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16 Jaw-Dropping Facts About Cirque du Soleil

By jd rinne | apr 25, 2019.

Since its founding in 1984, the contemporary circus Cirque du Soleil has performed for more than 180 million people in 450 cities on every continent but Antarctica. In other words: There’s probably a Cirque show near you right now … or there will be soon.

For the uninitiated, Cirque du Soleil—which celebrates its 35th anniversary in July 2019—features a mix of circus acts, street performance, unparalleled acrobatic feats and the avant-garde. And no matter the show’s theme, technology always plays a role—the Montreal-based company, now one of the largest live theatrical companies in business, consistently ups its game with state-of-the-art stages, special effects and world-class stunts. Read on to learn even more jaw-dropping facts about Cirque du Soleil.

Cirque du Soleil began as a troupe of 20 street performers.

Cirque du Soleil has its roots in Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a group that performed acts like fire-breathing and juggling on the streets of Baie-Saint-Paul in Quebec, Canada, in the early 1980s. One of the troupe's members was Guy Laliberté, who eschewed a college education to join the group; in 1984, he presented a proposal to the Canadian government for a company of performers that would tour across the country to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. Laliberté landed a $1 million contract to make the proposal a reality, which led to the incorporation of the group as a non-profit under the name Cirque du Soleil .

The name Cirque du Soleil means "Circus of the Sun."

"When I need to take time to reenergize, I go somewhere by the ocean to sit back and watch the sunsets. That is where the idea of 'Soleil' came from, on a beach in Hawaii, and because the Sun is the symbol of youth and energy," Laliberté explained to Fortune in 2011.

Las Vegas has six permanent Cirque du Soleil shows.

Cirque du Soleil's first show had 10 acts and hit 15 cities in Quebec. Now, there are 23 Cirque du Soleil shows worldwide, including six permanent shows in Las Vegas and 12 that are on tour. Though it's hard to determine the most popular show, Cirque du Soleil calls Alegría —which ran from 1994 to 2013 before being " reinterpreted in a renewed version" in 2019—one of its “most beloved shows,” with 6600 performances for more than 14 million audience members around the world. That’s a lot of tickets.

Mystère is the longest-running Cirque du Soleil show.

Cirque’s first permanent show in Las Vegas, Mystère has also been on stage the longest of all Cirque productions. This lighthearted, family-friendly show opened in 1993 at Treasure Island and features a classic Cirque du Soleil mix of gymnastics and trapeze.

Cirque du Soleil shows are incredibly expensive to produce.

For example, Ká —which premiered in 2005—cost at least $165 million to create, making it one of the most expensive theatrical productions in history (to compare, the Spider-Man musical, Broadway’s most expensive show, had cost estimates about half that). Much of the budget was for technical feats, including a battle scene featuring acrobats on wires fighting vertically. Sadly, it was during the battle sequence that aerialist Sarah Guillot-Guyard died in 2013. It was Cirque du Soleil’s first onstage fatality.

There’s even a Cirque du Soleil show on ice.

Crystal , Cirque’s “first experience on ice,” premiered in December 2017 in Quebec City and Montreal. It’s basically the choreographed stunts you’d expect from Cirque du Soleil but everybody’s on skates .

Many Cirque du Soleil casts include former Olympians.

Cirque du Soleil employs 1300 performers from 50 different countries, and Cirque says about 40 percent of its artists come from disciplines like rhythmic gymnastics and diving. To that end, in 2016, Cirque had 22 Olympians (including two medalists) on stage in a variety of roles, from high-flying trampoline acts to synchronized swimmers. That’s not to mention the many performers who are recruited from national gymnastics teams.

Cirque du Soleil cast members train extensively.

Before being cast in a specific show, prospective performers attend artistic and acrobatic training at Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters in Montreal. Depending on the show and the role, cast members then do daily training and warm-ups , sometimes lasting more than 90 minutes, along with regular rehearsals. The daily work-outs can include weight lifting, stretching, handstands, pull-ups, sit-ups, and rope work.

The kitchens on Cirque du Soleil tours use up to 3000 pounds of food a week.

Traveling Cirque shows have a team of around five chefs who pump out meals for cast and crew each day. Menus change daily and incorporate local specialties in whatever city the show lands (think: bison in Denver ; étouffée in Louisiana ). In a 2017 interview, Cirque kitchen manager Paola Muller said that the kitchen can run through 2000 to 3000 pounds of food a week. A 2016 Thrillist article notes that 90 to 100 pounds of protein are served at each meal, and there’s a salad bar with 22 ingredients.

Cirque du Soleil takes safety seriously—but the stunts are still dangerous.

Cirque du Soleil cast members pull off dangerous stunts on the regular. But even with stringent safety systems in place (some performers have called them “annoying”), injuries and accidents happen. According to Vanity Fair there were 53 injuries at the permanent Las Vegas shows in 2012, and in 2018, an aerialist was killed in Florida during a performance of Volta .

Princess Diana was an early fan of Cirque du Soleil.

She took Princes Harry and William to an early performance by the group in 1990. In early 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attended a Cirque du Soleil charity performance; the duchess wore one of Diana's bracelets and a dress inspired by one of her late mother-in-law's looks.

Cirque du Soleil has an outreach program based on the “social circus.”

Established in 1995, Cirque du Monde supports the philosophy that circus arts can be used as interventions for at-risk youth, creating confidence and community for kids who need it. This idea is referred to as “the social circus”; this and other global citizen campaigns have reached 100,000 kids in 50 countries.

Some costume pieces in Cirque du Soleil's O are made out of shower curtains.

The costumes for all Cirque shows are unique in that they have to be not only stunning but also athletically practical and safe. Cirque’s Montreal Costume Workshop employs 300 full-time artisans, including shoemakers, milliners, and textile designers.

Each costume’s evolution requires a lot of ingenuity—and trial and error. Take, for instance, Cirque’s water show, O , in Las Vegas. Some costume pieces are made out of shower curtains, pipe cleaners, or bits of foam to make them float in the water. The wardrobe staff here does 60 loads of laundry a night to keep the 4800 costumes and accessories clean, and there’s a totally separate room dedicated to drying, complete with specialized heaters.

Luzia is the first Cirque show in Spanish.

Although Cirque du Soleil shows don’t regularly rely on speaking parts (that’s what the mimes are for!), Luzia is the first show to be entirely en Español . Luzia ’s title combines two Spanish words— luz for “light” and lluvia for “rain”—and features a state-of-the-art rain curtain and revolving stage.

You can experience Cirque du Soleil in VR.

A natural extension of the Cirque experience? Virtual reality. In 2018, MK2, a Paris-based company specializing in VR cinemas, acquired distribution rights to four Cirque shows, co-produced by Canada’s Felix & Paul. Now, you can experience moments from Ká , Kurios , Luzia, and O on Google Daydream, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and more.

Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE has been onstage longer than the Beatles.

Cirque’s Beatles show, LOVE , has been on stage since 2006. The Beatles were together for around a decade, from 1960 (or '62, if you're going by when Ringo Starr joined, and when they released their first single) to 1970. LOVE remains a stalwart of the Cirque canon, regularly selling about 75 to 90 percent theater capacity, and is at the top of many Vegas “must dos.”

I'm a Cirque du Soleil performer. I grew up in the circus, and now I travel the world with my husband and kids.

• Estefani Evans is a fifth-generation circus performer starring in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría.
• She began trapeze at 10 years old. Her husband works alongside her, and their kids travel with them.
• "I was 4 years old the first time I stepped on stage," she says. "It's definitely a beautiful life."

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Estefani Evans, a fifth-generation circus performer currently starring in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a fifth-generation circus performer, and I was 4 years old the first time I stepped on stage. I grew up in Brazil, and my dad used to have a circus there. My brothers made me a costume and threw me on stage as part of a clown act. 

That's where it all began — I always knew the circus would be my life.

As a little girl, I loved being on stage and showing off

I thought I would be a contortionist, but I wasn't flexible enough. When I was 10 years old, I tried the trapeze for the first time, and I felt like I was flying. I wanted to do it again and again. 

At age 14, I got my first paying trapeze-artist gig. My mom left her job as a circus teacher to accompany me on tour. 

When I was 17, I had my first opportunity to leave Brazil. I went to Portugal to perform — that's when I left my mom and started my career on my own. Then, at age 20, I was invited by Cirque du Soleil to join the Flying Trapeze troupe of Zaia in Macau, China.

Life on the road is all I've ever known

In Brazil with my dad's circus, sometimes we'd stay in a city for one or two weeks and sometimes for a year. We lived in RVs that were set up close to the Big Top. It was very unstable, because we were always moving. 

In every city, I'd have to change schools and make new friends. It was hard, because some schools were more advanced while others were lagging behind.

Working for Cirque du Soleil, I have a lot more consistency. It's very structured. We stay in cities longer — anywhere from five weeks to three months — and live comfortably in hotels or housing. 

It's a nomadic life, but it's definitely a beautiful life. Cirque is the most beautiful circus life you can have.

I see my husband 24/7

I met my husband, Ammed Tuniziani — a third-generation performer who comes from a traditional circus family in Venezuela — while working with Cirque du Soleil. He's also a trapeze flyer.

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It's very important and beautiful that we work in the same industry and get to travel together. We're currently working on the show Alegría, and he's our trapeze coach. 

When it comes to trapeze, it's all about the trust you have with your catcher and your coworkers, because we rely on each other for the timing of every trick. My husband is always there, taking care of me and the group. There's no one on this earth I trust more than him. I'm blessed that we work together.

When we're not having a good day, being together so much is tough. But we don't bring our problems to the stage; nobody is ever going to see them. 

Our kids attend an online school that's only for circus kids

Our two kids are always nearby and already following in our footsteps. Our son, who's now 10, started on the trapeze when he was 5. He says he wants to "be like daddy on trapeze." Plus, our 8-year-old daughter loves contortion. 

Circus life runs in their blood, but we also encourage them to be good in school, so they have options in life the same way we did. 

They don't have to explain their life every time we go to a new city, because all of their classmates are doing the same thing. It's very consistent for them no matter where we are; they have their uniforms and their online friends they see every day. 

Our children get to experience so much more than most kids

The kids can come into the circus any time they want to play with other kids in the Cirque family — there are places to play, and even though the kids don't all speak the same language, they manage to communicate. I don't know how they do it. 

We have Mondays and Tuesdays off every week, and the kids get Mondays off from school. They go to school on Saturdays instead.

That's when we get to explore the city we're in. We love to go to restaurants, museums, and parks. We try to do and see as much as we can, because we never know when we'll be in, say, Tokyo again. We have an opportunity to learn new languages, and it's so beautiful right now, because our kids are at an age where they'll remember all of this.

Food can be the biggest challenge when traveling with kids

I like to cook, though Cirque provides meals on show days. On our days off, we like to go eat at restaurants to get to know the culture of the city we're performing in. 

Cirque has a beautiful kitchen in the tents, so we can eat our meals there if we want to. They have four chefs who travel with us, and they hire 10 people locally to support the kitchen operations.

We have the opportunity to eat so many different foods since they serve food from many different countries, because we're a multicultural company. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and everything is complimentary — it's one of the benefits that comes with being on tour with Cirque du Soleil. 

It can be hard being away from my extended family

The hardest part of this lifestyle is being apart from my mom and sister, who live in Las Vegas. I can spend a year and half in Asia and not get to see them often. COVID-19 has made everything really hard for visas, so it's not like my mom can just come see me. 

But I also get to travel with my family, so I'm very blessed with my life and my job. And Cirque is like our bigger family, a community. You travel together and you work together. Even after hours, we often end up going out together as a group. 

And my mother-in-law comes on tour with us to look after the kids while we're at work. She found love on the show, actually, with one of the technicians. It's super cute that they found each other at their age, and she gets to have her life too when not taking care of her grandchildren.

Two of my husband's brothers are also part of the flying trapeze act, so my kids have uncles and cousins on tour. It makes it very comfortable and normal for them.

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Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its birthday with an unprecedented sale. Tickets start at $35 on most touring shows across North America, including popular shows like "Luzia," "Volta," "Alegria," "Corteo" and "Amaluna." Some of the best seats in the house are also discounted in this offer -- which is exclusive to Travelzoo members.

Cirque du Soleil shows combine stunning artistry and compelling stories -- from the curtain of rain that falls in shapes of flowers and birds in "Luzia" to the "balance goddess" in "Amaluna" to the re-imagining of the 25-year-old classic "Alegria." Discover which show should be next on your Cirque bucket list.

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Drawn to Life Presented by Cirque du Soleil® & Disney

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Set your imagination in motion with Drawn to Life —a love letter to the art of Disney animation.

In this first-ever collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering, journey into a world where an animator’s desk becomes the stage and drawings come alive. The show is a celebration of life, accentuated by the delightful, mesmerizing movements of Cirque du Soleil’s acrobatic mastery.

Performances are scheduled for: Wednesday through Saturday 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM Sunday 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM

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How Cirque du Soleil Works

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Any way you look at it, Cirque du Soleil is a phenomenal success story. In only 20 years, it has carved out a unique niche in the entertainment industry, spread to cities all over the globe and earned rave reviews every step of the way. And it's doing just fine financially too: Cirque's assets are worth an estimated $1 billion, its annual ticket sales have climbed above $450 million, and more than 40 million people worldwide have attended at least one Cirque show.

You can attribute this massive popularity to the extraordinary experience of actually seeing a Cirque show. The combined work of performers, directors and the backstage crew add up to a completely original whole that leaves most audiences in awe. Just about everywhere Cirque goes, its reputation seems to precede it.

As you might expect, it takes a lot of work and talent to put an awe-inspiring show like this together. In this article, we'll go under the "Grand Chapiteau" of the touring show Alegria to uncover the magic of Cirque du Soleil.

Cirque du Soleil was born in 1984, when a group of Montreal fire-eaters, stilt-walkers and juggling street performers joined forces to create one show that had everything. Over the years, the Cirque group grew, creating new shows and spreading to new cities.

Today Cirque du Soleil has five touring shows and six installation shows (shows that stay in a single city). Cirque plans to add a new show to their lineup each year.

While its shows and touring operations have become more sophisticated, Cirque du Soleil has never strayed from its street performer roots. Unlike three-ring circuses, which feature animal acts along with human performers, Cirque du Soleil has always been solely devoted to the extraordinary talents of performers. In assembling a show, the Cirque crew gathers diverse talent from all over the world and brings all the performers together into a cohesive whole.

Whether it's a touring show like Alegria or Varekai or a resident show like "O" or "Love" in Las Vegas, all Cirque shows are built around the same two core elements: a unique theme and a unique soundtrack. As we'll see, these two essential elements guide the development of each show's acts, sets and costumes.

To purchase tickets for Cirque du Soleil or to check out the schedules and locations of their shows go to http://www.cirquedusoleil.com

Set Creation

The mobile town, "cirque memory".

Alegria, like all Cirque du Soleil shows, was conceived at Cirque's $60 million state-of-the-art international headquarters in Montreal. Here, a creative team including Cirque founder Guy Laliberte, directors, artistic directors, costume and set designers and choreographers gather to brainstorm concepts and ideas for new shows.

The first thing the team determines is the show's theme. The theme is a delicate balance, because it must tie the acts together without adding up to a narrative. The Cirque team avoids straight narrative in order to allow room for the audience to interpret the show any way they want.

Alegria's central themes are power and contrast. According to Pierre Parisien, artistic director for Alegria and a Cirque veteran, the creative team was inspired by a tragic event that occurred in London: "At the beginning of the '90s… two children killed another child. They were young, they were like 10 or 11 years old and they killed… just for the sake of it. That major incident had an effect on our set designer who brought this story up at the conceptual meeting. And everybody started to talk about it and that is where the idea about doing a story about power emerged."

Each Cirque show's theme is tied closely to the show's soundtrack. In the next section, we'll examine this part of the creative process.

HowStuffWorks would like to thank Cirque du Soleil's Artistic Director Pierre Parisien and Public Relations Director Renee-Claude Menard for their help with this article.

The soundtrack for each Cirque show is developed by members of Cirque du Soleil's creative team. 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 shows.

Alegria's soundtrack, like all Cirque du Soleil soundtracks, is an eclectic mix of music styles. This mix of music establishes the changing mood and theme for the audience.

The soundtrack also serves as a cue to the performers, guiding them through the show and each act. To ensure that the musicians follow the pace of the performers, all Cirque shows use live music. In the event an act fails, the musicians adjust tempo and volume and improvise if necessary.

The soundtracks to all Cirque du Soleil shows feature music which uses " phonetic sentence strings" instead of actual words. According to Parisien, "use of real words blocks the possibility of imagination." Parisien believes that this signature lack of a language, like the show's open-ended theme, leaves room for audience interpretation and lends Cirque a universal appeal.

A University of Ohio doctoral student researching the theatre arts once went undercover to study Cirque du Soleil. While working with the performers, she learned about the language of Cirque, or what the performers refer to as " Cirquish ." The performers speak a sort of gibberish that is a blend of languages and sounds. What seems like a foreign language to an outsider is often a creation of the performer.

The heart of all Cirque du Soleil shows is the performers and their unique acts. Casting agents and scouts scour cities and remote areas looking for new talent to add to new and existing Cirque shows.

Additionally, Cirque's casting agents hold auditions twice a year at their International Headquarter (IHQ) in Montreal, and performers can also submit video auditions. The Cirque du Soleil database currently holds more than 20,000 artist data cards on acts ranging from the sublime to the strange. Parisien recounts one man's video audition: "[It was] something very special…he puts his nose on the glass and he moves the glass so the nose is doing the choreography…it's very strange…the first time I saw that, I laughed."

All Cirque du Soleil performers must complete training or a "formation session" before they can perform with a show. Each performer is sent to Montreal where they will train for one to four months at the International Headquarters. More than 50 percent of Cirque's acts come from the gymnastic arts; the rest come from a mix of circus arts and theatre backgrounds. For those performers without theater or circus arts backgrounds, the formation session is critical. During this training period, performers learn the skills needed to effectively interact with audiences of 3,000 people.

The art of contortion began hundreds of years ago in Mongolia when young women would perform Buddhist Tsam dances to ward off evil spirits. Since 1941, the Mongolian State Circus has fostered the art of contortion and generations of contortionists. Cirque du Soleil stations one trainer in Mongolia whose sole responsibility is to scout for and train contortionist talent for Cirque du Soleil's shows.

The Cirque du Soleil set design department creates the stage and equipment for each show. The two major considerations are aesthetics and safety. With Alegria, the sets were designed to convey the show's themes of power and contrast. The set of Alegria is reminiscent of a church dome, a symbol of power with two staircases on either side to illustrate contrast or "two sides."

For another Cirque show, Varekai, the set designer used Discreet's 3D Max animation software and industrial engineering software to design a magical golden forest. The set design team made the golden trees in the Varekai set from proprietary materials developed by Cirque that are flexible yet strong enough to support the weight of the acrobats.

Innovation in aesthetics and safety design 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. Cirque du Soleil will hire other companies to help in the creation of some aspects of the set and stage, but anything that is actually used by the acrobats is designed at a research and development facility at the IHQ. The in-house designers have total control over the safety and design of the devices they build.

Costuming and makeup design is an important element in all Cirque shows. The costume designer's goal is to design a costume that creates a character and allows the cast member to perform unconstrained, all while blending aesthetic elements and safety concerns.

Dominique Lemieux has been the costume designer for many Cirque du Soleil shows, including Alegria. Lemieux works with the over 300 artisans 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 illustrate the contrast and power struggle between "youth" and "the old guard." For example, the costumes worn by the White Angels and the Old Bird characters illustrate 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 team spun a little Cirque magic to create simple white lace costumes for the Angels and garish, flamboyant costumes and masks for the Old Birds. Since the White Angels act takes place on the Russian bars, safety and range of motion were major considerations in the design of their light but solid costumes. Using a special Cirque-designed tool, the costume designers made the White Angel costumes from a special lace incorporating fishing line. The modified lace is strong enough to support 1,000 pounds of pressure.

The strong man outfit in Alegria is also highly innovative. It incorporates unobtrusive support mechanisms that allow the performer to safely lift the heavy weights required for the act. The costumes for Alegria's storytellers, the White and Black Singers, are dresses outfitted with hoops and a steel blade typically used for unblocking toilets.

The initial production of Alegria's costumes alone required:

• 10 rough drafts of each costume
• 1,094 yards of braid
• 1,586 yards of lace
• 2,515 yards of silk jersey
• 22 pounds of glitter
• 200 Santa Claus wigs, redone to create hair

Today, a touring Cirque show like Alegria traverses the world in a Cirque du Soleil "mobile town" designed to sit on a 180,000 square foot site. The town requires a permanent staff of 140, as well as a temporary staff of 150 in each new city, to set up, break down and operate its facilities. It includes the Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) and attached entrance tent, the stage, artistic tent, kitchen and dining areas, a school and the supplies needed to run it all. It takes 50 trucks carrying 1,000 tons of equipment each to move the town. It takes the crew eight days to set it up and three days to break it all down.

The Grand Chapiteau is a consistent fixture in all of Cirque's touring shows. This is the location of the main stage and performance areas. The Grand Chapiteau seats 2,500 people and requires the work of 70 people including "tent masters," trained specifically by Cirque for the monumental task of raising the big top. Public Relations Director Renee-Claude Menard recalls the first time Cirque put up the Grand Chapiteau: "no one knew how to do it…and it actually fell. The day of the press conference…there was a huge rainstorm and the water puddled in and it collapsed."

Cirque and its performers have many company-wide traditions as well as traditions unique to each show. One company-wide tradition is naming each Grand Chapiteau. According to Menard, this tradition has also been around since the beginning of Cirque: "Over the past 20 years… one of the traditions I find amazing is the naming of the big top. All big tops have a name… When we inaugurate 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 group in Cirque du Soleil that gets together to make sure 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 traveling with a Cirque "mobile town" is the kitchen and dining area. Here, performers and staff dine on meals prepared by five chefs (with thirteen staff in total). These chefs serve 300 meals a day to Cirque's performers and staff. During Alegria's ten-year run, the cast and crew have eaten a lot of food:

• 1,622,400 strawberries
• 324,152 pounds of meat
• 374, 400 cookies
• 20,800 gallons of milk
• 2,800 pounds of seafood

The kitchen and dining areas are also places where performers and staff can congregate, socialize and check their e-mail.

Several Cirque traditions have begun in the dining area. On premiere night for example, the chefs will often prepare traditional dishes from the city they are visiting. Frequently, a cast member will step in and help to prepare food from their country. On "break down" or moving day, the chefs prepare spaghetti bolognese, made from the foodstuffs still left in storage. Menu planning must be exact because food cannot be wasted or brought on to the next stop on tour.

In the past, managing and coordinating the creative aspects, casts, sets, costumes, show facilities and touring arms of Cirque du Soleil was extremely difficult. Cirque's growing staff and show network added to this strain. For example, in 1984, Cirque had 73 employees and one Grand Chapiteau. Today, Cirque has nine shows with 2,700 employees representing 40 nationalities and speaking 25 different languages.

To aid the management of these various components, Cirque du Soleil built an International Headquarters and deployed "Cirque Memory" , an online database. The construction of the headquarters and the institution of Cirque Memory have contributed to the evolution of Cirque as a structured yet creative organization. The facilities at the international headquarters create a central place where the team trains performers, designs sets and makes costumes.

Developed as a way to organize and manage Cirque's shows, Cirque Memory tracks and organizes the artists and staff as well as their needs. Working with outside IT consultants and their own IT department, Cirque developed and implemented a global database that is accessible 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 system allows Cirque to track the 20,000 performers in their casting directory. The database also includes photos and instructions on makeup application for each character as well as 5,000 costume designs and 4,000 alternation notes. Staff and Cirque doctors can track and monitor performers' health and rehabilitation through 24,000 Medi-Cirque files. If necessary, directors can use Cirque Memory to find replacements whose height and weight match those of the injured performer, thereby eliminating costly prop and costume redesign. This data management ensures that the quality of each show is consistent throughout the course of its run and helps to ensure that cast, costume and set replacements or changes can occur as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Cirque de Soleil has come a long way from a circus started by street performers in Montreal. For 20 years they have provided shows of such breathtaking beauty and awe-inspiring talent that Cirque is bound to continue to redefine live entertainment and sell out venues around the world.

To learn more about Alegria and Cirque du Soleil, check out the links on the next page.

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Songblazers

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Save up to 25% per ticket on bookings of 10 or more.

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Whether for business or for fun, we offer different creative options to host your group of 10 or more.

What is Songblazers about ?

Delivering the perfect harmony of guitar grooves & breathtaking moves, Songblazers is a one-of-a-kind theatrical production celebrating country music that pays homage to its legendary and modern day trailblazers. With its acrobatic and live musical performance showcasing the captivating artistry of Cirque du Soleil and the soul-stirring melodies of beloved country rhythms, this engaging experience celebrates the diverse influences of country music and its heartfelt stories through time.

Cirque du Soleil: Echo Tickets

About Cirque du Soleil: Echo

Poetry, stagecraft, daring acrobatics and technologies come together in a spectacle exploring the precious balance between humans, animals and the world we share. As they navigate the phases of evolution, our main female protagonist Future and our characters learn that their actions have the power to shape the world. Inspired to collaborate, they come together to rebuild our planet piece by piece, creating the world we all want to live in. Fueled by the power of invention, the hope of the youth and the importance of empathy, ECHO invites the audience to participate in a universe of color, wonder and infinite possibilities.

2 hours 5 minutes

February 23rd, 2024

April 7th, 2024

Circus and Magic

Under the Big Top at Gulfstream Park

Like most of Cirque du Soleil shows, Cirque du Soleil ECHO is meant to entertain and be enjoyed by the whole family. That being said, it might contain loud noises and some dark scenes that may be less appropriate to younger children.

Show schedule

Frequently asked questions, what is the length of cirque du soleil: echo.

Cirque du Soleil: Echo is 2 hours 5 minutes.

Where is Cirque du Soleil: Echo?

Under the Big Top at Gulfstream Park.

What's the price for Cirque du Soleil: Echo tickets?

The price for tickets to Cirque du Soleil: Echo starts at $74.

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Things to Do | ‘Anything can happen’: Cirque du Soleil’s…

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Things to Do | ‘Anything can happen’: Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Corteo’ brings high-flying acts to Allentown

Ever swing on a chandelier before? Or tie yourself to balloons and fly away, like that old guy in “Up”?

You shouldn’t do those things, but if you wanted to see others do those things, the international production “Corteo” seeks to offer those opportunities and more when it premieres for the first time in Allentown later this month.

A production of Cirque du Soliel, “Corteo” is more circus than play or musical, where actors (or really acrobats) perform a variety of stunts such as balancing on ladders, jumping from beds on rotating platforms, duets using swinging aerial straps, juggling and jumping from a teeterboard.

Instead of having a traditional stage with the audience on one side, the show splits the venue with the stage in the middle and the audience on two sides, resembling more of an arena.

“It really feels like artists on stage are reaching out to the audience,” said Olaf Triebel of Montreal, the show’s artistic director, adding that the artists will make the audience feel involved by talking and interacting with them.

“Corteo” depicts Mauro the Dreamer Clown as he imagines — or witnesses — his own funeral procession, but in a jovial and colorful way that celebrates life and fits the theme of a circus, Triebel said.

“It feels like a love letter to life,” he explained.

The production will perform six shows at the PPL Center Thursday through Sunday. It will also perform at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia May 29 to June 2.

Since premiering in Montreal in 2005 under the Canada-based Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, “Corteo” has performed in roughly 20 different countries and features a cast from 18 different countries, including the United States, Ukraine, Japan, Italy and Brazil.

Here’s what audiences can expect.

Corteo, the long-running arena production from Cirque du Soleil, returns to the PPL Center in Allentown for six shows, March 28-31, 2024. Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a festive parade imagined by a clown. (Courtesy Maja Prgomet)

Balancing acts, literal and otherwise

Good luck trying to follow along with the production’s music. It can change every night.

Philippe Poirier-Frenette of Montreal, who conducts the show’s musicians, explained this is because the music must match the people on stage in a seamless manner.

“Everything is open, every section is subject to change,” he said. “I keep my head up, I look on stage, and I try to adapt and match every section of the music to fit with the acrobats. And it’s a very good, trusting relationship that I have with them, because they know that if they miss or if they go faster, they know that I would actually accommodate them. It’s a very fun way to play music.”

The music also keeps with the celebratory theme, Poirier-Frenette said, by using music genres such as rock and roll and classical.

“The music is definitely not sad,” he said.

Someone must make certain that the worst doesn’t happen to those same acrobats during their stunts. That’s where Casper Kob of Colorado and his team of riggers come in.

“Together, we’re responsible for everything that leaves the ground, everything that touches an acrobat, and the acrobatics themselves,” he said.

Kob’s riggers are usually the first people to come in on a given workday, making sure all the equipment and set pieces are safe and functional. That extends to when the show happens in real time, when riggers as well as carpenters and technicians manage the show and make sure everything such as the acrobatics and the music happen as they should, and that the crew can intervene to help if something like a power outage happens.

When it’s all said and done, everything gets packed into 21 trucks and returns to the road.

“It’s live entertainment, anything can happen,” Kob said.

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Cirque du Soleil reconnects Bay Area audiences…

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Bay fc provide nonstop entertainment in exciting home opener at paypal park, cirque du soleil reconnects bay area audiences with ‘kooza’, show opens april 18 at santa clara county fairgrounds.

When the pandemic forced the closure of Cirque du Soleil’s “Crystal,” its circus show on ice, artistic director Rob Tannion had to send his cast and crew home to shelter in place—not an easy task considering they hailed from all over the world.

“We were in Singapore,” Tannion recalls. “’How do we get 120 people back to their countries?’ It was chaos, but we managed to get everyone safely home.”

Now, Tannion is back with Cirque for “Kooza,” which wrapped up an extended San Francisco run in March and is set to open April 18 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

For Tannion, who joined the “Kooza” tour about six months ago in Canada, the experience has meant returning to the travel and community he says he missed during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Coming back, there was an incredible energy and a desire to reconnect. That’s the value of art; as humans we need the social connection.”

The artistic director says audiences are connecting with “Kooza” and its story of The Innocent, a clown looking for his place in the world.

“They literally lean in to watch,” he says. “They’re invested in the moment. Their reaction is very visceral, and that’s the best thing. The fourth wall is always broken in the circus.”

Tannion himself enjoys being part of the audience. “I love coming on Day 1 and watching the very first show because I get to experience it as my mom would see it,” he says.

The show’s extended run allowed Tannion to experience San Francisco in more depth than other cities on the tour. Before hitting the Bay Area, he says, “I was changing cities every week. Here I can actually explore the city. It allows me to get to know the city in a much better way.”

“Kooza” was last in San Francisco in 2007. The current production features a cast of 54 acrobats and musicians. “Of that 54, we still have eight that have been on the show since its creation,” Tannion says.

The show still resonates 17 years later because of its universal story, he adds. “‘Kooza’ isn’t just a show; it’s a whole experience wrapped in a theme.”

“Kooza” will be performed under the big top April 18-May 19 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, San Jose. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.

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Cirque in Moscow

Video cirque in moscow.

• 12 years ago
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As it settles into its Moscow home, Cirque du Soleil is a rival for long-established Russian circuses in the race to get the best performers. Jean-François Bélanger reports.

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Cirque du Soleil, Sam Williams, to bring country, acrobatics to TPAC stage in July

"Songblazers," Cirque du Soleil and Universal Music Group's country music expansion project that premieres at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) on July 2, has announced more details about the event and an eight-city national tour.

Notably, recent Universal Nashville signee Sam Williams (a third-generation country performer related to Hank Jr. and Sr.) will release a new single, "Carnival Heart," for the production.

"The title idea came to me pretty easily after I became acquainted with Cirque du Soleil," says Williams in a press statement.

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"Where I come from, most people don't get to go to the circus. We go to county fairs and carnivals, and the carnival in a small town is filled with joy, excitement, mystery, euphoria, you name it. That feeling is one you always remember, and I think the roller coaster of emotions lines up with what you want to feel seeing such an incredibly beautiful production such as Cirque's."

"Our collaboration with Universal Music Group Nashville presents an exciting opportunity for us to expand our creative horizons and reach new audiences as we delve into the vibrant world of country music entertainment," added Cirque du Soleil president and CEO Stéphane Lefebvre.

The show was written and directed by Los Angeles-based creative director and show producer Amy Tinkham and "pays tribute to the legendary and modern trailblazers of country music" through the story of two main characters attempting to achieve country recognition.

In January 2024, about expanding Universal's scope into partnerships with groups like Cirque, UMG Nashville boss Cindy Mabe stated, "[Universal Nashville loves] country music, but we are going to broaden our spectrum to include all kinds of voices. That's what country is."

For Williams, the partnership continues his desire to add a progressed vision of real-time interactivity to mainstream country's streaming and social-defined growth of late.

For him, "honestly feeling, hearing, and seeing" artists in the most eye-catching manner possible involves "[delivering] emotions that [aren't] potentially fake and [embodying] something that isn't realistic." Williams.

"Songblazers"' Nashville premiere will include a month-long residency at the TPAC through July 28, 2024. Cirque du Soleil will bring the event to seven additional U.S. cities.

Tickets are currently available for the following dates through Halloween 2024:

Nashville, TN – Tennessee Performing Arts Center® (TPAC): July 2 to July 28, 2024Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Center: August 1 to August 11, 2024Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall: August 14 to August 18, 2024San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre: August 21 to August 25, 2024Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall: September 12 to September 15, 2024New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre: September 18 to September 22, 2024Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park: September 25 to October 20, 2024St. Louis, MO – The Fabulous Fox Theater: October 23 to October 27, 2024

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cirque du Soleil, Sam Williams, to bring country, acrobatics to TPAC stage in July

Nikolai Chelnokov

From circopedia, acrobat, aerialist, director.

By Dominique Jando

Nikolai Chelnokov was born in Russia on December 2, 1960. He entered the State College for Circus and Variety Arts in Moscow in 1982, where he trained in all major circus disciplines, and specialized as an aerialist Any acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc. under the legendary team of Tereza Durova and Viktor Fomin .

The vertical rope act Chelnokov created there with Durova and Fomin for his graduation in 1986 was totally original, and it has opened the doors to a new style that was to attract men to a specialty usually reserved to women. His back flip catches and his rolls-down will also become classic tricks of the specialty's repertoire—at least for acrobats able to replicate them.

Chelnokov’s act was one of the sensations of the 1987 Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, an edition that marked the turning point between classical and "new" circus, and was instrumental in redefining circus arts for generations to come. Chelnokov was awarded a Silver Medal in this festival, which was exceptionally rich in surprises and novelties.

After the fall of the Soviet regime and the opening of Russia to the western world, Nikolai Chelnokov joined the company of the Cirque du Soleil for its production of Saltimbanco in 1992. At Cirque du Soleil, he also developed a hand-to-hand An acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. and contortion act with his son Anton and his wife, Galina Karableva. (Nikolai and Galina divorced a few years later.)

Back to Russia, Nikolai formed his own circus company, and began to create a stream of new and extremely original acts, some of which were awarded medals and prizes in several circus festivals, including the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. Among those are his son Anton Chelnokov ’s aerial net and Gulnara Karaeva ’s hand-balancing and contortion act in a water basin (which were both featured in Cirque du Soleil productions).

Nikolai Chelnokov obtained a Circus Director diploma from the famous GITIS theater institute in Moscow. Beside his work as a director and an act creator, he also teaches clowning in Moscow.

• Video: Nikolai Chelnokov, Vertical Rope , Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, Paris (1987)
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Cirque du Soleil brings country show to San Antonio

‘songblazers’ will be at the majestic theatre from aug. 21-25.

Rebecca Salinas , Digital Journalist

SAN ANTONIO – The world-famous Cirque du Soleil is returning to San Antonio with its new country music show, “Songblazers.”

“Songblazers – A Journey into Country Music” will have eight performances at the Majestic Theatre from Aug. 21-25.

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Tickets are on sale now for Club Cirque members. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday.

Cirque du Soleil teamed with Universal Music Group Nashville to produce the country-themed show. It was written and directed by Amy Tinkham.

“Drawing inspiration from the rich legacy of country music, Songblazers pays homage to the legendary trailblazers of the past while embracing the vibrant talents of contemporary artists,” a news release states. “... As the crowd grooves to beloved country tunes, they will be entranced by the breathtaking skills of Cirque du Soleil artists, honoring the rich tradition of country music while embracing its evolving spirit.”

This marks Cirque du Soleil’s 11th visit to San Antonio and its first show at the Majestic Theatre.

“Songblazers” will also be in Sugar Land from Aug. 1-11, Austin from Aug. 14-18, and Dallas from Sept. 25-Oct. 20.

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About the Author:

Rebecca salinas.

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.

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Atascosa county winery crafts eclipse-themed wine, grieving mother seeks justice in son’s unsolved murder, climate protestors pour oil on electric vehicle at new york auto show, ksat news at 5 p.m. saturday : mar 30, 2024.