We've all seen it. Anyone who has scanned the multi-year history of Cirque du Soleil has come across this paragraph; a footnote in Cirque's vast history. Fascination. Knie. Nouvelle Expérience. Saltimbanco. When you read the passage it's hard to deny that 1992 was arguably one of Cirque du Soleil's most expansive, if not important, years in its early history. Truly, for the first time Cirque du Soleil was going global and I find it an interesting year because it includes some of Cirque du Soleil's most mysterious ventures: Fascination in Japan and a partnership with KNIE in Switzerland. Over the years fans have shed a lot of light upon Fascination, a combination of Le Cirque Réinventé and Nouvelle Expérience, but little has ever been said about the collaboration with Circus Knie. Until now.

As we get started, you might be wondering who Cirque Knie is. The answer, simply stated, is: with over 100 years of history behind it, the Knie Circus dynasty is one of the oldest and most prestigious circuses in all of Europe. It survived wars, famine, political change, and existential crises to be what it is today. And their story is a long one...

At nineteen years old, a young Friedrich Knie (1784-1850) left his studies and went on to roam the country-side with a small company of traveling performers. Friedrich's infatuation was short lived, but he enjoyed his new life as an itinerant entertainer, and so decided to create his own company of rope dancers, a craft he had learned during his tours. In 1807, he met and fell in love with Antonia (Toni) Stauffer. Toni's father, a reputable barber, refused to marry his daughter to a traveling entertainer, and as a precaution, sent her to a convent. As family lore has it, Friedrich abducted Toni on a dark and stormy night, and the two lovers got married that same year.

The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) had rendered the political and social environment in Austria quite unstable, and the economic situation was uneasy. The Arena Knie was still a small affair that performed outdoors but Friedrich was smart, and one thing became quickly apparent to him: considering the situation, he couldn't confine his travels to Austria. Germany was added to the route and, as early as 1814, Switzerland. In 1828, the Knies performed in Zurich for the first time, and that same year, in Rapperswil — which was to become much later, in 1907, their hometown. The Knie Arena developed into a successful and reputable enterprise in these three countries.

When Friedrich died suddenly of a cardiac arrest in 1850, his son Karl (1813-1860) took over the management of the Knie Arena. Thirty-seven years old and advertised as "Europe's premier acrobat," Karl was particularly brilliant on the high rope, and the star of the family. The Knie Arena continued to prosper, giving a varied show with acrobats and jugglers beside the family's high and low rope acts, and comedy intermezzi. It was a true variety show, albeit still performed outdoors. Even though they continued to tour Austria and Germany, the Knies had begun to feel at home in Switzerland.

The War of 1870-1871 between France and Germany was another blow to the Knie Arena, which went bankrupt and suspended its activities. It was up to Karl's son Ludwig (1842-1909), and his wife, Marie (1858-1936), to revive the family business. Another period of hard work and financial hardships began. As soon as they had reached their fourth year, each of their five sons started working in the show: Louis (1880-1949), Friedrich (1884-1941), Rudolf (1885-1933), Karl (1888-1940), and Eugen (1890-1955).

On December 26, 1900, the Knies obtained their Swiss citizenship. World War I was another difficult period. The Knie Arena had to limit its travels to the Swiss territory, and omit for some years Austria and Germany, which had been on their regular itinerary. But this, if anything, increased their popularity in their adopted country. Once the war over, the brothers Knie decided to concretize an idea with which they had toyed for a while: they transformed the Knie Arena into a full-fledged tenting circus. Their mother, Marie, vehemently opposed what she considered a "big folly," and refused to help them financially. The brothers Knie were faced for the first time with the necessity to break their old principle of never buying anything they couldn't pay cash: It was on credit that, in 1919, they bought a two-pole big top with a capacity of 2,500 seats. It was set up for the first time on the Schützenmatte, in Bern.

Opening day was June 14, 1919. The public was enthusiastic: they loved the new Circus Knie and, two months after they had bought their big top, the brothers were able to repay their debt. Their instinct had proved right, and their new enterprise was already thriving. In 1920, for the first time, Friedrich Knie presented Circus Knie's horses. That same year, on May 29, his son, Friedrich, Jr. — the future Frédy Knie, Sr. (1920-2003) — was born. Frédy's brother, Rudolf — later known as Rolf Knie, Sr. (1921-1997) — was born one-and-a-half years later.

Following the family tradition, Frédy and Rolf made their debut in the ring when they were four years old, as acrobats: they were trained in all fundamental circus disciplines, but animals were the brothers’ true passion. For his ninth birthday, in 1929, young Frédy was presented with his first horse. He was soon billed as "Europe's youngest high school rider," and was already on his way to become one of the greatest horse trainers of his generation. Rolf, for his part, would become one of the greatest elephant trainers of his time. By 1926, Circus Knie traveled with more than eighty wagons for the transport of its equipment, animals, offices, and lodgings. Everything was transported from town to town on a forty-two-car special train. It gained an excellent reputation in the European circus community and with its audiences, for whom the name Knie had become a symbol of quality.

Friedrich, the elder of the four brothers, was first and foremost an artist; his life was entirely devoted to the circus. In the Arena, he had been a strong acrobat and a fine rope dancer and, at Circus Knie, besides presiding over the circus's equestrian presentations, he sometimes appeared as a white-face clown. Rudolf chose to retire from the ring to prepare the circus's tours and take care of its administration; his brother Eugen, who had been the star of the company in the days of the Arena and had never truly found his place in the circus, worked discretely in the wings, overseeing the technical staff. Karl, on the other hand, was the true showman of the family, a constant dreamer with a soft spot for big spectacle and glitz. In the show, he was in charge of the newly acquired elephants.

Then Rudolf Knie fell ill and passed away on August 27, 1933, setting off a series of family squabbles. Eventually the ambitious Karl was able to win favor and later that same year, Karl presented a water pantomime, Le Cirque sous l’eau, or Der Circus unter Wasser, the complex equipment, set, and costumes of which he had rented from the famous Circus Busch of Nuremberg — the great specialist of itinerant water spectacles. It was a sensation. The following year, Karl, emboldened by his success, brought fifty performers from India for his own new pantomime, the aptly named India. It was indeed a very lavish — and expensive — production, but the public didn't come in numbers large enough to cover the expenses; the season was a financial disaster. The circus bounced back, but with productions that were better suited to the size of the enterprise. Nonetheless, the Swiss National Circus maintained its reputation of quality, and the programs were always carefully crafted, with some of the best performers of the moment — and excellent animal acts from the rich menagerie the brothers Knie had gathered, especially their equestrian presentations and elephant acts.

World War II brought its share of drama, on both business and family fronts. To start, the Nazis blacklisted Circus Knie in all countries of the Reich: In 1938, for its production titled Olympiade, the new German flag had not appeared among the other Olympic flags displayed in the show; the Knies had substituted it with a German Navy flag, on which the swastika was hardly visible. Once again, the Knies had to limit their tours to Switzerland only, crisscrossing the Swiss Confederation in all its most remote places. This only strengthened their already special bond with the Swiss population, and in that period of scarce entertainment, the annual visit of Circus Knie became an event not to be missed. It would remain so after the war, and never again would the Swiss National Circus's big top would be set up outside of Switzerland.

In 1942, Frédy and Rolf officially took the reins of the company: Frédy, who was only twenty-two, as Artistic Director, and Rolf, who was twenty, as Technical Director. The war over, Circus Knie was in a unique position: a neutral country, Switzerland had maintained a sound economic foundation, and the circus was flourishing. During the war, the Knies had been able to get the best European artists, who were more than happy to work in a place where they still could make good money and work in a safe environment. The same was true immediately after the war, in a Europe whose economy had collapsed. Circus Knie's reputation of quality, which was already well established, grew even bigger under the circumstances, and Frédy and Rolf made sure that it would stay where it had now arrived — at the top!

The circus continued to tour exclusively in Switzerland and the rest, as they say, is history. Subsequent generations of Knie's and their offspring would be handed the reins and take the company to new heights. Which brings us to 1992... the year that Cirque Knie merged their elephants and horses with Cirque du Soleil's Technicolor costumes and exciting acrobatics to create an enigmatic mix of traditional circus and something theatrical, dreamy, and magical... Cirque Knie Presents Cirque du Soleil.

The association between Cirque Knie and Cirque du Soleil was not by coincidence. We must go back to 1983, the year Cirque and Knie first met, to understand the importance of this cooperation. In those early days, Guy Caron and Guy Laliberté toured around Europe looking for advisers who would help them and share their expertise, but only one circus was forthcoming with the advice the fledgling Cirque du Soleil needed: Cirque Knie. "Cirque Knie were absolutely fantastic," Laliberté warmly remembers. "They welcomed us and gave us all kinds of excellent advice. Whenever I had questions about how to tour with a circus, they were happy to answer them."

"We remember with great pleasure our first meetings," Freddy Knie Jr and Franco Knie reminisce. "It was at the beginning of the eighties - with two nice young Canadians: Guy Laliberté, with blond hair knotted in a ponytail, and Guy Caron, with long, jet-black hair, and a mustache curling upwards very much in the style of a circus director from late in the last century. These French Canadians were not only interested in the program of our circus. The object of their curiosity was above all the technique and the organization of our traveling enterprise. And they came back every year to try to understand them better!"

Cirque du Soleil's relationship with Cirque Knie went even further in 1985. "At the time," recalls Guy Caron, "we realized that we needed help with the Big Top. What do you do when the wind comes up? How do you adjust? Techincal questions like that... and our Tent Master at the time, Richard Bouthillier, suggested we contact Cirque Knie for help." Cirque Knie helped Cirque du Soleil without question, allowing them generous and unprecidented access to their tent master. Not only was he willing and able to offer the fledgling circus his services (supervising the manufacturing of Cirque's new tent), he even went so far as making several trips to Quebec. "So Knie sent us their tent master," Guy Caron continues, "who'd been with them for decades. His name was Marcel Rossell, he was French. After that, Richard would go over to Switzerland on a regular basis for more training from Monsieur Rossell!"

"This meeting with the Knies was decisive," said Guy Laliberté. There may not be a Cirque du Soleil today if it weren't for Circus Knie and Marcel Rossell. "The impressive level of quality [they showed us] paved the way for [our] excellence and success," he went on to say. "And beyond knowledge, above all, the Knie family showed us the pleasure of offering a spectacle of high quality each day." Lessons that Cirque du Soleil took back to Quebec with them.

But how did that lead to the two companies working together?

From the moment Cirque du Soleil was founded, the Knie's were watching. First they just watched videotapes of Cirque's performances, but a trip to Montreal in 1988 convinced them that putting their trust and faith in the young Le Cirque du Soleil was not unfounded. Cirque went beyond all expectations. "It was a surprising phenomenon," Freddy and Franco recall. Here "former street artists had changed [to be something] radically new, but without denying what made the essence of circus. Their productions were staged with consummate art; music, choreography and costumes, which bore the mark of remarkable fantasy and a very modern taste."

In 1990, during Cirque's first foray into Europe, the idea of a collaboration was floated. During the performances given by Cirque in London and Paris, each member of the Knie family was able to see what Cirque du Soleil had accomplished first-hand. That clinched it. "We absolutely had to present such a set to the Swiss public," Freddy and Franco said. "We thought we should do a show together," explains Guy Caron, "and one of the reasons was that the younger members of the Knie family saw they could benefit from using our more up-to-date sound and lighting technology. Guy Laliberté said 'yes' right away, because he was so grateful for their help through the years, and he wanted to honor that relationship."

And so it was that, for the first time in their collective histories, a close collaboration between the two flourishing enterprises was established. "That's is why the Cirque Knie and Cirque du Soleil marriage is an event, a celebration, which celebrates the meeting of tradition and youth," concluded Guy Laliberté.

While Cirque du Soleil used a blue and yellow striped big top for its tours (and a white and gold big top for Nouvelle Expérience's special engagement at the Mirage), Circus Knie used a red and white colored big top for its national tour, a color scheme that's become synonymous with and signature of Cirque Knie. And much like the sets and stages for the early Le Cirque Réinventé presentations, "KNIE Presents Cirque du Soleil" used the same proscenium setup, through modified to be larger for use by the circus' horses and elephants.

The Chef de Piste, or Ringmaster, was none other than James Keylon, who fans might recognize as one half of the Alfredo and Adrénaline comedic duo. Keylon took over the role from Cirque veteran Michael Barrette in 1989. The dynamic duo of Alfredo and Adrénaline are no strangers to Cirque du Soleil's stage. Adrénaline (Francine Côté, Canadian) performed with La Ratatouille in Cirque du Soleil's 1985 Tour and in the 1990 European tour of "Le Cirque Réinventé". Alfredo (James Keylon, USA) would go on to perform with Adrénaline at Cirque's G7 Halifax special performance, and in 1995-1996, when they brought their talents to Mystère due to Benny LeGrand's absence.



Musically you'd have also found the Cirque du Soleil orchestra seated with Benoît Jutras at the keyboards, turning out the familiar ethereal music from Le Cirque Réinventé. Surrounding him were Germain Borque (on keyboards), Stéphane Gariéty (saxophone and keyboards) Rhèal Jutras (bass) and François Jutras (percussion).

The theme still centered on a small group of people, called Ordinary People, dressed in everyday clothes, milling about and exchanging looks of amazement with each other at where they had found themselves. Joined by the King of Fools and the Queen of the Night they produced the atmosphere from which the transformed people played out their destiny. And with the help of the ringmaster (transformed into Ti- Claude), the Ordinary People are guided toward their destiny - our destiny - through these amazing performances:

OPENING — The show actually begins in the audience, where a dozen or so performers, clad in an assortment of street clothes, hide quietly, masquerading as ticketholders. The performance begins as they are then "selected," one by one, with a great deal of fanfare, to come into the ring and put on a little show. They make up a Capra-esque everyman's village: A slouch-shouldered and bespectacled businessman, a prim schoolteacher, a little girl, a teenager in jersey and baseball cap. Timidly, they perform a few pathetic tricks, showing off a couple of dance steps or maneuvering a simple handstand. Suddenly, as though rising from the seething belly of the earth, the King of Fools appears in a cloud of white smoke. In the blink of an eye, he transforms seemingly ordinary people into a ringmaster, acrobats, and clowns. In this ode to the child living inside each and every one of us, flamboyant characters "contaminate" regular folk, who suddenly become circus artists. These everyday characters go on to discover their true colors, letting out the folly and playfullness buried deep inside them, which eventually shines through for all to see. By doing so, they begin to show us that this playfullness is inside of each us as well. They begin to dance about... Joined by the Queen of the Night, she produces the atmosphere from which the transformed people play out their destiny.

THE EQUESTRIAN TABLEUX (Horses) — the show opens with a trio of horse-related acts, something Circus Knie is known for. Here we have a PAS DE DEUX by Mary-Jose Knie and Robert Neeser, ACROBATIC RIDING by Geraldine-Katarina Knie, and LA VOLTIGE, or Stunt Flying, by Masha Dimitri and Luc Dagenais.

CLOWNS — Adrénaline performs "With a Broom". Francine Côté is a clown/teacher/director from Montreal who has more than 30 years experience in the creation and performance of comic, physical and clown characters. She has played on the International scene, taught in a diverse range of schools, and has worked as a stage trainer for different companies. In 1985 Francine toured with Cirque du Soleil in the clown troupe "La Ratatouille". In 1990 she returned to Cirque du Soleil for Le Cirque Réinventé's run in London and Paris, where she met her partner in clown and life, James Keylon. This was the beginning of an international career as the duo, "Alfredo et Adrénaline". Pushing in the direction of the modern clown, but inspired by the traditional clown, these two lovable characters in the throes of their own "Battle of the Sexes" have touched tens of thousands of spectators around the world.

CLOWNS — The Collins Brothers perform "The Boxer". Collin Eschenburg and Matthias Fisher were born in East Berlin, at the time when Germany was split between the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). When they were 15 and 19 respectively, Collin and Matthias enrolled in Berlin's State Circus School. There, they were trained in all the basic circus disciplines, including acrobatics, juggling, ballet, and trapeze. After graduation in 1986, they embarked on a two-year tour of the USSR with the East-German Circus Busch, and they used that time to develop their comedy routines. After the wall fell, the pair presented at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo winning the Organ Show-Business award for their comedic routines.

THE PINGUINS (Korean Plank) — In their parody of Yuppie rituals, the dashing daredevils pirouette, spin and fly to the frenzied rhythm of the music. Their penguin-like waddle is a delightful take-off on the non-stop lifestyle of aspiring businessmen who never lose their grip... at least not on their briefcases. Fortunately, there is a way to blow off steam. You just have to let yourself be catapulted sky-high on a teeter board! This team of dynamics acrobats included: Angelo Ballan (France), François Barré (Canada), Linda Belanger (Canada), Luc Dagenais (Canada), Ghyslain Guay (Canada), Roch Jutras (Canada), Luis Knie Jr. (Swiss), François Lefebvre (Canada), Stéphanie Lemieux (Canada), John Luke Martin (USA), Robert Nesser (Swiss), Gerald Regitschnig (Swiss).

CLOWNS — Alfredo and Adrénaline perform. James Keylon, an American clown/writer/director, is the other half of the "Alfredo et Adrénaline" duo. With over 30 years of experience in mime, clown, and theater, he studied in Paris at the acclamed L'Ecole de Mime de Marcel Marceau, where he mentored with Pavel Rouba, Marceau and Maximillian Decroux. Before leaving Paris he studied with Etienne Decroux and did workshops with Daniel Stein. After moving to Canada, he met Michel Dallaire, working with him in the clown troupe La Ratatouille for four years, touring their show at festivals and theaters throughout Canada and Europe. In 1983, after performing at the Fête Forain in Baie St. Paul, Québec, they were chosen to be the Cirque du Soleil's first clown company. In 1989, he returned to Cirque du Soleil as the ringmaster and clown, working with Benny LeGrand (Wayne Hronek) as his partner. The following year, James began working with Francine Côté (Adrénaline) in Le Cirque Réinventé run in London and Paris, officially bringing the pair together.

TRAPÈZE BALLANT (Solo Trapeze) — Hung with ease from her trapeze, Patricia Reynier (from Toulon, France) balances herself high above the stage.

DRESSAGE HORSES — Horse training techniques and demonstration with Géraldine Knie

CLOWNS — Alfredo and Adrénaline perform «Le dégat», The Damage, to close out the first-half of the show

DRESSAGE ÉLÉPHANT — The second half opens with elephant training with Louis Knie, Masha, and Luc Dagenais.

JONGLERIE (Juggling) — Luc Dagenais wows the audience by manipulating a set of bowling pins.

ACROBATIE (Rhythmique Gymnastics) — Vesta Geshkova and Eli Milcheva. These gymnasts manipulate hoops, ribbons, and balls with elegance. Eli Milanova Milcheva was born in Targoviste, Bulgaria in 1971. By age 18 she gained the World Championship title in the Rhythmic Gymnastics world in Sarajevo, 1989. Her compatriot, Vesta Veselinova Geshkova, born in Sofia in 1971 became the overall European champion in Athens in 1987.

CLOWNS — Alfredo and Adrénaline perform "The Gun".

SLACK WIRE — Masha Dimitri. Masha Dimitri was only 6 when she made her first appearance in the ring with the Knie Circus in Switzerland. After studying in Hungary at the Budapest Circus School until 1981, she returned to Switzerland and soon graduated from the Dimitri Theater School, where she studied wire-walking with Szilard Szekely. Masha subsequently worked with the Pickle Family Circus of San Francisco and the Gruss French National Circus in Paris. Perfect balance and balletic grace characterized Masha's use of her preferred instrument, the slack wire. Masha was featured in the 1987 version of Le Cirque Réinventé.

TRAPÈZE VOLANT (Flying Trapeze) — Adapting their routine to Cirque du Soleil's quirky style, the Collins Brothers (Collin Eschenburg and Mathias Fischer) present a duo trapeze number that is not only interesting, but highly comical!

THE HORSE TANGO — Ever see a horse tango? Mary José and Fredy Knie, Jr. present just that - le tango â cheval!

HAND TO HAND — Molded in their multicolored costumes, Sophe Ferrero and Virgile Peyramaure deliver a mind-boggling main-a-main, the precision of which competes only with the natural forces of the Earth. Paris-born Sophie Ferrero was raised in the French city of Grenoble. Later, she attended the French state circus college, the Centre National des Arts du Cirque in Châlons-en-Champagne. There, she met her future partner, Virgile Peyramaure. Born in Châteauroux, France, Virgile entered the Centre National des Arts du Cirque in 1986, at age fifteen. He came from the circus: His father ran a small circus company. Under the expert guidance of their teacher, Claude Victoria, Sophie and Virgile spent four years developing their act.

TRICK CYCLING — Angelo Ballan spent seven years with Le Cirque Gruss and three years with Cirque Roncalli before joining the Cirque du Soleil in 1989. He presented his fabulous trick unicycling act in Le Cirque Réinventé in its final two tours and continued here with Cirque Knie. You'll find him trying to manage balloons and balance cups on his head, which is no small feat.

TOWER ON WHEELS — Starting with four, then six and up to thirteen, as they circle the ring and climb one after the other onto the bicycle, these performers piece together a moving sculpture that branches upward like a tree. Inspired by the Chinese, the Tower on Wheels was a staple of Le Cirque Réinventé throughout its entire run. The brilliant thing about it is that such an incredibly difficult feat of balance looks so easy, but it's not! Featuring: Angelo Ballan (France), Francois Barre (Canada), Linda Belanger (Canada), Sophie Ferrero (France), Vesta Geshkova (Bulgarie), Ghyslain Guay (Canada), Roch Jutras (Canada), Geraldine Knie (Swiss), Francois Lefebvre (Canada), Stephanie Lemieux (Canada), John Luke Martin (USA), Eli Milcheva (Bulgaria), Ramon Neeser (Swiss), Virgile Peyramaure (France), Guo Ping (Chinese Swiss), Patricia Reynier (France)

"KNIE Presents Cirque du Soleil" toured in the following 60 cities and towns across Switzerland from March 20th through November 29th:

March
-----
	o) Rapperwil -- Mar 20 to 22
	o) Uster -- Mar 23 to 25
	o) Wattwil -- Mar 26 & 27
	o) Galrus -- Mar 28 & 29
	o) Frauenfeld -- Mar 30 & 31

April
-----
	o) Kreuzlingen -- Apr 1 & 2
	o) Schaffhausen -- Apr 3 to 5
	o) Arbon -- Apr 6 & 7
	o) Altstatten SG -- Apr 8 & 9
	o) Chur -- Apr 10 to 12
	o) Buchs SG -- Apr 13 & 14
	o) Winterthur -- Apr 15 to 21
	o) Wil SG -- Apr 22 & 23
	o) St. Gallen -- Apr 24 to 29

May
---
	o) Zurich -- Apr 30 to May 28
	o) Wettingen -- May 29 to 31

June
----
	o) Buiach -- Jun 1 & 2
	o) Liestal -- Jun 3 & 4
	o) Basel -- Jun 5 to 18
	o) Solothurn - Jun 19 to 21
	o) Tavannes -- Jun 22 & 23
	o) Delemont -- Jun 24 & 25
	o) La Chaux-de-Fonds -- Jun 26 to 28
	o) Neuchatel -- Jun 29 to Jul 2

July
----
	o) Langenthal -- Jul 3 to 5
	o) Grenchen -- Jul 6 & 7
	o) Willisau -- Jul 8 & 9
	o) Olten -- Jul 10 to 12
	o) Zofingen -- Jul 13 & 14
	o) Windisch-Brugg -- Jul 15 & 16
	o) Aarau -- Jul 17 to 19
	o) Lenzburg -- Jul 20 & 21
	o) Reinach AG -- Jul 22 & 23
	o) Luzern -- Jul 24 - Aug 7

August
------
	o) Burgdorf -- Aug 8 & 9
	o) Langnau BE -- Aug 10 & 11
	o) Bern -- Aug 12 to 27
	o) Geneve -- Aug 28 to Sep 16

September
---------
	o) Nylon -- Sep 17 & 18
	o) Yverdon-les-Bains -- Sep 19 & 20
	o) Bulle -- Sep 21 & 22
	o) Payerne -- Sep 23 & 24
	o) Biel -- Sep 25 to30

October
-------
	o) Moudon -- Oct 1
	o) Lausanne -- Oct 2 to 14
	o) Vevey -- Oct 15 to 18
	o) Aigle -- Oct 19 & 20
	o) Martigny -- Oct 21 & 22
	o) Sion -- Oct 23 to 25
	o) Sierre -- Oct 26 & 27
	o) Brig -- Oct 28 & 29
	o) Thun -- Oct 30 to Nov 2

November
--------
	o) Interlaken -- Nov 3 & 4
	o) Fribourg -- Nov 5 to 8
	o) Zug -- Nov 9 to 11
	o) Brunnen -- Nov 12 & 13
	o) Altdorf UR -- Nov 14 & 15
	o) Locarno -- Nov 16 to 19
	o) Lugano -- Nov 20 to 25
	o) Bellinzona -- Nov 26 to 29

"Meanwhile, in Europe, Cirque du Soleil joins forces with Switzerland's Circus Knie and stages a show in over 60 towns throughout the country."

It's amazing that reading a simple sentence buried in a footnote of Cirque's vast 24-year history set me off on this humble quest. Although, in the end, perhaps it shouldn't be - it wasn't the first time I'd dove into a Cirque-based subject based on a mere sentence, and I dare say it won't be the last. It's fascinating to learn a little bit more about Cirque du Soleil, and even more rewarding to share it.