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Grand
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Creations


Year 1 • 2018
SAND


Year 2 • 2019
Amal and Fakhar


Year 3 • 2022
Sarwat Watan



 


Special Performances for Saudi Arabia's National Day

In 2018, Cirque du Soleil helped celebrate Saudi Arabia's 88th Anniversary by assembling the largest number of artists ever for a special event. The record-breaking production, designed exclusively for the occasion, took place at the King Fahd International Stadium in front of 27,000 attendies and many millions more via television broadast. The presentation was so successful that Cirque du Soleil was invited to perform again the following year, albeit with a less-flashy production. While the 2018 show was for one-night only, the 2019 version presented 14 shows over a five-day period at the Dhahran Expo in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.  
Dates: Year 1: September 23, 2018
Year 2: September 19-23, 2019
Year 3: September 20, 2022
Type: Special Show
Location: Year 1: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Year 2: Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Year 3: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 


[ Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 ]


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    2018 • SAND

    This record-breaking performance – which featured Cirque's largest number of artists ever assembled for a special event – celebrated a future "Beyond the Horizon". The production, exclusively designed for this occasion, took place at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh in front of 27,000 attendees – making it one of the biggest Cirque du Soleil productions ever created for a customized event. A tailor-made 85 x 40-meter stage was designed and constructed especially for the occasion.

    "This Cirque du Soleil event [provided] the Saudi audience with an enthralling international entertainment experience, mixed with locally-relevant content," said Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al Khalifa, General Manager of Communications and official spokesperson of the General Entertainment Authority.

    Concept

    As the sun sets on the horizon, a tribe of nomads gather on the dessert dunes in search of an oasis when a raging sandstorm sweeps across their encampment. The desert dwellers are whisked off to a surreal world and the wheels of the future begin to revolve. The encampment turns into a magical oasis where waterfalls flow upwards, and when the great falcon spreads its wings, a new sun rises over the horizon.

    The visual theme of the King Fahd International Stadium’s exterior is reminiscent of Bedouin tents. This design will be explored on stage as well, thus creating 'a theatre within a theatre' experience. The four elements will come into play with the tent structures and four enchanting mashrabiya-inspired lanterns to immerse the audience in a surreal realm where tradition inspires the future. The production blended the latest technological innovations in stagecraft, large-scale video projections, special effects, and fireworks with Cirque du Soleil’s signature style acrobatics.

    Acts

    • Opening/Prologue
    • Aerial Silk
    • Suspended Pole
    • Rotating Ladder
    • Free-Flying Hoverboard
    • Unicycling
    • Hip-Hop Dancing
    • German Wheel
    • Trick Cycling
    • Electric Motorcycles
    • Trampowall
    • Cyr Wheel
    • Trapeze
    • Aerial Sphere
    • Fire Manipulation
    • Russian Swings
    • Fireworks Finale

    Gallery




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    2019 • Amal and Fakhar

    The show is about siblings, Amal and Fakhar, and their difference in opinion. One is ready to explore the world and the future while the other fights against change. The inspiration behind Amal and Fakhar is based on empowerment, family, and land. Empowerment is giving power for both men and women, recognizing each strength and weaknesses and finding balance despite the differences. The second inspiration is family, that life, individuals, and families are never perfect but they can still be amazing if people stand by and support those people they love. And lastly is land, how proud and rich Saudi Arabia is in tradition and culture but slowly opening its doors to welcome new changes.

    Concept

      Creative Team

          Benjamin Dupont           Show Director
          Bernadett Zsoka Seles     Director's Assistant
          David Poulin              Director of Creation
          Simon Lachance            Technical Director
          Michel Deguire            Production Director
          Martin Bolduc             Line Producer
          Olivier Landreville       Set Designer
          Bruno Rafie               Lighting Designer
          Benjamin Dupont           Video Content Designer
          Félix-Antoine Couturier   Music Composer
          Jonathan Dauphinais       Music Composer
          Matthew Sparks            Human Performance Designer
          Benoit-Swan Pouffer       Choreographer
          Miodrag Guberinic         Costume Designer
          Heidi Douchet             Makeup Designer
      

      Acts

      • Opening
      • Duo Chinese Pole
      • Interlude
      • Rola Bola
      • Solo Aerial Strap
      • B-Boy and Hair Hanging
      • Diabolos
      • Clown
      • Hand Balancing
      • BMX
      • Aerial Beam
      • Korean Plank
      • Final

    Gallery






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    2022 • Sarwat Watan ("The Wealth of a Nation")

    "A journey that unites through art and humanity."

    In September 2022, Simone Ferrari & Lulu Helbaek wrote and directed Cirque du Soleil's new show 'Sarwat Watan', a powerful and immersive show about the journey of three travelers, who immerse themselves in a new culture and place, where the West and Middle-East meet. A show that focuses on the theme of travel, travel that enriches us, changes us profoundly, making us grow, meeting the different and making it part of us through mutual acquaintance. A journey that unites through art and humanity. With gravity-defying numbers and daring performances between earth, sky and water, the show blended theatrical language and Nouveau Cirque. “Sarwat Watan” was staged in a custom-built theatre in Ryiadh, KSA where thousands of people saw it live over several evenings, and was seen by millions in a live broadcast event for the 92nd National Day of KSA.

    Concept

      Creative Team

         Lulu Helbek          Show Director
         Simone Ferrari       Show Director
         Stéphane Roy         Set Designer & Props Co-Designer
         Madeleine B-e        Props Co-Designer
         Mathieu Poirier      Light Designer
         Finn Ross            Video Designer
         Adam Young           Video Designer
         Jerome le Baut       Acrobatic Designer
         Nicolas Vaudelet     Costume Designer
         Bob & Bill           Music Composers
         Mélissa Colello      Choreographer
         Anthony Venisse      Choreographer
         Gabrielle Brulotte   Make-Up Designer
         Fabrice Becker       Creation Director
      

      Acts

      • Opening
      • Aerial Pole
      • Interlude
      • Banquine
      • Duo Trapeze
      • Cyr Wheel
      • Aerial Strap
      • Diabolos
      • Teeterboard
      • High Wire
      • Duo Hair Suspension
      • Hoop Manipulation
      • Singing Interlude
      • Flying Trapeze
      • Finale
      • Bows

    Gallery


     
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