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Création
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Odyssey
[ Gareth | Ashley | Stella | Raquel | Kevin | Andrew | Oleg | Olga | Adrian ] GARETH HOPKINS
ASHLEY BEAVER
STELLA UMEH
BIOGRAPHY: Stella Umeh's background is eclectic, but her road to Cirque was straight and earnest. A decorated gymnast with the Canadian national team, she earned an athletic scholarship to UCLA before her acting and dancing aspirations led her to the stage — she made her Cirque debut in the Las Vegas production of Mystère. Stella's career in gymnastics began accidentally — her mother went into a local Toronto club to ask for directions and a week later, Stella was enrolled. Twenty years later, Stella's mom took her for yet another fateful drive — from Toronto to Montreal for a new adventure — vying for a spot in the newest Cirque production, Varekai. With her wealth of experiences, talents and interests, Stella Umeh's background is fascinating reading material. The Toronto native has received numerous medals in international gymnastic competitions, representing Canada and the United States. In 1992, at the Barcelona Olympic Games, she ranked higher than any other Canadian woman in her discipline. She has performed in several major shows, including Cirque du Soleil's Mystère in 2000, where she demonstrated her skill in the Korean Plank, Fast Track and Chinese Poles acts. Stella holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), has studied theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, and learned clown arts under Philippe Gaulier, a leading light on the European theatre scene. Stella started doing gymnastics at age six, and took dance classes from the time she was in fourth grade. She was three-time Canadian all-around champion in 1992, 1993 and 1994, and was a member of the Canadian team that took gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1990. Recruited as a member of UCLA's gymnastics team in 1994, she served as captain in 1997 and 1998. Her group won first place at the 1997 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. The following year, Stella was named "Gymnast of the Year" at the Pacific-10 Conference-an annual US event. She has represented Canada at three World Gymnastics Championships, ranking 5th on the balance beam in 1992. In the performing arts, she has six shows under her belt, in addition to Mystère. She played leading roles in World Rhythms on Ice, presented at the Sea World Adventure Park in California, and in Broken Art, put on by the Bel-Air Drama Company. After Varekai, Stella hopes to pursue a career in theatre, cinema or television, perhaps become a screenwriter or fiction author, maybe a fashion designer, or even a singer in another Cirque du Soleil show! Chances are, she'll try her hand at all of them, one at a time or simultaneously-there's just no stopping her! RAQUEL KARRO OLIVEIRA
More artist than athlete, the sensuous and endearing Raquel Karro Oliveria (partner to Stella Umeh) caught the eye of the Cirque creative team for her sense of movement and character portrayals. Raquel grew up in a small village in southern Brazil, but has lived in Rio with her boyfriend, Ricardo, for the past few years. Raquel Karro's performing career began when she was seven years old in Itaqui, Brazil. Like many young girls her age, she started taking classical and jazz ballet classes. She also had a keen interest in theatre, and decided to study drama when she entered university in 1994. She would discover the world of the circus the following year. "I didn't even know you could take courses in the circus arts," she says, still surprised to this day. The courses were provided free by the Brazilian government, in Rio de Janeiro. Raquel juggled these two forms of entertainment until 1997, when she abandoned her first love to devote herself entirely to her new-found passion, the circus. Her efforts paid off, for she was quickly snapped up by the Intrepida Trupe, a large circus company in her native Brazil. A few years later, in summer 2000, she and four friends founded a troupe called No-Ar ("In the Air"), specializing in aerial and flying silks acts. When Cirque du Soleil talent scouts visited Brazil in December of that same year, Raquel auditioned, but didn't expect anything to come of it. She ended up being invited to attend the general training session in Montreal, in May 2001. Upon returning to Brazil, she continued to teach and to develop acts with her No-Ar cohorts. She got the call to join Varekai the following summer, setting off on the adventure of her life. THE TWINS: KEVIN & ANDREW ATHERTON
Cocky, handsome, skillful and powerful, the Atherton twins are destined to become fan favorites. They have earned a reputation of working hard and playing hard. Much of the twins' training — as well as their personal growth — will depend on their artistic merit. Straps are not an uncommon act at Cirque — and neither are twins. The Atherton’s must therefore deliver an aerial act that is bold and cutting-edge, as technically sound as it is innovative. Being merely accomplished performers won't be enough; they must be simultaneously evocative and electrifying. Their challenge lies in being in each other's lives (mentally and physically) on a constant basis. Varekai is the first time twins Andrew and Kevin Atherton have ever performed together in an act created for the two of them, with their contribution. In fact, the former British gymnastics champions had never worked as a pair before coming to Cirque du Soleil in April 2000-they'd usually been competitors on the sporting stage. Kevin sums it up: "It was miserable when we first started working together. Today, though, I know I'd never do this sort of act with anyone else. We trust each other absolutely, and that's essential for an acrobatic duo." Of the two (practically) identical twins, Andrew is older by three minutes. When he was recruited to England's junior team in 1989, he travelled for 10 years, participating in some of the biggest gymnastics competitions across the globe. His team took gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and he returned home with silvers of his own in rings and individual events. Before joining Cirque du Soleil, he tried his hand at a profession requiring an entirely different set of talents-for three months, he worked in a bank! "Yes, I wanted to work as an acrobat," he explains, "but at the same time, I wanted to know what 'normal' life was like." For his part, Kevin studied to become a sports physiotherapist before joining Varekai. Like his brother, he was a member of Britain's gymnastic elite from 1989 to 1999. The high point of his career was in 1992, when he became British junior champion, but his proudest moment was Andrew's performance at Kuala Lumpur: "I got injured two weeks before the competition and had to withdraw. When my brother carried off those medals, it was as though I'd won them too." Since an early age, Andrew and Kevin have been the darlings of the British advertising world. In addition to gymnastics training at the National Sports Centre in Shropshire, they both attended many photo and TV commercial shoots. In 2001 alone, they were the faces of an international poster campaign for Mercedes-Benz, and they shared the stage in Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle. OLEG OUCHAKOV
Oleg has just completed five years of touring with Cirque's Quidam, leaving with dance partner Tatiana for a chance to perform in Varekai. Oleg, raised in Siberia, left home at a young age to join the world of Acrosport competitions and, later, to join traditional circus troupes where his panache, power and penchant for showmanship were quickly noticed. For all his charm and intelligence, Oleg is a walking paradox – he is at once brutish and seductive, a rogue and a scholar. His sober attention to detail made him a favorite of the artistic directors from day one, while his escapades have highlighted many an opening night party. But with Oleg, one thing is certain – a cast without him is infinitely poorer. Oleg Ouchakov has at least three very good reasons to celebrate being part of the Varekai cast. "In this show, I perform my very own act with my artistic partner Tatiana Gousarova. It's one of my lifelong dreams," explains this native of Magnitogorsk, Russia. What's more, Varekai is the second production he's collaborated in with Cirque du Soleil. It also happens to mark his 10th anniversary as an artistic performer. But long before these achievements, Oleg Ouchakov already had a pretty impressive track record. From 1986 to 1991, he was part of the international acrosport elite as a member of the former Soviet national team, which dominated this discipline at the time. His athletic triumphs include three first-place finishes at the erstwhile Soviet Cup, and top prize at the 1987 European championships. As a circus performer, he has worked with the Moscow Circus, the traditional Mexican circuses Hermanos Padilla and Hermanos Gasca, and Cirque du Soleil. His travels afforded him the opportunity to broaden his linguistic horizons-in addition to Russian, he speaks fluent English and Spanish. So well, in fact, that he was planning to open a sports school in Costa Rica in 1995. Around the same time, he decided to give the circus world one last chance, sending a video of his acts to Cirque du Soleil's Casting Department-which immediately invited him to help create, then perform in, Quidam. With Quidam, Oleg toured the world's major cities for over five years. In 1999, he and his fellow Banquine act members won the Clown d'or at the Festival du cirque de Monte-Carlo, one of the world's most prestigious awards for circus artists. In December 2000, Oleg decided to pursue a career as an independent performer, but still kept close ties with Cirque du Soleil. In the spring of 2001, he came to Cirque's training studios to work on an original act with Tatiana Gousarova, a former Quidam colleague. OLGA PIKHIENKO
The daughter of Cirque coach Sacha, Olga recently joined Varekai after working on Quidam for five years. She is young, shy, beautiful, and talented. There have been recent concerns about her continued complaints about fatigue and back pain. Olga is looking forward to going on the road again as she has been living on her own for six years. Now, she is adjusting to living with her parents again. She has befriended the other Russian artists, in particular Oleg, with whom she developed a close, sibling-like relationship on Quidam. Ten years ago, Olga Pikhienko paired up with her father Alexander to win gold at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain-between that achievement and April 2002, Olga wowed audiences under the big top with the Bolshoi Moscow Circus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Cirque du Soleil. She performed with Cirque du Soleil from June 1996 to January 2002 in Quidam with her solo handbalancing on canes act. On her travels, she has dazzled millions of spectators on all five continents. Olga was born in the Russian city of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad). A few years ago, her parents settled in the United States. Her artistic journey, however, has made her a true citizen of the world. "For me, 'home' and 'circus' are synonymous," she says. "Cirque du Soleil is my extended family." The comparison is all the more apt, seeing as her father was at her side throughout the creation of Varekai -Alexander Pikhienko is the Russian swings coach for the show. In fact, Olga owes her gift of balance to him. She began training under his supervision in 1991, after learning rhythmic gymnastics for seven years. Despite her long career under the big top, this is the first time Olga has taken part in a new show at Cirque du Soleil. "After so many years touring with the same act," she confides, "my work became too routine. I love the act of creation. My new act is more difficult than the last one, but I'm not afraid of the risks." Olga created her character in Varekai in close collaboration with director Dominic Champagne and choreographer Michael Montanaro. ADRIAN BERINDE
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