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Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment empire based in Montréal, Quebec, Canada and founded in Quebec in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. It was an answer to a call by Commissariat général aux célébrations 1534-1984 of the Quebec Government for the 450th anniversary celebration of the discovery of Canada by French explorer Jacques Cartier (b 1491-d 1557). Gauthier, who left the company in 2001, now owns the ski area Le Massif, on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Cirque du Soleil is now "guided" by Guy Laliberté.

It has been described as the modern circus, and focuses upon a storyline as well as amazing performances. It has several resident and touring troupes and draws heavily from the circus tradition. Emphasizing the use of humans as performers, Cirque du Soleil does not make use of animals. Instead, its performances combine elements of street performances and busking, circus, opera, ballet, and rock music. Acts include contortionists, jugglers, feats of strength, clowning, and trapeze artists. Their costumes are very colorful and creative, setting a festive and lively atmosphere. Also, Cirque shows do not use pre-recorded music; all music is played live.

Cirque shows begin as a creative concept, usually with elements of a central story line, a design concept and the selection of a composer for the music. These elements remain relatively constant throughout the production run of a given show.

However, the shows also include both "house" and "guest" acts. House acts are performed by the full-time cast members, some whom may be involved in several routines. Not all prepared routines are presented in every performance. Guest acts rotate in and out over the run of the show (clowns are typically guest acts). As a result, Cirque shows can vary somewhat performance to performance, and shows tend to evolve over time.

Cirque creators borrow from some of circus's earliest forms (for example, Wiktionary:List_of_protologisms#B and teeterboard acts) but also regularly introduce new apparatus. For example, Cirque introduced the use of bungie cords to aerial acts and created a modified tumbling trampoline called a Power Track, both of which have since been adopted by other circuses.

Cirque du Soleil recruits acts from different world circuses, including from China and Russia, blending them into their own style.

Among veteran circus performers, Cirque is regarded as one of the world's best circuses, due to higher than normal pay scales and benefits.

Cirque du Soleil has produced a number of performance DVDs and soundtrack CDs.

The troupe was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Touring productions

Arena tour

  • Delirium: Not a traditional Cirque show that plays over multiple weeks in a city at a time under their trademark Big Top tent, this is a multimedia/theatrical production that features remixes of existing Cirque music and reinterpretations of performances. It plays in arenas for one or two nights at a time before moving to the next location.

Resident productions

The resident shows have established homes in two of the entertainment centers of the United States: Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida.

Future productions

  • April 2007: A new touring show is in development at Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters and is scheduled to premiere in Montréal. The name has yet to be announced.

Past productions and tours

  • Le Grand Tour: 1984-1985 An answer to a call by Commissariat Général Aux Célébrations 1534-1984 of the Quebec Government for the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada by French explorer Jacques Cartier (b 1491-d 1557). Starting in Gaspé Canada June 1984 and ended in Montréal September 1985.

  • La Magie Continue: 1986 With Momentum from "Le Grand Tour", Cirque revamped the show and gave it a new name and once again toured Canada.

  • Le Cirque Réinventé: 1987-1990 Starting in La Salle in May 1987 and ending in Paris at the end of December 1990

  • Nouvelle Expérience: 1990-1993 Starting in Montréal May 1990 and ending November 1993 after a 1 year long stay under Le Grand Chapiteau on the grounds at The Mirage resort in Las Vegas, NV.

  • Fascination: 1992 A one nation tour lasting just over 3 months touring Japan from May 1992 through the end of August 1992.

Other productions

  • A Taste of Cirque du Soleil, a special 30-minute performance on the Constellation and Summit Celebrity Cruises cruise ships. Included on these ships is The Bar of the Edge of the Earth a dream-like bar/lounge/disco.

  • Midnight Sun, a one-night-only show performed live at the Montréal International Jazz Festival on July 11th, 2004.

Film projects

  • Film: Alegría (1998) - Not a performance film, but has a plot loosely based around the touring production of the same name.

  • Film: Journey of Man (2000) - An all-star team on acts from various Cirque shows including Mystère and Quidam.

Television projects

  • Television show: Fire Within (2003) - A 13-episode inside look into the creation and production of Varekai.

  • Television show: Solstrom (2004) - A 13-episode series using various acts from Cirque du Soleil and other productions. Each episode has a different theme.

Cirque du Soleil in popular culture

  • In an episode of The Simpsons , Cirque du Soleil was parodied with the name "Cirque du Purée".
  • In an episode of South Park, entitled "Quintuplets 2000", Cirque du Soleil was parodied with the name Cirque Du Cheville ('Circus of the Horse', even though 'cheval' is french for horse, not 'cheville' which is ankle).
  • In the TV special It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Cirque du Soleil was parodied with the name "Cirque du So Lamé"
  • In an episode of Yes, Dear Greg, Jimmy, and Gregg's dad Tom go to Las Vegas and Greg gets tickets for Cirque du Soleil, however they never actually go
  • In an episode of Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge, the studio was visited by "Cirque des Clunes". Partridge branded their antics "a disgrace".
  • In an episode of Arrested Development, solicitor Wayne Jarvis is asked whether he is always serious. He answers "Almost always. I was once voted the worst audience participant Cirque du Soleil ever had."
  • In the computer game Soulblighter, a team entered the 2001 Myth World Cup under the name "Cirque du Soulblighter"

References

External links

Canada's Walk of Fame | Entertainment companies of Canada | Circuses | Cirque du Soleil | Buskers

Cirque du soleil | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | קרקס השמש | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | シルク・ドゥ・ソレイユ | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | Cirque du Soleil | 索拉奇藝坊

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Cirque du Soleil".

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