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Fascination Issue 195
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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 20, NUMBER 4 April 2020 ISSUE #195
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter. It's a lean one this month thanks to Covid-19,
but let's get into it...
* * * CIRQUE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE * * *
Safety is of utmost importance and our top priority. As part of our
commitment to the health and well-being of our artists, employees and
audiences, we are carefully monitoring the situation and are
implementing safety measures on a regular basis to prevent
transmission of the disease.
As we operate all over the world, our procedures are updated daily and
are broken down into as many specific and dedicated measures for each
region of the world and for each project. We are also in regular
contact with local authorities and our business partners and are
working in concert with them to provide a work and performance
environment that meets the highest standards of health and safety in
an always evolving situation.
Taking into consideration the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation for social distancing
as well as the escalation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
following cancellations and/or postponements of numerous Cirque du
Soleil shows in recent days, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group
announced the immediate temporary suspension of all Cirque du Soleil
shows world-wide.
From the very beginning of the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the
Group took rigorous measures to protect its work teams and the public.
Our priority has always been and remains the health and safety of our
artists, our partners and various employees, but also of our public.
We are collaborating daily with local authorities and our business
partners and are working in concert with them to provide a work and
performance environment that meets the highest standards of health and
safety in an always evolving situation.
All customers who purchased tickets for a Cirque du Soleil show will
be contacted by their point of sale. If you have any questions, please
write to the appropriate customer service:
o) For Touring Productions: contact@cirquedusoleil.com
o) For Las Vegas: lasvegas.customerservice@cirquedusoleil.com
o) For JOYÀ: customerservice@cdsrivieramaya.com
o) For Paramour: Please visit www.musicals.de
o) For X The Land of Fantasy, please call us at +86 18606512698
o) For Vive nos divas: billetterie@ce3r.com
* * * CIRQUECONNECT - A NEW DIGITAL CONTENT HUB! * * *
Inspired by the desire to stay connected during this time of social
distancing, Cirque du Soleil invites its fans to a weekly 60-minute
online rendezvous to enjoy some of the most awe-inspiring moments from
its world-famous shows on the new digital content hub, CirqueConnect.
The new Cirque du Soleil content hub provides a source of high-quality
entertainment for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their homes as
current measures to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have
suspended public performances of live entertainment across the globe.
"The mission of Cirque du Soleil has always been to provide unique and
awe-inspiring experiences. Our shows give our fans a chance to escape
into fantasy and imaginary worlds through our stories and unique
characters," said Sheila Morin, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer.
"Now, more than ever, we need to continue to provide wonderment, even
from afar, straight into your homes."
The CirqueConnect content hub is filled with footage from Cirque du
Soleil various multimedia offerings. For full content details, please
visit cirquedusoleil.com/cirqueconnect and, of course, look within our
features section this month for a review about what you'll find there.
More? Keep reading!
/----------------------------------------------------\
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| Join us on the web at: |
| < www.cirquefascination.com > |
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| Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): |
| < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > |
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- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
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CONTENTS
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o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* La Presse -- General News & Highlights
* Q&A -- Quick Chats & Press Interviews
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Webseries -- Official Online Featurettes
* Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
o) Fascination! Features
* "Cirque (Trying to) Connect"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* "The Hardcore Cirque Fans Tournament of Cirque Shows"
By: Richard Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
***************************************************************
LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights
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Coronavirus: Cirque lays off more than half its staff
{Mar.17.2020}
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Late Monday afternoon, the Montreal-based circus the world's largest
live-touring company confirmed that more than half of its global
staff is being laid off indefinitely: 1,400 staff and technicians from
its touring and resident shows and 1,200 artists from its shows. The
company says all of the layoffs are temporary.
Cirque du Soleil employs 4,900 people around the world.
On the weekend, the Cirque announced that it was suspending all of its
touring and resident shows. That includes its six permanent shows in
Las Vegas: O at Bellagio, KÀ at MGM Grand, The Beatles Love at the
Mirage, Mystère at Treasure Island, Zumanity at New York-New York and
Michael Jackson One at Mandalay Bay.
The shuttered touring shows include Under the Same Sky, which was
supposed to have had its world première at the Old Port in Montreal in
April and then go on tour. Other touring big top shows shut down
include Alegria in Austin, Chicago and Houston; Bazzar in New Orleans
and Salt Lake City; Kooza in Tel Aviv; Totem in Munich; Volta in Costa
Mesa and Denver; and Kurios in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
It has also temporarily suspended its arena touring shows, notably
Axel, which is touring the U.S. and Canada; the Blue Man Group world
tour in Switzerland, Netherlands and Portugal; Corteo in France,
Denmark, Sweden and Belgium; Crystal in the U.K. and North America;
and Ovo in the U.S.
Almost none of the layoffs are at Cirque's head office in Montreal,
which has 1,600 employees. About 100 people were laid off from the
team working on Under the Same Sky in Montreal.
Via email, the Cirque said: "The company has shut down all its
operations indefinitely until the coronavirus is controlled and its
performers, employees and audience members are no longer at risk. We
will continue to monitor and assess the situation to determine when
shows will resume."
The Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec recently increased its
stake in the Cirque from 10 to 20 per cent when Cirque founder Guy
Laliberté sold the remaining 10-per-cent stake that he had retained in
the company. Company executives are in daily talks with executives
from the Caisse "to find the best ways to stabilize and ensure a
healthy financial rebound for the company," according to the email
from the Cirque du Soleil.
Executives from the Cirque were not talking to the media Monday.
In a response to emailed questions, the Cirque would not reveal if
these employees and artists would be receiving compensation from the
company.
A performer with a Cirque touring show wrote anonymously to allege
that the company is using the "force majeure" legal option, which the
artist said means that "all touring artists and staff (onstage
performers, technical staff, office staff, tour support staff) will
NOT be paid and contractual performance contracts will not be honoured
during the indefinite period of time off. All touring staff are now
not being paid whatsoever and are all essentially laid off
indefinitely regardless of previously agreed-upon contract terms."
When asked directly about this, the Cirque wrote: "This is an
incredibly difficult situation and we are currently looking at all the
possible options to stabilize the company for the future. We are now
working with all of our partners and the Canadian government to figure
out how best to support our employees and prepare for Cirque to return
aggressively as soon as this pandemic is controlled. We have nothing
to announce at this time."
{ SOURCE: Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette }
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Cirque Announces Company Wide Temporary Layoffs
{Mar.19.2020}
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the forced closure of all its
shows worldwide to ensure the health, safety and well-being of its
employees, artists and guests, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is
forced to make significant temporary staff reductions, impacting 95%
of its workforce for a total of 4679 employees, effective immediately.
This was an incredibly difficult decision for the Group, but a
necessary measure to stabilize the company for the future.
As a result of the health crisis, cities and countries where the Group
performs have unanimously legislated the closure of public gatherings
of more than 250 people, following government guidance. Consequently,
the company was left with no other option but to call for an
unprecedented halt in activity until the pandemic is controlled and
its performers, employees and audience members are no longer at risk.
When this crisis started, the Group had in its portfolio of active
shows 44 productions. Following the World Health Organization (WHO)
announcement that the coronavirus situation was now characterized as a
pandemic, the company had no other choice but to shut down all
operations. This decision is not one that was taken lightly.
"It is the most difficult day in Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group
history. We're deeply saddened by the dramatic measures taken today,
as the temporary layoff includes many hardworking, dedicated people.
Unfortunately, this decision is our only option as we are forced to
position ourselves to weather this storm and prepare for eventual re-
openings," says Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO Cirque du Soleil
Entertainment Group.
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is working with all its partners,
as well as the federal and provincial governments, to identify how to
best support its employees and prepare for a healthy return as soon as
the pandemic is controlled. Immediate steps to provide support for
employees who have been laid off temporarily include paid vacation
time, insurance coverage maintained during the temporary layoff and
access to the Group's employee support program.
These strategic actions will position Cirque du Soleil Entertainment
Group to continue operations and rebuild once the global crisis
subsides. A core support team will continue working in the company to
maintain basic operations, continue tour planning and ticket sales for
our shows later this year and in 2021, and prepare for rehiring as
soon as productions are allowed to resume. "As one of the most trusted
brands and successful live entertainment organizations, we are
confident that when the day comes when we can reopen our shows, we
will be ready to welcome the millions of fans who come to our shows
worldwide," concluded Daniel Lamarre.
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil }
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Cirque du Soleil lays off 95 per-cent of its staff
{Mar.19.2020}
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The Cirque du Soleil is shuttering virtually all of its operations,
effective immediately.
Mid-day Thursday, Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre announced to
staff that the company is laying off 95 per cent of its employees.
With Thursday's decision, the Cirque will lay off 4,679 employees,
keeping just 240 staffers to keep up basic operations, continue tour
planning and ticket sales for shows scheduled for later this year and
in 2021. The Cirque will prepare for rehiring if and when productions
are allowed to return to the stage.
On Wednesday, influential American bond credit rating company Moody's
downgraded its rating of Cirque du Soleil, saying the outlook is
negative.
In an interview Thursday afternoon, Lamarre said he had no other
choice given that the company has had to cancel all 44 of its shows
around the world due to fears related to the COVID-19 crisis.
"It happened within a week ... we were shut down by cities and countries
around the world," Lamarre said. "As we speak today, there is no
revenue coming in for the company and I don't know when it will come
back, which is why we're doing what we are doing. We have laid off
most of our employees and we will keep just a small fraction of
employees to be able, whenever the situation is stabilized, to come
back in a short period of time."
Of the 1,300 employees who work at the head office in Montreal, 1,100
have been laid off. On Monday, Lamarre announced that 2,600 staffers
and performers around the world were being sent home. Of the 240
employees still at work, 200 are at head office in Montreal, with
another 40 still employed around the world, including 30 in Las Vegas.
Lamarre believes the Cirque will survive and is hoping the provincial
and federal governments can help.
"I certainly hope (that the Cirque survives)," he said. "We are in
communication with the government. I have been talking a lot with
(Quebec Minister of Economy Pierre Fitzgibbon) ... I'm working on two
fronts. On one hand, I'm working with the government to make sure that
I can have some support ... and it's coming from Investissement Québec.
They're the one that will help companies, so that's one front. The
other front is we have the Caisse de dépôt, which is a very important
shareholder and they're also very supportive of how they can help us."
{ SOURCE: Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette }
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Cirque Explores Options Including Bankruptcy
{Mar.26.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is exploring debt restructuring
options that include a potential bankruptcy filing, after it was
forced to cancel shows because of the coronavirus outbreak, people
familiar with the matter said.
The famed Montreal-based circus company, largely known for its regular
shows in Las Vegas venues, had to temporarily lay off most of its
staff after social distancing measures put in place to prevent the
spread of the virus nixed its performances.
Cirque du Soleil is working with restructuring advisers to address a
cash crunch and its roughly $900 million in debt, the sources said on
Thursday.
Creditors are also in talks with advisers as they prepare for possible
negotiations with the company, the sources said.
Cirque du Soleil has not yet decided how to address its strained
finances, the sources cautioned, requesting anonymity to discuss
confidential deliberations. The company declined to comment.
Entertainment companies that put on shows in confined spaces, such as
movie theaters and theme parks, are reeling in the wake of the
coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened nearly 500,000 people and
caused more than 22,000 deaths around the world.
Attempting to slow infections, governments have banned large
gatherings, ordered people to remain at home and shut businesses
deemed nonessential, including casinos.
Cirque du Soleil's layoffs affected more than 4,600 employees, or
about 95% of its workforce, the company said.
Cirque du Soleil's current woes have been exacerbated by debt taken on
to fund a $1.5 billion deal in 2015 that resulted in private equity
firm TPG acquiring a majority stake in the company. TPG has enlisted
its own restructuring advisers to work through the company's
deteriorating finances, the sources said. The private equity firm
declined to comment.
Moody's Investors Service earlier this month cut Cirque du Soleil's
credit rating deep into junk territory and said there was a "high
risk" the company would default on its debt. Canceled shows this year
are expected to result in steep financial losses for the company "with
limited prospects for a tenable capital structure thereafter," the
ratings firm said in a March 18 note.
Cirque du Soleil had about $105 million in funds available as of
December, consisting of $20 million in cash and the rest from a
revolving credit line, Moody's said. Cirque du Soleil is expected to
spend about $165 million over the next year, including on ticket
reimbursements for canceled shows and debt payment, the ratings firm
said.
A portion of Cirque du Soleil's term loan was trading at 48 cents on
the dollar this week, indicating investor concerns about the company's
ability to repay its debts.
{ SOURCE: Reuters }
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Cirque: "We Are in Combat Mode"
{Apr.01.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
(Original article appeared in La Presse in French, it has been
translated below into English using Google Translate}
Struck by the crisis of the new coronavirus, Cirque du Soleil is still
working to put in place the financial solutions that will allow it to
emerge from its forced quarantine while tying up the logistics of
resuming its tour of shows everywhere in the world. Because there will
be life after the crisis, insists its CEO, Daniel Lamarre.
As we know, Cirque du Soleil was struck down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company, which simultaneously had 44 shows worldwide, was forced
to cancel all of its activities and lay off 95% of its workforce, or
nearly 5,000 people.
"It was quite a colossal operation. We had to repatriate more than
2,000 of our employees on tour in around thirty cities in each of
their countries of origin. We had to dismantle our marquees and store
483 trailer trucks of equipment, "says Daniel Lamarre.
For the past two weeks, there have been many speculations about the
financial insecurity of Cirque du Soleil to face the crisis that has
beset it. When a company loses almost all of its revenues overnight,
there is reason to worry about what happens next, especially when
these revenues amount to more than US $ 1 billion.
And the concerns are amplified all the more since Cirque du Soleil is
currently accumulating a considerable debt, of the order of a billion
dollars, due to significant investments of more than 500 million that
have been made over the past two years to acquisitions and the
creation of new shows.
Daniel Lamarre admits at the outset that the Cirque is facing major
challenges and that it will have to maneuver extremely tightly over
the next few months to emerge from the crisis, but he is sorry for the
aura of fatalism with which we portray its financial and operational
situation.
"Yes, we have liquidity problems, yes, we are working to find
solutions with our partners and the governments, but we are in combat
mode. We are not waiting for the miracle solution and we are not
looking for subsidies to get by, we are working to put the company
back on its feet so that it is ready as soon as the situation allows,
"launches the CEO of Cirque.
ENCOURAGING NEWS
It is to break the atmosphere of torpor that hovers over the company
long revered for its immense creativity that Daniel Lamarre wanted to
testify.
From an operational point of view, the Cirque du Soleil management
team is working tirelessly to prepare for the post-crisis period. We
review all the logistics of the tours which are planned two years in
advance. Certain shows will have to be given priority, just as we plan
to bet more on certain key markets, such as those of London, Los
Angeles, New York or Sydney.
"We are in constant discussion with our partners. With MGM in Las
Vegas or with Disney. As soon as the situation allows, we will
relaunch our shows and our tours, one at a time. Our producers in
Korea and Indonesia are already calling us to resume the shows."
Daniel Lamarre, CEO of Cirque du Soleil
That said, Cirque will need cash to orchestrate the gradual
reactivation of its activities. Its CEO estimates that it will cost
from 100 to 200 million US to ensure the transition to full
operationality of its activities.
"Our shareholders TPG, Fosun and Caisse de depot will participate in
this recovery and we are negotiating with Investissement Québec to
have loans guaranteed. There are still details to be clarified, "says
Daniel Lamarre.
If these details become inextricable, the CEO still does not rule out
the possibility that Cirque du Soleil will place itself under the
protection of bankruptcy law, an extreme solution which he obviously
does not favor.
Could Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque who has just sold the remaining
10% share he held in the business to the Caisse de depot, could have
been involved and helped save the business that he created? It would
be a fair return, right?
"These are his personal decisions, he has his own plans, I focus on
the decisions we can make. We are fortunate to have a solid
shareholder, the Caisse de depot, who believes in the business,
"replies Daniel Lamarre.
"People forget that before the crisis broke out, Cirque du Soleil was
very profitable despite the large investments that we have made in
recent years. It is estimated that the return to profitability is
achievable within two years."
According to Daniel Lamarre, the wheel will start to turn again as
soon as Cirque begins presenting a first show and cash will start to
flow again.
"Last Friday, we put on our site extracts of three of our shows which
generated in 24 hours 7 million views and 6.7 million additional views
on Facebook and YouTube. It gives you an idea of the strength of the
Cirque du Soleil brand, "illustrates Daniel Lamarre.
Cirque is not dead and the fight has only just begun, according to its
CEO, because there will be life after the crisis.
{ SOURCE: Jean-Pilippe Décarie, La Presse+ }
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CDPQ In Talks to Throw Lifeline to CDS
{Apr.03.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is in talks with Caisse de Depot
et Placement du Quebec for rescue funding after the company's shows
were halted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to people with
knowledge of the matter.
The Montreal-based company is discussing options including a capital
injection or a loan under a relief fund that Caisse established to aid
Quebec companies impacted by Covid-19, according to one of the people,
who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Caisse,
Canada's second-largest pension fund, is a minority shareholder in
Cirque du Soleil.
"We follow very closely the companies in which we are invested, and we
have ongoing conversations with them," a Caisse representative said in
an email, declining to comment further. Representatives for Cirque du
Soleil and its majority owner TPG declined to comment.
Cirque du Soleil, which grew from a troupe of Quebec street performers
into a global live entertainment giant, is working with advisers to
explore debt restructuring options, including a potential bankruptcy
filing, said the people with knowledge of the situation.
S&P Global Ratings cut the company's rating to D on Friday, saying
that it believes the company failed to make principal and interest
payments due March 31 on its first-lien credit facility and an
interest payment on its second-lien facility.
The company, which has performances in Las Vegas including Mystere and
Michael Jackson ONE, needs to address more than $900 million of loans
after it was forced to cancel shows amid shelter-in-place orders
across the globe. Creditors have also retained a legal adviser to help
during negotiations, according to the people.
Caisse doubled its stake in Cirque in February, buying out founder Guy
Laliberté and supporting the company as it emerges from a string of
recent acquisitions including Blue Man Productions and VStar
Entertainment Group.
Caisse's stake climbed to almost 20% from 10%, putting it on par with
Shanghai-based Fosun International Ltd, while private equity giant TPG
retains its share of roughly 60%. Caisse manages more than C$340.1
billion ($240.5 billion) in net assets.
{ SOURCE: Bloomberg }
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Can Cirque du Soleil Bounce Back on Shaky Ground?
{Apr.06.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
There have been a series of seismic announcements in the circus world
in the past weeks in response to the coronavirus, with circus
performers and companies immediately losing their contracts for the
coming months and the instant closure of performance venues and circus
festivals around the world. But no shock has been quite so large as
the devastating news on March 19th (just seven days after announcing
its temporary halt of all touring shows) that Cirque du Soleil, a
company with over 4,600 employees, would be laying off 95% of its
staff worldwide temporarily.
The alarm bells quickly rang again, followed by the information from
Reuters that Cirque Du Soleil was considering bankruptcy (March 26th).
This was quickly followed up with rumblings about the restructuring of
debt, and Cirque du Soleil, normally such a private company about its
internal affairs, was suddenly the topic in more than a few financial
publications, all eager to make sense of how such a behemoth
corporation, with 35 years under its belt and 50 original shows in its
repertoire suddenly could be brought to its knees after a few weeks of
poor ticket sales, followed by a projected month or two of no ticket
sales.
Although Daniel Lamarre has consistently struck an optimistic tone
throughout the unfolding of all events, the changes certainly shook
the confidence of smaller circus outfits around the world who look to
the company as both a guiding star and a barometer for the industry.
The story of how things unraveled is quite complicated and involves
more factors than a deadly virus, but can be partially pieced together
from a series of reports over these past few months.
EARLY SIGNS
As recently as August and November of 2019, Cirque du Soleil was
confidently announcing news shows and attractions, including a Disney
production in 2020, a permanent show in Berlin, Germany and a new
dinner theater attraction in Mexico.
But signs of restructuring and weight from corporate and investor debt
started to show before the coronavirus even took hold, with the
Montreal Gazette reporting in December of 2019 that Cirque du Soleil
had laid off 53 employees for productivity and reorganization
purposes.
As the coronavirus outbreak grew in China, the company announced on
January 23, 2020 that it would suspend performances (in Hangzhou) of
their new resident show X, The Land of Fantasy due to the rapid spread
of the COVID-19 virus in the region. About 200 people were working on
the show at the time, including 13 Canadians.
For unrelated reasons having more to do with a lukewarm reception,
Cirque du Soleil announced (on February 28th)the closing of their new
Las Vegas show R.U.N. at Luxor. The closing was to take effect the
same week on March 8th. Channel 3 Las Vegas news shared a quote from
the statement, released by Cirque du Soleil "Many avenues of creative
options were explored to enhance the existing show, but the resources
and time needed to make these changes proved to be obstacles too big
to overcome."
On March 6th, the Montreal Gazette reported further on the R.U.N.
closing, delving deeper into Cirque du Soleil's mounting list of nixed
plans and shows, stating "The Montreal-based circus has also cancelled
the Hong Kong tour for the show Amaluna, which was supposed to be
taking place in May." In the same article, the Gazette states "Lamarre
confirmed rumours that for the past six months, Cirque du Soleil has
been contemplating a public-share offering, but that is off the table
for the moment given the turbulence of financial markets."
In that same article, reporter Brendan Kelly's focus was on a
purported crisis in creativity, "There are also serious creative
problems plaguing Under the Same Sky, the Cirque show that is set to
have its world premiere under the big top in the Old Port in Montreal
on April 23. Executives at Cirque du Soleil were not pleased after a
preview performance at Cirque headquarters in St-Michel last week."
So, on the surface, the cancellation or postponement of four planned
shows in a matter of a few weeks seemed as if it could be as related
to the economy as it was to timing, creative vision or the
coronavirus. But the coronavirus seemed to be the tipping point for
Cirque du Soleil, with the closure of all touring shows announced on
March 12th, and the layoffs announced on March 19th. It is by turning
to the financial publications that a fuller picture emerges of how
inter-related all of these factors were.
NUMBERS DON'T LIE
On March 26th, Reuters laid out the company's decline in credit
rating, stating, "Moody's Investors Service earlier this month cut
Cirque du Soleil's credit rating deep into junk territory and said
there was a high risk' the company would default on its debt.
Canceled shows this year are expected to result in steep financial
losses for the company with limited prospects for a tenable capital
structure thereafter,' the ratings firm said in a March 18 note."
A similar report on Yahoo Finance reported on S&P Global Ratings which
"cut the company's rating to D on Friday, saying that it believes the
company failed to make principal and interest payments due March 31 on
its first-lien credit facility and an interest payment on its second-
lien facility."
According to Bloomberg Quint, "Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is
in talks with Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec for rescue
funding." Caisse de Depot is an institutional investor that manages
several public and parapublic pension plans and insurance programs in
Quebec. And in February of 2020, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy
Laliberté sold off his remaining shares to Caisse (a 10 % stake in the
company which purportedly now makes them 20% shareholders) according
to CBC. The article states, "San Francisco-based private equity firm
TPG Capital remains Cirque du Soleil's majority shareholder following
the deal, the Caisse said, with China-based Fosun Capital Group
retain(ing) a 20 percent stake."
Yahoo Finance also weighed in with similar numbers, stating Caisse was
"buying out founder Guy Laliberté and supporting the company as it
emerges from a string of recent acquisitions including Blue Man
Productions and VStar Entertainment Group....putting it on par with
Shanghai-based Fosun International Ltd, while private equity giant TPG
retains its share of roughly 60%. Caisse manages more than C$340.1
billion ($240.5 billion) in net assets."
The Wall Street Journal Podcast The Journal reported on Cirque du
Soleil in an episode titled The Next Coronavirus Financial Crisis,
explaining how through its various acquisitions and investors Cirque
du Soleil has managed to take on the $900 million in debt through
leveraged loans, a type of loan that is given to companies that
already have either a significant amount of debt already or a poor
credit history.
According to the Journal's reporter Matt Wirz, these high-risk
leveraged loans make companies more vulnerable. Wirz explains how
Cirque du Soleil went from a small group of circus artists to a huge
moneymaker when Laliberté sold the company for 1.5 billion dollars in
2015 to investors. Wirz says when the private equity firms bought the
company, they themselves borrowed hundreds of millions to do it. Loans
and interest were easily being paid off with shows raking in profits,
and so Cirque du Soleil expanded, buying more companies like Blue Man
Group, and borrowing more money. As debt increased, so did risk and
the interest rates associated with them, which Wirz said has led them
further into debt.
PLANNING AHEAD
For a company that relies so heavily on live performance, tourism and
leisure money, the future looks uncertain indeed, but if the circus
sector is looking for optimism, they need only look as far as company
CEO Daniel Lamarre, who recently spoke to The Globe and Mail about the
company's plans going forward. Lamarre told reporter Nicolas Van Praet
that the strength of the brand would save the company because "We are
one of the most amazing brands in the world. No investor with a
straight mind will let it go."
Beyond working out a deal with investors, Lamarre says Cirque du
Soleil has a plan to reopen in carefully selected markets, as the
coronavirus wanes in certain areas. Van Praet says the companies many
shows (10 resident shows, 13 touring shows and 21 shows under
affiliated brands) gave it little room to keep cash on hand despite
the high level of profit. Las Vegas for example, accounted for 1/3rd
of Cirque du Soleil's revenue.
According to Van Praet, Lamarre said once the company's work of
repatriating 2000 employees from 30 cities around the world was done
after the layoffs, the core team started planning for the unique
operational challenges that they may encounter of re-staffing the
shows while accommodating any existing travel restrictions. Regarding
bringing Las Vegas back on line, Lamarre told Van Praet it would take
three weeks once everyone is back on the ground. He thinks the company
will likely focus on 10 different super markets to recover, and will
decrease their development of new shows while getting set up again.
STRATEGY & SUPPORT
Another hopeful sign was a statement from Quebec's economic minister
Pierre Fitzgibbon who told reporters at LeDevoir "We are looking at a
financial intervention to allow Cirque du Soleil to get through this
period without shows," then further adding his vote of confidence in
the company by stating "In the case of Cirque, we will be involved.
Cirque is a company that made money before the crisis and will make it
after."
Although Lamarre stressed to Van Praet that there will be a careful,
calculated re-entry into the performing arts market for Cirque du
Soleil, he also explained how once a show surpasses 50% capacity in
the audience, every ticket is pure profit. But will the same be true
if there are only a third or half of the shows running in three
months? Will the headquarters staff and artists eventually be fully
reinstated? Will Quebec and investors step up to keep operations
funded until then? These are questions circus people are asking
themselves as they wait out the coronavirus, hopeful to return to a
circus sector that proves itself resilient enough to bounce back.
Ever conscious of its image and the deep need from the circus
community and fan base for reassurance, Cirque du Soleil lost no time
in reinventing itself, launching a digital content hub called
CirqueConnect on March 27th. CirqueConnect premiered its first
streaming content, a 60-minute special, featuring moments from its
shows KURIOS, O, and LUZIA. It was a testing of the waters....are
audiences still hungry for circus? Van Praet reports that the first
streaming of the show yielded 6.3 million viewers on social media
networks and 7 million on their website, which was a heartening sign
to Lamarre that their brand is still strong among the fanbase.
{ SOURCE: Kim Campbell, Circus Talk }
***************************************************************
Q&A -- Quick Chats & Press Interviews
***************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque Performer Trapped Aboard Cruise Ship
{Apr.10.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
When Seattle resident Jody Poth signed her first circus contract late
last year, with Cirque du Soleil at Sea, it felt like nearly a decade
of training as an aerialist had finally paid off.
She left her day job as a private investigator and flew to Montreal to
learn two shows from what some consider the top traveling circus in
the world. At the time, she said, she was excited by the prospect of
performing for the next seven months aboard the MSC Bellissima, a
4,000-passenger cruise ship, as it visited the Middle East and Asia.
"This was what I always wanted to do," said Poth, who Seattle denizens
may know from her Sunday-night gig at the Pink Door twirling above
diners' heads in a hoop suspended from the ceiling.
But Poth got to perform for just two weeks before precautions to
control the spread of the novel coronavirus trapped her and roughly
1,400 other crew members aboard a ship docked in Dubai, in the United
Arab Emirates. Many have been awaiting a way out for more than a
month.
Initially, the crew members had free run of the ship, she said. But as
days progressed into weeks, MSC began restricting their access to the
pool, the theater and other amenities. Soon, the company turned off
lights in parts of the boat and regulated how many crew members were
in the mess hall at any one time.
And earlier this week, MSC announced a lockdown and restricted crew
members to their cabins. A letter sent to Poth and other crew members
outlining the new regime warned they "may have been in contact with
people infected with COVID-19."
Poth said she wasn't sure what that meant, but she and neighbors are
"trying to keep our spirits high" by playing music and shouting to
each other across the balconies.
MSC, which is based in Geneva, did not respond to calls or emails
requesting comment.
Cruise ships have gained swift prominence as floating epicenters of
the disease. A major outbreak on the Diamond Princess in February
sickened nearly 700 passengers after what was supposed to be a
quarantine instead allowed the virus to incubate and spread on board.
At least 10 ships in recent weeks have reported crew members or
passengers who tested positive for coronavirus or experienced
symptoms.
Efforts to control the spread of the virus have resulted in a near-
global shutdown of the industry. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention decreed late Thursday that cruise ships are not
allowed to arrive or depart from American ports until late April,
extending an earlier moratorium on cruising.
The U.A.E. took similar steps March 12, suspending all cruise
operations to control the spread of the coronavirus.
That left seven ships docked at Port Rashid in Dubai, including the
MSC Bellissima, scrambling to disembark passengers. But the ship's
stewards, cooks, mariners, entertainers and other crew members stayed
aboard only to hear a week later that the U.A.E. had closed its
borders to foreign citizens.
The same day, the company announced it would cease all cruise
operations until the end of April leaving crew members marooned on
what Poth called a "floating entity" with no clear status.
"If I'm not in the country, I'm really in limbo," she said. "We are
under the discretion of the company that runs the cruise ship. Is the
company prepared enough to repatriate and take care of X number of
people in a short amount of time? Do they have enough resources?"
The former dancer has been practicing circus arts since 2011. To have
her aerial skills acknowledged by Cirque du Soleil was, she said,
intensely gratifying and to perform for such a short time especially
wrenching.
"Being two weeks into a contract we worked really hard for has been
really defeating," she said.
The biggest worry, for Poth, has been maintaining her art. She
exercises on the balcony of her cabin. But, she said, she's largely at
a loss because she doesn't have access to the equipment she's used to
performing with.
Some crew members have left the ship in the past month, including 334
Indonesian sailors from the MSC Bellissima and another ship who
returned to Indonesia on Wednesday, Gulf News reported.
Poth heard rumors midweek that MSC may be in the process of
repatriating her and the other Cirque du Soleil at Sea members
including one other Seattleite and two former residents of the city.
So far, she said, she's spent most of her days on lockdown trying to
find a way back home.
But the aerialist said even if she had known before she left this was
how her first-ever circus gig would turn out, "I would still choose to
come. My passion is my passion. All risk for the reward."
{ SOURCE: Katherine Khashimova Long, The Seattle Times }
----------------------------------------------------------
Valencia High Alum helps Cirque Acrobats take flight
{Apr.10.2020}
----------------------------------------------------------
Acrobats bounce on trampolines. A man dangles from a lamp and a woman
swings by her hair. BMX riders dazzle an audience. All of this is
thanks to some behind-the-scenes magic from Sean Groves.
Groves, who grew up in Valencia, is the head of automation on "Volta."
From the Latin meaning "a sudden, quick change in emotion," it is the
41st show and 18th big top by Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil.
The show, created in 2017, centers around a boy named Waz who attempts
to find fame through a game show competition, but is mocked for his
individuality and struggles to come to terms with his identity.
"We realized Cirque du Soleil has never done a show about action
sports like BMX, Double Dutch and roller skating, so we threw them on
stage and found a way to marry them with the circus," said Steven
Ross, senior publicist for "Volta." "We realized that you can't have
these freestyle sports with classic circus music so this is the first
circus show to have electronic music."
Groves began his life in entertainment as a member of Valencia High
School's theater department. After graduation he worked in film
production, as well as at the College of the Canyons theater, before
moving to Pittsburgh to pursue a degree in technical direction from
the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. There, Groves
discovered the world of automation, which he describes as developing
and controlling effects that include "anything that's big and heavy
moving or really fast flying around."
"Being in a theater scene, I did a lot of improv performing, as well
as some on-stage combat, so being involved in creating these
spectacles has been a passion of mine," Groves said. "I discovered I
had that knack for the technical side of things, and that automation
allows you to work with artists and acrobats while staying on the
technical side to help create these large, exciting spectacles in a
consistent, safe manner."
Upon graduating college, Groves got a job with the "Marvel Universe
Live!" arena show. After some successful networking, he was hired to
work for the automation team on the "Curios" Cirque du Soleil show.
While on that show, Groves helped create effects, including aerial
winches, a net act and strap acts, which are aerial acts performed
hanging from fabric or leather straps.
After working on "Curios" for about three years, Groves transferred to
work as a technician on "Volta" because it offered him more
opportunity to progress for career advancement and quickly advanced to
become the show's head of automation. Groves said "Volta" is unique in
that while other Cirque shows usually only rely on automation for
aerial acts, every act in "Volta" requires some sort of automation.
"I have a great strong relationship with all the artists. We're able
to work together very smoothly, cohesively," he said. "Everyone speaks
a different language, and trying to translate that to automation is
pretty difficult but I find I do my best to find the easiest way to
convey the information I need, which quickly led to me stepping up
into the head position."
Andrew Barrus, technical director on "Volta," said that while circus
acts were traditionally done manually with people behind the scenes
using ropes and pulleys, the industry as a whole has progressed toward
automating tricks, making them safer and more consistent for the
acrobats. Even with the added security of technological advantages,
Barrus said that, like any technology, there are still occasional
issues.
"We've had a few technical issues on the show this year, but one of
Sean's greatest strengths is troubleshooting and the dogged tenacity
to overcome challenges," Barrus said. "It also takes a certain kind of
person to confidently hold someone on the end of a wire and move them
up and down, and there are a lot of people within the automation field
that lack Sean's ability to do that. There has to be a level of trust
with the artistic team because of how dangerous this is, and Sean has
a gift of cultivating that relationship."
Though Groves was not on the "Volta" team when it was created, he has
still had opportunities to put his own mark on the show. According to
Groves, tricks and acts are changed or added all the time throughout a
tour as the acrobats try out new things to keep shows fresh for
performers and audiences alike.
Any act requires about six months of preparation before it is
incorporated into the show. On top of the three months of training
that the acrobats must do with an act before it is considered, Groves
and his team must also test that the equipment is capable of
withstanding the type of movement and speed the acrobat wants before
designing the act.
"One of my favorite things about Cirque shows is that they're always
changing and never getting dull because the acrobats themselves can
get bored just like in a day job and are always finding ways to one-up
themselves," Groves said. "I've had it where we're making changes
twice a week to our acrolamp act and we're making changes on our
ladders act so we're working on that once a week."
"I've never particularly enjoyed being in the spotlight, and I've
always preferred helping someone else work really cool in some way,"
he said. "If you told me 10 years ago that I'd be working with Cirque
du Soleil, I would have said you were crazy. I knew I wanted to
explore the world, so being with Cirque in the big-top show really
allows you to see what it's like to be a local in a town, since we're
there for two months. I don't know how long I'll be on Volta,' but
the nice part about Cirque is that you can bounce around to different
shows. It's all about the growth you want."
{ SOURCE: Santa Clara Valley Signal }
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) 60-MINUTE SPECIALS
Enjoy a front-row seat to awe-inspiring moments of the larger-
than-life shows, with never-before seen angles that can only be
experienced on your screen.
- SPECIAL #1: KURIOS, "O", and LUZIA {Mar.27}
https://youtu.be/nQ5eUJNXrMw
- SPECIAL #2: AMALUNA, BAZZAR, and VOLTA {Apr.03}
https://youtu.be/allVFq3P-48
- Special #3: ALEGRIA: INAL, KOOZA, and KÀ {Apr.10}
https://youtu.be/VL0TG_nCqzE
o) OTHER VIDEOS
- CRYSTAL: Behind-the-Scenes Look on tour
https://www.facebook.com/CrystalbyCirqueduSoleil/videos/202764197471141/
https://www.facebook.com/CrystalbyCirqueduSoleil/videos/2623180797925605/
- AXEL: Discover the unexpected life of Nicolas Montes de Oca
https://www.facebook.com/CirqueduSoleil/videos/587339891850273/
- ZUMANITY: Our Technician was a part of St. Baldrick's
Foundation's Brave the Shave!
https://www.facebook.com/Zumanity/videos/657169751697089/
- KURIOS: Visited Queensland Children's Hospital
https://www.facebook.com/kuriosbycirquedusoleil/videos/338565327100787/
- LUZIA: Cast Staying Creative by Reimagining the Show Trailer
https://www.facebook.com/LUZIAbyCirqueduSoleil/videos/790236041382103/
- UNDER THE SAME SKY: What's it like being an artist?
https://www.facebook.com/CirqueUnderTheSameSky/videos/230752821390611/
- MESSI10: Pregame-The Making of MessiCirque
https://www.facebook.com/cirquejobs/videos/568612803733290/
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "Cirque (Trying to) Connect"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
o) "The Hardcore Cirque Fans Tournament of Cirque Shows"
By: Richard Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
"Cirque (Trying to) Connect"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
If you're a performance-based company that can no longer perform, how
do you attempt to maintain relevance and exposure? If you're Cirque
du Soleil, the largest theatrical producer in the world, it's by the
internet!
Cirque recently introduced CirqueConnect (found here:
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/cirqueconnect ), which it describes as
a place for Cirque's fans to connect with the company through a hub
for videos and other content. Which seems like a great idea; for the
last couple of years Cirque has concentrated on short-form-video
production as a primary focus for its efforts at social media. What
used to be photo-oriented posts on Facebook now almost always have
some sort of short video component.
With the large amount of video series available on Facebook and
YouTube, a hub like this makes sense. It's easy to create and cheap
as no new material needs to be created for it, it just collects
currently available content. Especially since Cirque Club, it's "fan
club" seems to be dormant. At least when I log into it nothing seems
to happen, no special page with exclusive content, nothing.
Currently it contains the following sections:
o) 60-Minute Specials Shows released on what appears to be a weekly
schedule, showcasing selected acts from various current shows, some
that have appeared on consumer video, some not. As of this writing
there are three shows dated March 27 and April 3 and 10. (We'll
talk about these in a bit.)
o) Virtual Reality Here is a link to a YouTube page that appears to
collect a number of their 180-degree videos, as well as trailers
for their VR 360-degree experiences. There is also a link to the
Cirque virtual reality phone app where you can download Cirque's
experiences based on KA, O, Kurios, and Luzia (all of which are
worth a look). [Though, for some reason, they don't include the
experience based on the now-closed Zarkana. Wonder why? ]
o) Original Webseries So far containing:
.) Get in Shape with CirqueFit Twelve videos in the "Cirque it
Out" fitness workout series.
.) Unique CirqueFit Ab Workout One video of abs workout.
.) Behind the Curtain Introduction videos to Cirque shows hosted
by the very enthusiastic Matthew Rodrigues. This includes shows
no longer performing, including Amaluna, Sep7imo Dia, Toruk and
even One Night for One Drop 2018.
.) Paint Your Face The Color Me Cirque makeup tutorial videos led
by Cirque artist Kyle Cragle.
.) Women of Cirque A ten-minute video called "100 Best Female Act
Performers" with short clips of female performers. (The sub-
title is a bit of a misnomer, as the clips are generally too
short to focus on any one performer. If you wanted to highlight
who you thought were the greatest female performers in Cirque,
you might want to include THEIR NAMES on the screen! Rather
they should call this "Some 100 Times we use Females in our
Shows.")
o) Making Of Links to the 40-minute Alegria: In a New Light and the
26-minute Crystal: Breaking the Ice (which were both previously
presented as series).
o) Kids Content With links to:
.) Luna Petunia Link to this Netflix animated show.
.) Big Top Academy A description of the show available on Hulu
in the US.
.) Circus How-to A short video on how to juggle from Kurios'
Gabriel Beaudoin.
.) Family Face Paint 3-minutes on face painting 3 Cirque
characters.
o) Cirque du Soleil Music Links to a You Tube page with A TON (136!)
of music videos, and a link to Spotify to listen to Cirque
soundtracks. (And here's a Fascination! Throwback which can also
be downloaded in their entirety FOR FREE if your public library
system subscribes to Freegal, a free music downloading service.
www.freegalmusic.com )
The spotlighted feature of the page are the links to their ongoing
series of 60-minute "highlight" videos. And much of this has not been
commercially available. These untitled videos include three to date:
March 27 8 million views so far. From Kurios the opening section
featuring drumming and juggling, acro net, and animal mime clown act.
From "O"-La Barge (contortion and balancing), Bateau (ship/parallel
bars), and the fire acts. And from Luzia aerial straps (with an
introduction from singer Majo), russian swings, and the Fiesta Finale.
Though Kurios and Luzia have been commercially available on DVD, "O"
has not (though it has been professionally shot and broadcast on
German ARTE television), so pieces of that are nice to see. For some
reason the sound of Luzia is off, it sounds a bit constrained.
April 3 4.5 million views so far From Amaluna the aerial straps,
uneven bars, and teeterboard (which my wife described as, "skinny ass
white guys"). From Bazzar there is vertical rope, breakdance, and
icarian games/hoop/hair hang. From Volta there is hair suspension,
shape diving, and BMX bikes. Only Amaluna has been released on video
(though Volta was released on Bell Fibre in Canada), and Bazzar has
not come to the US so it is nice to know this has had video produced.
April 10 only 750,000 views so far, but it has just been recently
released From the revamp of Alegria we get an opening introduction
that promises an Alegria VR experience coming at the end of April,
followed by fire-knife, the opening and acro bars and (of course)
power track. (The sound on the video is in mono, which we found odd.)
From Kooza we get only two acts, wheel of death and highwire. From KA
there is Blizzard (the nomadic tribe on top of the wall), archers
attack (with the flying bird contraption), and (again, of course) the
climactic final battle and aftermath. It is nice to see extended
highlights from the latest bigtop show (though they botch the coverage
of the final power track triple-flip, cutting at the wrong time) as
well as the biggest Vegas spectacle show, neither of which are
available commercially though KA has been broadcast on German ARTE
television.
In looking at these videos several thoughts occur. Firstly, the
amazing abilities of the artists come through, as does the design and
scenic and stagecraft elements Cirque is known for. It also begs the
question of why more of these recorded productions are not available
for sale or streaming. You can find some on www.broadwayhd.com, a
subscription service, which has a multitude of musical, drama, and
performing arts videos available for streaming. They have 10 Cirque
productions; the only currently touring one being Kooza (as well as a
documentary). The rest are closed shows - Nouvelle Experience,
Saltimbanco, the original Alegria, Dralion, Toruk (as well as a
documentary), Delirium, and Amaluna. The "movies" Alegria, Journey of
Man, and World's Away are available to purchase through several
outlets such as Itunes and Amazon.
But, given they currently have no income coming in at the moment,
couldn't they look to release other shows that have been committed to
video for pay-per-view? Especially the shows that aren't being
produced anymore, such as the older shows in the canon, as well as
shows like Quidam, Midnight Sun, La Nouba, Varekai, Sep7imo Dia,
Wintuk, Zaia, Iris, Zarkana, Le Grand Concert, or the Solstrum series,
just to name a few? And while we're at it let's include some of the
other previous "special event" shows, like Allavita (Milan-2015), the
Homage series (Cirque fans are used toshows with language they might
not understand (like French), and are used to subtitles), and the
shows in Andorra?
The answers we've gotten previously are primarily business oriented.
"Why put out products for a show we can't sell tickets for?" was the
first, and shows a very butts-in-seats-only-matters approach. We've
also been told that, though the shows have been shot, edited, and
mastered, putting them onto streaming services adds costs that isn't
felt would be made up by revenue. Both of those are good reasons, I
suppose, but isn't any money good money and any exposure good
exposure? (It also should be noted that some of these shows,
especially the filmed versions of resident shows, were filmed with
funds provided by the eventual exhibitor, and thus may be restricted
from other formats.)
And we wish Cirque would use the Cirque-Connect hub to collate other
series they have done. Such as:
- Meet the Artists profiles there are a number of these spread out
over many of Cirque's show Facebook and YouTube pages
- Series about the creation of shows there are ones for Crystal,
Axel, probably others
- Messi Cirque the Movie self-explanatory
- "O"nstage-7 days a week converting "O" to a 7-days-a week show
schedule
- Brilliantly Invested, a series in collaboration with SunLife Global
Investments
- "Takumi" and "Power Within" - series in collaboration with Panasonic
Batteries
- Stepping onto the Stage a series from CDS Casting
- Special moments from shows. How about a link to the last minutes of
La Nouba, or Red Carpet broadcasts?
A look at Cirque's YouTube channel finds what looks like hundreds of
videos of various kinds. A general link to that channel would be
nice.
We applaud the creation of Cirque-Connect, and hope it will be further
filled out with more content. But, more importantly, we hope they are
able to survive this medical and economic chaos and return to creating
shows for us all to enjoy.
Finally, if we could make one more suggestion for the Cirque fan, that
would be to check out the current video from CirqueLife. This channel
was created 5 years ago by Eric Hernandez, the hoop dancer in Totem.
His latest video "We All Got Laid Off" from March 30, has Eric talking
about how he and his fellow artists experienced the last few weeks,
from the usual flu season warnings, to show cancellations only as a
possibility,to the complete shutting down of all of Cirque's shows
with a three-month layoff with no pay all in the matter of about two
weeks. He adds a different perspective to what Cirque is currently
going through and is well worth checking out (as are other videos on
his channel).
------------------------------------------------------------
"The Hardcore Cirque Fans Tournament of Cirque Shows"
By: Richard Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------
THE HARDCORE CIRQUE FANS TOURNAMENT OF CIRQUE SHOWS
By: Richard Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
While Covid-19 has had many Cirque du Soleil fans sitting at home
wondering what to do with all their new-found alone time, Ian Reents,
founder and moderator of Facebook Group Hardcore Cirque Fans (HCF),
knew exactly how to help alleviate the boredom: a Cirque du Soleil-
themed bracket tournament.
You know what these are.
A tournament bracket is a tree diagram that represents a series of
games played in a knockout-style tournament. You'll find them in many
major professional sports leagues representing a playoff schedule to
see who's the best out of all the teams in the league. This can be
accomplished because often there are at least two different
conferences, and teams mostly play other teams in their own
conference. With two conferences there are two sides of the bracket
with one conference on one side while the other is on the opposite
side. Usually the sides are organized according to a team's seeding;
higher-seeded (or ranked) teams are matched against lower-seeded (or
low ranking) teams, and they play to see who's the best until reaching
conference champion. The conference champions then play one another
for the grand prize and bragging rights as being the best of the best.
For the Cirque League that Ian set up, the brackets are a simplified
listing of general show creation order (with some modifications) but
that didn't make the decisions at hand any easier to make, especially
when a favorite was matched up to a favorite. What's a Cirque fan to
do, you know? But let's get into it...
ROUND 1
---------
The first round, which commenced on March 29th, set up this tournament
of champions as follows...
Conference 1 Conference 2
Grand Tour vs. Magie Continue Corteo vs. Delirium
Réinventé vs. Nouvelle Expérience LOVE vs. Koozå
Saltimbanco vs. Mystère Wintuk vs. ZAIA
Alegría vs. Quidam Believe vs. ZED
"O" vs. La Nouba OVO vs. Banana Shpeel
Dralion vs. Varekai Viva Elvis vs. Totem
Zumanity vs. KÀ Septimo Dia vs. Volta
MJ Immortal vs. IRIS Crystal vs. Bazzar
Zarkana vs. Amaluna Alegria INAL vs. X: Fantasy
MJ One vs. Kurios Axel vs. Messi10
JOYÀ vs. TORUK R.U.N vs. 'Twas the Night
Luzia vs. Paramour Midnight Sun vs. 30th Concert
... and already sparks were primed to fly.
Take a moment to make some selections yourself before checking out the
results. Voting for Round 1, which stopped at Noon on March 30th,
received 101 casts, or about 3.4% of Hardcore Cirque Fans group
members. And it was quite interesting!
From Conference 1, the winners (and by what percentage of the vote
they received, thereby winning) were: Magie Continue (61.4%), Nouvelle
Expérience (80.2%), Mystère (70.3%), Quidam (52.5%), "O" (74.3%),
Varekai (72.3%), KÀ (64.4%), IRIS (68.3%), Amaluna (67.3%), Kurios
(93.1%), JOYÀ (63.4%), and Luzia (92.1%). From Conference 2, the
winners were: Corteo (90.1%), Koozå (70.3%), ZAIA (84.2%), ZED (95.0%),
OVO (96.0%), TOTEM (91.1%), Volta (91.1%), Crystal (54.5%), Alegría
INAL (85.1%), Axel (67.3%), 'Twas The Night (60.4%), and the 30th
Anniversary Concert (50.5%).
It's not surprising to me that Magie Continue beat out Le Grand Tour,
or that Nouvelle Experiénce beat out Le Cirque Réinventé. Nor is it
surprising that Mystère won over Saltimbanco, or that Varekai won over
Dralion. We also saw some very strong statements for ZED vs. Believe
(though, honestly, who were the 5% who voted FOR Believe?), Kurios vs.
MJ One, Luzia vs. Paramour, and even ZAIA vs. Wintuk. But many fans
had a hard time selecting between Midnight Sun and the 30th
Anniversary concert - with the 30th Anniversary concert just squeaking
through. And there were some low winning percentages for Crystal, KÀ,
IRIS, and Amaluna, which attests to the popularity of the shows they
went up against (Bazzar, Zumanity, MJ Immortal, and Zarkana
respectively).
But the biggest battle of the round? Easily Alegría vs. Quidam.
Although Quidam triumphed in the end with 52.5% of the vote, it was by
far the most agonizing question of the round for many. For me it came
between "O" and La Nouba. Both are favorites of mine. Long-time
readers of Fascination know I cut my teeth on Cirque with La Nouba, so
it holds a special place in my heart. But I had to go with "O" on this
one. It's just on another plane of existence. But I had to wonder: how
would our favorites fair in Round 2?
ROUND 2
---------
The second round of voting began immediately after the results from
the first round were posted. And if you thought the hard questions had
already been asked... think again. There were going to be some
agonizing decisions to be made here too...
Conference 1 Conference 2
Magie Continue vs. Nouvelle Corteo vs. Kooza
Mystère vs. Quidam ZAIA vs. ZED
"O" vs. Varekai OVO vs. Totem
KÀ vs. IRIS Volta vs. Crystal
Amaluna vs. Kurios Alegria INAL vs. Axel
JOYÀ vs. Luzia 'Twas the Night vs. 30th Concert
108 fans participated in this second round, producing the following
winners: From Conference 1: Nouvelle Experience (90.7%), Quidam (64.8%),
"O" (70.4%), KÀ (74.1%), Kurios (76.9%), and Luzia (91.7%). From
Conference 2: Corteo (56.5%), ZED (75.0%), Totem (73.1%), Volta (77.8%),
Alegría INAL (79.6%) and the 30th Anniversary Concert (73.1%).
For me, the most agonizing match-up of the round was Mystère vs.
Quidam. Long-time readers of Fascination know how much I love Mystère;
it's my #1 favorite Cirque show of all time. But I also adore Quidam.
In the end there really was only one choice - Mystère. Alas it lost,
but it put up quite the good fight! Everything else fell out as I
expected.
ROUND 3
---------
It was only going to get harder from here, Ian had said, and with the
playing field significantly reduced, for some it was. But we were
finally getting down to it... and I had a feeling which three shows
would make it to the final round and which of one would win. Before
that, though, there was a vote to be had. Here's how the third round
was set up...
Conference 1 Conference 2
Nouvelle vs. Quidam Corteo vs. ZED
"O" vs. KA Totem vs. Volta
Kurios vs. Luzia Alegria INAL vs. 30th Concert
104 fans took part in this round, producing the following winners...
From Conference 1: Quidam (94.2%), "O" (78.8%), and Kurios (51.9%).
From Conference 2: Corteo (70.2%), Totem (63.5%), and Alegria: In a
New Light (88.5%).
The third round was one of the easiest for me to score. For many,
choosing Quidam, "O", and Alegria: In a New Light were easy, but the
results proved there was one contest that was very agonizing for many
fans: Kurios vs. Luzia. The outcome was quite surprising, seeing how
well Luzia scored in the round before, and its enduring popularity,
but Kurios is also quite popular amongst fans - and rightfully so.
Another surprising outcome? Corteo winning over ZED. The final rounds
would be interesting indeed.
THE FINAL ROUNDS
------------------
The fourth round set up Quidam vs. Corteo, "O" vs. Totem, and Kurios
vs. Alegria: In a New Light. At the onset, based on the popularity of
certain shows within the fandom (and outside to be honest), I thought
I knew how this round of voting would turn out, but I was wrong!
Quidam won over Corteo (62.0%), "O" won over Totem (82.4%), but...
very surprisingly... Alegria: In a New Light won over Kurios (50.9%).
Never had I been so flabbergasted, so stunned, in my life! WHAT?!
Okay, that's an exaggeration to be sure, but to choose Alegria: In a
New Light over Kurios was unexpected. Yet, as the results proved,
Alegria was just barely voted through.
Those results, of course, set up the three-way finale: Quidam vs. "O"
vs. Alegria: In a New Light. Only one of these would be crowned the
best show as voted by Hardcore Cirque Fans. Which one would it be?
Would it be a classic touring show, a classic resident show, or a
classic touring show restaged anew?
It...
... would not be Alegria: In a New Light, as it received only 16% of
the vote. That left the decision of "best show" between Quidam and
"O", two of Cirque du Soleil's most celebrated classic shows.
One of the remaining shows received 38% of the vote while the other
received the winning share of 46%. Which show do you think won the big
vote?
Ready for the big reveal?
The best Cirque du Soleil show according to Hardcore Cirque Fans is...
"O"!
And there you have it.
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 20, Number 4 (Issue #195) - April 2020
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C)
2001-2020 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.
{ Apr.14.2020 }
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