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T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
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http://www.CirqueFascination.com
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VOLUME 18, NUMBER 3 March 2018 ISSUE #170
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
* * * PARAMOUR IS BACK! * * *
And here I thought the facelift Mystere's Alice the Snail received
would be the talk of fan circles (and it was), or that adding Cyr
Wheel to Totem and Volta would get fans talking (it did at that),
but actually the bigger news is that PARAMOUR is back! Well, almost.
Stage Entertainment recently put out a casting notice for "The
European Premiere of Paramour for Spring 2019 in Hamburg, Germany!"
They're currently looking for singers, actors, and dancers. Rumors
for Paramour re-surfacing in Germany kicked up the moment the closing
announcement was made, but it looks like it's finally happening
folks! Stay tuned!
* * * ONE HELLUVA NIGHT FOR ONE DROP * * *
Although yours truly could not be there, a number of my friends were
in the house for the sixth annual "One Night For One Drop" show on
Friday, March 2nd at the MJ ONE Theater at Mandalay Bay, and what a
night it was for them! (I'm slightly jealous, but what can you do?)
Jewel was at the center of the special performance (see her stunning
costume here: http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=11306 - the gown,
designed by Sandra Fox and created by Randy Handley, embodies the
spirit of Alaska's wildlife (where Jewel is from); the entertainer
will act as a "Source" and "ethereal guide" for Nukka, the show's
main character, but we'll learn a bit more about that later on.) The
event was again a grassroots effort driven by the extended Cirque du
Soleil family. Nicky and Laetitia Dewhurst of "Zumanity" directed the
performance, with composition and music direction from Jean-Francois
Blais (also of "Zumanity"). The production unspooled Jewel's remark-
able life story, from a budding folk artist in Homer, Alaska, a
wilderness town of 5,000; through struggles while living out of her
car and chasing gigs in L.A., to her breakthrough with "Pieces of
You" in 1995, and through her current role as artist, philanthropist,
and mother.
"Working with the Cirque team has been an incredible experience in art
and craftsmanship," Jewel told People Magazine just before the show.
"The people are all incredible. The way I am being transformed into a
whole new person. I feel like a princess, or more like Dorothy from
The Wizard of Oz." The show drew from Jewel's ups and downs throughout
her life and career. "This is a story inspired by events in my life,
about family, the search for love, abandonment and betrayal but
ultimately the power to forgive the soul," she says. All proceeds from
the show went to One Drop, an international non-profit foundation
started by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté that provides access
to safe water. "For me, water is like love. With it, we flourish.
Without it, we wither," says Jewel. "But love, like water, is a
renewable source if we know where to look and how to care for it."
Learn more about ONE NIGHT FOR ONE DROP 6 within.
* * * CORTEO RE-LAUNCHES! * * *
On Monday, February 19th, Cirque du Soleil held a conference to kick-
off Corteo's North American arena tour to the press. (You can watch
it here: https://www.facebook.com/Corteo/videos/10155242511306179/)
While the press conference took place in Quebec City, QC (where the
troupe has been practicing these last few weeks), the tour officially
launched in Louisiana on March 2nd. Since 2013, Cirque du Soleil has
launched four of its arena shows in Louisiana - Varekai (2013), TORUK
(2015), OVO (2016), and Crystal (2017) - and returned to New Orleans
this month to re-launch the North American tour of Corteo. Have you
ever wondered why Cirque du Soleil has made Louisiana a major hub for
its pre-production and a launching point for its arena tours in recent
years?
The answer is simple: tax credits.
The company is a participant in the Musical and Theatrical Production
Tax Credit program offered by Louisiana Entertainment, a division of
Louisiana Economic Development (LED). "Our creative culture, talented
entertainment workforce and many state-of-the-art facilities make
Louisiana an ideal location for live performance productions such as
this," LED Secretary Don Pierson said. "It is no surprise that Cirque
du Soleil has found such success in starting its touring productions
here."
"In addition to the professional support and assistance provided by
the management teams at Louisiana arenas, our touring troupes
appreciate the warm hospitality, excellent local cuisine, and skilled
technical labor in Louisiana," said David Pitman, Cirque du Soleil's
director of tour planning and arena shows. "The Musical and Theatrical
Production Tax Credit is a unique program which encourages Cirque du
Soleil to choose Louisiana as the location where our arena productions
are brought to life."
As a participant in Louisiana Entertainment's live performance
program, Cirque du Soleil's show launches have accounted for more than
$20 million in spending in the state and 450 Louisiana resident jobs
created. For the current Corteo show, Cirque du Soleil estimates
Louisiana expenditures of $2.5 million, including employment for 50
Louisiana residents. Louisiana's unique tax incentive for musical and
theatrical productions provides tax credits ranging from 7 percent to
18 percent on certified in-state expenditures, plus an additional 7
percent tax credit for certified payroll expenditures for Louisiana
residents. Projects are subject to a $1 million cap per year.
In either case, good luck to the cast and crew of Corteo!
* * * ABOUT TORUK'S POP UP BUILDING * * *
Cirque du Soleil opened a stadium show in southern China in January,
in a building designed to be trucked away in pieces after the 120th
performance ends on May 1.
Sanya, a resort city on the southern shore of China's Hainan Island,
didn't have a building that could handle the show, physically or
technically. Cirque, which did a couple of productions in Europe in
rented pop-ups last summer, bought a portable modular stadium from
Spantech, a European company that specializes in non-permanent
buildings.
Cirque's portable stadium for Toruk is about the size of a football
field, though it can be expanded or made smaller at will. It seats
3,500, as compared to the 6,000 that could be fit in at Bell Centre,
or the 2,500 that Cirque can accommodate in the peaked tents it uses
for smaller, less technically demanding shows. Etienne Allard,
Cirque's director of infrastructure, says that 3,500 is actually an
optimal crowd size for Toruk, and makes for a more intimate
experience. That impression is further enhanced, he says, by draping
curtains around the curved stands, creating a concert-bowl shape
within the shed-like, rectangular building.
The pop-up arena took two weeks to set up, and though it's warm in
Sanya right now, the aluminum-clad arena is insulated for cold weather
and can handle a snow load. "We could set it up in Montreal in
winter," Mr. Allard says.
* * * SOMETHING DIFFERENT: ZUMANITY WEDDINGS * * *
How's that old saying go? Something old, something new, something
borrowed, something blue? Bah who needs that! Are you looking to
spice up your wedding just a bit? How about a Zumanity Wedding by
Cirque du Soleil? Cirque has been offering weddings at Zumanity since
the beginning of 2016, but we've just recently began seeing ads on
social media advertising the experience. We just couldn't resist
asking a couple of questions about it, and received prompt attention
by the resident show division crew in Las Vegas.
"Your love is unique and extraordinary," the pamphlet I was sent
begins. "At Zumanity, we not only understand but celebrate that! Our
'Mistress of Sensuality, Edie' will perform your marriage ceremony
in the intimate and dramatic lobby of our beautiful Zumanity Theater,
where two additional artists from our show will escort you down the
aisle and rejoice in your union. Enjoy the show afterwards from VIP
seating in one of our special 'Love Seat' sofas, where your love
and commitment will fill your hearts as our sexy acrobats, soaring
aerialists, and zany clowns dazzle your senses. Available to adults
18+, a Zumanity Wedding is a wedding experience that will leave
everyone talking about the unexpectedly sexy and risqué way you
chose to tie the knot!"
Here's what's included in the Zumanity Wedding package:
o) Intimate ceremony performed by our Mistress of Sensuality,
Edie in the lobby of the Zumanity Theater
o) Escort by two (2) Zumanity artists
o) Professional Photo/Video package by Cashman Photo:
o) Dedicated photographer
o) High resolution images for archiving and printing
o) Web resolution images for social media sharing
o) Online ordering of prints and photo products
o) A High Definition video of the ceremony
o) A live webcast of your ceremony with 30 days of replay
o) Keepsake Marriage Certificate + official certificate
filing with the State of Nevada**
o) Sparkling Wine Toast (for participants age 21+)
o) 2 VIP Sofa Seats (Category A) to watch the show.
(Additional guests, 18+ of age, are welcome to purchase show
tickets separately.)
Naturally there are some caveats, such as other Zumanity MCs will
be substituted as necessary in case Edie is not available. And that
parties to be married are responsible for obtaining an official
Marriage License from the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, and
must present prior to the ceremony along with government-issue photo
identification. (And that's because the "keepsake certificate" is
for souvenir purposes only. If needed, the couple must request legal
copy of the Marriage Certificate from the Clark County Clerk
beginning up to 15 days post-ceremony.) Do all that and your Zumanity
marriage will be legal and binding in the State of Nevada!
So, how do you get in on the action? It's pretty easy. Check out the
following link - https://goo.gl/Eg63GG - find the "Inquire Now"
button and click. An email will be auto-generated to the Zumanity
team who are ready to check with show management on availability for
the date you choose! Are you ready for the price? $3,500 inclusive
of taxes and fees. So what are you waiting for!
(Note, weddings are held prior to the 7:00pm performance only. Not
available on Wednesday or Thursdays. Arrive at 5:45pm on the date
you choose to keep everyone on schedule. Ceremony at 6:00pm. Package
contract must be completed and paid in full three days prior to
ceremony.)
* * * IN THE ISSUE * * *
We continue our look back at classic show critiques with reviews of
Quidam from 1997 and 1998, leap into the heart of CRYSTAL through
texts from the show's press kit, and check out One Night for One
Drop via articles, Q&A's, reviews, and text from the program book
only given out at the one-of-a-kind show.
Okay, so let's go!
/----------------------------------------------------\
| |
| Join us on the web at: |
| < www.cirquefascination.com > |
| |
| At CirqueCast: |
| < http://www.cirquecast.com/ > |
| |
| Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): |
| < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > |
| |
\----------------------------------------------------/
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
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CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* La Presse -- General News & Highlights
* Q&A -- Quick Chats & Press Interviews
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
* Webseries -- Official Online Featurettes
* Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
o) Fascination! Features
* "WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL?" - A Special Collection of
Articles about One Night for One Drop 2018
* "CARVING CRYSTAL: Melding Circus Arts and Ice Sports"
Texts from the Press Kit
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
* "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques"
Part 10 of 16: Quidam, Part 1 (1996-1997)
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
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***************************************************************
LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights
***************************************************************
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Visionary Violinist and Composer Meg Okura To
Release Two Albums this Spring
{Feb.06.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
Established violinist and composer Meg Okura ushers in the Spring
season with two new recordings: NPO Trio Live at The Stone, the debut
album from NPO Trio, which features Okura on violin, alongside Sam
Newsome on soprano saxophone and Jean-Michel Pilc on piano, out
Friday, March 15, and IMA IMA, which features The Pan Asian Chamber
Jazz Ensemble with Tom Harrell out Sunday, May 13. While Live at The
Stone introduces the impressive tightly-knit trio, who as a group
weave through musical idioms of jazz and classical from
impressionism to minimalism, blues to free jazz, IMA successfully
blends the musical cultures of East and West for a new and exciting
direction in modern jazz expression. With this highly-anticipated
double release, Okura showcases both her truly versatile musicality.
IMA IMA will be celebrated at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola on August 20th.
Newly established avant-garde and world music label, Chant Records is
excited to announce the arrival of NPO Trio with the release of Live
at The Stone, which was recorded by the trio, led by Meg Okura during
her residency at The Stone in the East Village, New York in April of
2016. Following the 2017 release of a duo album by Sam Newsome and
Jean-Michel Pilc, Magic Circle, the duo multiplied its dimensions by
adding the violinist to their line-up. NPO Trio is now a dynamic group
of like-minded friends celebrating freedom of expression through music
and sounds. Although the music presented by these three is
improvisational, listeners will also hear hints of familiar melodies
including well-known Yiddish songs and even excerpts of John Coltrane.
Okura explains that she has always felt emotionally connected to
Yiddish melodies. The melodies are always sad and happy at the same
time (typically a minor melody with major chords), just like the
Japanese expression of happy sad. Reminiscing upon her childhood,
Okura recalls consoling herself by truly believing that, "
sadness is
absolutely necessary for me to experience true happiness in the
future. And everytime I hear Jewish songs, it reminds me of my
childhood."
The entire concert at The Stone consisted of three extensive
improvisational parts. The first part, which is 38 minutes in total,
is divided into 6 shorter segments, each given individual titles for
the purpose of this album. The melody often quoted during these first
six tracks is a famous Yiddish song by Mark Warshawsky (1848-1907),
"Oyfn Pripetchik". The song is about a rabbi teaching his children
about the value of education and perseverance. It also mentions
exodus, reminding us of the sacrifices made by our ancestors, which
presents us with the freedom we have today. Track 7, "Unkind Gestures"
is a shorter improvisation, which pays homage to John Coltrane's Giant
Steps.
With unique instrumentation including Shinobue (Japanese flute) IMA
IMA brings together some of New York's finest jazz artists including
Sam Newsome, Pablo Aslan, Brian Marsalsa, Anne Drummond, Brian
Marsella and Riza Printup as well as special guest trumpeter Tom
Harrell. Hailed by the New York Times as "vibrant" and
"sophisticated", Okura's Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble presents IMA
IMA as a celebration of womanhood, particularly motherhood.
Okura became an Ima (meaning mother in Hebrew) seven years ago, so
along with being a tribute to Okura's grandmother, who recently passed
away, it is only fitting that IMA IMA will be released on Mother's Day
this year. Okura explains that although many refer to this period of
time as an interruption, she prefers to regard it as a constant state
of disruptions.
"The earliest compositions on this album being the ones from my
pregnancy period only support that claim. However, I do not believe
motherhood has had a negative impact on my music."
Okura explains that disruptions forced her to think more creatively
and resourcefully, and so inevitably made her music stronger. It
inspired the Japanese native towards integrity, and excellence in her
composition, improvisation and performance. Being anything other than
the first-rate was not acceptable.
"The last thing I wanted to do as a mother was to use motherhood as an
excuse for not being able to achieve excellence."
Ima Ima -(L'dor Vador) by The Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble was
supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support
and/or endowment gifts from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mary
Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts,
Anonymous. To follow the project as it unfolds, visit the project
page: https://www.newmusicusa.org
MORE ABOUT MEG OKURA
Formerly a concert violinist, Okura made her U.S. solo debut at the
Kennedy Center with the late Alexander Schneider's New York String
Orchestra. She then moved to New York City and earned her bachelor's
and master's degrees in classical violin from The Julliard School.
Advancing her career as a jazz violinist while at the Henry Mancini
Institute in Los Angeles, Okura was soloist and the concertmaster for
the orchestra backing up Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Diana Krall,
and Terence Blanchard, under the batons of music icons as Quincy
Jones, Jerry Goldsmith, and Jack Elliot.
Okura quickly became one of the most sought-after violinists on New
York City's music scene, appearing on dozens of recordings with a wide
range of artists including David Bowie, Lee Konitz, Diane Reeves,
Heidi Grand-Murphy, Sam Newsome, Jesse Harris, Jeremy Pelt, Ziggy
Marley and many more. She has toured internationally with the late
Michael Brecker, Steve Swallow, Tom Harrell, appearing at venues such
as Carnegie Hall, The Barbican, Madison Square Garden, Village
Vanguard, Blue Note Tokyo, Hollywood Bowl and at numerous festivals
and concert halls around the world. In 2016, Okura held a week-long
residency at the Stone in New York City, performing and presenting 12
concerts with her 10 different groups.
Recipient of numerous grants and awards including Metlife Creative
Connections Grant (Meet The Composer), Brand Personality Award (Asia
Pacific Brands Foundation), Manhattan Community Arts Fund (Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council), Jerome Composers Commissioning Program
(American Composers Forum), and most recently, New Music USA Project
Grant, Okura has also composed/ arranged for several film and
television programs such as The Congregation (documentary) and Louie
(TV series), as well as, the New York Symphonic Ensemble, Sirius
String Quartet, and C. Eule Dance.
She has herself also appeared on many movie soundtracks as a
violinist, and erhu player, has been featured in three Cirque du
Soleil productions (Varekai, Wintuk and Corteo), and has collaborated
and performed with Oscar nominee actor and Columbia recording artist
Terrence Howard. For the past ten years, Okura has also been a member
of a Jewish/Middle Eastern band "Pharaoh's Daughter" led by ex-
orthodox singer-songwriter and cantor Basya Schechter.
{ SOURCE: Jazz Corner | https://goo.gl/tiDvtz }
-------------------------------------------------------
'Her America': Twin performers featured in campaign
{Feb.13.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion, the identical twin sisters
known best for founding a world-class circus school in Brattleboro,
are now getting some attention for their personal outlooks in a new
online video campaign called "Her America."
"Throughout this project, we were seeking ways to portray the
complexity of American women today, after the 2016 election," Lea
Goldman, Lifetime editor and chief, told the Reformer. "We really
wanted to talk to women who were living many realities of the American
political and social debates, women who bridged what seemed like
opposing sides."
The goal, she said, was to amplify "the voices that go unheard and
unrecognized."
From Arizona's first female Asian American state senator to a disabled
gun enthusiast in Wyoming, "Her America" spans the political and
social spectrum. Spots from the campaign started airing on Lifetime on
Monday night and will be shared on the network's Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram accounts.
A production team of more than 20 women talked with women from every
state. Subjects were asked: "If you could broadcast your story to the
world, what would you share?"
"We scoured the country to find stories," Goldman said. "College
papers, local radio stations, word of mouth. Sometimes, we showed up
in a community and just asked around. Every town in this country has a
woman everyone just knows. Our stories touch upon all the subjects
women talk about when they are among their girlfriends or sisters -
the challenges of marriage, our complicated relationships with our
mothers, the hustle to pay the bills, sex. All of it."
Goldman called Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion, the twins who
once worked with Cirque de Soleil and founded the New England Center
for Circus Arts in Brattleboro, "dynamic women business owners,
performers and enthusiasts of rural living."
"We found all of their realities fascinating - especially their candid
ability to talk about life as twins, making parallel but very
different life choices," she said, noting that Elsie chooses to live
in a "tiny house" to reduce her carbon footprint and not have children
while Serenity has three kids. "They live right next door to each
other, run a business together and perform in tandem. Their choices,
that often seem so large for women, were in fact just one factor in a
complex and shared life."
Goldman said the twins shared that they vote for Democrats on the
national level but sometimes vote Republican in local elections. "They
favor local Republicans who are socially open-minded but fiscally
conservative," she added.
To watch their segment, visit heramerica.com/film/elsie-and-serenity-
vermont-brattleboro-film-page.
Serenity considers herself a very private person when it comes to
family, politics and herself.
"It took a lot of consideration for me to say yes to this type of
exposure," she told the Reformer. "But I am coming to realize that
when I am gifted the opportunity to speak up, I am not being who I
need to be for my children if I demure."
She hopes the video campaign will "inspire the normalization of
speaking up and having a personal perspective in a generous,
nonjudgmental conversation."
"I am concerned that too many times we tell our stories to the people
who already know the story, already know the answers, already agree,"
she said. "How can we connect with the 'other,' how can I hear from
the 'other?'"
Elsie said she is happy to share her unique story with others but
often worries about how her words will be translated in the media. She
hopes the exposure might spark more interest in NECCA.
"It's a place where magic is normal and transformation is an everyday
experience, and I think we need this in the high stress and
argumentative world we find ourselves in now," she said. "Circus is
only possible with teamwork and collaboration, and you have to be
respectful of and work with other people's strengths and weaknesses.
You can't argue and demean and put down and talk at each other or
circus just doesn't happen."
Elsie said she feels like a "pretty normal person," aware some might
laugh at the statement.
"I may have grown up in a log cabin without electricity and run away
to join the circus before coming home to live in a 'tiny house' with a
pig farmer and start one of the most respected circus schools in the
world but I am just like so many other people," she said. "I work
hard, I want the best for the people around me, I care about the image
I project to the world, I am saddened by the troubles I see around me,
I struggle with how I can be the best citizen of the country and the
world, and I want to make a difference. I worry about money, I
question how I can afford health insurance, I shovel snow and cook and
clean and manage a household. My story is really not that different
than anyone else, and perhaps by being so normal while being sort of
extraordinary, that will help people to hear how we are all so much
the same. We have so much common ground to connect on."
{ SOURCE: Brattleboro Reformer | https://goo.gl/tyKby3 }
-------------------------------------------------------
Guy Laliberté Dishes One Night For One Drop
{Mar.02.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
Each year, a visual extravaganza descends on Las Vegas in the form of
One Night for One Drop, an annual philanthropic event in which Cirque
du Soleil cast and crew donate their talent and time to create a
unique and breathtaking theatrical in support of One Drop, an
international non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to
safe water.
Tonight is the night for that extravaganza, as the 6th edition of the
fundraiser-this year inspired by the life and music of the artist,
Jewel, takes place at the Michael Jackson ONE Theatre at Mandalay Bay
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It will benefit those without access
to safe water around the world as well as local projects in Southern
Nevada focusing on innovative educational programs through tickets
sold, as well as auction items like an exclusive Audemars Piguet
timepiece that was custom-made for One Drop; ticket to the Monaco
Grand Prix; ten flight hours on the Bombardier Challenger 350
aircraft; and an exclusive getaway at Guy's Hawaiian estate.
In advance of the event, we sat down with Cirque du Soleil founder Guy
Laliberté-a visionary, accordionist, stilt-walker, fire-eater,
creative guide, philanthropist (he's helped to raise $30M to support
One Drop's mission since creating the event in 2013), and first
Canadian private space explorer: His mission was dedicated to raising
awareness on water issues facing humankind on planet earth. Under the
theme Moving Stars and Earth for Water, this first Poetic Social
Mission in space aimed at touching people through an artistic
approach: a special 120-minute webcast program featuring various
artistic performances unfolding in 14 cities on five continents,
including the International Space Station.
Here, this creative genius speaks to Haute Living about his event,
giving back, and how he manages to consistently find so much wonder in
a world that seems darker every day.
Q. Why did you decide to create your own foundation?
Giving back is an essential aspect of my desire to help build a better
world. This mentality has always been a part of my DNA. Deciding to
build my own foundation in 2007 was a natural decision at that point
in my life and in Cirque du Soleil's. I truly believe that
philanthropy and social responsibility should be an integral part of
any business and should be treated with the same result-oriented
approach as any other line on the budget. At Cirque, from day one, we
started laying the groundwork towards becoming a truly responsible
corporate citizen and we started finding creative ways of giving back.
Since the inception of One Drop, Cirque has always been instrumental
to the foundation. Our One Night for One Drop annual event in Las
Vegas is the best proof of it and shows how much Cirque continues to
be involved in our mission.
Q. Why is the cause so personally important to you?
Needless to say, water is essential to life, and knowing that so many
people around the world live without this resource at hand has always
been unimaginable for me. Every single minute a child dies from
diseases caused by contaminated water and poor hygiene. And worldwide,
2.1 billion people don't have access to safe water at home. Can you
stop for just one second and imagine what it would be like to live
without water? Or to watch your child get sick because there's no
fresh water around? The United Nations recently defined 17 Sustainable
Development Goals that could transform the world. Goal 6 is to ensure
access to water and sanitation for all by 2030. But as the situation
stands now, there is still tremendous work to be done. At One Drop,
we've made it our mission to do our part in providing access to safe
water to as many people as possible in the world's most vulnerable
communities. Because we know that water is an active and powerful
force; and that when it is used wisely, it can change the world.
Q. When and how did you make the conscious decision to create One
Night For One Drop?
Because Cirque has such an important and predominant presence in Las
Vegas with seven different productions on The Strip, there is an
incredible variety of talent available; and Las Vegas being in the
desert and having its own water related issues, the community is very
aware and close to the problems of water. So, it became obvious that
we had all the right elements aligned to create a successful
fundraising event over there. One morning, in 2011, I met with the
team and asked what can we do collaboratively for One Drop, and we
decided that a one-night performance would be a great way to celebrate
the power of water. So I said: "Let's paint the strip blue!", and we
did! In 2013, the first One Night for One Drop event took place and it
was a huge success. Because all the other productions go dark for one
night, everybody can come together to create, perform, collaborate and
volunteer in this global philanthropy event. This year, we're proud to
be celebrating the 10th year anniversary of One Drop and the sixth
edition of One Night for One Drop.
Q. This year's event is inspired by Jewel. What in particular speaks
to you personally in terms of Jewel's life and music?
I don't know Jewel personally but I know part of her life story.
Starting at a young age, she had to survive and thrive under extremely
difficult circumstances. Nothing came easy and she had to put in a lot
of hard work from living on the streets to becoming a Grammy-nominated
singer-songwriter. That resonates with me. But furthermore, it's her
awareness and investment in the cause of water that made her a perfect
ambassador. Having grown up on a farm where she didn't have water at
home, and as a homeless person with kidney problems that required her
to drink a lot fresh water which she didn't have access to, that made
her realize the importance of this resource and she started Project
Clean Water to give people around the world access to clean water.
This year, Jewel has partnered with One Night for One Drop, to donate
funds, and offer her music and life story to help bring this precious
resource to those in need.
Q. Last year's event was a circus narrative involving time travel.
What's in store for guests at this year's event?
Last year's performance had and evocative theme, a grumpy old circus
ringmaster, representing mankind, looking back on his life hoping
there would be a way to right his wrongs, in a way showing how we as
people are mistreating the earth. The show was created by writer
director team Nicky and Laetitia Dewhurst, and after the enormous
success of last year's show we asked them to take on the challenge of
creating One Night for One Drop 2018. This year we can expect
something completely different because the show is inspired by the
life story of Jewel. Nicki and Laetitia have taken relatable themes
from her life such as love, family, betrayal and the courage to
forgive and have woven them into this incredible new production with
the landscape of Alaska, where Jewel grew up, as the background.
Q. How do you keep testing yourself, and keep your life full of wonder
in the way of Cirque du Soleil?
For me, it's always been about using our imagination to create amazing
things, allowing people to let their creativity flow and to come up
with new ideas and new projects with very limited boundaries; and
eventually, being able to reach the next level because you've tried
something no one else dared. At Lune Rouge, the new company I founded
in 2015, the guiding principle is to promote innovation, creativity
and entrepreneurship. We invest in the development of projects with a
focus on technology, arts, entertainment and real estate, as well as
on initiatives that generate positive social and environmental
impacts.
Q. What to you is the greatest luxury in life and why?
At the risk of sounding mortal (laugh
), spending quality time with my
family, being around my kids, that is truly the ultimate luxury. At
the end of the day, it's the only thing that makes you feel complete.
{ SOURCE: Haute Living | https://goo.gl/LRJuzz }
***************************************************************
Q&A -- Quick Chats & Press Interviews
***************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------
Cal McCrystal "Britain's funniest director"
{Feb.09.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
Cal McCrystal once dubbed "Britain's funniest director" is more in
demand than ever. And the next project of this master of the comic set
piece is to stage Gilbert and Sullivan's 1882 operetta Iolanthe for
the English National Opera.
The clowning veteran has an impressive back catalogue as an actor,
director and physical comedy consultant for stage and screen, but
Iolanthe about a confrontation between the House of Lords and the
fairy kingdom is only his second operatic production.
His first came in 2014, when he directed an adaptation of Haydn's Il
Mondo Della Luna (Life on the Moon) for English Touring Opera. It
proved a useful introduction for staging the art form because he
learned how the relationship with the conductor works "what belongs
to him and what belongs to you," he says.
"It was also valuable in allowing me to see how versatile singers are
these days. I did a very physical production and the singers were keen
to develop the breadth to be able to run around and fall over while
they were singing."
Then, 18 months ago, ENO's artistic director Daniel Kramer invited him
to stage one of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas. "He said: 'Which one
do you want to do? Don't say Pirates or Mikado, because we already
have those in the rep.' So I read and listened to them all and
Iolanthe was the one I thought I'd have the most fun with," says
McCrystal.
Over the course of his career working in film and theatre, he has
become known for his particular style of comedy, which will feature
prominently in Iolanthe. Its origins lie in his training: three years
on an acting course, at what is now the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland, were followed by further studies with master clowns Pierre
Byland and Philippe Gaulier.
"I'm very happy for it to be described as physical comedy, or even
clowning," McCrystal says. "I started directing shows with physical
clowns and we developed our style together. The difference was, unlike
most of those people, I also had a Shakespeare/Chekhov conservatoire
training, so I tend to mix the two.
"When I do Alan Bennett or Joe Orton or Alan Ayckbourn I bring in
these physical elements. I don't think the big laughs come from clever
lines I think you laugh when people fall over, or fall down stairs,
or whatever it is."
He first directed theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe. In 1996 he worked
on Let the Donkey Go, which became a festival hit, and with the Mighty
Boosh and clown company Spymonkey, as well as creating comedy routines
for Cirque du Soleil.
Nicholas Hytner asked him to join the National Theatre as associate
director in 2011 to work on One Man, Two Guvnors to mastermind the
physical comedy for the show.
He continued to be in demand and even consulted on the physical comedy
in films including The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and both Paddington
movies, which included providing facial expressions for the bear from
darkest Peru.
How has his approach to comedy influenced Iolanthe? "Some might say
I've gone too far in places, but I know exactly where those places are
and I'm not tempted to pull back. I've added a few extra gags to the
dialogue without touching the lyrics or the period so no Brexit
jokes."
This means potentially new challenges for the ENO's principals and
chorus. He says: "I am pushing them physically but they love the
challenge. Every day has been enormous fun. Aside from the very
complex choreography they have to learn, the biggest challenge is to
simplify. I want all the performers to strip back. Don't play it like
a comedy play it as if you believe it and allow the audience to
laugh at you."
Q. What was your first non-theatre job?
As a teenager, I worked in my local pet shop on Saturdays. I earned
£3 a day. Loadsamoney!
Q. What was your first professional theatre job?
I spent two years presenting children programmes for ITV.
Q. What's your next job?
Back to my beloved Giffords Circus for our 2018 show, My Beautiful
Circus.
Q. What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
That I would still be happily working in the industry 37 years
later.
Q. Who or what was your biggest influence?
Mel Brooks. Laurel and Hardy. Philippe Gaulier. The performers I
work with.
Q. What's your best advice for auditions?
Don't be scared. We want you to be good.
Q. If you hadn't been a director, what would you have been?
Hopefully, I would have continued to perfom.
Occasionally, McCrystal admits to seeing eyebrows raised at how far he
pushes the material. "In the first half there's a very beautiful duet
for Strephon and Phyllis and the performers are singing it just as
they should, sitting on a tree stump looking into each other's eyes.
But I can't just have that and so I have a lot of sheep coming in
behind them."
We had real sheep in the promo video I made and I'll never work with
them again. That's official. Giving away one of the show's secrets, he
admits these will not, in fact, be real sheep. "We had real sheep in
the promo video I made and I'll never work with them again. That's
official."
Of course, he has consulted his colleagues. "I said to the conductor,
Timothy Henty: 'Where in this beautiful piece of music do you forbid
me to get a laugh?' He said: 'I'd rather you didn't do it on this a
cappella, or on this harmony, but here, here, here and here would be
fine' and the places he identified were exactly the places I wanted
them."
Gilbert and Sullivan is, of course, definitely comic opera and
McCrystal is clear he is hoping for plenty of laughter in the house.
"I'm not just spending my time saying: 'Oh, there's a laugh on that
line, put a pause before it'. I'm stuffing it with jokes that are more
about our production than what is in the text. I love the text and I
hope I'm bringing out every laugh that's there, but I'm also adding
our own."
What about people who are not sure whether the creators' work is for
them? "I'm trying to make a show that everyone will love. I hope that
people who have never seen Iolanthe before will say: 'Oh my God, is
this Gilbert and Sullivan? When's the next one?'"
CV: Cal Mccrystal
Born: 1959, Belfast
Training: Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Ecole Philippe
Gaulier
Landmark productions: Cooped, Spymonkey (2001), Stiff, Spymonkey
(2000), Let The Donkey Go, Peepolykus (1996), The Mighty Boosh,
Edinburgh Fringe (1998), Varekai, Cirque du Soleil (2002), Zumanity,
Cirque du Soleil (2013), One Man, Two Guvnors, National Theatre
(2012), Office Party, Barbican (2008), Don Quixote, Royal Shakespeare
Company (2015)
Awards: Perrier award for best newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards
for The Mighty Boosh
Agent: Troika
-------------------------------------------------------
A Q&A w/Alanna Baker - OVO's Black Spider
{Feb.17.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil is the largest theatrical producer in the world,
worth nearly one billion Canadian dollars and known internationally
for spectacular shows that have played every single continent on
planet Earth, bar Antarctica. Since its inception over 30 years ago
Cirque du Soleil has won numerous awards including four Primetime
Emmys, a Bambi, a Rose d'Or, three Drama Desk Awards and a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here Mandy News talks to one of the company's
busy acrobats Alanna Baker, who has enjoyed touring the world as a
Cirque du Soleil character for five years.
Q. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about
how you got into the industry?
I'm Alanna Baker. I'm 25 years old and from West Sussex, England. For
the past five years, I have been working for Cirque du Soleil, touring
Australia, Taiwan, Japan and North America. In addition to my role as
an acrobatic character, I also have the backup act of the show, on
Cerceau (aerial hoop).
Q. How did you become involved with Cirque du Soleil? And please tell
us more about the OVO show!
Where do I start?! When I was eight years old, I saw my first Cirque
du Soleil show, Dralion, in London at the Royal Albert Hall and that's
when my dream first started. I said to my parents that's what I wanted
to do when I'm older. Of course, for them they thought this was a long
shot but were happy to keep me heading in that direction and the
bigger the goals and dreams the better.
Neither of my parents did gymnastics but they decided to put me into
it from a very young age of five. I guess I was always interested in
it, doing handstands and cartwheels around the living room, garden,
and wherever I found the space. My older brother used to train with me
as well, so we'd train together. They both say they don't know where
our talents came from but I guess we were both naturally talented.
I started out in regular recreational classes at home in Storrington.
Then I got moved into sports acrobatics gymnastics, so I was in a
women's pair or a trio, and I was a flyer to start with because I used
to be small. Then I grew and I became a porter and had my own flyer. I
started in Horsham and transferred to Heathrow; that was where I
mainly trained and started competing for Great Britain. I went on to
become European champion in 2011 and third in the world in 2012.
When I started competing for Great Britain and I was doing the major
competitions European championships, world championships, world cup
Cirque du Soleil became more noticeable and the talent scouts came
to those competitions. So I started to see posters and stuff, and I
was like, "OK, I'm starting to work in the right direction". Actually,
we had a closed audition at my gym, so I thought: "I'm going to
audition. I may as well, I'm still competing."
Then I spoke to a talent scout at the world championships and informed
them I was interested and when I knew I was reaching my peak, I
thought, "this is my best shot." I did the closed audition and, six
months after I finished competing, I got a call to come and join. It
was really being in the right place at the right time and having what
they were looking for, because in acro-sport there's not a whole
variety of shows you can go on
maybe three shows in the whole of
Cirque du Soleil with acro-sport; OVO, 'O' in Vegas and Varekai.
I then went to Montreal where the international headquarters for
Cirque are and did a three month general training programme, not
guaranteed a contract. Luckily enough I was what they were looking for
and I got offered a contract to join OVO Big Top in Australia. Since
then I have travelled to Taiwan, Japan, North America and now Europe.
OVO, meaning egg in Portuguese, is all about the day in the life on an
insect and how, no matter who you are, what you look like, we accept
one another and are a colony of fun and loving energy and excitement.
I started out as a flea in the show and was originally the base in a
women's pair, because that was my background. That's what I did with
Poppy (my flyer from sport). I joined with a different flyer and did
that for six months. Then I left because they were replacing the
women's pair for a mixed pair. Then I came back as the base in a trio,
who were all fleas.
When I was in Japan I started to learn the Black Spider role. So, now
I'm an acrobatic character and I do a bit of everything. I'm in the
majority of the show, which for me I prefer. My main acts are diabolo
I don't do diabolo, I'm the assistant and then I am part of the
contortion act. I'm on corde lisse, which I learnt when I was there,
and wall; it's like a big rock-climbing wall. You may have seen
something similar in Deborah Colker's other work.
Q. Could you please tell us about what it takes to become fit for a
show like OVO, and then to maintain that fitness throughout the
schedule of performing?
For me, I'm very into fitness which helps a huge amount when working
on any Cirque du Soleil production. It takes a lot of strength and
agility to perform with ease and safety every night. Most artists
already bring this with them from the sport they are experts in, but
keeping that strength, maintaining and building on tour is also
important, if you want to grow and improve in your repertoire. I work
out six days a week before I go into work and then usually have a
training or two before the shows. For me, it's my happy place. I go by
myself and really get in the zone.
Q. How long does pre-production for a show normally last?
I know that creating a Cirque du Soleil show can take up to two years
or more as they literally start from scratch. But in my case with OVO,
I did the transfer from big top to arena so it was a 're-creation'
process which only took around six months. It was more adapting the
show to make it suitable for viewing in arenas, meaning it needed to
be looked at in a much larger scale as the seating area is a lot
further in distance than our big-tops.
Q. You said that you saw your first ever Cirque show when you were
eight. How did that feel and how did it feel when you became a part
of the company?
Still to this day I have to pinch myself when I'm on stage, realizing
that I'm actually lucky enough to be living my dream. I feel so
privileged and lucky to be working in such an amazing company.
Q. What is coming up for the rest of 2018 and beyond?
I'd love to continue to work with Cirque du Soleil for many years to
come still. I'd like to do a creation of a new show and then end up in
a resident show in Vegas in years to come, to settle down.
Q. What advice would you give to any performers/dancers wanting to get
into the industry?
Firstly, if your dreams don't scare you they're not big enough! Never
give up on those dreams. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work,
sacrifices, failures, successes, lessons learnt day in day out. It all
adds up. Remember nothing worth having comes easy, but my god will it
be worth it in the end. If I can do it, so can you!
{ SOURCE: Mandy News | https://goo.gl/A8EbQM }
-------------------------------------------------------
Luzia's Laura Biondo Is a Force To Be Reckoned With
{Feb.23.2018}
-------------------------------------------------------
As one of the top freestylers in the world, Laura Biondo is changing
the playing field by inspiring the next generation of athletes
worldwide.
Originally born in Venezuela, Laura Biondo has traveled and lived
around the world. After playing professional soccer in Italy for
Foroni & Bardolino, Biondo discovered freestyle soccer from her
brother. She immediately fell in love with it because of the
creativity, passion, and community it involved.
Soon after discovering freestyle, Biondo began to master it. With
countless hours of practice, dedication, and persistence, Biondo
became recognized around the world for her skills. She began traveling
to competitions internationally and won titles including the Latin
American Champion 2014 in Curitiba, Brazil, 2014 European Champion in
Brussels and 2015 Superball World Open Champion. She was even second
runner-up at the Red Bull Street Style World Championships. Along with
competing in major events, Biondo also further established her
credibility by setting 5 Guinness World Records for freestyle
including the most "around the world" ball control tricks in one
minute.
Though Biondo excelled at freestyle soccer, she wanted to do more with
her platform to make a bigger impact. She wanted to push the limits
and create an equal playing field for women in the sport. As a result,
she was the driving force behind creating a women's division in the
world famous freestyle competition Superball.
"I remember going to Superball and asking each day before the
competition if there was going to be a women's division. Each day I
asked
and finally on the day of they agreed! Only four or three
girls participated
but everyone loved it. This was extremely
important to me because you need competition to improve and grow the
sport, and we finally had it."
Aside from competing, Biondo is also an ambassador for the WFFA The
World Freestyle Football Association with headquarters in Canada where
she is Chief Administrator for the women's division.
"My current role is giving the girls a voice within the association. I
have a female presence within the organization to make sure females
get what they deserve. The association is currently looking to develop
structure, and set up a foundation that will last a very long time,
and I am excited to be a part of that process. I want equal
opportunities for men and women in the sport."
Currently, Biondo is an artist in Cirque du Soleil's production
"LUZIA" where she is the first ever freestyler to perform for the
company with counterpart Abou. With this platform, she has performed
in over 670 shows in front of over 2 million people! She is growing
the sport of freestyle through a mass audience, and is thrilled with
the reception each act gets.
"I get to show the sport of freestyle to those that would never see
it. I'm able to inspire others, and show that females can perform at
the top level. Maybe a girl sees me perform and says I can do that in
basketball or parkour. You want to impact the kids and showcase your
own values so they can have someone to look up to."
For Biondo, her mission continues daily as she strives to inspire
female athletes and give them a voice through freestyle soccer.
"I love the sport and I want to see more girls involved in it. I want
to be a role model that girls can look up to. I'm not going to solve
all of the problems with equality, but I want to inspire those that
can and make an impact."
{ SOURCE: Red Bull | https://goo.gl/rQtrLS }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia, Totem & Volta}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{TORUK, OVO, Séptimo Día, Crystal & Corteo}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, MJ ONE & JOYA}
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/ >,
or for a more comprehensive tour listing, visit our Itinéraire
section online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=6898 >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
Buenos Aires, AR -- Mar 15, 2018 to Apr 1, 2018
Cordoba, AR -- Apr 26, 2018 to Apr 29, 2018
Santiago, CL -- May 31, 2018 to Jun 14, 2018
Lima, PE -- Jul 22, 2018 to Aug 12, 2018
Quito, EC -- Sep 6, 2018 to Sep 16, 2018
Koozå:
Senzhen, CN -- Mar 1, 2018 to Apr 1, 2018
Hong Kong, CN -- Apr 19, 2018 to Jun 3, 2018
Kurios:
Tokyo, JP -- Feb 7, 2018 to Jun 3, 2018
Osaka, JP -- Jul 26, 2018 to Oct 29, 2018
Nagoya, JP -- Nov 22, 2018 to Jan 27, 2019
Fukuoka, JP -- Feb 15, 2018 to Mar 31, 2018
Sendai, JP -- April 2019
Luzia:
Costa Mesa, CA -- Feb 21, 2018 to Mar 25, 2018
Washington, DC -- Apr 12, 2018 to May 13, 2018
Boston, MA -- Jun 27, 2018 to Jul 29, 2018
Guadalajara, MX -- TBA 2018
Monterrey, MX -- TBA 2018
Mexico City, MX -- TBA 2018
Totem:
Seville, ES -- Jan 25, 2018 to Mar 11, 2018
Barcelona, ES -- Mar 23, 2018 to May 20, 2018
Malaga, ES -- Jun 1, 2018 to Jul 1, 2018
Alicante, ES -- Jul 20, 2018 to Aug 19, 2018
Zurich, CH -- Sep 5, 2018 to Oct 14, 2018
Paris, FR -- Oct 15, 2018 to Dec 2, 2018
VOLTA:
Tampa, FL -- Feb 14, 2018 to Mar 18, 2018
East Rutherford, NJ -- Mar 29, 2018 to Apr 22, 2018
Uniondale, NY -- May 17, 2018 to Jun 10, 2018
Oaks, PA -- Jul 12, 2018 to Aug 5, 2018
Seattle, WA -- TBA 2018
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
TORUK - The First Flight:
Sanya, CN -- Feb 1, 2018 to May 1, 2018
Singapore -- May 24, 2018 to Jun 3, 2018
Bangkok, TH -- Jun 14, 2018 to Jun 24, 2018
Cologne, DE -- Oct 25, 2018 to Oct 28, 2018
Hamburg, DE -- Oct 31, 2018 to Nov 4, 2018
Berlin, DE -- Nov 7, 2018 to Nov 11, 2018
Turin, IT -- Nov 15, 2018 to Nov 18, 2018
Bologna, IT -- Nov 22, 2018 to Nov 25, 2018
Frankfurt, DE -- Nov 28, 2018 to Dec 2, 2018
Zagreb, HR -- Dec 7, 2018 to Dec 9, 2018
Pamplona, ES -- Feb 6, 2019 to Feb 10, 2019
Munich, DE -- Jun 5, 2019 to Jun 9, 2019
OVO:
London, UK -- Jan 7, 2018 to Mar 4, 2018
Antwerp, BE -- Mar 8, 2018 to Mar 11, 2018
Hanover, DE -- Mar 14, 2018 to Mar 18, 2018
Oberhausen, DE -- Apr 5, 2018 to Apr 8, 2018
Krakow, PL -- Apr 13, 2018 to Apr 15, 2018
Gdansk, PL -- Apr 19, 2018 to Apr 22, 2018
Saint Petersburg, RU -- Apr 28, 2018 to May 5, 2018
Moscow, RU -- May 8, 2018 to May 20, 2018
Kazan, RU -- May 23, 2018 to May 27, 2018
Tolyatti, RU -- May 30, 2018 to Jun 3, 2018
Ekaterinburg, RU -- Jun 6, 2018 to Jun 10, 2018
Sochi, RU -- Jul 12, 2018 to Jul 29, 2018
Liverpool, UK -- Aug 16, 2018 to Aug 19, 2018
Sheffield, UK -- Aug 22, 2018 to Aug 26, 2018
Newcastle, UK -- Aug 29, 2018 to Sep 2, 2018
Glasgow, UK -- Sep 5, 2018 to Sep 9, 2018
Nottingham, UK -- Sep 12, 2018 to Sep 16, 2018
Leeds, UK -- Sep 19, 2018 to Sep 23, 2018
Manchester, UK -- Sep 26, 2018 to Sep 30, 2018
Birmingham, UK -- Oct 3, 2018 to Oct 7, 2018
Dublin, IE -- Oct 10, 2018 to Oct 14, 2018
Belfast, IE -- Oct 17, 2018 to Oct 21, 2018
Lille, FR -- Nov 8, 2018 to Nov 11, 2018
Bordeaux, FR -- Nov 14, 2018 to Nov 18, 2018
Toulouse, FR -- Nov 21, 2018 to Nov 25, 2018
Montpellier, FR -- Nov 28, 2018 to Dec 2, 2018
Strasbourg, FR -- Dec 5, 2018 to Dec 9, 2018
Nantes, FR -- Dec 12, 2018 to Dec 16, 2018
A Coruna, ES -- Dec 21, 2018 to Dec 30, 2018
SÉPTIMO DÍA - NO DESCANSARÉ:
Guatemala City, GT -- Mar 10, 2018 to Mar 18, 2018
Coral Gables, FL (Miami) -- Apr 18, 2018 to Apr 22, 2018
Inglewood, CA (Los Angeles) -- May 3, 2018 to May 6, 2018
Asuncion, PY -- Jun 20, 2018 to Jun 23, 2018
CRYSTAL - A BREAKTHROUGH ICE EXPERIENCE:
Phoenix, AZ -- Mar 8, 2018 to Mar 11, 2018
Tucson, AZ -- Mar 14, 2018 to Mar 18, 2018
San Diego, CA -- Mar 21, 2018 to Mar 25, 2018
San Jose, CA -- Mar 28, 2018 to Apr 1, 2018
Portland, OR -- Apr 4, 2018 to Apr 8, 2018
Abbotsford, BC -- Apr 11, 2018 to Apr 15, 2018
Penticton, BC -- Apr 18, 2018 toApr 22, 2018
Prince George, BC -- Apr 25, 2018 to Apr 29, 2018
Spokane, WA -- May 2, 2018 to May 6, 2018
Red Deer, AB -- May 2, 2018 to May 6, 2018
Saskatoon, SK -- May 16, 2018 to May 20, 2018
Medicine Hat, AB -- May 23, 2018 to May 27, 2018
London, ON -- Jun 14, 2018 to Jun 17, 2018
Hamilton, ON -- Jun 20, 2018 to Jun 24, 2018
Youngstown, OH -- Jun 27, 2018 to Jul 1, 2018
Baltimore, MD -- Jul 5, 2018 to Jul 8, 2018
Estero, FL -- Jul 12, 2018 to Jul 15, 2018
Sunrise, FL -- Jul 18, 2018 to Jul 29, 2018
Orlando, FL -- TBA
Hershey, FL -- TBA
CORTEO:
New Orleans, LA -- Mar 2, 2018 to Mar 4, 2018
Houston, TX -- Mar 8, 2018 to Mar 11, 2018
Milwaukee, WI -- Mar 29, 2018 to Apr 1, 2018
Rockford, IL -- Apr 5, 2018 to Apr 8, 2018
Columbus, OH -- Apr 12, 2018 to Apr 15, 2018
Knoxville, TN -- Apr 19, 2018 to Apr 22, 2018
Lexington, KY -- Apr 27, 2018 to Apr 29, 2018
Cincinnati, OH -- May 3, 2018 to May 6, 2018
Chattanooga, TN -- May 10, 2018 to May 13, 2018
Lincoln, NE -- May 17, 2018 to May 20, 2018
Broomfield, CO -- May 24, 2018 to May 27, 2018
Loveland, CO -- May 31, 2018 to Jun 3, 2018
Oshawn, ON -- Jun 21, 2018 to Jun 24, 2018
Ottawa, ON -- Jun 27, 2018 to Jul 1, 2018
Kingston, ON -- Jul 4, 2018 to Jul 8, 2018
Saint Catharines, ON -- Jul 11, 2018 to Jul 15, 2018
Bridgeport, CT -- Jul 18, 2018 to Jul 22, 2018
Nashville, TN -- Jul 26, 2018 to Jul 29, 2018
Charlotte, NC -- TBA
Quebec City, QC -- Dec 6, 2018 to Dec 9, 2018
Montreal, QC -- Dec 19, 2018 to Dec 30, 2018
---------------------------------
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
Extra Performance Dates:
o Fri, Jan 26, 2018 | $35 Dress Rehearsal @ 7:00 p.m.
o Fri, Feb 02, 2018
o Mon, Dec 31, 2018 | 4:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Single Show Dates (7:00pm Only):
o Wednesday, Mar. 7. 2018
o Thursday, Mar. 8, 2018
o Sunday, May 20, 2018
o Thursday, May 24, 2018
o Monday, Nov. 26, 2018
o Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018
2018 Dark Dates:
o Wednesday, Jan 3, 2018
o January 13 - 24, 2018
o Sunday, Feb 4, 2018
o Wednesday, Mar 14, 2018
o Wednesday, Apr 11, 2018
o June 2 - June 6, 2018
o Saturday, Sep 29, 2018
o October 27 - 31, 2018
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 9:30pm
Special Performance Dates:
o Tue, Feb 20 - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
o Tue, Jul 17 - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
o Tue, Oct 09 - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
o Tue, Dec 11 - 9:30pm only
o Mon, Dec 31 - 4:00pm & 6:30pm
2018 Dark Dates:
o February 4
o March 2, 5 - 13
o June 2 & 3
o August 6 - 14
o September 16
o November 26 - December 11
o December 27
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2018 Dark Dates:
o March 2
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Two Shows Nightly - Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2018 Dark Dates:
o January 3, 4, 10, 11
o January 17 - February 4
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)
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) WEBSERIES -- Official Online Featurettes
o) VIDEOS -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
---------------------------------------------------
WEBSERIES: Official Online Featurettes
---------------------------------------------------
*) ASK CIRQUE!
ASK CIRQUE! is a BRAND NEW SERIES that will take fans backstage
and behind the scenes of all Cirque du Soleil Shows. However,
this series is different from all of Cirque's other behind the
scenes videos - because YOU, the audience, rule the show! What
questions have you always wanted answered? Now is your chance!
Comment on any social media platform and tag #AskCirque. What
are you waiting for? Join the hosts Fabienne Daigle and Carla
Sifoni (CDS Content and Social Media advisors)... they are
ready to answer!
o) EPISODE 4 {Feb.12}
1. Esi Acquai-Harrison TOTEM artist
2. Yves Sherrif Cirque du Soleil Talent Scout
3. Daxter Curtis The Beatles LOVE artist
4. Elena Suarez VOLTA artist
5. Xavier Brossard-Ménard Cirque du Soleil Talent Scout
6. Eric Fool Koller LUZIA artist
7. Adria Rodriguez JOYA artist
8. Alix Croop Amaluna artist
9. Carlos Lopez Mystere artist
10. Lois Giorgi Sep7imo Dia artist
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/4ej1_Km4K5k >
o) EPISODE 5 {Feb.19}
1. Michael Jay Garner KOOZA Artist
2. Elise Tellier Cirque du Soleil Publicist
3. James Booth Sep7imo Dia Artist
4. Lana Cencic KURIOS Artist
5. Isabelle Fink Cirque du Soleil Head of Makeup
6. Bill May 'O' Artist
7. Yvonne Tousek-Renne Cirque du Soleil Talent Scout
8. Benjamin Courtenay LUZIA Artist
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/chKxed1BME0 >
*) ATHLETE TO ARTIST
Did you know that Cirque du Soleil is one of the leading employers
of retired professional athletes and top performers?
o) EPISODE 1: Jeffrey Wammes - Mystère {Feb.11}
Meet how Olympian Jeffrey Wammes - now artist, and Tim Smith -
Artistic Director explain the process of integrating an athlete
into artist.
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/iuDuaTT2skc >
o) EPISODE 2: Shawn Sawyer - Crystal {Feb.15}
Olympian, Shawn Sawyer, talks about his experience in Turin 2006
and how he applies his athletic prowess on CRYSTAL.
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/Vrum9T0bAkY >
o) EPISODE 3: Yvonne Tousek-Renne - Amalauna {Feb.18}
Olympian, Yvonne Tousek-Renne, shares her fascinating journey
from competitive gymnastics to artist on Corteo and Amaluna,
and now working as an Acrobatic Talent Scout at the IHQ.
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/KVLlPTYVh7c >
o) EPISODE 4: Ben Agosto - Crystal {Feb.23}
Watch Olympian, Ben Agosto, shares his journey from competing on
the ice to designing #CirqueduSoleil's first-ever ice show.
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/8GpFdt1I6Kw >
*) MUSIC VIDEO w/LYRICS
o) Zumanity - "Mio Bello Bello Amore" {Feb.13}
Refrain:
Mio bello bello bello amore
Sei il mio paradiso
When you say I'm yours, when you ask me to stay
Siamo soli
Soli al mondo
I'm so into you
So much to see in you
Can't get enough of your love
Even here with you
I'm always missing you
Could it be better?
Refrain
I'll be loving you
Kissing your eyes
Kissing your smile
I'll be giving you
All that I have
Good inside
Refrain
Mio bello bello bello amore
Sei il mio paradiso
Quando dici sono tua
Quando mi vuoi con te
Siamo soli
Soli al mondo
Refrain
Mio bello bello bello amore
Bello amore
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/OnXLSptXRsU >
o) KA - "Forest" {Feb.27}
Djin may kunzé nou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayé
Djizin mayé
Kunzé nou
O djin may
Djin may kunzé nou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayé
Djizin mayé
Kunzé nou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayou
Kunzé mayou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayou
O djin mayou
Mayou djin mé
Mayou djin mé
Naïma tsé
Mayou djin mé
Mayou djin mé
Djin mayou
(bis)
Djin may kunzé nou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayé
Djizin mayé
Kunzé nou
O djin may
Djin may kunzé nou
Djin may kunzé
Kunzé djin mayé
Djizin mayé
Kunzé nou
Kunzé djin mayé
Djizin mayé
Kunzé nou
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/MlFMBHu63PY >
o) "O" - "Svecouna" {Mar.06}
aaa...
adja ko-o nyo svécounia
adja ko lé nya
dedra kounia své svo draconia
adja ko-o nyo yo ni sma
(bis)
adja ko-o nyo svécounia
adja ko lé nya
eda kounia své svo svécounia
adja ko-o nyo yo ni sma
Ku lun la té ré lou ka tsi kwa dé nou yé
O lon la yé ko bayé
lé nou yo
an no létara la
kun de
é skan na
ima su ké
kun de
é skan na
ya to ria ze
(bis)
adja ko-o nyo svecounia
adja ko lé nya
eda kounia své svo draconia
adja ko-o nyo yo ni sma
Ku lun la té ré lou ka tsi kwa dé nou yé
O lon la yé ko bayé
lénou yo
an no létara la
kun de
é skan na
ima su ké
kun de
é skan na
ya to ria ze
(x 4)
kun de
é skan na
ya ma ya zé
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/cy1jGfztkRs >
---------------------------------------------------
VIDEOS: Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
---------------------------------------------------
*) OTHER CIRQUE VIDEOS
o) From Our Heart to Yours, We Love You {Feb.14}
Remember the first time we met? We opened up our hearts to
each other. Our fans mean the world to us. On this special
day, we're celebrating our love stories with you. Watch the
stories here and share yours with us!
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/9_8QYhIQL0Y >
o) KURIOS Juggler vs Bartender - Who will win?
Russian Standard & Cirque du Soleil have teamed up on common
ground, showcasing the skills required to be the world's
fastest! Who will win? The Bartender or the Juggler?
EPISODE 1 /// < https://youtu.be/Nn_d3weXh-4 >
EPISODE 2 /// < https://youtu.be/gYmafIkivbM >
o) All About One Night for One Drop 2018 {Feb.28}
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/J3Kh6yilup8 >
o) One Night For One Drop 2018 Banquine Act {Mar.02}
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/0tApolR0vfg >
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL?" - A Special Collection of
Articles about One Night for One Drop 2018
o) "CARVING CRYSTAL: Melding Circus Arts and Ice Sports"
Texts from the Press Kit
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) "We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques"
Part 11 of 16: Quidam, Part 2 (1997-1998)
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
"WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL?" - A Special Collection of
Articles about One Night for One Drop 2018
------------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil's annual One Night for One Drop event has featured
some big names in recent years, including singer Leona Lewis and pop
culture icon William Shatner. But this year's show, set for March 2 at
the Michael Jackson One Theatre at Mandalay Bay, doesn't just have a
star. It's all about that star. Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter
Jewel will be teaming with performers from various local Cirque shows
for an original production to benefit the international foundation One
Drop (created by Cirque founder Guy Laliberté) dedicated to providing
access to safe water in some of the world's most vulnerable
communities. "Zumanity" performers Nicky and Laetitia Dewhurst once
again serve as writers and directors of this year's show, which is
inspired by Jewel's life story.
* * *
JEWEL HAS A SHOW ABOUT HER LIFE?
Jewel sat down with USA TODAY to talk about the show, why she's long
advocated for clean water and mental wellness, and how "having
nothing" gave her strength.
Q. This show tells your story with acrobatic dancers playing your
family as birds. Why use a Cirque show to talk about your life, albeit
in broad strokes?
It feels like the perfect medium for me, because it's a very
metaphoric, very symbolic medium. Very poetic. So you're not going to
get bogged down in the details that could be salacious.
Q. Why are you so passionate about clean water access?
When I was homeless (after) my boss fired me because I wouldn't have
sex with him, and I couldn't pay my rent, I started living in my car
thinking it would last two weeks or a month and I would get a new job.
I grew up on a saddle barn with no running water, (so I thought) I was
gonna be fine. And then when my car got stolen, (my homelessness) was
really taking a toll on my body and my stress levels. Long story
short, I had bad kidneys. I had to drink a gallon of distilled water a
day and I couldn't afford it. (Years later,) amazingly, my life turned
around (and) I got in a position to help. So one of the first things I
did was found Project Cleanwater. It's been founded since '97 and
we've built wells in 35 different countries. My foundation has
partnered with (Cirque's) One Drop foundation on this event.
Q. Along with clean water access, another cause you've long championed
is mental health awareness. Why has that been a focus of yours?
We all have a brain, and it can harass us. We can suffer from anxiety
to addiction to worrying to depression to anger. When I was homeless,
I had to overcome my anxiety and panic attacks. I realized when I was
homeless, if all I perceive is the negative, I have a negative
experience. If I start to see what's good, I can start to have a
better experience. At night, you just fall asleep, think about the
good things that happened that day. Because you just notice them.
Force yourself, because it actually forms neural pathways in your
brain that teach you to see. If the glass is half full and half empty
at the same time, they're both true, but which would you prefer to
experience during the day?
Q. Back to the One Show for One Drop performance. It features a
character called "Clown Bear." I'm guessing, unlike the other critters
in the show, this one is not native to Alaska. What's the story behind
him?
When my parents got divorced and my mom left, I named my teddy bear
Nedra (after my mom). That has to be one of the saddest stories. So I
kept this little bear with me, and a bear just ended up becoming a
favorite animal of mine, even as I grew out of my teddy bear stage. I
would write little short stories where there would be animals talking
and interacting with one another. It's oddly kind of like this (show).
Q. What are you writing about these days?
I write poetry mostly, short-story fiction. Not as many songs since
I've become a mom. Mercy, which is the song you heard (in the preview)
is a new song. I'll probably work on a record this year, most likely.
I'm (writing music for) a Broadway musical based on a book called
Lucky Us.
* * *
JEWEL INSPIRES
"Seeing my life story portrayed by these artists, Nicky and Laetitia,
and not even done with words but literally just with movement, it's
been like a peyote-journey spirit trip," she laughed. "It's been
incredible. I've always been protective of my story
but I really
felt like Cirque is very uniquely qualified to talk about these themes
in a very metaphorical way, to be symbolic without getting mired in
the details. This has been a perfect forum."
Jewel told her own story in the 2015 memoir "Never Broken," which went
beyond the well-known tale of an Alaskan teen beginning her music
career after living out of her car. The One Drop show similarly goes
in a different direction.
"I wrote my memoir because I finally felt, at 40, that it was time,
and I knew what I wanted to say: We all have pain and what do we do
with pain," Jewel said. "In talking with Nicky and Laetitia, I didn't
want [the show] to be about me. It doesn't go into being discovered,
being homeless. It really isn't about my music career at all, it's
much more relational. If you're in the audience you should feel like
this is your story. It's about love and loss and betrayal and
forgiving. Who can't relate to that?"
The performer portraying the Jewel character, Nukka, is Marina
Boutina, an aerialist from "The Beatles Love" at the Mirage. And her
background is similar in some ways to Jewel's upbringing.
"I was born in West Siberia, which is similar to Alaska, very cold,
lots of snow," Boutina said. "I grew up there until I was 16. When we
started to talk about these storylines, I read [Jewel's] book and did
see some similarities. I grew up in a very small city without a lot of
access or options. I never thought I would be in the U.S. From a
little town in Russia I flew to Montreal and was offered a contract
and from that point my life changed. It was, oh my God, I'm a Cirque
du Soleil artist, and I was still a little girl. And Jewel left home
when she was 16."
Boutina performed in the One Drop show two years ago but an injury
limited her role, so she's beyond excited to get another chance to
play an essential part in this year's production. Other main
characters include Nukka's father, played by "The Beatles Love" aerial
coach Gabriel Manta-who came out of performance retirement for this
show-and "Mystere" favorite Jonathan Vellner as Clown Bear, Nukka's
companion.
* * *
NICKY & LAETITIA DISH ON THE SHOW
In its five years, Cirque du Soleil's "One Night for One Drop" shows
has raised millions of dollars for its water charity - and played host
to such stars as William Shatner and Leona Lewis. The sell-out
productions have raised extraordinary awareness for water, its
shortages and the incredible courage and determination shown by those
seeking it, finding it and developing it. Now, in somewhat of a
departure from stories told previously, this year's theme will be
inspired by the unbelievably tough life and hardships that singer-
songwriter Jewel has overcome in her life - and she will perform in
the new production set for March 2 in the "Michael Jackson One"
theater at Mandalay Bay. Also, Cirque creators Laetitia and Nicky
Dewhurst are returning for a second consecutive year to mastermind the
unique production - and they talked with Robin Leach about the early
stages of the process. He told them that their new show seems
personality-driven rather than story-driven as was in the past shows.
Nicky Dewhurst: It's still very much a Cirque du Soleil show. The
show's really inspired by events in Jewel's life. So what we've done
is we've created a story, a show that is really the core of her story.
So it's not specific, although it does parallel her life and.
Laetitia Dewhurst: And although complicated, we've written a show that
everybody can relate to. So, if you're watching the show it's
something simplified so that anyone can relate to in that sense. So,
we've gone for the theme of family, love, betrayal and courage. It's
the courage to forgive. So these are big key elements that, you know,
things that happen to her in her life story, in her life. The show
itself, is still going to have acrobatics and it's still going to have
comedy and, although she is in the show, she is acting as a guide.
Sort of providing the thread to us to take us through the story. She
inspired us saying: "I wish I could go back and tell myself,
everything would be all right." And you know, because she went through
some pretty rough stuff. So we thought that would be a good way of
doing it. She's actually taking somebody else who represents her
journey - not herself - but her journey, through the show. And she
sings through the show. Some of the songs are specific to that
particular moment, others are more inspired by working with the
composer to create tracks that work with the acts."
Laetitia: We were super pleased with his work and we worked together
very well and he's fantastic and we've already started playing around
with some music and it's absolutely phenomenal.
Nicky: He's gonna work in harmony with Jewel. Basically, you know
creating
we're hoping at some point we may even create some original
music with her. We're actually using a lot of her hits because they're
all fantastic and a lot of (them), of course, people know
and
they're very iconic. But we're also using her voice, she has a
beautiful voice, her speaking voice. So that we have a little bit of
poetry in the show with music.
Laetitia: Yeah so, it will be a through line with her and basically
she'll be guiding the lead character through her story. It's like a
parallel life and with, not to give too much away, but we're basing
the show in Alaska because that was where she's from. So all the
inspiration for the costume and characters and set design will be
Alaska. But not HD, you know, kind of National Geographic. It's (has)
kind of a Cirque du Soleil twist to it, very - a little surreal aspect
to it. And the costume designer is working on costumes
very earthy,
I would say. The show's very earthy and about nature in that sense
because Jewel is very sensitive to that and we love that, too, and
it's a beautiful backdrop.
Nicky: Hopefully, it will snow, yeah.
Q: Normally "One Drop" shows tell stories about the survival for
water, yet Jewel's story is a survival for life story. How
different is it?
Laetitia: Jewel said a beautiful thing and she has her own water
charity as well. She said something beautiful" "Water is like love,
with it we flourish, without it we wither." So, and it was a joint
effort with Jewel. Nicky and I that we came up with this concept.
Nicky: So we're somewhat paralleling the need for water in everybody's
life, is that it's very similar to the need for love in people's life.
So, if you have love you tend to flourish and you tend to do better in
life and if you don't then you tend to, sort of, lock it off away or
hide away and become solitary. And suffer, I think, more. So the
parallel, the concept that if you have water then you flourish, you
know, people are able to live and thrive and in the same way with
nature. So, that was the underlying theme. In the same way that last
year we had, we paralleled the story with people (who) represented the
earth and they represented humanity. This is in the same way, you
know, water, love represents water in this show.
Laetitia: We sat around the table with Jewel and we tried to come up
with a show that we all agree on.
We're entertaining the public and
we're not, you know, because if we told her whole life story it would
be, you know, a lot of script and a different type of show. So we've
decided to do it in a, not fantasy way, but something
We just tried
to find something that everybody related to. And what we've really
tried to do is touch people's emotions.
Nicky: It's the story of her and how she was abandoned when she was 8
years old by her mother and she was raised by an alcoholic and abusive
father who, essentially, she always says he was really, on reflection,
just trying to do his best. " 'cause he was put in a very difficult
situation." And then it's the story of her getting out of that
situation and then thinking she was a failure and failing because she
ended up homeless, obviously. We're not being specific in the story,
but you will feel those things and then it's getting back on her feet
and how she started to thrive when good people came into her life. And
then it's also the story of her mother reappearing in her life when
everything is going great.
. I'm not sure if you're familiar with her
whole story, but, essentially, her mother came back in her life when
she was a big success and she took control of her finances and,
essentially, cleaned her out. So that was a very difficult thing for
her to realize that, by the time she was 30, she had to rebuild her
whole career and empire and everything else. But then it's also the
story of her father who, like I said, she always felt that he was just
dealt a difficult situation and was doing the best that he could and
how she reconnected with him, had the courage to forgive herself
because she blamed herself for a lot of this stuff. And then had the
courage to forgive him.
Laetitia: That's basically the premise of our show in a storytelling
way - we wanted to find something that everybody could relate to.
Because, unless you've read her book, it's a very complex life story.
So we wanted to find something truly inspiring, It's a gift and her
voice, she will be in the show. She will sing about five songs.
Nicky: Yeah. But I think everybody can relate to them. That's why
we're taking it more in a family aspect. There's a lot of people that
have been brought up by distant fathers and mothers that have left.
You've gotta find it in your heart to forgive people to move on with
your life and that's what she's done. And we just really wanted to
find a way to touch people's souls and move them with some music. And,
because of the music, everything she wrote has a reason. So we're
tying that into the show and we've chosen very carefully what tracks
we're using. And they all mean something within our story. If you look
at the show you wouldn't know its water-centric. But if you read into
the show then you understand. So it's the kind of thing, in the same
way, that last year, on the face of it - it really doesn't look like
there's anything to do with water and the search for water. Whereas,
the same thing this year, the search for love represents the search
for water.
Q: When the two of you sat down with Jewel, what was the spark that
you said, her story could become the theme of "One Night for One
Drop?" I mean, you didn't just bump into her and the, click: This
is a show.
Nicky: My sister, Sally, works with Ryan Wolfington, who runs the
Inspiring Children's Foundation here in Las Vegas. He works with
Jewel. He manages her business affairs, some of her business affairs.
So, Sally invited him to see "One Drop" and he loved it. He loved that
fact that we told a story, that had an emotional hook to it. And he
approached us, literally the day after we'd finished. And, obviously,
you can imagine our heads were spinning a little bit. But he said we
should chat because it's a great opportunity to do a collaboration
with Jewel. It's a perfect fit, she has her own water charity, she's
very much a believer in this cause of providing clean, sustainable
water to people around the world. He said: "Let's do something and
have you read her book? Do you know her story?" And quite honestly, we
didn't at that point.
Laetitia: I knew a little of her hardships because I was a fan of
Jewel, actually. But I didn't know she'd written a book until we
started meeting with her. I mean she'd done a lot. She did the book of
poetry, a children's album and a country album. Ryan told us: "She's
got a beautiful story and we'd really would love to put it onstage and
tell the story. You guys are the right fit to do that." And then
that's basically what happened. The ball started rolling.
Nicky: We took it to the "One Drop" organization and they got very
excited about the concept and thought it was a great idea. And they
turned around to us and said, "Would you direct it?" And, of course,
we said, "yes, absolutely." It was a bit of a head spin having just
finished the other one. But this all sort of developed over a few
weeks.
Laetitia: Once we'd read the book, "Never Broken," we were really
inspired. We felt this could be fantastic and we bounced around a lot
of different ideas, but finally, we came up with this concept. Now, we
are all really super excited about it. Jewel loved it, too.
Q: How do you avoid the focus being on a major recording star like
Jewel? Compared to the main focus of "One Drop," which has the job
to educate and inform the Vegas audience about the shortage of
water in the world.
Nicky: I think she embodies that anyway. She's an incredible
spokesperson for that cause. it's such a great marriage because of
that background. The fact that she grew up on a homestead in Alaska
and had no running water and no electricity, did the walk for water
herself every day. So that in itself is a beautiful story and a
beautiful link to the cause and the concept.
Laetitia: She said she's so passionate about this because she could
only drink clean, distilled water when she was on the street. That was
grueling for her because, obviously, she had no money that she got
very sick without clean water. And she said, you know I can only
imagine what these people go through and I felt my life was bad. And
she always looks on the other side and there's always somebody more
worse off than she is. A beautiful soul and that's the way she looks
on life. She's just incredibly humble. She's a fantastic mother (Atz
and Lenedra) despite what she went through. Obviously, her parents
were, well her father, was just trying to do his best but, you know,
she's
very in tune with nature and the world and she cares and she's
such a beautiful being despite what she's been through. It's quite
remarkable.
Nicky: I think her father, too, he was kind of the first to break the
mold. At a certain point in his life, he kind of recognized who he was
becoming. And he changed that. And, he really turned his life around
so that he could reconnect (with) her, and she, obviously, recognized
that she never wanted to be that kind of person. So, I mean,
incorporating those themes into the show, it's kind of easy and I
think that it is really - it's an emotional hook that we all
understand. And her music is fantastic for the acrobatic elements in
the show. You know, there's some beautiful acts that will work
flawlessly with her songs as well as we said our original compositions
that are gonna marry the two things together.
Q: Will you bring in some Cirque acts from overseas as in previous
years to fill out the Vegas performers who will be taking part?
Laetitia: We're trying to keep it very even this year as well, we've
got a lot of excited Cirque de Soleil employees. We just started doing
our tour around and the show presentations to get people involved and
the sign-up sheet with Vegas folk is going very well. They fill up
very fast. So, yeah, we've got a couple of group acts coming in, just
purely because we know they don't exist in the Vegas shows. And we
wanted to do something fun with a couple of acts that we're inviting
to come and they're super excited. But of all the dancers, all the
main characters will be Cirque Du Soleil artists from Vegas. We've
just started the casting process.
Q: And does your father, Brian, the 84-year-old standout in "Mystere"
have a role this year?
Nicky: (I told him): "I'll give you a break this year Dad, you don't
have to perform." He said, "Oh, I'd perform. I'd love to perform." It
blows my mind with his age what he does. So, we're going to have to
write him in somehow. Its tradition to have him there, somewhere.
Jewel, she's been incredibly generous with her time. She will
obviously be more present in the show and more involved in the
storyline. I'd say that would be the biggest difference this time than
our earlier shows. We will have some time to really work with her and
incorporate her into the show. Beforehand, with our celebrities, it's
really been last minute plug-and-play-type situations. This is gonna
be different, so we'll have that opportunity to really develop her
role and get input from her as to how she wants to employ her talents
into the show. It truly is 'inspired by events in her life.'
* * *
FROM THE PROGRAME BOOK
From rags to riches, Jewel went from homeless to the cover of TIME
Magazine, Rolling Stone, and performing for the Pope, the President of
the United States, Saturday Night Live, and the Super Bowl. Jewel
credits her great mentors Bob Dylan and Neil Young who took their time
to groom and encourage her as a young artist. This gave her the
confidence to experiment with several genres over her career, selling
30 million records, debuting with #1 hits in Folk, Alternative, Pop,
Club, Country, Children, and Holiday music. Throughout her career
Jewel has earned 26 Music Award nominations, including the GRAMMYS,
American Music Awards, MTV Awards, VH1 Awards, Billboard Music Awards,
and Country Music Awards - winning 8 times.
Jewel, considered one of the best singer-songwriters of our time,
started ff life in a very different way. She was raised on an Alaskan
homestead with no electricity, where her family survived off the land,
as chronicled in the Discovery series Alaska: The Last Frontier. Her
New York Times best-selling memoir "Never Broken" chronicles how she
used hard work, grit and grace to survive and thrive under extreme
circumstances. Jewel's mother left at age eight. Her father, a war
veteran who suffered from PTSD, was left to raise Jewel and her two
brothers. Jewel sang with him from bar to bar until his drinking and
abuse became too much. She left home at fifteen and lived on her own.
She became homeless after refusing the advances of her boss at 18 -
for which he rewarded her by not giving her a paycheck, making it
impossible to pay rent. But these adverse times and values were the
inspiration for the lyrics and poems that would later make her famous.
Like love, water is a source that Jewel has always cherished. As a
child, she walked down to the river daily to fill buckets of water
needed to drink, cook and wash dishes. Years later, struggling with
kidney disease as a homeless teenager on the streets of San Diego, she
needed 1 gallon of clean distilled water a day, something she couldn't
afford. Jewel understood first-hand what it was like to live without
the basic necessity of water, something most people take for granted.
So, when Jewel was discovered at nineteen, she started Project Clean
Water charity to give people around the world access to clean water.
Coupled with her own funds, Jewel has spent over twenty-five million
dollars to build and support water projects around the world. Jewel
has partnered with One Night for One Drop, and Cirque du Soleil, to
donate funds, her music and extraordinary life story to help their
efforts to bring this precious source to those in need.
To help people not only survive, but thrive, Jewel founded Whole
Human, a company that is creating human development, education and
mindfulness tools to help others retrain their brain and learn to make
a habit out of happiness. To this end she is partnering with one of
the world's most innovative companies (Zappos) and entrepreneurs (Tony
Hsieh) to develop the next frontier in corporate culture by offering
companies a tool kit to help them invest in their human capital in
more meaningful ways.
Jewel founded her charity Never Broken (www.JewelNeverBroken.com) to
make mindfulness and emotional intelligence tools available to the
masses for free. The non-profit has partnered with the Mary Hennessy
Inspiring Children Foundation to offer the mindfulness tools Jewel
developed to convert her hears of pain into resilience to support at-
risk youth of Vegas and beyond.
Show Synopsis
-------------
The One Night for One Drop 2018 production is based on events from
Jewel's life story. Her incredibly complex journey was simplified to
its essence and made into a tale about abandonment, betrayal, the
search for love, but ultimately the courage to forgive.
Inspired by the spectacular backdrop of Alaska, Jewel's homeland, our
character embody the spirit of its amazing and diverse wildlife. Jewel
is the "Source" and acts as an ethereal guide to our main character
Nukka. The Source emerges from our central tree, which is the direct
reflection of Nukka's soul, flourishing with happiness and withering
in sadness.
Nukka is a baby eagle who, along with her brothers, is abandoned by
their Mother shortly after they hatch - leaving them to be raised by a
Father whose circumstances quickly overwhelm him, and he spirals into
depression. His odyssey parallels Nukka's journey as he struggles with
his own demons, finally realizing that the treasure of life is passing
him by.
Sensing her vulnerability, the Source provides Nukka with a friend,
the Clown Bear, (Jewel's childhood imaginary friend) to be her
protector and champion. Choosing not to stay in this dysfunctional
environment Nuuka leaves home to begin her exploration of the world.
Meeting many different characters along her path, some crewel, some
kind. As she tries to find happiness, it is whisked away by the return
of her Mother at a time when the tree is most plentiful.
Guided by the source, Nukka ultimately recognizes happiness is within
us all, giving her the courage to forgive. We are all the Source.
The Acts
--------
THE SOURCE
Poem by Jewel
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
SURREAL ALASKA
Act Design: Sasha Bonderenko, Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
Lyrics: Briana Rossi
Choreography: Briana Bowie & Laetitia Dewhurst
Aerial Choreographer: Jill Crook
THE HATCHING
Act Design: Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
ANGEL STANDING BY
"Angel Standing By" written by Jewel Kilcher
Courtesy of Wiggly Tooth Music (ASCAP)
Performed by Jewel
SNOWBALLS
Act Design: Marton Sarlos, Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
Choreography: Briana Bowie & Laetitia Dewhurst
THIRSTY MOOSE
Act Design: Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
THE JOURNEY
Act Design: Marton Sarlos, Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
Choreography: Laetitia Dewhurst & Briana Bowie
FOOLISH GAMES
"Foolish Games" written by Jewel Kilcher
Courtesy of Wiggly Tooth Music (ASCAP)
Performed by Jewel
Arranged by: Jean-Francois Blais
Act Design: Rick Tija, Aleksandra Savina, Alexy Ishmaev, Nicky &
Laetitia Dewhurst
Aerial Choreographer: Jill Crook
PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON
Performed by Piff the Magic Dragon
feat. Mr. Piffles, the World's Only Magic Performing Chihuahua
Words: Artist's Own
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
SAVE YOUR SOUL
"Who Will Save Your Soul"
Written by Jewel Kilcher
Courtesy of Wiggly Tooth Music (ASCAP)
Performed by Jewel
Arranged by Jean-Francois Blais
Act Design: Paul Cameron
Choreography: Briana Bowie
WEB OF DECEIPT
Act Design: Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Choreography: Laetitia Dewhurst & Indrajit Kumavat
Aerial Choreographer: Jill Crook
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
BETRAYAL
Act Design: Marton Sarlos, Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Choreography: Laetitia Dewhurst & Briana Bowie
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
STELLA JAYS
Acrobatic Performance by Luba Kazantseva and Dima Deyneko
Music performed by Jewel
CLOWN
Performed and Created by Claudio Carneiro
A DRINK
Act Design: Sean Blue, Emil Dahl, Penn Jilette, Beejay Joyer,
Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Music: Jean-Francois Blais
INNER DEMONS
Music performed by Chase Holfelder
Dance performed by Nick Daniels
Act Design: Nicky & Laetitia Dewhurst
Choreography: Nick Daniels
* * *
JOHN KATSILOMETES' REVIEW
About the moment Piff the Magic Dragon descended to the stage while
hooked to an aerial harness, we knew this was a show uncommon even by
Cirque standards. "I'm Piff the Magic Dragon," said the performer
whose legal name is Jon van der Put. "You might have heard of my
brother ... Steve."
The line always kills, especially during a sold-out charity show.
The dragon-costumed Piff and his sidekick, the performing (well, kind
of) chihuahua Mr. Piffles were among the featured artists who
performed Friday in "One Night For One Drop" at Michael Jackson One
Theater at Mandalay Bay. Inspired by and starring folk star, author
and impassioned philanthropist Jewel, the one-off production raised
money and awareness for Cirque's One Drop worldwide clean-water
campaign.
The founder of the artistic company, Guy Laliberte, launched One Drop
in 2007. Saturday was its sixth performance, dedicated to Jewel's
life, music and message of giving. She performed throughout,
beautifully costumed while singing "Foolish Games," "Hands," "Standing
Still," "Save Your Soul," "Intuition" and "Mercy" amid vaulting Cirque
acrobats.
More drops from the "One Night" scene:
A lift of spirits --- Mandalay Bay President and Chief Operating
Officer Chuck Bowling was in the mix throughout the evening. I caught
up with him at the pre-party at roof-level Skyfall Lounge, where he
spoke to the timing of the event. "One Night" shows rotate among MGM
Resorts properties, and the first production after the Oct. 1
shootings was coincidentally set for Mandalay Bay. "It's fate,"
Bowling said, as the hotel's theater was selected soon after the 2017
"One Night" show at Zumanity Theater at New York-New York. "We needed
a boost, and Cirque has given us one."
Nothing but net --- Cirque artists performed a dazzling trampoline
act, dunking after launching from trampolines on either side of the
stage. It was familiar fare for those who remember the Bud Light
Daredevils, who performed at halftime of NBA games in the 1980s and
'90s. Cirque President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Lamarre said
at the lavish post-show party that "One Night" is a great testing
ground for acts that might be inserted into permanent shows. "We could
use that act in one of our shows, from what I saw tonight," he said.
"It was inspiring." Already, we see cross-promotion possibilities. By
happy coincidence, Las Vegas's new WNBA team begins play in May at -
yep - Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The Jewel crew --- As anticipated Jewel's family joined her onstage -
including her father, Atz Kilcher; and 6-year-old son, Kase, who made
his first stage appearance, costumed as a critter from Homer, Alaska
and crawling at his mother's feet as she sang "Mercy."
About that music --- Post-show, I asked Cirque artist Jean-Francois
Blais, this year's "One Night" music director and composer, for his
takeaway from the show. "Working with Jewel, getting to know her," he
said. "She's not just an amazing artist, but a very humble and
gracious person. She's just very normal, but a brilliant person. I
wasn't sure, at first, how this would go when they told me she would
be so involved in the production, but it was great."
Dewhurst action --- The husband-wife tandem of Nicky and Laetitia
Dewhurst again directed a performance that was at least strong enough
to perform in residency on the Strip. They also found a spot for the
esteemed Brian Dewhurst, Nicky's 86-year-old father who portrays
"Mystere's" clown character, Brian Le Petit. The elder Dewhurst has
been a featured performer in past "One Night" shows, including last
year's, but there were no plans for him to participate this year. But
as Nicky said, "I could tell he wanted to be in it, I asked him about
it and he was like, 'Nah, not really.' But I could feel he was eager
to do something." So on Wednesday, the Dewhursts conjured a cameo for
the elder clown, purchasing a pair of long johns online with Nicky
asking, "Dad, do you have any cowboy boots?" Brian wound up in a
cowboy costume (in long johns) dancing a jig during the show's scene
set in Thirsty Moose tavern. "I found my way in!" he said afterward.
"Was there ever a doubt?"
Penn's performance --- Not everyone realized, at first, Penn Jillette
was among the performers in the tavern scene. He juggled with the
Cirque artists and even did a bit of dancing (best described as
"freestyle choreography"). Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, hanging at
the bar, was also an unbilled performer in the scene. Penn and Piff
are planning to tour their "Piff & Pops" routine - they have developed
more than an hour of material - later this year.
Oh, that party --- Cee Lo Green performed a medley of "Crazy" and
"Forget You" for a characteristically crazy Cirque after-party, set up
in a reinforced tent behind Mandalay Place. The show sold out the
1,800-seat MJ One Theater; the turnout at the tent seemed to surpass
even that number. The event was co-hosted by Edie of "Zumanity" (who
just celebrated her 10th year in the show and is approaching 5,000
performances) and Jai Rodriquez, late of "Sex Tips" at Paris Las
Vegas. Cast members of "Magic Mike Live" at Hard Rock Hotel also
showed up, at around 1 a.m., to swing to Ginuine's "Pony."
And some pictures --- Check those out here:
http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=11381
* * *
A number of items were auctioned off to help support One Night for One
Drop. These were a one of a kind watch sold for $240k; 5 night stay at
Guys Hawaii house $170k; 10 hour any destination private jet flight
$70k; 6 night stay at Monte Carlo resort $103k, and collected about
$300k in cash. Not bad for a nights work!
SOURCES:
- "Jewel Has a Show?" - USA Today, https://goo.gl/sKg1fY
- "Jewel Inspires": Las Vegas Sun, https://goo.gl/5RR2ZC
- "Nicky & Laetitia Dish on the Show" - LVRJ, https://goo.gl/RDuS1A
- "From the Programme Book" - Pictures of the Book
- "John Katsilometes' Review" - LVRJ, https://goo.gl/jZU8Zd
------------------------------------------------------------
"CARVING CRYSTAL: Melding Circus Arts and Ice Sports"
Texts from the Press Kit
Edited By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
In CRYSTAL, Cirque du Soleil explores the very essence of skating,
assessing the artistic limits of ice for the first time in the
company's history, asking how they can bring their signature style of
acrobatics into yet uncharted territory a sheet of ice and blur
the boundaries between gliding sports and circus arts.
Follow Crystal in her journey towards empowerment. Enter a dreamlike
world fueled by her imagination, where boundless creativity transforms
the everyday into something extraordinary. Crystal invites you to
suspend reality and glide into a world that springs to a colorful life
with astounding visual projections and an original score that
seamlessly blends popular music with the signature sound of Cirque du
Soleil. Watch as world-class ice skaters and acrobats take their new
frozen playground by storm with speed and fluidity as they challenge
the laws of gravity with daring acrobatics.
But CRYSTAL is more than just an ice show. This unique production
pushes boundaries of performance by combining stunning skating and
acrobatic feats that defy the imagination. Gymnasts and skaters
perform acrobatics on the ice and in the air, melding both worlds
together. Disciplines such as swinging trapeze, aerial straps, and
hand to hand are fused together with disciplines such as synchro,
freestyle, figure, and extreme skating on ramps, with a dash of all-
out speed skating. Figure skaters learn to be pushers on Chinese
poles, while circus artists learn to skate, and extreme skaters learn
figure skating moves.
THEME & SCENES
The show is about looking at things from fresh angles, peeking through
the veneer of everyday life, reframing one's daily reality to see what
one might have missed. Sometimes the only way to appreciate things is
to look at them sideways. Discovering one's individuality and
uniqueness requires venturing out on thin ice. Crystal is a misfit
with her head in the clouds, a dreamer looking for something more in
her life. One day, feeling misunderstood and out of sync with the
world, she ventures out on a frozen pond and falls through the ice. In
this underwater world of her own imagination, she has a vision: she
sees a reflection of herself her alter ego that guides her,
showing her a distorted version of her life. Her Reflection tries to
wake her up to her own genius and creativity. Through her writing,
Crystal releases the potential of her hidden talent and transforms the
world around her with stroke of her pen. Having summoned the strength
to face reality, Crystal ultimately breaks through the ice, stronger
than ever.
Act One
-------
TEMPÊTE -- After falling through the ice, Crystal is swept into a
swirling vortex of wind and snow as her imagination wanders in free-
fall. Acrobatics and skating collide in this high-energy number
where Banquine, hand-to-hand and tumbling are interwoven with jumps,
flips, spins and figure skating.
A DAY IN THE LIFE -- Crystal is caught in a warped, exaggerated
version of her life where she feels out of sync at home, at school,
on the playground, on the street, and in the city. This large-scale
choreographic storytelling number blends acrobatic language with
various skating forms.
REFLECTION -- After chasing away her flashbacks, Crystal decides to
take control of her environment when she catches sight of her
Reflection again. Ultimately, her alter ego spreads darkness all
around blackness that spills from the ink of Crystal's pen. She is
about to discover her voice through the power of her words. Crystal
sees her Reflection skating upside down. She then joins her Reflection
on the ice for a poetic skating duo.
JUGGLING -- In a joyful, celebratory scene driven by lively klezmer-
infused music, Crystal explores her newfound talent as she gives shape
to the impulses of her soul, willing characters into existence with
the mere stroke of her pen. In this duo juggling act, two jugglers
display an incredible set of skills while on skates. They are joined
by groups of acrobats and skaters performing intricate choreography.
HOME SWING -- Crystal takes pleasure in transforming the different
environments in her life through the power of her imagination. While
her family sits catatonic in front of the TV, she swings back and
forth on her backyard swing set and soars above the landscapes of her
everyday life. As Crystal reinvents her home environment, she flies
up on a trapeze executing flips, spins and reverse skills while
wearing ice skates a first in a Cirque du Soleil show. She is joined
by her Reflection who performs a dynamic skating solo.
SCHOOL PLAYGROUND / HOCKEY -- Crystal revisits her neighborhood
playground, which she transforms at will as she learns to flex her new
powers. Children frolic on a frozen playground while a hockey game
on the pond turns into a high-octane romp on ramps where extreme
skaters do crazy flips, twists and jumps at full speed, turning the
ice into a giant pinball machine.
Act Two
-------
BIG CITY -- Trapped in the underwater world of her imagination,
Crystal travels from her village to the big city. Caught in a life-
size maze of transparent panels on the ice, Crystal sees her
Reflection again. She skates through the constantly shifting maze in
an attempt to catch up with her elusive alter ego while a group of
skaters crisscross the ice performing synchro skating choreography.
PENDULAR POLES -- Crystal is jostled around in a world of her own
creation inspired by the frenzy of the city. This swinging poles
act, a first at Cirque du Soleil, combines synchro pole work, pole-to-
pole jumps, and impressive Russian-swing-style dismounts.
TAP DANCE -- Four of the Businessperson characters try to one-up each
other in a friendly competition. Wearing mics on their skates, four
artists exhibit their technical prowess by showcasing their unique
talents leading up to a crowd pleasing tap dance number.
AT THE OFFICE -- Desks in cubicles inside a labyrinth. Using the
typewriter as her instrument of choice, Crystal continues to explore
the power of her imagination by turning a sterile environment into
something beautiful. Inside an oppressive office environment where
typewriters rule, the cast performs group choreography that leads to a
jaw-dropping chair balancing act.
COURTSHIP -- Crystal pictures herself in a romantic setting in a park
where couples swirl and waltz together on skates. Three couples
perform an enchanting ice dancing number as Crystal searches for her
own partner amongst the group.
BALLROOM -- Crystal transforms the park into an elegant ballroom as
her suitor appears from above and whisks her off on straps. The
couple performs a spellbinding aerial straps/skating pas-de-deux that
blurs the boundaries between ice and sky.
RETURN OF THE REFLECTION -- Crystal's Reflection brings her back to
reality and makes her realize that real life is above the surface and
not in this make-believe world. As Crystal's reflection multiplies,
four female skaters perform a dramatic group skating number amidst
stunning interactive video effects.
REFLECTION'S CLUMP -- Crystal struggles to ascend back up to the light
and life above the pond while the Shadow characters help and hinder
her progress, providing a final challenge before she's ready to
return. In a breathtaking group number that melds hand-to-hand
techniques on ice with duo trapeze, a group of porters propel Crystal
onto the trapeze where another porter flings her back down to be
caught again in a flurry of Banquine and hand-to-hand moves.
BREAKTHROUGH -- After Crystal gets the nod from her Reflection and
finally breaks the ice and resurfaces, she is greeted by the community
and her family. The finale is an exhilarating mix of synchro-skating
that features the entire cast as they create a huge pinwheel in a nod
to classic ice shows.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Set Design
----------
The world of Crystal spills from its main character's pen. Cut-outs,
origami, streams of paper, and pop-ups of all sorts are some of the
features that make up the show's visual aesthetics as Crystal
navigates through her imaginary world of skewed perspectives as if it
was a living scrapbook. In a décor that can be described as "vintage
poetic," the Crystal stage evokes a town square next to a frozen pond.
Upstage is a huge quartz wall that contains all the familiar places in
Crystal's life in which she experiences meaningful moments through a
series of flashbacks. On top of the wall is a miniature train that
travels to the various places in the story through a series of
temporal shifts. Inside the wall, effects of scale reinforce the idea
that we are in a world of memories and flashbacks. And on the ice, the
show's versatile stage changes from a schoolyard to a playground to a
giant pinball machine to an office tower in a big city, in large part
due to the use of video projections and props.
Costumes
--------
Blending with the set design of Crystal, the overall look of the
costumes is one of frivolity laced with surrealism in a fantastical
world of ice. In the Home Swing scene, as an example, Crystal is
seeing her world from above. So some of the characters wear clouds or
houses on their heads to represent Crystal's surreal inner world. In a
scene that evokes the rigidity of everyday life at the office,
business men wear a very clean cut navy blue business suits while
businesswomen feature an intricate pattern made of standard typewriter
letters, including typewriter shapes on their chests. Angular crystal
and origami effects are used throughout the costumes as a unifying
component. 3D paper effects were a prism pattern creating volume on
the sleeves during the Big City and Poles acts.
The costumes were designed to withstand the rigors of ice, and keep
the artists safe. In acrobatic numbers where catchers are involved,
special padding on their shoulders, as well as gloves made of Kevlar
equipped with polymer cuffs, absorb shock and protect their forearms
from the razor-sharp skate blades. For those artists who slide on the
ice, their costumes are created out of water-resistant, non-absorbent
materials that preserve the gliding properties of the costume. And for
those acts that involve high-level floor acrobatics, such as Banquine
and hand-to-hand, which require stability on the ice, acrobatic shoes
and gloves have been developed incorporating a combination of small
metal spikes and crampons into the soles to enable them to walk,
slide, run, and so many other things that are normally not possible on
ice.
Artists wear three to four different outfits during the show, which
means a quick-change is necessary between scenes. Cirque du Soleil
costume creators equipped many of the costumes with ankle-to-ankle
zippers to allow skaters to change without removing their stakes
(which saves a lot of time!) Cirque has also employed magnets to
enable even quicker changes for the acrobats. And of course, all types
of skates are used in the show, including figure skates, ice dance,
and hockey skates. Those used by figure skaters have toe picks for
control and flatter blades while hockey skate blades are curved for
maneuverability and speed. To achieve the look, Cirque created covers
that zip on and off and painted the covers so they have the same look
as the shoes.
Characters
----------
All of these costume choices are blended together to create an array
of characters.
o) CRYSTAL -- Crystal is an eccentric young woman with a charming
quirkiness and a restless imagination. Feeling misunderstood in her
everyday life, she ultimately finds her footing and turns her quirks
into a creative force, radically changing her own narrative through
her writing. With her flamboyant red hair, Crystal is clad in a
vintage plaid skirt in blue, a light turquoise cardigan-style shirt
and a red scarf that echoes her quirky creativity and unpretentious
nature.
o) CRYSTAL'S REFLECTION -- This character is Crystal's shadow self a
dark yet helpful side of her personality that enables her to access
her strengths and creativity. The shadow Crystal carries inside her
which usually appears as a separate, distinct entity in the underwater
world is more mischievous and headstrong than she is, encouraging
her to take control of her life. Crystal's reflection wears a darker
version of the same outfit, but with shiny wavepatterns evoking the
underwater world. Her costume is the mirror image of Crystal's where
everything is reversed.
o) THE SHADOWS -- The Shadows represent the forces within her
subconscious mind that pull all the strings of her life, either
helping her along or hindering her progress. The Shadows' costumes
transition from black to white and suggest washed out ink spots and
crystal patterns.
o) CRYSTAL'S ENTOURAGE -- Crystal's family Crystal's mother, father
and brother are her warped version of a suburban family: impassive,
stoical individuals mesmerized by the television. The school kids and
the businessmen who appear in Crystal's subconscious world all seem
passionless and robotic to her. Spectators see Crystal's family
through her eyes in a warped version of reality. Her mother, father
and brother wear whimsical, art-deco-inspired costumes with a sense of
suburban nostalgia. Coral pink, mint greens and banana yellows are the
chosen colors. Added to the front of their costumes is a simple
appliqué representing a full-size, childlike drawing of each of them,
as seen through Crystal's eyes.
o) COMIC CHARACTER -- The Clown stalks Crystal's subconscious world.
He is Crystal's imaginary friend, motivating her whenever she needs a
friendly push.
Music
-----
The music of CRYSTAL is cinematic in scope while supporting the
narrative and pulsing to the rhythm of the action on, "below", and
above the ice. With its sweeping, atmospheric and romantic
soundscapes, the score moves from grand orchestral sounds to klezmer-
style chamber music to melodic folk and rock-tinged beats. Cover
versions of well-known pop songs specifically recorded for the show
were also added a first for Cirque du Soleil. These riveting songs
stir the emotions of spectators and enhance key moments in the
narrative. The interpreters were chosen not only for their ability to
capture the feeling of the original songs, but also to heighten the
emotional charge of the scenes they accompany, thus adding the "Cirque
du Soleil touch" to the songs themselves.
* * *
CRYSTAL is about looking at things from fresh angles, peeking through
the veneer of everyday life, reframing one's daily reality to see what
one might have missed. Sometimes the only way to appreciate things is
to look at them sideways. Discovering one's individuality and
uniqueness requires venturing out on thin ice.
"Crystal breaks the codes of the traditional ice show by creating a
unique form of entertainment. To reach this objective, we brought
together the best experts in their respective worlds. With this new
show, the audience will discover the infinite possibilities that ice
adds to the prowess of circus arts," says Daniel Fortin, Executive
Director, Creation, Crystal.
Cirque du Soleil invites the audience to discover CRYSTAL A
Breakthrough Ice Experience and find out what it means to skate on
the edge of reality. World-class ice skating, surreal aesthetics and
artistic prowess fuse together. So let reality slip away as Cirque du
Soleil Crystal glides above a most unusual reflection.
------------------------------------------------------------
"We're Off and Running - A Series of Classic Critiques"
Part 11 of 16: Quidam, Part 2 (1997-1998)
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
A few months ago, as I was flipping through a few classic Cirque du
Soleil programme books (as is my wont), I was happily caught off-guard
by a brief history of the company that it had written about itself in
Saltimbanco's original European Tour programme, published sometime in
1996. Not because the historia was in English, French, and Spanish,
but rather I found the wording a bit more colorful
haughty
than what
you'd find from the company today. Something about its whimsical and
heady nature spoke to the way Cirque du Soleil saw itself then,
containing a youthful verve and arrogance that is simply no longer
present. When did Cirque lose this dynamic sense of self, this
liveliness, and vivacity about its past, present, and future?
Unfortunately, not long after. Thereafter the speak becomes less joie
de vivre and more lié aux affaires, and Cirque du Soleil turns from a
rag-tag band of street performers into a bona fide corporate entity
right before our very eyes. This is not a new revelation - far from
it in fact - but this re-discovery struck a chord of curiosity within
How did others see Cirque du Soleil during this period?
Think about it: as Cirque's multitude of shows travel around the globe
in either arenas or under the big top, at each stop, in each city,
there is a write-up in the local press. Sometimes the coverage is just
a brief blurb about the show and its theme, occasionally there's a
short interview with a performer, a stage hand, or creation director,
and other times it's an assessment of the show itself, evaluating its
technical and acrobatic merits with what had come through before. But
the reviews we see today are too current, discussing these shows
through a contemporary lens; shows that have/had 15 to 20 years
touring the globe, shows we would refer to as "classic" or
"signature". What I'd become interested in knowing was what some of
the first reviews, peeks, and evaluations of these shows were as they
took their first steps across North America. How did the press see Le
Cirque du Soleil in 1998, 1994, 1990, 1987?
It was time to peck through the archives.
What I found was extraordinary, and more than I expected. And I'm
sharing these discoveries here in Fascination through a series of
collections, beginning with the 1987 tournée of Le Cirque du Soleil
(better known today as Le Cirque Réinventé), and continuing on from
there. This month we continue on with 1996 and 1997's reviews of
Quidam.
# # #
CIRQUE DELVES INTO THE SECRET LIVES OF STRANGERS
By: Christine Ehren | Playbill
March 25, 1998
Is it theatre with circus or circus with theatre? Is it dance or is it
a musical? No, I don't ever want to put [Quidam] in a box...I think
it's funny to say that you can't," Cirque Du Soleil's artistic
director Andrew Watson explained, attempting to categorize his group's
new piece Quidam.
For this show, as for most Cirque shows, there is a governing theme.
The meaning here lies buried in the Latin word "quidam". A quidam,
according to the show program, is "a nameless passer-by, a solitary
figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past."
According to Watson, Quidam grew out of what was going on around the
world. "What started us this time was the loss of individuality, the
anonymity of people. There was Rwanda, Bosnia; there were all these
awful things happening...We'd hear about 100,000 refugees--this just
becomes a figure to us...100,000 people is made up of 100,000
individuals all with their own past, future, and present, all
different from everybody else," he said.
Other influences included the Belgian painter Rene Magritte (obvious
in the show's art work, depicting a headless man standing against a
brick wall and carrying an umbrella) and the work of French
photographer Robert Doisneau.
To demonstrate, Watson stood and pointed out the window at people
below. In pictures such as "The Kiss (Hotel Du Ville)," Doisneau
managed to take a group photo, yet focus the viewer's attention on a
single person. "You'd see a whole group -- he'd zoom in and suddenly,
you'd see out of the group -- that everyone down there has their own
story," he said.
Such is the goal of Quidam.
Part of the revelation of the theme lies in its story. Although not
scripted in the traditional sense, Quidam, of all the Cirque shows,
has the most story. There are definite, consistent characters -- a
little girl, her father and mother -- and there is a sense of place,
although the audience is left to wonder if the child has created the
world in her head or if it physically exists. "You're never quite sure
who is in whose dream," Watson said.
The sense of disorientation is deliberate. He explained, "We really do
avoid telling a specific story because the public wouldn't be able to
dream it and then make their own interpretation."
Quidam began its performing life on April 24, 1996 at the Cirque's
home base in Montreal, Canada. Since then, Watson has watched the show
change and grow. Sometimes, however, a piece can evolve, but not
within the concept of the show. Because of these changes, Watson and
all of the designers visit the show usually once per city, partially
to stimulate the artists, partially to clean the show up.
"Things can go millimeter by millimeter over a month period and then
suddenly a scene in the show doesn't mean what it did because an
entrance got a little bit later, a little later, a little bit later
and that can change the whole balance of what's happening on stage,"
Watson said. Experimentation is still encouraged. Watson said there
was no fear for the artists to try new things on stage. New ideas are
added as they fit the theme.
Watson knows what it's like to work the Cirque from both sides of the
tent as he himself used to perform with them as a trapeze artist. He
joined in the 1987-88 tour and learned to tango and work with masks.
Also on tour, he observed an artistic director for the first time.
After a year, he returned to the regular circus circuit, but found
himself bored and missing the group work of the Cirque. "You felt like
you were part of a show and we were all working together to make that
show work, not just 'I don't care about the show; I want my act to
work and I hope to get paid next week'," Watson said.
Watson then ran into Cirque founding president Guy Laliberte at a
circus festival in Monoco. The Cirque was thinking of expanding and
needed a creative department. Laliberte hired Watson for casting and
act formation and Gilles Ste Croix as artistic director. (What began
as two people then is now staffed by 45. Watson's original casting job
is now done by 20 people.) Watson then spent a year on the road as an
artistic coordinator before returning to find Ste Croix offering him
his job as artistic director.
Working for the Cirque will keep its artistic director busy. Future
plans include a movie version of Alegria, an aquatic show based in Las
Vegas, and a new resident show at Walt Disney World in Orlando. As for
Quidam, it will continue its tour on through Chicago, Washington,
D.C., and Atlanta.
# # # # # #
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL RETURNING WITH A HAUNTING MOOD PIECE
By: Ricky Lyman | New York Times
April 6, 1998
A dim blue light spilled from one end of the cavernous rehearsal space
at Cirque du Soleil's headquarters here, as if a spaceship from a
Steven Spielberg movie were landing in the next room. Mood-setting
steam billowed from beneath the curtains surrounding the stage.
On the rehearsal stage, two dozen dancers and gymnasts burst into
frantic, syncopated activity, some twirling like tops, others roaring
across the stage like dive bombers, this one spinning and falling to
the mat, that one kicking and wagging her head.
Franco Dragone, who has directed eight productions for Cirque du
Soleil, was rehearsing the routine for a new water spectacular to open
this year in Las Vegas. He sat down on a folding chair and watched the
frantic activity with intense concentration. Behind him, sprawled on
thick blue mats, another two dozen lean performers (average age: 28)
from France, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and the United States, stretched
and watched and sipped mineral water.
Mr. Dragone said that he had always felt a particular affinity for the
work of the stage director Peter Brook. "The way he works is exactly
the way we work here," he said."A show always starts with an obscure
presentiment, an image or a vague idea, and then slowly you start to
build, and as you do, you realize what is in the show and what is not
in the show."
Cirque du Soleil, a New Age carnival blending circus arts and street
performance but without animals, subsists on mystery and surrealism as
much as clowning and physical derring-do. It is only about a decade
since the troupe set up its signature blue-and-gold tent in an open
field in Battery Park City on its first United States tour.
Since its beginnings not quite 14 years ago, when it had 13 members,
the company has grown to a worldwide organization with 1,700
employees, a sprawling new $40 million headquarters and branch offices
in Amsterdam, Singapore and Tokyo. It has one production touring North
America, a second touring Europe, a third in a permanent home at the
Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, three more shows coming on line this year,
including permanent sites at Walt Disney World in Florida and the
Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, a Cirque du Soleil film and subsidiary
operations producing and marketing soundtrack albums, building
theatrical sets and selling Cirque du Soleil merchandise at an
anticipated network of retail outlets all over the world.
Guy Laliberte, a co-founder with Daniel Gaulthier, a fellow street
performer, said the company intended to double its sales this year to
$300 million. Not bad for a former fire-eater and a former stilt-
walker.
Cirque du Soleil is returning to Manhattan after a three-year absence
with the fifth production it has presented in the city. The new show
is called "Quidam," from the Latin word that they translate as
"anonymous passerby" or "somebody," and it is a bit of a departure for
the company, a haunting mood piece about social disconnection at the
end of the millennium.
"Every show always starts from an idea for a theme that I feel," said
Mr. Dragone, whose background is in theater rather than street
performing. " 'Quidam' started with a question: What does a little
girl or boy have on his mind today?"
Unlike previous productions, which relied on mythological and
allegorical themes, the characters of "Quidam" are drawn from everyday
life, though the recurring image is a headless man carrying an
umbrella. The central character, if there is one, is a little girl
whose parents are too preoccupied to pay attention to her. She wanders
through various surreal scenes where she meets acrobats, dancers,
contortionists and circus performers. (Cirque du Soleil has no clowns,
it has "characters.")
"Quidam" has its premiere in 1996 in Quebec, where all Cirque du
Soleil productions are initially staged, and has visited several
cities in Canada, California, Colorado and Texas before landing in
Battery Park City. It will go to Chicago and Washington before closing
in Atlanta at the end of the year.
Many critics who have seen "Quidam" in other cities have described it
as darker and more psychological than previous Cirque du Soleil
productions. But Mr. Dragone said he rejected the view that "Quidam"
was a darker work. It only seems so, he said, because it deals with
real people instead of mythical characters.
'More Theatrical, More Poetic'
"There is no text, so I have to compose in images, images that can
talk to us," he said. "If I would describe 'Quidam' in any way, it
would be as more theatrical, more poetic. It has an atmosphere of what
you might call magical realism."
Cirque du Soleil began in 1984 as part of the 450th anniversary
celebration of Jacques Cartier's landing in Canada, with the group
touring Quebec on a grant from the provincial government. In 1985, the
company traveled through Ontario and British Columbia, eventually
setting up shop in its new 1,500-seat tent in Niagara Falls under the
name Sun Circus. Soon it was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
"We learned something about ourselves," Jean David, the company's vice
president of marketing, said in a recent magazine interview. "When you
say 'Sun Circus,' it means one thing. But when you say 'Cirque du
Soleil,' that's different."
After that, they stuck with the French.
In 1987 and 1988, the company made its first trip to the United States
with a production they called "We Reinvent the Circus," a show that
already bore their trademarks of sensuality, mystery and fantastic
imagery. It was a huge success.
A second show, "Nouvelle Experience," toured North America in 1990 and
1991, then settled in Las Vegas for a year. This was followed by
"Saltimbanco" in 1992 and 1993 and "Alegria" in 1994 and 1995.
"Mystere," the permanent show at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, has
been running since 1993. The company has also signed a 12-year
agreement with Walt Disney World to stage another new production in a
new 1,650-seat theater resembling a circus tent that is being built in
Florida.
And then there was the production that Mr. Dragone was rehearsing,
amid the steam and the blue light. The still-untitled piece will find
its home this year in the troupe's second Las Vegas venue, a new
proscenium theater with a swimming pool as a stage.
In the midst of the rehearsals, Mr. Dragone retired to a windowless
rectangle at the center of the company's new headquarters, where he
chain-smoked cigarettes amid a jumble of artist's sketches and well-
thumbed copies of National Geographic and other magazines from which
costume designers draw their inspiration. "We call this room the
bunker," he said. It is the troupe's nerve center, where many of the
creative decisions are made.
Guiding a multinational organization like Cirque du Soleil is a bit
like being a street juggler -- lots of distractions and balls in the
air. It is Mr. Dragone's job to make sure that the troupe keeps
growing artistically while all its established shows retain their
power.
"You know, every show has a very specific biorhythm," Mr. Dragone
said. "There are some periods that are more stressful than others, and
you must pay attention to that."
Cirque du Soleil's new headquarters is built on land bought from
Montreal's city dump with government help. Though the headquarters
complex is atop solid ground, it is just next door to a working
landfill, which can clearly be seen from the structure's balconies and
roof decks.
The company's founders see the project as part of the ethos that has
always guided Cirque du Soleil, risky and a little altruistic, aimed
at revitalizing the downtrodden neighborhood around the dump.
Outside the bunker, the complex is airy and filled with light. Offices
look out across the many practice and rehearsal studios, and it is not
uncommon for someone conducting a business call to look up and see a
trapeze artist fly past the window.
Mr. Dragone said he was not too concerned that the company, which
began by attracting passersby on the street and has grown into a
three-continent corporate giant, would lose its soul.
Nor is he concerned that the permanent locations in Las Vegas and
Disney World will alienate the company from its big top beginnings.
"Never will the Cirque stop the touring shows," Mr. Dragone said.
"Impossible. The roots are there."
# # # # # #
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
By: Judy Hevrdejs | Chicago Tribune
July 19, 1998
In the world of Cirque du Soleil, kismet happens.
Early on in a show titled "Quidam," a large steel wheel rolls onstage
with a young man stretching his arms and legs across its interior.
It is a standard bit of athleticism in European gymnastic circles. Not
an uncommon sight in circuses around the globe. Yet this wheel has
rolled into Cirque's world and that is where the similarities end.
As the young man turns inside the wheel--actually two equal-sized
tubular wheels joined by a half-dozen steel rungs--he shifts his
weight so the wheel drops on its side and, just as a dropped dinner
plate might gyrate on a kitchen floor, he is sent spinning, his face
sometimes a breath away from the floor, before he forces the wheel
upright.
The 110-pound wheel of steel and the 155-pound man's muscled body
challenge each other for control. He slips through the bars and onto
the wheel's exterior. The wheel seems to take over, spinning the young
man on a wild path across the stage. In the next second, the man
shifts his weight and the wheel spins a pirouette. And then, in a
maneuver that gets them every time, he stretches his body along the
wheel's interior curve, rolls across the stage and just as it appears
his face will graze the stage, he slips through the bars to safety.
And to applause.
How the man and the steel wheel--a living, breathing Leonardo DaVinci
drawing--came to be part of Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," the ninth
production from the Montreal-based troupe opening here July 22 under
its blue-and-yellow tents, is a story in itself. Let's start at the
beginning:
1992
Gilles Ste-Croix is an ex-stilt walker turned creative director. Ever
since he joined the team that would establish Cirque du Soleil, he has
prowled the world, searching for performers--tumblers, acrobats,
trapeze artists, jugglers-- to mesmerize audiences for Cirque du
Soleil. It was during those travels that the Canadian spotted a
gymnastic discipline that fascinated him. It involved a contraption
made from tubular wheels in which an athlete earns points for body
position, for example. Ste-Croix was convinced that the wheel, part of
European gymnastic competitions since the turn of the century, could
find a place with Cirque. About the same time, 24-year-old Chris
Lashua, a Massachusetts kid and a wizard at bicycle stunts, was
performing his bicycle routine with a circus in China. Ste-Croix
spotted him and invited him to join Cirque's production of
"Fascination" in Japan.
1993
After the cycling gig in Japan, Lashua moved to Las Vegas to work on
carpentry, costuming, rigging for the Cirque show "Nouvelle
Experience." But he wanted to get back on stage. About that time, a
friend showed him a newspaper clipping of a man, a student at a French
circus school, stretched inside a wheel. Lashua was hooked. "I have
this thing for wheels," he said. Seeing a picture of a wheel and
delivering a Cirque-caliber performance, though, are worlds apart.
"The next step was to figure out from the photo what size the wheel
was," said Lashua. He worked with a welder on the wheel design,
finally developing a wheel that is 7 feet in diameter and made from
two hoops (each 1 1/2-inch tubes of steel) that are joined at six
places by 3/4-inch tubing, like rungs of a ladder.
1994 & 1995
The wheel was ready to challenge Chris. During the day and through
Cirque's evening performances in Las Vegas, he worked on the stage
crew. But after each night's performance, he practiced with his wheel
for several hours. Lashua invited feedback from Cirque's creative
team. Choreographers and artistic directors offered advice. "Any idea
is worth being listened to," said Ste-Croix. Then, late in 1995, after
countless impromptu auditions for Cirque honchos--Ste-Croix invited
Lashua to become part of a new Cirque production that would premiere
in Montreal in April 1996.
January 1996
Before work began in Montreal, though, Cirque wanted Chris to work
with masters of the gymnastic discipline."'I know you are motivated
and not a great acrobat,'" Ste-Croix recalled telling Lashua. "'I will
send you to Germany to train.'" For six weeks in a gym near Frankfurt,
Lashua worked with coaches Wolfgang Bientzle and Katja Hommeyer. Both
have competed in the gymnastic sport and taught Chris the techniques
(movements, positions, skills) an athlete would need to earn points in
a gymnastic competition.
Mid-February 1996
Lashua traveled to Cirque's home in Montreal for the real Cirque work
to begin. "Only 2 percent (of the process) was getting the act and
knowing it worked," said Ste-Croix. Now Cirque's team would put its
twist on a traditional sport. For the first time, Chris and his wheel
performed for the entire creative team without music, costuming or
makeup. "We build a cycle of four to six months for developing a piece
before beginning rehearsal," explained Yves Neveu, director of the
creative studio. Two to three months of rehearsals follow, with each
artist working on developing his or her piece while the creative team
tackles costumes, music and staging. The process, these days, occurs
in Cirque's massive blue-and-yellow splashed headquarters on the north
side of Montreal.
Early March 1996
Each piece in a Cirque show is based on a singular vision, coached
along by Ste-Croix but echoing Cirque's motto of "Evoke, provoke,
invoke." The Cirque team "had a good sense of what would grab people,"
said Lashua. Easing up on the technicalities of the sport--loosening
up his limbs, crawling in and out of the wheel--might have lost Lashua
points in a gymnastic competition, but the performance became more
entertaining. The wheel was no longer a gymnastic apparatus but a prop
to be played with by this blond Puck.
The costume department made a mold of Lashua's head, as they do with
all Cirque performers for creating latex bald caps, hats, wigs and
masks. Costume designer Dominique Lemieux came up with Chris' outfit--
sort of. First off the sketch pad: a loin cloth and no shoes to echo
the DaVinci drawing. Chris vetoed that. He needed shoes to hold his
feet in the wheel's stirrups. After five or six costume sketches,
Lemieux came up with a flesh-colored bodystocking, streaked with
shades of paint and finished with streams of fabric--and sneakers.
Then there was the challenge of music. "Finding the right music was
hardest because it can be boring--all this rolling, the same rhythm,
it never goes faster" recalled Ste-Croix. But music man Benoit Jutras
met the challenge, delivering an original piece, "Incantation" that
Ste-Croix said keeps the rhythm but has another level of drama.
Late March 1996
Each of the show's pieces has gone through development: Chris' wheel
is ready to go. Rehearsals are in full swing. Director Franco Dragone
crafts a story with the chosen pieces. "Our inspiration (for a show's
story) comes from our collective memory," said Ste-Croix, "We are not
visionaries. We are just living in your world." The creative team
talks themes: Forgotten people. The right to be different. The
anonymity of the world. The show, they decide, will focus on "a
nameless passerby, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a
person rushing past, a person who lives lost amidst the crowd in an
all too anonymous society." The name? The French "Quidam" --
pronounced key-dahm -- which translates as a fellow or chap. The show
premiered in Montreal April 24, 1996, before heading off on a world
tour. Each week, Lashua performs with his wheel for 10 performances--
exercise enough he said to keep himself fit for the rigors of the act.
July 1998
Come Wednesday night, under the blue and yellow tents in the United
Center parking lot, several characters in "Quidam" will set the tone
for the evening's performance, inviting the audience into Cirque's
world. The first acrobat/artist to command the stage will be a
solitary young man: Chris Lashua, his muscled arms and legs stretched
taught within the confines of a huge wheel, will spin across the
stage, fabric streamers flying, an imp ready to play with the wheel
and the audience.
# # # # # #
WELL-TRAVELED CIRQUE STILL PACKS POWER TO OVERWHELM
By: Christ Jones | Chicago Tribune
July 24, 1998
When the Cirque du Soleil first pitched its revisionist big top by
North Pier nearly a decade ago, they were an obscure avant-garde
French-Canadian curiosity in a small, hot tent with hard benches and
folks in wacky costumes. Back in Chicago for the first time in three
years with "Quidam," the Cirque is now a global cultural powerhouse of
unparalleled aesthetic and commercial clout.
One can see the stylistic influence of this singular circus
everywhere--from other theatrical productions to restaurant design;
from casino interiors to fashion shows. This is the brand name of non-
linear live entertainment; a brilliantly fashioned amalgam of circus,
dance and performance art that somehow has made surrealisme accessible
to a mass audience and, consequently, immensely profitable. How
appropriate that the new site in Chicago should be the United Center
parking lot.
The danger of such longevity and high exposure is that elements of the
Cirque's signature style start to become familiar. The image of the
child looking in on a fantasy world; the clown polishing someone's
bald pate; the beautiful bodies contorting themselves into
unimaginable positions through sheer brute strength; the seemingly
wordless lyrics that float through the air; the singular beauty of the
staging: all of these are Cirque tropes that overwhelm the senses when
seen for the first time.
So if this is your first viewing, prepare to be overwhelmed. But once
you have seen the acts repeated five or six times, they lose some (but
not all) of their power.
With costumes that mainly represent recognizable people more than
fanciful non-human fictions, "Quidam" is the most literal, urban and
adult of all of the Cirque shows to date (although with images
reminiscent of the art of Magritte and the films of director Atom
Egoyan, it's still an ephemeral show by everyone else's standards).
Themed around the characters of two parents and their daughter who are
whisked from an archetypal domestic living room into a world of, well,
circus acts, director Andrew Watson explicitly relates the circus
performers to a family that he presumably intends to represent us.
Thus when the semi-naked Isabelle Chasse does an eroticized aerial
contortion hanging from the top of the tent and wearing a huge red
piece of silk, the father stares longingly at his wife, who's wearing
a dress in exactly that color.
Although it never steps over the line of good taste or into the realm
of literal sexuality, the Cirque has long played with fetishized
images--the final act of "Quidam" features two tiny women wearing
lingerie and platinum blond wigs who are tossed around (brilliantly,
of course) amidst a group of men. And if it were not for her
androgynous quality and outstanding athletic craft, Chasse's routine
would not be out of place in a sex club.
One has to be looking for this stuff, perhaps, in order to draw such
conclusions. As always with the Cirque, the individual acts are all of
the highest technical quality--Chris Lashua's opening human-wheel
routine is stunning, as are the aerial hoops of Genevieve Bessette and
Marie-Michelle Faber and the agonizing (for the audience)
manipulations of Patrick McGuire and Steven Ragatz.
The tent is beautifully cool and all the seats have backs. And this
show features a high-tech rigging system that does away with all set
changes (although the usual high-wire act is gone). At the peak of its
powers, prowess and influence, the Cirque can now do whatever it
wants, wherever it wants, sure that the audience will follow. It will
be interesting to see where these ever-inventive Canadians take us
next.
# # # # # #
IF YOU'VE SEEN THE SHOW, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS
By: Anne Taubeneck | Chicago Tribune
August 23, 1998
Q. At one point in a precarious balancing act called "Statue," Marie-
Laure Mesnage is upside down with only her shoulders touching the top
of the back of her partner, Yves Decoste. What keeps her from
slipping?
A. "Practice, technique, strength - and resin," Decoste answers. He
and Mesnage apply a mixture of resin and alcohol to their skin to keep
it from being too slippery. Even so, after an air-conditioning unit
faltered during a matinee on a hot day in New York, the temperature in
the tent rose 10 to 15 degrees and "Statue" was cancelled for fear of
injury due to excessive sweat.
Q. In what may be the sexiest circus act ever, "Aerial Contortion in
Silk," 22-year-old Isabelle Chasse does forehead-high leg stretches
and thigh-straining splits, supported above the stage only by two
slender pieces of fabric. Are they really silk?
A. Don't try this act at home using knotted silk scarves. Chasse
dangles from a tough blend of nylon and Lycra.
Q. Early in each show, emcee John Gilkey picks out an audience member
who becomes part of a comic bit onstage. How does Gilkey decide whom
to choose?
A. "We look for a big person, because we put him in a small costume
that will look funny tight on him," Gilkey says. "And we look for
someone who seems playful. I'll take the head of a person who's
looking at me and turn it so it's pointing the other direction. If he
resists, he probably wouldn't be good, but if he goes along with that,
it's pretty certain he'll play to the right extent."
Some choices have backfired. "One man in Los Angeles got violent and
tried to bang the heads of two (performers) together," says Gilkey.
And though he reassures people he's selected - "talking under my
breath, telling them, 'Don't worry, this will be painless,' " - a few
"have had major stage fright, crying or shaking uncontrollably. You
kind of speed things up when that happens."
Q. For audience participation bits, Gilkey always selects men. Is
Cirque sexist?
A. "There is an unwritten rule among clowns," he explains, "that if
you're going to make fun of somebody, women and children are out of
bounds."
Q. On opening night, a screaming baby in the audience unexpectedly
became part of a Gilkey routine. Was he pleased or peeved?
A. The emcee's snarly looks in the noisy baby's direction got big
laughs. "That works," Gilkey says, "because the audience doesn't
expect you to break out of (your routine)."
Q. In the fast-paced acrobatic act, "Banquine," two women in white
costumes that appear to have been inspired by Victoria's Secret get
thrown around as if they were Barbie dolls. How much do they weigh?
A. Elena Kolesnikova, of Russia, and Tatiana Gousarova, from the
Ukraine, weigh, respectively, 90 and 88 pounds.
Q. Gilkey does a trick with a hoop, making it travel in large circles
on the stage and then magically come back to him. How does he do that?
A. "The bummer about that trick is there's no trick to it," says
Gilkey. "I've just practiced a lot. What's much more difficult is the
dance I do with the coat rack while juggling balls. That has to be
done with a very delicate hand in time to very fast, aggressive,
macho-style Latin music."
Q. Does a medical specialist travel with the troupe to handle
injuries?
A. Two athletic therapists, Ian Murray and Angela Greco (also a
physiotherapist), travel with the cast. The most common ailment: lower
back pain.
Q. How young is too young to enjoy this sophisticated show?
A. Gilkey thinks children 6 or 7 are old enough to appreciate the
"physical feats," but added that the show's crashes of thunder could
frighten a younger child. (So could the lightning, the headless man
and the clown with spikes coming out of his costume.) This writer
plans to take her 9-year-old, even though the 2 1/2-hour show
(including intermission) is long, even for that age.
Q. The glossy, $8 program is filled with gorgeous photos and obscure
quotes, but has no information about the acts and little about the
performers. Why is it so lacking in facts?
A. According to Cirque spokesman Lance Taylor, "Practically speaking,
there's a wealth of information that could go into the program, but we
didn't want it to be a 40-page magazine." He added, "The idea behind
Cirque du Soleil has always been that every person should walk away
from the show with his own individual interpretation of what the
meaning behind it was."
# # # # # #
BEYOND THE BIG TOP WITH THE GREATEST BALANCING ACT ON EARTH
By: Caroline Abels | Charlotte Post-Gazette
April 28, 2002
In the backstage trailer known as "the kitchen," a petite French woman
with bulging biceps is laughing with her Canadian partner, Yves
Decoste, about a question once put to them by Cirque du Soleil
audience members. "They said to us, 'Oh, you must certainly be a
couple in real life, no?' " recalls the woman, Marie-Laure Mesnage.
Their startling feat in the Cirque du Soleil show "Quidam" is when
Mesnage balances upside down on Decoste by placing the tops of her
bare shoulders directly on the tops of his. Performed slowly and in
near silence, it is a meditation on the interdependence of men and
women, and is one of a handful of breathtaking stunts in "Quidam" -- a
Latin term for "anonymous passer-by" pronounced "key-dahm."
But the fact is, Mesnage, 36, and Decoste, 40, are just friends. They
dated in the 1990s, but as they toured Europe with the act that would
eventually make it into the show, they broke up -- at which point they
had to rely on their inner strength, as much as the strength of their
arms and legs, to keep the act going.
"The first night after we split, it was not easy to perform," Mesnage
recalls. "But the public was great. No applause during the act, and
then they exploded at the end. Maybe I told them somehow what was
happening in my head."
What's happening in the heads of "Quidam" performers as they leap,
climb, catapult, swing, shimmy and teeter on stage is up to the
imagination of stunned onlookers, some of whom go to one of Cirque du
Soleil's seven shows worldwide expecting an American three-ring
circus.
But "Quidam," which is touring North America and opens in Pittsburgh
on May 9, resembles a dark and sensual dream more than a nursery
school. Clowns are few, and animals are nowhere. Instead, the big top
brims with odd characters, evocative lighting, thunderous sounds and
athletes of such agility you wonder whether they're superhuman.
Sitting in the audience, you might think so. But backstage in
Charlotte a few weeks ago -- tiptoeing around contorted bodies,
bumping into giggling Chinese acrobats and hearing stories like the
one about Mesnage and Decoste -- it was apparent that the Cirque du
Soleil ("Circus of the Sun" in French) is a most human place.
As the soleil sets over the cirque, roughly three hours before show
time, many of "Quidam's" buff and agile performers do what they often
inspire audience members to do: work out.
Their gym is in a tent behind the blue-and-yellow Big Top, a venue
that seats 2,600 people. In this crowded tent, 56 performers plucked
from around the world not only lift weights, and each other, but also
step into costume, apply their makeup, nervously sip cups of coffee
and practice to make perfect.
Blue velvet curtains separate the dressing rooms from the practice
area, where gym mats are spread out next to weights, barbells, rowing
machines and exercise balls. Dozens of props -- bowler hats, boxing
gloves, tambourines, wigs -- rest on shelves, while in the costume
corner, intricately woven sheaves of linen, wool, velvet and silk are
washed, ironed and sewn by staff.
Life back here is busy and unglamorous, with everyone off doing his
own thing. Russian acrobats cavort on the trampoline, teen-age
acrobats from Beijing gab with their translator, a juggler receives
acupuncture from a resident physiotherapist, and rope climbers take
Pilates instruction.
Although the "Quidam" story line -- of a girl who is shunned by her
parents but then whisked away to a strange but friendlier place -- is
designed to evoke emotion, awe is the main reaction of audiences who
see acts like the Spanish Webs, in which performers climb ropes only
to drop and swing from them; the Banquine, in which Slavic acrobats
form human pyramids; and the German Wheel, in which Chris Lashua
(whose parents, Diane and Duane Lashua, live in Moon) becomes the
spoke of a spinning metal wheel 6 feet in diameter.
The world of Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci is where most of these
12- to 48-year-olds come from. They're first spotted in gymnastic
competitions if they haven't already sent an audition tape to Cirque's
Montreal headquarters.
Others have backgrounds in ballet, modern dance and music, and most
come from countries with strong acrobatic and circus traditions:
Canada, China, Russia, Ukraine.
Looking at Eric Newton, 38, whose biceps are the size of melons, you'd
think the Philadelphia native came from the bodybuilding world, not
the theater. But after his acting training, he took up clowning and
learned to work a trapeze well enough to play a trapeze-flying Ariel
in a production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
Newton arrived on the "Quidam" set in March to stand in for an injured
performer, and now he is standing in awe of the unpretentious and
hard-working athletes around him.
"Even though I was a circus professional, I always saw Cirque
performers as perfect," he says, sweat dripping from his face
following a rehearsal. "I thought everyone must be so superior and
that when I came here, people would say to me, 'Who do you think you
are?' But now I see that it's never easy for them. They're always
working at their act."
Or watching it. Performers are often huddled around a television
screen backstage, looking at videotapes of their act with the artistic
coordinator, who keeps an eye on the show while it's on tour.
By all reports, Mesnage and Decoste do a good job of keeping an eye on
their balancing act. The two friends notice when their moves are
getting sloppy and continually fine-tune the toughest parts -- for
example, when Mesnage slides down Decoste's back after balancing on
his shoulders.
"They're the least of our worries," says resident physiotherapist
Bronwyn Claassen. "They have an amazing understanding of their bodies.
If Marie-Laure knows she's not feeling right in a certain spot, she'll
come to me and say, 'There's an imbalance here.'"
Mesnage engages in a workout routine for four months before changing
it. In some cities where the tour stops, she takes dance classes.
And when she's not working on her own body, she's boosting the
confidence of younger performers who turn to her for pointers. Mesnage
was a gymnastics coach and director of a Montreal gymnastics center
when Decoste asked her to tour the balancing act with him in Europe
after his male partner was injured.
Decoste now says the act is more complete with a woman. "There is a
yin and yang element there, and the audience picks up on that."
* * *
About an hour before the show, the gruff stage manager -- both feared
and adored -- gathers the cast for a quick pep talk that also can
double as a finger-wagging session. He then begins barking orders to
get everything in place.
That means Louise Fournier, the props master, must start blowing up
dozens of balloons. The vacuum-packing sound of the air machine begins
to drown out the thump of feet landing on mats, the squeak of the
trampoline and the voices of the singers warming up.
Fournier must have every prop in place at the right time so performers
can make their entrance cues. The most exciting part of her job, she
says, "is when everything works perfectly." That's about 85 percent of
the time, and her success each night "depends on the day, the city ...
the barometric pressure."
By this time, Mark Ward, who performs gags throughout the show to
"animate" the crowd, has already had his makeup on for two hours. Like
everyone else, he was trained at Montreal headquarters to do his own
makeup, and he does so with the care and attention of a calligrapher
as he explains that, before he joined the Cirque, he was a ballet
dancer.
"I was always the black sheep of the family, the oddball," he says.
"I'd see Baryshnikov flying across the TV screen and think, 'Wow, I
want to do that.' But I'm black and Mexican, and growing up in Texas,
I wasn't supposed to do that. So I always knew that at 15, 16, I was
going to leave."
He studied at the New York City Ballet and Dance Theater of Harlem
before getting hired at Chicago City Ballet. Then in 1993, getting a
little bored, he auditioned for the Cirque. On a videotape, he told
jokes, stuck out his belly, donned a Tarzan outfit, and got a job in
the Cirque show "Mystere," a nontouring show based in Las Vegas.
After 2,347 shows, he transferred to "Quidam" -- it's common for
Cirque performers to jump from show to show -- and now, at age 36, he
works out three to four times a week and warms up while listening to
Alicia Keys, Harry Connick Jr. and Dionne Warwick on his headphones.
By 7:15, roughly half the performers are dressed for the show,
although the costumes are less colorful than those in Cirque shows
like "Saltimbanco" and "Alegria." According to "Quidam" artistic
director Serge Roy, who cast this North American tour, the show is a
departure from the others due to its storyline.
"The creators wanted to bring an emotion on stage -- but not
necessarily happiness," he says. " 'Quidam' is about something more
contemporary, about you and me, about people we live with but don't
necessarily notice."
Backstage, someone has remembered that one of the Russian acrobats
just turned 36, and has written "Happy Birthday Sasha 'Bunny'
Zaitsev!" on the blackboard. The camaraderie among the unpretentious
performers is evident as everyone helps each other with costumes and,
later, as they sit on a tattered green sofa absentmindedly rolling up
blue ribbons that are unraveled during one of the acts.
The performers know they need each other's help during this show or
else the show will suffer -- or else they will all ... fall down.
By 7:40, everyone is emerging from cocoons, having donned bald caps,
boxing gloves, rabbit ears, pointy knees, red bathrobes.
"Have a good show, everyone!" the stage manager calls out. And over
the next two hours, he will cue the various acts.
"Stand by, clowns!" "Stand by, skipping ropes!"
And stand by, North Carolin-ians ...
* * *
At intermission, Decoste grabs a bowl of soup in "the kitchen" -- one
of about 15 trailers in the traveling "Quidam" compound -- and reads
Montreal newspapers flown in from headquarters. Each night, chefs who
travel with the show serve up gourmet food for personnel, everything
from lentil burgers with avocado topping to steak with mushrooms and
potato cakes.
Decoste would choose the lentil burgers. Despite his physically
demanding profession, he is a vegetarian.
"One time I was in the bush in South Africa and I saw a rhino, and I
just had a feeling, and right away I stopped eating meat," he said.
"I'm almost positive I would be stronger if I ate meat, but it's a
choice, and I accept it."
After the show, performers hop on a van that takes them back to the
apartments they are temporarily occupying in Charlotte. In Pittsburgh,
performers will be scattered throughout a few apartment buildings
Downtown and in the vicinity of the parking lot adjacent to Heinz
Field, where the show will take place.
Some performers have their own cars for the North American tour so
they can explore the cities they visit. Though Cirque officials
declined to reveal salaries, the performers are reportedly well paid.
That might stem from the fact that Cirque du Soleil was created by
struggling Montreal street performers in the mid-1980s.
"It was just one more way to put butter on our bread," recalls
artistic director Roy, a former acrobat who was involved in Cirque
from the start. Now the seven shows attract 7 million people each
year, and in March, Cirque acrobats even performed at the Oscars.
Beyond the pay, though, there's the satisfaction of having a steady
job in the arts world and the prestige of having Cirque du Soleil on
your resume.
Newton, the former actor replacing an injured performer, might not see
his temporary job turn into a full-time one when his contract expires
after the Pittsburgh run. But that won't make his three-month stint
any less gratifying.
Five years ago, he sent a tape of his work to Cirque headquarters and
eventually got an audition in Los Angeles. But his name was simply
filed away in Montreal. "They never called, but I kept calling them,"
he says. "I was persistent."
He was hired earlier this year, and now he rolls his eyes to indicate
he still can't believe it. "I'd figured I'd never be in Cirque du
Soleil, and I was at peace with that," he says. "So it shows that
anything can happen."
# # #
That's all for in this issue, but there's still a little bit more!
o) Issue #171, APR 2018 - Dralion, Part 1 (1999-2001)
o) Issue #172, MAY 2018 - Dralion, Part 2 (2001-2003)
o) Issue #173, JUN 2018 - Varekai, Part 1 (2002)
o) Issue #174, JUL 2018 - Varekai, Part 2 (2003-2004)
o) Issue #175, AUG 2018 - Varekai, Part 3 (2005)
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 18, Number 3 (Issue #170) - March 2018
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C)
2001-2018 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., All Rights
Reserved. No copyright infringement intended.
{ Mar.09.2018 }
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