2007

CIRQUE TAKES MANHATTAN?

DELIRIUM concludes its two-year tour in the United States and begins wowing audiences in some never-before-visited cities across Europe. The premiere of Koozå in April launches Cirque du Soleil's 13th touring production (18th overall) since 1984. Directed by David Shiner, Koozå returns Cirque du Soleil to its acrobatic roots. Saltimbanco is re-staged in the arena format and begins touring the United States and Canada by summer. And in November, Wintuk, Cirque du Soleil's first "seasonal" show (as it runs for a few short weeks in the winter) premieres at Madison Square Garden's WAMU Theater.

In media, Cirque du Soleil releases three documentary DVDs: "The Mystery of Mystère", "FLOW: A Tribute to the Artists of «O»" and "A Thrilling Ride through Koozå", which take us behind the scenes of these fascinating shows. Cirque presented a Pre-Game Show at Super Bowl XLI, the American football game to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2006 season at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This performance was produced by David Saltz. And Cirque du Soleil has also launched a fiction/non-fiction book entitled The Spark, which invites readers to discover the power of creativity and imagination and apply it in their own lives. Written by John Bacon and based on an original idea by Lyn Heward, the book is distributed in several countries.

And, on September 25th, Contortionists Julie Bergez, Natasha Patterson and Dasha Sovik, from Cirque du Soleil's Koozå, set a new Guinness World Record for the Highest Circus ACt ever performed at the top of Toronto's CN Tower, the World's Tallest Freestanding Tower. The feat was performed on the observation deck of the CN Tower in Toronto, 342 meters above ground. Guinness officials confirmed the record on October 3rd. Daniel Ross (Kooza's Artistic Coordinator), Jason Barrent (The Trickster), and Stéphane Landry (The Innocent) were on hand for the event. Additionally, visitors standing on the Glass Floor were treated to a 15x10 meter colorful mural by Toronto artist Bill Wrigley, who painted a large Trickster for the occasion!

SPECIAL EVENTS MAKES A SPLASH

The Cirque du Soleil Special Events team took it up a notch this year by producing a number of interesting and unique events. To celebrate the launch of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' F1 car and team, the big boss of the McLaren racing team, Ron Dennis, called on the services of the Cirque Special Events team to wow the audience. This 45-minute presentation, entitled The Warrior’s Path – Charmers of Utopia, took place at the L’Hemisfericin La Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias (the City of Science Museum and Planetarium) in Valencia, Spain. Then, Cirque du Soleil and Miami-based artist Romero Britto teamed to celebrate South Florida and football in an unprecedented performance inspired by Brazilian street theater entitled "One Day, One Game, One Dream".

At the beginning of July, Cirque du Soleil participated in an exclusive 12 hour celebration to cap off the Champ Car Mont-Tremblant weekend (called KABA). Mont Tremblant at the Grand Manitou was tranformed into a Tribal Village featuring Cirque performers in show costumes from Corteo, Alegria, and Dralion. Performances included Russian Bar, Cyr Wheel, and Chinese Poles. And if that wasn't enough, patrons enjoyed dancing from dusck till dawn with music spun by Alain Vinet. By the end of the month, the Cirque du Soleil Special Events team created a unique happening to help FIAT launch its newest BRAVO model at the Stadio dMarmi in Rome.

August found the Events team helping the CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center of the University of Montreal celebrate their 100th Anniversary at the Great Centennial Fair at the Jean-de-Brébeuf Collège, featuring an array of Cirque acts, including: The Bouncing Beds from Corteo, the White Singer from Alegria, and Elena Lev's Hoops Manipulation act. And then moved to Macau to surprise audiences with Dragon Gate, the grand opening celebrations for the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, where the company staged its first Asian-based resident show: ZAIA. Michel Laprise wrote a short fable that included the main symbols of luck: the bat, which is pronounced the same way as the Cantonese word for “good luck”; the three lucky coins symbolized by the trio of women’s aerial hoops (Yin) and the men’s Cyr wheel trio on the ground (Yang); a banquine act version formed of eight artists; the dragon and the central image of the final knockabout: a red and gold fish character who jumps over the “Dragon Gate.” Indeed, in China, the expression “He’s like the goldfish that jumped over the Dragon Gate” means that a person has been successful. To reflect this symbolism, he thought of integrating a few springboard tricks that would have the traveller, transformed into a goldfish, make his exit by jumping over the Dragon Gate. The finale? An actual flying dragon!

The September issue of Delta Airline's SKY Magazine asked fliers: "Do you want to join the circus?" In their Portfolio column, Nancy Oakley took readers on a journey to experience life under the big top where she discovered it's hard work: hours of physical training, costume and makeup sessions, not to mention the daily performances. But for seven artists who spoke to SKY, the art of make- believe is more about ardor than arduousness. Hear from Chantal Blanchard (Singer, Saltimbanco), Martin Monderie (Sexy Boy, Saltimbanco), James Clowney (Ringmaster, Saltimbanco) and Brian Beech (Innocent Youth, Alegria).

And later, artists from Mystère took over the reception of Macy's Passport Gala, one of the largest and longest-running HIV/AIDS fundraising event. A main performance featuring Marco and Paulo Lorador proved to be the highlight of the gala. During the bidding of a Cirque-themed package, Kelly Tucker (a Spermato) and Arnaud Bertrand (a Greend Lizard) worked the runway. It's said that the two were having so much fun they forgot to leave the runway and accidentally stayed on stage while a dog was auctioned off! Other artists who participated were: Yanelis Brooks, Magalie Chacon, Nancy Chen-Ouellet, Sebastian Coin, Yarik Dobrovolskyi, Bernard Gaddis, Dima Pavlenko and Eli Skoczylas. Support staff included: Michael Allen, James Hadley, Tony Roan, Tamara Summers and Steel Wallis.

Cirque also said they were being pursued by "all the top computer games companies" about creating a line of games based on their intellectual property. It is interested, but is hoping to team with a Quebec partner.

SPOTLIGHT - THE ART OF RICHARD MACDONALD

Cirque du Soleil is certainly no stranger to artistic endeavors and the support of artists world-wide and their unique expressions. Whether it be through partnerships with local dance troupes, employee exhibitions, or via installations of art at its own Headquarters, Cirque du Soleil’s love of expression goes beyond their own acrobatic showcases. Few sights are as breathtaking as when the performers of Cirque du Soleil manage to achieve the seemingly impossible with their bodies – whether it’s a trapeze artist swinging high into the air or a performer balancing on Chinese poles. The audience seems to hang with baited breath on these moments, as if a single exhalation would knock the performer to the ground. And there’s something very magical, ethereal, and powerful about those moments, moments that have made the shows a success around the world. They’re hard to capture in writing and even harder to capture in art. Yet, sculptor Richard MacDonald has managed to do it, and through a partnership with Cirque du Soleil, brings his collection to life in Las Vegas.

"The art of Richard MacDonald reveals the infinite beauty of the human body. The characters he creates are playing forever in the Theatre of life." — Guy Laliberté

"Art transcends all human boundaries. It is a gift of almost inexplicable, magical energy. When our hearts, through our senses, are touched by art, our lives are enhanced." — Richard MacDonald

Located in the newly renovated "O" Theatre lobby, this new fine art gallery features a collection of over 50 sculptures, original drawings, serigraphs and lithographs by the most collected figurative sculptor in America, Richard MacDonald. The gallery was born out of a relationship between Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil, and Richard MacDonald, a master of figurative sculpture. MacDonald feels that he and Laliberté are "similar in life long creative goals." His work focuses on the spectrum of performing life, capturing a fleeting moment in time and immortalizing the grace, strength, joy and discipline of dancers and acrobats. His work shares the creativity and imagination that fuels Cirque du Soleil and conveys MacDonald's sense of energy and passion.

Richard MacDonald has dedicated his life to creating works of art that reaffirm all that is best in humanity. MacDonald has achieved international distinction for his sculpture, paintings, and drawings, and has been the recipient of innumerable national and international awards. Celebrating realism and the expressive power of figurative sculpture, his work harnesses the sensuous physicality of humanity’s heroic spirit. His work has been exhibited worldwide including Japan, Korea, Italy, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., and can be seen in galleries throughout the United States.

Consequently, the 8,000 square foot space at "O" would become the first of three "The Art of Richard MacDonald presented by Cirque du Soleil" branded galleries in Las Vegas. The second, a 3,600 square feet space, would open in December 2009 at Crystals Place at CityCenter, featuring a spectacular 40-foot waterwall, split-face stone walls, and dynamic steel curved niches. A third gallery would briefly open at Bellagio - across from the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (pictured above) - in October 2010. But it would close a year later to make way for an OMEGA boutique.

2006

2008