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With a burning desire to return circus tradition to the esteem and quality it knew
at the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1985 the Cirque du Soleil troupe welcomed
Guy Caron, head of the National Circus School, as Artistic Director. Caron had toured
the world to discover new trends in life entertainment of all kinds and he brought
that knowledge and know-how to Cirque du Soleil, which revamps the show: he wanted
strong emotional music, played from the beginning by musicians; he wanted to emulate
the Moscow Circus’ method of having the acts tell a story; and most of all, have
performers, rather than technical crew, move equipment and props on and off the stage
so as not to disrupt the momentum of the storyline. The rationale: to draw the audience
more into the performance.
Therefore, for 1985 the Cirque presented a totally new concept: a striking,
dramatic mix of the circus arts and street entertainment, featuring wild, outrageous
costumes, staged under magical lighting and set to original music. With not a single
animal in the ring, Cirque's difference was clear from the very start. The positive
response from the audience encourages Laliberte to expand Cirque’s operations outside
Quebec. So after performing in Montreal, Sherbrook and Quebec City, Cirque du Soleil
leaves its home province for the first time to take its show to neighboring Ontario.
Performances are given under a brand new 1,500 seat big top in Ottawa, Toronto and
Niagara Falls to over 137,000 spectators. The Cirque is made for travelling and the
blue and yellow tent quickly becomes a symbol of Quebec youth and artistic energy.
Have a look around and enjoy this look back into Cirque's humble beginnings.
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| Premiere: | May 14, 1985 |
| Type: | Touring / Bigtop |
| Finale: | September 22, 1985 |
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Creative Team
Guide
Guy Laliberté
Director
Franco Dragone
Artistic Director
Guy Caron
Costumes/Props
Hélène Dubé
Composer
René Dupéré
Scenography
André Caron
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Artistic Director
Lorraine Turpin
Lighting Designer
Luc Lafortune
Lighting
Jean Leduc
Sound Engineer
Marc Beauchamp
Stage Manager
Serge Roy
Trainer/Coach
Zygmunt Biegaj
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Itinéraire
- Montréal: 5/14/85 - 6/2/85
- Sherbrooke: 6/7/85 - 6/16/85
- Ottawa: 6/21/85 - 7/1/85
- Québec: 7/5/85 - 7/21/85
- Toronto: 7/26/85 - 8/11/85
- Niagra Falls: 8/16/85 - 9/2/85
- Montréal: 9/8/85 - 9/22/85
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