Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Fascination Issue 124
=======================================================================
______ _ __ _ __
/ ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / /
/ /_ / __ `/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ `/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ /
/ __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/
/_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_)
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
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.CirqueFascination.com
------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5 May 2014 ISSUE #124
=======================================================================
Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
Well, we knew it was coming sooner or later, didn't we? Since our
last issue it was announced to the artists (an official public
announcement has yet been made) that DRALION, after 10 years of
touring the world under the Grand Chapiteau and another four in
arenas, would retire sometime in January 2015. I'm sure something
with corporate speak detailing a few reasons will be announced soon
enough; however, the show's closing is probably a combination of
exausting venues for the show, needing talent elsewhere, and a need
to trim costs. Its closing doesn't surprise me, though. I've been
expecting an announcement for some weeks now - it was a tossup
between Quidam (older than Dralion) or Dralion (went arena before
Quidam). I'm glad its Dralion instead of Quidam, but, that means
time is running out for Dragone's last touring show with the
Cirque - it'll be up for retirement next, and that makes me sad.
Some of you might ask, then, why not put out a special edition DVD
like a friend of mine asked... my response? Although we might wish to
have one, it doesn't really benefit Cirque financially. Few would
purchase it, making the cost of creating a new piece of media too
high. But that doesn't mean we wouldn't enjoy seeing a re-edit of
what Cirque shot back in 1999, re-published digitally, but we won't
hold our breaths. If Cirque couldn't or wouldn't do that for
Saltimbanco, I doubt they'll do so for Dralion.
Amidst the news that a show is closing, we've had an announcement
of a new one - JOYÀ - the Riviera Maya show in Mexico. JOYÀ combines
culinary and performing arts in an intimate theater setting to
engage the audiences five senses. Drawing on Mexicos history and
heritage, JOYÀ tells the story of an alchemist and his granddaughter
embarking on a transformative quest to uncover the secrets of life.
Through their wonderfully disorienting journey they will discover
a hidden gem in the mangrove, passing along the poetry of love and
life to future generations. The name JOYÀ is rooted in the Spanish
joya meaning jewel or pearl, and alludes to a person or event of
great value. Through the performance, the alchemists granddaughter
will discover joy and wisdom by sharing an extraordinary experience
in an unlikely place. Stage Director Martin Genest and Culinary
Designer Alexis Bostelmann of Grupo Vidanta, who created the
culinary experience, will begin preview performances of JOYÀ on
November 8, 2014, and it will Premiere on November 21, 2014. We'll
have more on the announcement in our next issue!
More importantly, in this issue we offer up our glimpse into
KURIOS - Cabinet des Curiosités, Michele Laprise's masterpiece
of steampunk and circus. What does all that mean? See our review
of the show within! We also have updates to Cirque's touring
schedule, a sampling of their posts to Facebook, and all the
news posted for the past month.
So, let's get started!
Join us on the web at:
< www.cirquefascination.com >
Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only):
< http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
===========
CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
o) Fascination! Features
* "KURIOS: Reality is Relative!"
By: Ricky & Nicole Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
* "Cirque du Soleil's Highest Grossing Shows"
Special Reprint from TheRichest.com
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
LePage Receives Glenn Gould Award
{Apr.01.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Lepage (KÀ / Totem) received only the 10th Glenn Gould
Award thats been handed out. The prize is dubbed the Nobel
Prize of the Arts. The winner gets $50,000 Cdn and a statue
designed by Canadian artist Ruth Abernethy, who is the sculptor
behind the Oscar Peterson bronze outside the National Arts
Centre on Elgin Street. Lepage joins luminaries such as Leonard
Cohen (2011), Dr. José Antonio Abreu (2008), the founder of El
Sistema, Venezuelas free music education program for children
and youth, Pierre Boulez (2002), Yo-Yo Ma (1999), Oscar Peterson
(1993) and Yehudi Menuhin (1990).
On Monday at Rideau Hall, Lepage received his award. He was
fêted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston and other dignitaries, then
honoured with a string of performances, one of which included an
excerpt from KÀ, one of the Cirque du Soleil shows Lepage helped
create. The other is Totem.
The great advantage of the circus and the reason it is so
popular is really the ideal combination of art and sport,
Lepage says. Its the ideal art form in a certain way if you
want to be accessible.
The Gould Prize is given every few years to an individual who
has enriched the human condition through the arts.
Lepage called the award humbling.
{ SOURCE: Ottawa Citizen | http://goo.gl/GHS63M }
A Glimpse of KURIOS, Video #4
{Apr.03.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
A new Glimpse into KURIOS video was released today featuring
a rather interesting looking device (cross between a gramophone
and typewriter) punching out Morse Code: -.- ..- .-. ..
KURIOS.
THE LATEST VIDEO:
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4637 >
See the other three videos here:
#3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90oDu8U99Nc
#2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlSlqwI2E2k
#1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-p2OylNRE
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, YouTube }
New Cirque Boutique at Dorval Airport!
{Apr.04.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
The expansion and spiff-up of Dorvals Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport continued apace Thursday with the latest
addition of retailers, including a Cirque du Soleil boutique and
an Archibald Microbrasserie restaurant, in the commercial space.
# # #
Pierrette Hade, area manager for French firm LS Travel Retail
North America, which owns the Cirque du Soleil shop, said that
another will open at the airport next month.
The existing one sells Cirque paraphernalia, including fancy-
ball cat masks and skin-tight multicolor tunics similar to the
one worn by the contortionist who gave a performance at the
launch ceremony. Prices for the masks ranged from $59 to $299,
while the tunics were $99.
Hade said that the Cirque started here in Montreal and this
gives it a lot of visibility for travelers.
The merchandise at Cirque stores is mostly made by the Cirque in
Montreal, but are not items that are related to any specific
show, she added.
Just before the ceremony began, about 30 airport blue-collar
maintenance workers banged drums and shouted slogans during a
demonstration.
{ SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/zQocM1 }
Ubisoft Partners with Cirque & Coeur
de Pirate for Child of Light
{Apr.09.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Ubisoft announced partnerships with Canadian artist Coeur de
Pirate to produce the games original soundtrack and Cirque du
Soleil Media to enhance the sense of theatricality in the game.
To fit the mystical atmosphere of Lemuria, Coeur de Pirate
composed an intimate and nostalgic soundtrack. With the support
of The Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal-based artist
was also able to recreate the epic and operatic ambiance of in-
game fight sequences.
Music is one of the most important ways to communicate emotion
to players, said Patrick Plourde, Creative Director, Ubisoft.
The music of Coeur de Pirate is fresh, romantic and optimistic,
a perfect match for what we wanted to express with Child of
Light. I am extremely honored that she wanted to join us on this
adventure.
My experience with Ubisoft was great. I was there from the
beginning, so they didnt have so much material for me to work
with at first, which gave me complete freedom. Then, when I
first saw the images, I really felt I could create something
great with them said Coeur de Pirate, songstress and Child of
Lights music composer. I remember seeing for the first time
the music on the images. This is wonderful to see something come
to life like this.
By collaborating with Cirque du Soleil Media, the Ubisoft
Montreal team was able to benefit from a world class experience
in theatrical realization and costume design, providing a real
stage direction point of view to the games creation. It was the
perfect match to expand Child of Lights universe and design.
Videogames invite players to be immersed in virtual worlds and
no one is better at creating immersive and magical experiences
than the artists of the Cirque du Soleil, said Patrick Plourde.
So to be able to collaborate with them to achieve Child of
Lights ambition to create a playable poem was a dream come
true.
One of the most important aspects of our business philosophy is
to assess the creative challenge a project may present, said
Jacques Méthé, President, Cirque du Soleil Media. Ubisoft is a
leader in the gaming industry and throughout the years, they
have acquired worldwide success with an impressive portfolio of
original brands. We are proud of our collaboration with Ubisoft
who share similar artistic values.
Child of Light is a reimagining of classic fairytales set
against a picturesque background inspired by the watercolor
artworks of The Golden Age of Illustration. As a playable poem,
Child of Light puts players in the shoes of Aurora, a young
princess who must win back the sun, the moon and the stars held
captive by the mysterious Queen of the Night.
Child of Light will be available to download on April 30, 2014
on Xbox LIVE for the Xbox 360 and XboxOne, the PlayStation
Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation4, the eShop from
Nintendo for the Wii U, and PC Digital, at the price of £11.99.
A boxed Deluxe Edition will also be available in retail on PS3 &
PS4 as a cross-buy and on PC and includes a unique artbook,
Igniculus key ring and other exclusive content.
Check out the video here:
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/embed/W-rTXUxDkE8 >
{ SOURCE: Ubisoft }
Mastering the Impossible, Episode 4: THE GRID
{Apr.10.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
With artists performing hundreds of feet above the stage, Cirque
du Soleil understands how important focus, trust and
relationships are. Xerox works behind the scenes with Cirque du
Soleil, ensuring the safety of everyone during the performance.
We present to you your own Backstage Pass to Cirque du Soleil
for an exclusive look at what it takes to fly!
Check out the video here:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/l7exuyKjaqk >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, Xerox }
MJ ONE Wins THEA Award
{Apr.10.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Jackson ONE won a THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement
Event Spectacular for 2014! They are the third Cirque du
Soleil show to win this award, the others being KÀ and O!
# # #
Michael Jackson: ONE, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas reaches beyond
the proscenium to immerse audiences visually, sonically and
emotionally
# # #
AOA Event Spectacular:
Michael Jackson: ONE, Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas
This live entertainment spectacle represents an electrifying
achievement for Cirque du Soleil, who have found a new creative
recipe for todays electic, media-centered audiences. In ONE
theyve fused Cirques traditional energy with the iconic power
of the King of Pop. The two make a perfect marriage; Michael was
a longtime fan of Cirques magic, and many of his musical themes
lend themselves to eclectic spectacle.
Michael Jackson: ONE dazzles at every turn, alternating between
multisensory overload and lingering poetry. The shows creators
have deconstructed Michael Jackson into his essential
components, both physical and emotional. A single white glove
a
fedora hat
a pair of sparkle-spatted shoes
each becomes a
springboard to a segment of the show that grows from that single
artifact into a mind-blowing series of images. Jacksons eternal
themes find physical expression as well: the healing of Love
the power of Belief
the glory of Unity
these grand ideas
combine with Michaels iconic visuals to remind us of his
essential goodness and eternal optimism, even in the face of
unspoken sorrows and a life lived in the cameras glare.
Innovative? Yes. The show introduces a number of first-time
performance technologies, including a crazy acrobatic performed
on neon green elastic straps, and a manic number in which
performers hurl themselves belly-first to the stage floor, then
to spring high into the air like crickets. Mapped projection
certainly isnt new, but ONE kicks it into warp drive, wrapping
the entire stage, proscenium and theater walls in a dizzying
barrage of images that adroitly capture the essence of each
song. And while Michael himself is present throughout the show
via multiscreen projection and clever costume references, when
the moment finally comes (as it must) for The Gloved One to
appear in a holographic-style Peppers Ghost illusion, its done
with such lyrical elegance and musical precision that Michael
becomes a golden sparkling spirit, blessing the shows dancers
with his magic.
Michael Jackson: ONE qualifies as themed entertainment because
despite the somewhat traditional stage format, it reaches beyond
the proscenium to immerse audiences visually, sonically and
emotionally. [Cirque has been honored with Thea Awards in the
past - in 1998 for the O show, and again in 2005 for the stage
technology of Ka.]
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil; TEA Connect }
Montreal Gazette: Kurios: A Glimpse for the Curious
{Apr.12.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Nouveau circus is about to go Steampunk antique with Kurios,
Cirque du Soleils latest tent show scheduled to open April 24
at the Old Port in Montreal.
The look is late 19th century and the locale is a faux village
installed at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. The performers arrive
by train (of the steam locomotive era), gramophones circle the
playing area like ghosts, and a pre-Wright brothers airplane
soars above the crowd.
All of this was seen within the tantalizing 15-minute glimpse of
the show allowed to members of the local media on Friday
morning. Since most Cirque shows run at least two hours, many
more wonders are in store.
Kurios is directed by Cirque insider Michel Laprise. Although
its his first kick at the can, he knows the rules of the game.
From what was revealed on Friday, Stéphane Roys set and
Philippe Guillotels costumes are a retro fashion parade,
eccentric to the max. (The accordion man outfit is a hoot.) The
music composed by Raphael Beau and musical director is ear-
pleasing. And the acts, like a high-flying juggler, are playful
and innovative. The fact that there are about half a dozen fewer
performers than usual due to Cirque budget cuts isnt likely to
be noticed by casual observers.
All of Cirque du Soleils tent shows premiere here. Montrealers
are going to be the first to see Kurios before it sets out on
its odyssey around the world. Kurios was slated to run from
April 24 to June 29. But holdover dates have just been added,
from July 2 to 13th (These tickets are available first to Cirque
Club members. But it doesnt cost anything to join up.
Check out a video preview here:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/pZd3gogy9dw >
{ SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/1q8fkp }
Global News: Kurios: steampunk meets rolla bolla
{Apr.12.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil unveiled Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities, its
35th production Friday morning to the media, and initial reviews
are positive.
It dazzles, said Pat Donnelly, the theatre critic for the
Montreal Gazette. Its got a lot of razzle dazzle from what I
saw. And some acts that have never been done anywhere before.
One of the productions centrepieces is a high-flying
performance of what is known as rolla bolla, a balancing act
that involves flat surfaces and cylinders. Cirque du Soleil
added a twist performing rolla bolla tens of meters in the
air.
Fans of steampunk shouldnt miss this show, as it contains an
aesthetic that deals with the world before the advent of
electricity.
Steampunk is both a reference to the past and a projection into
the future, Laprise said. There are visual quirks like batwing
airplanes and locomotives with human engines.
Whats interesting is that its got a time and a place,
Donnelly said. Its got a time and a place, it takes its
inspiration from the Paris Exhibition of 1900.
The show is set to premiere on April 24 at the Old Port. From
there it will move to Quebec City, then Toronto and onto its
North American tour.
{ SOURCE: Global News | http://goo.gl/AeOUOM }
How Cirque Manages Marketing with Podio
{Apr.13.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
How Cirque du Soleil Manages Marketing with Podio
Posted by Michael Dean, 16 May, 2013 | Podio Blog
Heres a story about what happens in Vegas that doesnt have to
stay in Vegas! Meet the Cirque du Soleil marketing team from Las
Vegas and see how they use Podio to run their marketing
processes specifically, how they handle creative jobs. You can
get started managing marketing on Podio as well with our new App
Pack built to do just that: Marketing Management free in the
Podio App Market.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/cWAbucaDx3s >
Before finding Podio, the team at Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas was
using the familiar combo of documents and emails to handle job
traffic. This was not without its issues.
It was very hard to manage the jobs that I had open because
there wasnt a centralized location where we were storing all of
our jobs. So I could have opened up 10 jobs in one day, and two
days later I was having to go through my emails to figure out
what I had opened and what was still out there and what I had to
follow up on, explained Megan Pechin, assistant marketing
manager.
Cirque du Soleil knew there was a better way. Andy Levey, senior
manager of new media and analytics, and his team found the
solution in Podio.
What attracted us to Podio was that it put everything in one
place, and it was something you could fully customize, said
Andy. It wasnt just a project management system it was a
project management system for our needs. No two projects are the
same, and its really cool as the project manager to build in
different aspects of that in different apps on the Podio
platform itself.
Of the apps created for their marketing processes including
ones for managing large projects and tracking social media
content on a calendar the Jobs app is the main hub of activity
for the team on Podio. Everyone from graphic designers to
project managers to executives can request and follow the
progress of creative jobs in one place and on any device.
Senior graphic designer Jason Isaac described how the increased
transparency of workflows in Podio over email has enabled team
leaders to get a much faster and more complete overview of
projects.
Its allowed us visibility throughout the company with people
that would not normally have the time to do it, said Jason.
[They can see] what the artwork looks like, or were talking
about the new creative or the program or the T-shirt give away
or the different initiatives that are going on. They can see
what it looks like in real time.
Is it in the art department? Is it in the marketing department?
Is it at the vendor? Which vendor is printing it? Who signed off
on it? When it was signed off on? said Jason. They can get so
granular, or they can really step back and get that birds-eye
view of everything thats going on.
Following the success of Podio within the marketing department,
members of the sales and PR teams have now begun working with
the marketing team on Podio to manage the production of assets
like presentations and trade show material: Its been very
seamless for them, and weve actually began the processes of
mapping out how Podio can fit their specific needs, explained
Jason. Its mainly connecting into the marketing department at
this point in time. Talk to me in two months and I guarantee you
that wont be the case it will be more than that.
I hope youll find this example of marketing on Podio inspiring.
Perhaps youre already using Podio in your company for another
function like CRM or recruiting, but you would like to get the
marketing department on board, too. For that, the new Podio
Marketing Management apps are a great place to start.
{ SOURCE: Podio Blog | http://goo.gl/20LVIB }
Criss Angel returns to BELIEVE!
{Apr.16.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Robin Leach catches up with Criss Angel who, having recovered
from shoulder surgery, returns to his headliner show BELIEVE at
the Luxor on Tuesday.
# # #
Shoulder surgeons and rehab specialists have given their OK for
Magician of the Century Criss Angel to restart his Luxor
headliner show Believe at the Luxor on Tuesday.
It will have a whole new look, Criss told me. Weve got new
music, lighting and costumes, and the entire cast and crew are
excited to return.
Cirque du Soleils Believe went on hiatus for 10 weeks while
Criss recuperated from January shoulder surgery in L.A. for torn
muscles that separated during a Times Square hanging escape
stunt for his Spike TV series also titled Believe.
Criss will not be permitted to do the upside-down straightjacket
escape over the audiences heads when Believe returns Tuesday.
His apprentice, 22-year-old Krystyn Lambert, will perform the
stunt.
However, Criss is adding material for the shows return.
Our opening is completely new. Then were adding my version of
Lance Burtons signature Oscar With Swords illusion. Hes
never given the rights to anybody before, but he allowed me to
Angel-ize it.
I pay homage to Lance, who is held in the highest regard and
twice awarded Magician of the Year. He performed more than 5,000
shows for over 5 million people next door at the Monte Carlo.
Also for the first time in the past five years of Believe, I
will go right into the audience to perform close-up magic. I
wanted to make it more intimate, interesting and exciting with
the audience 360 degrees surrounding me. Well have a video
camera on the close-ups to show on our big screens.
Next comes the most revolutionary levitation youll ever see.
This will be its year. Its the most complicated thing Ive ever
undertaken in my career. Its already taken years to develop,
but were planning it for later this year.
During the injury recovery break, Criss, who had seven screws
inserted into his right arm and bolted in place with a
reinforced protective sling, staged Magic Jam. He hosted other
magicians in a variety format on the Believe stage: Nathan
Burton, Russ Merlin, Jason Byrne, Armando Vera, mentalist
Banachek and Krystyn.
We all had a lot of fun, Criss told me. It was a great
experience for all of us. They were many unsung heroes, and it
gave them their own starring platform. We are very proud of what
we achieved. It was hugely successful, and Star Pulse named us
the Best Variety Show on the Strip. A new version simply titled
Criss Angel Presents Magic will be ready in the New Year for
engagements planned to tour America and Europe.
In the week between the end of Magic Jam and getting Believe
ready again, Criss was honored as one of the Vegas Dozen. He
attended Saturdays Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch and
while at The Jacksons Rocktellz & Cocktails in Planet
Hollywood met Carlos Santana and Boyz II Men.
Now were back to 10 new shows a week and operating full speed
ahead, he summed up. I cant say enough wonderful things and
thanks for what my doctors were able to do for me. That was real
magic.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/MOziCx }
Thinking Out Loud: On the Academics of Circus
{Apr.16.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
A Booker Prize-winning author, a popular CBC Radio host, an
award-winning advertising veteran and author and a former Cirque
de Soleil exec came to the Concordia University in March to
share their insights on the creative process. The guests were
joined by four dynamic Concordia professors as part of the
Thinking Out Loud conversation series, held in partnership with
The Globe and Mail.
Episode Two: On the Academics of the Circus
How can one practice art as research and study art as process
without losing sight of the initial artistic impulse? Lyn
Heward, former director of creation at the Cirque du Soleil, is
joined on stage by Louis Patrick Leroux, associate professor in
Concordia Universitys departments of English and Études
françaises. They discussed the Cirques history, how a circus is
choreographed and more.
Watch the video (1hr 22min):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJhm9KT9qU
{ SOURCE: Concordia University }
Mastering the Impossible, Episode 5: COSTUMES
{Apr.17.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
As a business that individually tailors 20,000 costumes a year,
Cirque du Soleil knows a thing or two about customization. Much
like Cirque du Soleil, Xerox understands every business is
unique and a one-size-fits-all solution just wont do. Its a
perfect fit! Heres your Backstage Pass to see how wonder sewed
into the fabric of Cirque du Soleil.
VIDEO THE VIDEO HERE:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/JglB5Zv_9u4 >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, Xerox }
Montreal Gazette: Nouveau Cirque Switches Gears
{Apr.18.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Screaming anachronisms and a cocky science fiction attitude make
for a Steampunk world under the Big Top down at the Old Port,
where the Cirque du Soleils latest tent show, Kurios Cabinet
of Curiosities, is being prepared for its April 24 opening. The
presence of gramophones and the Sherlock Holmes-era costumes
suggest a period piece and the setting is inspired by the Paris
Exhibition of 1900. Yet high-tech nouveau cirque remains the
name of the game in the Cirque du Soleils 35th production,
directed by Michel Laprise.
A brief excerpt presented to journalists last week revealed a
distinct pseudo-Victorian bent. Eccentric characters included an
accordion man with pleated arms and legs, a woman straight off
the set of My Fair Lady, and a clown in an towering hat carrying
a toddler-sized woman in his oversized stomach.
Steampunk means a mash-up of old and new, a genre of science
fiction with roots in the 19th century. The word, with its
allusion to punk rock, appears to have been coined around 1987,
by science fiction author K.W. Jeter, as he searched for a hip
term to describe works by authors like himself who were
influenced by the likes of H.G. Wells and Mary Shelley. No
longer confined to literature, the term Steampunk is used across
the arts and within the world of fashion.
While talking with members of the Kurios creative team, this
hybrid word kept popping up in the conversation, as did the
title of the movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese.
My first source of inspiration was the second half of the 19th
century, director Laprise said. Because it was an era when
everything was possible. This era became the inspiration for
this show because I think we need optimism. Im a happy camper.
Nice things happen to me. I think we live in a world of
abundance. And we have to remind ourselves of that. Much was
invented then, like the phonograph, which allowed you to have a
whole symphony in your living room, he said. It all gave a lot
of access to culture to people. And the development of the
railway system allowed them to visit each other more often.
Set designer Stéphane Roy, now working on his sixth Cirque du
Soleil show, mentioned Fellinis La Strada as another influence
for his copper-toned clockwork set with its startling steam
engine and quirky props. Author Jules Verne (Around the World in
Eighty Days) was important, too, he said. Kurios differs from
other Cirque du Soleil shows, he said, because in this one
youre somewhere, youre in a house, youre in a room, in a
space where things are happening. This home is packed with
curios. When the numbers appear, its as if a jewel box is
being opened, he added.
They focused on the 1900 Paris Exhibition, which honoured the
achievements of the 19th century, because, it was when
everything was invented for new communication and
transportation, Roy said. Trains, planes, electricity,
telegrams. It was a moment in the history of mankind when
communication just went bang, everything was exploding.
If there are hints of the Cirques ill-fated Iris which is
said to have lost about $50 million for the company in Los
Angeles its not only because of thematic similarity. (Iris
evoked the history of film and talkies were the talk of the
Paris Exhibition of 1900.) There are also shared performers (six
of them) and Iris costume designer Philippe Guillotel, who also
worked on the Beatles Cirque show Love, is back.
Modernizing 19th-century costumes for acrobats meant
facilitating movement. In that epoch they must have had a hard
time doing circus and sport, Guillotel said. All of his
costumes are made of the same material, printed in various ways.
And yes, that spiral skirt on the coquettish girl is very
similar to one seen in Iris. Its the same performer with the
same personage, he said. So it was difficult to do something
different.
Production manager Gabriel Pinkstone, another Cirque veteran,
described Kurios as a complex show. Michel is a director who
enjoys a lot of detail, a lot of subtext, she said. We have a
lot of elements that are mechanical because of the Steampunk
inspiration. Its complex dramaturgically as well because there
are a lot of ideas that are difficult to express without words,
like the idea of travelling to another reality.
One of the most dangerous acts, she said, is the flying rola
bola. The acrobat balances on stacked cylinders while flying on
a swing. Theres also an invisible circus within the circus.
Its a bit like reverse puppetry, she explained.
Although its $27-million budget sounds substantial, Kurios is
being launched just over a year after Cirque du Soleil was
forced to lay off more than 400 employees. Pinkstone said
spending constraints included working with a smaller number of
artists (46 instead of 52) and using fewer trucks for
transportation between cities. Instead of 18 trucks, we have
16. So theyre not major changes, were just being a little more
efficient here and there. Also, an on-site school is no longer
part of the Cirque tent show deal for performers with children.
But Kurios families have been given a break, with classes
provided until July 2015. And the catering truck survived the
cuts. We cant live without the food truck, she said. The
kitchen is the epicentre of touring life. Basically everything
happens in the kitchen.
# # #
Some interesting take-aways from this article:
- Inspirations for KURIOS: Paris Exhibition of 1900, Martin
corseses HUGO and Fellinis La Strada.
- Budget of $27 million.
- 46 artists
- 16 trucks (instead of 18)
- Families getting break until July 2015.
{ SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/2TZ1mN }
Montreal Gazette: Behind the Scenes at KURIOS
{Apr.18.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Behind every Cirque du Soleil show, theres a village bustling
with activity. Kurios The Cabinet of Curiosities is no
exception. During a recent backstage visit down at the Old Port,
we spoke with a juggler, a percussionist, a conductor, and
Michel Laprise, director of Kurios.
Entering the lounge and workout room behind the stage, we walked
past Colombian acrobat James Gonzalez Corre, who was balancing
on a board on top of a cylinder while standing on a swing.
Others were stretching their muscles or testing equipment.
Percussionist Christa Mercey, from Elmira, Ont., offered a look
inside the shows tiny percussion pit filled with multiple
tools to set the beat. On the way, I spotted four Siberian
contortionists rehearsing their act and took a sneak peak at the
invisible man, or rather the costume that suggests his presence.
In Kurios, Mercey, a graduate of the University of Toronto (in
percussion performance), plays the role of Bella Donna in a
group act that combines drumming (on various objects, like
suitcases, chairs and tables) with juggling. This is Merceys
first circus, but shes no stranger to the road. For the last
eight years, Ive been on tour with a group called Scrap Arts
Music from Vancouver, she said. I toured all over the world
with them. As Bella Donna, she wears a side-angled Victorian
hat that requires multiple pins to stay in place.
Juggler Gabriel Beaudoin said he spent nine years training for
his craft, five at the École de cirque de Québec in Quebec City,
then four at the École nationale de cirque in Montreal. Joining
the circus wasnt his childhood dream, Beaudoin said. I just
wanted to find a passion. Thats what my parents wanted me to
do, too. Circus is a good mix of everything. Its athletic, its
also really creative. Its a mix of art and sport. Thats what I
needed. At 21, Beaudoin is the youngest performer in Kurios.
Now he has a two-year contract thats going to take him around
the world.
Of 46 performers in this cast, 14 are Russian, six Ukrainian,
and one is from Belarus. The man who plays the central character
of Le Chercheur (Antonio Moreno) refused an interview,
indicating he spoke neither French nor English, only Spanish.
In the narrative of Kurios, as told by Laprise, Le Chercheur, a
scientist, is on a quest. He creates a machine to travel into
another dimension to find the place where the possible and the
impossible meet. Only his plan backfires. The reverse happens,
Laprise explained, And we have people from the other dimension
who come into his world and they transform his world into
poetry.
Its the mystical side of Kurios that appeals to conductor Marc
Sohier, as well as the music itself, composed by Raphaël Beau
and two guys named Bill and Bob. Sohier spent 14 years touring
as band leader for the Cirques Saltimbanco. I did 3,600 shows,
everywhere on the planet, almost, he said. What he likes about
Kurios is that theres a move away from synthesizers and
soundtracks. The style of the music is electro-swing from the
beginning of the century, he said. Its a bit jazzy. Nice
music for musicians because you play for real. They want real
stuff now, acoustic instruments. Theres violin, cello,
accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo and a real drum instead of an
electronic one.
And it all adds up to a circus named Kurios.
# # #
Some interesting take-aways from this article:
- 4 Siberian contortionists
- Character: Bella Donna
- Drumming & Juggling Act
- Lead Character: Le Chercheur
- Marc Sohier, band leader for Saltimbanco, is on this tour.
- In the narrative of Kurios, as told by Laprise, Le Chercheur,
a scientist, is on a quest. He creates a machine to travel
into another dimension to find the place where the possible
and the impossible meet. Only his plan backfires. The reverse
happens, Laprise explained, And we have people from the
other dimension who come into his world and they transform his
world into poetry.
{ SOURCE: Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/pZwVqE }
A Glimpse of KURIOS, Video #7
{Apr.20.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Check out the latest glimpse into Cirque du Soleil's Cabinet of
Curiosities:
SEE THE VIDEO HERE:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/q9N2PnknKHE >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil }
Cirque du Soleils City of Rock?
{Apr.22.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Currently, its a dusty lot populated by clusters of rocks and
islands of weeds with a plywood fence hiding its drabness from
the bright lights of the Strip. A little over a year from now,
promoters say, it will be transformed into the City of Rock, a
permanent, 33-acre, open-air concert venue with a capacity of
80,000 at the southwest corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas
Boulevard.
The grounds will serve as the home of the Rock in Rio music
festival, which makes its American debut here on two consecutive
weekends in May 2015, with different acts each week. I would
like it to be the Super Bowl of music festivals, says Rock in
Rio founder Roberto Medina in a Skyloft suite at the MGM Grand
on Monday, where new details emerged surrounding the previously
announced event.
One of the biggest music festival brands in the world, Rock in
Rio current encompasses shows in Brazil, Spain and Portugal.
At last years festival in Rio, where Beyonce, Justin
Timberlake, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and dozens of
other acts performed, all 600,000 tickets were sold out in four
hours, according to event organizers.
All Rock in Rio concerts are centered in the City of Rock
grounds built specifically for each site. The Vegas City of
Rock, which will cost $40 million to construct, will consist of
a circular layout with various themed streets corresponding with
American, British and Brazilian cultures. There will be five
stages, including an electronic and an indie stage. MGM Resorts,
with Cirque du Soleil and investment firm The Yucaipa Companies,
will oversee construction of the new venue, which is committed
to hosting the bi-annual event in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
We are going to create the infrastructure and grounds enabling
this thing to happen, says Bill Hornbuckle, president and chief
marketing officer at MGM Resorts International. Itll be fully
astro-turfed, there will be paving and other infrastructure in
play electric, sewage, etc. so that when this event comes
and goes, the balance of the time it can be used for other
festivals jazz, country, food.
Hornbuckle says that he could see the grounds hosting one-off
sporting events like boxing and UFC cards and Major League
Soccer games. According to Hornbuckle, the plan is to grow the
festival to eight days by 2019, where it would take place over
two four-day weekends with one weekend centered around rock
artists and the other weekend around pop performers.
The partnership between MGM Resorts and Rock in Rio was
facilitated by Cirque du Soleil, who came became familiar with
Rock in Rio while touring their shows in Brazil.
When (Rock in Rio) told us they were looking at breaking into
the North American market, we said, OK, we have the perfect
city for you and we have a great partner to introduce you to,
says Jerry Nadal, senior vice president, resident shows division
at Cirque du Soleil. It was kind of a no-brainer for us. We
think its the next wave of entertainment out there.
There wont be Cirque acts performing at Rock in Rio, but the
company will supply production support culled from among their
2,000 Vegas-based employees as well as marketing and sales
assistance.
Though no artists have been announced for Rock in Rio yet,
Medina says that there already have been 10,000 tickets reserved
for the concerts on the events website (www.rockinrio.com)
since they began promoting the shows last month in a series of
newspaper advertisements.
Tickets will officially go on sale in January. In the meantime,
there will be a promotional event in New York Citys Times
Square in September where, according to Medina, a major act will
perform and where details of the lineup will most likely emerge.
Medina also says that there will be a major media campaign to
promote the festival. We already have $30 million invested in
communications in the U.S., he notes in Portuguese, speaking
through a translator.
Hornbuckle says that the City of Rock grounds will take about 45
days to set up and another 30 days to tear down after the event
is over, with the venues infrastructure remaining in place, and
hopes that Rock in Rio will help revive the stagnant north end
of The Strip, benefiting adjacent properties like Circus Circus
and, in future years, the new SLS Las Vegas hotel and casino,
which is scheduled to open over Labor Day weekend.
I think the happiest guy in town today is Sam Nazarian, he
says of the founder and CEO of the SBE Entertainment Group,
which owns SLS Las Vegas in partnership with San Francisco-based
private equity firm Stockbridge Capital Group. Its going to
help Circus Circus, its going to help that whole end of the
Strip, because its had a couple of tough years as we all know.
Referring to Medinas background in advertising he owns one of
the largest ad firms in Brazil Hornbuckle sees Rock in Rio as
a vehicle to promote Vegas as a whole.
At the core of their company, these guys are marketeers, he
says. Theyll spend $25 (million), $30 million promoting this
event globally. The net beneficiary of that is the brand of Las
Vegas. Yeah, MGM Resorts will benefit highly from that, but at
its core, this is a Las Vegas sell.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal | http://goo.gl/oH3maf }
Robin Leach Q&A w/Jerry Nadal City of Rock
{Apr.22.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
Rock in Rio, one of the worlds largest music festivals, is set
for Las Vegas in May 2015 and is a partnership among MGM Resorts
International, Cirque du Soleil, billionaire Ron Burkle (who
owns the Fresh & Easy grocery store chain here) and Roberto
Medina, who founded the headliner concerts 30 years ago. MGM
plans to transform 33 acres of prime real estate near Sahara
Avenue and its property Circus Circus into a permanent City of
Rock open-air concert venue to host the first Rock in Rio USA
with a daily capacity of 80,000 people to view five stages.
Jerry Nadal, senior vice president, resident shows division,
Cirque du Soleil, told Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun that
Rock in Rio first approached Cirque to get involved and then
they jointly pitched to MGM. It was about a year from start to
finish. Were going to continue exploring ways for MGM and
Cirque to use the venue space when Rock in Rio isnt here.
Jerry talked with Mr. Leach about Cirques new partnership:
Q. I guess youre charged with the extraordinary logistics of
this?
When this comes in, were going to be helping from consumer-
segment standpoints to marketing standpoints and just working
with Rock in Rio on the overall experience.
Q. Do I describe Cirque as the manager of the enterprise?
No, I think we each have our roles to play; certainly with MGM,
and were investing, as well, with the venue. I think we all
bring our piece of expertise to the pie.
Q. Will Cirque have a position within this magic City of Rock?
I dont know that youre going to see Cirque performances, per
se. Really its going to be Rock in Rio from the music-festival
standpoint. Were going to look at working with them on the
customer experience. They certainly have the layout of the site.
The way the site will work with the five stages and what the
experience is. We may be involved with some of the experiential
pieces of it, but certainly were just going be looking for now
at how we can fill the site 80,000 people a day for the four
days of the festival.
Q. In dealing with the minutiae of the marketing, do you use the
Cirque ticketing system at MGM for this event?
Well probably be on the MGM platform for the ticketing when
that goes live in January when we start selling.
Q. Will Cirque have performers there as part of the
entertainment?
At this point, no, there will be no Cirque performers on the
site. Were working with Rock in Rio to get them understanding
where the entertainment is coming from, what people are looking
for, how were going to sell tickets going forward, helping them
with their sales.
Q. Personally, what do Cirque and you think about Rock in Rio?
I think theyre great. You look at their track record; theyre
just about as old as Cirque du Soleil. They came out of the game
with the very first festival at almost 1.4 million people, and I
think what they do and the size of the scale they do it at, is
completely complementary with us from looking at how you
continually change what people think. Weve been part of the
landscape here for 21 years now, and this is revolutionary for
us. Were in the nightclubs now, weve changed the shows over
the years where our audience tastes are going. We think that
certainly audiences are looking for an experience. They want to
participate, they want to be involved, they dont just want a
standard show. I think the whole music festival experience puts
us in the same big scale.
Q. Might Cirque use this space of the venue at other times of
the year when its not Rock in Rio?
Well, I think that when Rock in Rio is not on the site, then
that definitely leaves some opportunities for other things to go
on the site. Im sure well be in discussion with MGM about what
else we might bring there.
Q. Have Cirque people been to Brazil to see Rock in Rio?
Yes, Cirque people have. Weve had our creative people going to
all the festivals that theyve had over the last couple of
years. This is a win win for everybody involved, especially a
win-win for rock fans.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/BoIMU2 }
TOTEM Voices Comes to HULU/HULU+
{Apr.23.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
As part of their Earth week celebrations, Hulu exclusively
launched TOTEM Voices web-series! Happy viewing!
TOTEM VOICES is an original 8 episode web-docuseries
introducing select artists from Cirque du Soleil: TOTEM at the
beginning of their touring experience with the troupe. Each 8-10
minute episode introduces you to an artist candidly sharing a
slice of the their life. Directed by Francis Legault, TOTEM
VOICES offers a rare personal, perhaps surprising yet authentic
look, at the artists embodying the characters who inhabit the
imaginary world of TOTEM: Joe, Christian, Denise and Massimo,
Pippo, Alya, Dmitry, Louis-David and Rosalie share in turn their
joy, challenges and triumphs.
EPISODE 1 JOE: Introducing Joe, a young acrobat from New York.
Joe shares how he overcame his demons as a former drug addict to
how he came to impersonate the Crystal Man in TOTEM from Cirque
du Soleil. [11 minutes | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584945]
EPISODE 2 DENISE AND MASSIMO: Introducing Denise and Massimo,
the Roller Skates Duo in TOTEM from Cirque du Soleil. From
their caravan in Italy, these lovebirds share their life passion
the stage and their love for one another. [9 minutes |
http://www.hulu.com/watch/584948]
EPISODE 3 CHRISTIAN: Introducing Christian, a Huron-Wendat
native from Wendake. Christian describes the importance of his
deep roots of his native land and the parallels between touring
life and the semi-sedentary life of his people. [8 minutes |
http://www.hulu.com/watch/584949]
EPISODE 4 PIPPO: Introducing Pippo, the Italian clown in TOTEM
from Cirque du Soleil. With humor and a touch of emotion, Pippo
shares one of the most important moments in his life and
describes some of the highs and lows of his profession. [10
minutes | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584944]
EPISODE 5 ALYA: Introducing Alya, an artist from the Rings
Trio in TOTEM from Cirque du Soleil . Alya talks about how she
feels as an aging performer and the challenges she faces as a
mother on tour. [10 minutes | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584943]
EPISODE 6 DMITRY: Introducing Dmitry, a Perch Flyer in TOTEM
from Cirque du Soleil. Actually born on tour, Dmitry shares an
endearing moment with his mother and father (also a performer
and coach on TOTEM). [8 min | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584947]
EPISODE 7 LOUIS-DAVID & ROASLIE: Introducing Louis-David and
Rosalie, the Fixed Trapeze Duo in TOTEM from Cirque du Soleil.
These two young acrobats, barely out of the Montreal-based
National Circus School, share their thoughts on joining Cirque
du Soleil. [8 minutes | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584946]
EPISODE 8 THE TROUPE: From the athletic world to the stage,
the artists of TOTEM describe their journey to performing at
Cirque du Soleil. [7 minutes | http://www.hulu.com/watch/584950]
Catch all these episodes here!
LINK ///< http://www.hulu.com/cirque-du-soleil-totem-voices >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, Hulu | http://cirk.me/1mvIka7 }
Mastering the Impossible, Episode 6: Artist and Coach
{Apr.24.2014}
-----------------------------------------------------
No matter how well you know your business, sometimes we all need
a little bit of guidance. For Cirque du Soleil, it means coaches
working with artists day in and day out. For Xerox, it means
working with partners and customers like Cirque du Soleil
simplifying the way work gets done so they can focus on the
essential. Heres your Backstage Pass to Cirque du Soleil for an
exclusive look at how they do it.
Check out Video #6 here:
LINK /// < http://youtu.be/bPRQNqTpF5M >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil, Xerox }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Kurios}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Quidam, Dralion, MJ Immortal & Varekai}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
Believe, Zarkana & Michael Jackson ONE}
NOTE:
.) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate
touring dates and locations available, the information in
this section is subject to change without notice. As such,
the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility
for the accuracy of these listings.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
New York, NY -- Mar 20, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Boston, MA -- May 29, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014
Washington, DC -- Jul 31, 2014 to Sep 21, 2014
Atlanta, GA -- Oct 3, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014
Corteo:
Còrdoba, AR -- May 3, 2014 to May 25, 2014
Buenos Aires, BR - Jun 6, 2014 to Aug 3, 2014
Santiago, CL -- Aug 19, 2014 to Oct 5, 2014
Koozå:
Vienna, AT -- May 9, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Port Aventura, ES -- Jul 11, 2014 to Aug 30, 2014
Warsaw, PL -- Sep 17, 2014 to Oct 19, 2014
Düsseldorf, DE -- Nov 6, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014
Kurios:
Montreal, QC -- Apr 24, 2014 to Jul 13, 2014
Quebec City, QC -- Jul 24, 2014 to Aug 17, 2014
Toronto, ON -- Aug 28, 2014 to Oct 5, 2014
San Francisco, CA -- Nov 13, 2014 to Jan 18, 2015
Ovo:
Tokyo, JP -- Feb 12, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014
Osaka, JP -- Jul 17, 2014 to Nov 2, 2014
Nagoya, JP -- Nov 20, 2014 to Feb 1, 2015
Fukuoka, JP -- Feb 20, 2015 to Apr 5, 2015
Sendai, JP -- Apr 23, 2015 to Jun 7, 2015
Totem:
Portland, OR -- Mar 27, 2014 to May 4, 2014
Vancouver, BC -- May 15, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014
Auckland, NZ -- Aug 22, 2014 to Sep 28, 2014
Syndey, AU -- Oct 28, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014
Melbourne, AU -- Jan 21, 2015 to Feb 15, 2015
Brisbane, AU -- Apr 10, 2015 to Apr 26, 2015
Adelaide, AU -- Jun 11, 2015 to Jul 5, 2015
Perth, AU -- Jul 31, 2015 to Aug 16, 2015
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Quidam:
Rouen, FR -- Apr 30, 2014 to May 4, 2014
Berlin, DE -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Nuremberg, DE -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Hanover, DE -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014
Bremen, DE -- May 29, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014
Hamburg, DE -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014
Luxembourg, LU -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Tel Aviv, IL -- Aug 7, 2014 to Aug 16, 2014
Zurich, CH -- Oct 16, 2014 to Oct 19, 2014
Paris, FR -- Dec 2, 2014 to Dec 7, 2014
Lille, FR -- Dec 10, 2014 to Dec 14, 2014
Lisbon, PT -- Dec 18, 2014 to Dec 28, 2014
Dralion:
Malmö, SE -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014
Glasgow, UK -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Sheffield, UK -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Birmingham, UK -- May 22, 2014 to May 25, 2014
Dublin, IE -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014
London, UK -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014
Manchester, UK -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
San Sebastian, ES -- Jul 3, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014
Santiago de Compostela, ES -- Jul 10, 2014 to Jul 20, 2014
Granada, ES -- Jul 23, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ES -- Aug 2, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014
Bilbao, ES -- Aug 17, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014
Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 28, 2014 to Sep 6, 2014
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour:
Lexington, KY -- May 2, 2014 to May 3, 2014
Huntsville, AL -- May 6, 2014 to May 7, 2014
Duluth, GA -- May 10, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Gainesville, FL -- May 13, 2014 to May 14, 2014
Charleston, SC -- May 16, 2014 to May 17, 2014
Tampa, FL -- May 20, 2014 to May 21, 2014
Sunrise, FL -- May 23, 2014 to May 24, 2014
San Juan, PR -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Lincoln, NE -- Jun 24, 2014 to Jun 25, 2014
Hoffman Estates, IL -- Jun 27, 2014 to Jun 28, 2014
Auburn Hills, MI -- Jul 1, 2014 to Jul 2, 2014
Salt Lake City, UT -- Jul 8, 2014 to Jul 9, 2014
Rio Rancho, NM -- Jul 11, 2014 to Jul 12, 2014
Topeka, KS -- Jul 18, 2014 to Jul 19, 2014
Oklahoma City, OK -- Jul 22, 2014 to Jul 23, 2014
Lafayette, LA -- Jul 29, 2014 to Jul 30, 2014
Varekai:
Loveland, CO -- May 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014
Broomfield, CO -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Kansas City, MO -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Oshawa, ON -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014
Lonson, ON -- May 28, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014
Bridgeport, CT -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014
Hartford, CT -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Bangor, ME -- Jun 18, 2014 to Jun 22, 2014
Manchester, NH -- Jun 25, 2014 to Jun 29, 2014
Providence, RI -- Jul 1, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014
Indianapolis, IN -- Jul 24, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014
Cleveland, OH -- Aug 6, 2014 to Aug 10, 2014
Erie, PA -- Aug 13, 2014 to Aug 17, 2014
Atlantic City, NJ - Aug 20, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014
Newark, NJ -- Aug 27, 2014 to Aug 31, 2014
Portland, ME -- Sep 3, 2014 to Sep 7, 2014
Estero, FL -- Sep 24, 2014 to Sep 28, 2014
---------------------------------
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
2014 Dark Dates:
o May 8 - 16
o July 9 - 11
o September 4 - 12
o November 5 - 7
Added performances in 2014:
o April 18
o December 26
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o June 8
o August 4 - 12
o October 5
o December 1 - 16
Added performances in 2014:
o June 3
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 May 11 - 25
o July 20 - 22
o September 14 - 22
o November 2 - 5
o December 7 - 9
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o June 13
o August 20-September 4
o October 21
o December 10-18
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o May 18-26
o July 19
o September 21-29
o December 2
Added performances in 2014:
o August 31
o December 28
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o June 5
o July 29 - August 6
o October 2
o December 2 - 17
Added performances in 2014:
o August 12
o December 31
BELIEVE:
Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm
NOTE: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by
an adult. Children under the age of five are not permitted
into the theater.
2014 Dark Dates:
o June 15 - 30
o September 1 - 8
o November 9 - 17
ZARKANA:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o May 14 - 22
o July 15
o September 3 - 11
o November 4
Added performances in 2014:
o June 26
o August 7
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly: 7:00pm and 10:00pm
2014 Dark Dates:
o May 21 - 23
o July 24 - 31
o September 24 - 26
o November 13 - 28
Added performances in 2014:
o August 29
o December 26
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)
Premiere will be held on Saturday, November 8th at 9:00pm
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) Club Cirque -- This Month at CirqueClub
o) Didyaknow? - Facts About Cirque
o) Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
---------------------------------------
CLUB CIRQUE: This Month at CirqueClub
---------------------------------------
Artist on her relationship with her mom
{Apr.24.2014}
----------------------------------------------
Tina Cannon, from the Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour,
shares a truly unique relationship with her Mother. With
Mothers Day around the corner, she kindly accepted to answer
our questions. Read it through to the end to see her touching
note to her mom!
Q. What makes your relationship with your Mother so unique?
My mom and I are extremely close. We are best friends. I can
tell her anything, anytime, no matter what. She has always been
there for me and supported me 100% in all my endeavours. She has
been my greatest cheerleader in life. She has also been an
incredible example of generosity, kindness, determination,
dedication, commitment and unconditional love.
Q. Has being away on tour changed your relationship with your
Mother?
Tour has not changed my relationship with my mom. I have lived
away from home since I was 18. So being away from my mother has
been the norm for many years now and we have remained extremely
close. In some ways I think it has made us even closer
throughout the years. We dont take the time we have together
for granted. We hold those moments dearly in both hands and
appreciate every second. Only now as I get older, it has become
harder to leave her each time.
Q. Which personality trait did you inherit from your Mother?
My mom is the true entertainer. While she never performed on a
stage, TV or had the life of an artist, she was the type of
person who should have had her own sitcom. It would have been a
hit! She has this charm, wit and comedic timing that when she
starts telling a story, you cant help but be sucked in and
listen, and then of course, end up rolling in laughter. While I
dont think I am nearly as funny as my mom, I inherited her love
for entertainment and performing in front of people, only my
medium is dance instead of humour.
Q. With Mothers day around the corner, what would you like to
say to her?
Mom, Because of your incredible example and support, I am where
I am today. I could not have done it without you. I admire you.
I respect you. I treasure you
. all that you are and all that
you do. Thank you for being such a beautiful woman, loving wife,
caring friend, and nurturing mother. I am truly grateful and
love you with all my heart!
Your daughter,
Tina
Kooza in the Streets of Amsterdam
{Apr.25.2014}
----------------------------------------------
During their recent visit to Amsterdam, KOOZAs cast and crew
merrily strolled down the picturesque streets and famous canals.
Feast your eyes on our photo gallery showing highlights of their
gallivanting.
Check out many more pictures at CirqueClubs gallery!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/WzVi0c >
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil }
---------------------------------------
DIDYAKNOW?: Facts About Cirque
---------------------------------------
o) Did you know that 14,400 pieces of fireworks are used to illuminate
BELIEVE yearly. Now thats what we call an explosive show!
o) Did you know the giant wooden balls used in the Dralion act weigh
close to 300 pounds each and are made of crushed English walnut
shells?
o) Did you know that 22 miles of bungee cords are used Mystère? Thats
equal to about 387 football fields!
o) Did you know that Tony, the Firefly in OVO, has the World Record of
juggling with 4, 5 and 6 diabolos?
o) Did you know that The 11 sections of the VW Bug Crash/Breakaway Car
in LOVE has no internal parts and are all held together with
magnets?
---------------------------------------------------
NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
---------------------------------------------------
{Compiled by Keith Johnson}
---[ AMALUNA ]---
{Apr.01}
We closed the NASDAQ today! No, this was not an April Fool's
Joke, our performers really took over the stock market!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/73p5xS >
{Apr.05}
Amalunas very own singer, Jen Aubry, sang the national
anthem to open today's Mets v Reds game at Citi Field. What
a voice!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/FKeQau >
{Apr.12}
One of our fans shared this beautiful sunset photo last night
at Amaluna! Thank you, Rodolfo, for sharing!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/aXK5Zj >
{Apr.19}
Can you believe these amazing women have been doing their
thing for TWO whole years?! HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY! Today we
celebrate love, friendship, passion, dedication and an
extraordinary amount of talent - both on and off the stage.
We are extremely proud of you all, and a HUGE thank you to
our fans for supporting us for a wonderful two years!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1oxyJT >
{Apr.24}
A HUGE congratulations to Amaluna's Director, Diane Paulus,
for today being announced as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most
Influential People of 2014! We are so proud of you!
---[ BELIEVE ]---
{Apr.17}
CRISS ANGEL BeLIEve Visits Vegas.com and MGM Resorts Intl.
Call Center (5 photos) - Criss Angel and the artists of BeLIEve
gave a few call centers a mind blowing visit yesterday! Check
out their shocking reactions!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/fjRrwO >
---[ DRALION ]---
{Apr.17}
Dralion is gearing up for springtime in Sweden. Only two
weeks to go until our premiere in Malmö! See you soon! with
Janeth Merida and Ohanis Cristina Braca Lamus.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/bS6XSs >
{Apr.22}
This is how Dralion started its journey and today we
celebrate 15 years of touring success! Thanks for keeping
us going.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/cuHuWl >
---[ KÀ ]---
{Apr.03}
Are you feeling a lot like this? Dont worry. Friday is just
around the corner. with Jennifer Haight.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/9A2G1I >
{Apr.09}
Hey everyone! Check out my catch of the day! Oh yeah?
I caught two gill-friends! with Marylene Hickok and Gabryel
Nogueira.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UP0n0i >
{Apr.24}
KÀ invites you to take a sneak peek of the KÀ Theatre every
Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come see what makes the KÀ Theatre
epic and experience the blockbuster production, $165 million
in the making.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/xInvjO >
{Apr.25}
We invite you to stop by today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an
inside look at our theatre!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Wy9LFj >
{Apr.25}
Heres a photo from todays open house at the KÀ Theatre! Come
see the theatre every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and find
out what makes the KÀ Theatre epic!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/jgweyi >
{Apr.28}
Have you stopped by the KÀ Theatre lobby recently? Weve removed
the lobby glass opening to give you a closer look at the epic
adventures that await you. Come see for yourself!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/RQP31F >
---[ KOOZA ]---
{Apr.03}
KOOZA performers on Amsterdam canals.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AFDmcH >
{Apr.05}
PR event in the streets and canals of Amsterdam (16 photos)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/S0Omej >
April 21}
How cool is this aerial picture of our site in Amsterdam?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/T2nHzr >
---[ KURIOS ]---
{Apr.02}
Relics, magically and mysteriously, tap into your heart and
soul, capturing your spirit of curiosity in one word.
LINK /// < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N6kTVt9hcM >
{Apr.11}
Conference de Presse à Montréal Kurios - Cabinet des Curiosités
(13 photos) -an ingenious blend of unusual curiosity acts and
stunning acrobatic prowess!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/p5Qluh >
---[ MJ IMMORTAL ]---
{Apr.04}
The Face of FOX43 visited the tour for an in-depth look
behind the scenes in anticipation of our shows tonight and
tomorrow night at Norfolk Scope!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/80sNd8 >
{Apr.17}
Acrobats Harvey Donnelly and Vincent Deplanche practicing
the "Over Under" - in slow motion no less!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/poeNtI >
{Apr.22}
We aim to protect and celebrate the Earth everyday, but
especially today - Happy Earth Day!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/tr2Od0 >
---[ MJ ONE ]---
{Apr.07}
The UV drawings revealed on the artists in this act were
inspired by the real dragon tattoos traditionally worn by
the Yakuza.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Luhzlz >
{Apr.18}
Happy International Jugglers Day to Smarty Pants and our
renowned jugglers from China!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vCiyZK >
---[ MYSTERE ]---
{Apr.01}
Today may be a day of fooling around, but Moha-Samedi
expects you to take him seriously!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/H7Xz4a >
{Apr.07}
This is what adventure entails. The plunge may be
intimidating, but the thrill is more rewarding. Are you
ready?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/kxg0VZ >
{Apr.23}
Mystère had some Easter fun over the weekend as Spermatos
in bunny ears took over the theatre to pass out colored
Easter "eggs" (clown noses!) -- a lucky few contained a
meet and greet with the cast right after the show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NgWkJf >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/cc4sKq >
---[ "O" ]---
{Apr.01}
What goes up when the rain comes down? An umbrella.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/vmAisQ >
{Apr.04}
An ode to an inner desire that is fragile, inaccessible,
and filled with grace. Aurora.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/F3xadl >
{Apr.09}
Be amazed by the spectacular things you discover when you
look up.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AHvQA2 >
{Apr.30}
Float upon a world that evokes the imagination.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/rRlGaW >
---[ OVO ]---
{Apr.08}
This morning, a curious ant decided to explore the artistic
tent and see what her colleagues we up to.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3wzdEI >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/IM88tq >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6sLh2b >
{Apr.22}
Yesterday, the Ladybug, the Foreigner, Master Flipo and OVO
Special Supporter, LiLiCo, planted a tree to celebrate Earth
Day. This tree will follow OVO until the end of the Japanese
tour. What did you guys do to celebrate earth day?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/PfplMD >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pzYT55 >
---[ THE BEATLES LOVE ]---
{Apr.01}
The Fool is definitely up to no good today.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Tq9o4W >
{Apr.03}
That feeling you get when you find out they like someone else.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ybvrK9 >
{Apr.30}
While this aerial act tells a tale of loss and love, can you
guess what the song from this act is written about? (Hint:
It has to do with potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire.)
(Answer: A Day in the Life)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1zYt08 >
---[ TOTEM ]---
{Apr.01}
We just pre-taped an interview on Kink.fm with Sarah
Tessier, Trapezist, and Umi Miya, High Bar artist! Listen
to us tomorrow morning Portland!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/4T3soz >
{Apr.08}
We are bringing TOTEM characters to Portland iconic locations
for a photo series with The Oregonian!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wTE4jl >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/m4D3PK >
{Apr.10}
We are pre-setting for Carapace training while KATU News from
Portland is live from the Big Top!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3ixRsD >
{Apr.12}
The Oregonian takes performers of TOTEM outside the big top
to a diversity of locations around Portland. Six settings,
shot in two days over a couple weeks.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/eICzPN >
Graffiti Graveyard Gallery: http://cirk.me/1eyRKw6
Arch Angel Mural Gallery: http://cirk.me/1nlB94a
Eastbank Esplanade Gallery: http://cirk.me/1lhNwgl
Cathedral City Park Gallery: http://cirk.me/QlmcUX
{Apr.22}
We are in Vancouver, Canada this morning for media promotion
with our Hoop Dance and Hand-to-Hand acts! Catch us from
May 15 at Concord Pacific Place!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/U1gpO2 >
{Apr.23}
TOTEM Vancouver Press Conference (18 photos) - Hoop Dancer
Eric Hernandez, Hand-to-Hand artists Alevtyna Titarenko
and Gael Ouisse, Head of Wardrobe Amanda Balius and Artistic
Director Neelanthi Vadivel met the Vancouver press on
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 to offer a sneak peek of TOTEM
opening at Concord Pacific Place on May 15, 2014.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5ZuMe3 >
{Apr.25}
We shot a new introduction for our TV Ad yesterday for our
upcoming tour stops on another continent...
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Npbg23 >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/WKbpwk >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/nlHI1G >
---[ VAREKAI ]---
{Apr.02}
Today we had lots of fun #backstageCirque at #Varekai with
some ex-MSU basketball athletes and WILX reporter Amanda
Malkowski, showing them what it takes to be a Cirque athlete!
I think they would agree that it was quite the challenge!
We'll be in Lansing until Sunday!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/10Ssot >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/i5zx5P >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/dhU2kq >
{Apr.05}
Icarus being tempted by the 'sun'
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/LNHNGa
{Apr.09}
#Varekai made a special appearance at The Dogwoods Arts
Festival Luncheon to help welcome guests and announce our
arrival in Knoxville. Be sure to check us out at the
Thompson Boling only until Sunday!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/7QZn7d >
{Apr.24}
Today is Varekai's birthday! Happy 12th Birthday #Varekai!!
In 12 years, you have visited over 90 cities and performed
for more than 8.7 million people on 5 continents and brought
wonder and delight to people's lives! Congrats to all and a
big thank you to Magpies Bakery and Cake Artist Sarah Jones
for this AMAZING anniversary cake!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/bLY9xE >
---[ ZARKANA ]---
{Apr.01}
The Movers have a few jokes that call for dusting,
especially for today.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/4U17do >
{Apr.09}
Watch the Jovians perform outlandish stunts that are
out of this world!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/UaS71G >
{Apr.18}
Our renowned juggler for Zarkana helps bring the theater to
life twice a day, five days a week.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/GBv1hR >
{Apr.24}
Zarkana Photo Shoot (5 photos) - Something exciting is
happening at Zarkana, and we wanted you to be the first to
experience it! Heres a behind-the-scenes look at a photo
shoot we did with entertainment photographer, Michael Muller!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gvFaEm >
---[ ZUMANITY ]---
{Apr.08}
For 10 years, as many as 1,261 visitors during each show
has grasped our chain of sensual fantasies.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wbMRgS >
{Apr.30}
Everybody has a type -- and Zumanity has all of them.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/R0HmjZ >
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "KURIOS: Reality is Relative!"
By: Ricky & Nicole Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) "Cirque du Soleil's Highest Grossing Shows"
Special Reprint from TheRichest.com
----------------------------------------------------------
"KURIOS: Reality is Relative!"
By: Ricky Russo w/Nicole Russo Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
----------------------------------------------------------
Those of you whove met me know I am a champion for experiencing the
premiere of a new Cirque du Soleil show amongst the hometown crowd.
There's absolutely no substitute for being in the stands of the Grand
Chapiteau with a couple-thousand Québécois, clapping and stomping to
the show's beat, having a marvelous time celebrating the birth of a
new show together. Its a magical, enlightening sentiment you cant
get anywhere else - except in Cirques hometown.
Traveling to Montreal for premiere weekend has provided many indelible
memories for me. My inaugural experience with this brand of euphoria
came with witnessing Varekais birth in 2002. I knew from the moment I
stepped foot on the cobblestoned streets of the venerable old port
that this was how you celebrated Cirque du Soleil, and I wanted to be
a part of it from then on. Therefore, I repeated the experienced with
about a hundred other fans by co-organizing (and attending) CirqueCon
2005 for Corteo's premiere, met friends here again for 2007's Koozå,
2009's OVO, 2010's Totem (for CirqueCon 2010), and 2012's premiere of
Amaluna.
This year I joined The Cirquesters, a rag-tag band of passionate
fans and friends that have stuck together in the wake of CirqueCons
hiatus, the fan-gathering where most of us met. We arent your average
fan of Cirque du Soleil, of course. Didnt I say passionate? Being
together again was good fun! And as a special treat, my wife chose to
accompany me for the very first time, so she too got to experience the
excitement of premiere. So, how did she like KURIOS Cabinet of
Curiosities?
She loved it and so did I!
Allow us now to take you into the wondrous world of KURIOS CABINET
DES CURIOSITÉS using various Cirque Press Room materials and a bit of
our own observations...
/// 11:06... THE CIRQUE MEETS STEAMPUNK
---------------------------------------
From the moment Cirque du Soleil began to tease KURIOS - CABINET DES
CURIOSITÉS we could feel the new creation would be something
different. Just how different we wouldnt know until the Montreal
Gazette commented that things are getting curious and curiouser at
the Cirque, the morning Cirque du Soleil revealed the unusual moniker
and scenic elements for its newest touring production. The unveiling
only compounded the teasing glimpses we were offered via YouTube in
the days leading up to and after that reveal. And through them we
understood the show existed in a world heavily influenced by
Steampunk, but little did we know just how much of an influence the
genre would have on the shows overall aesthetic. And thats not a bad
thing!
Steampunk is defined as a sub-genre of science fiction that typically
features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by
industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Works in
this genre are often set in an alternative history of the British
Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future
during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy
world that similarly employs steam power.
Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic
technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th
century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the
era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art.
Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the
printed works of H. G. Wells (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds,
The Island of Doctor Moreau), Jules Verne (Journey to the Center of
the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the
World in Eighty Days), and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), the modern
authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, Stephen Hunt and China
Miéville, or filmed works of Fritz Lang (Metropolis).
Although many works now considered seminal to the genre were published
in the 1960s and 1970s, the term steampunk originated in the late
1980s as a tongue in cheek variant of cyberpunk. It seems to have been
coined by science fiction author K. W. Jeter, who was trying to find a
general term for works by Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983); James
Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986); and himself (Morlock Night, 1979, and
Infernal Devices, 1987) all of which took place in a 19th-century
(usually Victorian) setting and imitated conventions of such actual
Victorian speculative fiction as H. G. Wells' The Time Machine.
Other examples of Steampunk contain alternative history-style
presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog
computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage's
Analytical Engine. Steampunk may also incorporate additional elements
from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate
history, or other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a
hybrid genre.
Michele Laprise, the show's Writer and Director, chose this period and
genre for inspiration because "it was a phenomenal time for humanity.
People were travelling, they were dreaming of other worlds." And their
lives were changing too, he pointed out, through the use of
electricity, distances were shrinking as rail travel expanded and
became faster, and people were able to communicate with each other
quickly through the invention of the telegraph. "People were
enthusiastic and they had the feeling that everything was possible,"
he said. "If people take that from our show, that everything in life,
with your imagination, can become more interesting, can bring you
close to another person, then I think we'll have succeeded."
All systems go! Let the journey begin!
/// 11:07... THE SITE, SET & STAGE
----------------------------------
Are you ready to visit the Valley of the Possible Impossibles?
Where dreams are on standby, waiting to be ushered into the now?
Abandoned dreams... collective dreams... mad, mad, mad utopian
dreams? The unconscious into the conscious? Duality? Oneness?
KURIOS Programme Book.
The journey begins the moment you step onto the cobblestone-lined
pathways of the Jacques Cartier Pier in the Vieux Port of Montreal,
where Cirque du Soleil has staked its creations since the dawn of its
recorded time (except for 1999s Dralion, which was set up on the lawn
of their headquarters building in the City). Surrounded on all sides
by either water or history the striped big top calls out to fans and
friends alike. An archway with the shows image a few paces in a new
feature this year - beckons us forward.
An interesting looking contraption between the two entrance doorways
summons us in even further. Its a bicycle-like contrivance upon
second glance, with its mechanics firmly attached to a whirligig of
some creation. Activating it with your own power sets the gears
affixed into rotational motion, awarding the curios rider with a green
clown nose courtesy of DES JARDINS, one of Cirque du Soleils
principle sponsors, from a chute just to the riders left.
Further inside, a little spheroid item cordoned off just to the right
of Door #2, catches our attention. From a distance it appears to be a
representation of the porthole shown to us in one of the Glimpse of
KURIOS videos the creators circulated across its social media
platforms. Upon closer inspection, it was much, much more than that:
it was a house in miniature! Included in this miniature house is an
armchair, a chandelier as well as other essentials of a Victorian
home. Whose house is it I wonder? Why its Mini Lili, and shes at
home! (Well learn more about her, and the house, a little later
on...)
Brought a little into the world of KURIOS then, it was time...
Entering the Grand Chapiteau is always a treat. It's an oasis within
the trappings of the real world in which we live, allowing ourselves
to be instantly transported elsewhere, even if for a brief period of
time. But when you step foot inside the big top of a new show for the
first time, it's nothing short of magical.
Parting through the canvas flaps and climbing the steps into the
seating area for the first time, your heart begins to race... your
breathing becomes shallow... thoughts begin to transform and
expectations run rampant, which only serves to fuel your euphoria and
heighten the excitement further. It becomes difficult not to imagine
what wonders await you as you reach the crest of the stairwell,
craning your neck forward to get just a glimpse of what lays beyond.
And then, viola! You're transported once again into another wondrous
realm more fantastical than the last!
C'est manifique!
The set design of KURIOS puts the spectator in a well-defined place:
the curio cabinet of a Seeker filled with unusual objects collected on
his travels. Set in what could be called a retro-future, in this
parallel reality it is the steam engine and not the internal
combustion engine that reigns supreme, evoking the start of the
industrialization era, but as if science and technology had evolved
differently and progress had taken on a more human dimension. Its
like Jules Verne meets [Nicola Tesla] in an alternate reality, out of
time, explains Set Designer Stéphane Roy.
Roy, now working on his sixth Cirque du Soleil show, mentioned in an
interview with the Montreal Gazette that Fellini's La Strada was an
influence for his "copper-toned clockwork set, with its startling
steam engine and quirky props." The 1900 Paris Exhibition, which
honored the achievements of the 19th century, was important, too,
because it was when everything was invented for new communication and
transportation, Roy said. Trains, planes, electricity, telegrams. It
was a moment in the history of mankind when communication just went
bang, everything was exploding.
Kurios differs from other Cirque du Soleil shows, he said, because in
this one youre somewhere, youre in a house, youre in a room, in a
space where things are happening. This home is packed with curios.
When the numbers appear, its as if a jewel box is being opened, he
added.
The performance space is dominated by two structures, referred to as
"cabinets". One explores the topic of sound and the other the topic of
electricity. Built by the Seeker using scraps and pieces collected
over time, the two large towers also serve as wave sensors made from
miscellaneous components such as gramophones, old typewriters,
electrical bulbs and turbines. The two cabinets are attached to the
main arch another "wave sensor" that dominates the stage. The
opening at the center, at the back of the stage, evokes the mouth of a
railroad tunnel through a mountain; it is mainly through this opening
that artists move in and out of the spotlight and that equipment and
props are taken on and off the stage. Above it sit the musicians.
For greater emphasis on the performance, every act in the show is
presented on an independent structure a module or a promontory
integrated into the set design. The stage itself was lowered 35 cm and
a bank was installed all around its lip (the bank is a 60-cm-wide
raised walkway on which two rails are installed for transporting
various props). Presented on their separate, distinct structures, the
acts in the show represent the curios that jump to life inside the
Seekers workshop. Its not only a stage, Roy said. Youre inside
somebodys mind. Its kind of crazy!
Production manager Gabriel Pinkstone, another Cirque veteran,
described Kurios as a complex show. Michel is a director who enjoys a
lot of detail, a lot of subtext, she said. We have a lot of elements
that are mechanical because of the Steampunk inspiration. Its complex
dramaturgically as well because there are a lot of ideas that are
difficult to express without words, like the idea of travelling to
another reality.
/// 11:08... COSTUMES & CHARACTERS
----------------------------------
"What wonderfully strange collection of creatures! It is as if I
have awakened in the middle of a dream. They speak a strange
language. Some kind of code. Gibberish. Gobbledygook. Must
investigate further..."
-- The Seeker
A fitting tribute to the power of the human imagination, the costumes
of KURIOS Cabinet of Curiosities are the result of a visual
exploration of the beginnings of science, of the discoveries and
inventions that led to the industrial revolution of the 19th Century
from the steam locomotive to electrical power to electromagnetic
waves. They embody and celebrate the advancements of science, but in
an imaginary, parallel world. While the visual references may seem
self-evident, the shows curious yet familiar characters and costumes
transport the audience to a time suspended somewhere between past and
future, in an alternate reality, as if science had evolved without the
internal combustion engine and as if the golden age of the steam
engine had continued on, uninterrupted.
The costumes of KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities are the result of
unusual blends and odd associations: e.g. the attire of the Seekers
Assistants (the Kurios) oddball half-human, half-mechanical
characters built from scraps and recycled parts by their ingenuous and
ingenious creator. Costume Designer Philippe Guillotel explored
unusual shapes that have affinities with the costumes of the Bauhaus
or of Alfred Jarrys Father Ubu to create startling and often amusing
characters (a.k.a "The Visitors").
o) Mr. Microcosmos --- The bigger is better ethos that drives
the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the show is on the opposite
side of the spectrum of the miniaturization that
characterizes the electronic era. A case in point is the
costume of the potbellied Mr. Microcosmos. Hes like a
mechanical Obelix [from the cartoon characters Asterix &
Obelix], but instead of holding a tiny dog in his arms, he
lugs around a small lady in his belly wherever he goes, and
hes hardly aware of it, says Guillotel.
o) Mr. Microcosmos carries Mini Lili, his intuitive counterpart,
inside his costume using a sling not unlike a baby carrier.
Antanina Satsura, the artist who plays Mini Lili, is one-
meter tall and weighs 18 kg. She lives inside her hosts
overcoat. Through the door in Mr. Microcosmos belly, we can
see the furnished interior of Mini Lilis quarters, which
include an armchair, a chandelier as well as other essentials
of a Victorian home.
o) Nico the Accordion Man --- He is called NICO, short of Nick
'o Time, as he always appears confused or late and out of
place. Is he a man, or an accordion? He's curious, clumsy,
but endearing. What's the big picture here? Nicos accordion
costume allows him to bend way down or stand way up so he can
be at eye level with absolutely everyone. His pants are
folded like a piece of origami from an unwoven textile (like
the material normally used in shoe lining) and are inspired
by the darkrooms that were part of early cameras.
o) Klara the telegraph of the invisible --- She is called Klara,
as in clear reception. She's half-woman, half-antenna, and
appears to have built-in radar - perhaps to receive messages
from other worlds, life systems? A transmitter of the
invisible. Her shoes make odd Morse code-like sounds... are
these messages from the other side? Klara wears an antenna
skirt made of hula-hoop-type rings. By swiveling round and
pointing her apparatus in various directions, she can receive
invisible electromagnetic waves. Her hoop skirt is inspired
by Fritz Langs Metropolis and is shaped like early parabolic
antennas. The print on her leotard evokes electrical circuits
and connections.
/// 11:09... STORY & THEME
--------------------------
"I am the chairman of dreams! Take me to a new realm of the
imagination. The cradle of a new civilization perhaps. So many
years building it, so much time refining. I am ready now. I
shall be an inter-stellar pioneeer. All systems go!"
-- The Seeker
There's an existential question we've all asked ourselves at one time
or another, for one reason or another - there must be something more,
beyond all this; there can't just be this, can there? But what if you
could alter reality at will? In an alternate yet familiar past, in a
place where wonders abound for those who trust their imagination, a
Seeker (Le Chercheur) is convinced that there exists a hidden,
invisible world a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest
dreams lay waiting, and in order to glimpse the marvels that lie just
below the surface, he reckons we must first learn to close our eyes.
Very inquisitive about these possibilities - curious even the Seeker
builds towering gadgets and powerful gizmos, bringing to life
automatons of all shapes, sizes and functions in order to fuel his
lofty investigations. And after hours and hours and hours of labor,
hes come up with a few tantalizing answers to his questions: Yes!
There is more to behold! In the narrative, as told by Laprise, Le
Chercheur, a scientist, is on a quest. He creates a machine to travel
into another dimension to find the place where the possible and the
impossible meet. Only his plan backfires. The reverse happens,
Laprise explains, And we have people from the other dimension who
come into his world and they transform his world into poetry.
In his larger-than-life curio cabinet, a collection of otherworldly
characters suddenly steps into his makeshift mechanical world. When
the outlandish, benevolent characters turn his world upside down with
a touch of poetry and humor in an attempt to ignite the Seekers
imagination, his curios jump to life one by one before his very eyes.
What if by engaging our imagination and opening our minds we could
unlock the door to a world of wonders, a bridge to a new dimension, a
magnetic portal to an invisible world? KURIOS immerses you in this
mysterious and fascinating realm that disorients your senses and
challenges your perceptions, leaving you to wonder: Is it real, or
just a figment of my imagination? Step into the curio cabinet of an
ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension in
order to reinvent everything around him! And suddenly, the visible
becomes invisible, perspectives are transformed, and the world is
literally turned upside down in a place thats as beautiful as it is
mysterious!
/// 11:10... EXPERIENCE (ACTS)
------------------------------
What utter strangeness. Down is up. Up is down. Gravity ceases
to exist. Antigravity. Antimatter. They hang from the ceiling as
if it were nothing. As if they were giant bats. Everything I
have ever scientifically understood has been turned on its head.
What a sheer expandable delight!
- The Seeker.
Having settled in our seats now, and taken in the elaborately-themed,
yet simply-constructed set, we begin to notice the goings-on on the
stage and surrounding space.
We find the two "cabinets" stationed stage-right and stage-left. To
their immediate sides are two columns - the "wave sensors" (satellite
dishes and other radar gathering machines) - which appear to have been
built out of scraps. A time piece on the far wall, which just a moment
ago read 11:07, now turns with a loud chime to 11:08. A number of
Victrola-inspired gadgets surround the stage's thrust, which the
Seeker buzzes around testing, calibrating. On another contraption, a
cross between a gramophone and typewriter, he punches in a code, and
then turns the lever to send his communication. Satisfied his message
sent and received, he continues to ready his conveyance - a specially
built chair standing 3.5 meters tall - for the journey he is preparing
to take. Meanwhile, his Kurios robots are running amok in the
audience, passing out pillows and blankets, and putting baby crib
mobiles atop others heads. The clock on the wall turns over another
minute, now reading 11:09.
At 11:10, as the lights dim, you can sense the tension in the air - a
shock of electric excitement permeates as any previous vociferations
at the announcement the show is about to begin comes to a sharp end.
Then a gentleman, using a rather interesting hybrid accordion-
keyboarded contraption (with no less than three phonograph speakers
attached to it), steps to the front of the stage, and through the
manipulation of his contraption, announces the name of the
spectacle... KURIOS CABINET DES CURIOSITÉS!
PROLOGUE
The sound of a train whistle off in the distance pierces the darkness
next, immediately followed by the powerful beam of a bright, white
light the trains headlight! As music begins to play (a funky fusion
of jazz and electro-swing), the train peeks over the hill, and in an
opening reminiscent of La Nouba's Festival of Characters, Alegría's
"Milonga" Opening, and Varekai's Musician's Walk, artists spill into
the big top. These are The Travelers (a miniature train atop their
heads); they are accompanied by the shows musicians: Marc Sohier
(Canada) - bandleader, bass, double bass; Michael Levin (USA) - cello,
keyboards, Guitar; Paul Lazar (France) Violins; Lidia Kaminska
(Poland) - Accordion, Keyboard; Christopher "Kit" Chatham (USA)
Drums; Antoine Berthiaume (Canada) Guitar; Christa Mercey (Canada)
Percussion), and Singer Eirini Tornesaki (Greece).
The train chugs through the big top - from one side to the other on
a journey we know not where... Or do we?
Just where well have to wait and see!
Once the train disappears around a bend in the tracks, our attention
is returned to the Seeker (Anton Valen, from Spain), who is busy in
his workshop making final adjustments to his equipment - connecting
the chair to the electric dynamos, calibrating his sensitive aural
receivers, checking the wave sensors for analogous readings, and
sending one last communication: -.- ..- .-. .. --- ... (K-U-R-I-O-S).
Set, and ready to go, the Seeker hops into his chair. As the clock on
the wall strikes 11:11, he flips the switch, sending his mechanical
whirligigs into motion. But something unexpected happens... instead of
transporting him to another world, it seems this other realm is about
to come to him!
He hops out of his chair in shock, as the items in his workshop begin
to spring into motion, taking on a life of their own. Twin manikins,
which had up until then been standing off to the side lifeless, dance
and flit about as if touched by madness. The Seekers robots begin to
swirl and twirl in confusion while electricity sparks through the
labs wave sensors, opening a portal high above them. Through this
wormhole descends the portly Mr. Microcosmos (played by Karl L'Ecuyer,
from Canada previously a Cricket of OVO), Klara (Ekaterina
Pirogovskaya, Russia fans might remember her as Violet from IRIS)
and Nico (played by Nico Baixas from Spain) - a.k.a. "The Visitors"
wearing intra-dimensional masks.
They remove their masks (discarding them into the belly of Mr.
Microcosmos) and then turn their attention aft as Mr. Microcosmo's
belly and coat unfolds into a locomotive (the very same from earlier;
its structure, which extends out over a distance of 19-meters, is all
aluminum. The outer shell is made out of mostly vinyl canvas with
fiberglass mosquito screen used for windows.), which pulls right into
the Seeker's Workshop, out of which emerges a swarm of travelers from
the 19th Century...
CHARIVARI ("CHAOS SYNCHRO")
Percussionist Christa Mercey, a graduate of the University of Toronto
(in percussion performance), plays the role of Bella Donna (complete
with a side-angled Victorian hat that makes it look as if shes
stepped out of My Fair Lady) in this group act that combines
drumming (on various objects, like suitcases, chairs and tables) with
juggling. Shes accompanied by Kit Chatam, the shows drummer, and
Gabriel Beaudoin, an accomplished juggler who spent nine years
training for his craft, five at the École de Cirque de Québec in
Quebec City, then four at the École Nationale de Cirque in Montreal.
Together with help of The Travelers, a mélange of movement nothing
less than a feast for the senses takes place before us. Everything is
in continuous motion as Christa walks over chairs placed in her path,
suitcases and tables become beat-boxes for both she and Kit, and all
the while Gabriel juggles an ever increasing number of clubs. And when
he flies up into the air still juggling his clubs we realize
theres no stopping this train!
It really is synchronized chaos and its fantastic!
RUSSIAN CRADLE DUO
A giant leather chest is left behind as the Travelers bid us an
enthusiastic adieu. It opens to reveal, encased in sumptuous Moroccan
cushions, two characters that emerge from the box like Fabergé jewels,
evoking a pair of wax dolls. (The cut of their costumes is inspired by
early sportswear and vintage circus attire, and they seem almost out
of place in this steampunky world until the doll context is
understood. The materials, however, are quite modern and highly
sophisticated - velour effects and imitation leather cuts in gold.)
The dolls (Ukranian performers Roman and Lena Tereshchenko) then
spring to life before our eyes to perform a rousing and dangerous
Russian Cradle routine.
The cradle (also known as aerial cradle or casting cradle) is a an
apparatus composed of one or two gantries equipped with platforms
grounded at variable heights facing forward, upon which stands a
carrier attached to the platform at the waist. The aerialist being
propelled is referred to as a flyer, while the one doing the tossing
and catching is referred to as a carrier (or catcher). The flyer
usually starts and ends standing on the frame above the catcher. The
flyer swings holding on to the catcher's hands, performs releases at
the top of the swing, and is re-caught in mid-air. In addition to the
technical aspects of their performance, the Tereshchenkos sprinkle a
bit of lovers flair to the mix, making theirs a touching performance.
AERIAL BICYCLE
In a performance similar to Aerial Hoops (as seen in various Cirque du
Soleil productions), the Chandelier Lady Anne Weissbecker (France)
takes to the skies in her two-wheeled cycle to perform a wonderful
routine of strength and movement.
INVISIBLE CIRCUS
KURIOSs resident clown David-Alexandre Després from Canada takes
the stage, literally, with a routine some have come to love to hate:
the Invisible Circus. The routine itself is rather pedantic four
invisible artists take the stage to perform a high-wire with unicycle
act, a trapeze routine, teeterboard jumping (Rita & Cheetah), a high-
dive into a bowl of water (Giuseppe), and leaping through a hoop set
afire (Felippe, the lion), but it is humorous enough, and sure to
please the kids in the audience.
CONTORTION
A huge mechanical hand, weighing 340 kilograms and measuring 4.6-
meters by 2.1-meters crawls upstage next. Operated by two artists
using a pedal and gear mechanism, the all-fiberglass hand is an
automaton built from various parts that look like wood, metal, marble
and iron. Atop the structure four bendable ladies from, uhm, Russia
(Ayagma Tsybenova, Lillia Zhambalova, Bayarma Zodboeva, Imin
Tsydendambaeva), practice the extreme physical discipline known as
Contortion. Clothed to appear as Eels, they fold and contort their
bodies into various mind-bending poses. Appearing in their third
Cirque du Soleil show - having first appeared in Banana Shpeel and
later IRIS - these ladies perform a stimulating routine fans of these
two previous shows will undoubtedly remember.
Consequently, in the Set Designers mind, the Seeker built the hand
with rare objects collected on his travels: a wooden finger found in
Sienna during the Renaissance, a nail picked up in a Greek temple, and
so on. And the mechanical hand represents a paragon of the do-it-
yourself ethos and evokes the richness and the materials from the era
of the greatest scientific discoveries.
BALANCING ON CHAIRS
The metal hand is replaced with a dinner table, set with all the
finery, replete with guests taking in a meal and conversation.
Although what they are conversing about is unknown to us, it quickly
becomes apparent that one of the dinner guests is boasting about his
ability to catch the chandelier one of the magicians has set aloft by
balancing the chairs around the dinner table. Fans of Cirque du Soleil
will recognize this equilibrist as none other than Cuban-born Carlos
Rokardy, formerly of La Nouba and Viva Elvis. His routine here is
similar to his performance in both shows, building chairs ever higher
to catch the floating chandelier. Only look up hes not alone!
This number is referred to as the upside-down dinner scene for a
reason, for above Rokardy, another dinner is taking place with another
balancer stacking chairs only in reverse! Counterweights were
attached to parts of the costume worn by the artist hanging from the
chandelier to create the impression that gravity has been reversed.
These counterweights work like roly-poly toys tilting dolls that
have a weight inside the bottom and wobble back to an upright position
when pushed. Its a fantastic twist to whats become a Cirque du
Soleil staple performance.
ROLA BOLA
Rola Bola is one of this production's centerpieces. "It's the only act
of rola bola aerial of its kind in the world," said Michel Laprise in
an interview with the Montreal Gazette. "When I was presented that act
by Casting I said: 'we do everything to get this guy.'" And so they
did. The "guy" is James Eulises Gonzalez Correa, a native of Colombia
who has performed all over the world. And his act is simply
breathtaking.
Gonzalez personifies The Aviator (you can spot him throughout various
scenes wearing a gold-lined, translucent aqua-colored overcoat,
aviator goggles and appropriate leather head-gear. And in the opening
of the show, flinging far-traveling paper airplanes into the crowd),
mans dream and ambition of achieving mechanical flight; he makes his
approach upstage (quite literally) in a boxy winged aircraft of his
own design. As he lands, he transforms his aircraft into a performance
space where he first balances upon a bowling ball, then ever-
increasing (and rotating) cylinders. And just when you think he
couldnt up the difficulty, he returns to the air, all the while
balancing on his rolas...
Invented in 1898 by Vasque, a Frenchman, the Rola Bola discipline
consists of standing and balancing on an unstable assembly of boards
supported by cylinders roughly 25 centimeters in diameter. The system
is a lever similar to a see-saw that the performer stands on, usually
with the left and right foot at opposite ends of the board. The
performer must then stay balanced enough to keep the board's edges
from touching the stage and to keep from falling off the apparatus.
INTERMISSION
The Seeker joins us briefly once again, riding a rocket-fueled version
of his chair into the higher elevations. Where he (and we) will end up
next is for discovery after Intermission!
ACRO NET
Now up high above the ground, the Seeker (and by extension us) catch a
glimpse of the mischievous behaviors that occur in the heavens of this
retro-futuristic realm. On a sea of clouds, friendly rainbows cast
fishing lines into a sea stocked with spirited fry. The fish
creatures utilize specialized trampoline techniques, and double-
bouncing skills to send members of their school sailing high. A play
on the dynamics of a typical backyard trampoline, requiring two
people-one person jumping, the other person(s) standing near the outer
springs, ready to initiate the double bounce at the appropriate
moment. At a certain point in the air (timing is crucial, but relative
to the individuals taking part), the person standing off to the side
stomps down near the landing area of the trampoline just as the jumper
comes in. The initial stomp and landing results in more force being
applied downward than the jumper is able to initiate on his/her own.
When successful, the jumper will be propelled significantly higher
than usual.
Exuberant, fun-filled leaps ensue, delighting the audience as these
fish dance atop the cloud-waves. With a humorous nudge to modern
technology, a few performers grab wakeboarding handles and leap into
the air, appearing as if they are speeding through the surf behind a
speedboat, flailing and kicking. Yet, as all fun beach days must, this
winds down to an end, and the net begins to sag to the stage surface,
and our new friends return to their other form as fish, flopping on
dry land. Consequently, the costumes are an illusion to the way film
director Georges Méliès imagined Martians; hence youll find a number
of these performers - Victor Degtyarev (Russia), Arnaud Gaizergues
(France), Nathan Dennis (Australia), Karl L'Ecuyer (Canada), Mathieu
Hubener (France), Ryan Murray (USA) - with the scales as well as fin
and fishtail grafts.
CLOWN ACT ANIMAL MIME
While the Acro Net is being secured away by a handful of stage-hands
(which are quite noticeable Cirque, fix that), our intrepid
comedian/mime is working the stands looking for an unsuspecting
audience member to be his date for the evening. Once selected, he
ushers her to the front of the stage, dropping her at his front
door, and waits inside on his two-seater couch for her to ring his
doorbell. Once welcomed inside and seated on the couch, he becomes
smitten and nervous as if hes a young man on his first date. He
fidgets helplessly, and then remembers dancing is the popular thing
and goes to turn on his radio. It shocks him as he does so, sending
him into a whirlwind of electronica-induced dance moves and
Velociraptor impersonations (he really sells those Velociraptor
stomps!) After a few moments the odd behavior wears off and he returns
to her side on the couch, unawares anything is wrong. A moment or two
passes and he then remembers that he has yet to offer her a beverage,
so he rises once again to get one.
While he is out of the room, she is visited by his pet bird
played by him. While the bird is busy head bobbing, whistles and
attempts to woo her, the cat catches the bird, turning it into
nothing more than a handful of feathers. The cat then takes what he
feels his is rightful place on the couch, preening and kneading
generally making the audience member slightly uncomfortable. What
follows is a predictable, but hilarious, exhibit of cat behavior from
ignoring its owner to using the litter box, but when he coughs up a
furball the entire big top dissolves into sheer hysteria! The icing
on the cake is a laser pointers light pointed at the chest of the
already uncomfortable audience member with a cat ready to pounce! The
routine ends when the cat, stretched out on the back of the couch,
falls off the back, heralding the return of our now human mime with
drinks in hand.
HAND PUPPETRY
The tempo slows following the energetic Acro Net performance with a
scene denoted as Hands Continent. The mechanical hand seen earlier
returns accompanied by a hot-air balloon reminiscent of The Cloud from
Varekai. The hot-air balloon used in this scene is made of fabric and
has a built-in blower system. The gondola is made of metal and tulle.
It serves as a projection screen 4.3-meters in diameter, which Nico
the Accordion Man uses to show us his fantastic finger puppetry. Using
his fingers as the puppets legs for walking, Nico takes us along a
smaller-scale (literally and figuratively) journey of friendship and
success. Our small puppet companion begins to travel, meeting a
partner along the way. The two travel together, overcoming small
obstacles, reminiscent of the first half of the show.
As the puppet show progresses, our two-legged protagonist portrays
another type of journey, presumably held very close to the hearts of
all Cirque du Soleil performers - a journey from humble beginnings
within their respective specialist (in this case, dance), through
trials, and resulting in a coveted role in a circus show. From then
on, the puppet act extends into the audience via a small hot-air
balloon carrying our protagonist. The camera, now hand-held, leads the
balloon into the audience, where our puppet friend settles into a
relaxing life in a beach setting - atop the (un?)fortunate head of a
probably-balding audience member. Complete with beach towel, umbrella,
and his long-traveled companion, arm-in-arm, our small character
interacts with the audience in what very much resembles something you
would expect from Blue Man Group- quirky, and successfully breaking
the 4th wall in a way only a stage show can.
AERIAL STRAPS
In a performance that would have most definitely been The Atherton
Twins had they stuck with the show, two brothers (Roman and Vitali
Tomanov, from the US) perform an amazing new Aerial Straps routine in
their stead. Consisting of two thin parallel straps several meters in
length, along which the acrobat rolls and unrolls using the wrists and
arms to execute rises, falls and acrobatics, all the while suspended.
The aerial straps artists perform on a gigantic drop of mercury made
entirely of fiberglass and covered in silver leaf.
This character, made of two conjoined twins, is named Jean-Claude
(presumably,Jean and Claude), have been visible throughout the
entire show so far, joined at the hips. Their gait is well-practiced,
almost an optical illusion, as their legs swing in opposing, yet,
synchronous patterns. They move fluidly about the stage, adept and
elegant; however, during the aerial act, the two brothers part,
sailing in opposing directions from each other, separate entities for
the first time in their lives. They land, and stop to admire their
legs, being able to see the other side of their bodies as never
before. The act continues as a celebration of freedom, but soon
evidence of unrest becomes apparent. A hint of competition or
disagreement begins between the two brothers - perhaps they worked
better as a team after all. More flying follows, fantastic acrobatic
feats of strength and coordination, until both brothers land, side-by-
side again, back on the mercury drop, their own small Microcosmos.
Wrapping their arms around each others backs, they seem to choose to
become conjoined again, returning to their state of teamwork and
agreement.
BANQUINE
Last, but certainly not least, is one of Cirque du Soleils best
acrobatic numbers in my opinion, the Banquine! For those unawares,
Banquine is an acrobatic discipline normally executed at ground level
by two carries who, using their arms, catapult a flyer to stand on the
interlaced hands of the carriers, a position called banquette. The
impetus allows the flyer to perform acrobatic leaps and return to the
starting point, the ground, or the banquette of a second team of
carriers. It seems simple enough but Cirque du Soleil has elevated
this discipline into an art form, as seen in Quidam and Journey of
Man; Banquine returned to the Cirque fold in ZED and Viva Elvis, and
can currently be seen in ZARKANA at Aria in Las Vegas.
Fans of Cirque du Soleil will recognize the names of many of the
performers here - Nikolay Astashkin (Russia), Andrii Bondarenko
(Ukrane), Ekaterina Evdokimova (Russia), Roman Kenzhayev (Kazakhstan),
Elena Kolesnikova (Russia), Sergey Kudryavstev (Russia), Anton
Lyapunov (Ukrane), Andrey Nikitin (Russia), Serguei Okhai (Ukrane),
Roman Polishchuk (Ukrane), Alexy Starodubtsev (Russia) and Igor
Strizhanov (Russia) as the team that performed in ZED and later Viva
Elvis. And perhaps that is why the music and choreography accompanying
this act has a somewhat Elvis-slant to it. In either case you cant go
wrong with Banquine no matter what form its presented in. Its a
wonderful way to end the show!
/// 11:12... ALL ABOARD!
------------------------
We, Nicole and I, had a fantastic time in Montreal, even if the
weather was a bit of a downer. It was great flying into New York and
road-tripping with Doug and Mary Metzger, staying overnight at their
little getaway in Lake Placid. And it was equally gratifying to see
all our Cirque-y friends again once we rolled in to Montreal: Heather
Smith & Jim Strain, Chris Gullick & Todd Krause, Gena Colton, Quiche
Lorraine (as she likes to be known by), Mark Wyrick (who I met here in
Montreal in 2002), Vince Kramer, and of course, Rodolfo Elizondo. As
for the show, well, what can we say? We really liked it a lot!
We certainly had our doubts before arriving, and even as we entered
the Big Top, but the moment we saw the set and stage many of those
doubts were set aside, and were definitely squashed when KURIOS train
pulled into station at the beginning of the show. Michel Laprise has
certainly outdone himself; Guy Laliberté, and all of Cirque du Soleil
even, should be proud. And being a home-grown director (the first
whos risen in the organization to direct), Im sure it means even
more to him that this show is the success it is, from all accounts.
Well definitely be following KURIOSs path in the future, hoping to
catch another ride on that train again soon!
----------------------------------------------------------
"Cirque du Soleil's Highest Grossing Shows"
Special Reprint TheRichest.com
----------------------------------------------------------
Now heres an interesting article from TheRichest.com a top 10 of
Cirque du Soleils highest grossing shows.
# # #
Guy Laliberté is the man behind the fantasy, who turned circus acts
into magic and acrobatics into fairy tales when he laid the
foundations of Cirque du Soleil. Accordionist by trade, a specialist
in walking on stilts, and fire eater, Laliberté and a group of 20
Montreal performing artists founded Canadas most successful export
product back in 1984. Just as their slogans says, we reinvent the
circus, Cirque du Soleil created a new niche, focusing on a new type
of audience, where clowns became sophisticated and their numbers
elaborated, all the while increasing the publics comfort.
Furthermore, they added theater elements, each show with its own
storyline and musical score, dedicated exclusively to the most
skillful of human talents.
Their shows thrilled over 40 million people from over 100 countries.
Whats even more spectacular is that in just 20 years, Cirque du
Soleil grossed much more than other famous companies cashed within a
century. The value of the enterprise exceeds $2 billion. Their state-
of-the art headquarters in Montreal alone is worth $60 million. Cirque
du Soleil makes over $800 million a year in ticket sales, exceeding $1
billion in both 2012 and 2013. With over 4,000 employees, including
over 1,000 professional circus artists, their shows dizzying heights,
impeccable costumes, glamour, and distinctive refinement, a unique
blend of acrobatics and theater, gave birth to the most expensive
cirque extravaganza on Earth.
10. Zarkana: Grossing An Average $30 million Per Year
What started as a touring show in 2011 was converted into a permanent
Las Vegas circus performance in 2012 and immediately began cashing in
millions. Cirque du Soleils Zarkana is the companys third most
expensive show to attend, and one of their biggest productions to
date. Characterized by a unique set that is constantly moving,
allowing the performers to shine, it features amazing visual effects,
as images are projected onto LED screens, creating remarkable
illusions of fire and snakes blending in with the artists acrobatic
talents. With the average ticket price of just over $200, Zarkana
cashes in around $30 million in sales per year.
9. Varekai: Grossing An Average $30 Million Per Year
Directed by theater director Dominic Champagne, Varekai premiered in
2002 in Montreal as a touring show. The storyline revolves around the
Greek myth of Icarus, slightly altered to fit the spectacular
acrobatic performances. The show, Varekai meaning wherever in the
Roman language, is self-described as an acrobatic tribute to the
nomadic soul. It cost $66 million to stage, and the set includes a
forest with 300 trees, stage, catwalk, and lookout. The cast of 58
performers and the live music performed by seven musicians and two
singers have thrilled over 6 million spectators so far. With tickets
selling for around $70, Varekai grosses an average $160,000 per show,
earning $30 million per year.
8. Kooza: Grossing An Average $33 Million Per Year
Premiered in Montreal in 2007, Kooza signifies Cirque du Soleils
return to their origins, combining two priceless circus traditions,
acrobatic performances and the art of clowning, all revolving around
the main character, called The Innocent, who is in an endless search
for a place where he can fit in. Kooza is Sanskrit for treasure box,
and runs along ten acrobatic acts, written and directed by Davis
Shiner, boasting colorful traditional circus inspired costumes. The
touring show sells tickets for $70 per adult and makes an average
$205,000 per show, grossing around $33 million per year.
7. Dralion: Grossing An Average $40 Million Per Year
Based on the immortal East meet West theme, Dralion is based on
various elements of traditional Chinese circus and contemporary
Western circus. The name of the show is actually a portmanteau of
dragon and lion, symbolizing the junction between the two worlds.
There are over 1,500 wardrobe pieces, vibrant colored costumes
inspired by traditional Indian, Chinese, and African clothing. Dralion
started as a touring show in 1999. In 2010, it was converted into a
format suitable for arenas. With an average ticket price of $88 per
adult, each show cashes in an average $305,000. More than 8 million
spectators worldwide have seen the performance, which cost a whopping
$24 million to stage.
6. The Beatles Love, Grossing An A $60 Million Per Year
One of Las Vegas most beloved resident shows, Love premiered in 2006
at The Mirage. A cast of 60 international artists make the adored
Beatles music shine through their awe-inspiring choreography. The Love
Theater at The Mirage was built specially to host the show, which cost
$100 million to stage. Revolving around the Beatles musical legacy,
with re-imagined music, it follows the groups journey to stardom.
With average ticket prices hitting $200, Love grosses an average $60
million a year.
5. La Nouba: Grossing An Average $70 Million Per Year
Performed in a custom-built freestanding theater at Downtown Disney in
the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, La Nouba is
a spectacular contemporary circus performance. The name is inspired
from the French faire la nouba, meaning to party and thats
exactly what the show is all about. Self-described as dramatic mix of
circus arts and street entertainment, inspired by the Disney World
itself, featuring over 1,200 lighting fixtures for each show, it
counted its 7,000th performance in 2013. With an average ticket price
of $200 per adult, the avant-garde circus show makes around $70
million a year in sales.
4. Alegria: Grossing An Average $80 Million Per Year
Directed by Pierre Parisien, featuring an eclectic mix of music
styles, Cirque du Soleils Alegria revolves around two central themes:
power and contrast. With darker music and lighting than other shows,
it transmits a feeling of obscurity. Premiered in 1994, Alegria
counted over 5,000 performances under its name, becoming one of the
most popular touring shows ever. It cost more than $3 million to
stage. In 2009, it was adapted for the arena and continues to tour
America and Europe. Over 10 million spectators in over 65 cities
throughout the world witnessed the performance, grossing an average
$1.3 million per show. With an average ticket price of $100 per adult,
it makes around $90 million in sales per year.
3. Michael Jackson ONE: Grossing Over $100 Million In 2013
With an average ticket price of $260 per adult, Cirque du Soleils
Michael Jackson ONE is the companys most expensive show to date. A
stunning theatrical performance, it premiered in 2013 at Mandalay Bay
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, where the Michael Jackson Theater was
specially remodeled to accommodate the performance. More theatrical,
the second Michael Jackson inspired Cirque du Soleil show is written
and directed by Jamie King, and is a transformative adventure, a
theatrical evocation of the pop singers creative genius performed on
a soundtrack that includes 25 Michael Jackson tunes. Since its debut
in May 2013, the show grossed over $100 million, making it one of the
highest earning resident shows in America.
2. O: Grossing Over $100 Million Per Year
Perhaps Cirque du Soleils most spectacular resident show, O premiered
in October 1998 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The
rather unusual name of the show, O is pronounced as eau, which is
French for water. Counting over 6,000 performances to date, the
aquatic themed show revolves around a 1.5 million gallon pool and
features remarkable synchronized swimming, high dive, and fire
dancing. A cast of 85 acrobats give life to the performance housed by
the fabulous O Theater, designed like a 14th century European opera
house that can seat 1,800 spectators. One of the most popular shows in
Las Vegas, O grossed over $1 billion since its debut in 1998, and
sells tickets for an average price of $226 per adult.
1. Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour: $160 Million Per Year
A unique combination of Michael Jacksons music and Cirque du Soleils
spectacular acrobatic performances, Michael Jackson: The Immortal Tour
recreates the rock concert experience in one of the worlds most
successful touring shows, which premiered in 2011 in Montreal. Jointly
owned by Cirque du Soleil and The Michael Jackson Company, the show
pays a tribute to the late singer, but unlike Michael Jackson ONE,
which focuses on the Pop Kings music, it is less theatrical and more
like a concert, with 49 international dancers giving life to a stunning
choreography. The highest grossing Cirque du Soleil show, and
one of the highest grossing touring shows of all time, it sold over
100 million tickets since its debut. With an average ticket price of
$150 per adult, it generated over $500 million in sales, grossing $140
million in 2011 and $160 million in 2012, with a revenue of
approximately $3 million per show.
# # #
If the figures are correct here, this article is very telling.
Normally one does not see or hear about earnings from Cirque,
especially broken down by show (although weve seen and shared a list
of earnings on touring shows a while back; see Issue #115). While this
article does not cite sources, its easy enough to get a ball park
earning figure based on an average cost of ticket and number of seats
to be sold per show, etc. etc.
What I find telling about this top 10 list is that shows like Mystere,
Zumanty, KA and BELIEVE are nowhere to be seen. Is this because that
data was not available on these shows or are they really earning less
than ZARKANA? And if Alegria was really #4 on the earnings list, why
on earth did Cirque decide to close the show? If anything it makes
double what Dralion makes in a year close Dralion early, revamp
Alegria and keep it going!
As an intrepid follower of Cirque du Soleil, we have a few issues with
the writer's information. For example, an average ticket cost for La
Nouba is no where near $200, not with the highest adult ticket
reaching just $150 USD. Even if you convert that to Canadian Dollars.
(Although the base prices we have do not include entertainment fees,
sales taxes or other service charges.)
Alas, interesting information indeed!
{ SOURCE: The Richest.com | http://goo.gl/BplkhN }
=======================================================================
COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
=======================================================================
Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 14, Number 5 (Issue #124) - May 2014
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2014 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.
{ May.08.2014 }
=======================================================================
