Any way you wait at it , Cirque du Soleil is a phenomenal success story . In only 20 year , it has carved out a unique recession in the amusement industry , spread to metropolis all over the earth and earned rave review every dance step of the way of life . And it ’s doing just okay financially too : Cirque ’s assets are deserving an estimated $ 1 billion , its annual ticket sales have wax above $ 450 million , and more than 40 million people worldwide have attended at least one Cirque show .
you’re able to attribute this monolithic popularity to the sinful experience of in reality seeing a Cirque show . The combined work of performer , directors and the backstage gang add up to a entirely original whole that leaves most audience in awe . Just about everywhere Cirque goes , its reputation seems to precede it .
As you might bear , it takes a lot of study and talent to put an fear - inspiring show like this together . In this clause , we ’ll go under the " Grand Chapiteau " of the touring show Alegria to uncover the magic of Cirque du Soleil .
Cirque du Soleil was abide in 1984 , when a group of Montreal attack - eaters , stilt - walkers and juggling street performers unite force to create one show that had everything . Over the years , the Cirque group grew , creating unexampled show and spreading to Modern cities .
Today Cirque du Soleil has five touring display and six installment show ( shows that continue in a single metropolis ) . Cirque plans to add a novel show to their lineup each year .
While its appearance and touring trading operations have become more sophisticated , Cirque du Soleil has never strayed from its street performer roots . Unlike three - gang circuses , which feature article animate being acts along with human performers , Cirque du Soleil has always been solely devoted to the sinful talents of performing artist . In assembling a show , the Cirque work party assemble diverse natural endowment from all over the world and brings all the performing artist together into a cohesive whole .
Whether it ’s a touring show like Alegria or Varekai or a house physician show like " O " or " Love " in Las Vegas , all Cirque show are built around the same two inwardness elements : a unique topic and a singular soundtrack . As we ’ll see , these two indispensable element guide the exploitation of each show ’s acts , solidifying and costumes .
Theme
Alegria , like all Cirque du Soleil show , was conceived at Cirque ’s $ 60 million state - of - the - art external main office in Montreal . Here , a creative team let in Cirque laminitis Guy Laliberte , directors , artistic director , costume and lay designers and choreographers garner to insight concept and ideas for newfangled shows .
The first thing the squad determines is the show ’s composition . The theme is a delicate balance , because it must link up the acts together without adding up to a tale . The Cirque team forfend square narration for allow for way for the audience to represent the show any way they want .
Alegria ’s central base are power and contrast . According to Pierre Parisien , artistic theater director for Alegria and a Cirque old hand , the creative team was inspired by a tragic event that occurred in London : " At the rootage of the ' 90s … two nipper killed another small fry . They were new , they were like 10 or 11 years old and they killed … just for the sake of it . That major incident had an outcome on our curing interior decorator who brought this story up at the conceptual meeting . And everybody set out to talk about it and that is where the melodic theme about doing a report about business leader come forth . "
Each Cirque show ’s theme is tie closely to the show ’s soundtrack . In the next section , we ’ll examine this part of the originative process .
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for each Cirque show is developed by member of Cirque du Soleil ’s creative squad . The team is led by a composer , such as Rene Dupere , who wrote the Grammy - nominated soundtrack to Alegria as well as several other Cirque appearance .
Alegria ’s soundtrack , like all Cirque du Soleil soundtracks , is an eclectic mix of music expressive style . This mixing of music establishes the changing mood and theme for the audience .
The soundtrack also serves as a cue to the performer , guiding them through the show and each act . To secure that the musicians follow the pace of the performers , all Cirque show practice live euphony . In the event an act fails , the musicians adjust tempo and mass and improvise if necessary .
The soundtrack to all Cirque du Soleil demo feature article music which use " phoneticsentence train " instead of factual words . According to Parisien , " enjoyment of real word blocks the possibility of imagery . " Parisien consider that this key signature deficiency of a language , like the show ’s open - all over theme , leaves room for audience interpretation and lends Cirque a universal prayer .
The Cast
The heart of all Cirque du Soleil shows is the performers and their unique acts . spue agent and reconnoiter scour metropolis and remote areas looking for new talent to impart to new and existing Cirque show .
to boot , Cirque ’s ramble agents apply auditory sense twice a yr at their International Headquarter ( IHQ ) in Montreal , and performing artist can also submit video auditions . The Cirque du Soleil database currently holds more than 20,000 artist data cards on act range from the sublime to the strange . Parisien recounts one humankind ’s video audition : " [ It was ] something very particular … he order his nozzle on the glass and he moves the ice so the nose is doing the choreography … it ’s very unusual … the first prison term I see that , I laugh . "
All Cirque du Soleil performers must fill in training or a " constitution academic term " before they can perform with a show . Each performer is beam to Montreal where they will train for one to four months at the International Headquarters . More than 50 pct of Cirque ’s act come from the gymnastic arts ; the rest come up from a mix of circus arts and theatre setting . For those performer without theater of operations or carnival arts backgrounds , the organisation session is vital . During this training stop , performing artist instruct the skills needed to in effect interact with audiences of 3,000 people .
Set Creation
The Cirque du Soleil set intention department creates the level and equipment for each show . The two major considerations are esthetic and safety . With Alegria , the sets were designed to convey the show ’s themes of big businessman and contrast . The set of Alegria is evocative of a church covered stadium , a symbolisation of great power with two staircase on either side to instance dividing line or " two sides . "
For another Cirque show , Varekai , the set designer used Discreet ’s 3D Max animation software program and industrial engineering software to design a wizardly gilded forest . The set design team made the golden Tree in the Varekai set from proprietary fabric developed by Cirque that are flexile yet strong enough to support the weight of the acrobats .
Innovation in aesthetic and base hit designing is an essential ingredient in the recipe for Cirque ’s success . Cirque has invented many pieces of equipment specifically for their shows , including the fast track , a specialized trampoline , and the double Russian swing . cwm du Soleil will hire other companies to help in the creation of some aspects of the exercise set and degree , but anything that is actually used by the acrobat is designed at a enquiry and ontogeny facility at the IHQ . The in - house designers have total control over the safety and design of the machine they build .
Costumes
Costuming and makeup design is an of import constituent in all Cirque shows . The costume room decorator ’s destination is to contrive a costume that creates a fibre and allows the casting member to perform unconstrained , all while immix esthetical elements and prophylactic concern .
Dominique Lemieux has been the costume interior designer for many Cirque du Soleil shows , including Alegria . Lemieux work with the over 300 artisan and 80 designers at Cirque du Soleil ’s IHQ to design , produce and maintain all the costumes for Alegria and Cirque du Soleil ’s other shows . In Alegria , Lemieux used costumes to exemplify the contrast and power battle between " younker " and " the honest-to-god guard . " For example , the costume worn by the White Angels and the Old Bird character exemplify the contrast between young and old .
Here ’s how Cirque du Soleil describes the White Angels and the Old Bird characters :
Lemieux and the Cirque costume design squad spin out a little Cirque magic to create simple white lace costumes for the Angels and garish , flamboyant costumes and masquerade party for the Old Birds . Since the White Angels act takes station on the Russian bar , safety and chain of mountains of motion were major considerations in the design of their scant but solid costumes . Using a special Cirque - designed tool , the costume designers made the White Angel dress up from a special lacing integrate sportfishing air . The limited lace is strong enough to support 1,000 Ezra Pound of pressure sensation .
The impregnable man rig in Alegria is also extremely innovative . It incorporate unnoticeable livelihood mechanisms that allow the performer to safely lift the heavy weights required for the enactment . The costume for Alegria ’s storytellers , the White and Black Singers , are dresses equip with hoop and a steel blade typically used for unblock toilets .
The Mobile Town
Today , a tour Cirque show like Alegria track the earthly concern in a Cirque du Soleil " mobile town " designed to sit on a 180,000 square foot site . The town requires a permanent faculty of 140 , as well as a irregular staff of 150 in each young city , to set up , break down and operate its quickness . It include the Grand Chapiteau ( Big Top ) and attached entrance collapsible shelter , the stage , artistic tent , kitchen and dining areas , a school and the supplies needed to run it all . It takes 50 trucks carry 1,000 heaps of equipment each to move the town . It contain the gang eight days to set up it up and three days to break it all down .
The Grand Chapiteau is a consistent fixture in all of Cirque ’s touring show . This is the locating of the main stage and public presentation areas . The Grand Chapiteau seats 2,500 people and requires the workplace of 70 people include " tent masters , " trained specifically by Cirque for the massive chore of elicit the big top . Public Relations Director Renee - Claude Menard recalls the first sentence Cirque put up the Grand Chapiteau : " no one knew how to do it … and it actually fall . The Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of the jam league … there was a immense rainstorm and the water puddled in and it collapsed . "
corrie and its performers have many caller - wide of the mark traditions as well as tradition unique to each show . One troupe - wide tradition is naming each Grand Chapiteau . consort to Menard , this tradition has also been around since the beginning of Cirque : " Over the retiring 20 years … one of the tradition I discover amazing is the naming of the big top . All bragging tops have a name … When we introduce a new Grand Chapiteau , we name it with a name unique to not only Cirque du Soleil but to the troupe . There is a small chemical group in Cirque du Soleil that gets together to make certain this naming is always done and it ’s not necessarily something that we broadcast … It ’s done to show the evolution of the show … At first we had one and now we have many . "
Another hub of activity for those travel with a Cirque " nomadic town " is the kitchen and dining area . Here , performing artist and stave dine on meals prepared by five chefs ( with thirteen staff in totality ) . These chefs attend 300 meal a day to Cirque ’s performers and staff . During Alegria ’s ten - class run , the cast and bunch have eat a lot of food :
The kitchen and dining areas are also places where performer and stave can congregate , socialize and check their Es - mail .
Several Cirque traditions have begun in the dining expanse . On premier night for exercise , the chefs will often prepare traditional dish from the urban center they are visiting . Frequently , a cast member will step in and help to machinate food from their land . On " break down " or affect day , the chef ready spaghetti bolognese , made from the foodstuff still leave in memory . Menu planning must be exact because food can not be waste or brought on to the next stop on tour .
“Cirque Memory”
In the past tense , do and coordinating the creative aspect , casts , sets , costume , show facility and touring arms of Cirque du Soleil was extremely unmanageable . Cirque ’s develop staff and show web total to this strain . For example , in 1984 , Cirque had 73 employees and one Grand Chapiteau . Today , Cirque has nine show with 2,700 employees represent 40 nationalities and speaking 25 different languages .
To assist the management of these various components , Cirque du Soleil built an International Headquarters and deployed"Cirque Memory " , an on-line database . The twist of the central office and the institution of Cirque Memory have give to the evolution of Cirque as a structured yet creative arrangement . The facility at the external headquarters create a central spot where the team trains performer , designs set and make costumes .
develop as a way to organise and grapple Cirque ’s display , Cirque Memory track and organizes the creative person and staff as well as their need . Working with outside IT advisor and their own IT department , Cirque developed and implemented a global database that is approachable online in five different languages . Built using only Microsoft Windows 2000 , Internet Information Server 5.0 and SQL Server 2000 , Cirque Memory has six applications : Casting , Make - up , Costume Memory , Medi - Cirque , Kin - Cirque and Act Management .
This scheme allow Cirque to track the 20,000 performing artist in their casting directory . The database also includes photos and instruction on makeup applications programme for each character as well as 5,000 costume figure and 4,000 alternation note . Staff and Cirque doctor can chase and monitor performers ' health and rehabilitation through 24,000Medi - Cirquefiles . If necessary , manager can expend Cirque Memory to find successor whose height and weight equal those of the injured performer , thereby extinguish pricy prop and costume redesign . This data point direction ensures that the quality of each show is reproducible throughout the grade of its run and helps to see to it that cast , costume and set switch or changes can come as quickly and expeditiously as possible .
Cirque de Soleil has come a long way from a circus started by street performer in Montreal . For 20 years they have provided shows of such breathtaking beauty and reverence - inspiring talent that Cirque is spring to continue to redefine alive amusement and sell out venues around the populace .
To learn more about Alegria and Cirque du Soleil , check out the links on the next page .
