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Vive Le Cirque du Soleil! |
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A welcome homecoming for Montreal's favourite export
by Helen Savage
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The Cirque chapiteau in Old Montreal
Photo courtesy of Dre Papillon
and Stéphane Z |
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A five-woman tower from Dralion
Photo courtesy of Pat Rioux |
For those of you who haven't noticed the blue and yellow Grand Chapiteau at the quays of the Old Port, Cirque du Soleil is in town. Their brand new production - temporarily titled Cirque 2007 - premieres the night of April 19th. Almost two months of highly anticipated shows are scheduled in Montreal, giving Cirque's legions of fans plenty of opportunity to snap up tickets in support of this home-grown success story.
The now famous touring company was founded in 1984 by two local street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. The original troupe of self-taught jugglers, fire-eaters and stilt-walkers from Montreal went on to revolutionize the circus arts, breaking away from the traditional big top circus model of lion tamers and trained elephants
"Our approach was very simple", says Laliberté. "It was about creating a universal language, a show that would be attractive to all people, all over the world." It obviously worked; from those humble beginnings, they went on to become the cultural and global phenomenon that we know today.
In true Montreal style, everything about Cirque is purposefully unconventional. Rejecting the use of animals in their productions, they focus instead on developing the talents of young performance artists, actors, acrobats and musicians. Managed from their headquarters in Montreal, the company employs twenty full-time talent scouts to recruit promising young artists from every corner of the world.
Rejecting the use of animals in their productions, le Cirque focuses on developing the talents of young performance artists, actors, acrobats and musicians.
Laliberté's vision to create an experience transcending culture and language is present in even the smallest details of the performances. "Cirquish" is the invented language performers use throughout the soundtracks and most spoken parts of the shows, a blend of languages and sounds expertly crafted to sound like a bona fide foreign dialect.
The flavour of Cirquish is changed to fit the tone of each production; the chosen title for the show Dralion is an amalgam of "dragon" and "lion," reflecting the show's inspiration from Chinese philosophy and the fusion of eastern and western traditions. Zumanity, a contraction between the words 'zoo' and 'humanity', fittingly describes another show that explores human beings' most primal urges.
In addition to their ever-expanding repertoire of resident and traveling productions, the global popularity of Cirque means they are invited to perform at a host of prestigious events, from the Oscars to this year's Super Bowl. But I would argue that the best place to see them is here in their home town, in a more intimate 2500-capacity tent that guarantees an exhilarating close-up view no matter where you're seated.
But experiencing the magic of Cirque comes at a price. For all the talk of the importance of their art, they are first and foremost a billion-dollar business, and management is well aware that audiences will continue to buy overpriced tickets to avoid missing out on the latest extravaganza. Still, if you're anything like me, you will come away feeling the experience was well worth the price, and wishing you had the money to see them over and over again.
Helen Savage is a freelance writer from Liverpool, England, now based in Montreal.
Beyond the Big Top
Tickets for Cirque du Soleil's Montreal shows start at around $60 and run to more than $200 for ring-side sections. Some discounted seats are still available if you don't mind sitting separately.
For booking and more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com. |
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