Milestone Date Time Location First Announced 11/16/2001 n/a Montreal, QC Name Registered 12/06/2001 n/a Montreal, QC Press Conference 04/02/2002 11:00am Montreal, QC Premiere 04/24/2002 8:00pm Montreal, QC 1000th Show 12/03/2004 4:00pm Dallas, TX 1500th Show 05/03/2006 8:00pm Seattle, WA 2000th Show 10/05/2007 4:00pm Perth, AU 2500th Show 02/24/2009 4:00pm Sevilia, ES 3000th Show 08/04/2010 8:00pm Oostende, BE 3500th Show 02/xx/2012 n/a Belo Horizonte, BR 4000th Show 10/27/2013 5:00pm Mexico City, MX 4500th Show 06/26/2015 n/a Winnipeg, MB 5000th Show 03/05/2017 n/a Birmingham, UK Final Show 12/23/2017 5:30pm Frisco, TX

But the new production (tentatively titled "ROM" - in the gypsy language "ROM" means man") would be the brainchild of a team of twelve creators, many of whom were working with Cirque du Soleil for the first time, including the Director, Dominic Champagne. "Our goal was not to make Varekai better than other Cirque productions, but different," Champagne said. "We didn't want to be a reflection of past glories." He invisioned an odyssey inspired by the bond between circus artists, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, contortionists, clowns and actors who come from the four corners of the world to express the beauty and joy of transcending limits. "Every day, regardless of where the wind blows them, they risk their lives to defy laws of gravity and leap over volcanoes, showing the world that something else is possible." And it would prove without a doubt that Cirque du Soleil could and would continue without Franco Dragone.

"The fall of Icarus is the starting inspiration," says Champagne. "It's quite beautiful, the idea that the closer you get to the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, the closer you get to the light, you're facing also the danger of being burned. That type of lesson you can apply to many different levels of your personal experience. I don't think we can explain everything or keep the knowledge of things in little drawers or cans where everything is totally understandable." Although Champagne crafted a unique, and crowed pleasing show, in its earliest form the two halves were a bit uneven - the second half dragging almost to a halt; therefore, before the show reached Toronto, Director Dominic Champagne changed a few things (notibly Aerial Straps and Triple Trapeze switched places) and not only did it survive, Varekai thrived! And now over more than 6 million spectators have seen this fantastic show...

{2002 Proof}	{2002 Early}	{2002-2004}
{2005-2006}	{2007-2011}	{2012}
{2012}	{2013-2014}	{2015-2016}
{2017}