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Fascination Issue 137
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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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http://www.CirqueFascination.com
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VOLUME 15, NUMBER 6 June 2015 ISSUE #137
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
Usually there's a long-winded discussion here about some of the
shocking and/or unusual news and rumors that find their way across
our desks here at Fascination, pieces that highlight new projects
Cirque is undertaking, or even answers to questions brought up as
we're doing a bit of research. Not this month. There's just too many
little bits to talk about (from KURIOS VR to ALLAVITA! and more!),
so rather than single out a couple to talk about here I'll just get
on with it - this is a rather large issue!
More about the world of Pandora, and TORUK - The First Flight, have
come to light this month thanks to Cirque du Soleil's social outreach.
We've collected these fantastic morsels - the "Enter Pandora" sweep-
stakes search and "Inside the Creators Studio" texts - into "Exploring
The World of Pandora" in our FEATURES section this month. If you're
interested in TORUK - The First Flight like I am, you'll want to take
a look at all the new information cirque has released on the project.
Keith Johnson recently had the opportunity to catch not only KURIOS-
cabinet of Curiosities under the Big Top but also see VAREKAI in a
local arena. See what he thinks about the new touring show and how
VAREKAI has fared in its transition to an arena-based show. (Hey,
mine isn't the only opinion around here you know! :) ) And last, but
not least, Michael Joseph Gross at Vanity Fair had quite the expose
on Cirque this past month, focusing heavily on the circumstances
surrounding Sarah Guillot-Guyard's death at KA back in 2013. It's
a great read.
As always we also have the posts made to Cirque's Facebook pages,
and updates to Cirque's touring schedule.
So, let's get started!
/----------------------------------------------------\
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| Join us on the web at: |
| < www.cirquefascination.com > |
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| Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): |
| < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > |
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\----------------------------------------------------/
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
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CONTENTS
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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
* Networking -- Posts on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
o) Fascination! Features
*) "Exploring The World of Pandora"
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
*) "KURIOS and VAREKAI: Where Less is... about the Same"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
*) SPECIAL /// "Life and Death at Cirque du Soleil"
By: Michael Joseph Gross, via Vanity Fair
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
Fight Knocks Out Six Cirque Shows in Vegas
{May.01.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
In a first for Las Vegas, six of eight Cirque du Soleil shows
will shut down Saturday to serve as sold-out venues for the
closed-circuit broadcast of the megafight between Floyd
Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Demand was so feverish that 18,000 seats for the six Cirque du
Soleil show venues were sold out.
Its not going to be an entertainment crowd anyway on
Saturday, said Jerry Nadal, senior vice president of Cirque du
Soleil. People are in town for one reason the fight.
Only the aquatic themed O at Bellagio and Mystere at TI will
remain open, Nadal said.
As mammoth as the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight has become, a
Muhammad Ali superfight would beat it.
If Ali was fighting today, theyd be delivering his money in a
Brinks truck because of closed-circuit TV. Thats where the
money is today, said Gene Kilroy, Alis business manager for a
decade.
The media is 80 percent larger today, said Kilroy, a Las Vegas
resident.
The projected numbers are staggering: pay-per-view, 3 million
buys (previous record, 2.4 million for Mayweather vs. Oscar de
la Hoya in 2007); and $74 million in gate revenue, compared to
the previous record of $20 million (Mayweather vs. Canelo
Alvarez in 2013).
Saturdays fight should generate more than $400 million in
revenue for the fighters, with Mayweather banking about $160
million and Pacquiao taking home $120 million.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal | http://goo.gl/ryWxd0 }
Up close and personal with Varekais performers
{May.04.2015}
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Cirque du Soleils Varekai production is coming to Vancouvers
Pacific Coliseum this May, but before the performers take the
big stage, a few of them stopped by Vancity Buzz HQ to offer a
closer look at some of their intense moves.
The Varekai show has been touring the world for over 10 years
and this will be its second time in Vancouver, with the last
openeing in 2006. With over 50 artists travelling with the show,
the arena production offers a bigger performance than the big
top productions.
The show is still intimate but movements have to be bigger and
everything has to be re-choreographed, says Vanessa Napoli,
publicist for the tour.
In her opinion, the best thing about the upcoming show is the
ability to bring it to more people. The arena show is more
accessible to people who cant afford the big top experience.
Even if youre higher up, the seats are still pretty good.
For the most part, the Varekai story remains the same as it has
been for over 10 years. Napoli says themes of rebirth and
struggle are the underlying component of what makes the tale,
about the Greek myth of Icarus, so important. Varekai re-
imagines the classic story of what happens to Icarus after he
flies too close to the sun and falls from the sky, landing in a
forest of eclectic and exotic creatures.
But still, Napoli confirms the show has evolved so much.
Technology and talent has evolved. New talent has come in and
their skills constantly bring something unique to the show. The
show will have the same story but it will feel different.
For the performers, the experience of starring in a Cirque du
Soleil production is nothing short of a dream come true.
Varekai is the first show I ever saw and ever performed. Its
very special to me. The thing that I really love to do is my
job, said Soen Geirnaert, one of the shows skilled performers
from Brussels, Belgium.
My dream came true, after seven years of work. Every day I am
still excited. Were doing the same thing every day but its
always different, Geirnaerts partner, Ayla Ahmadovoea from
Azerbajan added.
For Raphael Nepumoceno, who plays Icarus in the show, training
began when he was only nine years old. It was a dream to work
here. I started martial arts at 9 years old, and 8 years later I
started to do break dancing on the street with my friends. What
I am doing now is very special to me because I can express my
background. Nepumoceno grew up in Rio, Brazil and has been with
the company since 2011.
Watching the artists stretch and bend in directions virtually
unseen outside of a Cirque du Soleil production makes one think
they must follow a very strict health and fitness regime, but
that is not always the case.
It depends from person to person. Of course sometimes we can
have a sweet treat, but if its getting too hard for my partner
because Im getting too heavy, then she needs to go work out,
Geirnaert joked.
Even a kilogram of weight gain can impact partner work, but the
performers are usually able to adjust with time. We check our
weight every Friday. Were always exercising, training and on
the treadmill, Geirnaert added, on a serious note.
The Varekai production visits 44 cities in a year and these
performers estimate they have been to over 120 cities with the
show. With the arena tours, they will typically tour for 10 to
13 weeks in a row and then receive two weeks off. The big top
productions move much slower due to set-up and take-down time
and allow the artists more rest.
PHOTOS /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5880 >
{ SOURCE: Vancity Buzz | http://goo.gl/U5LU5X }
Brisbane Cirque-inspired street art project unveiled
{May.06.2015}
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Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has unveiled Brisbanes new street art
project along Coronation Drive in a world first collaboration
with Cirque du Soleil.
Comprising of four murals painted along the Coronation Drive
overpass pillars, the artworks are inspired by Cirque du
Soleils production TOTEM, currently showing in Brisbane.
Local contemporary artist Matthew Stewart completed the project
in only six days, despite Fridays downpour.
The rain definitely added another days worth of work, but Id
been coming here since 5:30am for the last couple of days so Id
managed to get quite a bit done before the rain started really
setting in, he said.
This collaborative public art installation is a world first for
Cirque du Soleil, who selected Mr Stewart after seeing his work
celebrating the Brisbane opening of The Lion King last year.
They gave me an open slather, so I basically came up with a
concept, sent it over to their office in Montreal and they
approved it immediately, so that was pretty amazing, he said.
They left it completely to my interpretation.
The artists concept pays homage to TOTEMs evolutionary theme,
with each pillar beholding a set of individual, brightly-
coloured eyes, an idea Cirque du Soleil artistic director
Neelanthi Vadivel found especially poignant.
The eyes are windows into our world and all the enigmatic
characters, but theyre also silent witnesses over Brisbane,
she said.
To be able to share this with Brisbane is something were
really appreciative of.
After adding his own splash of paint to the street-art-style
project, councillor Quirk thanked Cirque du Soleil as well as Mr
Stewart, calling the murals a wonderful offering and a
brightening in the day of pedestrians and cyclists on the
Bicentennial bikeway to the city.
This is authorised art, this is the sort of stuff we love
brightening up our infrastructure the way Matt has done, he
said.
PHOTOS /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5888 >
{ SOURCE: ABC, Cirque du Soleil | http://goo.gl/tq704B }
Graphic on CREACTIVE by Cirque du Soleil
{May.06.2015}
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PHOTO /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5902 >
Place Ville Marie: a Montreal consortium for
the Au Sommet Place Project
{May.07.2015}
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Ivanhoé Cambridge, gsmprjct°, Claridge and Sid Lee/Cirque du
Soleil Partnership announced today the creation of a consortium
seeking to establish an observatory at the 1, Place Ville Marie
building that will celebrate the cultural and culinary
attractions of Montreal. The Montreal investors mandate is to
develop new experiences to be offered on the upper four floors
the 43rd to 46th of Montreals emblematic Place Ville Marie
complex.
We are all very proud to announce this major project for
Montreal, said Alexandre Taillefer, Managing Partner of XPND
Capital and shareholder of gsmprjct°. The consortium members
have been working very hard for nearly three years to envision
what will become a must-see attraction, not only for tourists
but for Montrealers too. We will be returning the top four
floors of Place Ville Marie to their former glory.
The Au Sommet Place Ville Marie project, which will draw on some
of Montreals best creative talent, will offer Montrealers, as
well as tourists, a new entertainment and dining destination in
downtown Montreal. The consortium is also proud to announce a
collaboration with Les Enfants Terribles restaurants, which will
offer a gastronomic experience.
Offering stunning views of Montreal, Au Sommet Place Ville Marie
will enable visitors to discover a new and unique view on the
Saint Lawrence River, Mount Royal, the Quartier des spectacles
and many more sites in the Montreal region.
Construction on the project will begin this coming summer, with
the opening planned for early 2016, a year before the 375th
anniversary of the foundation of Montreal.
Au Sommet Place Ville Marie will deploy around five areas within
the tower:
o) 46th floor: the Observatoire
o) 45th floor: the Exhibition Gallery
o) 44th floor: the Terrasses and Les Enfants Terribles
o) 43rd floor: the Foyer
o) Commercial level: the Reception and the Boutique
The project will help to highlight the original, 1960s-style
architectural heritage of Place Ville Marie. Whether visitors
are looking to discover or rediscover the city, the facilities
will celebrate Montreals unique character, while showcasing its
diversity, its icons and its cultural mainstays. Au Sommet Place
Ville Marie will also move to the beat of the citys famed
downtown events, festivals and seasons.
More information will be announced in the coming months. Visit:
www.ausommetplacevillemarie.com
PHOTO /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5906 >
{ SOURCE: Canadian Newswire | http://goo.gl/wJjkNA }
Cirque du Soleils yo-yo master shows off
{May.08.2015}
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Things that most people can do with a yo-yo: flick it towards
the ground and watch it not come back up. Some of the things
Tomonari Black Ishiguro can do with a yo-yo:
o) Create pentagrams.
o) Twirl it in every direction imaginable without breaking
radio equipment.
o) Let it sleep for up to half-an-hour.
o) Manage to make yo-yo interesting for Cirque du Soleil
audiences.
Ishiguro is a four-time world yo-yo champion and an unlikely
highlight in the latest Cirque touring production Kurios. He
stopped by the Eyeopener studio to show off.
VIDEO /// < http://goo.gl/VIm8hy >
{ SOURCE: CBC.ca | http://goo.gl/xYqhyC }
Building the Fantastical Bicycles for KURIOS
{May.09.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Most mornings, Stephane Roy begins his day with a bike ride
alongside his wife through the rolling hills of the Quebec
townships north of Montreal. If that sounds like a fantasy,
considering the beauty of the area, wait until you hear about
his day job.
Roy is the set and props designer for Cirque du Soleils Kurios,
a new show currently running under the big tent in Calgary. Like
most Cirque shows, Kurios offers up an entire fantastical
universe that seems plucked straight from the imaginations of
people like Roy. But what struck me while watching the show
recently, because Im a bike nerd, was the use of bicycles.
Bikes seem to be everywhere in the show transporting
characters, spinning through acts and even being used as props
for those trademark Cirque acrobats to contort their bodies
around, which, unless you are lucky, may be the only time youll
see a woman in tights using a bike in that way.
So I jumped at the chance to speak with Roy on the phone from
Quebec about bikes. He told me that use of bicycles was no
accident. The decision to build the bicycle into the show so
intricately was made early in its conception, not only for
practical reasons, but because of the feelings and sentiments
the machines evoke. The show is inspired by Paris of the early
1900s, when excitement for the future was wrapped up in the
technology of the day and the world was in the midst of an
iPhone-like craze for bicycles. In creating the kind of
fantastical turn-of-the-century steampunk world of Kurios, the
bicycle was a perfect fit, a kind of visual short-cut for the
technological optimism of the time.
Then there was the practical side of things. The simple
mechanics of the bike were put to good use by Roy in moving
props, sets and characters around the stage.
In circus, its the body that makes things move. We try to use
biomechanics as much as possible, Roy said. The bicycle is one
of the best examples of technology that comes from manpower.
Roy said building the perfect bikes for the show was a
challenge. He experimented with the big-wheel-in-front penny
farthing designs of the Victorian era, but eventually settled on
more utilitarian models because he felt they fit the performance
better. He was convinced that everyday Dutch-style bikes were
the right fit, but tracking down suitable models with the right
look was a bit of a challenge in Quebec. He eventually found
some Second World War-era Dutch models with the right look
online, and had them delivered to his workshop.
Once there, he stripped the bikes down and got to work turning
them into machines that could exist in the Kurios world. Plastic
parts where replaced with leather. Some were outfitted with
hooks that enabled them to be elevated above the stage. For
parts of the show in which bikes pedal themselves, a remote-
controlled motor, not unlike those found in toy cars, was hidden
in some luggage strapped to the back rack and connected to the
bikes transmission.
All of the bikes were converted to single-speed models for
simplicitys sake. But even that wasnt as straightforward as
you might think. For a scene involving a bike and a Russian
cradle, in which a performer hangs by his knees while tossing a
lithe acrobat about, the correct gear ratio had to be found. Too
low might make for an awkward-looking start. Too high and the
rider would have difficulty pedalling. Roy eventually settled on
a gear that was big enough to allow for a smooth start while
still enabling the performer to pedal smoothly.
At one point, there were more than 10 bikes in the show, but
several were eventually cut to streamline the performance. But
in speaking with Roy, who has worked on more than 100 stage
productions in his career, that experimentation seems to be part
of the joy of his job.
It was a prop show, and it was crazy fun, he said. In the
case of Kurios, the moment we started, it was a universe we
loved. So it was easy.
And theres little doubt those early morning bike rides had a
little hand in the inspiration.
{ SOURCE: Calgary Herald | http://goo.gl/MKSxut }
Cirque du Soleil Ignites Rock in Rio with
Explosive Never-Before-Seen Performance
{May.10.2015}
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On May 8 at 5:30 p.m., the world-famous Cirque du Soleil kicked
off Rock in Rio with an electrifying, never-before-seen
performance on the Main Stage that featured a unique multi-
sensory experience complete with astounding acrobatics,
breathtaking aerial acts, live music and exciting pyro. Created
specifically for Rock in Rio by Cirque du Soleil Artistic
Director Sandi Croft, the 15-minute montage featured some of the
most gifted performers from all of the resident shows in Las
Vegas.
Check out these photos!
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5984 >
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Informer | http://goo.gl/JRWJHb }
Meet Michael Naumann Production Manager, Varekai
{May.11.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Just what does it take to move an entire arena-style circus
around the planet? Michael Naumann, the production manager for
the Cirque du Soleils Varekai knows the answer to that
question, and it isnt an easy process.
With an arena show, theres a total of 18 trucks used for
transport. It takes us about two-and-a-half hours to do our
load-out in 18 trucks. We hire about 60 people on load-out days
to pack up the show, said Naumann.
Crew arrived in Penticton on Sunday as they prepare for a five-
day run of Varekai, which opens on Wednesday at the South
Okanagan Events Centre.
Naumann began his career with Disney on Ice in his hometown of
Boise, Idaho. He was attending school for radiology when he was
offered the chance to join the shows road tour, so he postponed
his education for what was originally going to be one year.
He has been with Cirque du Soleil for nearly seven years now,
starting as a carpenter on Saltimbanco in 2007. In his first two
years, he found himself in a production stage manager position,
and has since worked his way to being the production manager. He
is the man in charge of the logistics of moving the Varekai
production, as well as the technical integrity of the show.
One of the more unique challenges he faces is figuring out how
to handle intercontinental travel. Naumann says that North
America is fairly easy to tour because of the newer arenas and
having crews on hand who are used to working with the bigger
shows. Europe however, provides completely new challenges to the
tour.
In Europe the buildings are old, and they arent designed to
hang the weight (of the equipment), he said.
Roughly 80,000 pounds of lighting, supports, and other various
rigging equipment is set up to make the performance really
dazzle. There are 110 rigging points in the ceiling structure,
and 108 moving lights are used during Varekai.
The South Okanagan Events Centre will challenge the Varekai crew
a little bit more than normal, as the scoreboard must be lowered
and removed.
The rigging is all done with boom lifts (in Penticton), so they
cant walk along the steel like they normally do. We have to go
in a day before our normal load-in to hang all of our motors
from the ceiling.
Naumann still has great appreciation for Cirque du Soleil, even
after all this time.
Its a great company to work for. Its great to be a part of
such a good production, the show quality is so high. You can
walk out and watch a show, and sometimes you take it for
granted, but its amazing what they do on stage every single
day.
{ SOURCE: Kelowna Daily Courier | http://goo.gl/ZnSpiz }
See the First Promotional Art for NBCs The Wiz Live!
{May.11.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Following the successful live broadcasts of The Sound of Music
and Peter Pan, NBC will debut a new live television production
of the hit Broadway musical The Wiz Dec. 3, Robert Greenblatt,
chairman, NBC Entertainment, announced March 30.
Entering into a partnership with NBC on The Wiz to be
executive-produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron is Cirque du
Soleil, whose new stage theatrical division will co-produce the
live TV event and then present it as a major Broadway revival
for the 2016-17 season.
Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will stage both the
television production and Broadway revival in collaboration with
Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, who will contribute new material
to the original Broadway book by William F. Brown.
We love this yearly tradition and were more excited than ever
to not only bring another Broadway musical to Americas living
rooms, but also see it land on Broadway as well, said
Greenblatt in a statement. Its a natural next step for our
live musical events and were so pleased to be in business with
this award-winning creative team and Scott Zeiger, President and
Managing Director of Cirque du Soleils new theatrical division.
Cirques incredible imagination will help bring the fantasy
world of Oz vividly to life and give this great show a modern
spin on the age-old story we all love.
We are delighted that NBC and Cirque du Soleil will present
The Wiz, added Zeiger. Its a musical I have wanted to
produce for years and its the perfect show to present under the
new Cirque du Soleil Theatrical banner.
Were thrilled to have the opportunity to not only produce this
as our next live musical for NBC, but to then see it move to
Broadway for a new generation to experience, said Zadan. It
will be a joy to work again with Kenny Leon, who did Steel
Magnolias and Raisin in the Sun with us, added Meron.
Universal Television will produce. Casting for both the NBC
telecast and Cirque du Soleils Broadway production will be
announced at a later date.
William F. Brown wrote the book for the soulful contemporary
retelling of L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The
Wiz also features music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. The
original 1974 production, directed by Geoffrey Holder and
choreographed by George Faison, won seven Tony Awards including
Best Musical. The premiere Broadway company featured Hinton
Battle, Tiger Haynes, Stephanie Mills, Ted Ross, Dee Dee
Bridgewater, André De Shields and Mabel King. Diana Ross and
Michael Jackson starred in the film version.
The Tony Award-winning score includes Home, Ease on Down the
Road, and If You Believe, among others.
The musical, according to NBC, is described as such: Dorothy, a
young woman from Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and relocated
to a fantasy world that is inhabited by munchkins, good and bad
witches, and, of course, flying monkeys. She eventually takes a
path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her
go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and
cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another.
PHOTO /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=6015 >
{ SOURCE: Playbill | http://goo.gl/LZrXXm }
VIDEO /// Quick glimpse of Matt Stewarts
tremendous work creating the TOTEM Murals
{May.13.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Quick glimpse of Matt Stewart Creative's tremendous work of
creating the 4 TOTEM Murals along Coronation Drive in Brisbane!
This massive art piece will permanently bring the wonder and
colors of TOTEM to the city after our stay! Only two weeks of
performances left in Brisbane through May 24!
VIDEO /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5991 >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil }
KURIOS Performers WOW Calgary crowds
{May.14.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
With a juggling act, a couple back-flips and general mischief,
the cast of Cirque du Soleils latest show KURIOS paraded down
Stephen Avenue to promote its last two weeks in Calgary. Six of
the 46 cast members from the production meandered from Olympic
Plaza to 2 Street SW, stopping for performances and a few
selfies with fans from the crowd. Check out a video from the
Calgary Sun here http://goo.gl/frc0Cf or the pictures from
Metro News below!
PHOTOS /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5997 >
{ SOURCE: Metro News, Calgary Sun | http://goo.gl/X3OcKv }
Meet Tim Hastings Stage Carpenter, Varekai
{May.14.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Tim Hastings stage career started with building sets for Mount
Boucherie school productions. Now, hes doing it for Cirque du
Soleil.
Hastings is a stage carpenter for Cirque Du Soleils Varekai
show, which is playing this week at Pentictons South Okanagan
Events Centre.
Hastings got his start with Cirque when he was part of a local
crew hired to help put a show together. Through this experience,
he established relationships with the company and its production
manager and was drawn to its exceptional nature.
When a position opened up, he applied.
After the application, I didnt expect to hear back for a few
months because they were busy touring the Middle East, yet they
called back in two days and said they needed me in 10.
Therefore, I packed up my life in two weeks and jumped on a
plane to Beruit.
Hastings says the job itself is as unpredictable and exciting as
Cirques shows.
Typically, he spends much more time travelling than at home.
In his first 12 months on the job, Hastings visited 14
countries. I went from blazing heat in Gran Canary to freezing
cold in Alaska within a few months.
When asked if he misses the stationary life, Hastings agreed
there is something special about home.
There is something about your own friends, couch and
neighbourhood, yet travelling is exciting, unpredictable and
forever an adventure, he said. Just for an example, my first
day on the job. I got off the plane in Beruit and entered an
airport full of army personnel because of a Syrian hostage
situation. At that point, I knew that my wish for adventure was
coming true.
As for the working hours themselves, they can range from relaxed
to exceptionally demanding. Frequently, I find myself working
long days. Today, I started at 9 this morning and wont wrap up
until 10:30 this evening.
Hastings assures us this is required to execute a performance
that will invigorate the audience, something he and his team of
100 Cirque employees are entirely committed to.
This commitment is what leads Hastings to say, I dont have a
job, I have a lifestyle.
It would seem that, akin to the spectacular physical feats
achieved by the Cirque performers, Hastings job requires unique
degrees of determination, drive and flexibility.
As for the performance of Varekai, which will be orchestrated on
his home turf, Hastings could not be more excited. I cannot
wait for those from my home to come and see my office, so that
they can truly experience why I do what I do. But to an equal
level, I cannot wait to show off my hometown to my team.
{ SOURCE: Kelwona Daily Courier | http://goo.gl/CMx6x8 }
ALLAVITA! A World of Wonders!
{May.17.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
On Friday May 15, ALLAVITA!, Cirque du Soleils show for EXPO
Milano 2015 took to the stage. Created exclusively for the Open
Air Theater San Carlo on the Expo site, the show will be
performed every Wednesday through Sunday until August 30. As
those who attended the full dress rehearsal confirmed, all
expectations have been realized, and more! So, what is ALLAVITA!
all about?
(This story contained photos. See them here:
Http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=6032)
ACROBATICS
----------
Combining theater, dance, clowning, and humor, Cirque du Soleil
has created an exciting and compelling event, suitable for all
ages. ALLAVITA! is keyed on the themes addressed by EXPO Milano
2015, featuring bread, farming, sustainability, and the passage
of time, as well as human history and how it has been impacted
by, and how it has impacted, the environment. Thus it all begins
with the actors handing out seeds to the audience. Then the
action moves back to the stage, where a young boy Leonardo
is given a magic Spelt seed by his grandmother. An imaginary
friend Farro appears to the boy, from inside the seed, and
takes him on a magical journey filled with wonder, courage, and
hope, where they encounter hour-glasses, farmers, foreign lands,
and women who might be flowers, or vice-versa. All of this is
played out on a stage that is ablaze with color, resonating with
music and acrobats a-leaping, all designed to conjure the
worlds myriad cultures. The show is structured in 14 scenes and
blends the marvels of contemporary circus with theater, dance
and clownery. All woven together and further energized by
original music, astonishing costumes, astounding make-up and
multimedia video and lighting effects.
COSTUMES
--------
Another element that defines the characters in ALLAVITA!, in
addition to the make-up explained to us by make-up designer Eve
Monnier, is the costumes, whose colors, shapes and fabrics
project the characters to the public, helping to characterize
personalities and movements. We meet costume designer Marie
Chantale Vaillancourt, who takes us inside the wardrobe
department of ALLAVITA! Here surrounded by costume designs,
inspirational sketches, colors and fabrics she tells us how
she works and how costumes and accessories have lots of stories
to tell.
Clothes and accessories inspired by food and nature reflect the
Theme of Expo Milano 2015.
Ive been involved right from the beginning explains Marie
Chantale Vaillancourt because we had to design costumes that
would last all these performances and that would be safe for the
performers, so I had to know what kinds of movements and
acrobatics each character would be making. We had to think
firstly about safety and elasticity, and only afterwards about
shape and color. Each color is conceived for the tableaux which
make up the show, and here food has been the dominant
inspiration: for example, various costumes evoke the shapes and
textures of certain vegetables, she says, showing us her
inspirational book and an example of a costume suggesting a red
cabbage. As she leafs through her drawings she adds For some of
the hats I took ideas from corn and bread, for others like
these, with long blue tails I evoked natural elements like
water. There are roughly 124 complete costumes for this show,
and more than 500 accessories, from shoes to hats. Im so
excited about our first night!
A WORLD OF WONDERS
------------------
The show will run until August 30, from Wednesday to Sunday at
21:30 until the end of July and at 21:15 during August. There
are three ticket options, from 25 to 35 Euros, and an entrance
ticket to Expo Milano 2015 must also be shown.
Remember, EXPO Milano 2015 is the only place to see ALLAVITA!
Ever. So dont miss this chance!
{ SOURCE: Expo 2015 }
Meet Krista Monson - Writer/Director Allavita!
{May.18.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
What to do with a magic seed is the storyline of Allavita!, the
exclusive show of Canadas Cirque du Soleil created for Expo
Milano 2015 to celebrate the nutrition for body and soul that
nature offers to human beings.
Inspired by the theme of the Italian world exposition Feeding
the Planet, Energy for Life, the show debuted earlier this
week. It will be held every night from Wednesday to Sunday until
Aug. 30 in the open theater of the Expos site, northwest of
Milan.
Allavita! (To life!) is about a young boy, Leo, who receives the
gift of a magic seed from his grandmother before she dies, and
he does not know what to do with it.
A puppet, Farro (Spelt,) will guide Leo into a fantastic world
in the discovery of all what nature can offer in terms of
nutrition, love and energy. In fact Allavita! is a call to be
aware of the roots that bring human beings together and to feed
the life with passion.
I wanted to create a show that is fantastic in the universe of
Cirque du Soleil but also with a message, Krista Monson, the
writer and stage director for Allavita!, told Xinhua in an
interview shortly after the shows dress rehearsal held earlier
this week.
We want 10,000 people to walk out every night with 10,000
different interpretations, she stressed.
Some people may gain a profound sense as we are talking about
the history of the civilization of food, while the imagination
and stage technology coming together with human performance may
have an impact on others. This was my goal, to create something
that all ages and nationalities would appreciate from different
levels, Monson said.
The cast is composed of nearly 50 artists from different
countries.
I work here with Canadians, Italians, Russians, Americans,
Australians, Japanese, Spanish, Cubans
and the sand painter
was Chinese, she spent two weeks with us to create the
illustrations for the show, Giacomo Marcheschi, an Italian
performer who plays the protagonist role of Leo, told Xinhua.
So it is a great challenge, but we are a beautiful group full
of collaboration spirit and energy, Marcheschi, 28, added.
When you have a passion, you would dedicate all the time to it,
which is the reason why, at the end of the day, the two-year
hard work to prepare the show was only a pleasure, he pointed
out.
In fact an international flavor has always characterized the
Cirque du Soleil in its constant evolution, Yasmine Khalil, the
president of 45 Degrees, the event division of Cirque du Soleil,
explained.
Founded in 1984, the worlds most popular circus production
company has travelled across over 330 cities and 48 countries to
evoke the emotions and provoke imagination of close to 160
million spectators.
In a recent statement, Cirque du Soleil announced an agreement
under which TPG, a global private investment firm, will acquire
a majority stake to fuel growth and take the cirque to new
markets. Cirque du Soleils founder, Guy Laliberte, will
maintain a stake in the business.
The statement also added that Fosun, one of Chinas leading
privately-owned investment groups, will acquire a minority stake
and together the firms will work to launch and expand the
Quebec-based circus empire in China.
Khalil told Xinhua that having a Chinese investor will be very
exciting for the Cirque du Soleil.
We really want to go to China and hope that with this new
partnership we will have more opportunities to finally be able
to go and show to the Chinese world what the Cirque du Soleil is
all about, she said.
{ SOURCE: Xinhua News Agency | http://goo.gl/ExvfgG }
The craziest Mad Max stunts were inspired by Cirque?
{May.19.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Of the trick motorcycle driving, masterful truck steering,
skilled fighting and crazy pyrotechnics, the most inventive
stunts in Mad Max: Fury Road were probably the ones with pole-
cats. Thats what action unit director Guy Norris called his
stuntmen who climbed and perched atop giant metal poles in
sequences that were surprisingly inspired by Cirque du Soleil
and Babe.
Norris, who worked with Fury Road director George Miller on Mad
Max 2: The Road Warrior over thirty years ago, also teamed up
with Miller on the family-friendly pig movie. It was a scene in
the latter film, says Norris, that got the filmmakers thinking
about incorporating metal poles into the action epic Fury Road.
(In Babe) there was a street performer that was up a
stationary pole, Norris said. It was a back lot sequence. Im
not sure it ended up in the movie.
The scene, which we assume it ended up on the cutting room floor
(because we couldnt find it), inspired Norris and Miller to
look into what it would be like to have that street performers
pole swing. And race 50mph across the desert.
So Norris did some research.
He went to Cirque du Soleil shows around the world and studied
the Chinese pole routines. He then had a Cirque performer train
Fury Road stuntmen, and then overtrain them to make sure the
action was as safe as it can possibly be without using green
screens.
Norris team also had to develop the right pole, and landed on
one with a high fulcrum that was like the old fashion water
duck statue at peoples desks, and was balanced by weight at
the top and very bottom. Stuntmen pushed and pulled the bottom
part of the pole at specific angles with assistance from laser
beams, while other performers climbed the poles.
Then, it was a matter of taking the Chinese pole techniques on
the road, so to speak. The pole action complete with fights,
climbs, and drivers who dismounted their vehicles to get on the
poles was done was done in one choreographed five-minute-or-so
take that was like one giant live event that allowed George to
put the cameras where he wanted.
PHOTOS /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=6022 >
{ SOURCE: USA Today | http://goo.gl/ZZEq5D }
Are You KURIOS About Virtual Reality?
{May.19.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Montréal-based Félix & Paul Studios, a leading producer of
cinematic live-action virtual reality content, today announced
that its latest VR production, the groundbreaking virtual
reality experience INSIDE THE BOX OF KURIOS Cabinet of
Curiosities from Cirque du Soleil, is now available to viewers
via the Oculus Store on Samsungs Gear VR Innovator Editions for
the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S 6. This unique ten-minute virtual
reality experience a coproduction between Félix & Paul Studios
and Cirque du Soleil Média in partnership with Samsung for the
launch of the new Gear VR virtual reality headset for the Galaxy
S 6 puts the viewer in the midst of a fantastical 3D world
full of acrobats, jugglers and unusual curiosity acts. (The
Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, is now available for
purchase at Best Buy stores nationwide and online at BestBuy.com
and Samsung.com.)
A STUNNING CINEMATIC VIRTUAL REALITY
------------------------------------
Were excited to team with Félix & Paul Studios and Cirque du
Soleil Média to bring the stunning cinematic virtual reality
experience INSIDE THE BOX OF KURIOS Cabinet of Curiosities
from Cirque du Soleil to a broad range of consumers through the
Gear VR Innovator Edition for Note 4 and Galaxy S6, said
Nicholas DiCarlo, vice president and general manager of
immersive products and virtual reality at Samsung Electronics
America. Working with our partners Oculus and Best Buy, Gear VR
users will experience the magic of Cirque du Soleil in an
immersive way unlike anything they have ever experienced
before.
With INSIDE THE BOX OF KURIOS Cabinet of Curiosities from
Cirque du Soleil, Cirque du Soleil Média and Félix & Paul
Studios have created an original virtual reality experience that
immerses the viewer in a mysterious and fascinating realm that
disorients viewers senses and challenges their perceptions.
Just like the theatrical version of KURIOS, INSIDE THE BOX OF
KURIOS transports the viewer into the curio cabinet of an
ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and
dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. The
virtual reality version allows anyone with a Samsung Gear VR and
compatible Samsung smartphone to immerse themselves in a world
that is an ingenious blend of unusual curiosity acts and
stunning acrobatic prowess, showing that anything is possible
through the power of imagination.
For this virtual reality experience, we teamed up with Cirque
du Soleil and created an ambitious and imaginative show for a
single spectator. We want to take our audience of one on a
journey thats really unique, emotionally vibrant, and filled
with moments of humor, surreal wonder and fantasy, said Félix
Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël, co-founders of Félix & Paul
Studios, who co-directed this experience with Michel Laprise,
director of the theatrical version of Kurios.
GO INSIDE THE BOX
-----------------
INSIDE THE BOX OF KURIOS takes full advantage of Félix & Paul
Studios proprietary VR production platform, including
stereoscopic 360° recording and processing technology.
VIDEO /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY4r13LIfyQ >
Michel Laprise: "At Cirque Du Soleil we are addicted to new
stuff. We like to talk to the audience in different ways. We
like to surprise people. When something like VR shows up of
course we want to get involved. I love it! ... Virtual reality
is not realistic, but is super authentic. And that's exactly
what we wanted to achieve with Kurios."
Felix Lajeunes: "Felix and Paul Studios is solely focused on the
creation of virtual reality experiences. We needed to identify
moments inside of the show that we believe could come together
to create a great virtual reality experience. To record the
experience we are using our proprietary recording technology
that records images at 360° in 3D."
Michel Laprise: The camera was on the stage so it was great to
play around it. It's like having an audience member on the stage
with us. The work was to concentrate on one viewer, without
diminishing the level of energy and vitality. The viewer is the
new person that arrives in the Cabinet des Curiosités. The
viewer will get to experience very intimate and private moments
and also grandiose moments. The modulation between those moments
will create a very special emotional journey. We're just at the
beginning of exploring new ways to tell our stories.
ABOUT FELIX & PAUL STUDIOS
--------------------------
Félix & Paul Studios is a virtual reality content and technology
innovator focused on the creation of cinematic, highly immersive
live-action virtual reality experiences. Led by directors and
visual artists Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël, the Montreal-
based studio has developed a proprietary platform for 3D 360°
virtual reality filming, audio recording and production, as well
as a unique, pioneering and in-depth approach to the new art of
virtual reality storytelling. The studios creations set the
highest quality standards in the industry and offer viewers a
fully immersive sense of presence, time and space yet to be
achieved on any other media platform. Félix & Paul Studios is
backed by leading investors and advisors in the visual arts,
entertainment and high tech industries.
{ SOURCE: PR Web, YouTube | http://goo.gl/ui1EkA }
Five things about Cirques Tomonari (Black) Ishiguro
{May.20.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
As a featured performer in Cirque du Soleils Kurios: Cabinet of
Curiosities, running until May 24, Tomonari (Black) Ishiguro
wows the crowds with his you-have-to-see-it-to-believe it yo-yo
routine. Ruth Myles finds out five fascinating things about this
astounding artist.
1. After seeing some Americans walk the dog, as it were,
Ishiguro set his sights on becoming a yo-yo master. Before I
went into a competition for the first time, I think I spent
10,000 hours practicing in four years. That was 18 years ago in
his native Japan; since then, hes been world yo-yo champion
twice and has given a TED Talk. These days, he works on
developing the performance aspect of his routine as he
transitions from being a competitor to a professional
entertainer with Cirque du Soleil.
2. His year-long (and counting) stint with Kurios is a way of
giving back to the community, both here and abroad. When I won
the world yo-yo contest, my dream came true, but when I went
back to Japan, nothing changed in my life. I realized society
didnt value my passion. It wasnt only for me. The world yo-yo
contest is held every year, so world yo-yo champion is born
every year, but most of them were not recognized by society. I
wanted to change that situation.
3. In his four-minute routine, Ishiguro uses three yo-yos
custom-made for him by an engineer friend. (His collection at
home numbers just under 1,000.) A regular yo-yo is too small to
show on such a big stage, so I need a big yo-yo. But if I make a
big yo-yo, it is too heavy and difficult so I needed a light
material. Aluminum is a popular light metal, but magnesium is
lighter, so its one of the best materials to make this big yo-
yo.
4. Seeing Ishiguro perform, it is hard to believe that those are
yo-yos he is manipulating, given how mind-bendingly dizzying his
routine is. That is not only me. Most of us (in Kurios) are
performing really amazing or sometimes crazy tricks, but because
we are so used to it, sometimes it looks not very difficult.
Its not really important to me to show this is really, really
difficult. Asking the audience to enjoy the show is more
important.
5. Given that level of difficulty, things are bound to go awry.
What then? Most of the tricks, I have alternative plans. If I
make a mistake with this trick, I adjust with that one. I have
so many patterns to correct, Ishiguro says. (And if youve seen
anyone perform a yo-yo routine in the past decade, chances are
that it contains at least one trick Ishiguro pioneered.
Sometimes, I try not to hide the mistake and that is fine. As I
said before, its a communication with the audience so I always
want to be honest.
{ SOURCE: Calgary Herald | http://goo.gl/DK7Oom }
Fathom Events: One Night for One Drop
{May.21.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Fathom Events is thrilled to bring One Night for ONE DROP
Imagined by Cirque du Soleil to select cinemas nationwide in an
incredible one-night event on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m.
(local time).
One Night for ONE DROP is a completely original performance that
occurred when world renowned performers, alongside artists from
all eight Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows, volunteered their
time for the One Drop Foundation to help raise awareness for
global water issues. Produced and created by Mukhtar O.S.
Mukhtar, this cinema event includes the performance captured in
March of this year at The Beatles LOVE Theatre at The Mirage
along with additional behind-the-scenes footage.
EXPLORING THE LIVES
-------------------
Through the Eyes of One, We Explore the Lives of Many
Walking for water has been the life story of many women from
developing countries. Who are they?
A woman living in a world of water hovers above our world. Who
is she? What is her connection to these women who spend their
days gathering water for their families?
Through the eyes of a woman from her world of water, an
exploration into the lives of six different women on their
journey to find water is taking place. Each of these women has
encountered uniquely different life experiences from their
explorations, gatherings and surroundings. It is through her
eyes that we see stories of love in its many infinite forms and
the sacrifices that we must make in our determination to
survive. The beautiful discovery of realizing ones
individuality gives way to the daily 9 to 5 grid of systematic
existence. Some will follow their dreams, while others will
choose to forego their dreams to the realities of their life. At
the end, what will your memories hold for you?
Through her eyes, we experience their lives.
Through her eyes, we experience our lives.
Through her eyes, we are all connected.
EVENT INFORMATION
-----------------
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 7:30 p.m. (local time)
Run Time: 1 hours 30 minutes (approximate)
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE:
< http://www.fathomevents.com/event/one-night-for-one-drop >
SEE A PREVIEW HERE:
< https://youtu.be/y2HKsDm4n6M >
{ SOURCE: Fathom Events }
For the Record: BAZ Coming to LIGHT this Summer
{May.22.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
A new musical spectacular featuring Baz Luhrmanns greatest
works will be joining Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey on the
Vegas strip. Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and For The Record have
teamed up for a Mandalay Bay residency to present a unique
tribute to the Oscar-nominated director, Vegas style.
For The Record: BAZ will blend moments from Moulin Rouge, The
Great Gatsby and Romeo + Juliet along with choreography by Emmy-
nominated Spencer Liff (So You Think You Can Dance). The modern
cabaret highlighting Luhrmanns memorable films will be the
newest addition to the Strip as an extension of LIGHT at
Mandalay Bay a nightclub that regularly features Cirque du
Soleil performers.
When we discovered For The Record we instantly knew that their
vision of turning popular cinema into immersive entertainment
would be a perfect match for Las Vegas, said Scott Zeiger,
president of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. We are excited about
this unique partnership and thrilled to bring BAZ to LIGHT at
Mandalay Bay in this uniquely staged residency.
Rumer Willis and Evan Rachel Wood have participated as part of
For The Records rotating cast that blends music and cinema by
showcasing the works of Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, John
Hughes and Robert Zemeckis. The spectacular, created by Shane
Scheel, Christopher Lloyd Bratten and Anderson Davis, will give
audiences the feeling of being at a rock concert, musical and
nightclub at the same time.
Preview Performances begin June 19th.
Opening Night: June 26th.
CHECK OUT BAZ AT LIGHT HERE:
< http://thelightvegas.com/baz/ >
{ SOURCE: Billboard | http://goo.gl/3NHd7g }
Laliberté eyes Île Ste-Hélène for Pangéa project
{May.27.2015}
-----------------------------------------------------
Reports of Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberté eyeing part
of Île Ste-Hélène for his special Pangéa project were met with
some hesitation on Tuesday.
According to Le Devoir, Laliberté is coveting a 130,000-square-
metre part of the island that would be transformed into a mix of
public gathering spaces and walking trails.
Lalibertés Pangéa project is reportedly supposed to be a new
way of commemorating the dead in a more interactive way than
usual funeral ceremonies. The site itself would look to include
room for private funerals, a museum, a restaurant and a cemetery
for pets.
In a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Denis Coderre said it was
too early to comment on the project or any negotiations that
have happened between the city and Laliberté. He added that he
loves Lalibertés vision, however, and that he wants there to be
a relationship between the city and the businessman.
Laliberté reportedly wants the project to be completed in time
for Montreals 375th anniversary in 2017.
Parts of Île Ste-Hélène were deemed heritage sites in 2007 by
the city of Montreal. Dinu Bumbaru, of Héritage Montréal, said
the project shouldnt even be considered on the island.
He agreed the island is underused and underappreciated, but
cautioned the consequences of selling off public land. Its
Montreals first park. If we let this one go, whats next he
asked.
He said the fact that the project is being discussed openly
shows the dire need for the city to establish a clear plan for
Parc Jean Drapeau on a whole.
Just look at Place des Nations, he said. It was a sign of
Montreals coming of age as a world-class metropolis and now
its used to store picnic tables.
Bumbaru said he feels the idea of selling off a public park, and
losing many of the trees along with it, would never be
considered if it wasnt Île Ste-Hélène.
Maybe its too far from the heart of the city for people to
care, he said. I think its an interesting idea, but this just
isnt the right place to do it. Period.
{ SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/ujE8fX }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & KURIOS}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Quidam, Varekai & TORUK}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
Believe, ZarKÀna, MJ ONE & JOYÀ}
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 GrandChapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
Madrid, ES -- May 6, 2015 to Jun 21, 2015
PortAventura, ES -- July 3, 2015 to Aug 23, 2015
Brussels, BE -- Sep 11, 2015 to Oct 11, 2015
Paris, FR -- Nov 5, 2015 to Dec 13, 2015
London, UK -- Jan 16, 2016 to Feb 14, 2016
Corteo:
Mérida, MX -- Jun 25, 2015 to Jul 12, 2015
Guadalajara, MX -- Jul 30, 2015 to Aug 16, 2015
Mexico City, MX -- Sep 3, 2015 to Nov 22, 2015
** CORTEO TO CLOSE IN MEXICO CITY **
Koozå:
Columbus, OH -- Jun 4, 2015 to Jul 5, 2015
Virginia Beach, VA -- Jul 16, 2015 to Aug 16, 2015
Austin, TX -- Sep 3, 2015 to Sep 27, 2015
Vancouver, BC -- Oct 29, 2015 to Dec 13, 2015
Kurios:
Denver, CO -- Jun 11, 2015 to Jul 26, 2015
Chicago, IL -- Aug 6, 2015 to Sep 20, 2015
Costa Mesa, CA -- Oct 15, 2015 to Nov 29, 2015
Los Angeles, CA -- Dec 10, 2015 to Feb 7, 2016
Atlanta, GA -- Mar 3, 2016 to May 8, 2016 (**)
Ovo:
Sendai, JP -- Apr 23, 2015 to Jun 7, 2015
Totem:
Adelaide, AU -- Jun 11, 2015 to Jul 12, 2015
Perth, AU -- Jul 31, 2015 to Sep 20, 2015
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Quidam:
Stockholm, SE -- Jun 3, 2015 to Jun 6, 2015
Krakow, PL -- Jun 12, 2015 to Jun 14, 2015
Gdansk, PL -- Jun 18, 2015 to Jun 21, 2015
Tel Aviv, IL -- Jul 2, 2015 to Jul 16, 2015
Bangkok, TH -- Jul 29, 2015 to Aug 3, 2015
Varekai:
Edmonton, AB -- Jun 18, 2015 to Jun 21, 2015
Winnipeg, MB -- Jun 24, 2015 to Jun 28, 2015
Ottawa, ON -- Jul 2, 2015 to Jul 5, 2015
Baltimore, MD -- Jul 8, 2015 to Jul 12, 2015
Boston, MA -- Jul 15, 2015 to Jul 19, 2015
Fairfax, VA -- Jul 22, 2015 to Jul 26, 2015
Duluth, GA -- Jul 29, 2015 to Aug 2, 2015
Tampa, FL -- Aug 5, 2015 to Aug 9, 2015
Sunrise, FL -- Aug 12, 2015 to Aug 23, 2015
Nashville, FL -- Aug 26, 2015 to Aug 30, 2015
Toronto, ON -- Sep 2, 2015 to Sep 6, 2015
Berlin, DE -- Oct 8, 2015 to Oct 11, 2015
Leipzig, DE -- Oct 14, 2015 to Oct 18, 2015
Stuttgart, DE -- Oct 21, 2015 to Oct 25, 2015
Mannheim, DE -- Oct 28, 2015 to Nov 1, 2015
Vienna, AT -- Nov 4, 2015 to Nov 8, 2015
Dortmund, DE -- Nov 11, 2015 to Nov 15, 2015
Cologne, DE -- Nov 18, 2015 to Nov 22, 2015
Innsbruck, AT -- Nov 25, 2015 to Nov 29, 2015
Munich, DE -- Dec 2, 2015 to Dec 6, 2015
Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES -- Jan 27, 2016 to Jan 31, 2016
Lyon, FR -- Feb 3, 2016 to Feb 7, 2016
Hamburg, DE -- Feb 10, 2016 to Feb 14, 2016
Luxembourg, LU -- Feb 17, 2016 to Feb 21, 2016
Hanover, DE -- Feb 24, 2016 to Feb 28, 2016
Montpellier, FR -- Mar 17, 2016 to Mar 20, 2016
Nice, FR -- Mar 23, 2016 to Mar 27, 2016
Nantes, FR -- Nov 16, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016
Toulouse, FR -- Nov 23, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016
Strasbourg, FR -- Nov 30, 2016 to Dec 4, 2016
TORUK - The First Flight:
Lafayette, LA -- Nov 20, 2015 to Nov 22, 2015
Montreal, QC -- Dec 26, 2015 to Jan 3, 2016
Auburn Hills, MI -- Jan 22, 2016 to Jan 24, 2016
North Little Rock, AR -- Feb 19, 2016 to Feb 21, 2016
North Charleston, SC -- Feb 26, 2016 to Feb 28, 2016
Tulsa, OK -- Mar 25, 2016 to Mar 27, 2016
Kansas City, MO -- Apr 1, 2016 to Apr 3, 2016
Louisville, KY -- Apr 29, 2016 to May 1, 2016
Cincinnati, OH -- May 5, 2016 to May 8, 2016
Hamilton, ON -- May 20, 2016 to May 22, 2016
London, ON -- May 27, 2016 to May 29, 2016
Providence, RI -- Jun 3, 2016 to Jun 5, 2016
Raleigh, NC -- Jun 24, 2016 to Jun 26, 2016
---------------------------------
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
2015 Dark Dates:
o July 15
o September 10 - 18
o November 11
Added performances in 2015:
o April 2
o December 31 (only 7 pm performance)
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2015 Dark Dates:
o June 14
o August 3 - 11
o October 11
o November 30 - December 15
Added performances in 2015:
o March 17 and 31
o December 29
La Nouba:
Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o November 2 - 5
o December 7 - 9
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7:00pm on the following days in 2015: January 20,
May 8, May 15, May 19, May 20, and December 31)
2015 Dark Dates:
o June 16
o August 16 - 31
o October 31
o December 6 - 14
Added performance in 2015:
o December 27
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7 pm performances on May 9, 16 and June 21)
2015 Dark Dates:
o May 30 - June 5
o August 5
o September17 - 25
o November 18
Added performances in 2015:
o January 1 - 2
o April 3
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7:00p.m. performances on May 15-16, June 19-21, December 31)
(Only 4:30p.m. & 7:00p.m. performances on July 4)
2015 Dark Dates:
o July 28 August 5
o September 15 17
o October 20 22
o December 1 16
Added performances in 2014:
o June 9
o December 30
CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE:
Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2015 Show Schedule:
o Wednesday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (only 7:00pm on January 7,
February 4 - 25, September 30)
o Thursday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (only 7:00pm on January 8-29,
December 31)
o Friday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (only 7:00pm on January 930,
February 6, February 20 27, March 6 13,
May 1 22, June 5, June 19, September 1125,
October 29, October 2330, December 4 11,
December 25)
o Saturday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (only 7:00pm on May 216,
June 20, July 4, October 31)
o Sunday: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (only 7:00pm on February 822,
March 115, April 26, May 24, June 7, June 21,
September 1327, October 425, November 18,
November 2229, December 613)
2015 Dark Dates:
o May 25 June 2
o June 22 30
o August 31 September 8
o November 9 17
o December 14 22
Added Performances in 2015:
o December 29
ZARKÀNA:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2015 Dark Dates:
o July 14
o September 6 - 14
o November 10
Added Performances in 2015:
o December 28
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Two Shows Nightly - Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Schedule: 7:00pm & 9:30pm on Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday
4:30pm & 7:00pm on Sunday
(Only 7:00pm on January 12, 19, & 26, February 9, 16, & 23)
(Only 4:30pm & 7:00pm performances on July 4)
2015 Dark Dates:
o June 3 18
o August 11
o October 14 22
o December 15
Added performances in 2015:
o August 19
o November 25
o December 30
JOYÀ:
Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
One/Two Shows Nightly:
9:00pm (Weekdays)
7:00pm & 10:15pm (Fri, Sat & Holidays)
Prices:
o) VIP Show Dinner & Champagne [RED] $MXN 2,970.00
o) Show Dinner and Champagne [BLUE] $MXN 2,178.00
o) Show and Champagne [GREEN] $MXN 1,452.00
o) Show Only [ORANGE] $MXN $1,056
o) High Stools (Show Only) [PURPLE] $MXN 858.000
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) Networking -- Posts on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
o) Special -- Notes From The Trapeze...
---------------------------------------------------
NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
---------------------------------------------------
{Compiled by Keith Johnson}
---[ AMALUNA ]---
{May.06}
This is what the Amaluna artists see before they go on stage.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/SxakHd >
{May.07}
Our Big Top is almost ready to welcome you. Are you ready to
enter the mysterious world of Amaluna?
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/OUjbxF >
---[ CORTEO ]---
{May.03}
Today is our last show in Bogotá. Thank you for giving us
such amazing energy.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/9Sg34x >
{May.07}
This is the first time that Cirque du Soleil will visit
Merida. Out team is working hard to make it reality.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/C0XpAA >
{May.10}
Happy Mothers Day!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/1LCEdc >
{May.12}
Come on, I am ready to catch you!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/j61yHj >
{May.21}
The biggest shoes are for our clown giant, and the smallest
shows are for Valentyna!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/GVHWD5 >
{May.26}
Flying like a bird during teeterboard training.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/rAb4RA >
{May.29}
Colorful makeup.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/SklOiC >
---[ CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE ]---
{May.18}
Seeing is believing! Witness the most spectacular
illusions from the magician of the century.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/sqgP5H >
---[ KOOZA ]---
{May.21}
The KOOZA cast and crew are on their way to Columbus!!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/VdpS18 >
---[ KURIOS ]---
{May.12}
Great morning on site with CTV Calgary. We are here for only
2 more weeks, don't miss the chance to come see us before we
head to Denver, CO.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/rkAb6q >
{May.14}
Lovin' this drawing done yesterday for a preview of the
Denver Chalk Art Festival. Cant wait to see all the artists
do their KURIOS inspired art June 6th and 7th!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/mss8GU >
{May.20}
Hey Denver! We're coming your way very soon! We hope we
spark your KURIOS-ity
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/ich6t9 >
{May.21}
You've been amazing, Calgary!
LINK /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyiprTCf0TE >
{May.29}
Come and see us at CicLAvia in Pasadena to experience our
exclusive KURIOS zone!
LINK /// < http://www.ciclavia.org/ciclavia_pasadena >
{May.31}
This bike experience tests if reality is relative at
CicLAvia today in Pasadena!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/LirXoI1/ >
{May.31}
Thanks Pasadena and Bidlane.com for an awesome LicLAvia
event today!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/HjyIff >
---[ OVO ]---
{May.07}
Congratulations on OVO 50,000 spectators in Sendai!!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/czCj6h >
{May.23}
Ant rehearsal.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/r6elyv >
{May.25}
OVO Sendai performances were seen by 100,000 people!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/CVUCw7 >
---[ QUIDAM ]---
{May.04}
After a very successful run, this is how we feel
leaving Russia.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/S359tW >
{May.09}
A colorful group of Quidams were part of The Color Run
in Linkoping today and by the look on their [gold!] faces
we can say it was the happiest 5K on the Planet!!!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/nRbtR4 >
{May.14}
People in Goteborg were just walking by on the street,
relaxing in the park on sunny holiday off and then BAM!
there was the Quidam Street Team. What would YOU do if
you stumbled across these characters!?
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/d6j1Oq >
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/vkORQ0 >
{May.16}
Gothenburg Street Team Papasketball!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/NOvww4 >
---[ TOTEM ]---
{May.19}
Our bandleader Josh Geisler in action during Rings Trio!
Did you know, the live band is following and reacting to
the action on stage in real time? Josh listens to the
General Stage Manager, watches the acts carefully, plays
guitar, triggers electronic musical cues and directs the
5 other musicians and two singers! That's multitasking!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/ChdGQ4 >
{May.21}
As we travel around the world, our cast & crew members
get to fully experience different cities and feel like
locals...even miles away from their hometown! Visit
Brisbane asked some of our artists to list their favorite
Queensland activities! Take notes of these good addresses.
Guilhem Cauchois, Trapeze: http://cirk.me/brisbane1
Jonathan Buese, High Bars: http://cirk.me/brisbane2
Annette Bauer, Musician: http://cirk.me/brisbane3
{May.24}
The 5:00pm show ended less than an hour ago and we are
already tearing down the stage! Thank you Brisbane, you
have been an amazing cheerful audience! Watch out Adelaide,
you are next and we are coming from Brisbane with loads of
energy - it must be the Queensland sun!!
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/4ITK8D >
{May.29}
As we are getting ready for Adelaide, enjoy this making-of
video of our Brisbane Street Art murals! Mat Stewart
Creative spent 8 days painting 4 pylons of Coronation
Highway with designs inspired by TOTEM characters!
LINK /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=20&v=BhOcwSqZXBc >
---[ VAREKAI ]---
{May.02}
A very special THANKS/ MERCI to the students of Pen High
for their amazing artwork inspired by Varekai! We hope
you enjoy the show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/YT8xwx >
{May.06}
Check it out! Our artists had the opportunity to
collaborate with the students from The Art Institute of
Portland in the creation of this art-inspired kaleidoscopic
video of the story of Icarus coming to life on the streets
of Portland.
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/8Eno9P >
{May.07}
Portland! If you are hesitant about coming out to see
Varekai at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, check out
this review from The Orgonian!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/qAbQR1 >
{May.10}
One special fan got the chance to wish her mom a Happy
Mother's Day from some characters of her mom's favorite
Cirque show! And that show just so happened to be Varekai.
For all the moms out there... Happy Mother's Day from
Varekai!! ?
LINK /// < https://goo.gl/iWgtQj >
{May.13}
Check out the inspirational stories of 4 of our amazing
and talented women who perform on the Varekai stage night
after night.
---------------------------------------
SPECIAL: Notes From The Trapeze...
---------------------------------------
Notes from the Trapeze: Little Lights in the Varekai Forest
By Kerren McKeeman
As little girls, we felt joy. We felt wonder, we felt awe. A falling
leaf mesmerized us; a playing cat stopped us in our tracks; the wind
in the trees enveloped us in a state of utter adoration and complete
reverie. What is it that is so beautiful about a little girl who
stands captivated every ounce of her body, gripped and focused? She
is in rapture, fear erased by a pure, pure love. The light in her eyes
is insuppressible and could illuminate the darkest of skies.
Three-year old Arisa stood transfixed; her sisters were throwing the
shiny, silver batons around in her living room and she couldnt take
her eyes off the flashy movement. Her fascination was so pure and
strong it grew; by the time Arisa was an adult her love of baton had
brought her to win six world championships. After she learned her
coachs moves she went on to create her own. Arisa realized that with
the baton she could shatter limits; by herself she could touch only
what was in arms reach, but with the baton, her world became as high
or as far as she could throw it. Her favorite time to practice was
outside at night, because when she threw the baton she realized she
could touch the stars.
It was an early morning on her eighth birthday; Alona was upside down
balanced on two hands she breathed in, engaged every muscle in her
body, shifted weight onto her right hand and... lifted her left arm.
She held it! For five seconds she kept the balance, and everything
stopped. Alona was hypnotized by the stillness. At age four, Alona
began her handstand training on the road with her parents, as they
performed with traveling circuses in Europe. Training was grueling,
but Alona had found a peacefulness on her hands unlike anywhere else.
As she grew up, she saw many male handbalancers making sharp, angular
shapes and many female balancers performing contortion over the years
she combined what she liked of the two to form her own unique shapes.
Now, every time she finds that perfect balance, she is brought back to
the first time she realized she could place herself and the world in
perfect equilibrium.
Only five years old, Isabelle stood onstage; she looked her sister in
the eye, they breathed in...what followed was a beautiful song,
flowing through the two sisters like breeze running through a field of
tall grass. Only eighteen months apart, the girls were classically
trained in voice by their mother. Although very young, Isabelle was
enraptured by what song taught her about life; no matter what
happened, she could root her feet to the ground, lift her chest to the
sky, and simply take another breath. As life presented challenges,
Isabelle knew there would be an answer because she remembered the
little girl inside who discovered the secret: take a deep breath and
the solution will come.
For one triumphant moment, I stood on the floor looking up at my crib
in pure delight; I had climbed out of it. At eighteen months, I had
found that there was so much adventure in climbing, going up; there
was a certain peace up there, a new perspective from above. At age
twelve, when I found trapeze, I felt that no matter what my reality
was on the ground, I could rise above it the when I flew into the air.
There was such freedom in flight! And in that moment of suspension,
gravity is defied and my breath is swept away the air caresses my
face and pulls at my hair in that moment everything takes off... and
anything and everything feels possible.
Years later we are brought together as adults into the Varekai forest.
We are women but that little girl still lives inside, she comes to
life onstage: Arisa holds the whole world in her fingertips; Alona can
make the world stand still; Isabelle can find a solution to anything
with one deep breath; and when I lift off the ground, I feel that
anything is possible. So when we step onto the stage every night, it
is perhaps more than a memory that we feel, it might just be that
little girl in us with a light in her eyes who is bravely leading
the way.
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "Exploring The World of Pandora"
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) "KURIOS and VAREKAI: Where Less is... about the Same"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
o) SPECIAL /// "Life and Death at Cirque du Soleil"
By: Michael Joseph Gross, via Vanity Fair
------------------------------------------------------------
"Exploring The World of Pandora"
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier in the month Cirque du Soleil invited us to explore the
distant planet of Pandora (in similar vain to Googles Sensory Chrome
Experiment: Movi Kanti Revo) to unearth artifacts to piece together
the identities of five ancient clans. The more artifacts you found,
the more information you unlocked, and the closer you got to winning a
one-of-a-kind experience with three of your closest friends. In order
to unlock the sweepstakes you had to collect at least 12 of these
artifacts (but they were easy to spot), but we didn't stop exploring
once we did so. There were 25 total artifacts to find in the jungles
of Pandora, five for each clan, and in doing so we learned quite a bit
about those clans, and what possibly to expect from "TORUK - The First
Flight" itself!
So, here's what we've learned:
CLAN OMATICAYA
--------------
OMATICAYA SYMBOL -- Deep in the heart of the jungle, in the alcoves
and hollows of a soaring Hometree, is the habitat of the highly
spiritual Omaticaya clan. The Hometree is an individual tree that
grows as a mighty structure. For the Omaticaya clan, their home is an
ever-present symbol of the strength in community. The Omaticaya are
also renowned for their stunning textiles and weaving capabilities.
Their intricate patterns create some of the most sophisticated fabrics
and structures in all the land. The unbreakable focus and dexterity of
the Omaticaya at the loom makes this one of the most mesmerizing
sights to be seen on Pandora.
MOTHER LOOM -- Perhaps the most significant piece of Omaticaya culture
is the Mother Loom. It stands in a place of honor inside the Omaticaya
home, appropriately called the Hometree. For the Omaticaya, time at
the loom is just as much about the practice of craft as it is about
producing selfless joy. Each textile is the output of pure enjoyment
and happiness. This energy is weaved into each brilliant piece and can
create a serene force field of euphoria-like energy.
CEREMONIAL BOW -- There are many bows a Navi of any clan may fashion
or acquire. from a young child to a sage elder. The most basic is a
childs bow often adorned by hand with twine and other decorative
elements. While a childrens bow is nothing particularly inventive in
terms of design, it can still be lethal if an arrow is shot with
cunning accuracy. When a Navi youth reaches a certain point in
adolescence, they carve a bow from the Hometree. This represents a
coming-of-age ritual. At this point, the bow is called The Hunting
Bow, appropriately named for the task it often carries out. One of
the most prestigious bows is the Ceremonial Bow, often used by clan
elders for various ceremonies. Ones path to earning a Ceremonial Bow
requires patience as it is traditionally passed down through
generations. A Ceremonial Bow is carved from the Hometree and is a
beautiful representation of the peak of Navi design. Its curved shape
honours the Direhorse, a six-legged creature native to Pandora, known
to help the Navi during hunt or battle.
LOINCLOTH -- The Omaticaya take a more simplified approach to dress
than other clans and typically bare more skin. This giving of flesh
symbolizes their open, pure, and giving spirit towards Eywa. A main
piece of dress is the tweng (loincloth). It helps distinguish the
various families within the greater Omaticaya clan. Members of the
same kin wear specific color combinations, woven patterns, and
decorative accents with pride, some of which can be traced back to
ancient ancestors.
LEONOPTERYX TALISMAN -- This beautiful Omaticayan toy is crafted from
flexible sticks and decorated with twigs and reeds to resemble the
Great Leonopteryx. The Leonopteryx is also known in Navi as the
Toruk, which roughly translates as the last shadow. When stalking a
prey, the Toruk casts a massive shadow that blankets the landscape.
The leonopteryx shadow may well be the last shadow you will ever see.
See these artifacts here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5922 >
CLAN TIPANI
-----------
TIPANI SYMBOL --- Fierce warriors. Virtuous fighters. Naturally
skilled hunters. The Tipani rely heavily on their keen senses and
predatory instincts for survival. During their adolescent years,
strict focus is set on developing both the mind and body for battle
under the guidance of the clan elders. The Tipani are the only Navi
clan known to wear armour. Their statuesque presence, brute strength,
astute sense of hearing, and sharp eyesight enable the Tipani to walk
the land without fear. Sure and light-footed, a Tipani goes easily
undetected. The most experienced Tipani warrior can stock their prey
with such precision that the hunted scarcely realizes its danger until
only moments before its unfortunate demise.
BOLA --- The bola is mainly a hunting weapon that requires a bit of
choreography. One must twirl the bola high in the air, then with great
might, fling the weighted rope with exact accuracy. When the target is
hit, the strands are wrapped around the animal and used as a method of
restraint. There is no intent to make the animal suffer with the bola.
It is a non-harmful form of hunting to respect Eywas creatures.
Moments before taking the animals life, the hunter kneels beside the
creature to place a calming hand on its chest. A transfer of spiritual
energy occurs between hunter and prey, ensuring a tranquil passing
into the afterlife.
HELMET --- Many Tipani apprentices wear a special helmet, which is
essentially a long strand of leather wrapped around animal or insect
shells to hold them in place. These protective bonnets are used during
preliminary training apprentices must face without the aid on an
elder. While the Navi do not fear, wise elder ask the young to wear
helmet when attempting difficult manoeuvres. Most obviously, their
function is a form of protection, but the helmet also trains clarity
and confidence of mind. The spirits of long-lost animals whisper
through the shell into the psyche of the warrior in training to
empower moves while creating an inner sense of calm.
ARMOR --- Many clans have a hand in fashioning armor but the Tipani
are the only ones to wear these protective pieces regularly. In fact,
there is a wardrobe of various armors for specific purposes such as
hunting, training and battle, and less aggressively, singing and
dancing. The armor is mostly made of bones, shells, plants, insects
and even claws of deceased animals. The Tipani believe the animals
predatory and survival instincts are transferred to the warrior who
wears the armor.
WOODEN SPEAR --- The wooden spear is one of the earliest examples of
weaponry ever recorded on Pandora. All clans use wooden spears, but
the Tipani are masters of its deadly purpose. It is not within the
Tipani to engage in senseless combat. When they must fight, they are
very mindful of their choice of weapon. Preference for the spear is
based on versatility. A knife is a magnificent close quarters weapon
and a bow is unmatched in its range advantages. A spears short-range
and long-range proficiency affords dominance on the battleground
regardless of enemy. Historically speaking, the wooden spear is the
first weapon a young Tipani hunter trains with. A centuries-old
tradition sees clan elders accompany groups of warrior apprentices
into the woods where athleticism and tranquility are put to the test.
Success is not measured by the ability to slay a creature, for many
come home empty-handed. It is measured by the ability to stalk prey
without making ones presence known. A master warrior must first
acquire the art of light-footedness before training in the art of the
kill. As the young Tipani develop into expert warriors, they learn to
master many different weapons. The bond they form with their first
spear is carried throughout life.
See these artifacts here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5938 >
CLAN ANURAI
-----------
ANURAI SYMBOL --- Meticulous artisans who spare no detail in their
craft, the Anurai are a highly resourceful clan of creators who draw
on the materials around them. A masterful balance of spirit and
ingenuity has set them apart as the finest craftsmen among the
Pandoran clans. Wild imagination and visionary prowess guide them to
scavenge the vast, bone-littered land in which they live. Both playful
and musical, they specialize in fashioning instruments from the
ancient bones of animals long laid to rest; skeletal remains of a
Thanator, Pandoras deadliest creature, are the most coveted. Using
these and whatever other materials they may find, the Anurai
continuously invent and create beautiful objects.
MUSICAL BONE --- In addition to sculpture, music is another art form
the Anurai explore with animal bones. The animals spirit infiltrates
the clan members body like a forceful muse to guide every cut of the
blade. During this process, the artists movements are almost
instinctual. The animals spirit takes over and vanishes in an instant
when the instrument is complete. This is a very exciting moment when
the Anurai discover the instruments sound for the first time. The
sound is said to be an expression of gratitude from the animal to the
creator. It is an expression of thanks for creating a piece of art
that allows their voice to live on. Little is known about this
particular flute, but it is said a Navi could use this particular
musical bone to call upon the Great Leonopteryx.
BONE SCULPTURE --- This bone sculpture is a prime example of Anurai
artistry and painstaking attention to craft. As an artistic medium,
bones are both practical and metaphorical. The Anurai live in a
sanctuary littered with bones of ancient animals. This environment
fosters an attitude of genuine respect for all life, even after death.
Since the dawn of time, the Anurai have carried this belief. Value of
life, even in passing, is the main motivation to transform symbols of
loss into beautiful works of art. It is believed that this ritual was
first inspired by a call from Eywa. The deity led young clan members
across a bone-littered desert. Sorrow grew with each repetitive step,
passing bone after bone. As they marched into nightfall, at peak of
Pandoras bioluminescence, the clan members were suddenly one with the
long-lost creatures. In this moment, these passed spirits felt
incredibly alive. The need to celebrate these spirits consumed the
clan to the point of epiphany. The Anurai continue to craft impeccable
art with the purpose of transforming lost life into eternal treasure.
ANURAI NECKLACE --- A symbol of true friendship, this fkxile (bib
necklace) is hand woven as tightly as the bond of platonic adoration
it represents. The necklace maker is also the gift giver. Each
necklace begins its journey around the neck of the friend who made it.
Giving the necklace to another is a ritual of devotion whereby two
members stand face-to-face with their foreheads pressed together. The
necklace is then slid up over ones head and carefully transferred
around the neck of its new owner. The necklace may be passed on from
one member to the next, representing an endless line of
interconnectivity within the clan.
THANATOR TOTEM --- Constructing a Thanator Totem is a balance-testing
ritual that relies on the complete sync of two or more clan mates.
This harmony is something only true teamwork can provide. Bones are
strategically stacked as a fellow clan mate maintains footing. It is
impossible to create this totem alone. A single misstep can send bones
cascading with great force. The totem honors the mighty Thanator,
Pandoras deadliest creature, to teach the importance of unity, trust,
and team work. It reminds the Anurai to react to each others actions
with empathy and purpose. With a spirit of togetherness, there is hope
to champion all of lifes dangers.
See these artifacts here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5951 >
CLAN KEKUNAN
------------
KEKUNAN SYMBOL --- The Kekunan clan are the most skilled mountain
banshee (aka ikran) riders of all the clans. Lightning fast
reflexes, cool composure and a courageous heart help them command the
magnificent aerial predators. The Kekunan dress in bright, boisterous
colors, a symbol of their unbreakable confidence and a tribute to the
creatures that surround and sustain them.
KEKUNAN BATTLE BAND --- Vibrant and copper-colored. Durable yet soft
to the touch. Woven with flecks of gold string to reflect the sun.
This aesthetically intricate piece of dress is reserved for riding a
Banshee in a great battle or special ceremony. The beauty of this
piece represents members sense of pride in their ability to
confidently ride a Banshee, particularly in battle. Do not mistake
this unabashed confidence for ego. It is a result of achievement,
training through insurmountable pain, and fierce determination where
anything is possible. This sentiment is expressed through an ancient
Navi saying, handed down throughout generations: Nurture physically
and spiritually with a forever hunger that may one day feed the
greater good of all. Eywa believes in us and with Eywa there is
unbreakable belief is oneself. It is believed that Eywa will watch
over the Kekunan who wear the band as they soar through the sky.
RIDERS MASK --- Worn by the brave Mountain Banshee riders of the
Kekunan clan, this protective mask shields their eyes from vicious
winds. A Mountain Banshee can reach incredible speeds, particularly
while diving towards a target. The lens is made from a Plexiglas-like
material, naturally created by a neighbouring clan of chemists, the
Tawkami. The material is carefully cut and shaped by clan elders who
custom-fit each rider. No two masks are alike. Young clan members
spend a consistent sixteen hours polishing the lens to translucent
perfection. It is a laborious task and a lesson in patience and focus.
Once finished, the mask is awarded the riders who successfully
complete a rite of passage.
BANSHEE CATCHER --- A tool of great significance that is essentially a
type of lasso. It is fashioned from the highly durable leaves of the
Razor Palm Tree and weighted at one end by stones. Mastering the art
of the banshee catcher has become an indispensable skill. The banshee
catcher is also an integral piece of a highly dangerous rite of
passage where a life-long bond is formed with a Mountain Banshee. This
creature is an airborne predator that lives in Pandoras mountainous
territory. The banshee catcher was invented by Taronyu, an Kekunan
clan legend. He was the first to successfully form a bond with a wild
Mountain Banshee he named Rotalyu. Each day, Taronyu would look to the
sky to admire the soaring beasts. A deep desire to someday fly among
them stewed inside him. With each tremendous flap of the wing, Taronyu
was drawn to the graceful creature. He believed someday the Mountain
Banshee and Navi would move through the sky as one. And he wanted to
be the first to do it. How to catch the wild creature was the
challenge. Taronyu went to work. Braiding durable leaves to form a
tightly wound rope, he fashioned a lasso to secure the beasts neck.
Three long strands weighted by rocks would knock the beast on its head
with no long-lasting harm. Climbing high into the mountains, Taronyu
relentlessly studied one specific banshee for eight days. On the
eighth day, with four flicks of the lasso, the banshee catcher caught
the snout and soon the beast fell calm. Taronyu triumphantly returned
to his clan on the back of Rotalyu and earned the title of Ikran Makto
(Banshee Rider).
KEKUNAN TOY --- Ikran Makto (aka Banshee Rider) training begins at a
very early age. In the eyes of a Navi child an ikran toy feels like a
real banshee. Clan elders use the ikran toy as an education tool to
demonstrate the dynamics and physics of flight. Clan youth are taught
specific manoeuvres that mirror the behaviors of real mountain
banshees, such as diving, gliding, and turning. This develops
concentration and quick reflexes two indispensible traits of highly
skilled banshee riders. The rider cannot choose any banshee. Beast and
Navi mutually choose each other and enter a symbiotic relation for
their entire life.
See these artifacts here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5965 >
CLAN TAWKAMI
------------
TAWKAMI SYMBOL --- An unrelenting curiosity, combined with a
persistent quest for knowledge of the natural world, marks the Tawkami
as proficient gifted. Their deep botanical knowledge allows them to
create a vast array of potions and extract essences from any natural
material. From a single seed, they may gain power over other creatures
and manipulate the world around them with an expertise that provides
great advantage over predators. A Tawkamis mission is to sustain the
sacred nature of Pandoras beautiful ecosystem. Many clan members take
shelter inside massive, bioluminescent flowers from which they draw
great spiritual wisdom.
HEALING ROSE --- The Healing Rose is a gigantic plant found
predominantly in wooded areas. It has a similar shape and size to the
poisonous and deadly Pseudocenia rosea,to the exception of the petal
that looks like a hook on the latesté. Measuring nearly six meters
tall, it produces nectar with various regeneration and healing powers,
both spiritual and physical. This particular plant plays a large role
in the lives of the Tawkami. This clan of spiritual alchemists draws
higher-power wisdom from inside the Sílronzem Rosea. They climb inside
the plant to practice a form of meditation that can last up to four
full days. What is now considered to be a sacred Tawkami ritual was
actually born from an accidental discovery. The story begins when an
unfortunate pair of Tawkami crossed paths with a hungry pack of
viperwolves. A viperwolf is a powerful, six-legged beast that travels
swiftly over long distances in search of prey. The Tawkami clan mates
fell wounded by the razor-sharp teeth of the ferocious viperwolves.
They ran furiously and came upon a field of large, pitcher-shaped
plants. In a moment of pure desperation, the duo climbed inside to
hide. The viperwolves miraculously lost track of their scent and gave
up the hunt. As the clan mates climbed out of the enormous plants,
they were astonished. Their wounds were healed. From that day forth,
this healing flower has been used to create various soothing potions
and cures.
TRANQUIL SEED --- A complex combination of various leaves, roots, and
pollens are mashed into a thick syrupy substance to extract
psychoactive chemicals. Over time, these chemicals bond together to
form little kernels called the Tranquil Seed. The Tawkami break open
these kernels to release a tranquilizing smoke that can be used to
tame wild animals. The Tawkami track and store the Tranquil Seeds
precise formula in their mind with no tangible record. Where most see
a beautiful landscape, the Tawkami see Pandora as an elaborate recipe.
EXTRACTOR --- This device is used to harvest essential oils from flora
to create various elixirs, pastes and potions. Effective use of an
extractor relies on three main parts: a stone bowl, a flame and
special extraction seeds. The extraction process is quite simple.
First, the desired flora is placed in the stone bowl with the seeds.
Water is then added and a soft flame is lit under the bowl. As the
water reaches a gentle boil, the seeds release nutrients and absorb
the floras essential oils. When all water evaporates extraction is
complete.
SASH --- As the Tawkami train to master the arts of botany and
alchemy, srä (sash) are awarded to celebrate ongoing studies and
indicate level of competence. The more colorful the srä, the more
experienced the alchemist. At the start of training, all apprentices
are given a basic srä to wear around their waist. The first lesson is
identification. There are thousands of plants, herbs, and seeds native
to Pandora. Once identification is mastered, education moves on to
learning various formulas for potions. With every level reached, a
different colored strip of fabric is added to the srä.
See these artifacts here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5975 >
INSIDE THE CREATORS STUDIO
--------------------------
And check out this inside peek into the creative side of TORUK - The
First Flight!
Sketch of the Direhorse Lived-in puppet
THE DIREHORSE BONDS WITH A RIDER THROUGH ONE OF ITS ANTENNAE
Swift and nimble, the six-legged Direhorse is a calm, highly
intelligent animal. Two puppeteers work in unison inside the
structure. The first controls the front part, including neck and head;
his legs become the creatures two front legs. The second puppeteer
controls the middle legs with his hands and the animals waist with
his wrist; his legs become the animals hind legs. The puppeteers
stand on platform shoes to better convey the creatures impressive
size.
Sketch of the Turtapede Lived-in puppet
A TURTLE AND A STARFISH FOLDED INTO ONE
With its large dorsal fin and long tail, the Turtapede is agile under
water. The sea-dwelling creature is controlled from the inside by a
puppeteer stretched out on a wheeled platform similar to a mechanics.
The puppeteer uses his arms to move the creatures head and arms,
controlling the feet with his legs. When the Turtapede emerges from
the water, mesmerizing colors start to shimmer in the translucent area
on its shell.
Sketch of the Viperwolf In-view puppet
BEWARE THE VIPERWOLF!
With its low-slung head and snakelike jaw, the six-legged viperwolf is
a swift, fiercely intelligent animal that hunts in packs. The
puppeteer uses his hands to control the upper body and articulated
head of the viperwolf, working each of the four front legs with his
fingers. The puppeteers legs become the animals hind legs. The
viperwolf puppet has green luminous eyes, is illuminated from the
inside, and glows red and blue.
Sketch of the Austrapede Lived-in puppet
A CROSS BETWEEN AN OSTRICH, A PINK FLAMINGO AND A DINOSAUR
With its flat, broad beak and long neck and tail, the gentle
Austrapede is a relatively small bird by Pandoran standards. A single
puppeteer housed inside controls the neck and head with one hand,
using his other hand to work the wings, which start flapping whenever
the Austrapede is frightened. Perched on 30-cm-high platform shoes
that give the animal its distinct hop, the puppeteer can see through
the animals gills, which are a common feature of Pandoran fauna.
Check out the sketches here:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5859 >
* * *
Puppet designer Patrick Martel talks about his craft
SUSPENDING DISBELIEF THROUGH PUPPETRY
Puppet Designer Patrick Martel conveys his passion for turning
inanimate objects into living things, and talks about some of the
astonishing creatures he is designing for the show. Whether hes
creating a pack of viperwolves or a great leonopteryx, his goal is
always to urge the spectator to suspend disbelief for a moment to
create the illusion that these are not mere machines made of metal and
cloth, but living beings from a faraway planet.
View the video here:
VIDEO /// < https://youtu.be/UpkRgZWubVE >
# # #
Inspired by James Camerons AVATAR, TORUK The First Flight, a live
experience by Cirque du Soleil, envisions a world beyond imagination
thousands of years before the events depicted in the film.
Discover what TORUK - The First Flight is all about at Cirque du
Soleil's website: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/toruk/
And you can still enter the world of Pandora here:
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/toruk/experience
------------------------------------------------------------
"KURIOS and VAREKAI: Where Less is... about the Same"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
When the economic reset occurred at Cirque du Soleil headquarters at
the beginning of 2013 we wondered what effect it would have on current
shows, as well as how it would be applied to new creations. We knew
we would be getting less but would we notice it?
Living in the great Pacific Northwest my wife and I were ready to
ponder that question when two of Cirques shows came our way, Kurios
Big Top and Varekai Arena. KURIOS-Cabinet of Curiosities arrived at
its custom-made asphalt pad in Redmonds Marymoor Park in late
January. Scheduling (as did Amaluna before it) in the middle of
winter, we could only shake our heads at such a season-ignorant
touring plan. This was the first show designed from the start with
new economic realities in mind. Would it feel like a Cirque show?
The Kurios site was decorated in typical Cirque Big Top fashion.
There is now a circular Kurios logo sculpture in the perfect place for
group pictures and a nice touch. People were busy snapping pics on
their phones, and since it was Saturday night, the Tapis Rouge tent
was open for those with fatter wallets.
Inside, the single concession tent (with all the pre-show
functions under one vast canvas roof between Chapiteau doors 3 and 4)
was set up differently than we had seen in the past. Gone were the
interior standup ticket sales counters, banished once again to an
outside portable. Instead, the area they used to occupy was taken up
with a small selection of merchandise and several TVs that displayed
Facebook and Twitter feeds from those attending the performance. Some
of the tent opposite the concessions area was taken up with a bar for
those alcoholically-inclined. They also had a magic photo booth set
up, as we had seen at other Chapiteau, shows where your picture could
be combined with a Kurios-themed border and background.
The merchandise area was about the same size we have seen at other
shows. There were some interesting new items, such as journals with
Cirque-inspired covers. But what Ive noticed, and it may be a
perfectly logical business decision but is disappointing in any case,
is the lack of cross-promotion of other shows under the brand. An
occasional ad would appear on a TV monitor, but there were no displays
of the various Cirque videos or CDs that would make people aware of
other shows on offer, especially in Las Vegas. Instead, what few
recordings they had of other shows were mixed among the small
souvenirs ringing the cash registers, easily overlooked.
It was a surprise when we were introduced to the Kurios program, which
has to be one of the most creative Cirque has attempted in a long
time. Instead of a large-format center-stapled book the cover is
more like a box, representing a journal of the writings of the
Seeker at the center of the story. Inside are a foldout poster that
serves as a cast and crew and creation team roster (including five
choreographers, two sets of composers, and 2 sound designers), another
fold out poster with ads from the tour sponsors, and a 6 x 9 book of
the Seekers drawings and observations. There are very few photographs
in the booklet, instead using illustrations and comments (French
first, then English) to notate the Seekers findings. Its really a
very clever way to extend the mythos of the show into the
merchandising. To top it all off is a fold-out Travelogue of
illustrations and comments from the Seekers journey. This piece is
completely extra and a nice little bit of fun.
Stepping inside the tent envelops you in the shows world, as does any
Chapiteau. And the show itself is wonderfully creative. But the
reason for this review is to consider the production in light of
budget cuts. Is it noticeable or not? I would say yes. The cast is
smaller in total than older shows. There are no children, so there is
no need for a traveling school. I recognize several Cirque veterans,
such as drummer Kit Chatham (this is his third creation experience!),
and several artists from the late, lamented IRIS (such as Ekaterina
Pirogovskaya, who played the Praxinoscope character). The steampunk
design style lends itself well to a more intimate atmosphere. Even
within the show there is further focus inward, such as in the finger
puppetry act of the second act, where the attention is magnified down
to a tabletop where the act is performed (and captured by a camera
projected over the stage so all can see).
For me, the show feels smaller than other Cirque productions, but
because it was designed that way it doesnt suffer from it. Most of
the 44 artists play multiple characters, so it seems like there are
more cast than there is. The stage seems to have more props on it
more often, so the space seems filled. In all we like this show a
lot, with its steampunk-inspired esthetic and an occasional new take
on an old discipline. (The chair climbing act is fabulous, with the
chair climber ascending to the top only to see that the scene from
below is also playing out upside down from above. Including a reverse
stair climber who assembles a stack of chairs - upside down mind you
and climbs down to meet the other chair climber in the middle. It is
supremely impressive just because of the rigging that is required
alone!)
Three months after Kurios moved on, Varekai made its way to the
Northwest. Skipping the Seattle/Tacoma market (a good idea with
Kurios fresh in the mind) the show came to Spokane before heading to
Portland and then Vancouver, BC. We hesitated on buying tickets for
Spokane, as it is not as pleasurable a weekend visit as either of the
other two. But we finally pulled the trigger on Spokane tickets
shortly before the other cities were announced. Really, you couldnt
announce all the shows of a particular leg at the same time? We would
much rather have gone to Portland.
Before going further, I should declare our bias. Varekai is a show
close to our hearts. We saw it in Montreal during its premiere run.
I worked selling merchandise for the show when it came to Seattle. So
we were very interested in the resultant product after its conversion,
which we discussed with Varekais Artistic Director Fabrice Lemire a
few issues ago (see http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=5411 ).
The show played Spokane Arena, and fit into the typical half-full
arena seating arrangement. But before we sat down we checked out the
merch table. Very little on offer here, as there was little room to
display it. But amongst the handful of items was the $20.00 program.
It has taken its cue from Kurios and gone to an 8.5 X 10.5 box
format. But where Kurios opened like a book with smaller pieces
nestled in a recess in the center, Varekais slides out like a drawer.
Instead of a center-stapled book, contained within are 20 numbered
card-stock mini-posters each of a character or act. The drawer
that holds these sheets has a map of the order of acts in the show,
suggested to be Icarus journey, a nice touch. Cavalia used the
same poster style for its program, only in a larger format with
flimsier paper, and I dis-liked the format then as much as I do now.
For Kurios I can understand it, a non-traditional style program format
integrates well with the concept of the show. Just not so much here.
In addition, a fold-out poster is printed on both sides with
Cast/Creators/Credits/Introductions/Sponsor Ads.
A saving grace of the Varekai program is how it tells the shows
story. While roughly in the order of the show, it is Icarus
voice that provides the narration. He talks about his fall, the
characters he meets and what they are trying to teach him, and his
feelings of love at meeting The Promise (caterpillar/butterfly/hand
balancer). This communicates the meaning of the show much better than
other Cirque programs. The pictures seem to be of the most recent
cast, though Icarian Games is still included. (I note this format
would allow them to update the programs content more easily and
cheaply; just pull out the card with the old info and slip in a
revised card!)
Arenas hold no advantage over big tops other than making Cirque
available to smaller markets. You are more obviously watching a show
here and not being welcomed into an environment. We saw the show two
times during our weekend, once from six rows back on the floor (the
furthest row sold on the main floor) and again from the furthest row
back up high in the center. Our experience brings us to this
conclusion: if you take seats on the floor dont sit any further back
than the third row unless you are over 62. The lack of raking (row
elevation) means that from the fourth row on your angle of viewing is
such that the average persons view will be impeded by taller heads.
My wife (who is 52) kept moving from side to side to see around a
tall person sitting in front of her. Yes, we could feel the warmth of
the lights, hear the characters shout, notice the stage squeaking.
But we actually got a much better EXPERIENCE out of sitting further
back it gave us a better overall view of the stage action.
Cirque has of late taken a more liberal policy on how a shows original
intent is interpreted. Company Artistic Directors are allowed to
explore more changes to their shows, sometimes to make it more
exciting for the artists, sometimes to account for injury, sometimes
to ease staging. There have been a lot of changes to Varekai over its
lifetime, and more were made to birth it into this new life. Some
acts that were a part of the show are now gone, such as the three blue
ladies formerly of the Triple Trapeze, replaced by a solo trapeze act.
Their appearance in the show is now more of a mystery without an act
to feature them. Water Meteors fell victim to the adult-artists-only
policy of Arena Shows. And the most recent, and in our opinion
deepest, cut of all was the elimination of the Icarian Games act
what we considered along with Russian Swings to be Varekais signature
acts.
There were some nice moments in the new format. We saw a baton
twirler act in rotation who was excellent. She used a variety of
batons, had some interesting variation of tricks with them, and was
quite refreshing. The male clowns moment with the spotlight singing,
Ne Me Quitte Pas was more fun as he had more distance to cover to
reach the top of the arena.
But the show wasnt the same. The first act only lasted 45 minutes;
it felt rushed, like an act was missing. The replacement for Icarian
Games, Synchronized Tumbling, didnt carry the WOW the prior act
did. (Guys doing somersaults over each other are just a variation of
competitive gymnastics we can see on TV. One guy tossing another guy
over and over and into the air with his FEET now thats circus!)
The Georgian Dancers did their dancing, but didnt bring the energy
and exhuberance to their act we have experienced before. Actions
happened faster, moments didnt linger, it all felt a bit sped-up.
Though we do note that the number of the cast is the same as it was
during its Chapiteau days, 50, as compared to Kurios from-the-start
42.
Sometimes I have to stop myself. We have been fans for so long, seen
so many of Cirques shows that occasionally we have to remind
ourselves of the high level of daring and artistry in each and every
show. And how to most other viewers these are feats to be marveled
at. For us, Kurios deserves every bit of that wonder. Varekai in its
newest incarnation not as much, but it is still a show I can
confidently recommend as an introduction to just what Cirque du Soleil
is all about.
And if you bring back the large-format bound program book, so much the
better.
------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL /// "Life and Death of Cirque du Soleil"
By: Michael Joseph Gross, via Vanity Fair
------------------------------------------------------------
After a long slump and a tragic accident, the entertainment company is
embarking on bold new ventures. Michael Joseph Gross lifts the curtain
on Cirque du Soleils gravity-defying aerial choreographyand weaves
his way through the investigation into how an acrobat fell to her
death during a live performance.
The Fall
--------
The Cirque du Soleil show called Kà opened in 2005 at the MGM Grand,
in Las Vegas, as the most expensive theatrical production in history.
Much of the shows budget of at least $165 millionmore than double
the cost of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the most expensive Broadway
production ever mountedwas spent on technology to produce astonishing
visual effects.
In the shows climactic battle scene, two groups of warriorsthe
Forest People (good guys) and the Spearmen (bad guys)face off on a
stage that slowly tilts from horizontal to almost vertical, which
allows the audience to see the fight as if from above. Each warrior is
played by an acrobat who wears a harness attached to a wire rope. The
wire runs up to a complex configuration of equipment that enables the
performer to leap, twist, flip, and fly while chasing others back and
forththat is, up and down the length of the vertical stage. The fight
ends when the Forest People, at the bottom of the stage, hurl the
Spearmen, at the top of the stage, off the battlefield. As one, the
Spearmen, all of them, fall upward. For the audience, it is a wonder,
as if the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had come to life before
their eyes. For the performers, it is a job, and they do it like
troupers, twice a night, five nights a week.
On the evening of June 29, 2013, when Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, an
acrobat who was playing one of the Spearmen, fell upward at the end of
the battle, several things went wrong. It would take a long time
before anyone began to assemble a full picture of what those several
things were. But as she was making her exit, at 10:59 P.M., the wire
rope that kept her safe was severed.
In the next couple of seconds, Sarah Guillot-Guyardwho was born in
Paris and was a graduate of the Fratellini Academy, a circus-arts
school in Saint-Denis; who had been married to another Kà acrobat,
named Mathieu Guyard, and with him had a daughter and a son; who, in
her off-hours, taught circus acrobatics to children in a Vegas strip
mall; and who, being French, would sneak cigarettes outside the stage
door sometimes, and mistranslate English phrases sometimes (little by
little, to her, was small by small)in those few seconds, Guillot-
Guyard fell to her death from a height of 94 feet.
She fell face downward, in full sight of several fellow performers,
who were stranded in midair, hanging by their wires, and in full sight
of the audience, some of whom had no idea, at first, that they were
witnessing an actual accidentbecause it is the nature of a Cirque du
Soleil spectacle to make audiences believe that anything is possible.
Even the laws of gravity can seem to have no meaning. The performers
were sheltered by no such illusions. One of them lunged toward
Guillot-Guyard, reaching out his hands to try to catch her. But she
was too far away, and falling too fast.
We Lost Somebody
------------------
That same night, two blocks south of Kàs stage, Cirque opened its
eighth and newest show on the Strip, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and
Casino. Michael Jackson One, a clamorous, laser- and video-laced
tribute to the King of Pop featuring street dancers from seven
nations, played to a premiere audience packed with celebrities ranging
from Justin Bieber to Spike Lee. The audience gave the show a standing
ovation. Cirques founder, Guy Lalibertéonce a busker, now the
billionaire head of the worlds largest theatrical-production company
was elated and relieved.
It had been a tough couple of years. Dwindling ticket sales and
attenuated performance schedules following the 2011 earthquake and
tsunami had forced the company to close its Tokyo Disney show, Zed, on
the last day of 2011. Another show, Zaia, in Macau, closed less than
two months later. The next show to go dark was in Cirques Las Vegas
stronghold that August: Viva Elvis, a tribute to the King at the Aria
Resort & Casino, made so little money that the hotels owner asked
Cirque to pull the plug. Then Worlds Away, Cirques first feature
film, opened to lackluster reviews and a paltry domestic box office,
just a month before another show got axedIris, in Los Angeles. The
most demoralizing episode of all: a re-structuring known to employees
as the revamp that involved laying off some 400 of Cirques 5,000
personnel.
Five months later, with all this barely behind him, Laliberté walked
into the after-party for Michael Jackson One in very good spirits.
Cirque was getting its game back, just in time for the companys 30th
anniversary, which it would celebrate in 2014. No sooner had he
arrived than Cirques longtime head of public relations, Renée-Claude
Ménard, discreetly pulled him aside and told him what had happened
down the street. Laliberté turned to an old friend who was with him
that nightNicky Dewhurst, a veteran Cirque performer who was a
tightrope artist until age 30, when he became a clownand gave him the
terrible news. We lost somebody, said Laliberté, barely getting out
the words. We lost somebody at Kà.
The circus is a risky business. Injuries come with the territory.
Cirque has an outstanding reputation for safety, even though the cast
and crew of its shows are so frequently hurt while training,
rehearsing, or performing that compensation is a topic of black humor.
The bad part is, you break your legs, one performer told me. The
good part is, you get a Mercedes. In 2012, in Las Vegas alone, 53
performers in Cirque shows were injured, causing a total of 918 missed
workdays. (Many more minor injuries are not required to be reported to
the government.) Just a few days before the official opening of
Michael Jackson One, an aerialist slipped through a slack rope during
a preview performance and fell headfirst onto the stage, causing him
to suffer what a company official described as a mild concussion. A
few years earlier, offstage, there had even been a death: in 2009, the
acrobat Oleksandr Zhurov died after he fell off a trampoline while
training in Montreal.
The accident at Kà was the first onstage fatality in Cirque history.
Grief for Guillot-Guyard spread through the Cirque subculture in Las
Vegas and beyond. Kà halted performances for two weeks and then
resumed without the battle scene, for the moment. Cirque executives
and company managers visited Cirque shows around the world for cast
meetings, to provide basic information about the accident. But there
was little they could say: most of the story remained under wraps
until November 2013, when the state of Nevadas Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) completed its investigation of the
death.
Right away, though, in Washington State, a thousand miles from the
scene of the tragedy, a man named James Heath, a former rigger for
Cirque, feared he knew what had happened. In 2006, while working on
another Cirque show, Heath had discovered that Kà was using a certain
kind of wire rope to lift peopledespite the fact that several
manufacturers explicitly warned against using it for such a purpose.
This knowledge tortured Heath. He had spent years waging a lonely
battle to persuade Cirque, without success, to use a different rope.
He finally gave up and left the company.
It all came rushing back when Heath heard about the death at Kà.
Ninety feet and its done, he said when I visited him at his home in
Seattle. The story is over by the time that happened. The decisions
were made. The story is: How did we get here?
The Magic Tools
---------------
The story, like so many circus stories, starts with a runaway. In the
early 1970s, in Saint-Bruno, a suburb of Montreal, a troubled boy, 14
years old, left home and wound up sleeping under a bridge. On one
occasion, some thug stuck a gun in the kids face. Drugshe did a lot
of them. Did he sell drugs, too? In his office at Cirque du Soleils
international headquarters, in Montreal, the man who was that boy, Guy
Laliberté, stuck out his sinewy neck, squinted through jumpy eyes, and
let a sly smirk curl his thin lips. Streets are streets, O.K.? he
said in a thick French-Canadian accent. So whatever happen in those
place, I went through it, you know?
Laliberté had settled himself behind a giant desk and had lit a
cigarette. Containers of toxin-scrubbing elixirs (Liquid Liver
Cleanse, Cardio Cleanse) stood patiently atop the desk as if
waiting for a chance to infiltrate the Gauloises-occupied territory of
his body. All the details of Lalibertés early life are in his
autobiography, which we will not soon be reading. The book is written
but unpublished and unpublishable, because my lawyer wanted to change
so many things, and I said Im not releasing it.
What Laliberté called his true book, the candid story of personal
darkness from which emerged Cirque du Soleils bright light, is locked
in a safe. Like many stories that are not family-friendly, this, he
said, is just for familyfor my kids: his five children, born to two
mothers. For now, curious readers must content themselves with an
unauthorized biography, Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the
Creator of Cirque du Soleil, a fire-hose blast of decadence, with
hookers, orgies, benders, or betrayals on almost every page. When the
book was published, in 2009, Laliberté threatened to sue, but then he
didnt.
On the matter of his memoirs, as in many aspects of his life,
Lalibertés boldness is more than matched by his pragmatism. His
comfort with uncertainty and his fierce survival instinct were honed
while drifting as a teenager through Britain and France, where he
learned to breathe fire as a street performer. By age 20 he was back
in Canada, in the artists colony of Baie-Saint-Paul, on the St.
Lawrence River. There he formed the first of several small groups of
performers that led to Cirque du Soleils founding, as a nonprofit
organization, in 1984.
Cirques genesis involved sporadic tension among its leadersbesides
Laliberté, they included his high-school friend Daniel Gauthier and
the stilt-walker Gilles Ste-Croixover whether the company should be
guided more by artistic or commercial goals. Lalibertés brand of
artistry is inflected by his essential nature as a wheeler-dealer,
and as he consolidated his power in the company, he burnished a sturdy
creation myth that every Cirque employee knows. As Athena sprang from
Zeuss forehead, Le Cirque du Soleilthe circus of the sunleapt from
Lalibertés mind while he was on a beach in Hawaii. The Ringling
Brothers circus aesthetic had gotten dusty, as Laliberté explained
to me. His freshening up of the tradition may have borrowed heavily
from the cirque nouveau movement, which had originated in France in
the 1970s, but Cirque struck the general public in North America with
the force of a revelation. Its breakthrough show and first performance
outside Canada, at the Los Angeles Festival, was the hottest ticket in
Hollywood in 1987the year that Cirque also became a for-profit
company.
Cirque stripped away traditional American circus clichés and replaced
them with a new formula. Instead of three rings, Cirque had one. No
more brass bands or calliopes; Cirque struck up the synthesizers and
cued a twilit realm of rainbows, backlighting, and fog. Cirque
banished animals, tooexcept for Homo sapiens. The human bodies at
Cirquebeautiful, strong, exotically skilledwere different from those
seen at other circuses in one crucial respect: they came with no
names, as far as any audience member knew. Banishing fame was Cirques
most fateful innovation. The average Cirque performer is an
extraordinary physical specimen performing extraordinary feats, but
someone who works behind a veil of anonymitywhich tends to make all
the performers, in the eyes of the audience, a little more than human,
but a little less than people.
For the next few years, Cirque refined its formula in several touring
shows. The companys first permanent theatrical production, in Las
Vegas, was Mystère, at Treasure Island, in 1993. But Cirque did not
become a household name until 1998, when it colonized two American
entertainment empires almost simultaneously. First, the spectacular O,
staged in and around a 1.5-million-gallon water tank, premiered to
critical acclaim, at the opening of the Bellagio, which was then the
most expensive hotel in the world. Two months later, the Cirque show
La Nouba premiered near Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. Both
of these productions, as well as Mystère, have been printing money
ever since.
After that, the management of the success, it becomes different than
just managing the artistic success. It becomes the management of the
economic success, Gilles Ste-Croix told me in Montreal in December
2013. Ste-Croix retired in June 2014 with the company title creative
guide and grand saltimbanque, and for many years he functioned as the
in-house Wise Old Man. (Cirques publicists described the company as a
family headed by Papa Guy and Grandpapa Gilles.) When Ste-Croix
added, You start to talk in meetings about EBITDA, it raised the
question of how many stilt-walkers, of all the stilt-walkers who have
ever lived, have had occasion to deploy the acronym for earning
before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
As Cirque got rich, Ste-Croix went on to say, we invented, as we went
along, better toolsthat is, better technology to create more
outlandish theatrical effects. In Os huge aquatic tank, submerged
machinery, invisible to the audience, performs a feat akin to what
Moses did at the Red Seaso that clowns can do what Jesus did at the
Sea of Galilee. The machinery achieves what is basically a parting of
the watersadjusting the pools depth from 24 feet to a few inches in
a matter of seconds. The audience has no idea that this has happened
until a pair of clowns go skipping across the surface at the very spot
where, a moment earlier, a high diver had plunged into the depths.
Starting with O, Cirque became as well known for incredible effects as
it was for its performers physical prowess. Gilles Ste-Croixs pale
eyes warmed noticeably as he recalled the transformation: Once you
touch the magic tools, you cannot do without. You know, suddenlythe
wizard who discovered le Graal, almost! And thats what I think O did
to us. It became, like, everything was possible.
Fly by Wire
-----------
Backstage at O, on a Wednesday afternoon in January of 2002, an
electrician on the shows crew was working on some wiring when he
seemed to hear a shotgun go off right by his head. Weeks later, when
he regained full consciousness, Mark Brown could not move, could not
speak, and could barely see or hear.
Os elaborate props included one that resembled an alligators head.
It weighed a thousand pounds and it was hung in the backstage fly
space on a wire rope.
Mark Brown had been sitting on a bench beneath the alligator head when
it came loose. The falling prop shaved off one quarter of his skull
and crushed his lower trunk, pushing his pancreas and most of his
intestines temporarily up into his chest. The accident left him
permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
Sudden, unexpected, tragic turns of fate like Browns cast long
shadows in small communities. At the time, the Cirque subculture in
Las Vegas was basically a frontier village. It was a tight-knit group
of almost 300 who had left behind their friends and families in
faraway countries and come to the desert for the chance to practice
the exotic skills they loved. For the whole company, Browns injury
was an unsettling reminder of how fragile fate can be.
Five months after the accident at O, Cirque joined the corporate big
leagues by signing a contract with the publicly traded entertainment
company MGM Mirage (now MGM Resorts International), for whom it has
been the preferred entertainment content provider ever since. In
Lalibertés version of the history, Cirque had been a company run by
old friends. Now it would be entrepreneurial, a proliferating
bureaucracy developing a roster of touring shows from its gleaming
glass-and-steel headquarters.
The deal with MGM produced the immensely ambitious Kà, whose avant-
garde director, Robert Lepage, once described the project as his
effort to realize a dream of blending the live world with the
taped world to create a theatrical-cinematographical experience.
That experience would take place in a 1,950-seat theater designed,
LePage said at the time, like a cathedral in order to make people
feel they are coming into something which is slightly religious.
What was being worshiped? Lepage didnt say, but one answer could be
inferred from the raptures of Kàs choreographer Jacques Heim, who
exclaimed before the show opened: Theres so much technology, theres
so much rigging, theres so much complexity of things. Its so huge.
So huge!
The shiniest of Kàs new toys was the Sand Cliff Deck, the
hydraulic-powered stage weighing 100,000 pounds that tilts to nearly
90 degrees for the battle scene. For other scenes, the deck can tilt
and twirl 360 degrees in a radial space that Lepage likes to call the
void. Above the void, higher than catwalk height, is the grid, the
metal support structure for the winches, pulleys, and dozens of people
required to fly the performers. Kà also had the kind of computerized
rigging system that altered duties for Cirque performers and stage
techs in something like the same way fly-by-wire technology had
changed the job of being a jet pilot.
In Cirques earliest Vegas shows, acrobatic and aerial performers who
wore wires would set their own rigging, following longtime circus
tradition. During performances, techniciansor other performers, on
their backstage breakswould adjust the lines and mechanisms in
concert with acrobatic moves as they occurred. The give-and-take of
rigger and performer had always been part dance and part puppetry,
involving constant mutual awareness. By the time of Kà, aerial cues
were increasingly controlled by computer-automated systems. And
performers themselves would take over some duties that specialized
riggers used to performas in Kàs battle scene, where performers
manipulate joysticks on their harnesses to help control the speed of
their own ascents and descents.
As Cirques stage technology grew more sophisticated, its safety
protocols grew more formal. Matthew Whelan, Cirques technical
director, told me that the elaborate safety checks involved in Os use
of scuba divers as underwater stagehands, underwater carpenters, and
underwater electricians helped Cirque refine a system of risk analysis
applied to each act in every show. Performers sometimes complain about
the intrusiveness of Cirques safety systems, which several described
to me as annoying.
But no system can eradicate the element of risk from aerial
performance, and most acrobats would not eliminate it even if they
could. As Kati Renaud, a former Cirque dancer who now serves as
Cirques senior director of show quality and integrity, explained it,
a Cirque du Soleil show is a risky environment. Renaud said that
acrobats in particular love adrenalinethey love adrenalineand we
hire them based on their love for adrenaline . . . The sentence
trailed off, and Renaud shook her head, laughing mock-hysterically at
the adrenaline-feedback loop she had just described.
In 2005, when Cirque settled Mark Browns personal-injury lawsuit for
an undisclosed sumjust moments before a jury was reportedly set to
award him more than $40 millionthe population of Cirques Vegas
subculture was close to double what it had been when his accident
occurred. The frontier village was now an industrial boomtown,
becoming the kind of place where no one person could know the names
and faces of every other. Cirque was growing into such a large
institution that many people now being hired would never have reason
to learn Mark Browns name at allunless, for some unforeseeable
motivation, they felt driven to search for it.
Breaking Strength
-----------------
James Heath was one of those people. In the summer of 2006, Matthew
Whelan hired Heath to be the rigging project manager for a show being
developed at Cirques Montreal headquarters. Years earlier, Heath had
worked as a rigger on two Cirque touring shows. He left in 1996 to
start a family and get an education. After the marriage fell apart and
he left law school, Heath rejoined the circus. Now back at Cirque,
Heath focused on a show called Zaia, which was to establish a
permanent presence in Chinas lucrative market.
Zaia would feature a lot of aerial acrobaticsa phrase that, to most
people, connotes backflips. To a rigger, a lot of aerial acrobatics
could connote much more: people wearing harnesses, with small fittings
called swivels, which are points of attachment for the wire ropes that
run up across pulleys before being threaded down through smaller
pulleys, called diverters, onto the cylinder-shaped drums of motorized
winches.
Part of Heaths job was to choose the wire rope to use with Zaias
winches. The winches themselves had been chosen, based on
specifications given by Cirque, by a subcontractor that Cirque often
hires, a theatrical manufacturing company called Stage Technologies.
Since the winches came from the same company that provided winches for
a number of Cirques Vegas shows, including Kà, Heath asked Whelan
what kind of rope Kà used, thinking the answer might save him some
time. But the answer Whelan gave was troubling to Heath. As it turned
out, Kà and other Cirque shows were relying on a kind of wire rope
that some manufacturers recommended against using if a swivel was
attached. And aerial acrobats, more or less always, use swivels.
Wire rope is wound like a helixup close, or under a microscope, it
looks like a spiralso when you put a load on the end of it, the wire
naturally tries to straighten out. Kà used a wire rope thats known as
19x7 because it consists of 19 strands of seven wires each. The
strands are laid in two layers of slightly unequal size. The outside
layer of the rope consists of 12 strands and the inside layer of 6.
One last strand forms the core, around which the rest of them are
wound. Because the layers are put down in opposite directionsstrands
spiraling to the right in one layer and to the left in the nextthey
counteract each other as the rope unlays, which makes the rope
rotation-resistant. When 19x7 is attached to a swivel, nothing
inhibits the rotation of the rope except its own internal structure.
However, the use of a swivel also makes the rope more susceptible to
internal wear and deformation. With the torque unevenly distributed,
the smaller inner layer absorbs the rotation from the larger outer
oneand, overall, the rope loses some portion of its strength.
The rope is very strong: the 19x7 that was used at Kà can hold a
static load of 3,300 pounds, which is the weight of a Corvette or a
black rhinoceros. But as it was used at Kà, on a swivel with a winch,
its weaker, though opinions vary as to its exact strength. Cirque du
Soleils outstanding reputation for safety is based in good part on
design standards that can seem, to an outsider, absurdly conservative.
In rigging design, Cirque says it observes an unwritten but sacrosanct
standard that a wire rope, when connected to a winch, should have a
breaking strength that is 10 times greater than the weight of the load
on the wire. At Cirque, in most circumstances, the actual load is
simply the weight of the performer hanging from the wire. In some
circumstancesfor instance, if the wire were to become caughtthe load
becomes the pulling power of the winch at the other end, which can be
many times the weight of the performer. Cirque maintains that the
calculations of its 10:1 design factor include the most extreme
condition we can anticipate such as a hard stop or total loss of
power, which would exert more forces than just the body weight of the
performer. At the end of the day, a 10:1 design factor is a somewhat
arbitrary number, meant more as a lavish expression of fealty to
safety than as a precisely engineered solution to the problem of how
to keep a person safe. (In old-school theatrical rigging, a standard
of 8:1 was considered fine.)
Heath was concerned that 19x7 wire as used on winches to lift
performers wearing swivels fell short of the 10:1 ratio. Looking for a
more conservative option for use in Zaia, he found a rope designed
specifically to lift people who were wearing harnesses with swivels.
The rope, called XLT4XLT because it has extremely low torque, and
4 because its made of four strandswas made for helicopter rescues.
With swivels, XLT4 is stronger than equivalent-size 19x7. When Heath
found XLT4, he was so excited that he started telling his fellow
rigging designers, imagining that every Cirque du Soleil show might
switch to this stronger wire rope.
Thats when his problems started. Heath described to me a saga of
intimidation, sideswiping, and sandbagging by his bossesand a lot of
simply being ignored, as if the supervisors just didnt want to hear
what he was sayingas he tried to get XLT4 tested and approved for use
at Cirque. To Heath, none of these reactions added up. He thought his
bosses would be happy that hed found a potential problem and headed
it off. Instead, he recalled, they totally cut my legs off. He
became increasingly preoccupied and discouraged. Eventually, he
concluded that Cirque, through its staff, had chosen, for reasons he
could not fathom, to suppress the new product and accept the
liability that results from using an inferior product when a safer
product is known to be available. Thats what he wrote in a long e-
mail that he sent to Zaias production manager in June of 2007, around
the time he resigned from his job.
While declining to comment on Mr. Heaths personal interpretations,
Cirque takes issue with many elements of his account. The company
maintains that Cirque is committed 100% to the safety of its
employees, and as such, when Mr. Heath presented his finding on XLT4,
studies were done as to its feasibility for use in a human acrobatic
rigging system. The XLT4 wire did not at that time meet all of the
design criteria, according to Cirque, but eventually XLT4 was
certified for use. It is today employed in several Cirque shows, in
Las Vegas, and on tour. The company also maintains that the wire
cables it uses meet the safety requirement for its 10:1 design factor
our company standardand have been validated with designers,
manufacturers, and engineers prior to use of the system for human
acrobatics.
Back in Vegas, the industrial boomtown had morphed into an enclave of
the worlds most limber soccer moms. For tumblers in Rio and
contortionists in Ulaanbaatar who dreamed of white-picket-fence
domesticity, Cirque had made Las Vegas the promised landa place where
you could live the kind of year-round, rooted, conventional existence
that had always been beyond the reach of circus folk. Its a very
normal life, which is unheard of for what we do, Nicky Dewhurst told
me. As in any group that quickly transforms from bohemian to
bourgeois, some of Cirques desert dwellers were unsettled by the
compromises that the transition entailed. But most viewed the trade-
offs with brisker pragmatism. When I asked one dancer if he had any
ambivalence about Cirques evolution from artistic pioneer to global
brand leader, the man shot back in withering deadpan, NoI bought a
house.
The financial crisis of 2008, which showed the world that mortgages
arent always what theyre cracked up to be, hit Cirque hard. When the
credit markets seized up, and even rich people started thinking twice
about dropping $100 to see a show, Cirque had too many active
productions in too many places around the world18, on four
continents. Laliberté was then Cirques sole owner, and in search of
strategic partners, so he sold 20 percent of the company to two
subsidiaries of Dubai World.
Then he flew into space. It was around this time, as Gilles Ste-Croix
and others recalled, that Laliberté unplugged from Cirques day-to-day
operations. Many pointed to Lalibertés purchase of a reported $35
million ticket to board a Russian Soyuz capsule, which he rode to the
International Space Station, where he spent more than a week in 2009.
Thats normally what you would say metaphorically: you would say he
got all this money, and he went off to space, said one Cirque
employee. But Guy literally did that. Daniel Lamarre, Cirques
president and C.E.O., made a point of telling me that Laliberté did
call from orbit to check in.
The Revamp
----------
James Heath had quit Zaia, but he couldnt quit Cirque. After turning
in his resignation, Heath had hit the road with a touring show called
Saltimbanco, which had no winches or swivels and gave him a break from
worrying so much about wire rope. That job had led him back to
Montreal, in 2008, ultimately for a desk job at Cirque, where a chance
encounter with the head rigger on another touring show, Corteo,
resulted in Corteos adopting XLT4.
Heath, who like many technicians is rightly given to calling himself
obsessive, took little satisfaction from Corteos conversion. Now
that at least one Cirque show was using the stronger wire rope, it
only intensified his worries that, if there were an accident at Kà or
some other show that still used 19x7, Cirque could be exposed for
using the weaker one. In a letter addressed to a supervisor and upper
management in December 2008, Heath wrote, In case of an accident a
plaintiff could prove that we have knowingly been using inferior rope
even though a much safer, approved product has been available for two
years
. I am giving you the information to do with as you see fit: to
bury it, or to take it to the top, as you prefer. As he searched the
Web for anything that could help him make sense of the situation,
Heath came across news stories about the Mark Brown case, which he had
known nothing about.
Piecing together the chronology, Heath came to believe that the issue
of wire-rope rotation had been highly charged for Cirque du Soleil not
long before he began promoting XLT4. Cirques defense in the Mark
Brown trial had centered on the rope used to hang the prop, according
to the Associated Press. The APs report on the lawsuits settlement
explained that Lawyers for Cirque blamed the Bellagio for the
accident, saying the prop was hung from the ceiling with the wrong
type of cable, causing the rigging to unscrew.
In quiet moments, Heath sometimes knew that his fixation wasnt
completely rationalhe knew that in the long-term Cirque had more to
gain by making the safest choice. And some colleagues did listen to
him. Moving from show to show, Heath directly or indirectly converted
more productions to using XLT4Zed in 2008, Alegrìa in 2009, Dralion
in 2010, and Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour in 2011. Even a
rigging designer who replaced Heath on Zaia, in Macau, converted to
the new wire rope. The resistance to using it in Las Vegas, though,
seemed to Heath impossible to overcome.
In the spring of 2012, Heath finally left Cirque for good. Six months
earlier, he had carpet-bombed the tech side of the company with a
Jerry Maguire memo, copying more than a dozen Cirque riggers, accusing
some company employees of malfeasance by holding on to 19x7 when a
stronger rope was available.
Cirques late-empire devolution into bloated fiefdoms had meanwhile
reached a danger point. Laliberté himself told me, When youre
focused just to growth and forget about the basiclittle castle are
being built in the big castle! And eventually get chubby! Gilles Ste-
Croix eventually took his boss in hand, and Laliberté began the long
series of tough choices that led to Cirques drastic revamp
restructuring and eliminating hundreds of jobs. The revamp was a rude
awakening. After the cutbacks, those who have gone on living the very
normal life that Cirque affords its Vegas employees have done so in
the knowledge that, even in this circus family, everyone is
fungible. They know, too, that Cirque reserves the right to act
according to a set of values that are indistinguishable from those of
any other big corporation. With bemused embarrassment, Cirques Daniel
Lamarre said that, as Cirque struggled through the revamp, his peers
from Disney and MGM and all the others, they were looking at us,
saying, Whats your issue? For them, its business as usual that you
do layoffs and you do cost-cutting. For them, that was nothing to talk
about, you know? But for us, it was almost a drama, because we were
not used to that.
Yet Cirque, as a corporate enterprise, is very different from Disney
or MGM. Because it is a circus, the viability of its business is
rooted in the willingness of a core group of performers to risk their
lives on a daily basis. At the opera, the ballet, or the theater, the
audience rarely wonders if performers will live to see the final
curtain. At the circus, the audience always wonders.
The OSHA Files
--------------
In the mind of Guy Laliberté, the premiere of Michael Jackson One
marked the end of the companys troubled period. The shows success,
he told me, was so important for the pride and the reboot and the
reboost of the company. For him, the death at Kà was a devastating
moment that halted all this night of hype. As he said, At the end,
you know, those extreme moment within the same day just make you
realize how privileged and how fragile life is. And you know, you go
through pain, mourning moment, but on the other sidethe cycle in
life.
For other people, the death at Kà raised a new set of questionsabout
safety in general, and about what had happened on the night of June
29. Cirque employees were asked not to publicly discuss what had
happened to Sarah Guillot-Guyard until the results of OSHAs
investigation were complete. After that, Calum Pearson, vice president
of Cirques Resident Shows Worldwide, spoke to me at length. As
Pearson told the story, Guillot-Guyards death was a million-to-one
freak accident involving human errors, mostly on the part of both the
acrobat and her rigger.
Hundreds of pages of background documents from the state agency,
including verbatim accounts of witnesses to the tragedy, tell a more
detailed and more ambiguous story. They certainly do offer a vivid and
unsettling description of the human errors that Cirque described.
To read through the OSHA files is to encounter a sad and tangled
catalogue of missteps and what-ifs. Although Guillot-Guyard had been
performing various roles in Kà since 2006, on the night she died she
was playing a part that she had never played before. (She had received
training for the role beginning at least a month earlier.) On June 29,
during the first of Kàs two evening performances, Guillot-Guyard was
slower than anyone else and had to be helped up and over the rail,
according to Pearson, which seemed to upset her.
Pearson said that Guillot-Guyards long experience in similar roles
requiring similar skills ensured that she was adequately prepared to
play this new one, despite what may appear to an outsider to be scant
preparation. Sarah was never shy about saying if she was
uncomfortable with something, Pearson explained to me. She would be
very vocal about Im not ready for this. I need more training.?
Accident reports found in the OSHA files depict her differently. On
the night of Guillot-Guyards death, some of Kàs riggers noticedand
told one anotherthat the acrobat was obviously struggling to do her
job correctly. When Guillot-Guyard stopped really low on her fly out
during the first show, a nearby crew member noticed that she was
choppy and sloppy. I looked at the rigger and just shook my head like
Oh my God, because of how rough it was.
Another rigger recalled playing a game of Ping-Pong between shows with
Guillot-Guyards rigger, who told me that during the first show, the
artist on his line was a mess coming out of the battle scene. He
said she was really slow and jerky. In his own recollection, Guillot-
Guyards rigger testified, I talked about how I thought [she] needed
more work on the fly outs. I didnt think she was ready.
According to the OSHA files, there had been earlier concerns about
Guillot-Guyard. [She] has historically had trouble with things like
unhooking carabieeners [sic], one rigger testified in his account.
She seemed very nervous about things, and was stubborn about things,
he added. That night, even Guillot-Guyard seemed frustrated with her
performance. During the break between shows, this same crew member
recalled, the acrobat said, I just dont know what Im doing, I
guess, but I never do, in a dig on herself. According to OSHA
testimony, She didnt come off as nervous or scared, just slightly
insecure about herself in the battle scene.
Almost two hours later, near the end of the second show, the moment in
the battle scene arrived when six of the Spearmen were to fly up and
off the top of the Sand Cliff Deck backwards to an overhead Forest
Grid catwalk, according to OSHA. Seeing them line up, the rigger on
No. 15Guillot-Guyards linemoved to tie off to a self-retracting
lifeline, or S.R.L. He needed to strap in so he could stand on the
railing and lean forward, in order to breast out the wire rope on
which Guillot-Guyard was hangingthat is, to push the line outward, so
the acrobat wouldnt hit the grid.
On this particular night, Guillot-Guyards rigger had some trouble
hooking into [his] S.R.L., he testified to OSHA, and while he was
getting secure there was a very loud bangsomething heavy, crashing
into the grid from below. He immediately turned around and grabbed
the line, to push Guillot-Guyard away from the grid, but by then her
whole lower halffrom the back of her legs to her waisthad already
struck the bottom of the structure.
According to OSHA, it seemed as if she flew up at a higher rate of
speed than normal toward the grid without tucking in her feet or
legs. The impact of this collision then caused a series of system
shocks, ultimately severing the wire rope. Later that night, according
to the OSHA files, Kàs assistant head rigger found the rigger who had
been on Guillot-Guyards line curled in a ball and crying. He was
saying, I felt the rope go through my hand.
There may have been nothing he could have done. Ascending with her
legs extended, instead of in a tuckas witnesses testifiedGuillot-
Guyard collided with the grid. According to the OSHA report, This
collision caused a shock load to the winch; the wire rope came out of
the sheave/pulley and scraped against a shear point cutting numerous
wires in the wire rope. The wire rope broke apart. Or as Pearson
explained, The cable jumped out of the pulley wheel and was exposed
to the sharp edges of the mounting frame. This happened in a split
second, almost instantaneously with the moment of impact. [The] cable
got slammed against the edge of the wheel and into the sharp edge of
the plate that was behind it, and that cut the cable.
Both OSHA and Cirque agree that speed was somehow a factor. Pearson
stated, though, that Guillot-Guyard wasnt traveling overspeed at
the moment of impact and that her speed was always within the
allowable limitslimits that have since been reduced for the exit of
the act. He acknowledged that some people have said she was going
faster than normal. But there were two Spearmen above her at the time
of the accident. That would indicate that she wasnt going at full
speed. But Pearson also added that this is nothing we can 100
percent validate, because its impossible to know the exact speed she
was going. OSHAS report deemed the rapid ascent of the performer
to have been a critical factor and quoted numerous witnesses as
observing that Guillot-Guyard seemed to be ascending at an unusually
rapid rate.
OSHA also summarized the testimony of several witnesses that the
acrobat did not attempt to stop, slow down, or tuck her feet and legs
close to her body as she approached the grid. (She struck the bottom
of the Forest Grid from her waist down. It wasnt just her feet, one
rigger testified.) The simplest, most commonsense explanation of the
posture in which she struck the grid is that Guillot-Guyard did not
know how high she was, almost as if she was disoriented or lost track
of her positioning, according to OSHA testimony. Pearson added that
she was facing down, so probably wouldnt have even known her
proximity to the grid. (Twice before, Cirques performance-medicine
department had received reports of Spearmen colliding with the grid,
causing a bruised coccyx in one case, and a bruised lower back in the
other.) Regarding her ascent, Pearson said that she was pressing and
holding her joystick all the way to the end, or else she double-
clicked it to go to the highest speed. Cant say for certain. In
October 2013, the Nevada investigators initially concluded that
Guillot-Guyard had not been properly trained in using the hand-held
controller and how to exit the scene safely. Cirque appealed that
citation, and the following month it was withdrawn.
In the sequence of events that led to Guillot-Guyards death, the
final, decisive occurrence was the failure of the wire. Was this
accident the terrible event that Heath had been warning about? In
OSHAs view of the accident, the key event was the wire escaping the
pulley groovewhatever the reasonand finding itself against a sharp
edge that instantly served as a knife. In this view, the operative
word would be cut rather than snap, and could well have proved
catastrophic regardless of the relative breaking strength of various
types of wire. For his part, Heath is not persuaded by the shock load
to the winch theory. That aside, and acknowledging that the sharp
edge played an instrumental role, he argues that the powerful pull of
the winch on a damaged wire could just as well have been the decisive
factor. A stronger rope, in his view, might have stalled the winch.
Pearson dismissed concern about the ropethe 19x7 steel wire product,
attached to a swivelas a red herring, asserting that wire-rope
manufacturers dont have a position anymore on the use of swivels
with 19x7. A spokesman for Loos & Co., which makes the 19x7 wire used
by Cirque, stated that, Our official position is that we dont have a
position because were unfamiliar with the design and technical
situation of personnel lifts. Weve never spoken to Cirque. He added,
We have no idea of the particulars of this particular incident. That
said, some major American wire-rope manufacturers do still explicitly
warn against the use of 19x7 with swivels. Pearson granted that XLT4
is stronger, but asserted that it is less flexible and therefore not
as well suited to the acrobatic work at Kà. As to Heaths argument
that XLT4 should be the companywide standard at Cirque for aerial
acrobatics, Pearson said, Thats a little bit like saying that every
building in America should be built of steel instead of being built of
wood. In a later communication Pearson noted that Cirque had sought
the expert opinion of the cable manufacturers and the winch
manufacturers and that both had validated the use of 19x7 in our
systems. He added that the notion that the cable choice may have
contributed to the accident has not been suggested by any
investigation.
The OSHA files contain testimony from some Cirque technicians who went
out of their way to state that they personally were aware of some
question about the use of 19x7 on a swivel. These people also made a
point of disclaiming personal responsibility for using that rope, and
distancing themselves from the process by which that rope was chosen
for use at Kà. Weve been using 19x7 since the show started, said an
assistant head rigger. Ive heard thats O.K. to put a swivel on
19x7, but Ive also heard that its not recommended. I think that was
somebodys opinion. I only maintain the system that is designed by
somebody else. I didnt specify a wire rope for use in this
application, said another technician, who was involved in Kàs
design. The conversations about the appropriate use of rope would
have been left to other people. The words are those of Jeremy
Hodgson, a technical manager of automation at Kà and other Cirque
shows. In his same testimony, Hodgson referred to some concerns about
the use of 19x7 with single point swivels raised by a rigging
project manager in Macau, James Heath.
A rigger who still works for Cirque and thinks highly of Heaths work
told me that he does not share Heaths interest in the retrospective
hypothetical of what might have happened at Kà if Guillot-Guyard had
been flown on something stronger. This rigger said, I dont think
anybody can ever say, with all the variables involved, whether the
same thing would have happened if a different cable had been on that
winch.
Yes, you can make a case, maybe even a strong case, that XLT4 might
have provided a bit more precious time. But you can also make a case,
and maybe a stronger case, that the tragedy in Las Vegas was what
analysts call a system accident. A system accident is one that
requires many things to go wrong in a cascade. Change any element of
the cascade and the accident may well not occur, but every element
shares the blame. What if Guillot-Guyard had been more experienced in
her role? What if she had not ascended so quickly, or had been in a
fetal tuck? What if the rigger on the grid hadnt had trouble hooking
into his S.R.L.? What if the wire had not jumped the pulley wheel?
What if the wire had been stronger? System accidents are an
inevitability when human beings interface with increasingly complex
technology. The only way to minimize them is to look hard in advance
at every factor and make improvements where you can. And then to look
again when the next system accident occursas it will.
I think the best course of action, the rigger who spoke about
variables told me, is for Cirque du Soleil to do the right thing for
the interests of future performers [and] adopt this cable on all
shows. A lot of Cirque shows are already using it.
Last December, the battle scene was restored to Kà.
Gravity
-------
Perhaps appropriately, one of the themes of Kurios, Cirques 30th-
anniversary show, is the complicated relationship between people and
their machines. At Cirques Montreal headquarters in December of 2013,
in a room with a 75-foot ceiling, I watched a pair of gymnasts,
brothers named Roman and Vitali Tomanov, rehearse an aerial number for
the show. When the music started, they were Siamese twins. Then the
two parts of this creature were separated, and they attached
themselves to wires so they could fly free around the circus tent. The
flights were so powerful and strong that it felt like being in the
room with Superman. Make that two of him.
When the brothers flew toward each other from opposite sides of the
room in a choreographed high-speed near miss, even Cirques own head
of public relations turned away. I know theyre safe, she said,
covering her eyes. I just . . .
When a technical glitch caused delays in the rehearsal, their coach
said, As you become more sophisticated, you become more imprisoned.
Cirques own corporate circumstances have changed considerably. In
April, the company announced that it would be selling a controlling
interest to the American private-equity firm TPG, with the Chinese
conglomerate Fosun and the Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et
placement du Québec, in Montreal, also acquiring a stake.
Cirques forthcoming projects testify to undiminished ambition. A new
touring arena show, Toruk, inspired by the film Avatar and developed
in collaboration with director James Cameron, will have its premiere
this fall. Soon afterward, Cirque will work with NBC on a live
television broadcast of The Wiz, before eventually staging the shows
upcoming Broadway revival. As for Laliberté himself, he contemplates a
personal crazy project that would apply his distinctive sense of
pizzazz to a universal human experience. I want to get in the
cemetery business, he told me, describing a venture that could
possibly include the option of having ones ashes sent aloft among
fireworks. He made it clear that, for now, this is only a very big
dream.
During the Kurios rehearsal at Cirques headquarters, at the end, I
asked the performers what it feels like to be in their bodies when
they fly through the air. One of the brothers rushed to answer,
leaving Descartes in the dust: We dont thinkand then do, he said.
You feelenergy! And you dont think how you tired. More energy!
Shaking, shaking, the energy! His hand was in front of his chest,
vibrating with energy. And getting back! He extended his hand,
making me the audience, his hand still vibrating. And then the
audience is with us, and weBoom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! He flipped
up his thumb, extended his pointer finger to make an energy gun, and
Boom!d it all over the place, from the imaginary audience to himself
to the coach to the publicist to his brother, who, still catching his
breath from flying, interrupted the energy-gun massacre to exclaim,
In case you didnt know, were reversing the gravity!
Except when theyre not.
{ SOURCE: Vanity Fair | http://goo.gl/9DyDJ2 }
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 15, Number 6 (Issue #137) - June 2015
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2015 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter
can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or
translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By
sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise
noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All
submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter."
"Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du
Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (c) and
are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and
Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright
infringement intended.
{ Jun.05.2015 }
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