If you have no voice:                                  Scream.       If you have no legs:                                  Run.       If you have no hope:                                  Invent. What if anything were possible?

Premiere: April 21, 1994 Type: Touring / Arena Directeur: Franco Dragone Composer: René Dupéré Location: North American Tour

Like a bolt out of life, Alegrķa thunders to life with a unsociable need to tell its story. A story born of the need for a better world. A stage is set where Old Age and Youth collide, where fantasy and magic are integral parts of everyday life. Alegrķa, the Spanish word for "joy", "elation, "jubilation", and "happiness", is a celebration of life in its most primitive form: Survival. In everyday life, uncertainty surrounds us all; "a world of contrasts - power and powerlessness, cruelty and kindness." In that world evil and hardship remain a constant force, but through this uncertainty is the glow of the human spirit. It is unconquerable; resolute in its strength. Alegrķa celebrates this strength by crying out for change, to shake the foundations of society and force those who control to see the error in their ways; to change. So that together we, as a unified people, can build a better tomorrow.

Alegrķa gives us the power to transform society. This is the underlining theme to the show created by Franco Dragone and Gilles Ste-Croix in 1994 for Cirque du Soleil's 10th Anniversary. Since its birth, Alegrķa (a $3 Million production) has visited many places around the globe and has held many different itineraries, including:

Many characters exist in this world - court jesters, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children. They are joined by clowns who alone have been able to resist the political upheavals and social transformations of the day. They are witnesses to the passing of centuries and serve as the social commentators for Alegrķa. 50 plus performers set the stage for us, old and young alike. Together, they weave a tapestry of life that has been described as Cirque's signature show.

Thank you. Thank you to the Makers of Rules. To the Breakers of Backs. To the sincere Autocrats. To the false Democrats. To the Builders of Walls. To the Painters of Lines. Thank You. Thank you again. To those who Tattoo Numbers. To those who point fingers. To those who count their greed. To those who split by colour. To those who smile their lies. Thank you. Thank you so very much. Please, step into the Spotlight. Let us take your picture. To immoralize you. To thank you. Let us engrave your faces into our album of infamy. So that we may never forget. So that we may never accept. Viva L'Alegrķa!