impacts Radio Monday, October 18
Legacy Recordings Celebrates Elvis' 75th Birthday Year with an
Epic New Studio Work Inspired by "Viva ELVIS" by Cirque du
Soleil in Las Vegas
Viva ELVIS - The Album Available Everywhere Tuesday, November 9
NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Recordings, in
cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Viva ELVIS
by Cirque du Soleil at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas,
proudly announces the release of Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st
century celebration of Elvis and his music, featuring the voice
of the king in a whole new context. Viva ELVIS - The Album will
be available everywhere on Tuesday, November 9.
Produced and arranged by Erich van Tourneau, with assistant
producer and assistant arranger Hugo "Wedge Montecristo"
Bombardier, Viva ELVIS - The Album is a multi-faceted audio
extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of
Elvis through newly re-imagined versions of "Blue Suede Shoes,"
"That's Alright," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "King
Creole," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Burning Love," "Can't Help Falling
In Love" and "Suspicious Minds" as well as instrumental
interludes based on "Memories" and "You'll Never Walk Alone"
(piano interlude).
Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS including "Suspicious Minds,"
the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning
producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen). Four
of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the
remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau.
Musicians on Viva ELVIS include Elvis Presley (vocals); Erich
van Tourneau (bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and
keyboards); Dea Norberg, Jennlee Shallow, Sherry St-Germain,
Stacie Tabb (guest singers); Patrick Lavergne and JS "The Flash"
Chouinard (basses); Mike Plant, Steve Nadeau, Martin Bachand and
Paul Deslauriers (electric guitars); Olivier Goulet (acoustic
guitar); Guy Belanger (harmonica); DJ Pocket (scratch). The
album's horn section includes Jean-Francois Thibeault
(trombone), Bruno Dumont (saxophone), David Perrico (trumpet),
Jean-Francois Gagnon (flugel horn).
When working on the music for Viva ELVIS, van Tourneau -- aided
by Hugo Bombardier, Assistant Producer and Assistant Arranger on
Viva ELVIS - The Album -- spent more than 3,000 hours reviewing
countless albums, films, concert recordings, interviews and home
recordings of Elvis. More than 17,000 samples of Elvis' songs -
the raw material for the show - were made during the process.
Working with tens of thousands of samples of Elvis' voice, van
Tourneau and Bombardier often wove several sequences and sounds
into the same songs, sometimes changing details such as the key
and tempo. In creating Viva ELVIS - The Album, van Tourneau was
looking to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of the
songs with the incorporation of ragga, punk or hip-hop elements
into classic recordings. In all cases, however, the goal was to
respect and understand the essence of the original recordings.
"I would like to acknowledge all of the incredible composers,
musicians and technicians responsible for making this music with
Elvis originally," said van Tourneau. "The album Viva ELVIS
would not be what it is today if not for their remarkable
contributions."
The postmodern studio masterwork invokes the spirit and essence
of Elvis from a contemporary perspective while furthering the
revolutionary impulses of Elvis' sound. Viva ELVIS - The Album
re-imagines the king's own vocal performances in a broad variety
of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own
versatility and ability to master all music genres, from Delta
blues to rockabilly, from raw soul to gospel, from Southern folk
to Vegas pop, while incorporating elements of garage rock, punk,
urban and hip-hop.
In celebration of all eras of Elvis' musical genius, Viva ELVIS
- The Album includes songs from Elvis' rise to fame in the '50s,
his movie soundtracks, his triumphant return to the stage in the
"'68 Special," and his ground-breaking appearances in Las Vegas.
Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil, a harmonious fusion of dance,
acrobatics and live music, opened earlier this year in a
specially designed 1,800 seat theater at ARIA Resort & Casino in
Las Vegas. A tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley,
Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one
superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of
Las Vegas: Elvis Presley. Significant moments in his life -
intimate, playful and grandiose - blend with timeless songs that
remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the
charts.
Viva ELVIS - The Album is a 21st century venue for rock's first
and biggest superstar. The King's Music Lives!
Viva ELVIS - The Album - produced and arranged by Erich van
Tourneau
Track Listing
-------------
1. (Opening)
(mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
2. Blue Suede Shoes
(mixed by Serban Ghenea)
3. That's Alright
(mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
4. Heartbreak Hotel
(mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
5. Love Me Tender
(mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
6. King Creole
(mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
7. Bossa Nova Baby
(mixed by Serban Ghenea)
8. Burning Love
(mixed by Serban Ghenea)
9. (Memories)
(mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
10. Can't Help Falling In Love
(mixed by Serban Ghenea)
11. (You'll Never Walk Alone) (piano interlude)
(mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
12. Suspicious Minds
(mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
{SOURCE: PR Newswire}
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Corteo, Koozå, OVO, 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, Iris, & "Radio City"}
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:
Kazan, Russia -- Aug 21, 2010 to Sep 26, 2010
Moscow, Russia -- Oct 9, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010
Brussels, BE -- Jan 4, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011
Vienna, AT -- Feb 11, 2011 to TBA
Madrid, ES -- Apr 2, 2011 to TBA
Valencia, ES -- Jun 16, 2011 to TBA
Alicante, ES -- Jul 28, 2011 to TBA
Sevilla, ES -- Sep 8, 2011 to TBA
Paris, FR -- TBA
Koozå:
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 -- Feb 2, 2011 to Apr 12, 2011
Ovo:
Washington, DC -- Sep 9, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Atlanta, GA -- Nov 4, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010
Dallas, TX -- Jan 28, 2011 to Feb 13, 2011
Houston, TX -- Mar 10, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011
Cincinnati, OH -- Apr 22, 2011 to TBA
Chicago, IL -- Jun 30, 2011 to TBA
Seattle, WA -- Nov 17, 2011 to TBA
Quidam:
Bogota, CO -- Oct 19, 2010 to Nov 21, 2010
NOTE: Begins Arena Tour after Bogota!
Totem:
Amsterdam, NL -- Oct 7, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010 (*)
London, UK -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011 (*)
Charlotte, NC -- Mar 3, 2011 to TBA
Baltimore, MD -- Apr 7, 2011 to TBA
Pittsburgh, PA -- May 12, 2011 to TBA
Montreal, QC -- Jun 16, 2011 to TBA
Toronto, ON -- Aug 4, 2011 to TBA
San Francisco, CA -- Oct 21, 2011 to TBA
Varekai:
Oostende, BE -- Jul 29, 2010 to Aug 29, 2010
Zurich, CH -- Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 24, 2010
Barcelona, ES -- Nov 5, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010
Taipei, TW -- Jan 20, 2011 to TBA
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=1831 >
Saltimbanco:
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
Belgrade, SB -- Nov 24, 2010 to Nov 28, 2010
Basel, CH -- Dec 1, 2010 to Dec 5, 2010
Budapest, HU -- Dec 8, 2010 to Dec 12, 2010
Nurnberg, DE -- Dec 15, 2010 to Dec 19, 2010
Antwerp, BE -- Dec 22, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011
Lille, FR -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011
Paris, FR -- Jan 13, 2011 to Jan 15, 2011
Johannesburg, ZA -- Mar 9, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011
Cape Town, ZA -- Mar 23, 2011 to Apr 3, 2011
Perth, AU -- Apr 21, 2011 to TBA
Adelaide, AU -- May 12, 2011 to TBA
Melbourne, AU -- May 25, 2011 to TBA
Hobart, AU -- Jun 15, 2011 to Jun 19, 2011
Brisbane, AU -- Jul 8, 2011 to TBA
Newcastle, AU -- Jul 20, 2011 to Jul 24, 2011
Sydney, AU -- Jul 27, 2011 to TBA
Wollongong, AU -- Aug 17, 2011 to Aug 21, 2011
Auckland, NZ -- Aug 25, 2011 to TBA
Alegría:
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 22, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010
Wichita, KS -- Dec 29, 2010 to Jan 2, 2011
Baton Rouge, LA -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011
Colorado Springs, CO -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011
Broomfield, CO -- Jan 19, 2011 to Jan 23, 2011
Loveland, CO -- Jan 26, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011
Laredo, TX -- Feb 2, 2011 to Feb 6, 2011
Hidalgo, TX -- Feb 9, 2011 to Feb 13, 2011
Corpus Christi, TX -- Feb 16, 2011 to Feb 20, 2011
Tulsa, OK -- Feb 23, 2011 to Feb 27, 2011
North Charleston, SC -- Mar 17, 2011 to TBA
Knoxville, TN -- Mar 23, 2011 to TBA
Charlotesville, VA -- Mar 30, 2011 to TBA
Atlantic City, NJ -- Apr 6, 2011 to TBA
Greensboro, NC -- Apr 13, 2011 to TBA
Biloxi, MS -- Apr 20, 2011 to TBA
Southaver, MS -- Apr 27, 2011 to TBA
Roanoke, VA -- May 4, 2011 to TBA
Columbia, SC -- May 11, 2011 to TBA
Louisville, KY -- Jun 9, 2011 to TBA
Nashville, TN -- Jun 15, 2011 to TBA
Tampa, FL -- Jun 22, 2011 to TBA
Jacksonville, FL -- Jun 29, 2011 to TBA
Raleigh, NC -- Jul 6, 2011 to TBA
Duluth, GA -- Jul 13, 2011 to TBA
Sunrise, FL -- Jul 20, 2011 to TBA
Charlotte, NC -- Aug 3, 2011 to TBA
Estero, FL -- Aug 10, 2011 to TBA
Quidam:
Kingson, ON -- Dec 11, 2010 to Dec 14, 2010
Montréal, QC -- Dec 18, 2010 to Dec 30, 2010
Quebec, QC -- Jan 4, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011
Chicoutimi, QC -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011
Vancouver, BC -- Mar 9, 2011 to Mar 13, 2011
Everett, WA -- Mar 16, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011
San Jose, CA -- Mar 24, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011
San Diego, CA -- Mar 30, 2011 to Apr 3, 2011
San Francisco, CA -- Apr 6, 2011 to TBA
Long Beach, CA -- Apr 20, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011
Ontario, Ca -- Apr 27, 2011 to May 1, 2011
Reno, NV -- May 4, 2011 to TBA
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
Boston, MA -- Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 9, 2011
Grand Rapids, MI -- Jan 12, 2011 to Jan 16, 2011
St. Louis, MO -- Jan 19, 2011 to Jan 23, 2011
Hoffman Estates, IL -- Jan 26, 2011 to Jan 30, 2011
Detroit, MI -- Feb 16, 2011 to Feb 20, 2011
Austin, TX -- Mar 10, 2011 to Mar 20, 2011
San Antonio, TX -- Mar 23, 2011 to Mar 27, 2011
Peoria, IL -- Apr 22, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011
Cypress, TX -- Nov 17, 2011 to TBA
Beaumont, TX -- Nov 23, 2011 to TBA
---------------------------------
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 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 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 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 September 14
o October 12 - 13
o November 30
o December 1 - 14
2010 Added Performances:
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: $93.50
2010 Dark Dates:
o October 7
o December 3 - 13
ZAIA:
Location: Venetian, Macao (China)
Performs: Every Day, Dark: Wednesday
One to Two Shows Daily - Times Vary
2010 Ticket Prices (adult) / (child 2-11):
o VIP Seating: MOP$ 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 October 12 - 16
VIVA ELVIS:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
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 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)
Show Schedule:
Performances are held November 17, 2010 through January 2, 2011
from Wednesdays through Sundays.
There are no performances on Monday and Tuesday (with the
exception of December 21, 27 and 28, 2010).
Ticket prices range from from $30 to $220 based on category
and performance date. Please see the Cirque du Soleil
website for ticket details:
< http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/wintuk/
tickets/schedule.aspx >
Banana Shpeel:
Banana Shpeel is going on tour! Check out the show at
these locations:
Toronto, ON -- Sep 14, 2010 to Oct 10, 2010
San Francisco, CA -- Oct 16, 2010 to Nov 14, 2010 [CANCELED]
Orange County, CA -- Dec 7, 2010 to Dec 26, 2010 [UNKNOWN]
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE'S SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
--- [ "O" ] ---
{Sep.29}
Take a glimpse into the auditions that were held in the "O"
theatre a couple weeks ago!
LINK /// < http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/sep/22/
cirque-du-soleil-auditions/ >
{Sep.24}
A few artists from "O" will be in the Gift Shop (in front of the
"O" Box Office) signing autographs and posing for photos tonight
from 6:30pm-7pm! If you are around, come say hello!
--- [ ALEGRIA ] ---
{Sep.30}
Honolulu, Hawai'i: Special sneak peek into the world of Alegria
and Cirque du Soleil @ Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, earlier today,
Sept 29. Micah Naruo (Fire-Knife Dancer) talks about his
experience on tour, Denys Tolstov (Hand Balancer) honoured the
audience with his performance while the Old Nostalgic Birds
amused the curious ones!
LINK /// < http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/
story.asp?S=13241621 >
{Sep.24}
Group picture for the WALL OF FAME / Spokane Arena!
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
469706515745&set=a.132917855745.130630.38543815745 >
{Sep.17}
Recent photo shoot to capture new images from the Alegria Arena
Tour
FOTO [8] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=
275905&id=38543815745&ref=mf >
{Sep.14}
This morning @ King5, New-Day NW: a special performance from
Denys Tolstov, Hand Balancer...
LINK /// < http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/A-special-
performance-from-Cirque-du-Soleils-Alegria-
102836529.html >
{Sep.09}
According to this reporter, "The hardest part about reviewing
any Cirque du Soleil production? Running out of adjectives."
LINK /// < http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/
spectacular-spectacular/ >
{Sep.09}
In Victoria, BC, until Sunday! Here is a great behind the scene
sneak peek with Alexander Dobrynin (Flying Man) and Trudy
McIntosh (Power Track)!
LINK /// < http://www.atv.ca/victoria/4994_73660.aspx >
{Sep.04}
Curious to know more about the music in the show? In this
article, Frederick Kraai, Musician (Saxophone), talks about his
role, the importance of the live music in the show...plus Micah
Naruo, artist (Fire-Knife Dance), who loves performing on stage!
LINK /// < http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/
the-joy-of-alegria >
--- [ BANANA SHPEEL ] ---
{Sep.30}
Life backstage at Banana Shpeel is always
interesting...Performances in Toronto through October 10 only.
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=479117861799
&set=a.336070321799.187634.153330866799 >
{Sep.24}
The contortion act performed live on Breakfast TV in Toronto.
It's a very early start to the day, but it was fun!
LINK /// < http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/610559991001.
000000/banana-shpeel-contortion-act/ >
{Sep.19}
Toronto audiences are great and very responsive to Banana
Shpeel. Check out the artists backstage at the Canon Theatre.
FOTO [1] /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
474228531799&set=a.336070321799.
187634.153330866799 >
{Sep.13}
With Banana Shpeel previews starting Tuesday, the street team
hit the Toronto International Film Festival to distribute
popcorn in cool buckets.
FOTO [23] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=488564
&id=346913040639&fbid=10150248174245640&ref=mf >
{Sep.09}
Great photos of Wednesday's rehearsals on the Toronto Star
website. | Photojournalist Steve Russell covered the famous
Cirque du Soleil troupe as they rehearse for their upcoming show
"Banana Shpeel." Dancer Joseph Wiggan shows up for Cirque du
Soleil rehearsal on Queen Street West for their upcoming show
"Banana Shpeel" which will run from September 14 to October
10th.
LINK /// < http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/
2010/09/cirque-du-soleil.html >
--- [ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ] ---
{Sep.09}
We're loving our new video which puts YOU right in the action of
all seven Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas! Click the link
below to check it out!
LINK /// < http://bit.ly/99YW5N >
{Sep.04}
Hi friends of Cirque! Call it a late Spring break or an early
Fall break, but it's still summer in Vegas so come see us
between now and the end of October for $50! (http://promo-
www.cirquedusoleil.com/las-vegas/summer-2010/index.htm) Thanks
again to everyone who came to see us in L.A. a few weeks ago,
some familiar faces even made it into the digital pages of LIFE
Magazine!
LINK /// < http://www.life.com/image/103544744 >
{Sep.02}
Cirque founder Guy Laliberté a happy birthday!
--- [ DRALION ] ---
{Sep.24}
More, more and even more images of the Dralion cast rehearsing
in Montreal. Only three weeks to go before the North American
Premiere Arena show in Trenton, New Jersey
Foto [13] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=
506976&id=39340140194&ref=mf >
{Sep.10}
Still rehearsing in Montreal, the Dralion cast is getting
familiar with the Arena stage. Curious to see them in action!
VIDEO [0:30] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/
video.php?v=443709730352&ref=mf >
{Sep.10}
The cast just arrived in Montreal to rehearse for the upcoming
North America Arena Tour
FOTO [5] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=481610&id=39340140194&ref=mf >
--- [KOOZA] ---
{Sep.27}
If you pass by Calgary, AB, don't miss the KOOZA window display
at the Holt Renfrew tunnel inside The CORE/TD Square Mall
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
432346856338&set=a.71836936338.88957.34324811338 >
{Sep.27}
Interview with KOOZA Artistic Director Adam Miller - learn more
about the show & artists!
LINK /// < http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/video/index.html?
releasePID=W1Pz2SiF2lWU7NI88zSd2PWAuq2n_Gku >
{Sep.25}
Did you know there is a school on KOOZA?
Watch the video to find out!
VIDEO /// < http://start.shaw.ca/Start/enCA/Videos/Featured
Videos.htm?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7BA0BB5630-EAFE-
4F8B-9D52-78105E5D8967%7D&NRORIGINALURL=%2Fstart%2FenCA%2
Fvideos%2Ffeaturedvideos.htm%3FfvPgID%3D%7B764490F7-4F60-
465C-8686-CE55D51B52F7%7D&fvTitle=Kooza+School&href3
D171C4BD6BC=mms%3A%2F%2Fprdmediax1.shaw.ca%2FStart%2F
ShawTV%2FCalgary%2FSept24%2F24kooz.wmv&NRCACHEHINT
=Guest&fvPgID=%7B764490F7-4F60-465C-8686-
CE55D51B52F7%7D&detection=declined >
{Sep.17}
REVIEW & PHOTOS: Cirque du Soleil brilliant under the
Calgary Big Top!
LINK /// < http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/
Cirque+Soleil+brilliant+under+Calgary+Photo+
Gallery+Review/3538764/story.html#ixzz0znWGoRrc >
{Sep.17}
REVIEW: Cirque du Hooray!!
LINK /// < http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainment/
2010/09/16/15367206.html >
--- [ KÀ ] ---
{Sep.25}
Happy Saturday, KÀ fans! The majority of our artists and crew
have graciously sacrificed their upcoming weekend to take a
bunch of new photos of the show's characters, so check back here
next week for a sneak peek of the new show photos! Also, in case
you missed our appearance on "World's Toughest Fixes" back in
May, you can stream it online on Netflix, check it out!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
491560181928&set=a.176667951928.146847.31527171928 >
--- [ LA NOUBA ] ---
{Sep.30}
Over the break our technicians, riggers and electricians had
rope access training which allows them to work in a high area of
the theater where access with a ladder, lift or scaffolding
isn't possible. In this situation the ropes are the primary
means of support, positioning and safety protection. It's
serious stuff, but it looks like fun!
FOTO [9] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=217729&id=16315569901&ref=mf >
{Sep.16}
La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil Our musicians made a rare daylight
<wink> appearance this week. They were featured for an hour on
WUCF, 89.9 FM and performed some amazing original music!
FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=209463&id=16315569901&ref=mf >
{Sep.09}
La Nouba took to Twitter for a chat with Jennifer B. in the
wardrobe department at La Nouba! See what she does here!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=207437&id=16315569901&ref=mf >
--- [ MYSTERE ] ---
{Sep.25}
Mystère by Cirque du Soleil Happy Saturday, Mystère friends!
Our 8,000th performance on October 17th is right around the
corner, and we're putting the finishing touches on an exciting
change to one of our acrobatic acts. Stay tuned for more info
and maybe a sneak peek. Here's a hint about which act it is, any
guesses as to what the change might be?
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
469185969918&set=a.121054974918.123251.18155469918 >
{Sep.18}
Ever wonder what Mystère would look like performed in a cubicle?
Well wonder no more! Earlier this week we paid a visit to some
of the hard working men and women who are kind enough to sell
tickets to our show. Please join us in thanking them for all of
their hard work and enthusiasm! Mystère goes Corporate Casual!
FOTO [50] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=277542&id=18155469918&ref=mf >
{Sep.15}
Mystère mega-fan John Hunt attended the show for the 69th time
last night! Great seeing you John, as always! I think we've
already asked how many times you've seen Mystère (and feel free
to share), but to try to even the playing field let's add all
Cirque du Soleil shows. How many times have you attended a
Cirque du Soleil show - resident, big top and arena?
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
465176324918&set=a.121054974918.123251.18155469918 >
--- [ OVO ] ---
{Sep.17}
Backstage at Cirque du Soleil's OVO
LINK /// < http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/09/
backstage-at-cirque-de-soliel-s-ovo--10601.html >
{Sep.16}
Closer Inspection: Not-so-creepy crawlies - September 12, 2010 -
Washington Post Magazine
LINK /// < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
srv/artsandliving/magazine/closer-inspection/
20100912/index.html >
{Sep.07}
Learn how the OVO Blue and Yellow Grand Chapiteau is raised!
LINK /// < http://dcstylespot.com/2010/09/03/
the-raising-of-le-grande-chapiteau/ >
--- [ SALTIMBANCO ] ---
{Sep.30}
Almost sold out in Granada!!
LINK /// < http://www.ideal.es/granada/v/20100930/
cultura/reyes-galaxia-circense-20100930.html >
{Sep.28}
Saltimbanco in Granada
LINK /// < http://www.ideal.es/granada/20100923/local/granada/
cirque-soleil-llega-granada-201009231708.html >
{Sep.24}
Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil Reviews in Zaragoza!
LINK /// < http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/
noticia.asp?pkid=611982#EnlaceComentarios >
{Sep.24}
El Circo del Sol en Zaragoza.
LINK /// < http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/servicios/
galerias/galeria.asp?pkid=26128&page_IMG=2 >
{Sep.22}
Opening tonight en Zaragoza!
LINK /// < http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/detalle/
saltimbanco_abre_telon_zaragoza.html >
{Sep.06}
Playing in Munich at the Olympiahalle until Sunday !
LINK /// < http://www.merkur-online.de/nachrichten/kultur/
cirque-soleil-imperium-kehrt-zurueck-901830.html >
{Sep.01}
Currently playing in Berlin!!
LINK /// < http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/
archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2010/0826/
kulturkalender/0081/index.html >
--- [ THE BEATLES LOVE ] ---
{Sep.30}
Behind the scenes look at LOVE with Vegas.com!
LINK /// < http://www.vegas.com/vegasminute/ >
{Sep.30}
Here we are performing on America's Got Talent!
VIDEO [5:41] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?
v=10100206589434999&ref=mf >
{Sep.29}
What would John Lennon have been like at age 70? Check out this
story by Ivor Davies that talks all about Lennon and his life.
LINK /// < http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/
Imagine+Beatles+John+Lennon+story+photos/
3582677/story.html >
{Sep.25}
Check out this video made from LOVE dancer Cameron McKinlay!
It's a behind the scenes look at LOVE's performance on
"America's Got Talent"...enjoy....xoxo
VIDEO [x:xx] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQOohXczC4 >
{Sep.24}
Oct 9 marks what would've been the 70th birthday of John
Lennon... Yoko Ono and Mayor Bloomberg honour John Lennon with
new documentary on eve of his 70th birthday.
LINK /// < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-
1314982/Yoko-Ono-Mayor-Bloomberg-honour-John-Lennon-
new-documentary-eve-70th-birthday.html >
{Sep.15}
Thanks everyone for your support! In case you missed our
performance on "America's Got Talent" (or you just want to watch
it again!), check out this video link. PEACE AND LOVE! The
Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil on America's Got Talent FINALE
VIDEO [x:xx] /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1wB8nsUfkA >
{Sep.15}
LOVE on America's Got Talent, Sept. 2010
FOTO /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=198918&id=14653468665&ref=mf >
{Sep.15}
We're having a blast rehearsing for our performance on America's
Got Talent tonight -- and we've got some pics! Don't forget to
tune in! 8 pm on NBC!
FOTO [13] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=198918&id=14653468665&ref=mf >
{Sep.13}
We are stoked for Carlos Santana's brand new album, "Guitar
Heaven...The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time" in-
stores Sept 21. The first single from the album is a stirring
rendition of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps,"
featuring India.Arie and Yo-Yo Ma! And we found the song on You
Tube. Simply brilliant!
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DeOSLNbhfg >
{Sep.11}
The Beatles voted #1 in "Greatest Artists of All Time" Vh1
report!!!
LINK /// < http://www.newsopi.com/showbiz/vh1-top-100-artists-
of-all-time-list-of-greatest-artists-of-all-
time/4177/ >
{Sep.10}
A great interview with Yoko from TIME magazine...she is one of
the biggest supporters of LOVE, thank you for enlightening us
with this interview, Yoko!
LINK /// < http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/
0,8599,2017363,00.html >
{Sep.10}
Neil Diamond and Herbie Hancock sing "Yesterday" in support of
Stand Up to Cancer charity event
LINK /// < http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/09/
neil-diamond-teams-with-herbie-hancock-for-a-good-
cause.html >
{Sep.07}
Check out this cool video, all about the LOVE Skaters! Produced
by original cast member, Daniel Ortiz.
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Lpldu3uQg+ >
{Sep.07}
A little history lesson by writer Bruce Spizer from The Beatles
performance on the Ed Sullivan show!
LINK /// < http://www.beatlesagain.com/the-beatles-
on-ed-sullivan.html >
{Sep.04}
Day 2 of rehearsals with Napoleon and Tabitha (aka NappyTabs) in
preparation for LOVE's performance on the finale of "America's
Got Talent" Sept 15. A special act for tv that is NOT currently
in the show, and music by Giles Martin get excited!!!
--- [ VAREKAI ] ---
{Sep.22}
Premiere of Varekai in Zurich - a real success!
LINK /// < http://ch.tilllate.com/de/photoalbum/overview/1
0342970#p1 >
LINK /// < http://zuerich.usgang.ch/picture.php?n=420392 >
--- [ VIVA ELVIS ] ---
{Sep.19}
Here's a behind the scenes video of a photo shoot at the
theater. This video was created by our talented performer Aaron
Felske. The characters were photographed by Eric Jamison for our
new show logo. What do you think of the new logo?
VIDEO [1:25] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?
v=439505582001&ref=mf >
{Sep.11}
In case you missed our performance of Blue Suede Shoes on the
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJW-Nx573c >
{Sep.03}
On The Download: Cirque Du Soleil's 'Viva ELVIS'
LINK /// < http://www.accesshollywood.com/on-the-download-
cirque-du-soleils-viva-elvis_article_36455 >
--- [ WINTUK ] ---
{Sep.30}
Ever wonder what the Wintuk characters do in the off-season?
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E188OVfbcFw >
{Sep.28}
Here's a look at what the Wintuk promo team was up to lately!
FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=475966&id=98244255320&ref=mf >
{Sep.27}
On Sunday, Sept 26 in NYC, Cirque du Soleil participated in the
Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction hosted by Broadway Cares /
Equity Fights AIDS. We'll be selling fun Cirque merchadise and
auctioning a Vegas trip and Opening Night tickets to our new
2011 show at Radio City Music Hall. Here's Wintuk at the
Broadway Flea Market!
LINK /// < http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=
10150270546850321&set=a.10150270546845321.
538895.98244255320 >
{Sep.24}
The Power Track artists are training in Montreal!
VIDEO [0:06] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?
v=447116987995&ref=mf >
{Sep.15}
We've been having a blast at these events! Here's a look at what
the Wintuk promo team was up to lately!
FOTO [18] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=475966&
id=98244255320&fbid=10150250545725321&ref=mf >
{Sep.13}
We're very excited to be starting the season soon! Here's a look
at what's in store!
VIDEO [0:40] /// < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?
v=10100193476613199&ref=mf >
{Sep.08}
Check out the Photos of the Wintuk Promotional Team in action
over Labor Day Weekend.
FOTO [7] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=530893&id=98244255320&ref=mf >
--- [ ZED ] ---
{Sep.30}
ZED is celebrating today its second year of life and fun
together with the amazing team of artists, technicians and
staff. Long live ZED!
{Sep.26}
Article about ZED on Mainichi Shinbun
LINK /// < http://mainichi.jp/enta/art/news/
20100921ddm013070106000c.html >
{Sep.16}
The beautiful Mai Sato- Our first Japanese female artist-
introduced to the Japanese audience by NTV's NEWS ZERO
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQkTSyvLtSI >
{Sep.14}
Some voices from ZED on this NHK show. Enjoy!
LINK /// < http://www.nhk.or.jp/50voice/movie/35/movie02.html >
--- [ ZUMANITY ] ---
{Sep.30}
Gearing up for Gay Days Anaheim this weekend! We'll be
performing at the Kingdom event on Saturday night with our
fabulous Edie Entertainer and a scandalous performance from our
show. If you still haven't purchased tickets, there's still
time! Hope to see you there sex kittens!
{Sep.21}
It's official - we celebrated 7 fabulous years yesterday,
Monday, Sept. 20! A special thank you to all of our supportive &
wonderful friends. Some truly amazing moments over the years -
see below for a new clip of some of our talented artists doing
an interview with Las Vegas' summer campaign "Camp Vegas."
LINK /// < http://www.pokerguideblog.com/uncategorized/camp-
vegas-cast-interview-at-zumanity-cirque-du-soleil/ >
{Sep.19}
We're wishing our Facebook fans a relaxing weekend! See the link
below for a sneak peak of our fun & fabulous Botero Sisters
mingling with the crowd at our Mix & Mingle event during
FABULOUS Las Vegas! More footage can be found a www.Vegas.com
VIDEO /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3EetYEpYVE >
{Sep.18}
Zumanity Out and About
FOTO [2] /// < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
aid=160312&id=13931088846&ref=mf >
{Sep.01}
We're proud to announce that our beautiful and talented singer,
PARIS RED, has won 2 awards at this year's Las Vegas Black Music
Awards for Best Female Jazz Vocalist and Best Major Show
Performer. Congratulations Paris!
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COMPARTMENTS -- A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
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o) DIDYAKNOW - Facts at a Glance about Cirque
o) HISTORIA - Cirque du Soleil History
---------------------------------
DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque
---------------------------------
o) Did you know the practice of foot juggling was transformed in 1840,
when Richard R. Carlisle Risley got the idea of replacing objects
propelled in the air with... a child?
o) Did you know that before "Cirque du Soleil: Parade of Colors"
(ISBN# 0-8109-4515-0) was published in 2003, Cirque had been
looking to create children's books based on its productions? As far
back as 1998, Cirque wanted to enter the publishing world with an
illustrated children's book inspired by Quidam, Cirque's latest
show at the time.
o) Did you know that the German Wheel was invented in 1925 by Otto
Fick, and was used as a Nazi propaganda device? That's right! The
German Wheel actually became the most practiced sport by Hitlerian
Youth during the rise of the Nazi Movement. During the 1936 Olympic
Games, the Nazi propaganda machine even placed a Swastika in the
middle of the wheel. When the Third Reich fell, the Wheel was
banned worldwide. It was Israel, in the 1970s, which brought the
Wheel out of obscurity and back into the light, making it the more
dynamic and artistic sport we know today.
o) Did you know that Alegria is the top selling Cirque album to date?
Yes, with over 800,000 copies sold. Quidam is next with about
500,000 sold.
o) The name of the spectacle, ZAIA, is inspired by a Greek first name
meaning "the life" and points out mythical Gaïa, Greek goddess of
the ground and symbol of planetary ecological balance.
o) Did you know the forest in Varkeai consists of over 300 "trees"
between 15 feet and 35 feet tall? The forest is also interspersed
with twenty-odd "acrobatic trees" that its inhabitants can shinny
up to see what's going on. Extending out of the golden forest is
the stage, the terrain on which the characters move about. It's a
golden clearing with a diameter of 42 feet. Specially designed for
the show's aesthetic and acrobatic needs, the stage harbors five
traps, two turntables and an elevating platform.
o) Did you know that the ring-like apparatus used in Dralion to allow
performers to fly around stage and to allow the singer to ascend to
the stars is called "The Sun"? The Sun is one of three pieces used
during the show. The other two are used as a catwalk and to
encompass an enormous lantern.
o) Did you know La Nouba has 20 motorized line sets, 1400 lighting
instruments (of which 60 move) and 18 cameras that are
automatically controlled?
o) Did you know that 30 surround loudspeakers are used in "O"? They
are distributed behind the balcony, on the face of the balcony but
firing forward to cover the main floor, and there are some built
into the side walls. The proscenium framing contains 2 loudspeaker
clusters, with more along its sides. A series of compact
loudspeakers contained in the stage lip bolster coverage to the
first few seating rows not getting complete mid/high output from
the clusters due to logistics.
------------------------------------
HISTORIA: Cirque du Soleil History
------------------------------------
* Oct.01.1996 -- Alegría opened Fukuoka, Japan
* Oct.01.2002 -- La Nouba goes 2-tiered seating
* Oct.01.2003 -- Varekai Premium CD Released (CDS/Musique)
* Oct.01.2008 -- ZED Gala Premiere in Tokyo
* Oct.02.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé opened San Diego
* Oct.02.1990 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Paris
* Oct.02.2003 -- Alegría opened Portland
* Oct.02.2003 -- Dralion opened Mexico City
* Oct.02.2007 -- Dralion celebrated its 3000th performance [Osaka, Japan]
* Oct.04.2002 -- Dralion opened Sacramento
* Oct.05.2010 -- Banana Shpeel's Tour is Canceled
* Oct.06.1994 -- Alegría opened Santa Monica
* Oct.06.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Madris, ES
* Oct.07.2003 -- Region 01 DVD release: Alegría and Varekai
* Oct.07.2004 -- Saltimbanco opened Rome
* Oct.07.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Pittsburg, PA
* Oct.07.2010 -- TOTEM opened Amsterdam, NL
* Oct.08.1992 -- Saltimbanco opened Santa Monica
* Oct.08.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Oslo, Norway
* Oct.09.1992 -- The Saltimbanco CD was released in US (RCA/Victor)
* Oct.09.2001 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Journey of Man (also VHS)
* Oct.09.2009 -- Guy Laliberté will make an announcement from space
concerning ONE DROP.
* Oct.09.2010 -- Corteo opened Moscow, RU
* Oct.10.1990 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Santa Monica
* Oct.10.2001 -- Alegría opened in Adelaide, Australia
* Oct.10.2002 -- Alegría opened Mexico City
* Oct.11.1994 -- The Alegría CD released in US (RCA/Victor)
* Oct.11.2000 -- Dralion opened in McLean, Virginia
* Oct.12.1995 -- Alegría opened Washington DC
* Oct.12.2000 -- Saltimbanco 2000 opened Tokyo, Japan
* Oct.12.2007 -- Quidam opened Guadalajara, Mexico
* Oct.12.2010 -- Viva Elvis CD Released (Planned)
* Oct.13.2005 -- Alegría opened Tokyo, Japan
* Oct.13.2009 -- ZED Album Released
* Oct.13.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Lisbon, PT
* Oct.14.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened in Washington DC
* Oct.14.1998 -- Saltimbanco opened Ottawa (Special Performances)
* Oct.14.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Philadelphia, PA
* Oct.14.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Aalborg, DK
* Oct.15.2004 -- Dralion opened Madrid, Spain
* Oct.15.2008 -- Alegría opened Seoul, South Korea
* Oct.15.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Honolulu, HI
* Oct.16.2009 -- Koozå opened Santa Monica, CA
* Oct.16.2010 -- Banana Shpeel opened San Francisco, CA (Canceled)
* Oct.18.2005 -- KÀ CD released (CDS Musique)
* Oct.19.1998 -- "O" premiered at Bellagio, Las Vegas
* Oct.19.2004 -- "Tapis Rogue: Solarium" CD Released (CDS Musique)
* Oct.19.2006 -- Dralion opened Frankfurt
* Oct.19.2007 -- Alegría opened Brasilia, Brazil
* Oct.19.2008 -- Guy Laliberte awarded honorary doctorate by
Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec
* Oct.19.2010 -- Quidam opened Bogota, CO
* Oct.20.2003 -- "Cirque for Life" film even in Portlan, Oregon
* Oct.20.2007 -- Zumanity celebrated its 2000th performance
* Oct.20.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary screened in theaters
* Oct.20.2010 -- Dralion Arena opened Trenton, NJ
* Oct.21.2008 -- "All Together Now" Documentary released on DVD
* Oct.21.2009 -- Alegría Arena opened Reading, PA
* Oct.21.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Copenhagen, DK
* Oct.22.2003 -- Canadian premiere of Varekai on CBC
* Oct.22.2003 -- Quidam opened Fukuoka, Japan
* Oct.22.2006 -- Quidam NAT 3 Ended.
* Oct.22.2009 -- Dralion opened Guadalajara, MX
* Oct.23.2008 -- Dralion opened Canberra, Australia
* Oct.23.2009 -- Quidam opened Belo Hoizonte, Brazil
* Oct.23.2009 -- Varekai opened Moscow, Russia
* Oct.25.1988 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Montréal
* Oct.25.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Washington DC
* Oct.25.2007 -- Varekai opened Antwerp, Belgium
* Oct.26.1999 -- Dralion CD released in Canada (RCA/Victor)
* Oct.26.2000 -- Quidam opened Frankfurt
* Oct.26.2001 -- New Musical Director "O" (John-Paul Gasparelli)
* Oct.26.2006 -- Corteo opened Washington, DC.
* Oct.27.2005 -- Varekai opened Charlotte
* Oct.27.2006 -- Alegría opened Madrid, Spain
* Oct.27.2010 -- Dralion Arena opened Buffalo, NY
* Oct.28.1997 -- Cirque Collection CD Released in Canada (RCA/Victor)
* Oct.29.1987 -- Cirque Réinventé opened Santa Monica
* Oct.29.1998 -- Quidam opened Atlanta
* Oct.29.2004 -- Alegría opened Tokyo, Japan
* Oct.29.2007 -- Guy Laliberte announces One Drop Foundation
* Oct.30.2001 -- Region 01 DVD Release: Le Magie Continue, Saltimbanco,
Cirque Réinventé, and Baroque Odyssey.
(Also released on VHS)
* Oct.30.2008 -- Koozå opened Washington, DC.
* Oct.30.2008 -- Quidam opened Brussels, Belgium
* Oct.31.2002 -- Saltimbanco opened Madrid
* Oct.31.2007 -- Dralion opened Nagoya, Japan
* Oct.31.2008 -- BELIEVE gala premiere in Las Vegas
* Oct.xx.2001 -- CirqueClub premiered
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FASCINATION! FEATURES
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Within...
o) "My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel"
By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
{As Published on Cirque Tribune}
o) "Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED]
By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger
A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander
-------------------------------------------------------
"My Thoughts on Banana Shpeel"
By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
{As Published on Cirque Tribune}
-------------------------------------------------------
When Cirque du Soleil "re-invented" the traditional circus the company
transformed it into an art form. The creative minds at Cirque took a
form of entertainment that was thought of as crass, tawdry and
somewhat archaic and completely re-imagining it, infusing it with
creativity and artistry to create something fresh, daring and avant-
garde.
Similar to traditional American circus, Vaudeville is an anachronistic
form of entertainment rife with possibility for re-invention.
The question with Banana Shpeel is whether or not Cirque du Soleil, a
company whose mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses
and evoke the emotions of people around the world, would be able to
successfully re-invent Vaudeville the way it re-invented circus. After
all, the company successfully re-invented a genre of performance
before so, theoretically, they could do it again. But, alas, they
haven't. Banana Shpeel doesn't so much re-invent vaudeville as it
regurgitates it.
Now, I know some will inevitably decry that we die-hard fans have it
out for Banana Shpeel because we never want Cirque to branch out and
try new things, that's simply a false assumption. The disdain levelled
at Banana Shpeel stems not from the fact that it's a different style
of show from what we've seen before from Cirque du Soleil but that it
is simply a poor show with few redeeming qualities and it by no means
lives up to the expectations of the level of quality we've come to
expect from the Cirque du Soleil name. With BS, the company has, in
effect, broken their contract with their audiences or, to put it less
politely, pulled the old bait-n-switch and cheated its loyal customer
base.
Cirque du Soleil is a well-established entertainment brand and some of
the values associated with the brand are creativity, artistry and
avant-garde physical performance. The brand has a reputation to
uphold, people go into a Cirque du Soleil show expecting to be wowed,
they expect their imagination to be invoked, their senses provoked and
their emotions evoked. Performance quality, artistry, and attention-
to-detail are all concepts that Cirque has conditioned us to expect of
its performances. These are the core, inalienable values of the Cirque
du Soleil brand. Consumers expect the company to uphold these values
and anything less is essentially false advertising. That, in a
nutshell, is why Banana Shpeel doesn't work.
After all, any shmuck can take a few off-the-shelf circus acts, slap
silly costumes on them and throw them on a stage. The schmuck in-
particular responsible for Banana Shpeel is David Shiner who, with
this endeavour, has proved definitively that he is incapable of
directing a show that is not filled with asinine, juvenile, bathroom
humour. Nor, apparently does he have a lot of new ideas; the clown car
sketch from Quidam is re-hashed in Banana Shpeel and the black-light
dance number that opens the second half of the show is suspiciously
similar to Kooza's skeleton dance and a botched magic act also similar
to Kooza's appears in Shpeel. Banana Shpeel represents a dearth of
creativity and vision for Cirque du Soleil and the failures of the
show rest largely on the shoulders of David Shiner who has proven that
he is not ready for prime time. Hopefully Shpeel will be his swan's
song with Cirque du Soleil, his style is incompatible with the Cirque
brand.
The following is my review/post-mortem of Banana Shpeel.
CLOWNS
First, let's talk about the clowns. Banana Shpeel is over-run with
them, it is a show directed by a clown and the majority of the show's
run time is occupied by clowning.
Now, full disclosure here, I'm generally not a fan of clowns or
clowning. They're at best a necessary evil in any given Cirque du
Soleil show. I rarely find clowns funny, often find them tedious and
sometimes find them downright annoying. The clowns in Shpeel land well
in the "annoying" end of the spectrum.
At best, clowns in Cirque du Soleil should be treated as the sprig of
parsley garnishing a steak dinner; something that is there to complete
the overall experience but that should be unobtrusive and easily
tossed-aside to get to the meat. Creating a show based almost entirely
around clowning thereby inverting the equation simply does not work
and is doomed to fail. It would be akin to going to an upscale
steakhouse, ordering the special and being served a large plate of
parsley garnished with a few tiny shavings of steak.
Firstly, the clowns use (insipidly written) English dialogue
throughout the show which breaks what was formerly a cardinal rule of
Cirque du Soleil that there should be no discernible language used in
its shows. Another main pillar of the Cirque du Soleil brand is that
it is international. The Cirque brand sells on the image that it is
universal and based on the universal language of images, music and
physical performance. More, specifically, Cirque sells in North
America because of its image that it is esoteric, vaguely European-
inspired and is a form of accessible high-culture. The use of English
dialogue detracts from the universality of the Cirque du Soleil
experience, it makes it too culturally-specific to North America and
really gives it a sense that it is cheap, low-brow and crass which is
completely antithetical to Cirque's established brand.
The clowning is the usual David Shiner material similar to what we saw
him do in Kooza; audience plants, inane dialogue and juvenile
slapstick most of it asinine, annoying, tedious and unfunny. Banana
Shpeel's humour is just so utterly stupid, the schtick so insipid that
most of it is insufferable.
The clown ensemble consists of Marty Shmelky (Danny Rutigliano) the
cantankerous (read: loud and abrasive) theatre producer, his assistant
Margaret (Shereen Hickman) she's the most tolerable of the clowns, the
comic duo of Daniel Passer and Wayne Wilson (they have some semblance
of a rapport with each other and Wayne is almost likeable as the
straight-man in the clown ensemble) and the "audience volunteers"
played by Gordon White, Claudio Carneiro and Patrick de Valette (each
more annoying than the last, they're tiresome after their first
appearance in the show and downright insufferable by the end).
The problem here is the tone of the humour, one can be stupid and
still be funny if you make clever use of self-referential humour or
sly allusions (shows like Spamalot and The Drowsy Chaperone use this
style of humour), one can also be crude and funny if the context of
the crudeness is smart enough (Avenue Q works on this level). The
problem with Banana Shpeel is that it is just full-on stupid. It's
low-brow, asinine and insipid, without even the slightest hint of
intelligence or even cleverness. The clowning just dragged on and on
and made for an incredibly tedious evening.
SET
Some of the show's design elements are actually quite good. The set
makes good use of the proscenium stage, the band is elevated on a
bandstand, there's an LED backdrop used to create a variety of
effects, various backdrops and set pieces are flown in from the fly
space, a mechanical deck is employed up-stage that can tilt upward and
transform into stairs for some of the dance numbers.
Overall, the use of the proscenium stage is more successfully executed
than in Wintuk although the creative team didn't even attempt to
present a single aerial act in Banana Shpeel.
COSTUMES
The costumes in Banana Shpeel are hit-and-miss. Dominique Lemieux was
trying to emulate the style of Vaudeville but it seems her only trick
to putting a "twist" to the costumes is to cover them with massive
amounts of sequins. She also misses the ball completely on some
costumes; the hand-to-hand duo look like they're dressed in
cheerleading outfits and the contortionists are dressed like Power
Rangers.
MUSIC
The musical score of Banana Shpeel is entirely utilitarian, it mostly
serves as background music. It doesn't advance a story, heighten
emotion or create ambience. At best it's there to provide a beat for
the dancers and fill in the silence during the acts. The style is
typical of Simon Carpentier's work in previous Cirque shows; generic,
brassy faux-jazz or throw-away pieces that sound like a mix between
the music they play in the background of nature documentaries and the
soundtrack to a softcore porn.
The lead vocalist, Alexis Sims, does get a couple solos during the
show but unfortunately there's just nothing noteworthy or remotely
special about the score of Banana Shpeel, the music is just completely
forgettable.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Unfortunately, the choreography of the individual acts is either non-
existent or extremely basic. There are a few ensemble dance numbers in
the show choreographed by Jared Grimes. They're big, splashy
production numbers of the type you'd see in any sort of variety show.
The dancers are obviously talented and the numbers are entertaining
(though they tend to be a tad too long, they're still a merciful break
from all the insipid clowning). Unfortunately, the dancing in Banana
Shpeel completely lacks context. They're just splashy production
numbers for the sake of having splashy production numbers; mildly
entertaining but ultimately pointless.
There are no intelligently thought out, integrated choreographic
concepts in the show. It's just empty razzle-dazzle.
ACTS
Quite frankly, in the context of the other acts we've seen in Cirque
du Soleil, the circus acts on offer in Banana Shpeel are pedestrian.
There is next-to-no context supporting their inclusion in the show.
It's not that the circus acts presented in the show are "bad", the
performers are obviously talented. However, while the acts themselves
are passable you can see similar acts performed at circuses, cabarets,
variety shows and even at busker festivals anywhere. Without the
artistry, performance quality and creativity that one typically
expects of a Cirque du Soleil show there is absolutely no value added.
Which begs the question, why would I pay over a $100 per ticket to see
something that I could easily toss a couple bucks into a hat to watch
on the street?
The Foot Juggling act feels like something I've seen over and over in
Cirque and although the performer is talented the act is nothing new.
The inclusion of a Tap Dance Duo is a nod to traditional Vaudeville.
While it's a first in a Cirque du Soleil show I found the act really
kitschy.
The Hand-to-hand Duo's act is average. The presentation leaves a lot
to be desired. The act is not integrated into any sort of coherent
concept and it's very chunky: skill - choreography - skill -
choreography - etc.
Tuan Le's hat juggling number is reminiscent of Octavio Alegria's in
Varekai and he's at least given some dramatic pre-text in the show
(he's a puppet come to life). The act is otherwise just a typical
juggling number.
The handbalancing act by Dmitry Bulkin aka "Dima Shine" is the
highlight of the show. Dima plays a pierrot clown throughout the show
and is revealed to be a sculpted Adonis at the start of the number.
It's the only moment where an act in Banana Shpeel even resembles a
real Cirque du Soleil act and the one instance where they try to
establish any sort of mood for an act. The singer and trumpeter frame
the handbalancer on stage and the music creates a dream-like ambience.
The contortion act, despite being a crowd-pleaser, is definitely an
old re-tread. The presentation of the act with the vaguely Asian-
inspired music is a tired cliché, I've seen so many contortion acts
like this in traditional Chinese circuses and the presentation in
Shpeel presents us with nothing new or interesting and is one of the
least interestingly presented contortion acts I've seen in a Cirque
show. Its very inclusion in the show is a prime example of the lazy,
cynical approach to production the company took with this show. "Oh no
David Shiner, your show bombed in Chicago and NYC. People there
thought it wasn't 'cirquey' enough? Okay, we'll fix it by throwing in
one of our most tired clichés; an off-of-the shelf, run-of-the-mill
contortion act. Problem solved."
Banana Shpeel's spectacular failures in Chicago and New York are well
documented. To Cirque du Soleil's credit they seem to have taken a lot
of the criticism and acted on it, the show does not seem to be the
absolute disaster it did in its Chicago and New York incarnations.
However, it's too little, too late and the end result is still not a
show that I'd be willing to pay to see or anything I'd be satisfied
with had I bought a ticket based solely on the Cirque du Soleil name
recognition. At this point the show is being kept alive only on Cirque
du Soleil's own hubris. The higher-ups at Cirque are too stubborn to
admit that the show is an awful representation of what the company is
about and they're bent on throwing good money after bad, putting a
show that is an embarrassment to the Cirque du Soleil name on tour,
alienating its fan base.
Cirque du Soleil is a big enough company to be able to take the
financial hit and swallow the losses on Banana Shpeel. They could
quietly close the show and try to save what little face they have
left. Instead, the company seems bent on taking the show on tour to
proscenium road-houses across the continent for one- or two-week
stints, just long enough to sell tickets by using the Cirque du Soleil
name and high-tail out of town before the bad press and word of mouth
catches up with the show in any given city. It's a series of hit-n-
runs and it can't be good for long-term sustainability of the company
if it wishes to maintain the power of its brand.
Perhaps my sentiments can best be summed up by a brief exchange I had
after the show when somebody asked me if I enjoyed the "Cirque du
Soleil" show. I responded, it's NOT "Cirque" . . . it's Banana Shpeel.
It's also not anything I'd ever care to see again or recommend anybody
spend money to see.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Alegría: Blow-by-Blow" [EXPANDED]
By: Michael Bowen - Arts Blogger
A Special Reprint from Pacific Northwest Islander
-------------------------------------------------------
Fans of Cirque du Soleil take pride in themselves for knowing each and
every show - from its acrobatic numbers to the depth of its theatrical
elements - inside and out, which is why, I would say, that we don't
pay too much attention to reviews published about an established show
in newspapers. What for? The review usually covers the same general
points discussed ad nauseum before, right? True enough. But this
morning I ran across a blog post from The Pacific Northwest Islander's
Arts Blogger, Michael Bowen, who attended Alegría's premiere in
Spokane on Wednesday evening. And although you won't find anything
ground-breaking about the show within his review, it's presented in
one of the most unique ways I've seen - a blow-by-blow, twitter style.
# # #
6:47 pm at the Spokane Arena, Wednesday night We're in our seats WAY
early, but then my daughter and I have a lot of junk food to get
through here: hot dogs, root beer, pretzels, nachos, ice cream bar,
cotton candy, granola bar. She gets the granola bar; I get the rest.
7:25 -- A big guy in black shirt and tech gear is climbing the ladder
up into the rafters -- must be a spotlight person -- so I'm thinking
it's time to get this circus on the road, er, show on the ... it must
be time to start.
7:26 -- The clowns are blowing confetti right in the crowd's faces.
The lower level of half the Arena (the Star Theatre) is mostly sold
for opening night; nobody at all up in the 200 level, which was
blocked off. But lots of floor-level seats, too.
7:27 -- The hunchbacked major domo in red is slowly making his way
onstage. A white sprite does a stylized scamper around the stage.
7:28 -- A foghorn blows, signaling the clowns and musicians (all in
white, with Pinocchio noses) parading through the audience: sax,
accordion, triangle, the cutest little snare drum with mini-cymbals,
etc. A woman is brought up to waltz with a musician -- not the last
instance of audience participation in this show. (If you're in the $90
seats, be ready to cavort and be made fun of.)
7:30 -- The Nostalgic Old Birds, symbols of the Establishment, are
acting drunk. Being wobbly means you have hardening of your political
arteries; being limber means you stand for youth and energy. The White
Queen, singing the title song, is practically growling "Alegria" at
us.
7:32 -- One of the little white munchkins, in her squeaky Quebecois
accent, is announcing the arrival of Cirque du Soleil "een SPOKE-
anne." The White Queen processes on with her two feather girls.
So far, this is just a soft-rock show with lots of feathers.
We get a sneak peek at the rhythmic gymnastics ribbon lady and the
fire dancers.
The Old Birds carry around empty mirrors. I'm pretty sure this is a
comment on excessive vanity. Two diminutive ballet dancers promenade
on to make their appearance. They do some ballet. There's the tinkling
of chimes and the boulevard rumbles of the accordion. Lots of ritual
here. Oh, these two are getting lifted into a trapeze act. A man and a
woman. As they swing back and forth, so nonchalant, just 30 feet or so
up in the air, no net, he makes goo-goo eyes at her. Hold me closer,
Tiny Dancer.
She's hanging by the crook of her knee, upside down. It's a death-
wish. On the upswing, they're practically in the arena's rafters.
There's no net, and she's rising as she swings, does a 360 and lets
go, catches herself by her knees, slides farther down, flips and lets
go and twists and careens, and I'm pretty sure that was my jaw that
just dropped. I mean, seriously, I just felt my jaw involuntarily go
slack. My heart is racing. There's a lull. Now can feel it pounding
again.
(I've had my ticker looked at this year, and this is not good, because
you just can't look on passively when two people on oversize
playground swings are swaying up near the roofline and thumbing their
noses at mortality. What if one of them plunges? I almost cover my
eyes.)
These trapeze lovers, they maintain eye contact. They're seated on
their trapezes, then lunge up, synchronized (I think, but my eyes on
the woman, she's the more, um, supple and lithe one of the two, my
regard for her is completely artistic, there's nothing sensual about
it, not at all, and then OMG, SHE JUST DID A 360 DEATH FLIP and she's
swirling and the trapeze is swinging and this is not good for my
heart. ---
And the dismount comes in a very unexpected way.
And they stick the landing! and bow their way offstage. And that was
only the first segment of this show.
A clown inside a horse (like one of those swimming-pool inflatable
equestrians) does a comic bit that involves "jumping" over a tiny
railing. (Don't want to give away the clowning surprises. But you
could hear little kids giggling. It only makes you more aware of the
fact that you're giggling right along with them.)
7:48 -- Power Track: teams of acrobats do tumbling runs (as at the
start of floor exercises in gymnastics), only on very bouncy lanes of
trampolines -- two of them. And the lanes intersect, forming an X. And
the tumblers time their runs so it's almost, almost, like a
flipping/tumbling human demolition derby: One guy is ending his flip
over the intersection of the two lanes just as another, competing guy
is beginning his.
I love how these characters (the Bronx) do baseball slides to the edge
of the trampolines, then bounce in unison onto the mat and start their
tumbling runs in opposite directions. With the pounding music, this
may be my favorite part of the show. (YouTube provides a sense of it,
but every performance is distinct, and you have to see it live to feel
the visceral fear: What if that crazy-legs guy tumbles right off the
edge of the stage?)
7:49 -- Bounce, bounce, bounce. A couple of guys slip at the end of
their double-back-somersault-with-two-twists-and-a-squeeze-of-lemon,
impossible flips. Just shows how hard they're working. You can see
that they're trying to stick their landings on the white X at the end
of each black-rubber runway. A big clown in a white bowler hat edges
out noncommitally, but soon it's clear that he's there as emergency
back-up, for when they unleash their most amazing, highest-altitude,
split-legs-at-the-apex tumbling runs.
This show is like ballet on steroids. I love synchronized trampoline
moves -- like flying with your friends.
7:53 -- The Black Queen is onstage alone with a bird attendant. Or
something. Sometimes Cirque throws images at you just for the hell of
it.
7:54 -- Clown bit with motorcycle and paper airplanes. Again, don't
want to ruin the comic surprises -- but it's nearly all done in a
made-up language, with great self-generated sound effects, and if
you've ever had a sibling and engaged in some rivalry ... well, the
paper-airplane bit encapsulates the kind of big brother/little brother
squabbling that translates across cultural barriers.
7:58 -- Cheers for the kid in the front row who successfully flew the
paper airplane right back at the two clowns. But some of the clown
schtick overstays its welcome.
8:02 -- They're bringing a giant silver button onstage, and the
platform is dappled with light, and the clowns are gathering, and it's
the Canes man -- a guy who balances vertically on progressively higher
canes.
He does the Iron Cross on them, tilts his pelvis so that his legs are
all akimbo way off to one side and how can he possibly maintain his
balance?!
He does a one-armed handstand; then switches from cane to cane; then
hops on two arms and on one arm across the stage. He swivels on each
cane. He splits his legs into a T shape while doing a precarious
handstand.
Lots of smooth jazz as the Canes guy tilts his body, the Old Birds
lounging on the floor behind him, mimicking his leaning moves.
Sucha show-off, this one. You'd think he considered himself, like, at
this point, the focus of the entire show.
8:08 -- Suddenly we're in the Tiki Lounge at Disneyland -- it's time
for the Polynesian baton-twirling act. And those torches are hot,
baby! Maybe it's the sugar rush from all the cotton candy I've
ingested, but I could have sworn that the floor was on fire there for
a minute as these two hot Hawaiian hurlers whooped and swooped their
flaming sticks around. They hold fire in their toes, they hold fire in
the crooks of their knees -- they are the fire gods. Or maybe all the
amplified pounding drums have boggled my mind.
8:11 -- They exchange double flaming torches. Any moment now, I expect
them to incinerate the dress of some front-row matron.
8:13 -- A clown mocks the fire-dancers with a Bic lighter.
8:15 -- Rhythmic Gymnastics Lady. She twirls ribbons while one of her
legs shoots straight up in the air. She puts a reverse spin on a hoop,
catches it on its return.
I can't even get a hula hoop started. She can pick up six of them.
With her toes. And make them all rotate simultaneously. And then fling
them, with accuracy, to helpers all across the stage. This woman is a
Hula Hoop Goddess -- and as she undulates her lithe, alluring, supple,
sinuous body, it's not the hula hoops that I'm watching.
She has such long legs and ... OMG, that catsuit leaves NOTHING to the
imagination. The pole dancers at the Deja Vu should be taking notes
here. And this woman works without a pole, baby.
8:19 -- She has so many hoops spinning at once, they look like
opalescent bubbles. Amazing.
8:21 -- The clowns do a bit that involves hugging a suit of clothes in
a closet, and a torn-up letter, and a locomotive chugging off into the
distance, and I have no idea what is going on or why. The torn-up
pieces of paper merge beautifully into a snowstorm, and it's a lovely
stage trick that's absolutely out of character with what has gone
before. An anticlimactic moment -- you're not quite sure if that was
the end of Act One or not. Lights come up to the scratching of heads.
8:32 -- Intermission. We make another junk-food run. As we're
returning to our seats, some guy nearby has gotten down on one knee
and asked his girlfriend to marry him. Lots of people in surrounding
seats took notice. The pressure was on; she said yes. Hundreds
applauded. Judging from her wild gesticulations, she kind of liked the
ring. A few moments later, Mom returned to her seat with popcorn, had
no idea. Hugging ensued.
8:54 -- Musicians return. Large menacing mechanical bird gets lowered
from the rafters. Giant lantern swings wildly. Smaller lanterns are
carried on. Something entrancing about humans conveying light in
darkness.Foghorn again. White Queen parades on. Running white
Munchkins swirl onstage again. Wintry sounds.
9:02 -- The Flying Man appears, and his bungee-cord appearance is
SPECTACULAR. He lunges, he leans; the Old Birds parallel his moves.
He's on enormous rubber bands that lift and twirl him. Arms together,
one-armed death spiral, cavorting and hopping in a giant circle around
the stage. Just beautiful: You want to BE him. My dreams of flying ...
Freud ... I think I'm having impure thoughts. Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm
having impure thoughts.
To soar like that: To act like a god.
The Flying Man is the Spinning Top of Humanity, doing pirouettes like
no ballet master's business.
9:08 -- The lady next to us, who arrived 15 minutes late, is on her
third glass of wine. Apparently the latest text from her friend is SO
much more entertaining than anything the Cirque artists could ever be
capable of.
Big circus acts, small minds.
9:09 -- Big guys in white, long poles, tiki heads atop them, White
Queen singing, Munchkin acrobats assembling. It's like Tron brought to
life.
Nearly everybody in this show wears de-individualizing wigs. Robotic
movements.
Oh, they're assembling themselves into the Russian Bars act: Two
linebackers put bendy bars on their shoulders, and jockeys do
backflips high above until, at the last moment, they sight the bendy
bars and make a landing. Smooth jazz playing, too loud. But the
jockeys' faces are impassive: See what I can do? There is no strain on
my face at all.
And what they can do involves launching off one bendy bar and then
having that disappear and another move into place just before they
stick the landing.
A couple of show girls stroll on as momentary diversions. Lots of
feathers on them, too. This show really likes feathers.
The jockeys get launched skyward, do bicycle kicks in the air, flip
double somersaults, sight a different bar from the one they took off
on, then land and balance, stick out pointy hands like wings and
assert their general high-flying awesomeness.
Two clowns bring a guy out of the audience to mock the Russian Bars
act: They stretch elaborately, place his feet on a bendy pole, pull
mightily upwards -- and the guy stays right where he is. He's a
performer, though, and the audience is delighted to see one of its own
clowning around.
9:23 -- More swinging lanterns. The White Queen sings. Two tiny
Mongolian women saunter on -- naturally, they're wearing feathery
capes. A raised and revolving circular platform emerges, all the
better for these two contortionists to be seen.
Too much reverb on the electric guitar.
So imagine yourself watching TV, slouching in your favorite comfy
chair, your feet flat on the ground, your legs spread wide. Now put
your head on the ground, between your feet -- and facing forward.
That's what one of these contortionist ladies just did. Her pelvis is,
like, at 90 degrees to her back. (Do the chiropractors in the audience
smile or cringe while watching this?)
It's like watching a woman in a gynecologist's chair, only her face
just emerged where her crotch is supposed to be.
As for my body parts: My jaw is hanging slack again.
The accordion player strolls on, apparently the cue for Human Pretzel
No. 1 to turn herself into a belly-up U-shape, with both feet and
hands flat on the ground, and for Pretzel No. 2 to straddle her
partner and use her like a pommel horse in gymnastics.
9:30 -- The menacing mechanical bird is glowering at us again. The
Munchkin acrobats reappear and start hooking up what appears to be a
gigantic parachute; it turns out to be the safety net for the Aerial
High Bars. Very ritualistic on the climbing of rope ladders. Imagine
six guys clambering all over a jungle gym, which is like every other
jungle gym you've seen on a children's playground except for the fact
that it's four stories up. Two guys on a swing hang upside down, then
catch death-defying spinning men before they drop. The finale involves
all of them, in sequence, doing triple-reverse-somersault-with-double-
Salchow flips and plunging deep into the netting 40 feet below before
bouncing up and assuming an assertive Power Ranger stance. Their faces
betray no emotion; just another day at the office involving four-story
dives.
9:41 -- The White Queen winds up into the finale: the title song. The
music doesn't go on for as long or as impressively as on the CD. The
Old Birds hold up their empty mirrors. Multiple curtain calls, with
the obligatory Spokane standing ovation -- in this case, well
deserved. Despite some meh clown sequences, there were several
astounding moments. My jaw went slack again, and I'm going to manually
push up my chin, just as soon as I wipe all this cotton-candy residue
off it.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 10, Number 10 (Issue #81) - October 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
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infringement intended.
{ Oct.07.2010 }
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