Cirque du Soleil
| Cirque du Soleil Inc.
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Inc. |
| founding | 1984 |
| Seat | Montreal , Quebec, Canada |
| management | Daniel Lamarre (President and Co-CEO), Guy Laliberté , (Co-CEO and Co-Founder) |
| Number of employees | approx. 5,000 |
| sales | EUR 750 million (2012) |
| Branch | entertainment |
| Website | www.cirquedusoleil.com |
Cirque du Soleil [ siʀkədysɔˈlɛj ] ( French for circus of the sun ) is an entertainment company from Montreal , Canada .
The company was founded in 1984 by street artist Guy Laliberté with the assistance of Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix. It employs around 5,000 people worldwide, including around 1,300 artists from around 50 countries.
The company is 20 percent owned by Istithmar (Arabic for investment ), a private equity firm from Dubai, and Nakheel Properties , a real estate company from Dubai. The remaining 80 percent were owned by the founder Guy Laliberté until 2015, who in April 2015 sold the controlling majority to a consortium around the Texas investment company TPG Capital . The group of buyers included the Fosun Capital Group, owned by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International .
Cirque du Soleil puts on shows that focus on acrobatics , theatrical art and live music. In contrast to the classic circus , which includes animal training and a manege strewn with sawdust, the Cirque du Soleil does without these elements, which is why it is included in the Cirque Nouveau (literally translated as "New Circus").
The 1980s
In 1982 Guy Laliberté founded a small variety and street theater group with a few artists in the Canadian city of Baie-Saint-Paul (Province of Québec ). Two years later, this troupe was commissioned to create a performance on the occasion of Canada's 450th anniversary . After the resounding success of this event, it was decided to found an artistically oriented circus. So on June 16, 1984 the Cirque du Soleil was launched.
The company initially employed 73 people and set itself the goal of entertaining its audience in the blue and yellow tent with a dramatic mix of artistry and street theater. The theme, performance, costumes, lighting and music should harmonize perfectly. It has remained true to this concept to this day.
The first show, called Cirque du Soleil , premiered in the small town of Gaspé and was then shown across Québec. The following year there was a tour of the rest of Canada. In 1986 the second program followed ( La Magie continue ), which was also shown all over Canada. Individual numbers from it are still successful in various competitions and festivals.
With the third program We Reinvent The Circus in 1987, after performances in Canada, the border into the USA was crossed for the first time . The audiences at the circus festivals in Los Angeles , San Diego and Santa Monica were so enthusiastic that the name Cirque du Soleil became famous overnight in America. In 1988 it was also a guest at the Winter Olympics in Calgary .
The 1990s
In 1990 this program started the first overseas tour, starting in London and Paris . At the same time, a new program was premiered in Montréal: “Nouvelle Experience”.
The fifth program for the Far East was a “Best of” entitled “Fascination”, which saw 118 performances in 1992 in Tokyo and seven other Japanese cities. In Switzerland , the "Cirque" entered into a cooperation with Circus Knie , which resulted in a tour of 60 cities in the country.
With “Nouvelle Experience” a series of performances was started at the Mirage in Las Vegas. A year later she moved to a specially built theater in the Treasure Island Hotel, while a ten-year contract was signed with the Mirage for the performance of “Mystère”. At the same time, another tour program premiered: “Saltimbanco”. It was first shown in Montréal, then throughout North America over the course of 1992 and 1993, and finally also in Tokyo.
For the tenth anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil, the ninth and most successful program to date appeared in 1994: "Alegría ". Meanwhile, "Saltimbanco" conquered the European continent, starting from the Netherlands , Germany and Austria . The performance took place in the white tent that has meanwhile become a trademark.
The demand for the next program “Quidam” was so great that the American tour alone took three years (1996–1999).
In 1997, the new headquarters in Montréal went into operation, the "Studio", where all productions have been created and produced since then. With "O" (in Las Vegas , Nevada ) in October, and "La Nouba" (in Orlando , Florida ) in December 1998, two more stationary shows were put into operation.
1997 began a cooperation between Pomp, Duck & Circumstance ( experience gastronomy ) and the Cirque du Soleil - first in Hamburg , later also in Düsseldorf and Munich . In addition, "Alegría" started a 2-year tour through Europe in spring 1997 from Amsterdam (where the European headquarters were also located).
The next change of scene was in 1999: "Saltimbanco" moved to Asia, "Quidam" to Europe and "Dralion" premiered in Montréal. Additionally, "Alegría" was shown permanently in Beau Rivage, Mississippi , before touring Australia and Asia as well .
2000-2009
A feature film for "Alegría" was shot, based on the show of the same name, which ran until the end of 2013. After “Saltimbanco”, “Quidam” was followed by another recording of a live show by Cirque du Soleil. This was later followed by the IMAX film "Journey of Man" (2000) and the recording of "Alegría" in Sydney (2001). Later a television series was produced for Canadian and American television: "Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within". It is about the creation of the show "Varekai" and the artists behind it.
In 2002 a new program was launched in Montréal with “Varekai” (“Varekai” means “wherever” in Romani ), with which eight programs ran simultaneously (including the stationary performances in Las Vegas and Orlando).
Later, the program "ZUMANITY" was added, which is shown as an adult performance in the New York New York Hotel in Las Vegas.
The show "Kà" has been running at the MGM Grand Hotel since November 2004 .
In April 2005, the new show “Corteo” premiered with great success in Montréal. She has been touring the United States since then. The accompanying DVD has been on the market since 2006 .
On February 26, 2006, several artists from Cirque du Soleil performed at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin .
In 2006 the show "Love" premiered. It will be shown at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas (in the theater where Siegfried & Roy previously appeared). The music for the show consists of new arrangements of songs by the Beatles .
Also in 2006, “Delirium”, an independent arena production, celebrated its premiere. In 2008 the last show was recorded as part of the “Delirium” tour in London.
On February 4, 2007, artists from Cirque du Soleil performed as part of the Super Bowl XLI pregame show in Miami .
In 2008, three new productions with a fixed location started. The “Zaia” show started in Macau in July, followed by the “Zed” show in Tokyo in August. In September, Criss Angel premiered the show “Believe” at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
In the spring of 2009, the Alegría show was converted into an arena show and will return to Germany in 2011 (after 1998).
The Cirque celebrated its next premiere in 2009 with the new tour "Ovo" in Montréal. It was the 25th show during the 25th anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil.
The Cirque de Soleil was the opening act of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow.
From 2010
Another production called “Totem” premiered in Montréal in April 2010 and then made guest appearances in Amsterdam (October – December) and at the Royal Albert Hall in London (January – February 2011) before the tour continues in the USA .
The show "Banana Shpeel" had to be discontinued in 2010 due to insufficient attendance.
After the production of "Iris" (June 2011 - January 2013), Cirque du Soleil has been paying tribute to Michael Jackson since October 2011 with the "Immortal World Tour". Similar to the Beatles show "Love", old songs by Michael Jackson have been revised and redesigned. In July 2012, Birk-Events , one of the agencies responsible for performances in Germany, had to file for bankruptcy. According to the press, this is directly related to the shows at Cirque du Soleil. For January 2013 the Cirque du Soleil announced the discontinuation of the production "Iris" due to unsatisfactory ticket sales.
In December 2012, a Cirque du Soleil cinema production under the original title "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away" premiered in the USA. This is a 3D film that may a. was produced by James Cameron and Andrew Adamson . The film opened in Germany on February 7, 2013.
In January 2013, the company announced that, among other things, due to increased production costs and the global economic crisis, as well as insufficient hedging against exchange rate fluctuations and the strength of the Canadian dollar - despite over 14 million tickets sold and over 750 million euros in sales - no profit was made in the financial year . It also announced that 400 jobs would be cut during the year. Before Christmas 2012, 50 jobs had already been cut. In April 2015, the majority of Cirque du Soleil was sold to a consortium of investors led by the US venture capital fund TPG Capital and its Chinese partner Fosun Capital. Guy Laliberté retains a minority stake of 10%.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the entertainment group had to suspend all of its 44 shows worldwide. In order to counteract the impending bankruptcy and liquidation of the company, the government of the Canadian province of Québéc has announced a loan of up to 182 million euros and negotiated conditions for it. On May 24, 2020, Guy Laliberté announced in the media that he wanted to buy back the company if necessary.
On June 29, 2020, Cirque du Soleil filed for bankruptcy and laid off approximately 3,500 employees.
Program overview
In addition to the fixed locations at which individual shows are presented, some programs can be seen on tour. The latter are presented either in event arenas or in circus tents, so-called Chapiteaus .
The productions that only play at one location ("Residents") include:
| Surname | premiere | Type | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystère | December 25, 1993 | Treasure Island , Las Vegas | Yes |
| O | 10/15/1998 | Bellagio , Las Vegas | Yes |
| La Nouba | December 23, 1998 | Downtown Disney , Lake Buena Vista, Florida (discontinued in 2017) | No |
| Zumanity | 07/31/2003 | New York-New York , Las Vegas | Yes |
| Kà | 02/03/2005 | MGM Grand , Las Vegas | Yes |
| Love | 06/02/2006 | The Mirage , Las Vegas | Yes |
| Wintuk | 11/01/2007 | Madison Square Garden , New York City (Seasonal, discontinued 2011) | No |
| Zaia | 07/26/2008 | The Venetian Macao , Cotai Strip , Macau (discontinued 2012) | No |
| Zed | 08/15/2008 | Tokyo Disney Resort , Tokyo, Japan (discontinued 2011) | Yes |
| Criss Angel Believe | 09/26/2008 | Luxor , Las Vegas (discontinued in 2016) | No |
| Viva Elvis | December 16, 2009 | Aria Resort and Casino , Las Vegas (discontinued 2012) | No |
| Zarkana | 06/29/2011 | Tour - 2012–2016 Aria Resort and Casino , Las Vegas (discontinued in 2016) | No |
| iris | 09/25/2011 | Dolby Theater , Los Angeles (discontinued 2013) | No |
| Michael Jackson: One | 05/23/2013 | Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino , Las Vegas | Yes |
| Joyà | 11/08/2014 | Riviera Maya , Mexico | Yes |
The following productions are productions that are performed in theaters:
| Surname | premiere | Venues | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banana Shpeel | 11/19/2009 | Chicago , New York , Toronto , San Francisco , Costa Mesa (discontinued in 2010) | No |
| Paramour | 04/16/2016 | New York (2016–2017), Hamburg (since 2019) | Yes |
The following productions are tour productions that are performed in arenas and chapiteaus:
| Surname | premiere | Type | Playing time in Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cirque du Soleil | 06/16/1984 | Tour (discontinued 1985) | |
| La magic continue | 04/20/1986 | Tour (discontinued) | |
| Le Cirque Réinventé | 05/07/1987 | Tour (discontinued in 1990) | |
| Nouvelle experience | 05/08/1990 | Tour (discontinued in 1993) | |
| Saltimbanco | 04/23/1992 | Chapiteau (1992–2006) - Arena (2007–2012) (discontinued) | 1995-1996, 2003-2004, 2009-2011 |
| Alegría | 04/21/1994 | Chapiteau (1994–2009, since 2019) - Arena (2009–2013) | |
| Quidam | 04/23/1996 | Chapiteau (1996-2010) - Arena (2010-2016) (discontinued in 2016) | 1999–2001, 2013–2014 |
| Dralion | 04/22/1999 | Chapiteau (1999-2010) - Arena (2010-2015) (discontinued in 2015) | 2006 |
| Varekai | 04/22/2002 | Chapiteau (2002-2013) - Arena (2013-2017) (discontinued in 2017) | 2008, 2010, 2015–2016 |
| Corteo | 04/21/2005 | Chapiteau (2005-2015) - Arena (since 2018) | |
| delirium | 01/26/2006 | Arena (discontinued in 2008) | 2007-2008 |
| Koozå | 04/19/2007 | Big top | |
| Ovo | 04/23/2009 | Big top | 2017-2018 |
| totem | 04/22/2010 | Big top | 2019-2020 |
| Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour | October 02, 2011 | Arena (discontinued in 2014) | 2012 |
| Amaluna | 04/19/2012 | Big top | |
| Curious | 04/24/2014 | Big top | |
| Toruk - The First Flight | 11/12/2015 | Arena (discontinued in 2019) | |
| Luzia | 04/21/2016 | Big top | |
| Séptimo Día | 09.03.2017 | Arena (discontinued in 2018) | |
| Volta | 04/20/2017 | Big top | |
| Crystal | 05.10.2017 | arena | |
| Bazzar | 11/14/2018 | Big top |
Accidents
On June 29, 2013, acrobat Sarah Guyard-Guillot , with the stage name Sassoon , died during the Kà show at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. During a fight scene with the performers hanging on steel ropes, the rope broke and Sassoon fell from around 27 m (90 feet ) into the stage floor. This was the only time during the show when neither air cushions nor safety nets were stretched in the open stage floor. Guyard-Guillot was 31 years old and had two children. Sassoon has been part of their cast since 2006, the beginning of the show Kà, and has been on stage for 22 years. The show was subsequently canceled and resumed about a month later without the fight scene. The accident is the first reported fatal stage accident in the 30-year history of Cirque du Soleil.
Another fatal accident occurred on March 17, 2018 at the evening performance in Tampa, Florida. The artist Yann Arnaud, who had been with Cirque for over 15 years, fell in front of an audience during a number during which he was hanging on tapes above the stage and died in the hospital from the injuries suffered, the company announced the following day. Two upcoming performances in Tampa have been canceled.
Filmography (selection)
cinemamovies
- 1999: Alegría (Alegría - An Enchanting Fable)
- 2000: Journey of Man
- 2008: delirium
- 2012: Traumwelten (Worlds Away)
Television films
- 1986: La magie continue
- 1989: The Magic Circus
- 1991: Nouvelle experience
- 1997: Saltimbanco
- 2001: Alegría
- 2002: Fire Within (series)
- 2003: Varekai (Special)
- 2003: Solstrom (series)
- 2004: Midnight Sun
- 2008: LoveSick
- 2009: Cirque du Soleil's Poetic Social Mission
- 2010: Flowers in the Desert
- 2010: Inside KA by Cirque Du Soleil
Video / DVD
- 1992: Cirque réinventé
- 1994: Baroque Odyssey
- 1999: Inside La Nouba
- 1999: Quidam
- 2001: Dralion
- 2004: La Nouba
- 2005: KA Extreme
- 2006: Corteo
- 2006: The Beatles Love - All Together Now - A Documentary Film
- 2008: Kooza
- 2012: Amaluna
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bloomberg Businessweek - Company Overview of Cirque Du Soleil, Inc. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ↑ a b derStandard.at - Cirque du Soleil struggles with skyrocketing costs . Article dated January 18, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014.
- ↑ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT A GLANCE. PDF, as of January 18, 2011, accessed on June 9, 2011.
- ↑ a b derStandard.at - financial investors intercept Cirque du Soleil . Article dated April 21, 2015, accessed April 21, 2015.
- ^ The Independent - Cirque du Soleil swings to $ 1bn revenue as it mulls shows at O2 . Article dated January 23, 2011, accessed May 17, 2014.
- ↑ Alegria Tourplan 2011 , homepage of the Cirque du Soleil.
- ↑ http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=2634&_t=cirque_du_soleil_opener_for_the_final
- ↑ http://www.klatsch-tratsch.de/2009/05/12/cirque-du-soleil-mit-einmaligem-show-act-beim-eurovision-song-contest/27695
- ↑ http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/michael-jackson-tour/default.aspx
- ↑ http://www.bild.de/regional/frankfurt/insolvenz/er-holte-diese-stars-nach-frankfurt-jetzt-ist-er-pleite-25205908.bild.html
- ↑ Worlds Away in the English version of the Internet Movie Database , accessed February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Cirque du Soleil - Dream Worlds. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ↑ afp.com: Entertainment: World famous Cirque du Soleil cancels up to 400 jobs. In: welt.de . January 17, 2013, accessed October 7, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/dienstleistungs/finanzverbindus-investmentfonds-schnappen-sich-cirque-du-soleil/11643996.html
- ↑ Will Cirque du Soleil Rise Again? In: The New York Times. May 17, 2020, accessed June 30, 2020.
- ↑ Québec helps Cirque du Soleil with million dollar loans. In: Kulturnachrichten des deutschlandfunkkultur.de. May 27, 2020, accessed June 30, 2020.
- ↑ Cirque du Soleil founder wants to buy back the company. Entertainment colossus struggling under debt load right now. In: cbc.ca. May 25, 2020, accessed June 30, 2020.
- ↑ Cirque du Soleil files for bankruptcy and cuts 3,500 jobs. In: edition.cnn.com. June 29, 2020, accessed June 30, 2020 .
- ↑ http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2013/oct/29/osha-fines-cirque-du-soleil-and-mgm-grand-ka-perfo/
- ↑ Cirque du Soleil acrobat crashes in front of an audience - dead. In: spiegel.de. March 18, 2018, accessed March 18, 2018.
- ↑ Acrobat of the Cirque du Soleil crashed - dead. In: orf.at. March 18, 2018, accessed March 19, 2018.
- ↑ Alegría in the English version of the Internet Movie Database , accessed on February 1, 2013.