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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 13, NUMBER 01 January 2013 ISSUE #108e
=======================================================================
Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
In March 2012 I mused how it had been a tumultuous sixteen months for
Cirque du Soleil: first, back in October 2010, the company's twist on
Vaudeville slipped on its own shpeel and closed. Next, nine months
later on July 24, 2011, we received the shock of our lives - the
magnificent ZED in Tokyo would close by year's end (due in large part
to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami disaster). Four months later
to the day, on November 24, 2011, Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts
announced the closing of VIVA ELVIS in Las Vegas by the end of 2012,
citing poor ticket sales (On August 31, 2012, VIVA ELVIS gave its
final performance in Las Vegas, turning the page on the first chapter
of Aria's story). And on February 7, 2012, an announcement came that
would close ZAIA in two weeks time, also citing poor ticket sales.
With ZARKANA later taking VIVA ELVIS' place at ARIA, MICHAEL JACKSON
THE IMMORTAL selling out and the rather successful launch of AMALUNA
under the Grand Chapiteau, it seemed as if the turbulent times were
finally behind us. Even if we did have to say goodbye to SALTIMBANCO
at the end of the year.
But then shocking and sad news took our fandom by storm the evening of
Friday, November 30th as Cirque du Soleil unexpectedly announced that,
despite phenomenal reviews and enthusiastic audience response, demand
for tickets had not met projections; therefore, due to low ticket
sales IRIS would close as well. With the show scheduled to hold its
final performance on Saturday, January 19th, we've taken a moment to
celebrate all that the show was destined to be by walking through the
press announcements over the years, from the initial rumors to the
latest announcement. You'll find that within this issue.
But 2012 wasn't all doom and gloom. Besides launching yet another
successful touring show, Cirque du Soleil partnered with Google for
the Chrome Experiment known as Movi.Kanti.Revo, went behind the lens
with movie director James Cameron to produce Worlds Away 3D (which
you'll also find some information on this issue. Did you get a chance
to see it? We did and we loved it!), added a couple of elements from
ZED into Mystère, and performed at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony
in Hollywood, California. And though Cirque has hit a rough patch,
there's still plenty to look forward to in 2013.
Such as: Dralion, which has been traveling throughout North America
since its conversion to the Arena format in 2010, will begin touring
the world in 2013, visiting the United Arab Emerates, South Africa,
and Venezuela before embarking on a European Arena tour. KOOZA, which
recently wrapped up an impromptu 1-year second North American Tour
(following a very successful Japanese Tour), will begin its first
European Tour in January. Kooza, under the big top, joins Alegría and
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour in Arenas (though there are
rumblings that THE IMMORTAL will visit Australia and Japan in the next
couple of years before returning to North America). By mid-year Quidam
will hop the pond and embark on its own tour of European Arenas, while
TOTEM and AMALUNA remain in North America and Corteo begins touring
South America. And what of Varekai and Ovo? They'll be around... but
look for Varekai to convert to arena format soon.
And who knows what other surprises Cirque has in store for us!
As always we've got the latest news items posted to Fascination! Web
and, of course, updates to Cirque's tour schedule.
So, let's get started.
We're off and running again!
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
===========
CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
* Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
o) Compartments -- A Peek Behind the Curtain
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Historia -- Cirque Company History
* Odyssea -- Cirque Tour History
o) Fascination! Features
* "'That's a Wrap!' Cirque's World of Cinema Goes Dark"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
* "Worlds Away 3D: Through the Looking Glass"
By: Cirque du Soleil, Production Notes
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
MJ Mandalay Bay Coming Along;
Zarkana Beating Projections
{Dec.05.2012}
----------------------------------------------
According to Robin Leach via the Las Vegas Sun, the Michael
Jackson Mandalay Bay show is "on schedule" and ticket sales for
Zarkana are beating projections!
# # #
Cirque du Soleil President Daniel Lamarre flew in for Shania
Twain's opening night Saturday, and at the Caesars Palace box
office, he told me that his cast and crew of the new permanent
Michael Jackson show will be arriving here in March for onstage
rehearsals at Mandalay Bay. "Everything is on schedule. We still
don't have a show title yet, but we are very pleased with the
way the project is developing and coming together."
The new Cirque nightclub Light will open in the former Rum
Jungle in March. The Jackson show opens in the former "Lion
King" theater undergoing a transformation for previews beginning
May 23, with the grand gala June 21. Daniel also told me that
"Zarkana" at Aria is doing great box office, and Cirque and MGM
Resorts execs are thrilled with ticket-sale numbers that are
ahead of projections.
{SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun}
MJ Mandalay Bay to be Called...
{Dec.06.2012}
----------------------------------------------
Although Cirque du Soleil is tight-lipped about what the new
Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay will be called, a search
for marks registered by "Cirque Jackson IP", the holders of the
Michael Jackson/Cirque du Soleil Partnership reveal something
was registered back in October to compliment the mark MICHAEL
JACKSON THE IMMORTAL WORLD TOUR.
What?
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE.
The registration is similar to THE IMMORTAL so this could be the
name of Cirque's next show!
{SOURCE: Trademark Registration}
Montreal Gazette Reviews "Worlds Away" [EXPANDED]
{Dec.07.2012}
-------------------------------------------------
What can high-quality 3D do that ordinary movies cant?
James Cameron explored the question in Avatar, then Ang Lee in
Life of Pi, and now Andrew Adamson in Cirque du Soleil: Worlds
Away, executive-produced by Cameron.
All three films are innovative in their own way. But in Avatar
and Life of Pi the visuals served their stories, providing
delicious dreamlike interludes. Worlds Away, however, pushes the
3D envelope further into the realm of art for arts sake. It
leads the audience into another realm of fantasy beyond live
circus and away from word-scripted movies. Here, drowning in
beauty seems a genuine possibility.
Adamson, who wrote and directed Worlds Away, offers but a silky
wisp of a romantic narrative. An innocent small-town girl (Erica
Linz) crosses to the wrong side of the railway tracks in order
to visit what turns out to be a seedy, old-style circus peopled
by freaks and fraudsters. She spies a handsome young man (Igor
Zaripov) driving stakes into the ground. He is ordered away, but
a sympathetic clown hands her a poster that reveals her new
crush is an aerial artist. So she enters the big top, not
realizing that she is about to become her chosen acrobat's
(literal) downfall. Like Alice in Wonderland she slips into a
sandy netherworld, following him but never quite catching up to
him - until Adamson decides it's time for a lovely pas de deux
of the soaring Cirque du Soleil variety. In between, we share
her adventures in a misty desert land of many circus tents.
Except for a few words of dialogue at the beginning and the
lyrics of the Beatles songs, Worlds Away is a wordless wonder.
As the naïve girl in search of true circus love, acrobat/actor
Erica Linz suits the paper-doll romantic image required. She
registers awe, fear, sadness and joy at the appropriate moments,
engaging us in her quest. It's a promising debut.
Except for a few moments when I felt the camera had lingered too
long on a single act, I enjoyed Worlds Away throughout. My
perspective, however, is that of a journalist who has followed
the Cirque du Soleil since its inception. I have seen most of
the shows featured in this film several times. (It uses footage
from seven Las Vegas-based Cirque shows: O, Ka, Love, Mystère,
Zumanity, Believe and Viva Elvis.)
To me, Worlds Away isnt just a visually ravishing film, its
also a nostalgic journey into circuses past and a guessing
game, as to which Cirque we are watching when, once the mash-up
begins.
At first the guessing is easy. Adamson begins with a lengthy,
intoxicating dose of O, which has been playing at the Bellagio
in Las Vegas since 1998. This Franco Dragone-directed spectacle
remains the Cirque du Soleils ultimate masterpiece. Here the
camera allows us to follow the synchronized swimmers under water
and takes us up close the man who reads his newspaper while his
clothes are being consumed with flames. We get so close to the
high flyers in the swinging pirate ship number that we can see
the puffs of talcum powder as their hands meet.
Then Worlds Away segues to Ka, Robert Lepages action-packed
extravaganza with its wheels of death and giant moving wall. The
challenges of scale and perspective posed by the chess-like
battle scenes on the wall arent resolved in a completely
satisfying way here. Yet its thrilling stuff.
Then a tiny tricycle manned by a pair of rubber boots leads our
heroine into the poetic world of the Cirques Love, to the
strains of Paul McCartneys Blackbird. The addition of 3D
illusions to the Beatles Octopuss Garden, as conceived by stage
director Dominic Champagne, means pure magic. Sea creatures swim
towards us to hallucinogenic effect. And of course, the Beatles
music does wonders for the soundtrack, otherwise largely
composed by Cirque stalwarts like Benoît Jutras. The My Guitar
Gently Weeps number choreographed by Margie Gillis still makes
me do just that.
Worlds Away also proves capable of salvaging a weak act. A so-so
trampoline number (Whole Lotta Love) in the now-defunct Viva
Elvis comes alive as the camera plays along with the tumblers.
Very little of Zumanity appears in Worlds Away, except for the
erotic girl-in-a-fish-bowl number choreographed by Cirque
veteran Debra Brown, that leads in hypnotically from a
dissolving moon. And Criss Angels Believe gets kissed off with
a rabbits head walking on its ears. Which goes to prove that
Adamson isnt only an excellent director, hes a sharp critic.
His selections are apt, with the caveat that he could have used
more of Mystère.
The result is a ravishing film that strikes a tricky balance
between art film and populist family fare, and has arrived just
in time for the holiday season.
{SOURCE: Montreal Gazette}
Cirque to open Harrods winter sale
{Dec.13.2012}
----------------------------------------------
World famous department store, Harrods, will begin its much
anticipated post Christmas winter sale with a performance by
Cirque du Soleil.
The sale, which starts 26th December, and is being is being held
in association with Macmillan Cancer Support, marks the 25th
anniversary of Harrods sale openings, and is the first time that
a performance act has declared the sale officially open.
A number of families who have benefited from Macmillan's care in
supporting children and adults suffering from cancer have been
invited to watch the performance. Macmillan Cancer Support is
Harrods' corporate charity for 2012 to 2014.
Katharine Witty, group director of corporate affairs at Harrods,
said: "We are very excited that Cirque du Soleil is opening the
Harrods Sale. There is only one Harrods, and only one Cirque du
Soleil, so it is a fitting collaboration and one that we are
sure will entertain the crowds on Boxing Day."
Read the original article here:
< http://goo.gl/4Wesv >
{SOURCE: Fashion United UK}
Saltimbanco to Retire not Expire? [EXPANDED]
{Dec.14.2012}
----------------------------------------------
The Montreal Gazette published a fascinating article this
morning by Pat Donnelly on the show's return to the city after a
twenty year run. In the article entitled "Cirque du Soleil's
Saltimbanco: A final bow, but no last rights" she speaks with
Gilles Ste-Croix, Saltimbanco's original Director of Creation,
about the show's history, its "retirement" and its potential
future... amongst other things.
In the article we learn that in 2013, only one Cirque show will
be launched: the Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay (which
will have some acts/performers from Viva Elvis. The next tent
show will be in 2014; Chantal Tremblay is Director of Creation
and Michel Laprise the Director, but its process of creation has
just begun. And MJ The Immortal is "printing money" it is so
successful; it will visit Russia in 2013. Other highlights
include:
o) Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco is coming home to Montreal to
retire, not to expire. Cirque du Soleil creative guide Gilles
Ste-Croix wants to make this distinction clear.
o) The staying power of Cirque shows is so far beyond industry
standards that they set their own. (Worldwide, Cirque du
Soleil actually brings in more revenue than all of Broadway.)
o) "Viva Elvis is dead," Ste-Croix admitted during an early-
morning interview at Cirque headquarters this week.
Resuscitation is not in the cards for this tribute show,
created in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, which
wound down at Las Vegas's Aria Resort in August after a 21/2-
year run.
o) And there's no way the Cirque's one notable flop, 2009's
vaudevillian Banana Shpeel, is ever going to make a comeback.
o) But with Saltimbanco, "I don't like the idea that it dies,"
Ste-Croix said. " I think it retires. Maybe, you know, in 10
years, 15 years, some young artists will say, 'Hey, let's do
Saltimbanco again.' "
o) Shortly after the Iris [closing] announcement, it was
revealed in the francophone media that there had been 30
layoffs at Cirque headquarters, including three vice-
presidents. In La Presse, Iris losses were estimated at $20
million (plus an initial investment of $45 million, for a
total of $65 million).
o) Ste-Croix says seasonal layoffs happen every year at Cirque,
where many people work on contract, but he doesn't deny that
the company is going through a period of adjustment.
o) Ste-Croix admitted being worried about market saturation.
What the Cirque is doing now, he said, is slowing down its
pace. "It's a timing situation, where the market is low right
now," he said. "So there is less demand. And we have
developed a lot. We are covering lots of markets." It's the
new ones, in South America and Asia, that are offering hope,
he added.
o) Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre has refused to comment on
the Iris closure, leaving it to the head of Cirque public
relations, Renée-Claude Ménard, to respond by email: "We are
basically adjusting our operation to reflect our new reality
of 2012. Our growth was very rapid in the last five years and
production schedules and operations adjusted to that pace. We
have now achieved a more normal production pace. So we are
reviewing all of our operations over the next months to
reflect this new reality."
o) And one to make the fans happy: Ste-Croix describes Mystère,
O, Love and Kà as "forever" shows, with no end in sight.
Read the original article below:
Cirque du Soleils Saltimbanco is coming home to Montreal to
retire, not to expire. Cirque du Soleil creative guide Gilles
Ste-Croix wants to make this distinction clear.
After 20 years of touring the world, visiting 200 cities in 48
countries, this landmark Cirque show, which premiered in 1992,
is about to take a well-earned rest again. When it finished
playing the Royal Albert Hall in London in early 1997,
Saltimbanco took a break, reopening in Ottawa in October 1998.
In 2006 it ended its tenure as a tent show, rising again, in
July 2007, as an arena show.
Now its back for its final run, at the Bell Centre, beginning
Wednesday, Dec. 19.
Saltimbanco, directed by Franco Dragone, has broken records for
longevity. As have other Cirque shows, like Mystère, which will
celebrate its 20th year in Las Vegas next year. In 2014,
Alegria, which continues to tour as an arena show, will turn 20.
And so on, down the list of the Cirques 20 still-active
productions. The staying power of Cirque shows is so far beyond
industry standards that they set their own. (Worldwide, Cirque
du Soleil actually brings in more revenue than all of Broadway.)
But every company has its setbacks. And, in some cases, Cirque
du Soleil shows really do kick the bucket. Viva Elvis is dead,
Ste-Croix admitted during an early-morning interview at Cirque
headquarters this week.
Resuscitation is not in the cards for this tribute show, created
in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, which wound down
at Las Vegass Aria Resort in August after a 2½-year run. And
theres no way the Cirques one notable flop, 2009s
vaudevillian Banana Shpeel, is ever going to make a comeback.
But with Saltimbanco, I dont like the idea that it dies, Ste-
Croix said. I think it retires. Maybe, you know, in 10 years,
15 years, some young artists will say, Hey, lets do
Saltimbanco again.
Saltimbanco was the first Cirque show to use the spoken word (a
unique form of gibberish spoken by the clown Le Baron,
originally incarnated by René Bazinet), and the first to feature
a singer (originally Francine Poitras). The twin Steben sisters
were a sensation in their duo trapeze act. The original juggler,
Miguel Herrera, was amazing. The music, by René Dupéré, was
remarkably eclectic. But it was the riotously coloured
Saltimbanco costumes that triggered the most superlatives. As
The Gazettes former fashion editor Iona Monahan wrote after
interviewing Saltimbanco costume designer Dominique Lemieux in
1996: Who can forget those jungle-fever body stockings striped
in primary colours on acrobats who shimmied up and down the
Chinese poles?
Not surprisingly, Saltimbanco was also the first Cirque show to
become a sensation on television, with its performers backing up
Peter Gabriel at the Grammys in 1993.
We call it the bulldozer show, Ste-Croix said. It opened new
markets.
Ste-Croix, 63, a benevolent father figure at the Cirque and the
original creative director of Saltimbanco, aimed to put a
positive spin not only on the shows final arena run, but on the
current vulnerable state of Cirque du Soleil itself.
After the recent announcement that the Los Angeles show Iris is
going to close on Jan. 19, a year and four months after its
opening, a headline in the Los Angeles Times read: Iris joins
list of recent duds for Cirque du Soleil. (Iris will be the
fourth Cirque show to close prematurely since Dec. 31, 2011,
including Zed in Japan, Viva Elvis in Las Vegas and Zaia in
Macau.) The article posed the Icarus question: Has Cirque du
Soleil flown a little too close to the sun?
Shortly after the Iris announcement, it was revealed in the
francophone media that there had been 30 layoffs at Cirque
headquarters, including three vice-presidents. In La Presse,
Iris losses were estimated at $20 million (plus an initial
investment of $45 million, for a total of $65 million).
Ste-Croix says seasonal layoffs happen every year at Cirque,
where many people work on contract, but he doesnt deny that the
company is going through a period of adjustment. The reasons are
complicated, ranging from the box-office failure of Iris to the
tsunami in Japan, which precipitated the closing of the Cirques
mega-spectacle Zed at Tokyo Disney Resort last New Years Eve.
It has been a difficult year.
Ste-Croix admitted being worried about market saturation. What
the Cirque is doing now, he said, is slowing down its pace.
Its a timing situation, where the market is low right now, he
said. So there is less demand. And we have developed a lot. We
are covering lots of markets.
Its the new ones, in South America and Asia, that are offering
hope, he added.
One alteration, he said, will be less frequent visits to regular
stops, like Montreal. There will be no yellow and blue big top
down at the Old Port this summer, as the Cirques next tent show
is slated to launch in the spring of 2014.
Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre has refused to comment on
the Iris closure, leaving it to the head of Cirque public
relations, Renée-Claude Ménard, to respond by email: We are
basically adjusting our operation to reflect our new reality of
2012. Our growth was very rapid in the last five years and
production schedules and operations adjusted to that pace. We
have now achieved a more normal production pace. So we are
reviewing all of our operations over the next months to reflect
this new reality.
In 2013, only one Cirque show will be launched: a second Michael
Jackson tribute, a permanent show scheduled to open at the
Mandalay Resort in Las Vegas in June.
The first Michael Jackson show, The Immortal World Tour,
produced in partnership with the Michael Jackson Estate, has
essentially been printing money ever since it was launched (to
mixed reviews) at the Bell Centre in October 2011. Shortly after
it opened, it was rated as the top touring show in North
America. Now, after conquering Europe, its heading to Russia in
early 2013. The rest of the touring and arena shows are doing
steady business. And the six remaining Vegas shows have survived
the economic crisis of 2008-2009. The eldest of them, Mystère,
has just been renewed for another five years. Ste-Croix
describes Mystère, O, Love and Kà as forever shows, with no
end in sight.
The new 2014 tent show is barely started, Ste-Croix said.
Chantal Tremblay, who worked with Ste-Croix on Love, will be the
creative director, while Michel Laprise will be the director.
Laprise, a National Theatre School graduate who began at Cirque
as a talent scout and has served as creation director of the
companys events and special projects department, recently
proved himself as show director for Madonnas MDNA tour. He has
developed his acrobatic style and hes ready to do a permanent
show, Ste-Croix said.
What happens to a Cirque show when it retires or dies? Sets,
props and costumes are either stored (if a revival is possible)
or recycled. Acrobatic equipment and even entire acts may end up
in another show. We recycled some acrobatic acts from Zed into
Mystère, which needed to be refreshed, Ste-Croix said. And we
recycled some acts that were in Viva Elvis into the new Michael
Jackson show. So often a performer can go on to other shows.
In the old days, when the same creative team ruled for 10 years,
Ste-Croix recalled, concepts could be recycled, too. If a good
idea arrived too late for one show, it could be passed on to the
next one. Thus the signature Cirque style was set.
Other forms of immortality for Cirques past include numerous
albums and making-of videos. And now with the release of the
film Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, the Vegas shows have found
another afterlife. Even a bit of Viva Elvis lives on in 3D.
{SOURCE: The Montreal Gazette}
Bell Canada Runs Away With Cirque
{Dec.18.2012}
----------------------------------------------
Canuck broadcaster Bell Media and Montreal-based Cirque du
Soleil are setting up Cirque du Soleil Media to create Quebec-
based content for TV, film, digital and gaming platforms.
Longtime Cirque exec Jacques Methe will be prexy of the company.
The joint venture is notable given that Cirque is famous for
keeping absolute creative control of its properties.
Cirque du Soleil Media will be based in Montreal and overseen by
a board of directors that will include representatives from
Cirque and Bell, and will be managed by a programming team with
input from both companies.
"Cirque du Soleil and Bell Media together can deliver more
incredible content to more consumers than ever before," said
Bell Media prexy Kevin Crull.
The closing of the transaction comes as Bell is taking a second
run at acquiring Montreal-based Astral Media after federal
broadcast regulator the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission nixed the original deal. Bell
wants Astral for its channels in the Quebec French-language
market - the Cirque deal is another example of Bell's interest
in developing Quebec content.
{SOURCE: Variety}
TrailerAddict Features "Worlds Away"
{Dec.19.2012}
----------------------------------------------
TrailerAddict has a number of interesting videos about Cirque du
Soleil's Worlds Away 3D film. Check them out!
WORLDS AWAY B-ROLL I: First b-roll of two for Cirque du Soleil:
Worlds Away. B-roll provides a compilation of behind the scenes
footage from the film.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67525 >
WORLDS AWAY B-ROLL II: Second b-roll of two for Cirque du
Soleil: Worlds Away. B-roll provides a compilation of behind the
scenes footage from the film.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67526 >
ANDREW ADAMSON INTERVIEW I: First part of an interview with
Andrew Adamson (Writer/Director) for Cirque du Soleil: Worlds
Away.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67527 >
ANDREW ADAMSON INTERVIEW II: Upscale Font Second part of an
interview with Andrew Adamson (Writer/Director) for Cirque du
Soleil: Worlds Away.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67528 >
ERICA LINZ INTERVIEW I: First part of an interview with Erica
Linz (Mia) for Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67529 >
ERICA LINZ INTERVIEW II: Second part of an interview with Erica
Linz (Mia) for Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67530 >
JAMES CAMERON INTERVIEW: Interview with James Cameron (Executive
Producer) for Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67532 >
FEATURETTE, INSIDE LOOK I: Second featurette for Cirque du
Soleil: Worlds Away takes an inside look into the film.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/66423 >
FEATURETTE, INSIDE LOOK II: Second featurette for Cirque du
Soleil: Worlds Away takes an inside look into the film.
< http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/67533 >
And there's more! Trailer Addict also has a number of 30-second
TV Spots to see! See them all here: < http://goo.gl/FAuPo >
{SOURCE: TrailerAddict.com}
Worlds Away Weekend Box Office - Week #1
{Dec.24.2012}
----------------------------------------------
Box Office Mojo is reporting final weekend numbers this
afternoon and Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away is not in the top 10:
The hour and a half long movie earned $2,135,000 over the
weekend, good enough to make it the eleventh most prosperous
film of the weekend. With it showing in 840 theaters the film
earned an average of $2,542 per screen, which certainly isn't
bad (but isn't good either). Total USA box office results show
the film earning $2,254,000 so far.
{SOURCE: Box Office Mojo}
JAXA engineer leaves green pastures
to follow Cirque dream
{Dec.29.2012}
----------------------------------------------
It is not uncommon to hear stories of people who give up
promising careers to follow their passions. Such is also the
story of Yusuke Funaki who left behind his lucrative job to
become part of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil.
The Okayama-born engineer started his career as a research
student at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
researching the movements of a robotic arm on the International
Space Station. He received his Masters of Engineering, majoring
in aerospace engineering, and moved on to a lucrative job at the
Research and Development department of tire maker Bridgestone.
It was around this time that he saw Cirque du Soleil's ninth
stage show, Quidam, and immediately fell in love with their
skipping rope act and started learning and practicing on his
own. But even with this new-found passion, he stayed with his
job for a while, earning achievements in tire engineering and
was even granted an international patent.
But he eventually followed his heart and left his job to become
a street performer, joining competitions around the world to
gain experience and reputation until he finally made his dream
come true. Nicknamed by other cast members as "NASA" because of
his professional background, Funaki is now the second half of a
duo that performs the opening act for Cirque du Soleil's La
Nouba, enchanting more than 8 million viewers, and possibly even
inspiring another person to follow his dreams.
{SOURCE: The Japan Daily Press}
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Varekai}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Alegría, Quidam, Dralion & MJ Immortal}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
Believe, Zarkana}
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.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
Vancouver, BC -- Nov 23, 2012 to Jan 20, 2013
Seattle, WA -- Jan 31, 2013 to Mar 17, 2013
Calgary, AB -- Apr 11, 2013 to May 12, 2013
Edmonton, AB -- May 29, 2013 to Jun 16, 2013
Corteo:
Hamburg, DE -- Jan 9, 2013 to Feb 08, 2013
Sao Paulo, BR -- Mar 30, 2013 to Jul 14, 2013
Koozå:
London, UK -- Jan 5, 2013 to Feb 10, 2013
Madrid, ES -- Mar 1, 2013 to Mar 31, 2013
Bilbao, ES -- May 16, 2013 to Jun 2, 2013
Knokke, BE -- Jul 18, 2013 to Aug 4, 2013
Paris, FR -- Nov 22, 2013 to Feb 2, 2014
Ovo:
Adelaide, AU -- Dec 06, 2012 to Jan 6, 2013
Melbourne, AU -- Jan 17, 2013 to Mar 24, 2013
Perth, AU -- Apr 14, 2012 to May 5, 2013
Totem:
Miami, FL -- Jan 10, 2013 to Feb 24, 2013
New York, NY -- Mar 14, 2013 to Apr 21, 2013
Philadelphia, PA -- May 30, 2013 to Jun 23, 2013
Ottawa, ON -- Jul 10, 2013 to Aug 04, 2013
Varekai:
Lima, PE -- Jan 17, 2013 to Feb 27, 2013
Bogota, CO -- Mar 21, 2013 to Apr 7, 2013
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Alegría:
Barcelona, ES -- Dec 26, 2012 to Jan 6, 2013
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ES - Jan 13, 2013 to Jan 20, 2013
Herning, DK -- Feb 7, 2013 to Feb 10, 2013
Copenhagen, DN -- Feb 13, 2013 to Feb 24, 2013
Oslo, NO -- Feb 28, 2013 to Mar 2, 2013
Stockholm, SE -- Mar 6, 2013 to Mar 10, 2013
Helsinki, FI -- Mar 13, 2013 to Mar 17, 2013
Turku, FI -- Mar 22, 2013 to Mar 24, 2013
Tallinn, EE -- Apr 3, 2013 to Apr 6, 2013
Riga, LV -- Apr 11, 2013 to Apr 13, 2013
Vilnius, LT -- Apr 18, 2013 to Apr 20, 2013
St. Petersburg, RU -- May 9, 2013 to May 18, 2013
Moscow, RU -- Jun 5, 2013 to Jun 16, 2013
London, UK -- Jul 18, 2013 to Jul 28, 2013
Bratislava, SK -- Sep 11, 2013 to Sep 15, 2013
Leeds, UK -- Oct 23, 2013 to Oct 27, 2013
Liverpool, UK -- Oct 30, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Nottingham, UK -- Nov 6, 2013 to Nov 10, 2013
Madrid, ES -- Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 22, 2013
Quidam:
Wichita, KS -- Jan 2, 2013 to Jan 6, 2013
Colorado Springs, CO -- Jan 9, 2013 to Jan 13, 2013
Rio Ranco, NM -- Jan 16, 2013 to Jan 20, 2013
El Paso, TX -- Jan 23, 2013 to Jan 27, 2013
Laredo, TX -- Jan 29, 2013 to Jan 31, 2013
Corpus Christi, TX -- Feb 2, 2013 to Feb 3, 2013
Hidalgo, TX -- Feb 6, 2013 to Feb 10, 2013
North Little Rock, AR -- Feb 28, 2013 to Mar 3, 2013
Houston, TX -- Mar 6, 2013 to Mar 10, 2013
New Orleans, LA -- Mar 13, 2013 to Mar 17, 2013
Mobile, AL -- Mar 20, 2013 to Mar 24, 2013
North Charleston, SC -- Mar 27, 2013 to Mar 31, 2013
Charlottesville, VA -- Apr 3, 2013 to Apr 7, 2013
Norfolk, VA -- Apr 10, 2013 to Apr 14, 2013
Greensboro, NC -- Apr 17, 2013 to Apr 21, 2013
Dayton, OH -- Jun 12, 2013 to TBA
Graz, AT -- Sep 5, 2013 to Sep 8, 2013
Vienna, AT -- Sep 11, 2013 to Sep 15, 2013
Leipzig, DE -- Sep 18, 2013 to Sep 22, 2013
Stuttgart, DE -- Sep 25, 2013 to Sep 29, 2013
Innsbruck, AT -- Oct 2, 2013 to Oct 6, 2013
Salzburg, AT -- Oct 9, 2013 to Oct 13, 2013
Munich, DE -- Oct 16, 2013 to Oct 20, 2013
Cologne, DE -- Oct 23, 2013 to Oct 27, 2013
Frankfurt, DE -- Oct 30, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Dortmund, DE -- Nov 6, 2013 to Nov 10, 2013
Mannheim, DE -- Nov 13, 2013 to Nov 17, 2013
Malaga, ES -- Dec 5, 2013 to Dec 8, 2013
Zaragoza, ES -- Dec 11, 2013 to Dec 15, 2013
Dralion:
Dubai, UAE -- Feb 13, 2013 to TBA
Cape Town, ZA -- Mar 5, 2013 to Mar 10, 2013
Johannesburg, ZA -- Mar 21, 2013 to Mar 24, 2013
Caracas, VE -- Apr 25, 2013 to May 5, 2013
Geneva, CH -- Dec 4, 2013 to Dec 8, 2013
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour:
Kazan, RU -- Jan 17, 18 & 19, 2013
Moscow, RU -- Jan 22 to 27, 2013
Budapest, HU -- Feb 5 & Feb 6, 2013
Prague, CZ -- Feb 8 & 9, 2013
Zurich, CH -- Feb 13 to 15, 2013
Turin, IT -- Feb 19 & 20, 2013
Milan, IT -- Feb 23 & 24, 2013
Montepellier, FR -- Feb 26 & 27, 2013
Antwerp, BE -- Mar 1 & 2, 2013
Amsterdam, NL -- Mar 8 & 9, 2013
Istanbul, TR -- Mar 15, 2013
Birmingham, UK -- Mar 26, 2013
Manchester, UK -- Mar 29, 2013
Paris, FR -- Apr 4 to Apr 7, 2013
Lisbon, PT -- Apr 11 to Apr 14, 2013
Barcelona, ES -- Apr 17 to Apr 20, 2013
---------------------------------
RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre
---------------------------------
Mystère:
Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
2013 Added Dates:
o May 16
o December 27, 28 & 31
2013 Dark Dates:
o January 5 - 16
o February 3
o March 13
o May 4 - 8
o July 10
o September 7 - 11
o November 6
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o February 3
o March 21 & 22
o April 8 - 16
o June 9
o August 5 - 13
o October 6
o December 2 - 14
La Nouba:
Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2012 Dark Dates:
o February 3 - 4
o April 4 - 8
o June 6
o More TBA
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.
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
ZARKANA:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
Previews begin in Las Vegas November 1, 2012
Regular performance begin November 11, 2012
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
IRIS:
Location: Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, CA (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Friday @ 8:00pm
Saturday @ 3:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday @ 2:00pm and 7:00pm
DARK: Monday
Select Weekday Matinee Performances
Wednesday and Friday at 3:00pm
NOTE: IRIS will close on January 19, 2013.
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
o) Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
---------------------------------------
CLUB CIRQUE: This Month at CirqueClub
---------------------------------------
Holidays on Tour - From the cast of Amaluna
{Dec.18.2012}
----------------------------------------------
Ukrainian artist Yulia Mikhaylova plays the character Miranda,
Prospera's daughter, in Amaluna. The twenty-seven-year-old
contortionist performs a challenging hand-balancing routine then
glides into a water bowl and snakes through the water as her
dashing suitor Romeo watches on.
Between two cities, we asked Yulia how she plans to celebrate
the Holidays on tour with her mother and daughter.
Q. You have been a circus artist most of your life. What is your
experience of life on tour? What are the challenges and what
do you like the most?
I was 15 years old when I joined a circus and started travelling
away from my country. Although I miss my friends and family back
home, I have made new friends on this tour, and now I get to
travel with my seven-year-old daughter who goes to the Cirque du
Soleil school and is training to become a contortionist like me.
It's a fantastic environment for her. These days, my mother is
travelling with us to help out with my daughter, so it's great
for everyone!
Q. How are you planning to mark the Holidays on tour with your
family and with the cast?
Each holiday is an occasion to have fun, regardless of the
culture! For instance, on Halloween - a holiday we don't
celebrate in the Ukraine - we all went trick or treating in the
neighborhood and at the local shopping mall. My daughter had a
wonderful time.
For Christmas, the Amaluna cast will throw a party, and I plan
to hold a small, intimate get-together with my daughter and a
few friends.
Q. The 120 members of the Amaluna cast and crew represent 17
different nationalities. What is it like to celebrate the
Holidays in a multicultural environment?
The more the merrier! Of course, Holidays vary from culture to
culture. For instance, Russian artists celebrate Christmas on
January 7 while our Chinese counterparts mark the New Year in
February. We are all invited to each of these celebrations. But
on Christmas and New Year's Eve, we will definitely take a break
and celebrate.
Q. What traditions from Ukraine do you bring with you on tour?
On December 31st, artists from Russia and the Ukraine will
exchange gifts and on January 7th, we will prepare a festive
dinner, have a drink and watch Russian movies from the 1940s.
Q. How do you say "Happy Holidays" in Ukrainian?
We say Zrizdvom hrystovym!
Q. What's your favorite Holiday food?
My favorite Holiday treat is kholodets - a traditional Russian
jellied meat dish. It's delicious with potatoes!
Q. What is your favorite Holiday song?
There are many! My mom used to sing me songs from the cartoons,
and I catch myself humming them during the Holidays. My
daughter, on the other hand, prefers Jingle Bells!
{SOURCE: CirqueClub}
Worlds Away in Theaters Friday!
{Dec.20.2012}
----------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away comes out in theaters this week
throughout North America, and we are thrilled to invite you to
this must-see movie event!
This is your chance to experience Cirque du Soleil in an
immersive 3D environment like few have before - the beauty, the
feats, a place where anything is possible...
Take a first step inside this extraordinary world and find out
what director Andrew Adamson had to say about it...
Visit CirqueClub today to see the videos and pick up something
special! < http://goo.gl/oXUzh >
---------------------------------------------------
NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
---------------------------------------------------
{Compiled by Keith Johnson}
---[ ALEGRIA ]---
{Dec.07}
First snow for Alegria! Rotterdam
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/dQ0Fm >
{Dec.14}
Special visit from the Scuola di Cirko Vertigo (a circus school
based in Torino). Alegria cast & crew was more than pleased to
welcome this group of 60 students into our world. Together, we
explored the different aspects of our touring reality and met
with various artists who shared their personal experiences.
Thank you Cirko Vertigo and best of luck in your future
endeavors!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/WJE3l >
{Dec.14}
Superb photos from our Opening night here in Turin :-)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nr5Lq >
{Dec.30}
Just about to start the show in Barcelona. Our thoughts are with
the cast & crew of Saltimbanco who are putting together the show
for the very last time tonight in Montreal, after more than 20
years on the road! A true success story!
{Dec.31}
Happy New Year from Barcelona!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/x0hXD >
---[ AMALUNA ]---
{Dec.01}
Amaluna Trivia: Amaluna marks the first time Our Director Diane
Paulus, Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater
(ART) at Harvard University, has worked with Cirque du Soleil.
She has strong roots in the theatre, dance and opera worlds.
Besides Amaluna can you name one of her other productions!?
Hint: one won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
(Answer: Porgy and Bess)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/IEam3 >
{Dec.07}
Get to know the Characters of Amaluna Series: Here are the
Valkyries. They fly out high over the audience on straps,
liberating Romeo and fighting the half man, half lizard
character Cali.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kU7zM >
{Dec.14}
A little Balance Goddess rehearsal on this fine Friday in
Vancouver. You have to see it to believe it.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1A7K3 >
{Dec.20}
Meets the Amazons: The fierce feminine force on the island. They
present a fast-paced theatrical version of the classic gymnastic
routine, something never before performed in a Cirque du Soleil
show! Photos: Camirand Costumes: Mérédith Caron
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/OvPUl >
{Dec.21}
Congratulations to our Balance Goddess who was named one of the
top 10 theatre performances of the year by the Globe and Mail.
"Cirque du Soleil usually wows with speed and strength, but
Amaluna's Lara Jacobs captivated big-top crowds in Montreal,
Toronto and Vancouver with stillness and concentration by
balancing one giant stick on top of another. (Coming your way in
the new year, Calgary and Edmonton.)" - Kelly Nestruck
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/VPAul >
{Dec.23}
Yesterday Amaluna welcomed a group from Vancouver's Project
Limelight, a free program that offers young residents of
Vancouver's Downtown Eastside the opportunity to be inspired by
professional actors, directors, dancers, singers, costume
designers, filmmakers and musicians! Happy Holidays kids- we
hope you like the presents and the show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/z2DBC >
{Dec.24}
Everyone is welcome at Amaluna! Even Santa has made an
appearance.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kD2Am >
{Dec.25}
From the Amaluna school, and the rest of us here on tour - HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/64jXH >
{Dec.30}
Congratulations to our extended Cirque family at Saltimbanco as
they take their final bow at the Bell Centre in Montreal this
afternoon. After 20 great years touring worldwide, we all
celebrate with you today.
---[ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ]---
{Dec.01}
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D | TV Spot: We are counting
down the days 'till you can experience our 3D motion picture
event and we're excited to offer you more glimpses! Have you
purchased your movie tickets yet?
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/FbWAtix >
{Dec.01}
The Road to Zarkana: The Road to Zarkana: Find out more about
Zarkana's cross country journey from Radio City Music Hall in
New York to ARIA Resort & Casino!
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/11coPt1 >
{Dec.01}
We're live at the "O" Theatre to kick off Day One of Cirque
Week. Are you joining us in Las Vegas this year?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Z1kyh >
{Dec.02}
Ardell Lashes has created an exclusive collection of lashes
inspired by our upcoming 3D film, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.
The collection consists of six attention-grabbing lash styles
ranging from more natural styles to feathers and jewel
embellished lash strips - available now at fine beauty supply
stores!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5yrVq >
{Dec.02}
KÀ by Cirque du Soleil and Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil both
performed at the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
today!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gczaG >
{Dec.02}
Day Two of Cirque Week! The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil
interactive set demonstration. Which other shows would you want
to tour backstage?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UE2gk >
{Dec.03}
Are you following Cirque on Pinterest yet? Follow us today for
exclusive photos, holiday gift ideas and insider access!
LINK /// < http://pinterest.com/cirquedusoleil/ >
{Dec.04}
China Glaze Nail Lacquer and Ardell Lashes offer you a chance to
win a trip for two to Las Vegas, tickets to a Cirque du Soleil
show of your choice, and $1,000 spending money! Enter their
'Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D' sweepstake and check out the
film-inspired nail polish and lash collection here:
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/CGALSw >
{Dec.05}
Meet Amaluna music composers Bob & Bill and discover our latest
compilation album (featuring their work!), 'Le Best Of Cirque du
Soleil - 2':
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/TGiXot >
{Dec.06}
The KÀ + Marvel panel is wrapping up at Cirque Week and we're
gearing up for Cirque Week LIVE tomorrow with host Jennette
McCurdy! Here she is getting into the spirit of things (and the
Empress costume) at KÀ!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3MgpA >
{Dec.07}
We're LIVE at Cirque Week with host Jennette McCurdy! Tune in
NOW to get an all-access look.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6PQK0 >
{Dec.07}
That's a wrap on Cirque Week LIVE!
Thanks to everyone who tuned in!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/GHc5f >
{Dec.08}
Director Andrew Adamson paid us a visit recently to talk about
is work on 'Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D'! In this first of
two segments, hear Andrew talk about what 3D brings to our movie
experience...
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/LSq6C >
{Dec.09}
Merci & thank you to all of our fans who attended this year's
Cirque Week! If you didn't have a chance to attend, you can
check out highlights here. See you next year!
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/WF1wTQ >
{Dec.12}
Find beauty in the ordinary. Share pics of the incredible world
around you on Instagram w/ #Imagination #CirqueMovie!
LINK /// < http://instagram.com/p/TJuplzxI3J/ >
{Dec.20}
Part two of our interview with Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D
Director, Andrew Adamson, is now available to Cirque Club
members! Watch here:
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/U14MrX >
{Dec.22}
We're excited our movie is now playing in theaters across North
America! Have YOU seen it yet? Artists and Filmmakers reunite
at a special screening celebrating the North American release of
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D in New York City.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HnCth >
{Dec.23}
Discover the main titles song 'Calling For Your Love' from
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D by EELS:
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/VcFTgc >
{Dec.24}
Which of these Cirque du Soleil-inspired designs is your
favorite? Cirque du Soleil-Inspired RealD 3D Glasses Masks! (At
participating Regal movie theaters. Limited quantities; one mask
per ticketholder - while supplies last.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nTMWo >
{Dec.28}
It's the Grand Prize that doesn't fit in a box. Become a Cirque
Club member today... And enter for your chance to select your
own exciting Cirque du Soleil getaway destination!
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/WiU0h3 >
{Dec.30}
Just started the last performance of Saltimbanco ever. THANKS to
all our fans.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ffB8m >
{Dec.31}
Saltimbanco waved goodbye after a fabulous show for the very
last time last night. Thank you all for watching the show and
supporting it all over the world for the last 20 incredible
years!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/27nGk >
---[ CORTEO ]---
{Dec.01}
Here's an amazing shot taken at our Dress Rehearsal in Berlin
published in the website zimbio.com.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/YypXj >
{Dec.02}
Valentyna having fun flying over Berlin's audience.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7tPZx >
{Dec.03}
Corteo angels chatting during rehearsals...
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/P2cXh >
{Dec.03}
Corteo - Desigual store in Berlin - Magic Monday
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/D5ANo >
{Dec.06}
Corteo - Berlin premiere - 2012 (10 photos)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6qhBt >
{Dec.07}
Patrick Schuhmann, one of our artists, was featured in today's
Berliner Zeitung.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/tKlwW >
{Dec.09}
We love this picture taken backstage right before the
show...don't you?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/TnCxU >
{Dec.19}
Tournik boys backstage getting ready before hitting the stage
for the final act of the show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/KQveS >
{Dec.20}
German TV personality Karen Heinrichs training backstage today
with the Corteo planche/teeter board guys....
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/p7Clu >
---[ CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE ]---
{Dec.05}
Day 5 of Cirque Week! Magic with Maestro has just concluded, and
now we're wrapping up with a Q&A.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/OTkML >
{Dec.10}
Last week Jennette McCurdy sat down to interview Criss Angel for
Cirque Week, along with catching a performance of Believe! Check
out the interview here:
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/WF1wTQ >
---[ DRALION ]---
{Dec.02}
Congrats to our Dralion running team who ran the 25th Annual
Runner's Den & Fiesta Bowl half Marathon earlier today!!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/C2DZF >
{Dec.04}
Here is a cool backstage photo of the trampo-wall team! One of
our trampolinists has decided to pursue new adventures. Dmytro,
known as Dima, has been with Dralion since 2007. We wish him the
best of luck and we are looking forward to seeing him soon!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kGArS >
{Dec.05}
Did you know each performer has their own ritual before each
show. Here is a photo of two of our artists doing their special
hand shake before the performance! Have a good show everyone!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3bYDR >
{Dec.07}
We love seeing the Aerial Pas de Deux with our Goddess of the
Air Azala and her partner Shine. Tonight, they performed for the
1st time a new rotating Straps duet act in Topeka, KS.
Congratulations! It's beautiful!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5qFOk >
{Dec.13}
Meet Courtenay Stevens (Clown Alberti) talking about his role!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Z2tak >
{Dec.18}
Did you know it takes our Carpentry team approx. 4-hours to
build the stage and the wall on a load-in day!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2mVS0 >
{Dec.19}
Lots of trainings happening at the Chesapeake Energy Arena this
afternoon. Performers are preparing for tonight's performance!
Show start at 7:30 pm
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/stRGT >
{Dec.22}
Every year, our cast and crew celebrates the Holidays by doing a
Secret Santa gift exchange. It's about to start, yay!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/aWpLN >
{Dec.23}
After 2 1/2 years on the road in North America, it is time to
say goodbye! Dralion has performed 691 shows in 100 cities to
over 1.5 million spectator. Thank you to all of our fans and we
hope to see you soon at another Cirque du Soleil show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rB9cj >
{Dec.24}
We would like to wish all of our fans around the world Happy
Holidays!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Wr4cD >
{Dec.26}
We would like to thank our truck drivers who for the past 2
years have been transporting close to 400,000 pounds of
equipment from city to city!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/GrsK6 >
{Dec.30}
Dralion pays tribute to Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil for an
incredible journey performing in front of millions of spectators
across the world. We send lots of love to the cast and crew of
this beautiful show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0wwDF >
{Dec.31}
We wish all of our fans a very Happy New Year! Hope 2013 will
bring love, happiness and prosperity!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/yCkyf >
---[ IRIS ]---
{Dec.09}
Tonight IRIS performs its 500th show!
Congratulations to everyone!
{Dec.13}
In honor of our recent 500th show, the artists of IRIS have
produced this creative video in celebration!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/FpFLq >
{Dec.15}
We hosted a holiday bazaar backstage featuring handmade gifts
and goodies including jewelry, art, and antiques from our very
own artists and crew. Happy Holidays!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ZMDwO >
---[ KÀ ]---
{Dec.02}
KÀ performed on stage for runners and fans at the Rock 'n' Roll
Las Vegas marathon today!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gXo7C >
{Dec.06}
Don't miss Cirque Week LIVE tomorrow, with host Jennette
McCurdy! Here's a preview of the KÀ section!
LINK /// < http://cirk.me/WF1wTQ >
{Dec.06}
Lots of good questions at our Cirque Week panel with Marvel!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UvSSC >
{Dec.10}
Will your holiday gift be as surprising this season?
LINK /// <http://goo.gl/7pf3C >
---[ KOOZA ]---
{Dec.07}
Did you know it takes about 400 and 3 kinds of feathers to
construct the Hoops cape?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Olva1 >
{Dec.16}
We are all packed and ready to go, thank you St. Petersburg and
see you soon London! Here we come!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/eRokA >
{Dec.31`=}
We're almost ready for our premiere in the Royal Albert Hall in
London! Keep checking this page for stage pictures...HAPPY NEW
YEAR!!!! All the best friends!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NhUqV >
---[ MJ IMMORTAL ]---
{Dec.01}
All dressed up and ready to pose! Two IMMORTAL artists behind
the scenes at a special event in Vienna!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kLhwF >
{Dec.05}
Fun Fact. The IMMORTAL Percussion Rig features 81 individual
instruments including 12 different drums and 69 other
instruments that are struck, shaken, crashed, etc. by
Percussionist Taku Hirano.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Yd0aV >
{Dec.06}
Meet the cast of IMMORTAL... Acrobats execute a perfectly
synchronized tumbling act to SCREAM, flinging themselves in the
air and belly-flopping onto the stage, as Ninja-style aerial
dancers are suspended above.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/2F585 >
{Dec.11}
Over 135 people make Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by
Cirque du Soleil possible in every city! Here's a glimpse at the
technical side of our show and how everything works together!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WklYfl5TzEc >
{Dec.13}
Backstage before "Thriller"... some of the artists getting ready
to wow the crowd!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UYsbf >
{Dec.16}
Take a look behind the scenes at one of the IMMORTAL dancers
getting ready for the show... first things first - makeup!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJuoQ3o58LA >
{Dec.18}
Meet the cast of IMMORTAL... Surrounded by gangsters, a female
acrobat performs a "DANGEROUS" pole-dancing act.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/SK3nN >
{Dec.20}
Caught backstage! Some of the artists found a creative space to
rest before the show.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/KWQOJ >
{Dec.24}
From the cast and crew of Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World
Tour by Cirque du Soleil, happy holidays to all of our fans
across the world!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/31x0k >
{Dec.26}
Before we open in Madrid tonight, take a look behind the scenes
with Choreographer Travis Payne, Artistic Director Tara Young,
and Dancer Davi Lorenzo talking about Michael Jackson THE
IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil right before the
European premiere!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ANPyz >
{Dec.30}
Thinking about our friends at Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil
who will take the stage for the very last time tonight.
Congratulations on sharing the love and joy for over 20 years!
Cheers to a great last show in Montreal!
{Dec.31}
Happy New Year from our family to yours!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/XzHyR >
---[ MYSTERE ]---
{Dec.03}
We're live at Mystère Theatre for day three of Cirque Week!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5lxOy >
---[ OVO ]---
{Dec.06}
Awesome Premiere in Adelaide tonight! The crowd was loud, the
cast was on fire. Looks like it will be a promising season!!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/X2Qqo >
{Dec.06}
Everybody in Adelaide is raving about OVO. You can read the
latest review from FIVEaa...
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/uXuaQ >
{Dec.13}
DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that OVO's flying act is the biggest
in the world? It mixes 3 circus disciplines: Banquine, Trapeze
and Russian Chair/Russian Swing. A real circus Marvel!!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/crois >
{Dec.18}
G'day Adelaide! Are you coming to the Big Top tomorrow for the
special Christmas Charity Showcase? Just bring a new toy for a
children in need and you will be invited to watch a special 10
minute performance of OVO by Cirque du Soleil. See you tomorrow
at 11:30am!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/TvAw2 >
{Dec.20}
The cast and crew of OVO is so grateful to the population of
Adelaide for making the first OVO Christmas charity event such a
memorable success. We are incredibly impressed by the
generosity of the people of Adelaide and happy in the knowledge
that together we have made sure that many needy children will
have a joyous Christmas. Merry Christmas to all of you.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/T4whc >
{Dec.24}
The cast & crew would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Lkv7B >
{Dec.28}
Here is a very cool behind the scene video of the OVO
performance at the Helpmann Awards on September 24, 2012, at the
famous Sydney Opera House.
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-VLj1ZTW1Y >
---[ QUIDAM ]---
{Dec.20}
What do you get when you mix good looks, a sweet accent and a
whole lot of talent? The newest QUIDAM Cyr Wheel performer!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/HYsi7 >
{Dec.22}
We're only 3h away from the Quidam Secret Santa Grand Reveal!
Which Quidam character or crew member would you wish you picked
in a gift exchange and what would you give them?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/lhmZa >
{Dec.25}
MERRY CHRISTMAS from our Quidam family to yours.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/v5uPb >
{Dec.28}
Quidam counts people from 24 different countries!!! Discover how
they celebrate the Holidays back home.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/CJosB >
{Dec.30}
Meet the Quidam band's newest member Josué, he will be singing
the show until June - do you recognize this song?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/yZliw >
{Dec.30}
Thinking about our friends on Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil
who will give the show's final performance in Montréal tonight.
Congratulations on sharing the love and joy for over 20 years!
{Dec.31}
Wherever you are, whomever you are celebrating with, the Quidam
family wishes you the happiest New Year!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/IJcr8 >
---[ SALTIMBANCO ]---
{Dec.11}
Starting tomorrow night in Cedar Park, TX. Read what RJ Owens
(The Ringmaster) had to say about the show.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sK5Vf >
{Dec.14}
What is Saltimbanco?
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFXmJDAjAxQ >
{Dec.16}
Getting ready to perform the final performance of Saltimbanco in
the United States. Two more weeks in Montreal before the grand
Finale on Dec.30.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Cvsrt >
{Dec.18}
Saltimbanco setting up for the last time inside the Bell Centre.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Yqzk5 >
{Dec.19}
How it All Comes Together
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLx1v5_nNHg >
{Dec.20}
Amazing review about Saltimbanco in Montreal!! Cirque du
Soleil's Saltimbanco has returned to Montreal for a fourth and
final time, at the Bell Centre, looking sexier and more daring
than ever. Pat Donnelly - The Gazette.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kvALf >
{Dec.23}
"Djuzum, Djuzum... Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year from the
entire Saltimbanco cast and crew!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3TQwA >
{Dec.28}
Congrats to Zbigniew Bachor "Zibi" for 5,000 performances, and
15 years on Saltimbanco !!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rlkxc >
{Dec.30}
Just started the last performance of Saltimbanco ever. THANKS to
all our fans.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/aaqfx >
{Dec.31}
Saltimbanco waved goodbye after a fabulous show for the very
last time last night. Thank you all for watching the show and
supporting it all over the world for the last 20 incredible
years!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/FJtqs >
---[ THE BEATLES LOVE ]---
{Dec.02}
We had a great time at our Cirque Week event!
LINK /// < http://instagr.am/p/SwJyrKRI6d/
---[ TOTEM ]---
{Dec.01}
Joe Putignano, Crystal Man character, was featured on CNN this
week for his inspiring story! Discover the man who comes down
from the cupola of the Big Top every night to bring life to the
TOTEM amphibian characters!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/hAjdj >
{Dec.04}
Did you catch us this morning on CBS Atlanta?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/OYyLW >
{Dec.06}
Our High Bar Captain Fabio Luis Santos live on NBC! Coming up,
Chesley (the weather man) is trying 2 tricks on the High Bars!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/IoFBj >
{Dec.09}
Ready to kick-off our two Sunday shows! Did you know that the
green dots in the Green Frog make-up are actually airbrushed by
our wardrobe assistants?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3xpjn >
{Dec.14}
The first of our 7 week-end performances is about to start while
Shandien, Hoop Dancer, is getting her wig fixed! Have a nice
week-end everyone!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/4TKRe >
{Dec.15}
10am, the Artistic Tent is getting busy for our 3-show Saturday!
Caoliang quietly applies his make-up in the dressing rooms
before the show starts at noon.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/B7YXK >
{Dec.16}
Marina is warming-up in the Artistic Tent in Atlanta!! Two weeks
left of performances at Atlantic Station before we leave!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/eyt6R >
{Dec.17}
On Monday, December 10, 41 artists, employees, and friends of
TOTEM got involved with Park Pride to help the enhancement of
the Grove Park in West Atlanta. Under the rain, the brave tour
members worked at expanding the capacity of a garden, rebuilding
a protective boundary fence around the garden, removing trash
along a creek and trimming the accumulation of invasive plants.
Good job everyone!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ibDve >
{Dec.20}
Always wondered what it is like to be performing on tour with
TOTEM? Here is a glimpse from CCTV America!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4X9mkSCO90 >
{Dec.22}
3-show Saturday at TOTEM, Annette (flutes/vocals) is getting her
wig fixed before the next performance!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/acA7P >
{Dec.23}
Last technical pre-set before Christmas! Go team go!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/d2n59 >
{Dec.24}
Merry Christmas to all our fans! May your wishes come true!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ZPbvN >
{Dec.26}
HLN met with Gael Ouisse (Rings Trio) to learn about his dream
job of performing with TOTEM! What is yours?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/fMJdv >
{Dec.28}
Ante (The Tracker) getting ready for the first performance of
the week-end at 4pm! Only 6 shows left in Atlanta already.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gAq77 >
{Dec.30}
While finishing our Atlanta run today, we are in thoughts with
the cast and crew of Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil who are
putting together the show for the very last time tonight in
Montreal, Canada after more than 20 years on the road! A true
success story! Long live Saltimbanco!
{Dec.31}
Our crew is in full packing mode! TOTEM is moving from Atlanta
to Miami for the New Year! Performances to start on January 10
at Sun Life Stadium! Photo credit: Pascal Sioui
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ivzks >
{Dec.31}
The Big Top is going down in the Atlanta skyline!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/D5Vus >
---[ VAREKAI ]---
{Dec.02}
Inside Varekai: Last Wednesday Gordon White (our Skywatcher)
received this beautiful statue created by Adwick Serrada here in
Chile. What a beautiful surprise!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/XpqFq >
{Dec.06}
Varekai without words... Varekai sin Palabras..
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/XsKsf >
{Dec.13}
Last week the people of Varekai had a truly humbling experience
arranged by the Make a Wish Foundation Chile. We had the
opportunity to share special moments with Benjamin Naranjo... He
and his family were guests for the show and in the artistic tent
during intermission. Truly a day to remember!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7rvUv >
{Dec.13}
Varekai it's getting ready for our live performance this
afternoon in Calle 7 here in Chile :D wish us luck!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UL6u4 >
{Dec.19}
For this Christmas we hope all your dreams come true!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/eRLQw >
{Dec.25}
From the Varekai family to all... Merry Christmas! :D
{Dec.31}
Happy New Year to all! Wishing everyone an incredible 2013!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3kR9J >
---[ ZARKANA ]---
{Dec.02}
Performers from Zarkana at the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas marathon
start line with Nikki Reed! We sang the National Anthem!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nCsh3
{Dec.08}
It's the last day of Cirque Week and we're wrapping up with
panel and rehearsal featuring Zarkana!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7htTh
{Dec.26}
Even our swan was in the holiday spirit. Happy Holidays!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Wzun9
{Dec.31}
Happy New Year from all of us at Zarkana!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pCpFw
---[ ZUMANITY ]---
{Dec.04}
This year's Cirque Week attendees are busy enjoying the sensual
side of Cirque with our Zumanity behind-the-scenes panel!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/E2Hyj >
{Dec.12}
Check out this backstage look at Zumanity from The Daily!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/j9Ulb >
=======================================================================
COMPARTMENTS -- A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
=======================================================================
o) DIDYAKNOW - Facts at a Glance about Cirque
o) HISTORIA - Cirque Company History
o) ODYSSEA - Cirque Tour History
---------------------------------
DIDYAKNOW? - Facts About Cirque
---------------------------------
IRIS is closing at the end of this month. Here are a few amazing
things we'll miss about this show!
TECHNICAL
o) In order to prepare the space for the performances, IRIS required
digging 40 feet underneath Kodak Theatre to install massive stage
lifts.
o) A special curtain is used to mimic the movement of a camera's iris.
It frames many of the acts and moves at a rate of 6 feet per
second!
o) IRIS features 8,300 square feet of floor surface.
o) During 'aerial ball' in IRIS, one operator is running 11 automated
axis and flying 4 artists.
o) At one point during IRIS, there are twelve artists and two
technicians riding the lifts.
o) IRIS features 603 lighting features.
o) The Projection crew for IRIS, headed up by Olivier Simola and
Christophe Waksmann, is the largest in Cirque du Soleil History.
o) Around 2,000 brushes have been distributed to the 72 artists in
IRIS to complete their make-up kits. That's 28 per person!
o) IRIS features 20 video projectors and the most live cameras in use
of any Cirque du Soleil show.
o) Some of the motorized winches used for IRIS can lift up to 1,200lbs
at a speed of 10 feet per second.
o) Some set pieces in IRIS are 6 stories high!
o) There are over 80 motorized winches (lifting machines) in IRIS that
require only 2 people to operate. Some can lift up to 1,200 pounds
at speeds of 10 feet per second.
COSTUMES
o) Designer Philippe Guillotel conducted extensive research into the
history of cinema to devise concepts which some 250 artisans
brought to life in the costume workshop at Cirque du Soleil. It
took him three years of intensive research to complete the project.
o) He searched the Musée des arts et métiers in Paris - where you can
find everything from the first chronophotographic gun to the
earliest sound projector - from top to bottom. He also screened
innumerable films including the works of Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie
Chaplin and Georges Méliès, as well as the first films made with
Thomas Edison's pioneering cinema inventions.
o) The costumes he designed let IRIS follow the major stages in the
evolution of color in film, from black and white and sepia, through
Technicolor and colorization to the deliberately saturated colors
of films like Dick Tracy.
o) The symbiosis between the costumes and the technical inventions of
cinema is particularly striking in the half-human/half machine
'hybrid' characters. One of these creatures wears a skirt
reminiscent of the praxinoscope, one of the first animation
devices. Based on the stroboscopic effect, this costume illustrates
the decomposition of movement. The circular structure of the skirt
reveals - through slots as it rotates - two boxers in action.
o) Philippe Guillotel usually singles out five or six materials per
show which he uses in every possible way. For IRIS, these included
soft Lycra which can be made to look woolly or glossy, silk stretch
nylon, which drapes well and can be printed with reflective
designs, and natural cottons and linens.
o) The influence of Dick Tracy is front and center in the number that
pays tribute to gangster movies. The artists who leap up and down
the buildings from trampolines hidden in the stage floor are
wearing bright red, yellow and blue tartan suits.
o) More than 200 costumes are needed for IRIS. That amounts to over
850 hours spent in fitting sessions to satisfy performance
requirements. All of the artists' heads were scanned and 3D printed
for IRIS in order to create the hats and wigs for the show.
o) All together, the costume team (of 50) worked around 70,000 hours
and they sewed more than one kilometer of fabric to deliver all the
costumes.
o) In the Aerial Ballet number the costumes of the bungee-jumping
"diamond women" are studded with nearly one million Swarovski
crystals. In the air, the artists themselves are not as visible as
the brilliance of the stones, which give their bodies a smooth and
bright look.
o) The costumes worn the by the Icarian Games "Kiriki" characters are
an evocation of costumes in the films of Georges Méliès.
o) The hybrid Furniture Characters are artists whose costumes make
them look exactly like pieces of living room furniture: two chairs,
a lamp, a table and a moose head on the wall. At one point, as part
of a movie, they all come to life and unfold in a matter of
seconds.
o) Some costumes pay tribute to various professions and crafts
associated with cinema, including screenwriters, makeup artists,
cinematographers, carpenters, decorators, painters, electricians
and lighting designers.
------------------------------------
HISTORIA: Cirque Company History
------------------------------------
* Jan.05.2007 -- REVOLUTION Lounge opens (based on Beatles/LOVE)
* Jan.06.2003 -- Premiere of Fire Within on BRAVO
* Jan.07.1999 -- Saltimbanco Asia-Pacific Tour Began (Sydney)
* Jan.07.2003 -- Saltimbanco Euro Tour II began London
* Jan.07.2003 -- Varekai CD Released in US (BMG/CDS Musique)
* Jan.10.1999 -- Alegría: Le Film showcased in Palm Springs
* Jan.14.1997 -- Quidam CD Released in US (RCA/Victor)
* Jan.17.1999 -- Banquine Act awarded in the 23rd Festival du
Cirque de Monte-Carlo.
* Jan.17.2010 -- Dralion's Final Bigtop Curtain Call [Mexico City]
* Jan.19.2013 -- IRIS's Final Curtain Call [Los Angeles]
* Jan.20.2008 -- Corteo celebrated 1,000th performance [San Diego, CA]
* Jan.27.2004 -- Order of Canada bestowed upon Guy Laliberté
* Jan.28.1999 -- La Nouba Premiere Gala (Previews End)
* Jan.31.2009 -- Dralion celebrated 3,500th performance [4:00pm, Perth]
------------------------------------
ODYSSEA: Cirque Tour History
------------------------------------
* Jan.01.2013 -- Quidam Arena opened Wichita, KS
* Jan.02.1997 -- Saltimbanco opened London, UK
* Jan.02.2009 -- Koozå opened Atlanta
* Jan.03.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Quebec, QC
* Jan.03.2012 -- Dralion Arena opened Quebec, QC
* Jan.04.1999 -- Alegría opened London, UK
* Jan.04.2007 -- Quidam opened Dubai, UE
* Jan.04.2009 -- Quidam opened London, UK
* Jan.04.2011 -- Corteo opened Brussels, BE
* Jan.04.2011 -- Quidam Arena opened Québec, QC
* Jan.04.2012 -- Quidam Arena opened Oshawa, ON
* Jan.05.1996 -- Saltimbanco opened London, UK
* Jan.05.2006 -- Alegría opened London
* Jan.05.2007 -- Alegría opened London
* Jan.05.2007 -- Varekai opened Auckland
* Jan.05.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Quebec, QC
* Jan.05.2011 -- Alegría Arena opened Baton Rouge , LA
* Jan.05.2011 -- Dralion Arena opened Boston, MA
* Jan.05.2011 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Lille, FR
* Jan.05.2011 -- Totem opened London, UK
* Jan.05.2012 -- Totem opened London, UK
* Jan.05.2013 -- Koozå opened London, UK
* Jan.06.2005 -- Dralion opened London
* Jan.06.2005 -- Saltimbanco opened Manchester, UK
* Jan.06.2005 -- Varekai opened Houston
* Jan.06.2008 -- Varekai opened London, UK
* Jan.06.2010 -- Varekai opened London, UK
* Jan.07.1998 -- Alegría opened London, UK
* Jan.07.1999 -- Saltimbanco opened Sydney, AU
* Jan.07.2003 -- Saltimbanco opened London, UK
* Jan.08.2004 -- Dralion opened London, UK
* Jan.08.2010 -- Koozå opened Irvine
* Jan.08.2010 -- Quidam opened Rio de Janeiro, BR
* Jan.09.2004 -- Alegría opened Miami
* Jan.09.2013 -- Corteo opened Hamburg, DE
* Jan.10.2001 -- Alegría opened Auckland
* Jan.10.2013 -- Totem opened Miami
* Jan.10.2013 -- Varekai opened Bogota, CO
* Jan.11.2008 -- Corteo opened San Diego
* Jan.11.2012 -- Alegría Arena opened Granada, ES
* Jan.11.2012 -- Dralion Arena opened Kingston, ON
* Jan.11.2012 -- Quidam Arena opened Windsor, ON
* Jan.12.2011 -- Alegría Arena opened Colorado Springs , CO
* Jan.12.2011 -- Dralion Arena opened Grand Rapids, MI
* Jan.12.2011 -- Quidam Arena opened Chicoutimi , QC
* Jan.13.2006 -- Saltimbanco opened Mexico City, MX
* Jan.13.2010 -- Alegría Arena opened Chicoutimi, QC
* Jan.13.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Salzburg, AT
* Jan.13.2011 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Paris, FR
* Jan.13.2013 -- Alegría Arena opened Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ES
* Jan.14.1997 -- Quidam opened Cosa Mesa, CA
* Jan.14.2009 -- Alegría opened Taipei, Taiwan
* Jan.15.2000 -- Quidam opened Barcelona, ES
* Jan.16.2003 -- Varekai opened San Jose
* Jan.16.2004 -- Saltimbanco opened Seville, ES
* Jan.16.2004 -- Varekai opened Orange County
* Jan.16.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Chicoutimi, QC
* Jan.17.2002 -- Dralion opened Houston, TX
* Jan.17.2008 -- Quidam opened Monterrey, MX
* Jan.17.2013 -- Ovo opened Melbourne, AU
* Jan.18.2012 -- Alegría Arena opened Bilbao, ES
* Jan.18.2012 -- Varekai opened Belo Horizonte, BR
* Jan.19.2006 -- Corteo opened San Jose
* Jan.19.2006 -- Dralion opened Seville
* Jan.19.2006 -- Quidam opened San Diego, CA
* Jan.19.2011 -- Alegría Arena opened Broomfield, CO
* Jan.19.2011 -- Dralion Arena opened St. Louis, MO
* Jan.19.2012 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Gdansk, PL
* Jan.20.2006 -- Varekai opened Miami
* Jan.20.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Strasbourg, FR
* Jan.20.2011 -- Varekai opened Taipei, TW
* Jan.20.2012 -- Corteo opened Barcelona, ES
* Jan.20.2012 -- Ovo opened Santa Monica, CA
* Jan.21.2009 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Hoffman Estates, IL
* Jan.23.2003 -- Alegría opened Dallas
* Jan.23.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Detroit, MI
* Jan.23.2013 -- Quidam Arena opened El Paso, TX
* Jan.24.1995 -- Alegría opened Costa Mesa, CA
* Jan.25.2000 -- Saltimbanco opened Hong Kong
* Jan.25.2008 -- Dralion opened Tokyo, JP
* Jan.25.2012 -- Alegría Arena opened Toulouse, FR
* Jan.26.1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened San Diego
* Jan.26.2011 -- Alegría Arena opened Loveland, CO
* Jan.26.2011 -- Dralion Arena opened Chicago, IL
* Jan.26.2012 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Malmö, SE
* Jan.27.2010 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Frankfurt, DE
* Jan.28.2011 -- Ovo opened Dallas, TX
* Jan.29.2008 -- Saltimbanco Arena opened Cleveland, OH
* Jan.29.2009 -- Dralion opened Perth, NZ
* Jan.29.2013 -- Quidam Arena opened Laredo, TX
* Jan.30.1993 -- Saltimbanco opened Costa Mesa, AZ
* Jan.31.2008 -- Koozå opened San Jose
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "'That's a Wrap!' - Cirque's World of Cinema Goes Dark"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) "Worlds Away 3D: Through the Looking Glass"
By: Cirque du Soleil, Production Notes
----------------------------------------------------------
"'That's a Wrap!' - Cirque's World of Cinema Goes Dark"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil's IRIS draws much of its inspiration from Hollywood
in all its past and present glory. The initial spark of the concept,
though, was ignited during Cirque du Soleil's performance at the 74th
Academy Awards - held in the Kodak Theater on March 24, 2002 - more
than 10 years ago. That night, for five minutes, Cirque du Soleil was
the focus of the awards ceremony. It took the company four months to
create the special show seen that night, which featured eleven acts
from some of their most popular productions at the time: Dralion, La
Nouba, Quidam, Mystère, "O" and Alegría, all set to the electro-urban
sound of the La Nouba soundtrack. It was so well received that it set
the creative wheels at Cirque in motion. The result: a poetic
phantasmagoria inspired by the world of cinema.
With the show scheduled to hold its final performance on Saturday,
January 19th, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate all that the
show was destined to be, from the initial rumors to the latest
announcement.
CIRQUE GOES HOLLYWOOD?
With the plethora of show announcements steaming full speed ahead in
2007 - a show at Madison Square Garden ("Wintuk"), a rumor about a
show in Shanghai (which didn't pan out), Cirque du Soleil pulling out
of the Jackie Gleason Theater deal in Miami (which might have seen a
South-Beach version of Zumanity installed), announcing Cirque in Dubai
(which has also failed to pan out), preparing to partner with Criss
Angel in an attempt to re-invent the magic show ("BELIEVE") and
launching a new touring show ("Koozå") - it's little wonder that the
Cirque fandom was blindsided by the announcement that Cirque would
open up a resident show in Hollywood, California by 2010. From the
November 19, 2007 release:
Cirque du Soleil will open a new, $100 million production at the
Kodak Theatre in Hollywood in 2010, the group's founder
announced. The unnamed show will focus on Hollywood's role in
the history of film. Seventy-five performers will put on the
show 368 times a year as part of a 10-year agreement between
Cirque du Soleil and the CIM Group, which owns the Hollywood &
Highland Center where the Kodak Theatre is located.
The $100 million project includes modifications to the
showroom's configuration costing about $60 million, and a
production featuring 75 artists. The show will be directed by
France's Philippe Decouflé, who directed the Albertville Olympic
Games opening and closing ceremonies in 1992.
By way of inspiration, the creation team will be able to draw on
a treasure trove of film archives. According to founder Guy
Laliberté, the number of seats in the hall will be cut from
3,400 to about 2,500 to provide Cirque with the space it needs
to create "an imposing show," making extensive use of new
technologies.
"We may include archive images in the show," he says, "but they
will be reworked. We're not here to cut and paste. Over the last
10 years, Philippe Decouflé has developed his own signature
style when it comes to using multimedia."
After the initial announcement regarding the show concept, information
became lost in the shuffle of the debuts of CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE at
the Luxor in Las Vegas, ZAIA at the Venetian in Macao, China, and ZED
at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. That is until news of a delay began to
circulate in early 2009 (pushing the show from its originally
announced 2010 premiere into 2011). The reason for the delay was not
widely known until a June 29, 2009 article in the Los Angeles Business
Journal shed some light on the matter:
The Los Angeles city government is stepping in to help save
plans for a reconstruction of the Kodak Theatre so the home of
the Oscars can accommodate Cirque du Soleil's 10-year Hollywood-
themed show. L.A. developer CIM Group, which co-owns and
operates the Kodak at Hollywood & Highland, is seeking a $30
million loan from the city to replace a private financing deal
that collapsed in the capital market meltdown.
Under the deal, the city essentially would borrow $30 million
from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and
then loan that money to CIM for the project. It carries some
risk to the city. If the Cirque show tanks or otherwise is
unable to pay, then CIM is obligated to pay. But if it can't,
the city would lose up to $30 million of HUD money.
Already, design changes have forced a delay of at least nine
months in the project's opening, pushing it back to summer 2011
from the September 2010 opening date originally announced. The
major change has involved fitting an on-site training center for
Cirque performers into the existing complex.
A month later the loan situation would be resolved. A five-member
committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted to move ahead with the
$30 million loan to bring a decade of Cirque du Soleil performances to
the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The council's Housing, Community and
Economic Development Committee unanimously forwarded the loan proposal
to the full council for a vote, saying the deal would boost the
economy by drawing tourists to the Hollywood & Highland shopping mall,
where the theater is located. Under the proposed loan agreement,
TheatreDreams LA/CHI (a joint venture with CIM/H&H Retail, LP, which
operates the Kodak Theater and the Legendary Chicago Theater) would
promise to create no fewer than 858 jobs and stage the acrobatic show
368 times per year.
IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?
With the loan situation behind Cirque and its partners, attention
began to turn toward the question of bringing the company to Los
Angeles in the first place. Considering that Cirque celebrated its
25th Anniversary in June 2009 and had plans to open VIVA ELVIS in Las
Vegas by the end of that year, the LA Times pondered, "Hasn't everyone
seen at least one Cirque du Soleil show by now?"
It doesn't matter, says James Hadley, senior artistic director
for Cirque's North American shows. "Our biggest challenge is
not about diluting the brand," Hadley said as he stood in the
shade watching his performers go onstage at the Grove. "It's
letting people know each show is different. People see Cirque du
Soleil once and think, 'Well, I can cross that off my list.'
One of the reasons we came to the Grove is to show how different
each show is." On Sunday afternoon, performers from each of the
six Vegas shows performed an excerpt from their shows.
The Kodak Theatre show would be new and centered on a history of
the movies -- as befits the Hollywood location. And referring to
the legendary story of Laliberté's gamble on Los Angeles in
1987, he said, "now to come back to Los Angeles is just a
wonderful way to complete the circle."
And how was the show fairing?
"It's coming along," Gilles Ste-Croix, Cirque du Soleil's SVP of
Creative Content said in Québecois-accented English, confirming
that Cirque Hollywood was on track to launch sometime after the
annual Oscars show in 2011.
"Right now, they will transform the theater because it's a
theater for the Oscar, but we want to have the possibility of
[installing a] lift and all that, to have scenery changes, new
rigging points and all that. So they have to transform the
theater."
Ste-Croix suggested that Cirque also will reconfigure the
seating arrangement of the vast Kodak space to make it feel a
bit more intimate. Although Cirque's new Hollywood production
will be performed year-round, for something on the order of 368
shows annually, it probably won't be able to fill a 3,400-seat
house for that many performances. After all, as tourist meccas
go, Hollywood isn't quite on the order of Las Vegas.
HOLLYWOOD 2011 IS "IRIS"
On September 22, 2010, Cirque du Soleil officially announced IRIS to
the world.
The name of the show, IRIS, taken directly from a camera diaphragm as
well as the colored iris of the human eye, presents an imaginary
journey through the evolution of cinema - from the foundations of the
art form to the bustle of the soundstage - through optical effects and
film genres. IRIS transposes into a language of dance and acrobatics
all of cinemas splendor, inventiveness and, above all, its sense of
wonder. IRIS also conjures up a place between motion and picture,
light and sound, which shifts constantly between reality and make-
believe, to explore the limitless possibilities of cinema. By
combining dance, acrobatics, live video, film footage and interactive
projections, the show illustrates both the mechanics of cinema and its
extraordinary power to deceive the eye through a number of "scenes"
using acrobatics as their core, such as:
Aerial Straps Duo -- In an atmosphere of light and shade, two acrobats
soar through the air suspended from single or double straps. They take
off high above the stage and land with grace and fluidity, delivering
a performance that makes one think of an aerial hand-to-hand number.
Shadows and Contortion -- In an evocation of shadow stories played out
on prehistoric cave walls - the very beginnings of what eventually
would become cinema - four contortionists adopt striking poses and
undulate like dancing flames. The flexibility of their movements is
amazing as they are transformed into living sculptures.
Hand to Hand -- Two porters launch their partners into the air to
perform stunning feats requiring absolute mastery and control.
Generated live by their every move, the kaleidoscopic projections
above the acrobats decompose motion to add a poetic dimension to their
number.
Filmstrip -- In a choreography that calls for high-speed precision,
performers advance from one frame of film to the next to create the
illusion of continuous movement.
Kiriki (Icarian Games) -- The principle of Icarian games - one of the
oldest circus arts disciplines - calls for a porter lying on his back
spinning an acrobat with his feet. This dazzling number features eight
acrobats who literally blur the lines between reality and the
impossible as they push the act far beyond its traditional boundaries
with cool daring.
Movie Set -- Controlled chaos reigns over a succession of highly
visual numbers and audacious plunges as a bold allusion to various
aspects of filmmaking. The choreography brings the circus disciplines
of teeterboard, Spanish web, Russian bars, aerial silk to floor
gymnastics and original choreography.
Trapeze and Broom Manipulation -- An artist on stage manipulates his
broom while above him, a trapeze artist - the embodiment of his dream
- performs with fantastic artistry. Their interaction turns into a
gentle complicity.
Trampoline (The Rooftops) -- In a tribute to gangster movies and to
the work of stunt actors, trampolinists deliver a number packed with
thrills on the roofs of buildings, multiplying their astounding leaps,
flips and glides in a non-stop action movie atmosphere.
Hand Balancing -- Playing the part of the show's heroine Scarlett, a
young woman balancing on canes performs a number infused with
romanticism, subtlety and sinuous strength that captures the already
conquered heart of Buster. Before it's over, they will share a tender
kiss.
Aerial Ball -- In an aerial bungee ballet that pays tribute to 3D
movies, women in costumes studded with crystal dive and soar in unison
from the ceiling above the audience in a thrilling, swirling flight.
WHY DID IRIS FAIL?
The show got off to a great start; however, by the time IRIS was
celebrating its second anniversary, ripples of change were abound. Not
only did the theater change hands (from Kodak to Dolby), but as early
as summer 2012 (and unbeknownst to most) Hand Balancing and Hand-to-
Hand acts had been cut from the show and the intermission removed.
Other remaining acts were shortened so the run-time matched other
resident productions: 90 minutes. And then shocking and sad news
reached the fandom on the evening of November 30, 2012 - due to low
ticket sales IRIS would have its final performance on Saturday,
January 19, 2013. From IRIS's Facebook page (where the news first
broke):
After close to 500 well received shows at the world renowned
Dolby Theatre, the last performance of IRIS by Cirque du Soleil
will be January 19, 2013. Despite phenomenal reviews and
enthusiastic audience response, demand has not met projections.
We have been honored to work with both the City of Los Angeles
and the CIM Group to launch IRIS at this iconic location. It has
been a joy to stage IRIS in the beautiful state-of-the-art Dolby
Theatre and we appreciate the wonderful relationships we have
built in Los Angeles. For the time being, we will redeploy as
many as our artists and employees to other Cirque du Soleil
projects.
Performances of IRIS from 20 January through 26 January have
been canceled. Any customer who has purchased tickets for these
performances, please return to your point of sale for a refund
or exchange into another performance.
Indeed the Los Angeles Times asked in the wake of the shocking news:
Why did the show fail? Their answer: IRIS just failed to ignite the
passions and imagination of the Los Angeles populace.
Despite promises that "Iris" would run for 10 years, the
consensus is that the show never captured the public's
imagination, confounded by a low level of excitement in Los
Angeles and high ticket prices, which rose to as much as $253
for certain VIP packages.
"It didn't capture the fancy of Angelenos like 'Wicked' or 'The
Lion King,' which became must-see events," said Leron Gubler,
president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. "I did not hear
a lot of people say you have to see 'Iris.'"
Danny Elfman, who composed the music for "Iris," said in an
interview that he had expected the show to run "at least to the
summer," after which Cirque would make a decision whether or not
to continue. "Everyone knew that the attendance was not up,"
Elfman said. The Oscar-nominated composer, who lives in Los
Angeles, said he was extremely happy with the show from an
artistic point of view, but said that he was disappointed by the
lack of general public awareness. "After a year of advertising,
the fact that most people I ran into had no knowledge of it
being there says it all. It wasn't able to get into the general
consciousness," Elfman said.
Cirque officials declined requests for comment. They also
declined to provide box-office figures. At one point the top
ticket price of $253 was a record high in Los Angeles. Company
officials said that they expected Southern California residents
to drive attendance in the first two years of the show's run,
and that then tourist interest would pick up, according to
Gubler of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. But that obviously
has not happened. Michael Ritchie, the head of Center Theatre
Group, said that tourists who come to L.A. don't usually put
theater-going on their itineraries.
We here at Fascination are saddened that IRIS will not have the
opportunity to work out the kinks in its cog and mature into one of
the Cirque's classic productions. But in amongst the uncertainty, the
cast and crew are keeping their head up: they just celebrated their
500th performance (on December 9, 2012) in style. Will IRIS surface
again in the future? Only time will tell. All that we do know is that
artists who wish to continue their careers with Cirque du Soleil are
being offered all available spaces and those who don't are lining up
new opportunities.
We wish them all luck and hope to be seeing them in the future!
----------------------------------------------------------
"Worlds Away 3D: Through the Looking Glass"
By: Cirque du Soleil, Production Notes
----------------------------------------------------------
"Experience a Journey Like Never Before..."
From the big top to the big screen, Academy Award-nominated director
Andrew Adamson and visionary filmmaker James Cameron invite audiences
on an all-new 3D adventure -- Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away. Two young
people journey through the astonishing and dreamlike worlds of Cirque
du Soleil to find each other as audiences experience the immersive 3D
technology that allows them to leap, soar, swim and dance with the
performers.
Unique in scope, this immersive experience melds acts from seven live
Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas -- "O," KÀ, Mystère, Viva ELVIS,
CRISS ANGEL Believe, Zumanity and The Beatles LOVE -- into a circus
love story produced, written and directed by Academy Award nominee
Andrew Adamson (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe). The film stars Cirque du Soleil strap aerialists
Igor Zaripov (The Aerialist) and former artist Erica Kathleen Linz
(Mia) as the young couple.
Presented by Paramount Pictures and Academy Award winner James Cameron
(Avatar, Titanic), the film is a Cirque du Soleil production in
association with Reel FX Inc., Strange Weather Films and CAMERON |
PACE Group. Produced by Cirque du Soleil producer Martin Bolduc,
Adamson and his Strange Weather Films' partner Aron Warner, Cirque du
Soleil Worlds Away is captured in 3D by executive producer Cameron and
his CAMERON | PACE Group partner Vincent Pace, the film's 3D executive
producer. Executive producers are Cameron, Jacques Méthé, Cary Granat
and Ed Jones. Director of photography is Brett Turnbull. Composer
Benoit Jutras (Cirque du Soleil shows Quidam, "O,". La Nouba and, as
co-writer, Mystère) wrote the score and the opening song. Stephen
Barton contributed additional music to the final strap act. The editor
is Sim Evan-Jones.
ABOUT THE FILM
--------------
For writer/director/producer Andrew Adamson, tying a love knot around
some of the best elements of seven Cirque du Soleil live shows that
play in Las Vegas was a journey into magical realism. Executive
producer Cary Granat and Reel FX Inc. had been discussing the
possibility of collaborating with Cirque du Soleil on a project for
quite awhile when he approached Adamson about the idea of crafting and
directing a Cirque-based feature film. Granat is the former CEO of
Walden Media, which collaborated with Adamson on the first two films
of C.S. Lewis' beloved The Chronicles of Narnia series. Adamson is
also a producer on the third film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
"We had to find a natural, cinematic way into the world of Cirque du
Soleil," says Adamson. "I started thinking about the way Cirque du
Soleil live shows work. There is a very dreamlike quality about them.
A thin thread of narrative that weaves in and out of each but allows
these acts to exist within the worlds that are created. I thought this
movie could do the same thing. I could find a narrative that threads
these completely different shows together.
"I came to the idea of these two people who meet in a real-world
circus. She's a young girl looking to escape her life. She sees this
aerialist and instantly falls in love with him, but when their eyes
meet he slips and falls. He drops right through the circus ring into
another world and drags her with him. They spend the rest of the film
looking for each other in these worlds that exist in a limbo state,
kind of a space between life and death, a world between worlds.
Ultimately they come together in a dream fulfilling aerial ballet. An
act that hangs in the balance between beauty and danger."
Like the live shows, the film eschews dialogue, using music and the
marvelous expressions of the performers to move the narrative forward.
But it was never the filmmakers' intention to simply capture the live
shows. "What I wanted to do" says Adamson, "is take the audience to
see these shows in a way that they hadn't seen them before, to get the
camera in close and give a different perspective of what these artists
do and show that perspective in high speed, slow motion 3D."
Executive producer Cameron, whose company CAMERON | PACE Group shot
the film with his FUSION 3D camera system, says the film feels "as if
you strayed into a circus in a dream. From the beginning Andrew had a
fairly clear vision of what he wanted to do and it continued to
evolve. As a producer, I kind of acted as his sounding board. The goal
was to really celebrate the physical artistry of everything Cirque du
Soleil is about, the design, the beauty and grace of those
performances.
"Andrew had to walk a fine line working with such diverse elements
from these shows. It was never meant to be about effects but to
showcase the raw, pure physical human talent and their amazing
ability. While it starts in this sort of run down circus, it plays out
as discovery of this other dimensional circus world they fall into,
but it is still very much a circus. There are wires, harnesses and you
see it all, no effects hiding it. In seeing it, you experience the
ingenuity of staging, costume design, the strength and agility of
their talent that seem so effortless, so fluid. But the preparation
and work that goes into it is anything but effortless. What you see is
pure Cirque du Soleil."
Adamson drew inspiration from such classics as Walt Disney's Fantasia,
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Peter Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
ballet and his own personal experiences from watching a traveling
circus show in Mexico in 2000.
"It was a Fred Flintstone themed traveling circus. I remember the
ringleader had a lot of years on him, the lion had no teeth and one of
the trapeze artists was a large woman wearing a star-spangled bikini.
It was almost an empty house and had definitely seen better days," he
recalls. "But there was this sort of sad yet beautiful element to it
bittersweet one of my favorite emotions. That was in the back of my
mind. So I set the opening of this film in a circus that was connected
to no time or place. I really wanted it to feel like a traveling
neighborhood circus that could be anywhere."
At first Adamson wanted to use actors in the key roles, "but I also
knew that I wanted to end with some kind of beautiful romantic straps
aerial act."
"To teach a normal person to do (aerial) straps, to perform at this
level takes years," says executive producer Jacques Méthé of Cirque du
Soleil. "The way to go was to take Cirque du Soleil performers and
teach them to play the part. At the end of this film, they are both
flying in each others' arms. They need the skills and training of a
real Cirque du Soleil performer. Igor and Erica have worked on several
of our shows for years. They are not only wonderful acrobats, but
because of their Cirque du Soleil training, they have learned to
become characters. In any Cirque du Soleil show, everybody is a
character and plays some part. So we knew these two had the acting
skills because of their years with Cirque du Soleil."
Erica Kathleen Linz was 19 when she joined Cirque du Soleil shortly
after graduating from high school. "I grew up as a gymnast and a
singer, which led to theater, so I have flip-flopped between acting
and acrobatic roles, and recently I've been doing an aerial straps
duet which fits into this whole theme," Linz says. Landing the film
role gave her an opportunity within Cirque du Soleil that she had
never known before. "There's never really been an opportunity for
anybody to kind of float through the shows, participate in what they
do every night and get a feel for each show's culture. Every show is
sort of like its own family, has its own vibe, its own set of
nationalities and sense of humor. Personally, it's been unbelievable
for me."
Although she and co-star Igor Zaripov have performed in the show KÀ,
neither performed a duet together before Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away.
Zaripov, who joined Cirque du Soleil in 2002, grew up in a Russian
circus family that had been in the business for more than a century.
He has been an aerial acts acrobat from his first stage appearance at
11 for the Moscow Circus. He traveled with other circuses around the
world honing his skills. When he joined Cirque du Soleil, he performed
in KÀ for five years as the Firefly boy and in Cirque du Soleil's
adult-themed Zumanity for several years. "I had never worked closely
with Erica before but we had to get into it really quick (the first
time for the love scene of the final act) and it was really nice," he
says.
What they do, although an outgrowth of KÀ, was created specifically
for the film -- a romantic aerial straps ballet which captures the
ascendancy of love. "What you see is how these two learn to trust each
other so completely. Her life is literally in his hands an act of
total surrender," notes Cameron. "The acting is inferred by the
physicality of the moment. And the grace with which it is done is
simply beautiful."
UNDER THE BIG TOP
-----------------
When Adamson chose acts from the seven live Cirque du Soleil shows to
use in the film, he picked those that would lend themselves to the
storyline of Mia searching for the Aerialist from tent to tent. Each
time she peels back the curtain and steps inside, another Cirque du
Soleil world opens to her. These worlds are:
"O" -- "Water represents both life and the unconscious, the dream
state and illusion because of its reflection," says Pierre Parisien,
Cirque du Soleil senior artistic director. "It's sort of the unseen
realm of spirits, of ghosts, and the flying boat is like The Flying
Dutchman. They are trying to lure Mia aboard but she won't go." It is
the first tent Mia visits after she falls into an alternate desert
wasteland populated by six big tops, "six kinds of limbos," says Linz.
[FASCINATION NOTE: You'll see Synchronized Swimming, Duo Trapeze,
Bateau, Fire, Contortion and Aerial Hoops from "O" in glorious 3D].
KÀ -- To Adamson KÀ was about spectacle, with a stage a quarter of the
size of a football field that lifts vertically, spins around and
changes. "What I wanted to capture wasn't just the act and the
performers but the ingenuity. Part of what Cirque du Soleil does so
well is combine art and technology and present you with this
completely different imagery you've never seen before." [FASCINATION
NOTE: Wheel of Death, The Final Battle, Pursuit, and the Flying Bird
from KA are shown here. The film also ends here as the two main
characters perform an aerial ballet in the Forest scene.]
MYSTÈRE -- "Mystère is highly acrobatic, the most acrobatic show we
have," says James Hadley, Cirque du Soleil's senior artistic director
for resident shows in North America. It is also the longest running
Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. Hanging from a cube in mid-air, an
aerialist performs a ballet with seemingly effortless maneuvers,
foreshadowing what is to come for the star-crossed lovers. [FASCINATION
NOTE: Only the Aerial Cube is shown, much to our dismay.]
VIVA ELVIS -- In the film, a mysterious self-propelled tricycle leads
Mia to the Viva ELVIS tent, where performers dressed as super heroes
fly off trampolines to the music of Elvis. [FASCINATION NOTE: Only
the Trampoline - Got a Lot of Livin' To Do - number is shown.]
CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE -- Mia travels through six Cirque du Soleil tents
that occupy a limbo state between life and death in search of love
lost. The seventh element is not a tent but Cirque du Soleil's very
own peculiar White Rabbit, a dancing disembodied bunny head from CRISS
ANGEL Believe, who makes a timely appearance, beckoning her to follow.
[FASCINATION NOTE: And thankfully this is the ONLY appearance of
anything related to BELIEVE in the film.]
ZUMANITY -- "The act that we're using from Zumanity is very small and
contained, but it fits thematically well where we've placed it," says
Adamson. What first appears to be water on the moon transforms into a
water-filled glass container from which a seductive contortionist
entices the Aerialist to join her. [FASCINATION NOTE: Only the
waterbowl act was performed for the film to "Nostalgie" from "O".]
THE BEATLES LOVE -- The act built around the song Being for the
Benefit of Mr. Kite is "a circus-based theme," says Adamson, "so it
tied us back into the beginning of our opening circus." Hadley adds,
"Actually Mr. Kite, of all the acts that we filmed, probably has the
biggest number of artists in one act." [FASCINATION NOTE: A number
of scenes from LOVE appear, such as Blackbird, Octopus' Garden, Lucy
in the Sky with Diamonds, For the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Get Back/Glass
Onion, and While my Guitar Gently Weeps.]
THE MUSIC
---------
Composer Benoit Jutras wrote the score and transitional music between
the Cirque du Soleil shows used in the film. Barton had previously
teamed with Adamson on the Shrek and Narnia films, but the director
felt it important to have Jutras, who had written scores for some of
the Cirque du Soleil shows used, to adapt and refine some of that
music specifically for Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away.
"The music was really the dialogue of this film," says Jutras. "You
see, Cirque du Soleil developed it as a language for its shows, to
tell a story with the music and without words. It becomes the
universal language." It was an element that Cameron and Adamson wanted
to retain for the film.
"When it came to inspiration for this film's score," Jutras continues,
"it was about the passage through life and a young woman who falls in
love, about how love makes you go through all of these emotions, the
colors of love, so to speak. What I wanted to do with the opening act
was to make it a very separate experience, to make it as little like
Cirque du Soleil as possible to show the contrast of the old circus
and the worlds of Cirque du Soleil. In the final act, since it was
part of KÀ, Stephen Barton used that show to inspire the music (of the
final act)."
THE POWER OF 3D
---------------
For Cameron, Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away "was a dream come true. I
had been talking to them for some time about doing something in 3D
because it's never been done. How lucky to be working with the Cirque
du Soleil family, to have that talent create such an emotional
performance for this film. Because their death-defying acts require
such incredible skill and nerve, we felt it was so important to show
the cabling, everything supporting that human ability.
"We were working with a different stage crew every four days. We did
use the live shows and shot both during the live performances and on
their dark days. It was cost effective to shoot during the live shows,
but we did get the best stuff on dark days because we were able to
come in from different angles. We dropped in with our 10 3D cameras
and started shooting. But it's a lot different than just standing back
with a ring of cameras and shooting a live show. We were getting in
there with the Steadicam, shooting close-ups -- in their faces as
close as possible -- getting into the action because it's much better
for 3D. I lobbied for high camera positions so when you are shooting
down you get that sense of vertigo. At times we were shooting from 50
to 100 feet in the air, and you feel the height of these amazing
artists performing 90 feet above the floor. You also realize the
jeopardy they are in all the time.
"The live experience of these shows is incredible. But in the movie
theater, what we can give you is the experience of being right in the
middle of a show where you will really get to see the detailed work
that's gone into the characters, the costumes and the choreography.
There is pageantry to the live experience, but there is an intimacy to
the 3D experience."
One of the challenges for the filmmakers of Cirque du Soleil Worlds
Away was that 3D involves more complicated cameras and technology and
thus more time to set up the equipment. Prep also meant meeting strict
safety parameters with underwater cameras (avoiding the lethal mix of
electricity and water) and camera cranes (out of harm's way of
aerialists and flying objects.)
"There was a lot of hurry up and wait," notes producer Martin Bolduc,
"which is difficult for Cirque du Soleil performers as their bodies
are cooling off and they need a minimum of time to warm up their
muscles after a certain period of inactivity." Still, the shooting
schedule was relatively short -- 37 days over three time periods:
October-November 2010 in Las Vegas, December 2011 in New Zealand and
February 2011 again in Vegas. The only CGI used in the film are scenes
in the desert when Mia and the Aerialist travel between the tents.
"Twice a day, five days a weekthe performers do their work," says
Cameron. "When we told them we would make a 3D film that would really
capture their commitment to their art, I don't think these artists
really knew what to expect. They were a bit jaded because they do it
day after day, year after year. But when it was over and they saw what
they do through our eyes they were awestruck. It rejuvenated them."
* * *
The drive to expand and constantly transform from the circus norm is
what separates Cirque du Soleil from the pack. Always positioning
itself as "nouveau Cirque du Soleil," it remains theatrical,
character-driven entertainment sans animals. From its humble roots on
the streets in the early 1980s to an arty version of the big top to
the showbiz behemoth it is today with 20 shows around the world,
certain elements of the Cirque du Soleil experience will forever
remain.
"You will always need your 'wow,' your tender moments, your humor,"
says Cirque du Soleil owner and co-founder Guy Laliberté, much like
the narrative of any great screenplay. But he reminds that Cirque du
Soleil's conventions are all about hinting at the plot and teasing at
the themes. It is there, he says, on the edge of imaginative
interpretation that Cirque du Soleil invites audiences to suspend
disbelief and step through the looking glass.
Learn more about Worlds Away 3D at the film's website:
< http://www.worldsaway3d.com/ >.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 13, Number 01 (Issue #108) - January 2013
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2013 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter
can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or
translated without the consent of the "Fascination!
Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission
(unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without
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Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way
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Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil,
Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright
infringement intended.
{ Jan.04.2013 }
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