Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Fascination Issue 190
=======================================================================
______ _ __ _ __
/ ____/___ ___________(_)___ ____ _/ /_(_)___ ____ / /
/ /_ / __ '/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ '/ __/ / __ \/ __ \/ /
/ __/ / /_/ (__ ) /__ / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /_/ / / / /_/
/_/ \__,_/____/\___/_/_/ /_/\__,_/\__/_/\____/_/ /_(_)
T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.CirqueFascination.com
------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================================================
VOLUME 19, NUMBER 11 November 2019 ISSUE #190
=======================================================================
Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter. There've been a lot of announcements, so, let's
get to it!
* * * CIRQUE TO RESIDE IN BERLIN, NOVEMBER 2020! * * *
Berlin will be the site of the first Cirque du Soleil European
resident show, as Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Live Nation
Entertainment announced. In the winter of 2020, the brand new and
exclusive production will premiere at Theater am Potsdamer Platz,
where it aims to thrill audiences from the German capital and the
metropolitan area along with German and international tourists long
term. About 400,000 people per year will be able to witness unique
performances, specifically conceived for the Theater am Potsdamer
Platz.
This original creation of Cirque du Soleil for the city of Berlin is
produced in the German capital, where all the creative forces will
come together to design an innovative show. This creation is inspired
by Berlin itself and its cultural history while keeping the essence of
Cirque du Soleil front and center. The entirely new show at Theater am
Potsdamer Platz, Berlin's largest and most advanced theater, is a co-
production between Cirque du Soleil, which is responsible for the
artistic content, and Live Nation, the world´s leading live
entertainment company. Live Nation is also the new operator of Theater
am Potsdamer Platz. Tickets will go on sale end of November 2019.
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group President and CEO, Daniel
Lamarre, says "For Cirque du Soleil, this is a beautiful way of
celebrating a 25-year relationship with the city. This new and
exciting production is most certainly the best way to highlight the
privileged bond we have with Berlin." Marek Lieberberg, CEO of Live
Nation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has been instrumental in
bringing this project to life. "We are excited about this world
premiere as we all share the same fantastic vision of inspiring
audiences with outstanding events. That's exactly what the new
original Cirque du Soleil show at Theater am Potsdamer Platz will
achieve. My special gratitude to our partners from Cirque du Soleil
for the trust they have placed in us."
* * * ARTIST INJURED IN "R.U.N" OPENING * * *
A Cirque du Soleil artist was injured after crashing an electric
motorcycle in the opening "R.U.N" at Luxor. The performer, whose name
is being withheld by Cirque officials, was piloting the bike in the
Level Up scene near the end of the show. Sources familiar with the
incident reported he suffered a broken collarbone, though his status
has not been confirmed. A Cirque spokeswoman, citing the company's
policy not to release health information about its artists, said late
Thursday that the show stopped so an emergency intervention team could
take the injured performer backstage. He was said to be "taken in good
care" by the show's medical staff. Level Up features a pair of 12-
foot-tall ramps, and the artists called "motorcycle pilots" by the
Cirque team ascend more than 30 feet in the air. The show resumed
after the accident, and is to continue as scheduled. There were also
several reported technical snags in the opening of the production,
including one that also stopped the performances entirely.
* * * CAST & CREATIVES ANNOUNCED FOR "'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE" * * *
On October 16th, Cirque du Soleil and The Madison Square Garden
Company MSG announced the casting and creative team for the all-new,
family production, Twas the Night Before
Twas the Night Before
is
an exhilarating spin on the beloved Christmas classic as only Cirque
du Soleil could imagine. This festive show about the wonders of
sharing and friendship promises to spark lasting memories in the
hearts of families this holiday season. Cirque du Soleil's first-ever
Christmas show, Twas the Night Before
is a flurry of love, Christmas
cheer, rip-roaring fun and hugely lovable characters that will become
a new tradition for families to cherish. Join Isabella, a curious girl
who's become jaded by the hoopla surrounding Christmas, as she is
whisked away to an upside-down, inside-out world where she meets
characters inspired by the original timeless poem. Discover what
happened before Santa dropped in!
The international casting lineup features Tuedon Ariri (Canada)
performing the Aerial Hammock; Katharine Arnold (United Kingdom)
performing Aerial Cart; Rosie Axon (United Kingdom) and Adam Jukes
(England) performing Inline Skating; Louis Chen, Peter Lin, Tim Wang
and Alexandar Yu (Taipei) performing Diablo; Michele Clark (United
States) performing Hula Hoop; Nicole Faubert (Canada) and Guillaume
Paquin (Canada) in Aerial Duo Straps; Quentin Greco (Canada), Jacob
Gregorie (Canada), Chauncey Kroner (United States), Timothe Vincent
(Canada), Jinge Wang (China),Evan Tomlinson Weintraub (Canada),
performing Hoop Diving and Acrobatic Table; Jose Ignacio Flores Lopez
(Spain) performing Block Balancing; Alexis Vigneault (Canada)
performing Aerical Acrobatic Lamp; and Jenna Beltran, Lyndsay Marie
Farias, Kalila Hermant, Samuel Moore, Paul Ross, Diana Schoenfield,
Paul Ross and Bianca Vallar, (United States) as ensemble dancers.
The creative team consists of Daniel Fortin as Vice President
Creation, Manuel Bissonnette as Creative Director, James Hadley as
Stage Director & Writer, Genevieve Lizotte as Set Designer & Art
Director, Edesia Moreno as Acrobatic Choreographer & Performance
Designer, Vinh Nguyen Kinjaz as Choreographer, Jean-Phi Goncalves as
Musical Composer, James Lavoie as Costume Designer, Nicolas Brion as
Light Designer, and Ben Scheff as Sound Designer. The show is produced
by Jayna Neagle under the helm of Cirque du Soleil Producer Marie-
Josee Adam and Chief Executive Producer Yasmine Khalil.
"We are so excited to announce our cast and creative team for Twas
the Night Before
and can't wait to showcase their talents upon the
stage in New York this holiday season," said Yasmine Khalil, Cirque du
Soleil Chief Executive Producer. "Featuring original acrobatics,
spectacular choreography, dazzling costumes, and familiar music sure
to strike an emotional chord, Twas is a completely new experience
that brings families together to celebrate the holiday spirit."
The production makes its World Premiere at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N.
State Street, from November 29 through December 8, 2019 for 17
performances then will run at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden
from December 12 through December 29, 2019, for 28 performances.
Tickets are on-sale now.
* * * LAST, BUT NOT LEAST... * * *
And last, but certainly not least, we have a couple of important
milestones to highlight:
- On October 13th, OVO celebrated its 1,000th arena performance!
- On October 20th, KURIOS celebrated its 2,000th performance!
- On October 30th, LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil beat out "Disney On Ice:
Frozen", "Disney On Ice: Chase Your Dreams", "Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban in Symphonic Concert", and "Magic On Ice:
Illusion" to win the Lunas del Auditorio award in the Family Show
category. Lunas del Auditorio is a recognition granted by the
National Auditorium to the best live shows in Mexico.
Congratulations! (Cirque du Soleil won the category in 2003, 2004,
2006 for Saltimbanco, 2008 for Quidam, 2012 for Ovo, 2013 for MJ
Immortal, 2015, 2016, and 2018.)
More? Keep reading!
/----------------------------------------------------\
| |
| Join us on the web at: |
| < www.cirquefascination.com > |
| |
| Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): |
| < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > |
| |
\----------------------------------------------------/
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
===========
CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* 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
* "R.U.N. is not Your Grandmother's Cirque" - A Collection
of Articles Celebrating R.U.N's Preview Premiere
* Jean David's Quel Cirque, Part 11 of 12: "At the Summit"
A Special Series Celebrating Cirque's 35th Anniversary
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
***************************************************************
LA PRESSE -- General News & Highlights
***************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Laliberté to be Honored in the Circus Ring of Fame
{Oct.04.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
The founder of the Canadian troupe Cirque du Soleil and three family
troupes will be added to the list of famed performers featured in the
Circus Ring of Fame on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota in January.
The honorees have been selected through a new international nomination
and voting process.
The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation has announced the class of 2020
includes Guy Laliberte, a former street performer who went on to
become founder of Cirque du Soleil, which has transformed the modern
circus world with an international array of productions. He also is
the founder of One Drop charity and Lune Rouge.
The King Charles Troupe, founded in 1958 as a unicycle club in the
South Bronx, has entertained audiences for decades with its comedic
antics and faux basketball games, will be inducted at the ceremony on
Jan. 12. The troupe was featured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey Circus. They will be joined by Los Quiros High Wire Artistry,
performed by a family that has earned numerous international awards
over six generations. The company received the Golden Clown award at
the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival in 2002. The Carillo
Brothers High Wire Duo is another award-winning act that spans two
generations of fathers who passed on their skills to sons who carry on
the traditions.
This year's honorees are the result of a new nominating and voting
process that included the organization's first global outreach through
a new Circus Advisory Council.
The new process has been in development for three years, said Bill
Power, Foundation chair. "We wanted to find a method of broadening the
feedback loop to incorporate voices from the worldwide circus arts
community."
The Circus Ring of Fame was launched in 1987 to recognize
international circus acts and the circus heritage of the Sarasota
area. Honorees are displayed on plaques around the pedestrian walkway
on St. Armands circle. There are more than 100 honorees, including the
five Ringling Brothers, John Ringling North, various members of the
Wallenda family, the Cristiani Family, Sylvia Zerbini, Circus Sarasota
founders Dolly Jacobs and Pedro Reis, the Derrick Rosaire Family,
Clyde Beatty, Gunther Gebel-Williams, Emmett Kelly and Bello Nock.
{ SOURCE: Sarasota Herald Tribune }
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque R.U.N's to 7Five Brewing Co
{Oct.07.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil has announced a partnership between Vegas Golden
Knights fan favorite Ryan Reaves' 7Five Brewing Co. and upcoming show
"R.U.N" at Luxor.
A series of four parody movie posters are being released starting this
week, and the posters provide fans with instructions to enter to win
VIP access to the grand opening performance of the show alongside
Reaves himself. The posters are available as a gift with the purchase
of 7Five Training Day Golden Ale at 18 Lee's Discount Liquor locations
across Las Vegas.
"I've always been a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil so 7Five's
collaboration with R.U.N' is a great fit," said Reaves. "I look
forward to attending the world premiere with one lucky fan and
experience the action unlike ever before on November 14." For more
information on the contest, visit RUN7Five.com.
----------------------------------------------------------
MESSI10: A surreal tribute to the Barca legend
{Oct.15.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
Lionel Messi looked at Luis Suarez and, in amazement and in unison,
they both rose to their feet and applauded what they'd just seen: a
tightrope walker pulling out a ladder, placing it on the rope and
climbing it with her hands.
The Barca pair were sat, front and centre, applauding a scene that was
written to highlight his incredible balance in a Cirque de Soleil show
based on his career. Messi's had a dazzling career in football Oct.
16 marks the 15th anniversary of his Barca first-team debut but how
many of his peers, past and present, can boast a spectacle like this?
Welcome to Messi10 by Cirque du Soleil.
Every scene is a nod to Messi, football mixed with the literal circus.
Trampolines, diabolos, acrobatics, Icarian games, vertical ropes, lion
dances and a portly referee cast in the false jester role, all of it
to pay homage to the Argentinian and his incredible longevity.
"There's a No. 10 in all of us," runs the show's tagline, splashed
across posters all over the city, from Plaza Catalunya to Barcelona's
Sant Joan Despi training base.
If you're a little bit lost, let's rewind two years, when PopArt
Music, a production company, first approached renowned Canadian circus
company Cirque with the idea of producing a show based on Barca's No.
10. The Beatles had been done previously; Elvis Presley, too. There's
a show designed around Michael Jackson, but someone from the world of
sport? Someone still active in their field? Never.
"I thought they were crazy," said Cirque's executive producer, Charles
Joron, about his reaction when the proposal dropped on his desk in
Montreal. "But I said: OK, I can't say yes or no, because it's so far
away from what we've done that we have to sit down and look at it.'
The theoretical numbers were there: a huge following [133 million
followers on Instagram], the attraction he has and how much of an icon
he is, but we had to feel that if we got involved with this we would
come out with a winning composition."
There was quickly a realisation that, as Joron put it, "translating
Messi into Cirque-ese" was easier than they thought. A number of words
repeatedly appeared in both languages: speed, vision, balance, effort,
strength, skill, dedication. All the magic Messi produces on the pitch
could be translated into circus acts. Excitement piqued, the ball was
rolling. The globe's greatest circus company and the world's best
footballer were set for the collaboration you didn't know you wanted
to see.
Two years later, the red carpet rolled out for Spanish and Argentinian
royalty at Parc del Forum in Barcelona. The setting for the Primavera
music festival is now the home of The Messi Show (until December),
just over 10 kilometres away from Messi's Camp Nou playground. A huge
white construction, 500 metres from the sea, houses two 1500-seater
stands, which sandwich a stage representing a football pitch. And on
the 10th day of the 10th month a nod to Messi's shirt number, if you
missed it the curtain went up.
Shakira was there to see it. So, too, were actress Paz Vega and some
of the cast from Netflix show "La Casa de Papel." Singers Carlos Vives
and Nicky Jam were also present, along with Los Cafres, one of Messi's
favourite bands. (They also supplied music to the show.) Suarez joined
Messi but there was a shortage of footballers in general due to
players being on international duty. Barca youngster Ansu Fati
attended, as did Barca veteran Jose Pinto. The ex-goalkeeper turned
music producer, and one of Messi's close friends, was a valuable go-
between for Cirque during the creation process. He also wrote two
tracks for the spectacle.
Messi and his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, were the real red-carpet
attraction, though. They even left the kids at home. "They'll come
another night," Messi said.
Messi chose not to see anything prior to the premiere, but he had been
involved in the development of the show, which isn't biographical but
rather celebrates his achievements, his talent, his fans and his
family.
"The first thing Messi said to me was, I'm glad you're not focusing
on my life story, because there are commercials that do that, everyone
does that. You've taken a different direction, which even interests
me,'" said the show's writer and director, Mukhtar Omar Sharif
Mukhtar.
Mukhtar met with Messi another four times after that first meeting.
"As a fan, if you know Messi, you know he's very quiet and doesn't
like to talk about his personal life," adds Mukhtar. "My initial
thought was that it would have nothing to do with his personal life.
It was Messi that said: I want my family integrated into the show
because they've been important to who I am today.' That took me back a
little bit. Then I asked him more about what he wanted us to
celebrate. He just said: It's great what you're doing, but try and
celebrate my achievements more than anything.'
"We don't want to celebrate him like a god, we don't want to worship
him and he has the same feelings as well."
So how did Mukhtar, a football fan growing up in England, manage all
that?
He used his hip-hop background to fuse football and acrobatics to
kickoff. Freestylers juggle balls and Icarian performers incredibly
juggle bodies in a dance-off-style scene in a dressing room. Other
scenes celebrate Messi's many attributes: The tightrope walker
represents his balance, people are flung into nets high above the
stage to signify more than 600 career goals to date, an artist climbs
a rope ladder toward the sky to visualise the pressure of taking a
penalty, a traditional Chinese act of lion pillars are a tribute to
Messi's vision and somersaults end with Messi's celebration, index
fingers pointing to the sky in memory of his grandparents.
Messi winced as the contortionist performed. After taking a dive, a
calamitous medical team repeatedly drops him as they carry him off on
a stretcher. He proceeds to twist his body into eye-popping positions,
turn his head where he shouldn't and pop bones out of joints. Audience
members were peeking through the gaps in their fingers. The scene
ended with an ovation from Messi.
There's the referee, a stumpy chap with a squeaky voice and a whistle
who knew how to tickle Messi's humour. A ball is nearly always
present, as is the No. 10, but the rest is pure surrealism: There's
also a streaker, a robot football, a customised six-axis industrial
robotic arm and plenty more going on throughout a circus of two
halves. Each one is 45 minutes long, of course.
Mukhtar insists the show is unique to Messi, even if some of it can be
applied more generally: "Look at, say [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic: His show
would be completely different if we were trying to do one, or David
Beckham, who has a lot of fashion. With Messi, there was a certain
sense of honesty that I had to take from him because that's what I saw
when I met him. And even though he is where he is right now, he still
feels he has a lot more to accomplish. He's still breaking records, he
still feels he's not done enough.
"That's what inspired me the most, knowing that he's still going. I
want that to be felt in the show."
Meanwhile, scenes overlap with montages of Messi goals, Messi moments
and Messi animation on the scoreboard. Two huge Messi 10' shirts
suffocate the stands at one stage, a Barcelona one and an Argentina
one, La Albiceleste blue-and-white colours falling over Messi's head
on the night as "Dia de Partit," a famous Barca chant, rings out. The
show ends with Golden Balls dropping from the sky and one final banner
carrying that slogan: "There's a No. 10 in all of us."
"It's about idolising Messi's hard work and telling people: It's not
just him, you can do it, too, if you put in all the effort and work
that we see in this show,'" Mukhtar says. "That message is for
whatever you do in your life. It's triggering the No. 10 within you,
whatever that X factor is. Whether you're a doctor, or a policeman or
whatever, you can do it, if you put everything into it."
No Messi story can be totally complete without a Cristiano Ronaldo
comparison. Have Cirque positioned themselves in the game's eternal
debate? "My answer is quite simple: [Messi] had the vision to have a
show created about him," Mukhtar, a Manchester United supporter,
laughs. "He had the vision. Anybody could have come to us and say,
Let's do a show about Ronaldo,' but they didn't, they came to us and
said, Let's do a show about Messi.' I am glad to be doing a show for
Messi. I like the poetry of Messi's life and I am happy to be
celebrating that."
Joron imagines it will be difficult to find someone as worthy as Messi
for another sport-inspired Cirque show. "You have to have something
that's at that level," he says. "So once you've done Messi, you start
looking around and there aren't many others that can say, Do me, do
me.'"
While Ronaldo's PR appears much more polished, Messi now has a circus
to add to a theme park that will open in China in 2020. Messi's
already immortalised on the pitch, but he's now actively embracing the
theatrics off it, too.
{ SOURCE: ESPN }
----------------------------------------------------------
Cosmos & Exentricks AT SEA For MSC Grandiosa!
{Oct.17.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
MSC Cruises revealed today details of the two brand-new and original
Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows coming exclusively to MSC Grandiosa. In
COSMOS, Journey to the unbelievable, guests will experience a
breathtaking voyage across the galaxy with a brave astronaut on a
quest for self-discovery. Audiences of EXENTRICKS, Expect the
unexpected, will be caught off guard at every turn in this high-
spirited spectacle.
Each Cirque du Soleil at Sea show is an original, never-before-seen
production, and Cirque du Soleil is constantly pushing their creative
boundaries, reinventing their processes, challenging the status quo
and exploring new territories to create inspiring experiences to
delight MSC Cruises guests.
Andrea Gangale, Senior Vice President Product Development & Guest
Experience, MSC Cruises said, "When we set out to work with Cirque du
Soleil, our objective with this exclusive partnership was to take our
onboard entertainment to yet another level and to deliver to our
guests even more best-in-class entertainment. As the delivery of the
third MSC Cruises ship featuring Cirque du Soleil at Sea approaches,
each new show that we launch is ever more unique and original, giving
our guests a breathtaking and memorable entertainment experience."
Yasmine Khalil, Chief Executive Producer Cirque du Soleil & President
45 DEGREES commented, "For each new MSC Meraviglia class ship, we aim
to deliver new and innovative content which further enriches the
Cirque du Soleil at Sea portfolio. With these two entirely new
productions, COSMOS and EXENTRICKS, we debut a never-before-seen
performance, the "Ginger Rope" while also bringing more interactivity
and, for the first time, call on audience participation. These will
certainly be two must-see shows, exclusively on MSC Grandiosa."
The new acrobatic performance Ginger Rope' in COSMOS sees three
artists use a unique acrobatic apparatus developed specifically for
the show. Aerialists will fly gracefully in orbit on the rotating
stage on moving ropes embodying rings around the planets. Combining an
exhilarating blend of flips and spins all around the Ginger Ropes, MSC
Cruises guests will lift off into the fantastic world of COSMOS!
For the first time for any Cirque du Soleil at Sea show, EXENTRICKS
will put guests in the center of the show with audience participation
playing a vital role in the story, bringing MSC Cruises guests closer
to the artists than ever before. As they interact with these
extravagant and fun characters, guests will enjoy edge-of-your-seat
acrobatics.
ABOUT THE TWO NEW SHOWS
COSMOS Journey to the unbelievable: Reach for the stars alongside
the young explorer as he connects with his spirit of adventure,
traveling through the stars and his childhood memories before landing
on the realization that sometimes you need to travel far to come home.
The co-pilots on this fantastic voyage are a galaxy of illuminating
characters who are every bit spaced-out and other-worldly as they are
kind and friendly. COSMOS explores the feeling of traveling at night
on the high seas on a majestic cruise ship. Imagine you're on the open
sea and you look up to gaze at the stars. The view is both mind-
boggling and mesmerizing. The vastness of the sky is as fathomless as
the deep blue ocean underneath.
EXENTRICKS Expect the Unexpected: Led by a colorful cast of quirky
characters, it's all hands-on deck as you could very well be invited
to jump right into the action! The excitement begins as a stylish and
orderly extravaganza before suddenly careering off course into a
hilarious pageant when the star performer is suddenly unable to
continue. Scrambling to find a replacement, the Master of Ceremonies
holds auditions. Experience action and a world of wondrous theatrics,
surprising acrobatics, and a wave of mischief that promises to bring
out the eccentric side in everyone. EXENTRICKS is inspired by the
essence of the circus arts with big colorful characters brimming with
style, personality and amazing abilities. The strength of the
characters and the energy of the show are inspired in part by high-
voltage, pop-culture fashion.
CUTTING-EDGE ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
The Carousel Lounge is a purpose-built entertainment venue holding
just over 400 guests each show, one of the most intimate venues for
any Cirque du Soleil produced shows. This venue was specially designed
to meet the needs of the artists as well as bringing guests closer to
a spectacular display of acrobatic flair and artistic finesse.
State-of-the-art technology is added to each new ship, designed
specifically to accommodate each show. On MSC Grandiosa, the addition
of 80 kinetic LED spheres offer a change to the atmosphere of the
Carousel Lounge at specific moments during the shows and to create a
large array of visual effects. The moving LED lights are spread across
the space to provide depth and a visual background for the audience
sitting across the room.
The 360° stage is where the lounge derives its name as it rotates like
a carousel with special rigging for impressive aerial acrobatics. For
MSC Grandiosa, the design team was looking for a way to bring more
focus on solo ground acts, the solution came as a new 6.5 ft. lift in
the center of the existing turn table to raise the performance above
the stage floor. This new lift will be used during the juggling act
for COSMOS and the contortion act on EXENTRICKS.
BOOKING INFORMATION
The new shows form part of MSC Cruises' long-term partnership with
Cirque du Soleil, the world-leader in live entertainment, to offer a
truly unique onboard entertainment experience not rivaled anywhere
else at sea. The partnership totals eight original shows to be created
exclusively for MSC Cruises' Meraviglia generation ships. MSC
Meraviglia hosts VIAGGIO and SONOR and MSC Bellissima is home to SYMA
and VARÉLIA. These new shows, COSMOS and EXENTRICKS, will launch on
MSC Grandiosa in November. Work is already underway for MSC Virtuosa's
two shows ahead of her launch in October 2020.
Cirque du Soleil at Sea can be booked before the cruise with a special
online discount or booked once on board. Guests can either book to
enjoy a three-course menu of palate-pleasing dishes served before the
show ($39). Or savor a specialty cocktail ($17) and enjoy the pre-show
that begins 30 minutes before the start of the Cirque du Soleil at Sea
performance.
{ SOURCE: MSC Cruises }
***************************************************************
Q&A -- Quick Chats & Press Interviews
***************************************************************
----------------------------------------------------------
Artist's small stature celebrated as circus evolves
{Oct.01.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
When Rima Hadchiti got the call to audition for Cirque du Soleil, it
was an area of work she had avoided since entering the entertainment
industry at four years of age. For little people, the world of circus
performance had not always been the "celebration" it was in Cirque's
latest production, Kurios.
"I always steered away from circus because I wanted to not go into the
norm of what short people usually step into," she said. "I have a lot
to say and I like to say it in an artistic way. It's my voice and it's
my art and if I can't do art, I can't live, it's part of who I am."
At 100 centimetres tall and weighing 18 kilograms, Hadchiti is one of
the 10 smallest people in the world. Hadchiti, who appeared as a
contestant in Big Brother in 2008, said it was her character "Mini
Lili" who shifted her long-time aversion to the circus. "I did a bit
of research on the character and was able to work quite closely with
the producers and directors of the show," she said. "We were able to
put a little bit of change to the character and more layers through
it."
Playing a 1920s Persian madam in the production, which was due to hit
Australian shores for the first time on Wednesday, Hadchiti used her
small stature to her advantage. "I watched a lot of old movies, I did
a lot of character work based on opera singers and watching their
mannerisms and tried to connect with that," she said. "And so doing
that as a short person, as well, it questions the grandness of a
personality with their gestures versus the eye
I'm feeling her
presence as a grand madame but she's quite a short person, so your
brain is getting tricked; you're questioning things and that's the
goal of the character."
Written and directed by Michel Laprise, Kurios is the tale of a
fictional world and features acrobats, contortionists, hand-
puppeteers, yo-yo masters, musicians and clowns performing to a gypsy
jazz, electro swing type soundtrack. It features a cast and crew from
20 countries.
Hadchiti, who joined the production in 2016, said Australian audiences
would see the "creme de la creme" of circus performers from across the
globe. "It's a very unique show and this is like a United Nations of a
family," she said. "It's full-on talented, dedicated artists [who]
have sacrificed their whole lives to circus."
{ SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald }
----------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Shelli Epstein from LUZIA
{Oct.02.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
British-Israeli performer Shelli Epstein plays the Running Woman in
Cirque du Soleil's Luzia. The show, dubbed A Waking Dream of Mexico'
is the company's latest to tour to the UK, opening at the Royal Albert
Hall in January 2020. It also marks the thirty year anniversary of
Cirque du Soleil in the UK.
Shelli has played this role for over three years, from when the show
opened in April 2016, touring with it ever since. The character is
inspired by the Tarahumaras, a native Mexican tribe known for their
ultra long-distance running abilities. In the magical-realism of
Cirque du Soleil shows, she is also a monarch butterfly, and stars on
the production's poster.
Her main circus discipline in the show is Russian Swing, a large,
floor-mounted swing from which multiple acrobats gain altitude. They
then leap from it, performing impressing somersaults before landing on
another synchronized swing.
London Theater 1 spoke to Shelli, who couldn't be more excited to
perform in her native London.
Q. Luzia is described as a "Waking Dream of Mexico"?
Yes! We got to actually perform in Mexico and once we were there it
was so funny it was like, that's like Luzia, that's from the show! It
was just absolutely clear to me they did an amazing job of
representing the country in such positive ways: the music, the colour.
It's just a really special show.
Q. The mission of Cirque du Soleil is to invoke the imagination,
provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the
world. How do you bring in that dream-brain stuff, not thinking-
brain?
Yes, that's right. Honestly, you just have to come and see it and you
when you feel it for yourself it really is something quite special.
There's a lot of powerful, strong imagery through the show what makes
the whole thing really stunning in a way that I just don't know how to
describe. Honestly you do have to come and just see it.
Q. They say there's a particular way to understand formal dance like
ballet. Is that true of circus?
I think with circus there's more openness to interpretation. I mean,
if you have never been to Mexico I think you can do some research on
some of the symbols that we have here and there throughout the show.
But they are subtle, it's not like in your face. So people could look
into that, but besides that just be present, just enjoy it and take
what we give.
Q. So will people miss things?
There are some subtleties thought the show, like there are things in
the background. You can come and watch the show again and notice
something else that didn't catch your eye the first time which is the
beauty of seeing the performance more than once, but I think
everything is out there, we're not hiding anything.
Q. Are the costumes and set are a big part of making the show?
So my character for example, I'm a monarch butterfly and that
represents migration. The company is Canadian and the theme of the
show is Mexico so it connects with the migration of the monarch
butterfly from Canada to Mexico. My character is also an ultramarathon
runner from the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, hence why she's called the
running woman, and I have body paint that matches what they have.
Q. And you have to do a lot of running?
Yeah, I do run a lot throughout the show. And I wouldn't want it any
other way.
Q. Is there a transformation you need to go through to become that
butterfly?
Kind of, once I've put my make up on I'm no longer Shelli any more. I
am, once I'm on stage, someone else. I am this character. We have a
very good connection.
Q. You have to put your make up on yourself?
Yes I do! Can you imagine one person doing 46 artists' make up every
day. There wouldn't be enough time!
Q. Are you a pro at that?
At my own make up? Yes. If you try to give me someone else's, it's
back to square one.
Q. Talking of migration you're a Londoner. How is coming home?
Oh my gosh, I can't! It's just so surreal, the fact that I get to
perform in front of the people who've watch me growing up doing
gymnastics from my gym club, to my school, my parents, family, friends
that I've gone away to pursue this career and come home, and for them
to actually see me in my element. It's a dream. They've supported me
my whole life, encouraged me. It's me being able to return the favour
to show them what came out of it. The fact that I am coming home I
get the love and support of the people who are here, but I also have
the love and support of the people I work with, we are like a little
family. But when I say little, we're a lot of people. We're like a big
family.
Q. A Cirque du Soleil show typically tours with around 125 people in
total across all the different professions. Some describe it as a
travelling city. How is that as an experience?
It is incredible. It is like a little city. The thing is it does get a
bit suffocating. We are on top of each other. We work six days a week.
We hang out together because more or less in most cities we don't
really know people, that's why the fact that when I am coming home I'm
going to have that normal life and see other people who I know,
because as much as I love my circus family it's exciting to come home.
But I'm also excited to bring everyone here and show them where I'm
from!
Q. Are you the tour guide while they're in London?
Maybe, we'll see. I don't know the city as well as I used to, but I'm
excited to fall in love with London all over again.
Q. When were you last here for a good period of time?
Almost 8 years ago.
Q. And how do you enjoy the travelling side?
We work six days a week. Monday is our day off in the week and that's
when I try to explore the city and make the most out of the travel
aspect of the job. More often than not people are tired, but I'm only
in certain places for such a short amount of time I'm really trying to
get the most out of each place.
Q. Can you tell me about your past in gymnastics?
I was a gymnast from the age of four to eighteen, now I'm classified
as a professional acrobat. It kind of intertwines, but acrobatics is
more into the circus world. The first job I did they really
transformed me from gymnast to performer, teaching me these different
apparatuses and that's how I became a circus performer.
Q. And with circus you don't just rehearse for a few weeks like a
play?
No. I had three months training for my discipline of Russian Swing and
then we had three months of the creation and then we premiered. That
already feels a lifetime ago. Once the show has opened we continue to
train! With my discipline I train three times a week, and I do a
backup discipline as well that I train twice a week. We're always
training because it is such a high-demand on the body and there's a
risk factor. We have to take the precautions to implement safety so we
train a lot. We don't rehearse the show every day because we perform
it every day but practice our disciplines on a regular basis.
Q. How does that creative process work?
We have a director. We have some influence, but more or less the
director already has an idea of what they want and they're just
putting the puzzle pieces together to create their vision. We're there
to help. Sometimes we can be like, Oh, maybe this will be better,'
and they might take that into consideration.
Q. And Cirque du Soleil is celebrating 30 years in the UK. How do you
keep that established vibe but make it new?
It's interesting. We have some traditional disciplines like contortion
and juggling. But even with those Cirque du Soleil adds their magic
and has flair. There are acts you've seen before, that you're familiar
with, but shown in a completely new, different light. There's also
acts that the UK will never have seen in a Cirque show, for example
there's a huge rain curtain that will never have been used before and
the acts that perform under it are amazing.
Q. How does Cirque du Soleil interact with the smaller circuses, like
those having a bit of a heyday in London right now?
Circus is certainly growing. They're not little, they're just smaller
companies, and they're just as good. Most of them come with different
styles, more contemporary-based. It's a different experience. They're
both just as intimate. If you're working with less people you're on
top of each other, just with less people. If you work with a bigger
company, there's more people that you spend your time with. But more
or less you end up with the same experience.
Q. And if you hadn't run away to join the circus, what would you be
doing right now?
I always said I wanted to be a stunt double, a circus performer, or on
the West End stage. So still performing. It was always towards the
performing industry.
Q. And are you happy where you've ended up?
Absolutely, I couldn't be happier.
{ SOURCE: London Theater 1 }
----------------------------------------------------------
Q&A: Anja Wyttenbach from "O"
{Oct.25.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil's "O" has achieved some truly magical milestones
recently, celebrating its 20th anniversary in December of 2018 and
then passing the 10,000-show mark on Sept. 1. Anja Wyttenbach has been
a part of this iconic Las Vegas production since day one. Born in
Basel, Switzerland, the acrobatic and versatile performer, a veteran
of touring circus productions, was developing some innovative aerial
acts in Montreal when the creators of "O" came calling. "It was right
place, right time," she says of being awarded the role of Aurora in
the game-changing show that premiered on Oct. 17, 1998, at the newly
opened Bellagio. "Everyone was taking a chance on something new and
you don't know what to expect."
Q. Today, "O" is such a big part of Cirque and Las Vegas. What was it
like in the beginning?
It was pretty crazy and very intimidating at first. I remember seeing
the theater being built before Bellagio was open, when I came to town
and was apartment hunting. The pool wasn't filled and they had my
trapeze hanging over it. They were laying it all out. But doing the
actual opening shows, it felt like being a movie star. There were 500
reporters from all over the world in the first few rows and everyone
was dressed up. That was more than 20 years ago, so it was a little
different then. It makes me think of how lucky we've been and had such
super audiences. For something like 10 years, we were 99 percent sold
out.
Q. You balance on your head above the pool. Has your role changed much
over the years?
It's evolved a little. "O" does have a little bit of a story, but it's
subtle, and (writer and director) Franco Dragone wanted it that way.
You have Philemon coming out of the audience and getting thrown into
the elements, and I'm Aurora, sort of his fantasy, and he sees me here
and there. He has other friends but as he grows in the show, he has
more independence; he's not this lost child anymore. It's still such a
beautiful show.
Q. When you're on the trapeze, it's really a climactic moment in this
magical experience.
What's nice is that it's a quiet act but very impressive. I think it
stands out because everybody is usually very quiet at that momentin a
show that's very hectic. I used to do a bicycle act and then I started
doing head-balancing on my partner's head on this unicycle. That's not
very easy either, but that's how I got into it
Q. It sounds impossible, and your act in "O" looks impossible. How
different does it feel to balance upside down?
It is different but it's like any acrobatics or even doing yoga in
that once your body gets used to it, you just do it. The trapeze is
very different from the floor. The floor is unforgiving. I prefer the
trapeze. When I first started this act, it was super hard because the
cables (for the trapeze) are extremely heavy and every move I'd make
would give way to that cable, and it throws you off. Now I don't feel
it anymore, but when I train my backups, they can feel it.
Q. You'll be training more performers now that "O" is about to move to
seven nights a week.
I think that will be better for me. My backup now gets only two shows
a week so she'll get to work more. I'm looking forward to that. I
really do enjoy it still. I think the big swing goes about 30 miles
per hour and I start out at 45 feet up. It's a cool feeling. It keeps
you on your toes, even after thousands of shows.
{ SOURCE: Brock Radke, Las Vegas Magazine }
----------------------------------------------------------
Women aren't funny'? Tell that to clown Kelsey Custard
{Oct.29.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
When Kelsey Custard was studying at San Francisco's Clown Conservatory
school a decade ago, she and some of her female colleagues were
advised by a guest teacher that they were simply unteachable. "We were
told that women aren't funny, so he wasn't really going to teach us
because he didn't think we could make it," the 35-year-old Sacramento
native told 48 Hills. "He just taught the boys how to do hat tricks
and cane tricks and things and told us we could learn if we wanted,
but we weren't funny."
Custard managed to get the last laugh when, within a year of
graduating, she was hired by Cirque du Soleil for the Candian-based
circus production company's KA show in Las Vegas. After six years, she
scored a coveted spot one of six from an audition pool of 80 in
the international touring company of Amaluna, which opens for a two-
month engagement under the Big Top at Oracle Park starting Nov. 3. She
has since toured with the show internationally and even met the Pope.
What Custard finds so exciting about Cirque du Soleil's 33rd
production, written and directed by Tony Award-winning director Diane
Paulus, is that it's a female-centric show, about a magical island
named Amaluna ruled by goddesses and lunar cycles and featuring a cast
made up mostly of women. Drawing from tales from Greek and Norse
mythology, Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Shakespeare's The Tempest,
its story centers on Queen Prospera and her daughter Miranda, whose
love for a brave young suitor is repeatedly tested.
I spoke to Kelsey Custard, who plays Miranda's nanny in the show,
about her journey from a Theater Arts major at UC Santa Cruz to one of
Cirque du Soleil's premiere clowns, the difficulties of making it in
the male-driven field of clowning, and how Amaluna can inspire the
next generation of young women to be their best selves.
Q. How did you go from a Theatre Arts major at UC Santa Cruz to a
Clown at Cirque du Soleil?
I had always been in theatre for a long time and didn't know that the
circus was actually a job that you could have. But when I went to
college for theatre, I took a clowning class with a teacher and former
clown named Patty Gallagher who's been my mentor ever since and felt
like I came home. I had always gotten the funny character, side
character, and mother character and never that cute little ingenue
like Juliette. Then when I found clowning, I understood that I always
got those funny roles and different roles because my talents are a
little different than most actors. So because of that clowning class,
I decided to pursue that and realized that it could actually be a job
and a career.
Q. I read that in your audition pool for Cirque du Soleil, you were
the only one of 40 women to win a clown spot.
I was the only woman who made it at that audition. There are other
female clowns at Cirque, but only a small few. It's hard for female
clowns in the business, in general. It's a male-driven business and
people think that they want male clowns and often don't want to hire
female clowns. These are the things we face as women in general in any
business. We're taught that men are stronger and better than us. But
we're fighting and showing that we can do it just as good, if not
better.
Q. Some people love clowns and others fear them. What appeals to you
about clowns?
I love their honesty. Clowning is a vulnerable art. You have to put
yourself out there in a way. In theatre, you have to hide who you are
and take on a completely different character, but in clowning, it has
to come from you, from your own flaws and fears. I think people are
scared of clowns because they feel vulnerable and watching [clowning],
they can see themselves within it and people don't like that. They get
very scared when you point out their own flaws. But for me, I find it
hard and incredible and fun to put what I'm scared about myself or
what I feel uncomfortable about onstage and make people laugh and have
them enjoy it.
Q. I always thought that the fear comes from not being able to fully
see what they look like.
That is the other side of the fear. There's the fear of the shapeless
costume and the makeup that completely takes over and the noses and
the feet that are huge. What I love about Cirque's clowns is that we
are a little more human. In this show, in particular, you really see
how human they are, which helps you see how funny life can be when
things go wrong. I don't think we're the kind of clowns that people
are afraid of, but you never know.
Q. How would you describe your character in Amaluna?
I'm kind of Miranda's nanny caretaker. I probably took care of her
when she was really young and kind of help everything run on our
island. So I'm kind of a maid, nanny, and butler. I take care of
everything on the side for our royal family.
Q. Why is Amaluna's emphasis on women and telling their stories
especially important in 2019?
One of the things I think is so important is our effect on young women
specifically, girls that are coming of age in this day and age. I
think it's important to come see a show where they can see powerful
women on stage, women with muscles, women playing rock guitars, and
women being funny and beautiful. It's really important for them to see
that they can do whatever they want and that we can do whatever we
want. It's been a hard road for women, especially in the US. These
days it seems even harder, so we need to band together as women and
show young women that they can do whatever they want.
Q. With Amaluna coming to San Francisco for three months starting in
November, what's it like to be performing back in the city that you
currently call home?
I am so excited to come back to San Francisco. For me, it's a dream to
be able to perform a show like this at home and I consider San
Francisco to be my home now, because it's where I went to clown
school. It's where most of my friends live. For me, it's going to be
such a huge and exciting thing because I get to share it with people
that would never get to see it. When you're out in the world and
having all these amazing experiences my husband's not with me, my
dog's not with me, and my family can't see the show. So to be able to
go home and do it and have my family and friends and everyone see it
and just be in San Francisco for two-and-a-half months, it's going to
be so magical. I'm going to eat all the burritos. My favorite burrito
in the whole world is El Farolito on Mission and 24th. I dream about
it and can't find a burrito like that anywhere else in the world.
{ SOURCE: Joshua Rotter, 48Hills }
----------------------------------------------------------
Q&A w/Catherine Audy, Aerialist in Alegría
{Nov.07.2019}
----------------------------------------------------------
Ask any human what they wish their one superpower could be and you'll
find flying at the top of pretty much everyone's list. For aerialists
at Cirque du Soleil, this far-fetched fantasy is an everyday reality.
Swinging through the sky on their trapezes, dangling from their foot
in one strap and somersaulting into the arms of their partner. How do
these amazing artists find the courage to go through with these
maneuvers? Daily Hive talked to aerialist Catherine Audy from Cirque
du Soliel's Alegría, currently touring in Toronto, to see how she does
it.
Audy ignited her love for the craft early on, thanks to the close
proximity of a circus school to her home growing up. "I started at the
circus when I was about 12 years old and I just liked it. So I kept
adding hours to my schedule every week."
It wasn't long before the circus was part of Audy's every day. "I
would get to school in the morning and then do circus all afternoon
and night. I never really asked myself the question if I wanted to do
circus. It was just so much fun that I never stopped."
It was at these training sessions that Audy met her current partner in
Cirque du Soleil's Alegría, Alexis Trudel, and the two have been doing
circus together ever since for the last ten years.
"People say it looks easy but that's because we've been doing it for
so many years. It's the best job ever. It's a great feeling. I really
don't get tired of it," she explains.
So what is involved in the rigorous training routine? "You do an hour
of training a day and then you do the show at night. It's a lot. We do
around nine shows a week."
Audy says her and her partner don't necessarily need to practice their
routine, since they've been doing it for so long, but that their
training consists mainly of regular physical activity, like working on
their flexibility.
Besides the training involved, how does Audy find the bravery to do
something so electrifying with no safety net?
"The only safety that we have is this trust for each other. So we need
to trust each other 100%. And we actually really do. I really put my
life in his hands literally. But I enjoy it. Trusting each other is
the most dangerous part."
Although it might look easy, Audy says one of the biggest
misconceptions of being an aerialist is that because they're doing it
so often that they just get used to it. "I don't get used to flying."
The other misconception? That her and her aerialist partner's
chemistry translates into real life. "A lot of people ask if we're
married. When you see the act you would think that we are because it's
a really great love story. It looks real but we are just really good
actors."
Debuting in 1994, Alegría is one of Cirque du Soleil's original
productions, and 2019 celebrates its 25th anniversary. It is one of
the company's most popular shows of all time its theme song, which
was nominated for a Grammy, is the most listened to Cirque Du Soleil
song on YouTube.
Given this 25-year milestone, the show's entrancing story about
resilience and hope has been updated to be even more spectacular than
ever. This special anniversary edition of Alegría is distinctively
different from the original production with new costumes, set
design, acrobatics, and music, while still keeping with the enchanting
characters and artistry that made it famous. It's surely not one to
miss, even if you're one of the 14 million who have already seen
Alegría in all its glory.
For Audy, being a part of the production has been one of her goals.
She says, "It was a dream years ago to become an artist at Cirque du
Soleil. but when we were called for Alegría, it was the cherry on top.
It was my favourite show the most beautiful show Cirque du Soleil
ever made."
As for her most terrifying moments in the show? "There's one flight
that I particularly like in the act. It's very fast and we really do
fly. Alexis just holds me by one hand. I really like that one because
it's a great feeling and I like to hear the audience scream a little
bit."
To see Audy and her partner fly in real life, grab your ticket to the
epic 25th anniversary of Alegría, running now until November 24 under
Toronto's Big Top at Ontario Place.
{ SOURCE: Daily Hive }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Alegria, Amaluna, Bazzar, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia, Totem,
Volta, and Cirque 2020}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{OVO, Crystal, Corteo, AXEL, Messi10, 'Twas The Night Before}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE, MJ ONE, JOYA,
Paramour, X: The Land of Fantasy, and R.U.N}
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
------------------------------------
Alegría-In a New Light:
Toronto, ON -- Sep 12, 2019 to Nov 24, 2019
Miami, FL -- Dec 13, 2020 to Jan 26 2020
Houston, TX -- Feb 29, 2020 to Mar 22, 2020
Austin, TX -- Apr 22, 2020 to May 17, 2020
Chicago, IL -- Jun 3, 2020 to Jul 12, 2020
Washington, DC -- Jul 23, 2020 to Sep 27, 2020
Vancouver, BC -- Oct 15, 2020 to Jan 10, 2021
Amaluna:
San Francisco, CA -- Nov 3, 2019 to Jan 12, 2020
Sacramento, CA -- Jan 22, 2020 - Feb 23, 2020
Bazzar:
Riyadh, SA -- Nov 1, 2019 to Dec 7, 2019
Punta Cana, DO -- Jan 29, 2020 to Feb 23, 2020
Cirque 2020:
Montreal, QC -- Apr 23, 2020to Jun 21, 2020
Koozå:
Madrid, ES -- Oct 24, 2019 to Jan 5, 2020
Seville, ES -- Jan 15, 2020 to Feb 23, 2020
Lyon, FR Mar 19, 2020 to Apr 13, 2020
Tel Aviv, IL -- Jun 4, 2020 to Jun 30, 2020
Zurich, CH -- Sep 4, 2020 to Sep 27, 2020
Kurios:
Sydney, AU -- Oct 2, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
Brisbane, AU -- Jan 10, 2020 to Feb 9, 2020
Melbourne, AU -- Mar 12, 2020 to Apr 13, 2020
Adelaide, AU -- May 29, 2020 to Jun 7, 2020
Perth, AU -- Jul 15, 2020 to Aug 2, 2020
Luzia:
Vancouver, BC -- Oct 3, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
London, UK -- Jan 12, 2020 to Mar 1, 2020
Moscow, RU -- Mar 19, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Gran Canaria, ES -- Jul 7, 2020 to Aug 23, 2020
Totem:
The Hague, NL -- Oct 11, 2019 to Dec 8, 2019
Düsseldorf, DE -- Dec 18, 2019 to Jan 26, 2020
Munich, DE -- Feb 13, 2020 to Mar 15, 2020
Rome, IT -- Apr 1, 2020 to Apr 19, 2020
Milan, IT -- May 21, 2020 to Jun 21, 2020
VOLTA:
Atlanta, GA -- Oct 10, 2019 to Jan 5, 2020
Los Angeles, CA -- Jan 18, 2020 to Mar 8, 2020
Costa Mesa, CA -- Mar 18, 2020 - Apr 19, 2020
Denver, CO -- Apr 30, 2020 to Jun 7, 2020
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
OVO:
Panama City, PA -- Nov 12, 2019 to Nov 17, 2019
Guatemala City, GT -- Dec 3, 2019 to Dec 8, 2019
Norfolk, VA -- Dec 27, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
Augusta, GA -- Jan 2, 2020 to Jan 5, 2020
Charlotte, NC -- Jan 8, 2020 to Jan 12, 2020
Tallahassee, FL -- Jan 17, 2020 to Jan 19, 2020
Pittsburgh, PA -- Jan 23, 2020 to Jan 26, 2020
Phoenix, AZ -- Feb 20, 2020 to Feb 23, 2020
Boise, ID -- Feb 27, 2020 to Mar 1, 2020
San Diego, CA -- Mar 5, 2020 to Mar 8, 2020
El Paso, TX -- Mar 12, 2020 to Mar 15, 2020
Edinburg, TX -- Mar 19, 2020 to Mar 22, 2020
Lafayette, LA -- Mar 25, 2020 to Mar 29, 2020
Greensboro, NC -- Apr 2, 2020 to Apr 5, 2020
Savannah, GA -- Apr 8, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Knoxville, TN -- Apr 15, 2020 to Apr 19, 2020
Frisco, TX -- Apr 23, 2020 to Apr 26, 2020
Fort Worth, TX -- Apr 30, 2020 to May 3, 2020
CRYSTAL - A BREAKTHROUGH ICE EXPERIENCE:
Moscow, RU -- Nov 22, 2019 to Dec 8, 2019
Saint Petersburg, RU -- Dec 11, 2019 to Dec 15, 2019
Kazan, RU -- Dec 19, 2019 to Dec 22, 2019
Ufa, RU -- Dec 25, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
Ekaterinburg, RU -- Jan 1, 2020 to Jan 5, 2020
Riga, LV -- Jan 15, 2020 to Jan 19, 2020
Krakow, PL -- Jan 23, 2020 to Jan 26, 2020
Gdansk, PL -- Jan 30, 2020 to Feb 2, 2020
Minsk, BY -- Feb 6, 2020 to Feb 9, 2020
Kiev, UA -- Feb 13, 2020 to Feb 16, 2020
Sheffield, UK -- Mar 6, 2020 to Mar 8, 2020
Glasgow, UK -- Mar 11, 2020 to Mar 15, 2020
Aberdeen, UK -- Mar 19, 2020 to Mar 22, 2020
Belfast, UK -- Mar 25, 2020 to Mar 29, 2020
Manchester, UK -- Apr 1, 2020 to Apr 5, 2020
Birmingham, UK -- Apr 8, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Nottingham, UK -- Apr 15, 2020 to Apr 19, 2020
Amhurst, MA -- May 15, 2020 to May 17, 2020
Trenton, NJ -- May 20, 2020 to May 23, 2020
Lausanne, CH -- Sep 9, 2020 to Sep 13, 2020
Leipzig, DE -- Sep 23, 2020 to Sep 27, 2020
Nuremberg, DE -- Oct 14, 2020 to Oct 18, 2020
Frankfurt, DE -- Nov 13, 2020 to Nov 21, 2020
CORTEO:
Frankfurt, DE -- Oct 30, 2019 to Nov 3, 2019
Nuremberg, DE -- Nov 6, 2019 to Nov 10, 2019
Graz, AT -- Nov 13, 2019 to Nov 17, 2019
Brussels, BE -- Nov 21, 2019 to Nov 24, 2019
Paris, FR -- Dec 12, 2019 to Dec 15, 2019
Stuttgart, DE -- Dec 18, 2019 to Dec 22, 2019
Mannheim, DE -- Dec 25, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
Lisbon, PT -- Jan 3, 2020 to Jan 12, 2020
Granada, ES -- Jan 15, 2020 to Jan 19, 2020
Zargoza, ES -- Jan 22, 2020 to Jan 26, 2020
Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES -- Jan 29, 2020 to Feb 2, 2020
Santiago de Compostela, ES -- Feb 5, 2020 to Feb 9, 2020
Santander, ES -- Feb 12, 2020 to Feb 16, 2020
Bordeaux, FR -- Feb 21, 2020 to Feb 23, 2020
Antwerp, BE -- Mar 13, 2020 to Mar 22, 2020
Vienna, AT -- Mar 25, 2020 to Mar 29, 2020
Montpellier, FR -- Apr 2, 2020 to Apr 5, 2020
Aix-en-Provence, FR -- Apr 8, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Lille, FR -- Apr 16, 2020 to Apr 19, 2020
Copenhagen, DE -- Apr 23, 2020 to Apr 26, 2020
Herning, DE -- Apr 29, 2020 to May 3, 2020
Stockholm, SE -- May 7, 2020 to May 10, 2020
Gothenburg, SE -- May 13, 2020 to May 17, 2020
Leeds, UK -- Jun 18, 2020 to Jun 21, 2020
London, UK -- Jun 24, 2020 to Jul 5, 2020
Dublin, IR -- Jul 8, 2020 to Jul 12, 2020
Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 7, 2020 to Aug 16, 2020
Nice, FR -- Aug 20, 2020 to Aug 22, 2020
Helsinki, FI -- Oct 1, 2020 to Oct 4, 2020
Turku, FI -- Nov 18, 2020 to Nov 22, 2020
AXEL:
Jacksonville, FL -- Nov 7, 2019 to Nov 10, 2019
Roanoke, VA -- Nov 14, 2019 to Nov 17, 2019
Worcester, MA -- Dec 5, 2019 to Dec 8, 2019
Quebec City, QC -- Dec 12, 2019 to Dec 15, 2019
Montreal, QC -- Dec 19, 2019 to Dec 29, 2019
Detroit, MI -- Jan 2, 2020 to Jan 5, 2020
Milwaukee, WI -- Jan 9, 2020 to Jan 12, 2020
Tulsa, OK -- Jan 16, 2020 to Jan 19, 2020
Cincinnati, OH -- Jan 23, 2020 to Jan 26, 2020
Kansas City, MO -- Jan 30, 2020 to Feb 2, 2020
Nashville, TN -- Feb 6, 2020 to Feb 9, 2020
Greeneville, SC -- Feb 13, 2020 to Feb 16, 2020
Columbus, GA -- Feb 20, 2020 to Feb 23, 2020
Prescott Valley, AZ -- Mar 19, 2020 to Mar 21, 2020
Las Vegas, NV -- Apr 3, 2020 to Apr 5, 2020
Everett, WA -- Apr 9, 2020 to Apr 12, 2020
Tucson, AZ -- Apr 17, 2020 to Apr 19, 2020
Rio Rancho, NM -- Apr 23, 2020 to Apr 26, 2020
Eugene, OR -- May 14, 2020 to May 17, 2020
Spokane, WA -- May 21, 2020 to May 24, 2020
Messi10:
Barcelona, ES -- Oct 10, 2019 to Jan 4, 2020
Buenos Aires, AR -- Jun 11, 2020 to Jul 5, 2020
'Twas The Night Before:
Chicago, IL -- Nov 29, 2019 - Dec 8, 2019
New York, NY -- Dec 11, 2019 - Dec 29, 2019
---------------------------------
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
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
NOTE: Starting January 2020, "O" performs 7 Days a Week
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 9:30pm
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
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: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday - Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
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)
PARAMOUR:
Location: Stage Theater New Flora | Hamburg, Germany
Performs: One/Two Shows Nightly...
X: THE LAND OF FANTASY
Location: Hangzhou, China
R.U.N:
Location: Luxor Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday - Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) VITORI - MOVING PIECES
Moving Pieces takes an exclusive look behind the scenes at VITORI
by Cirque du Soleil, a Cirque du Soleil Events & Experiences show
for Malta.
*) EPISODE 1: In this episode, we reveal how the beauty and
history of Malta inspired the concept of the show.
LINK /// https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=518633485379366
*) EPISODE 2: Why is Cirque du Soleil creating a customized
performance for Malta? We're speaking with Yasmine Khalil
and Daniel Fortin, two Cirque du Soleil executives, to find out.
LINK /// https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2502643699967911
*) EPISODE 3: Let there be light! Discover the artistry behind
the lighting of VITORI.
LINK /// https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=555135455060177
o) PASCAL SIOUI on RUN
Back in 2017, we created a show case; a new kind of show for
Cirque du Soleil.. it was at the time ''THE_JUMP'', now R.U.N.
Acting as technical director, we build the set in the Studio C.
- Video 1: https://www.facebook.com/Psioui/videos/10158280633334305/
- Video 2: https://www.facebook.com/Psioui/videos/10158306066759305/
o) OTHER VIDEOS
- 4U2C Shows Off RUN Video Projection
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1644482352352854
- Corteo Musician Plays on Biggest Accordian in the World
https://www.facebook.com/Corteo/videos/2135248510103377/
- CRYSTAL: Backstage with Acrobatic Rigger Jose Angel Sandoval
https://www.facebook.com/CrystalbyCirqueduSoleil/videos/2425781174334597/
- CRYSTAL: Meet Morgane Tisserand
https://www.facebook.com/CrystalbyCirqueduSoleil/videos/460113084609140/
- JOYA: Meet Flor Aracama and Nico Busso / New Dup Rings artists!
https://www.facebook.com/JOYA/videos/1166540943546390/
- RUN: Meet Michael Schwandt - The Multifaceted Stage Director
https://www.facebook.com/runtheshow/videos/722455731562545/
- RUN: Meet Tyler Bates - The Composer
https://www.facebook.com/runtheshow/videos/490382421513716/
- RUN: See how the Ashop Crew is bringing RUN to life
https://www.facebook.com/runtheshow/videos/540846943397014/
- ALEGRIA: Meet Elena Lev, Hoops Artist
https://www.facebook.com/Alegria/videos/942358382795622/
- See Amaluna's Sound Team in Action
https://www.facebook.com/cirquejobs/videos/2307017262709072/
- MESSI10 artists answer 10 burning questions about the show...
https://www.facebook.com/cirquejobs/videos/434226433882329/
- For the first time ever, we're experimenting with the wearable
technology WIMUPRO, in collaboration with Barça Innovation Hub
and RealTrack Systems, to collect data on Messi10 by Cirque du
Soleil artists' real-time physical activity...
https://www.facebook.com/cirquejobs/videos/663010840857245/
- Life is Beautiful / Walk the Moon
https://www.facebook.com/CirqueduSoleil/videos/474484243149135/
- See Spot Dance! For its first exploration, Boston Dynamics and
Nextasy, the Innovation Lab of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment
Group, have done some tests to evaluate Spots capabilities.
Looking forward to how things evolve!
https://www.facebook.com/CirqueduSoleil/videos/408792636476031/
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) "R.U.N. is not Your Grandmother's Cirque" - A Collection
of Articles Celebrating R.U.N's Preview Premiere
o) Jean David's Quel Cirque, Part 11 of 12: "At the Summit"
A Special Series Celebrating Cirque's 35th Anniversary
----------------------------------------------------------
"R.U.N. is not Your Grandmother's Cirque" - A Collection
of Articles Celebrating R.U.N's Preview Premiere
----------------------------------------------------------
When you ask people to describe Cirque du Soleil, the first thing they
mention is acrobatics. Their eyes grow wide as they try to demonstrate
thrilling moments involving death-defying yet beautifully-
choreographed leaps and dives and how-can-they-possibly-do-that
movements. Las Vegas' new Cirque du Soleil show, "R.U.N," opens on
October 24 at Luxor and it's a game-changer. There are hardly any
acrobatics in the show, and those are performed by riders on electric
motorcycles. "We are definitely doing something different," laughed
director Michael Schwandt, one of the most well-respected stage
directors in the world and creative director of the new hit TV show,
"The Masked Singer." "We're taking an iconic brand and changing
audiences' perceptions of it."
The groundbreaking new show draws its inspiration from action movies
and graphic novels, and is Cirque du Soleil's first live action
thriller. The story follows a striking bride as she leads a series of
fast-paced chases, brawls and stunts through the city's fictional
underbelly. "R.U.N" is dark and edgy, and it immerses audiences in a
gritty urban environment that thanks to set designer Bruce Rodgers
and his team feels so real, you'll forget you're in a Las Vegas
resort.
And that's before the show itself even begins. Here's a collection
of articles discussing R.U.N whilst it is in previews.
FORBES: "RUN is not Your Grandmother's Cirque"
-----------------------------------------------
"It's all about transitions," explained Rodgers. "We gradually move
you out of the casino, where you're drawn in by the logo itself, into
a mirrored space reflecting infinity, then through a graffiti-filled
underpass. You walk over real manholes that wobble a little, interact
with props, hear the sounds of the city and pass sights that you'll
revisit during the show. Best of all, it's all Instagrammable."
"R.U.N" is unlike any Cirque du Soleil you've experienced, making you
feel like you've entered another world rather than simply gone to see
a show.
Renowned graffiti collective, ASHOP, created the street art in the
lobby, the merchandise shop, the theater and even the bathrooms,
giving "R.U.N" an unparalleled authenticity along with major street
cred.
"The hardest part was keeping everything dirty and flawed," said
Rodgers. "For most shows, you want perfection but, for "R.U.N," we had
to redo anything that looked too clean and polished. It was an unusual
challenge."
Every space in the theater is put to use, so audience members are
literally immersed in "R.U.N." Characters ride down the aisles on to
the stage, and, at its highest point, the action takes place 34 feet
over the crowd.
The technology is astounding, with a 120 feet by 50 feet video screen
boasting almost 23 million pixels, and four robotic cameras, four
miniature cameras and 20 handheld cameras sending video to 19
projectors capable of 30,000 lumens each but all of it is used to
support the creativity of the storytelling rather than the other way
around.
Projection is a huge part of the show and, according to Schwandt, it's
used in different ways in every chapter to keep it fresh. "It may move
a scene, create an environment or offer a perspective change."
With its innovative approach, "R.U.N" lives up to and maybe even
surpasses the gold standard performance level audiences have come to
expect from Cirque du Soleil. It introduces the brand to a whole new
demographic and that's a daring feat in itself.
Las Vegas Sun: "A First Look at R.U.N"
--------------------------------------
Cirque du Soleil and Luxor offered the first real look at new resident
show "R.U.N" to a select group of guests and members of the media
Tuesday afternoon, making good on the promise of a new action-packed
direction for Cirque by performing two exciting acts from the show
ahead of its opening night on Thursday.
"If you're expecting to see our trademark acrobatics in a dream-like,
impressionist world, you're in the wrong place," said show producer
Gabriel Pinkstone before introducing a wild performance simulating a
car chase across the Nevada desert. "'R.U.N' is going somewhere
completely different. We're drawing on a profound expertise in human
performance and spectacular stagecraft, but R.U.N' is exploring new
territories. We like to joke that R.U.N' is what happens when the
stunt people send the acrobats out for coffee and then lock the doors
behind them."
She described the new show as a celebration of the action-thriller
genre as popularized in movies, graphic novels and video games. But
while there may be plenty of action in other Cirque productions on the
Las Vegas Strip, the framework and esthetic of "R.U.N" is something
new and different. Stunt work is the core of each performance, which
include riding electric motorcycles, high falls, combat, pyrotechnics
and special effects, set against the backdrop of a fictionalized,
amped-up version of Las Vegas itself.
Tuesday's sneak peek also displayed innovative technologies at play in
the production. As fighters jumped on top of the "moving" vehicle
during the car chase to attack its inhabitants, projections on screens
behind and in front of the action added depth and motion to the scene
and more scenery was splashed across two huge projection surfaces
stretching along the theater's walls. "R.U.N" integrates extensive
live footage and pre-shot video on those vast surfaces, helping to
create a more immersive experience.
It's all part of the show's approach to storytelling, which was
crafted in a completely different way by Cirque du Soleil.
"In a more traditional Cirque show you would start with an acrobatic
skeleton of the show, where you have a lineup of the different acts
you're looking to show," said creation director Stefan Miljevic, who
also directed the film sequences in the show. "We started the notion
of a story, of following a hero on his quest up until its resolution.
The idea was to find a way to integrate the performances so they can
fuel the story. That was a new way of thinking [for Cirque]."
The show's creators took inspiration from classic graphic novels and
highly stylized action films like "V for Vendetta," "300" and
especially "Sin City," which led to a connection with one of that
film's directors, Robert Rodriguez, who ended up writing the story for
"R.U.N." Composer Tyler Bates, who created music for "300" and other
popular action and horror films, crafted an original score and adapted
existing music to create a hybrid electronic-rock sound for "R.U.N."
"Musically it's a very different world than what you hear from Cirque
du Soleil," said show director Michael Schwandt. "It's very heart-
pounding, driving music and that's really the pulse of our show."
The second scene unveiled Tuesday occurs late in the show, a
motorcycle stunt spectacular that sets the tone for the final
confrontation between "The Hero" and "The Groom." Teams of bikers
roamed the theater's aisles before swooping across the stage, defying
gravity by sliding up steep ramps and blasting over the stage and
performing motocross competition-style stunts.
"We really were given permission to break the mold," Schwandt said.
"Taking an opportunity like this with a company that has such a strong
performance history and being asked to break the rules and try
something new is an amazing opportunity and has been super exciting
for us."
"R.U.N" makes its debut at 7 p.m. October 24 and will eventually
settle into a regular performance schedule at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday through Sunday at Luxor. The world premiere grand opening is
scheduled for November 14.
LVRJ: "Exploring the Stunts, Sounds, and Story"
-----------------------------------------------
The last time Cirque du Soleil launched a new show in Las Vegas was
more than six years ago. Michael Jackson One officially premiered on
June 29, 2013, at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and audiences knew
exactly what to expect. The Beatles Love was already seven years into
a historically successful run at the Mirage and served as the
blueprint for another colorful production combining Cirque's trademark
theatrics with the familiar and beloved catalog of a music icon.
There's no Instagram account for Michael Jackson One or The Beatles
Love. There's a Cirque du Soleil page with images and info for its
various Vegas shows and other globe-trotting touring productions, but
the Montreal-based entertainment company hasn't always used trendy
social media platforms to promote individual shows and events.
But check out /runtheshow on your 'gram and you'll get a whole lot of
behind-the-scenes video footage and character exploration teasing
R.U.N, the latest Cirque creation, set to open October 24 at Luxor.
The vastly different approach to marketing this show demonstrates just
how far Cirque is stepping out of its box.
"This is so different from what people expect from Cirque du Soleil
onstage. The production value is so amped up and some of these things
have never been done onstage," says Lou D'Angeli, vice president of
marketing and public relations for the resident shows division. "While
R.U.N is the first live-action thriller for us, it's kind of the first
live-action thriller, period."
It was known that Cirque du Soleil was developing something new to
fill the 1,500-seat theater at Luxor vacated last year by illusionist
Criss Angel's Mindfreak Liveoriginally a collaboration with Cirque
titled Believebut when R.U.N was officially announced in April, the
focus was on the things that would not be part of the new show:
circus-style acrobatics, avant-garde clowning and subtle, ethereal
storylines. Explaining what R.U.N actually will beand more
importantly, generating buzzrequires new tricks and tools.
"This is much more pronounced because of the way the show is
formatted," D'Angeli says of the marketing strategy, which has
included videos showing fight training in Montreal and interviews with
performers playing the main characters. "There are identifiable and
marketable characters: the Professional, the Bride, the Groom. They
all have identities, which is why we created an Instagram for it and
did other things we typically wouldn't do, to push that identity out
there and give people that idea that this is really not what you've
seen before from us."
We'll know very soon just how far Cirque has pushed itself to create
R.U.N, but we already know there are at least three elements that
distinguish its 10th resident production on the Las Vegas Strip from
everything that came before. There's the action, a stunt-driven
strategy in the vein of a big-budget, CGI-filled Hollywood
blockbuster. There's the music, an edgy rock 'n' roll soundtrack
composed by Tyler Bates, known for his work on 300, Guardians of the
Galaxy and John Wick. And there's a clear-cut plot complete with
narration, a hard-driving storyline written by action and horror
filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, director of El Mariachi, From Dusk Till
Dawn, Sin City and Machete.
THE STUNTS
Rob Bollinger is a former competitive diver who worked in the stunt
industry before joining Cirque du Soleil as part of the original cast
of Mystére at Treasure Island in 1993. He's also worked as artistic
director for O at Bellagio and as a coach and coordinator for various
acrobatic-themed acts and shows around the world
Bollinger serves as a performance and action designer for R.U.N,
collaborating with veteran stunt coordinator and five-time world
karate champion Jean Frenette (who has worked on hundreds of movies
and TV shows including X-Men, Deadpool 2 and Jack Ryan) to choreograph
the grittier, more frenetic fight sequences and high-flying stunts
that will define the new production.
"Every show is different; every acrobatic act is different. This is a
more story-driven show that has allowed me to tap into my stunt
experience in a different way than I have before, and I've really
enjoyed that," Bollinger says. "If I look back and compare my roles as
a designer and coordinator and director, this one is definitely
unique. I've been much more involved at the creative table, developing
the concept and designing the action. It's a very immersive project."
Bollinger uses the word "immersive" to describe both the creative
processwhich brought in many artists and consultants from the
Hollywood stunt communityand the anticipated experience for the
audience. The action of R.U.N is supposed to surround you, as if
you've somehow walked into a movie or graphic novel.
"A stunt by itself is really nothing. It needs a story, and it needs
to have a purpose; then it becomes of value," Bollinger says. "All the
stunts we're doing aren't just thrown out there, like, let's light
someone on fire or jump off a high place. Each has a purpose in
telling the story.
"We also wanted to make sure we're being true to the stunt community.
Having been a part of it, I want to know that if a stunt person comes
to see the show, he or she is thinking that it's really done well,
that those are not fake falls. We wanted to incorporate anything you'd
see in a film into this show, with the understanding that we have to
do this 10 times a week, do it safely and do it night after night and
year after year. That's been a delicate and important process."
There are combat and falls and fire and stunt work in plenty of other
Cirque du Soleil productions, but R.U.N's action should be more
realistic and palpable. There will be motorcycles flying over the
stage and steering through stunts you'd normally see in an arena
motocross competition.
"It's crazy," D'Angeli says. "We built out a stage to be the same size
as [Luxor's] in Montreal to show how it happens, and I was blown away
there. But seeing it here, these motorcycles flying over and coming
down through the audience and all over the stage, it really feels like
this huge production in this intimate setting."
The volume of stunts will also set R.U.N apart from the Cirque family
of showsand probably from everything else in Las Vegassomething
Bollinger realizes when asked about the pace of the production. "Not
every scene or chapter of our show has
well, now that I'm thinking
through it, they all pretty much do," he laughs. "It does have that
emotional EKG, if you will, as you go through the show, that
heightened sense of drama that scales back as the mood and the vibe
changes, then it brings it back up. It takes the audience on a nice
journey."
THE SOUNDS
Music is essential in changing those moods and vibes and transporting
the audience through the journey of any Cirque du Soleil experience.
Outside of the obvious Beatles and Michael Jackson tunes in their
respective shows, Cirque productions in Las Vegas are known for
sublime, celestial soundtracks that frame the drama onstage without
moving too far into a defined genre.
Tyler Bates played a few thousand live shows with rock bands before
becoming one of the most in-demand musicians, writers and producers
across the spectrum of film, television and video games. His
breakthrough gigs came when he scored Zack Snyder's films Dawn of the
Dead and 300, and he has collaborated with Rob Zombie on music for The
Devil's Rejects and Halloween. Think of the sounds of those movies and
then think about the music of Mystére and O. It's a considerable
contrast.
"The thing I really love about Cirque is how emotional it is and how
much those shows have a tendency to open portals for thought and
emotion," Bates says. "Depending on the show you see, there are a lot
of things that happen to the audience. For me as a composer and
producer, this [project] is very rare air."
Bates says the music in R.U.N is inspired by early creative
conversations with show director Michael Schwandt and creative
director Stefan Milijevic that included questions like "how hard can
we go physically" and "how far can we push the audience musically" to
build an emotional range for the show. "It's been interesting," he
says. "It's also been in a constant state of flux while working out
the details of the show and the timing of each performance. The timing
of the stunts in this show is very critical. We have to know all those
things and funnel them into the music."
While the pieces of the score range from eight to 14 minutes long, and
there are plenty of complicated tempo and key changes, Bates says the
music "sounds like me, but I can't say there's a specific film
reference we've discussed." The Cirque creative team was compelled as
much by Bates' hybrid electronic-rock production work with artists
like Marilyn Manson and Bush as by his movie music, so while it may be
natural to think of R.U.N as a live-theater version of an action film,
it might be more accurate to describe it as a graphic novel coming to
life.
"It was hard not to be inspired by every piece of concept art they've
shared with me and [by] the theater itself. What they've done there is
really fantastic," Bates says. "I think there's some relatability to
some movies I've done like John Wick or Hobbs & Shaw, but it's tipping
more toward the fun, graphic-novel side of things. It vacillates.
Sometimes it's a little more inside your head, and other times it's
full-on action in your face. I found that to be really interesting and
exciting to move through those states of consciousness, so to speak."
THE STORY
R.U.N is set in a sort of fictionalized version of Las Vegas, director
Michael Schwandt says, because Cirque wanted to take inspiration from
the city where it has set the benchmark for entertainment. In order to
set a new standard for storytelling, the company connected with one of
the most distinctive auteurs of his generation, Robert Rodriguez.
"It was a super-collaborative process with Robert," Schwandt says. "We
had identified the stunt disciplines within the show and a layout of
certain scenes we wanted to feature, and we had a rough road map when
he came on. But from the beginning it was all about collaborating with
him to find the best story, not only in a way that would translate to
the live show but also to support the performances in this show."
So what happens in R.U.N? You have to buy a ticket to find out. One
thing that's clear is that unlike other Cirque du Soleil productions,
in which characters and scenery push things forwardoften in a dreamy,
passive wayaction drives this show.
"We're definitely aiming to be more direct," Schwandt says. "We're
guiding the audience with the use of voice-over narration which we
hope keeps them invested in the journey from scene to scene, and the
performance in each scene supports the storyline. Everything is
interconnected and for the most part follows a linear story. We hope
you're not only following that journey but really invested in the main
characters. Sometimes it might be a little too obvious."
Schwandt has collaborated with Cirque once before in producing a
performance for television, but this will be something new for him. "I
have a tendency to be involved in projects where companies are trying
something they haven't done before, and I welcome the challenge," he
says. "I think the landscape of entertainment options is diversifying,
and this is a valid and important step. Cirque is acknowledging there
is a different way to bring what they do to the table in a new
platform, a new entertainment experience, and it's very smart on their
part."
As a stage director and entertainment developer and producer, Schwandt
has had a hand in TV projects like The Masked Singer, American Idol
and America's Next Top Model; concerts and tours by Kendrick Lamar,
Katy Perry and John Legend; and diverse live productions like LA
Live's New Year's Eve show with Drake and Diplo, the Nickelodeon Kids'
Choice Sports Awards and the Ringling Bros. Circus Xtreme arena tour.
Even with that wild spectrum of experience, he says there are
"absolutely more differences than similarities" between R.U.N and
anything he's done before.
"I've pulled from experiences across a greater swath of project types,
kind of grasping at things I've done from a super wide range more than
ever before, because there are a lot of new challenges for me in this
realm. Stunts in general is a new realm; I've done circus work before,
but nothing to this level. One thing that's unique is the way we're
structuring this performance as less about individual acts or numbers
and more about a scene and an environment and a vibe."
He points out that some of the "acts" in R.U.N might last 10 to 12
minutes, "a long time to sustain a particular performance or energy.
It's not just stunt fighters for three minutes; it's hand-to-hand
combat, weapons specialists, motorcycle riders, fire specialistsall
of these elements integrated into once scene, 25 to 30 people to make
one collective wow moment that spans 10 minutes. It's one of the most
challenging projects I've worked on."
R.U.N will also use a massive amount of video content to complement
the action onstage and to contribute to the storytelling. Cirque du
Soleil is using everything in its toolkit to create another visual
spectacle in a different way, while aiming for the same emotional
resonance that makes its Las Vegas shows so memorable.
"The whole synergy of pulling together video, music and stunts has
been super-exciting. We're really trying to find something new for the
audience within each environment we're creating," Schwandt says. "It's
very challenging for us but also super-rewarding."
LA TIMES: "Cirque bets big with R.U.N'"
-----------------------------------------
The motorcyclist speeds up a 12-foot-tall ramp, catapulting himself
more than 35 heart-stopping feet in the air. Midway through the jump,
he fearlessly slips his hands off the handles, arches his back and
cinematically thrusts his arms into a victory sign before safely
landing 40 feet away.
For the next hour, four cyclists will zip back and forth, taking turns
testing the limits of gravity. These death-defying feats are taking
place not on a movie set or in a competitive arena but within the
confines of the 1,463-seat theater inside the Luxor hotel and casino.
The stunt riders are rehearsing for "R.U.N," the new Cirque du Soleil
show that begins performances Thursday, Oct. 24, leading up to its
official premiere Nov. 14.
As with everything in Las Vegas, the stakes are high.
Six years have passed since the Canadian theatrical company has
introduced a new show on the Vegas Strip, and the time has come to
find a fresh vehicle to electrify audiences. Cirque is looking for
ways to attract ticket buyers who may have grown weary of acrobats,
trapeze artists, contortionists and clowns. More important, the
company hopes to attract and develop the next generation of audience
members younger fans, raised on video games and action movies. And
that means reinvention.
"First and foremost, we wanted to have something very, very different
from anything else we had done," Chief Executive Daniel Lamarre said
in July from his office overlooking the Cirque campus in Montreal.
"If you look at the movie industry, what's working? Action movies," he
says. "We think there is a huge potential for teenagers, kids and
people in their 20s who love action movies, who, when they hear that
Cirque du Soleil is doing a livethriller show, will want to see it."
Since Cirque first hit the strip in 1993 with "Mystère" at the Mirage
Hotel & Casino, it has raised the bar on Vegas entertainment, pushing
creative limits higher with each subsequent show: the aquatic "O," the
sensuous "Zumanity," the battlefield antics of "Kà," "The Beatles
Love" and "Michael Jackson: One," which are currently playing, as well
as "Criss Angel Believe," "Viva Elvis" and "Zarkana," which have
closed.
The price tag for "R.U.N" will be about $62 million, Cirque says,
making it one of the company's most expensive Vegas shows. This gamble
comes at a time when tourism for the city has remained relatively
stagnant, according to figures from the Las Vegas Convention and
Visitors Authority. But Lamarre is undaunted.
"Every show is a risk," he says. "We're in a risky business by
definition."
Since Cirque was founded in 1984 by street performers Guy Laliberté
and Gilles Ste-Croix, Cirque has become the largest theatrical
producer in the world. Its big-top touring shows have been presented
in 450 cities in 60 countries. Among its newer offerings are an ice
show, a touring show based on the film "Avatar," a collaboration at
Disney World featuring Disney characters and a presence at resorts and
theme parks in Mexico.
In 2015, a majority interest in the company was sold to TPG Capital, a
private equity firm, in a deal reportedly valued at $1.5 billion.
Since then, the company has expanded its reach and diversified its
holdings with the acquisition of Blue Man Group and Minnesota-based
VStar Entertainment group and its Florida-based circus arts
subsidiary, Cirque Productions, which produces Cirque Dreams shows.
This year it added the Illusionists magic troupe to its portfolio.
In 2016, Cirque made a $25-million bet on Broadway with the Hollywood-
themed show "Paramour." Like other attempts at cracking the New York
market "Banana Shpeel" in 2010 and "Zarkana" the following year
"Paramour" wasn't able to find a steady following. Most weeks, its box
office take was between $800,000 and $900,000, half of its gross
potential of $1.8 million, and it closed a year later after 31
previews and 366 performances. Cirque has since remounted the show in
Hamburg, Germany.
Last year, an aerial performer fell to his death during a Cirque
performance in Florida. It was the fourth death of a Cirque company
member since 2009.
So it may be surprising that Cirque is venturing into seemingly risky
territory with its newest show in Las Vegas. With "R.U.N," Cirque is
diverging from the core circus arts that made it famous in favor of a
40-person cast of stunt drivers, martial arts experts, pyrotechnic
performers and freak-show artists. "R.U.N" will be heavy on video and
projections, with live video shot by a camerawoman onstage integrated
into the story. Much of the action will take place in the audience.
And for the first time, Cirque has brought in a writer to create a
defined story line and script.
"What became very clear to all of us is that with this type of show,
we want to leave less up to interpretation," says "R.U.N" director
Michael Schwandt. "We want people to understand the context of the
scene: Why does he hate him? Why are they fighting right now? Why is
this escalating to this point? When you have understanding of some
context, it makes what you're watching a lot better. You can root for
someone."
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, whose body of work includes action
thrillers such as "El Mariachi," "Sin City" and "Machete," was tapped
to write the script. Though he was busy with his own film projects,
Rodriguez jumped at the opportunity to collaborate on something new.
"I'm not used to having to follow a story in a Cirque show," Rodriguez
says, "so I thought it would be a unique opportunity a modern film
noir."
Like a graphic novel, "R.U.N" unfolds in chapters, each with a
distinct voice and musical style.
The plan was always to put on a stunt show, Schwandt says, but the
concept and packaging evolved before they settled on the story line,
which revolves around two rival gangs facing off in the dark, seedy
underground of Las Vegas. A wedding gets interrupted and a chase
ensues. The title of the show can be read as "run" or "are you in?"
"At the end of the day, it's a very gritty, romantic love story,"
Schwandt says with a laugh. "It's a really dark and gritty love
story."
The actors don't speak onstage. Instead, the show relies on voice-over
narration, projections and other devices.
"There are times when it should feel like you're reading the pages of
a graphic novel, so things are popping up onscreen," Schwandt says.
"That's a way for people to continue following the story without
having to hear the narration all the time."
The script significantly changed the development of the show, says Rob
Bollinger, who oversees the stunt and action performances with Jean
Frénette and was involved in the early development of "R.U.N."
Traditionally, Cirque builds an "acrobatic skeleton" for each show,
then finds ways to develop a story around that, says Bollinger, who
worked years as a film stuntman before joining Cirque as an original
cast member of "Mystère." Flipping the process gave the stunts new
urgency.
"You can see somebody do a stunt, and it's amazing by itself but
it's just a stunt. When you put it in the context of a story when
you're helping to tell a story or you're helping to develop a
character then the stunt has some real meaning and purpose," he
says. "That's the goal for this show: We're trying to find the stunt
sequences that really help to develop a character."
For the music, Cirque hired Tyler Bates, former lead guitarist for
Marilyn Manson, who in recent years has made a name as a film and
television composer, creating hard-charging scores for such features
as the recent "Fast and Furious" spinoff "Hobbs & Shaw," "300" and the
"Guardians of the Galaxy" and "John Wick" films. He describes his
music for "R.U.N" as "a modern amalgam of musical styles from the past
30 years."
Bates worked closely with Schwandt to compose music that also serves
character and story development.
"The music is designed to speak to the various chapters of the show,"
Bates says. "The introduction of dialogue and having more of a
detailed story line and the expression of a character's inner thoughts
is definitely informing the music in a significant way. The dialogue
has made me rethink some things and understand some dynamics the show
didn't necessarily have imbued in it when I came onboard."
Schwandt, a co-creator of "The Masked Singer," is no stranger to
large, complex productions. He's overseen shows ranging from Michelle
Obama's 2013 "Let's Move" campaign kickoff event to live performances
for Nike and Reebok to concert tours for Kendrick Lamar, Katy Perry
and Avril Lavigne. But juggling the many aspects of this Cirque
production presented unique challenges, many of his own design.
"Oftentimes in dance, there's chunks of people who learn the same
choreography. That's not the case here," he says. "Every single person
has to be choreographed differently. When you have 25 people fighting
onstage, that's 25 people who have to be choreographed. They're doing
completely different things. Even in scenes that have dancers, we have
little synchronized choreography and that's by choice."
Because of the need for precision, every movement and bit of action is
carefully clocked in the 75-minute show. Bollinger has made sure even
the motorcycle jumps are timed down to the second. A challenge,
Schwandt says, is that many of the performers come from the stunt or
martial arts world and don't know how to count beats or read music.
And some like the motorcyclists can't even hear the music because
of their helmets. He had to create visual cues.
In turn, Rodriguez has tweaked dialogue and Bates has adjusted the
music to accommodate pyrotechnic scenes, martial arts sequences or set
changes that require more stage time.
"R.U.N" is billed as an action thriller but Schwandt has avoided the
temptation to go overboard with the stunts, video projections or other
visuals while still providing something new for the audience to
discover within each scene.
"If you do too much fighting over and over again throughout the show,
it can become repetitive and you have what is called fight fatigue,'"
he says. "You get desensitized to it because you're seeing so much
fighting."
He had Rodriguez write in what he refers to as "quiet moments,"
laughing slyly as he notes, "Quiet doesn't necessarily mean less
impactful or less suspenseful. We have a few quiet' moments that are
pretty intense."
Though Cirque is breaking out of its mold with "R.U.N," some of the
most familiar elements of its shows will remain. The characters'
facial makeup and costumes still embody the dreamy quality of its
other shows, but with darker hues and harsher lines, taking their
inspiration from street gangs and futuristic action films. Tattoos,
piercings and realistic scars have been added to the makeup effects.
All of the costumes are handmade in the Cirque headquarters in
Montreal from fabrics that are hand-printed or hand-dyed. Even the
belts, buttons and shoes are handcrafted with the show's specific
elements such as pyrotechnics and cyclist stunts in mind.
These familiar aspects are woven into the darker, cinematic feel of
the new show. Audience members will begin to sense this even before
they enter the theater. Set designer Bruce Rodgers has transformed
65,000 square feet of space outside the theater into a graffiti-
covered, neon-lit alley scene packed with visuals and projections that
ticket holders must pass through to get to their seats. No detail was
too small to address. A collective of a dozen graffiti artists from
Montreal was brought in for 12 days to tag the walls, layer upon
layer. "A lot of people don't get this close to graffiti in real
life," Rodgers says.
The floor is designed to resemble cracked cobblestone and concrete
("The contractors we have are trained to do perfect work, but we threw
out the rule book and made them learn how to make bad asphalt") and
several lights flicker. ("All our neon signs have little glitchy
things to them. We want it to feel like nothing is too perfect.") When
it came time to add a manhole cover to his street scene, Rodgers went
straight to the Neenah Foundry in Wisconsin, which has manufactured
millions of the iron disks seen on streets around the world.
Along the path are interactive stops including a telephone booth, a
tattoo parlor and a car wreck. "Everything is designed for Instagram,"
Rodgers says. "We've been tweaking lighting so everyone looks good
when they take their selfies."
In the weeks before the first public performances of the show, the
creative team was still adapting, adjusting, testing, timing and
tweaking.
"The biggest constraint has been time. We're still dialing in the
story," Schwandt says. "That's going to be a process all the way until
we open the show. Right now, with the time we have left, everyone just
wants to know what they're doing, to lock it in. Then, once the cast
gets more comfortable, they'll want to try new things to raise the bar
even more."
LA TIMES: "Why is Robert Rodriguez writing Cirque?"
---------------------------------------------------
The call from Cirque du Soleil came out of the blue.
"They said they were working on an action show, an action-type show,"
says Robert Rodriguez, the filmmaker best known for the neo-western
"El Mariachi" and the dark, graphic novel-inspired "Sin City," as well
as the "Spy Kids" franchise.
Wrong number? Rodriguez would be among the first to admit he isn't
someone most people would associate with the Montreal-based company
known for its trapeze artists, contortionists, clowns and high-flying
acrobats.
But when Cirque was developing the concept for "R.U.N," its latest
live-action show in Las Vegas, his name was, in fact, the one that
kept popping up.
"We went to Sin City' as a reference a lot, stylistically, and we
just thought, OK, let's get in touch with who is behind this and just
see," says "R.U.N" director Michael Schwandt. "Sometimes you just have
to go to the source. You have nothing to lose but someone telling you
no, right?"
Rodriguez's answer was a resounding yes.
"I got very excited, and I told my agent, I'd love to work with them,"
he says by phone from his studio in Texas.
"I've been going to Cirque shows over the course of their history.
Whenever they would come tour through Austin, I would do an exchange
where I would take some of my actors or kids who were working with me
to see them see behind the scenes and then we'd bring their
performers over to my studio, and they would see us filming or things
like that."
As writer for "R.U.N," Rodriguez is making Cirque history. The
production marks the first time Cirque has incorporated a full
narrative and script into a show. It also marks a change in direction
for Cirque, which will feature motorcycle stunt riders, martial arts
experts and pyrotechnic performers in place of its core circus-style
acts.
"R.U.N" begins previews Thursday and officially opens Nov. 14 at the
Luxor hotel and casino.
The fast-paced thriller is set in the underbelly of Las Vegas and
incorporates iconography of the city into its narrative. "A wedding is
interrupted and a guy is running for his life, and we don't know why.
We don't know what he's done, what he's risking and why they are after
him," Rodriguez says, adding, "I don't want to give away too much."
He came on nearly a year after Cirque first decided to create a show
involving Hollywood-style stunt performers. Schwandt had mapped an
outline, taking desired elements of stage action and stringing them
together in story form. Rodriguez took those scenes and refined them,
making tweaks to give reason to the action.
"They had a loose idea of what was going to happen. I had freedom, but
I wanted to work with what they had because I thought the set pieces
were great," he says. "We need to follow the Hero all the way through,
so from the very beginning, we need to find his voice."
It's a process that Rodriguez is familiar with from creating his 2010
action film, "Machete."
"It's been really interesting trying to reverse-engineer something
based on action and ideas they've come up," he says. "I made a fake
trailer for Machete,' just as a fake trailer. People loved the
trailer and said, where's the movie?' For five years, I heard that
question again and again. Finally, I said, let's make a movie. But I
wanted to include every shot from the trailer in the movie, so I had
to reverse-engineer the trailer to figure out how those shots would
work in an actual story. The limitation that comes from that was so
exhilarating."
Cirque Chief Executive Daniel Lamarre says Hollywood was an obvious
place to seek out a writer for the show, and Rodriguez was a natural
choice: "The storytelling was more important with this than in other
shows, so we needed someone who had a movie background."
The challenge for the filmmaker was juggling his "day job" with the
demands of writing and rewriting parts of "R.U.N." Rodriguez is
known in the industry for his hands-on approach to his work, immersing
himself in all aspects of the process, even composing music for some
of his movies. When the Cirque offer came, he was busy with other
projects, but he didn't hesitate to take on this job.
"You just have to start something you're excited about," he says. "You
don't know how you're going to do it, but you'll start getting
momentum. Then before you know it, you're making time where there was
no time before. It just starts being magically created by yourself."
Again, Rodriguez was squarely in the middle of filming when Cirque
approached him about scripting a special presentation for a July event
at Comic-Con in San Diego. The segment, which featured aspects of the
actual show, was the first introduction of "R.U.N" to the public.
"Even though I'm in the middle of production, I made the time," he
says, "because I love the project."
Last month, Rodriguez finally found an opportunity to sit in on a
rehearsal in Las Vegas. For the most part, he had been working off of
video clips sent to him from the creative team as they pieced together
the show, first in Montreal and then in Vegas.
By chance, "R.U.N" composer Tyler Bates, who was conducting his work
in Los Angeles, attended the same run-through or "stumble-through"
as Cirque creatives call it so the two were able to compare notes
and adjust dialogue or music to fill out scenes based on stunt
sequences or set changes.
"Once I saw it with Tyler's music, it's like, oh, you don't need to be
jabbering all the time. You can totally tell what's going on,"
Rodriguez says. "Minimalism is best. It's such a spectacular show to
watch, visually."
During his visit, he says, the creatives began experimenting with some
of the tools and language of graphic novels, replacing a projected
thought bubble or a description on screen in the style of a graphic
novel. "There's so much to work with: You have screens, scrims,
projections. It's really unique," he says.
Rodriguez says he's prepared to continue to refine the script, and he
plans one more trip to Vegas as the opening drew closer. "There's
sections that I haven't seen yet," he says, "and I have to make sure
the dialogue is working just right. Then if I need to come up with
anything else, I'll just come up with it.
"So, no pressure," he says, laughing. "No pressure at all."
------------------------------------------------------------
Jean David's Quel Cirque, Part 11 of 12: "At the Summit"
A Special Series Celebrating Cirque's 35th Anniversary
------------------------------------------------------------
Today a consultant in creativity and event marketing, Jean David was
one of the pioneers of Cirque du Soleil, where he led the marketing
department for 15 years (from 1984-1999), introducing the magic of the
Grand Chapiteau to the whole world. During his tenure, David
distinguished himself through innovative methods by commercializing
the Big Top and introducing its magic to other cultures on four
continents.
A man of vision but also a determined entrepreneur, Jean David acted
as Vice President of Entertainment, Sales & Marketing at the WYNN
Hotel in Las Vegas before moving to India for 18 months, where he led
a pre-feasibility study for the creation of an innovative project: the
Mumbai International Creative Center, an international resort centered
around the theme of creativity.
In his 2005 book - "Quel Cirque!" ("What a Cirque!") - David offered
his views on leadership and revealed the innovative qualities that
contributed to Cirque du Soleil's enormous success in marketing,
management, creation and exploration. There was only one problem... it
was written in his native French. Thankfully, David himself translated
and web-published an English-language version of his book and we've
collected the relevant Cirque-related chapters for this 12-part
series.
Jean David's "Quel Cirque" is a fantastic read and as Cirque du Soleil
celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, we thought this would be
the perfect year to share these texts with you. So, without further
ado, Quel Cirque!
# # #
Early in the spring of 1995, we got a call from Canadian Prime
Minister Jean Chrétien, asking us to perform at the G7 conference in
Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a little inconvenient. Normally Cirque du
Soleil didn't take part in special events. Besides, it would mean
quickly putting together a show with artists and technicians, setting
up a big top, and rehearsing so that we could offer a quality product.
The operation would also entail marshalling considerable human and
material resources. It would also require much work and organization.
Still, we knew that the seven world leaders represented countries that
had the majority of our customers, so we thought we should make a
special effort. And it was our prime minister making the request.
After assessing the feasibility of the project, we were inclined to
accept. But there was an ethical issue about the government picking up
the tab. It was no secret that Canadians were heavily taxed. Citizens
might question the relevance of spending over a million dollars for
the project. We didn't relish the idea of finding ourselves in the
midst of a controversy. So we accepted to do the project on one
condition: the private sector had to foot the bill. And we weren't
fooling! After a little back-and-forth, the government agreed. Two
Canadian corporations, Bombardier and Air Canada, undertook to sponsor
the event and share the expenses.
The Halifax summit offered us a splendid opportunity to conduct a vast
public relations operation with the 3,000 journalists gathered from
around the world to cover the event. I assembled a team consisting of
publicity staff from our Montreal headquarters and from our North
American, Asian, and European divisions. So we could communicate in
French, English, Spanish, German, and Japanese. We were in the media
centre. As a result of this successful operation we came away with a
better grasp of the international reach and scope of our activities.
Undoubtedly, for us the highlight of the summit was meeting the G7
leaders. Forty-five minutes before the show began, a cocktail party
was held in a tent adjacent to the big top. Our sponsors, Guy
Laliberté, Daniel Gauthier, his wife Hélène Dufresne, and I were
invited to join the leaders, and their finance and foreign affairs
ministers. This brief event turned out to be very interesting!
We chatted with John Major and Helmut Kohl. President Clinton confided
to us that at their first session, Prime Minister Chrétien had
distributed the event program and everyone was delighted to learn that
Cirque du Soleil would be performing. Bill Clinton also described us
to the other leaders because he was the only one who had seen a show.
In fact, he'd seen two of them.
Meeting French President Jacques Chirac was even more interesting.
After exchanging greetings, Mr. Chirac asked us why we weren't
performing in France on a regular basis. I replied that we'd been
venue hunting in Paris for a long time, but that none of the sites
proposed by city bureaucrats met our criteria. When I mentioned that
we'd called his office when he was still the mayor of Paris, he
admitted that he'd heard of our request and said he was sorry he
hadn't given our project the attention it deserved. He reminded us
that he was involved in a presidential campaign and that he had a full
schedule. He was kind enough to encourage us to contact the
bureaucrats again. Thanks, Mr. President!
People You Meet
---------------
As the proverb goes: "Traveling forms youth!" The world is round, so
we might as well travel around it. I like to think that the average
lifespan of human beings should be as long as it wouldtake to cross
all the continents on foot!
I'm a people person; I enjoy meeting them, and talking to them. Very
early on, when I was still in my early twenties, I found out that
business trips were far more stimulating than tourist trips. When
you're a tourist in a foreign country, your contact with people is
always too brief: taxi drivers, hotel janitors, restaurant employees
and clerks are generally friendly enough but they're busy doing their
jobs.
When I travel on business, I meet many people in a profession that I
love. I spend hours listening, discussing, negotiating, and trying to
understand. I have to get my point of view across while finding some
common ground for agreement. This vital professional exercise has
given me much satisfaction. It gives me the opportunity to get to know
people from very different cultures. Such diversity and surprising
similarity! You could never have such an enriching experience as a
mere tourist.
In my travels around the world, I've been lucky enough to meet
extraordinary people involved in a multitude of interests and
pursuits. I've tried to get to know them as well as I can and to see
what makes them stand out. I've made many friends. Often, these
relationships were of brief duration because of distances and
commitments, but in no way did time diminish the quality of our
friendship. I've learned that human beings have much in common, that
they share the same legacy, and that they'll be facing the same
challenges in the future. We're all headed in the same direction.
Daring to Dare
--------------
Hong Kong is an island, a metropolis, a place right out of an
adventure tale. One day, we found ourselves in this little beehive of
activity with our big top in magnificent Victoria Park, an incredible
site in the heart of the city. To say the least, the project was
ambitious. You can well imagine that we didn't pitch our tent there
without a lot of preparation. Fortunately we had the support of Swire
Properties; without them I'm not sure we would have come to the
island.
Our installation and preparations coincided with Hong Kong's
retrocession to Chinese sovereignty. A feeling of exuberance marked
the countdown; the atmosphere was electric. It was also a period of
uncertainty. Some people feared that they were witnessing the final
days of freedom, but most were optimistic, confident that Beijing
would want to reap the benefits of the island's booming economy.
Our show received an extraordinary welcome. Our VIP service catering
to customers desiring more personalized treatment proved to be very
popular on the island. Our experience in Hong Kong marked another
stage in our development since it was the first time we performed
before predominantly Chinese audiences. We were rather proud of the
fact.
Surprise!
---------
Our first visit to Washington attracted a great deal of interest. We
were doing business with the Abe Pollen group. A major local producer,
involved in a multitude of activities, gave us a lot of support.
Washington is a fascinating and dynamic city. As the nation's capital,
it is governed by a plethora of rules and regulations. Pollen and the
Canadian embassy helped us set up on the Mall, an area of great
historical significance. An expanse of parkland in the center of the
city within walking distance of the White House, the Mall stretches
from the Lincoln memorial to the US Capitol. Senators could observe us
from their windows.
To comply with the regulation banning commercial activity on the Mall,
we set up ticketing on the adjacent street, about 20 yards from the
reception tent. It was a bold move. We liked to take chances. Besides
in terms of location, the place met our requirements.
Cirque set such high occupancy objectives that we took pains to find
the most coveted venue, offering the most visibility. In so doing, the
company differed from traditional circuses, which usually set up in
the suburbs for economic reasons.
For the Washington premiere on the Mall esplanade, the big top
overflowed with the who's who in American politics. In addition there
were ambassadors, financiers and, of course, the cultural elite. It
was also the first time AT&T acted as our major sponsor. For the
occasion, the giant corporation had invited every key business
associate in Washington.
As usual there was an intermission. In the reception tent, we had
installed a raised floor. The Mall's esplanade was made of grass, so
we needed a floor to protect the public in case of rain. Just before
the second half began, when most of the spectators were coming back to
the big top, the floor collapsed. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and
most of the witnesses to the accident were either Cirque du Soleil or
AT&T employees.
There was no drama and no diplomatic incident. No ambassador or
senator disappeared under the floor. Within minutes, a bevy of
technicians, led by Richard Bouthillier, the big top and technical
expert, set to work rebuilding the entire floor. It was a race against
time. The second part of the show lasted only 50 minutes and
spectators would be passing through the reception tent to exit the
site. We had quite a scare but it all worked out in the end. The
premiere was a huge success; the reviews were excellent. Noting the
location of the big top opposite the Capitol, the journalists
commented that now there were two circuses on The Mall.
Room For Everyone
-----------------
New York is a huge city that has something for every taste. It was an
important stage in our quest to conquer the American market. In fact,
a documentary entitled, Un cirque en Amérique (A Circus in America),
recounting these pivotal events in Cirque du Soleil was directed by
Montreal journalist Nathalie Petrowski and produced by the National
Film Board of Canada (NFB).
There is no shortage of competition for the entertainment dollar in
New York. So the circuses tried to avoid direct competition. The
operators were careful not to hurt the others. We even exchanged tour
plans. The idea was very simple: avoid putting anyone at risk. Yet one
day, circus-goers could choose between Ringling Brothers at Madison
Square Garden, the Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center, and Cirque du
Soleil in Barry Park opposite Wall Street.
Many people feared the worst, but in the end, none of the circuses
suffered by this strange encounter of the three kinds. After all, the
shows addressed different clienteles. Their advertising campaigns were
a study in contrast. They crossed each other's path but they didn't
compete. In describing the situation, journalists remarked that the
three companies complemented one another. The circuses had clearly
demonstrated that the market could accommodate a few circuses,
especially in New York.
Thirst for Renewal
------------------
Producers whether they were American, Japanese, German, French, Dutch
or English, often asked me whether we had other artists, troupes or
cultural products to offer them. The entertainment world has an
insatiable appetite for innovative products of quality. Paradoxically,
in the global village the entertainment industry is becoming
homogenized.
Yet, globalization also has its positive sides. It also permits the
expression and the manifestation of the world's cultures. Huge
corporations were involved in the formation of vast strategic
alliances in the 1990s, the deployment of major communication networks
and the rapid development of the Internet. Facilitating the emergence
of new cultural content was essential to the survival of these
corporations.
People are more educated and better informed than ever before. They're
becoming increasingly discerning about their entertainment. For over
20 years, every Western society has witnessed declining interest in,
even a rejection of values espoused by traditional institutions.
Instead, there has been a growing emphasis on personal ethics.
These rules or standards of personal conduct are in keeping with
individual aspirations principally related to the need to have true
quality of life. Around the world, people are also increasingly
critical of the omnipresence of American culture. But Hollywood has
yet to understand that if you keep hammering the same nail, you'll end
up damaging the building.
Everywhere on the planet, there's a need for renewal and a clear
desire to be exposed to other cultures. Culture is the lifeblood of
our soul. We must create a new business dynamic based on both
individual and group expression for the betterment of society. Indeed
the future of society is inextricably linked to the fostering of its
citizens' creative potential. Can it be done?
Ultimate Branding
-----------------
The most valuable asset a company can possess is to be perceived to be
an innovative enterprise by the public innovation is the ultimate
branding. And observers are unanimous that Cirque du Soleil is
innovative. A reputation for innovation opens many doors. People
believe you have the capacity to meet any number of their needs.
Cirque du Soleil's experience in Las Vegas and with Walt Disney World
in Orlando, Florida is a vivid illustration of the power of
innovation. In the early 1990s, the Las Vegas market was undergoing
rapid growth. This adult destination drew millions of tourists every
year. But the clientele had evolved. Gaming aficionados had gotten
married; they'd taken time to have children. Sure, they wanted to keep
visiting Vegas, but they wanted to bring their families. So the
hitherto adult destination was seeking to reposition itself to appeal
to a new demographic.
To send a clear message that the town had truly changed, promoters
proposed a diversity of projects. One of these involved boldly
innovative Cirque du Soleil whose product matched the spirit of
renewal sweeping Las Vegas. No sooner said than done; Cirque du Soleil
became a fixture in Vegas.
In the late 1990s, on the other side of the United States, Walt Disney
World in Orlando, Florida was in full expansion. Millions of tourists
were flocking to it every year. Unlike Vegas, Walt Disney World, a
family destination, wanted to enhance its appeal to the adult
clientele. Having built immense infrastructures to accommodate major
conferences, Disney was now a preferred destination for millions of
adults.
These adults who had come without children were looking for suitable
entertainment. The Disney people proposed a variety of projects. They
called on Cirque du Soleil who offered the ideal product to meet their
needs. They provided Cirque permanent residency in the Downtown Disney
section. No sooner said than done; Cirque du Soleil became a fixture
in Orlando.
Disney and Vegas, pursuing two very different positioning objectives,
found one solution: Cirque du Soleil. Such is the power of innovation!
Beware the Technocrats
----------------------
People often ask me, "What are the biggest problems Cirque du Soleil
has faced?" Apart from growth, meddling technocrats were our biggest
problem. Then just when the company was growing rapidly, the bosses
decided to hire management specialists to guide us through the
development process. They became consultants or senior executives in
the company. They wasted our time in meetings, discussing theories
they'd learned by rote at university. Their ideas contributed nothing
because they were already obsolete. These technocrats devised five-
year plans that just weren't viable. It was unbelievable!
These so-called experts created a lot of confusion; they were useless.
They had complete disregard for our needs. While claiming to work
within a system that was already functioning they insisted on imposing
their own. They knew nothing about our shows, the public, and the
company's turnover. They couldn't relate to the raison d'être of the
organization. Worse still, they did everything in their power to
distance us from it.
The new art of organization: wasting time together. Someday, I'd like
to meet the guy who invented it. The technocrats had no idea what we
were doing. They did everything in their power to impose their
theoretical notions of what a big organization should be, and they did
it with the bosses' backing. Eventually I realized that these
consultants had been hired merely to compensate for a lack of
confidence and leadership skills on the part of some senior
executives.
When you talked to these people, you always came away with the same
feeling: "There must be something I haven't understood." And suddenly
you felt less intelligent than you were when you got up in the
morning. Meanwhile, the technocrat was happy as a lark, and went
strolling down the halls adorned with works of art to his office to
prepare his report. It was my most painful experience at Cirque du
Soleil, and I know there were others who felt the same. Unfortunately,
you find these technocrats throughout society.
What's really appalling is that they're products of our educational
system. They leave our universities with the blessing of their thesis
director and the education minister. Our educational system must be in
sorry shape to inflict individuals with so little humanity on the job
market. There's a fascinating book by Patricia Pitcher that explains
the role these individuals play in organizations. The title: Artists,
Craftsmen and Technocrats. Read it and then you'll be able to pick
them out. The hunt is on!
To Be Concluded...
=======================================================================
COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
=======================================================================
Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 19, Number 11 (Issue #190) - November 2019
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C)
2001-2019 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.
{ Nov.10.2019 }
=======================================================================
