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Cirque du Soleil
Company typeEntertainment
Founded1984
Headquarters
Canada Montréal, Québec
,
Canada
Key people
Guy Laliberté & Daniel Gauthier
Websitewww.cirquedusoleil.com

Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment empire based in Montréal, Québec Canada and founded in Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. They currently manage more than a dozen shows, some of which are touring and some located at a host stage. It has been described as the modern circus ("Cirque Nouveau" / New Circus), and each show has it's own central theme and storyline. Cirque is unlike traditional circuses in that it does not use animals.


Early Years

File:243913244 b7df091b2b o.jpg
Cirque du Soleil performing in São Paulo, Brazil.

Seeking a career in the performing arts, Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté toured Europe as a folk musician and busker after quitting college. He had learned the art of fire breathing by the time he returned back home to Canada in 1979. Although he became employed at a hydroelectric power plant in James Bay, his job ended after only three days due to a labor strike. Supporting himself off of his unemployment insurance, he decided not to look for another job. Instead, he helped to organize a summer fair in Baie-Saint-Paul with the help of a pair of friends named Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix.[1][2]

Gauthier and Ste-Croix were managing a performing artist's youth hostel named Le Balcon Vert at that time. By the summer of 1979, Ste-Croix had been developing the idea of turning the Balcon Vert, and the talent that was inhabiting it, into an organized performing troupe. Although the talent was plentiful, they lacked the funding to make their idea a reality. As part of a publicity stunt to convince the Quebec government to help fund his production, Ste-Croix walked the fifty-six miles from Baie-Saint-Paul from Quebec City on stilts. The ploy worked, giving the three men the money to create Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul. Employing many of the people that would later make up Cirque, Les Échassiers toured Quebec during the summer of 1980.[3][4]

Although well received by audiences and critics alike, Les Échassiers was a financial failure. Laliberté spent that winter in Hawaii plying his trade while Ste-Croix stayed in Quebec to set up a nonprofit holding company named "The High-Heeled Club" to mitigate the losses of the previous summer. In 1981 they met with better results. By the fall of 1981, Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul had broke even. The success inspired Laliberté and Ste-Croix to organize a summer fair in their home town of Baie-Saint-Paul.[5]

This touring festival, called the "La Fēte Foriane", first took place in July of 1982. The La Fēte Foriane featured workshops to teach the circus arts to the public, after which those who participated could take part in a performance. Ironically, the festival was barred from its own hosting town after complaints from local citizens.[6] Laliberté managed and produced the fair over the next couple years, nurturing it into a moderate financial success. But it was during 1983 that the government of Quebec gave him a 1.5 million dollar grant to host a production the following year as part of Quebec's 450th anniversary celebration of the French explorer Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. Laliberté named his creation "Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil." [7][1]

Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil

Originally intended to only be a one-year project, Cirque Du Soleil was scheduled to perform in eleven towns over the course of thirteen weeks running concurrent with the third La Fēte Foriane. The first shows were riddled with difficulty, starting with the collapse of the big top after the increased weight of rainwater cause the central mast to snap. Working with a borrowed tent, Laliberté then had to contend with difficulties with the European performers who were so unhappy with the Quebec circus' inexperience, that they had at one point sent a letter to the media complaining about how they were being treated.[1]


File:Cirque2.jpg
The "grand chapiteau" set up in Montreal, Quebec.

The problems were only transient, however, and by the time 1984 hand come to a close, Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil was a success. Having only sixty-thousand dollars left in the bank, Laliberté went back to the Canadian government to secure funding for a second year. Unfortunately, while the Canadian federal government was enthusiastic, the Quebec provincial government was resistant to the idea. It was not until Canada's Premier, René Lévesque intervened on their behalf that the provincial government relented.[1]

After securing funding from the Canadian government for a second year, Laliberté took steps to renovate Cirque from a group of street performers into a "proper circus". To accomplish this he hired the head of the National Circus School, Guy Caron, as Cirque Du Soleil's artistic director. The influences that Laliberté and Caron had in reshaping their circus were extensive. They wanted strong music that was played from the beginning to end by a band. They wanted to emulate the Moscow Circus' method of having the acts tell a story. Performers, rather than a technical crew, moved equipment and props on and off stage so that it did not disrupt the momentum of the "storyline". Most importantly, their vision was to create a circus with neither a ring nor animals. The rationale was that the lack of both of these things draws the audience more into the performance.[8][1]

To help design the next major show, Laliberté and Caron hired Franco Dragone, another instructor from the National Circus School who had been working in Belgium. When he joined the troupe in 1985, he brought with him his experience in commedia dell'arte techniques which he imparted on the performers. Although his experience would be limited in the next show due to budget restraints, he would go on to direct every show up to, but not including Dralion.[1]

By 1986, the company was once again in serious financial trouble. During 1985 they had taken the show outside Quebec to a lukewarm response. In Toronto they performed in front of a twenty-five percent capacity crowd after not having enough money to properly market the show. Gilles Ste-Croix, dressed in a monkey suit, walked through downtown Toronto as a desperate publicity stunt. A later stop in Niagara Falls turned out to be equally problematic. Despite critical praise, Both shows were a failure which put Cirque du Soleil 750 thousand dollars in debt. [1][9]

Several factors prevented Cirque from going bankrupt that year. The Desjardins Group, which was Cirque du Soleil's financial institution at the time, covered about two-hundred thousand dollars of bad checks. Also, a financier named Daniel Lamarre who worked for one of the largest public relations firms in Quebec represented the company for free, knowing that they didn't have the money to pay his fee. The Quebec government itself also came through again, granting Laliberté enough money to stay solvent for another year.[1]

In 1987, after Laliberté changed the status of the company away from a non-profit organization, Cirque du Soleil was invited to perform at the Los Angeles Arts Festival. However, they continued to be plagued by financial difficulties. Laliberté and Gauthier took a gamble and went to Los Angeles, despite only having enough money to make a one-way trip. Had the show been a failure, Cirque would not have had enough money to get their performers and equipment back to Montreal. [10][1]


Inside Cirque du Soleil's "grand chapiteau" at Saltimbanco.

The festival turned out to be a huge success, critically and financially. The show attracted the attention of entertainment executives including Columbia Pictures, which met with Laliberté and Gauthier under the pretense of wanting to make a movie about Cirque du Soleil. Laliberté was unhappy with the deal, claiming that it gave too many rights to Columbia who was only attempting to secure all rights to the production. He pulled out of the deal before it could be concluded and the experience stands out as a key reason why Cirque du Soleil remains independent and privately owned today. [11][12]

An artistic difference caused Guy Caron to leave the company in 1988. The disagreement was over what to do with the money generated by Cirque du Soleil's first financially successful tour. Laliberté wanted to use it to expand and start a second show while Caron wanted the money to be saved, with a portion going back to the National Circus School. An agreement was never met and Caron, along with a large number of artists loyal to him, departed. This stalled plans that year to start a new touring show.[1]

Laliberté sought out Gilles Ste-Croix as replacement for the artistic director position. Ste-Croix, who had been away from Cirque since 1985, agreed to return. The company went through more internal troubles, including a failed attempt to add a third man to the partnership, Normand Latourelle. This triumvirate lasted only six months before internal disagreements prompted Gauthier and Laliberté to buy out Latourelle. By the end of 1989, Cirque du Soleil was once again in a deficit.[1]

Nouvelle Expérience

In that same year, Cirque attempted to revive one of their previous shows, Le Cirque Réinvente. The attempt was abandoned after a weak critical reception. Laliberté and Ste-Croix instead created a new show based on the plans that had originally been drawn up by CAron before his departure. Originally intended to be called Eclipse, they renamed the show Nouvelle Expérience.[1]

Franco Dragone returned, albeit reluctantly. He was willing to return only if he had full creative control of the show's environment. One of the first things that he did was to remove the curtain that separates the artist from the audience. His reasoning was that this would make the artists and the audience both feel part of a larger show. Whereas in a traditional circus the artist could go past the curtain and drop his role, Dragone had created an environment where the artist had to remain in character for the full length of the production.










[1] 

Inspired by Jules Verne's "La Chasse au Météore", Dragone's concept for the show was that each of the performers were playing the parts of jewels spread around the Earth. [1]

Although Dragone was given full control over the show, Laliberté oversaw the entire production. He was in favor of Dragone's

Productions

Dralion 2004

Big Top Touring Shows

Arena Touring Shows

  • Delirium: This is a live music concert. Not a traditional Cirque show that plays over multiple weeks in a city at a time under their trademark Big Top tent, this is a multimedia/theatrical production that features remixes of existing Cirque music and reinterpretations of performances. It plays in arenas for one or two nights at a time before moving to the next location.
  • Saltimbanco: This signature Cirque show has been revamped from a tented show to an arena format. Saltimbanco will perform in an arena for a week, then move on to the next city. Opening for the 2007/2008 North American tour will be on July 31, 2007 in (London, Ontario). See inside page for more tour date information.

Resident Shows

The resident shows have established homes in two of the entertainment centers of the United States: Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida.

Future productions

  • Winter 2007: A new theatrical show entitled Wintuk[13] will take place at Madison Square Garden's Theatre at Madison Square Garden. This "winter"-themed production will run for ten weeks each winter in New York, from 2007-2011. Previews for the 2007 season will be presented from November 1-November 4, 2007 The official season will run from November 6, 2007 - January 6, 2008.[14]
  • 2007/2008: A new television series has been announced by Initial (a sub company of Endemol, the makers of Big Brother) in a 3-year contract. The hour-long programs may be filmed in the O2 Centre in London.[15]
  • Summer 2008: A new permanent show at The Luxor Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, featuring Criss Angel. According to the press release,[17] Cirque du Soleil is working with Criss to fuse his revolutionary illusions and mind-blowing artistry with acrobatics, dance, puppetry, music and poetry to tell a story, taking audiences on a bizarre and fascinating journey.
  • November 2009: The Elvis Presley Projects. CKX, the company that owns the rights to Elvis Presley's name, likeness, and music publishing has signed an agreement to have Cirque create Elvis-themed permanent shows and multimedia presentations..[19] This production is slated for Las Vegas' proposed "Project CityCenter".[20] The Elvis Presley Projects will include additional touring and permanent shows, along with "Elvis Experiences" (interactive multimedia exhibits). One touring Elvis show is planned for Europe/Asia in 2008, with one "Elvis Experience" outside the United States. One new Elvis Presley Project will open each year from 2009-2015.[21]
  • 2010: Cirque has signed a major partnership with key Persian Gulf real estate developer company Nakheel to create a residency show at one of the hotels on The Palm, Jumeirah in Dubai with an initial 15-year deal for a new and original show scheduled to perform in late 2010.[22]
  • Date unknown: Cirque du Soleil has proposed a theme park near Oropesa del Mar, Spain to act as a permanent location. The theme is "Illusion World", and it would be located in Castellon. Negotiations are underway, but nothing has been finalized as of December 2006.[23]
  • In a 2006 survey sent to select Cirque Club members, drawings were shown for a potential Cirque themed or inspired hotel.[24]

Past Touring Shows

  • Nouvelle Experience: 1990-1993 Starting in Montréal May 1990]] and ending November 1993 after a one year long stay under Le Grand Chapiteau on the grounds at The Mirage resort in Las Vegas, NV.
  • Fascination: 1992 A one nation tour lasting just over three months touring Japan from May 1992 through the end of August 1992. It included a compilation of the most popular acts from previous shows.
  • La Magie Continue: 1986 With Momentum from "Le Grand Tour", Cirque revamped the show and gave it a new name and once again toured Canada.
  • Le Grand Tour: 1984-1985 An answer to a call by Commissariat Général Aux Célébrations 1534-1984 of the Quebec Government for the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada by French explorer Jacques Cartier (b 1491-d 1557). Starting in Gaspé Canada June 1984 and ended in Montréal September 1985.

Other projects

Current Projects

  • A Taste of Cirque du Soleil, a special 30-minute performance on the Constellation and Summit Celebrity Cruises cruise ships. Included on these ships is The Bar of the Edge of the Earth, a dream-like bar/lounge/disco.
  • Cirque du Monde, a social action project designed to reach marginalized youth.
  • Revolution, a lounge concept designed for The Mirage resort in Las Vegas.
  • Cirque du Soleil Collection, a ready-to-wear women's clothing line.

Past Projects

  • 74th Academy Awards (March 24, 2002), Cirque du Soleil created a five minute performance for the category of special effects at the 74th Academy Awards. They spent four months creating the show featuring 11 acts from a variety of Cirque shows. Each of the acts were choreographed and themed to their equivalent movie by re-creating the special effect scene featured in the film on stage while playing clips on a large screen behind the performances.
  • Soleil de Minuit/Midnight Sun (July 11, 2004), a special one-night event in Montreal celebrating the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil and the 25th anniversary of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
  • Reflections in Blue (July 16, 2005), a unique one-night water show in Montreal on as part of the opening ceremonies for the 2005 World Aquatics Championships.
  • Pre-Game Show (February 4, 2007), at Super Bowl XLI. Produced by David Saltz.[25]
  • Halftime Performance (February 18, 2007), at the 56th NBA All-Star Game. A mini presentation of an act from KÀ as well as the Canadian National Athem sung by the singer from "O".

Cirque du Soleil Images (TV, DVD, film)

Cirque du Soleil Images creates original and innovative products for television, video and DVD, and distributes its productions worldwide. In each of its projects, Cirque du Soleil Images aims to reflect the image and spirit of Cirque du Soleil's shows.

Its creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including two Gemini awards and a Primetime Emmy Award for Cirque du Soleil Fire Within (in 2003) and three Primetime Emmy Awards for Cirque du Soleil Presents Dralion (in 2001).

  • Film projects
    • Quel Cirque (1991) Out of print. A look into the creation of Nouvelle Experiénce.
    • Saltimbanco's Diary (1992) Out of print. A behind-the-scenes featurette on making Saltimbanco.
    • A Baroque Odyssey Out of print. (1994) A 10-year anniversary retrospective.
    • The Truth of Illusion Out of print. (1994) Documentary about the show Alegria.
    • Full Circle: The Making of Quidam Out of print. (1996) A behind-the-scenes look a the making of Cirque du Soleil's ninth creation.
    • Alegría (1998) - Film adaptation directed by Franco Dragone. The film was based loosely on the touring show and its cast included several members of the troupe.
    • Journey of Man (2000) - An all-star team on acts from various Cirque shows including Mystère and Quidam. This movie was shot in wide format film and released at IMAX theaters.
    • Inside La Nouba: From Conception to Perception (2000) Highlights of the show and interviews with creators.
    • Midnight Sun (2004) Festival International de Jazz de Montrèal on July 11, 2004, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montrèal and Cirque du Soleil's 20th birthday
    • KÀ Extreme (2005) "The Story of the Creation of KÀ - an Epic Journey!" A documentary explores the production by following the show’s evolution from early rehearsals through to the first public performance.
    • Lovesick (2006) Filmed over two years and set in Las Vegas during the creation of the cabaret-style production.
  • Television projects
    • Fire Within (2003) - A 13-episode inside look into the creation and production of Varekai.
    • Solstrom (2004) - A 13-episode series using various acts from Cirque du Soleil and other productions. Each episode has a different theme.

Music Projects

Cirque du Soleil Musique is a record company started in 2004 with the purpose of producing, supporting and assisting the creation of music associated with Cirque du Soleil shows, and to the career development of emerging artists around the world.

In 2005, the label released its first CD by a non-Cirque driven artist, Mouvement by Alain Vinet. Other works produced by the music label include the albums Le Best Of, Tapis Rouge/Solarium, Zumanity - Another side of Cirque du Soleil and Solarium/Delirium.


References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Babinski, Tony (2004). Cirque Du Soleil: 20 years under the sun. Harry N. Abrams Inc. ISBN 0-8109-4636-X.
  2. ^ http://arts.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/laliberte-guy-biography
  3. ^ Bell, Karen (Summer, 1993). Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=193619
  5. ^ Bell, Karen (Summer, 1993). Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ http://arts.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/laliberte-guy-biography
  7. ^ http://www.islandconnections.com/edit/guy_laliberte.htm
  8. ^ http://www.soa.ilstu.edu/anthropology/theses/rushing/Thesis.htm
  9. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0011744
  10. ^ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june01/cirque_03-19.html
  11. ^ http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2004/0315/100.html
  12. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0011744
  13. ^ Wintuk Cirque Du Soleil
  14. ^ MSG press release
  15. ^ Endemol UK Press Release
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/cirquedusoleil/27450/
  18. ^ Fast Company mentions the 2008 Tokyo opening
  19. ^ PR Release for Elvis Presley Projects
  20. ^ Press release containing future Cirque show information
  21. ^ Cirque's Elvis Press Release
  22. ^ [2]
  23. ^ NYTimes Travel Advertising Supplement with Cirque proposed project
  24. ^ 2002 Fast Company interview with Mario D'Amico, chief marketing officer of Cirque du Soleil, discussing Cirque's plans to roll out Cirque-themed hotels
  25. ^ Cirque du Soleil to perform in Super Bowl XLI pregame show published January 9 2006

External links

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