History of the Cirque du Soleil
The history of the Circus of the Sun dates back to 1984, when Cirque du Soleil was registered. However, we can safely say that it began much earlier, as soon as the idea of creating an unusual troupe was born in the bright minds of friends Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier.
Born in September 1959 in Quebec, a small town in the French province of Canada, Guy Laliberte showed artistic abilities from childhood. He mastered the accordion and learned to walk dexterously on high stilts. Already at the age of 14, the young man began his career as an artist, and eventually even dropped out of college in order to be able to travel around Europe, giving street performances as a fakir and folk musician.
Returning to his homeland in 1979, Guy tried to start serious work at a hydroelectric power station on the border of Quebec and Ontario, but fate decreed otherwise. Guy Laliberte, together with his friends Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix, participated in the organization of the summer fair in the town of Baie-Saint-Paul.
Daniel, who by then had graduated from a business college, was already the owner of a consulting firm. Together with Gilles, they ran the Balcon Vert artist hostel. It was then that the friends decided to organize their own, unlike anything else, troupe. Lacking initial capital, the comrades decided to apply to the government of Quebec with a request to finance a grandiose project. In order to convince the authorities to do this, Gilles Ste-Croix walked from Baie-Saint-Paul all the way to Quebec on stilts, which is no less than 90 kilometers. Whether efforts young man were evaluated, whether the provincial authorities saw future success in the new project, but the money was allocated, and already at the anniversary city celebration, the new troupe of 70 people gave their first performance.
On the land allocated to them, the rent of which was a symbolic $ 1 per year, the artists set up a circus tent with a capacity of 800 spectators. From the very first performances, it became clear that the success of the audience was simply incredible.
By the way, in September 2009, Guy Laliberte became one of the first space tourists. From the boat of the International Space Station, he tried to draw the attention of all mankind to the global problems of water shortage.
How to calm the heart: grandiose plans for Cirque du Soleil
Since 2008, Cirque du Soleil has also had a representative office in Russia. Autumn 2009 was marked by the premiere production of Varekai, specially prepared for the Russian audience. Russian viewers also know the Circus of the Sun from their four-minute performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Moscow in 2009. Therefore, millions of people are waiting for new tours with great impatience. And they will not keep you waiting long, already in the fall of 2010, on October 25, a new show program of the enchanting Circus of the Sun - Corteo (Corteo) awaits the Russian audience on the Luzhniki stage. The performance of the troupe will not be limited to Moscow - the Circus of the Sun will go on a tour of the cities of Russia!
It is worth saying that Cirque du Soleil Corporation has the same grandiose plans for Russia as the performances themselves. According to the director of the Circus of the Sun, it is planned to build a theater and create a permanent branch of Cirque du Soleil in Moscow. The project will cost close to $200 million. The amount of money spent by the organizers on the creation of each new Cirque du Soleil show is as impressive as the productions themselves. From 20 to 40 million dollars spent on each new production. But what happens in the end in the arena fully justifies the investment, forcing the audience to admire the show program again and again.
To date, the Cirque du Soleil show has not only been surpassed, but has not even come close to those unimaginable heights that circus art has ascended in Cirque du Soleil.
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THE SHOW EVERYONE WANTEDLUZIA™ - touring production of the formatbigtop- goes to Russia!
Moscow, June 6, 2019– cirquedusoleil® announces a new tour of the LUZIA * show, which will premiere in Moscow on March 19, 2020 at a new, modern and comfortable venue - the Gymnastics Palace of Irina Viner-Usmanova. Moscow will be the only Russian city on the show's world tour.
Show LUZIA was created for its own large dome, and the last time a production of this format came to Russia seven years ago. The European tour will start at the Royal Albert Hall in London and continue in Moscow at the Gymnastics Palace Irina Viner-Usmanova. The new site retains the advantages of the layout and view of the auditorium, characteristic of the tent, and does not depend on the vagaries of the weather in March, when cirquedusoleil start editing the show. For performances cirquedusoleil transforms the hall in such a way as to preserve the chamber atmosphere of the tent as much as possible with an excellent overview of what is happening on the stage from any place. The auditorium will be designed for 2500 seats.
The LUZIA show takes viewers into a world of dreams about Mexico, where light (in Spanish "luz") soothes the heart, and rain, "lluvia", softens morals. The universe of the production - the space between dream and reality - is full of acrobatics and mesmerizing scenes. The action moves smoothly from the set of the golden age of Mexican cinema to the ocean, from the dark dance hall to the barren desert.
Rain, which has become one of the running themes of the production, is woven into acrobatics and mise-en-scene, and this is the first time in the practice of touring shows. cirquedusoleil. Thus, the water curtain complements several scenes of the show, and figures of bizarre animals, otomi embroidery or flowers appear on it. The idea of the air number on the straps is built around a cenote, flying over which the performer draws water with his hand, and his hair touches the smooth surface of the underground cave filled with water. The performance of the artists on the Syrah wheel ends in torrents of rain - so that neither the wheel in their hands, nor the surface of the stage under it slip, a bicycle tire had to be put on the surface of the wheel.
Daniele Finzi Pasca became the director and screenwriter of this fascinating journey through the land of dreams. Daniele staged this performance for Cirque du Soleil ten years after the creation of Corteo, which captivated the hearts of Russian viewers in 2010.
All the key elements of the show - scenography, costumes, acrobatics and music - are the result of research into the themes of the cultural, historical and mythological heritage of Mexico. This is the Mexico of memories and visions of the LUZIA team of authors, who have a lot to do with it: Daniele Finzi Pasca himself lived in Mexico for ten years, and creative director Patricia Ruel is married to a Mexican.
On tour show LUZIA 115 people from 25 countries work, 45 of them are artists.
To the show team LUZIA included 16 people under the creative direction of Guy Laliberte (Mentor) and Jean-Francois Bouchard (Creative Mentor):
Daniele Finzi Pasca - Screenwriter and director
Patricia Ruel - Creative Director
Julie Ameline Finzi - Screenwriter
Eugenio Caballero - Stage designer and prop artist
Giovanna Buzzi - Costume Designer
Simon Carpentier - Composer and music director
Edesia Moreno Barata – Acrobatic choreographer
Debra Brown - Acrobatic Choreographer
Silvia Gertrudi Gonzalez – Acrobatic Choreographer
Max Humphreys – Artist, puppet maker
Martin Labreque - Lighting Designer
Johnny Ranger - Projection Maker
Jacques Boucher - Sound Designer
Philippe Aubertin - Creator of acrobatic acts
Danny Zen - Creator of Acrobatic Equipment and Rig
Maris Gosselin - Xmakeup artist
*Show nameLUZIApronounced like "L" At SIA" (with an accent on the first syllable and a slightly hissing "s").
About companycirque du soleil :
Show LUZIA - 38th production Cirque du Soleil. Since its founding in 1984, Cirque du Soleil has won the hearts of over 200 million spectators in over 450 cities in 60 countries. Around the world in 2019, viewers will be able to see 20 shows Cirque du Soleil. Since the first tour show in 2009 Cirque du Soleil the company's productions were seen by more than 2.6 million Russian viewers.
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Children from 3 years old need a ticket
Children under 14 are not allowed unless accompanied by an adult
Photo and video
Amazing stunts that will take your breath away
Cirque du Soleil, which means "Circus of the Sun", is not a traditional circus in our view: there are no animals here, only people participate in it. But they do tricks that will take your breath away and keep you full of emotions for another month. The skill of the artists is harmonious, and sometimes bizarre, combined with choreography, music and lighting effects.
This is also one of the largest circuses, which, in the literal sense, has grown into something grandiose: its artists, of which there are more than 4 thousand people, perform all over the world. By the way, he first appeared in Canada, the first troupe was founded in 1984. And over the years, the circus has become a real legend that everyone needs to see, regardless of age or gender. A real circus Hollywood.
Legendary shows
The artists of Cirque du Soleil put on more than just circus numbers. This is a whole story that makes up something more: for example, the program Varekai introduces the audience to the myth of Icarus, another show, Totem, shows the evolution of mankind. The performances of the circus are no less profound than the performances of theater artists. And this talent has been recognized with various awards, including the Emmy Award. "Circus of the Sun" is a new stage circus art he breathed new life into it.
The main circus troupe operates in Las Vegas, other troupes travel around the world with their performances. The annual revenue of the "Circus of the Sun" exceeds 600 million dollars.
20 interesting facts about the Cirque du Soleil
Fact number 1. Business card Cirque du Soleil - unusual and funny clowns. Even those who are wary of clowns will like their performances. By the way, there is one sad clown in their troupe. He is deaf.
Fact number 2. The circus always collects a full house. Therefore, you should always think about tickets in advance.
Fact number 3. About 50% of circus performers are Russians. So, the Russian-speaking singer Maryana Sobol sings here.
Fact number 4. The costumes of the artists are amazing, and there are a great many of them for each show. So, for the Alegria show, this is 4 thousand items of clothing, their volume is one and a half trucks.
Fact number 5. The dress of the White singer from the Alegria show weighs 10 kilograms, and about 60 meters of tulle took about 60 meters of tulle on his skirt.
Fact number 6. Artists do not have make-up artists: they put on their own make-up.
Fact number 7. Each show consists of numbers that have a single concept and plot.
Fact number 8. Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, deliberately abandoned the canons of the circus: from animals and a round arena. But there are images of animals in performances: they are played by people. By the way, for this, the circus is very revered by animal rights activists.
Fact number 9. Artists in 1985 performed near Niagara Falls. However, the idea was unsuccessful: the audience was more interested in falling water.
Fact number 10. Dialogues were deliberately removed from the performances, thanks to which the language barrier was significantly overcome and the visual audience in other countries was expanded.
Fact number 11. The Mystere show features bungee jumpers. On their costumes, all the sequins were glued on by hand. There are more than 2 thousand of them.
Fact number 12. Laliberte was on a tourist trip in space in 2009.
Fact number 13. The Cirque du Soleil attracts approximately 10 million spectators each year.
Fact number 14. The Circus of the Sun gave performances at the Oscar and Grammy awards, and in 2009 in Moscow it closed the Eurovision Song Contest.
Fact #15 80% of the Circus of the Sun's income comes from fees, the remaining 20% comes from videos and souvenirs.
Fact number 16. Guy Laliberte's children call him "Dragon Dad".
Fact number 17. In the "O" show, the artists perform in hand-painted bathing suits. It takes about a month to make them, and its cost is about 3,500 Canadian dollars. Enough of these outfits for only three performances.
Fact #18. In 2007 alone, more than 20,000 costumes were made by the circus costumers. Every year, it takes about 20 kilometers of fabric to make them.
Fact #19. Recruiting new artists annually costs about $45 million.
Fact number 20. It is believed that Guy Laliberte coined the name "Circus of the Sun" in honor of the sunny days he spent in his youth in Hawaii.
TALENT IN A SOLAR RIM
Cirque du Soleil and its Russian artists
"It's cooler than the thrill of the wheels." "Visual Orgasm" "I laughed so hard I almost peed." "I will never be able to go to other circuses again." Such entries are left by the audience in the Cirque du Soleil guest book.
Seven of his different shows are running simultaneously in different parts of the world. It is curious that in one of the performances, "Alegria", among the 50 artists performing on the stage - 30 from the countries of the former Soviet Union. In other troupes, the percentage is less, but also impressive. I wonder why there are so many Russians there and how our countrymen influence the development of the modern circus?
circus organism
The culmination of the multi-way clownery is the number "Storm" invented by him (copyright reserved), in which the protagonist(Spanish Yuri Medvedev), getting ready for the road, climbs with one hand into a raincoat hanging on a hanger under his hat, and cleans his floors with a brush. Suddenly, as in a thriller, the cloak comes to life, alienating the clown's hand, and does not let him go, taking away the brush. The poor clown dies in quiet horror, and the cloak suddenly strokes him, removes dust particles from his shoulder, makes him look blue like a woman and imperceptibly slips a note into his jacket. But the whistle blows for departure, the clown breaks out, runs to the suitcase, puts on a black hat smoking like a chimney and circles around the stage by train. Out of breath, he sits down on the suitcase, takes out a handkerchief, sees the note that has fallen out, reads it greedily... Then he slowly tears it up and sadly throws the pieces up. They swirl like snowflakes, and light paper snow falls down behind them, turning into a dense continuous shaft. A minute later, the rising howl of the wind begins the apocalyptic storm. A dazzling spotlight and a wind turbine cut into the eyes of the hall, which spreads paper snowdrifts right up to the top tier of the big top. Thunderous music cuts to the bone. Complete spectator catharsis. Hysterical ovation. Intermission.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL is the undisputed world leader in circus brands. They make bright shows and do not hesitate to ask for them a lot of money. How, why and when did they manage to take a leadership position and how do they differ from the rest of the circus world? Reading!
The name "Cirque du Soleil" is translated from French as "Circus of the Sun". The company was founded in 1984 and is now based in Montreal, Canada.
The main difference from other circuses - refusal to use animals in performances, emphasis on unusual design, choreography and music.
Now the company employs more than 4,000 people working in different groups, which allows you to give performances in different cities and countries at the same time. The main part of the troupe gives performances in Las Vegas, the touring part travels with various shows around the world.
Over 34 years of existence, more than 30 striking productions have been created with separate scripts, costumes and props. The production is created for more than one year and after the premiere leaves to travel the world. In addition, circus artists performed at large-scale events such as the Oscars, the Grammy ceremony, Eurovision, and the FIFA championship.
The creator of "Du Soleil" - Guy Laliberte from the age of 14 "fell ill" with the circus: he actively participated in the preparation of circus acts, and by the age of 17 he created his own script with swallowing fire and became an independent artist. Guy did not have a special education and, on the contrary, left school in order to be able to travel around the world with his ideas. By the age of 25, he had already gained an incredible amount of experience and was eager to open a Special Circus.
In 1984, he pitched the idea of his own circus to a young hotel manager. where he stopped. This young guy - Daniel Gautier - took over the paperwork and contributed to the allocation of wasteland on the outskirts and loans for development through the mayor's office of their town.
Guy Laliberte himself selected the most original artists in new circus, at first there were only about 70 people. Guy spent sleepless nights writing scripts and thinking over numbers, tearing up what was written and starting all over again. He wanted to give the viewer the best and tried to fit the imperfect reality to his idea of a Very Special Circus.
But the real success came when the Guy Laliberte troupe received a grant to organize festivities dedicated to the 450th anniversary of the province of Quebec. They traveled to eleven cities in the province, in each of which they demonstrated for a week the best rooms from the most diverse areas of circus art. In total, one and a half million dollars were allocated for the implementation of this project. He came up with completely unthinkable numbers, ordered expressive music, purchased the best props and picked up amazing costumes - in other words, he made the show Memorable. Naturally, the grandiose performances of the circus of Monsieur Laliberte created Guy a stable reputation.
After completing the tour of the cities of the province, Guy Laliberte began to make even more ambitious plans for tours throughout Canada. Daniel offered to ask the officials again for money, but this time from the government of Canada. And at the request, a positive decision was made!
The company used the allocated money to build a stationary building in Montreal instead of tents in a wasteland and combined disparate miniatures into integral spectacles with a single plot. Guy hired an entire orchestra to create the show's sound design and updated the staff with new artists from all over the world.
In the nineties Cirque du Soleil has already become widely famous and Guy Laliberte decided that the moment has come - it's time to conquer the world! He prepared a new show, bought costumes, lighting equipment, pyrotechnic systems, ordered unique music and went to America. The Cirque du Soleil created quite a stir among Americans - many of those who attended the festival later admitted that the program of the Canadian circus was the best. The tour lasted about 5 months.
But upon returning, the company found that it had spent all the money allocated by the state and decided to look for shareholders. Investors were found quickly and since 2000, Cirque du Soleil has grown steadily without financial difficulties.. They have their own workshop for tailoring costumes and several training grounds for practicing circus acts and tricks, many of which are unique and are not repeated anywhere else in the world. In addition, the circus soon had its own shoe workshop, warehouses for fabrics, pyrotechnics and scenery, as well as a workshop for making props. In addition to everything, Daniel Gautier decided to open branches of the solar circus in Las Vegas, New York, London, Amsterdam, Singapore and Hong Kong. The number of employees of the circus, for more than twenty years of history, has increased from 70 to 4,000 people.
In 2008, Cirque du Soleil announced that it would visit Russia for the first time.. In 2009, Du Soleil brought his first tour show to Russia - Varekai. The tour was sold out, with 60% of the tickets sold before the premiere, and 2/3 of the tickets were sold through our online sales system. For 9 years, Cirque du Soleil has already shown 10 large-scale shows in 12 cities of Russia, among which there was even a show created specifically for our country. A team of 20 people is constantly working in Moscow, and another 400 people from different countries of the world help the company when the show comes to Russia. Since 2009, the Du Soleil show has seen more than two million viewers in Russia.
In 2018, Cirque du Soleil brought to Russia a production of OVO (“Egg”, created in 2009, probably inspired by Guy's tourist flight into space). The performance plunges into the bright and hectic life of insects that work and eat, crawl and flutter from flower to flower, play, fight and, of course, look for love.
