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T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
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http://www.CirqueFascination.com
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VOLUME 13, NUMBER 11 November 2013 ISSUE #118
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
Back in August, a deal was struck for Gravitas Ventures to become the
exclusive video-on-demand (VOD) distributor of a variety of Cirques
filmed programs, bringing Cirque du Soleil Images (the entertainment
companys filmed programs banner) into the digital distribution age.
The deal included performance specials featuring live shows, as well
as behind-the-scenes documentaries that highlight the creative process
of a Cirque show, making them available throughout the United States
and Canada via local cable operators (such as Comcast, Time Warner,
Dish Network and Rodgers), and a variety of online channels (such as
iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Marketplace).
The first programs Kooza and A Thrilling Ride Through Kooza
were made available on August 6th as part of Cirques Season of
Cirque du Soleil celebration, an on-going release party which has so
far seen the release of quite a number of Cirques titles: Delirium,
Hatching: the Creation of OVO, FLOW: A Tribute to the Artists of O
and The Mysterey of Mystere, Dralion, ZAIA: Crossroads in Macao,
ZED in Tokyo and KA Extreme. [NOTE: These titles, depending on the
platform, join Corteo, Alegria, Lovesick, Journey of Man and
Worlds Away 3D already in digital distribution.]
Although witnessing the Cirque embracing a myriad of distribution
channels is something to celebrate, it is equally heart-warming to see
theyre not just re-releasing the back catalog: theyre also taking
this opportunity to release new and rarely seen content, such as with
Delirium (though it was filmed for home release it never made it
past the Hot Ticket Theatrical special) and Hatching: A Documentary
on the Creation of OVO (which was probably filmed in response to a
plan to film OVO for home consumption that so far hasnt yet happened,
but the special has been seen on television in select markets.)
The videos come in two different flavors: for $3.99 you can rent the
steam (getting approximately 30 days to view said rental, then 24
hours to watch it once you begin) or for $9.99 you can purchase the
video outright (in Standard Definition. High Def is more expensive)
and download it to your device of choice. I took the opportunity to
watch HATCHING, the documentary on the creation of OVO, recently and
found it wanting. The documentary was more on the idea and concept
that insects are our friends than on the creation of the show itself,
though the film did touch a bit on the creation of the shows costumes
and movement, which gave me a better appreciation for OVO. But dont
let my thoughts persuade you to give it or any of the other digital
shows a try the more we buy, the more Cirque will release!
And in celebration of finally being able to own Delirium in HD, we
take a brief peek into the world of Delirum in The Great Experiment
within. As always we've got the latest news items posted to
Fascination! Web and, of course, updates to Cirque's tour schedule.
So, let's get started.
We're off and running again!
Join us on the web at:
< www.cirquefascination.com >
Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only):
< http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 >
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
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CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Cirque Week -- 2013 Event Schedule
* Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
o) Fascination! Features
* "DELIRIUM: The Great Experiment"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
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CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
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Cirque to Produce Content for Britany Spears?
{Oct.01.2013}
----------------------------------------------
While pop princess Britney Spears continues with her
preparations for her new resident show "Piece of Me" at PH Live
in Planet Hollywood, fans are eagerly awaiting tonight's world-
premiere video of her new single, "Work, Bitch."
Here's the audio version, with the video set to be seen for the
first time tonight at 9:34 p.m. ET simultaneously on VEVO and
the CW.
"Clear the way," tweeted Britney. "Call the Guvunah!" Her video
will be seen on the second night of the CW's taped coverage of
the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival, held here at MGM Grand
Garden Arena two weekends ago.
Britney's video director, Ben Mor, said: "It's her sexiest video
ever.
It's definitely a more adult Britney. We set the bar
high, and the video certainly doesn't have any soft visuals.
Fans will not be left disappointed."
It's the lead single from her eighth studio album out Dec. 3
ahead of moving to Las Vegas: "You want a hot body? You want a
Bugatti? You want a Maserati? You better work, bitch! You want
to live fancy? Live in a big mansion? Party in France? You
better work, bitch!" Will.I.Am and his protégé Anthony Preston
produced it.
It will feature Britney right in the center lineup of sexy
dancers in the desert with many hot wardrobe outfits and
costumes. Here's a sneak preview until tonight's full-length
version.
It's a clear indication of what to expect from her Strip
spectacular premiering Dec. 27. "This is a new era for her
life," Ben said. "There are a lot of surprises, and people are
going to flip over it. It's one of the more ambitious Britney
videos. She's back and fighting fit."
Britney's manager, Larry Rudolph, added: "It's a new chapter in
the saga. It says she's back, being really fierce and taking
back her throne. She's going to show them all how it's done!"
Today, fellow Strip star Celine Dion had some words of welcome
for Britney ahead of her arrival in Las Vegas. She told "ET
Canada": "What I wish for her, especially as a mother, is for
her to find wonderful people who can help her find a balance
between the artist that she is and the mother, and to try and
find an emotional balance to cope with those two and be the best
of both worlds. I think she can really do it! She's already a
pro and needs no advice from me. She's been there, she's been
onstage, she's shook it all out. She's very talented and knows
exactly what to do."
Britney's busy week continues Friday when her collaboration with
Miley Cyrus on the latter's new album "Bangerz" is set for
release. Their duet track is "SMS." Meantime, she's up to her
pretty eyelashes rehearsing, working out, planning and plotting
the new show.
Larry has revealed that there will be 14 dancers in the 100-
minute show, and Britney makes the final selection this week.
There will be a four-piece band onstage with her for the 21 hits
and new music she's chosen to perform.
He said: "She will be singing live. She's worked with a vocal
coach every day to strengthen her voice and a trainer to keep
her in the best shape possible. She is at the point where she
can go out every night to do the full show. There won't be any
lip-syncing across the board, but there might be some numbers
when she's full-out dancing with the vocal tracks underneath
her. No artist in the world can do both at the same time, but
for Britney, this will be pretty close to 100 percent.
"Visually, the show will be extraordinary, especially in such a
small environment where you're not used to seeing her. She'll be
close enough to see everybody's face in the entire theater."
Her team has answered all the untrue rumors about her singing
and dancing. Show director Baz Halpin, who worked on Cher's
three-year Caesars Palace residency, said: "I've never seen an
artist so pumped and excited. She's been religiously working on
her vocals and the choreography for months. It will be an
unleashed fury of rehearsal energy when we really get started in
Las Vegas.
"She will be able to handle the elevated anchor-shaped stage
twice the size of any you would see in any arena with its
surrounding dance floor. The technology is groundbreaking and
hasn't be done before."
Caesars Entertainment gave us a sneak peek at her new 4,600-seat
nightclub theater with its dance floor and 270-degree wraparound
giant video walls. Execs confirmed our reports that the space is
being revamped into a planetarium-like setting with a nightclub
environment with state-of-the-art technology for the indoor
projection theater walls.
"It will have the feel of a contemporary Las Vegas nightclub.
Audiences will get the nightclub vibe even before they enter the
theater-seating areas," Baz said.
The show is divided into eight sections spanning Britney's life.
Baz told Billboard Magazine this week: "It's like a visual
variety show touching on all the things that excite her. It's
pieces of her imagination, pieces of her dreams and pieces of
her life."
You get an idea of the extraordinary scope of Britney's
ambitious show when you look at the amazing work of Geodezik, a
French-Canadian multimedia and visual-effects company
headquartered in Montreal since 2006 near Cirque du Soleil
headquarters.
Britney partnered with them in the past few days. They designed
the production and integration for Taylor Swift's Red Tour,
Pink's Truth About Love Tour and Justin Timberlake's incredible
appearance at February's 55th Grammy Awards.
Katy Perry, Usher, Alicia Keys, Tina Turner, Kanye West and Jay-
Z are all clients of Geodezik, so expect the video walls at
Planet Hollywood to explode with the best-ever ruthless-assault
content. The company's work is a major part of Cirque du
Soleil's Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, which played
here at Mandalay Bay.
We'll continue our regular Britney updates, so check back often
to Vegas DeLuxe. She's set to move here now in just six weeks
Nov. 15 when the stage is ready for rehearsals. Vegas DeLuxe
will chronicle the journey every step of the way, right up until
the Dec. 27 premiere and New Year Eve spectacular.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/OmqrRf }
Sounds Of MJONE: Q&A With Brandon Andreasen
{Oct.02.2013}
----------------------------------------------
A Q&A with Brandon Andreasen, assistant head of audio, and
primary front-of-house engineer for Michael Jackson ONE. He
oversees the mix of the show, including CueStation programming,
and the maintenance of the FOH sound system. He started working
on the project in November of 2012, a few weeks before load-in
began.
Q. How is ONE the same or different from other Cirque shows?
Like other Cirque du Soleil shows, Michael Jackson ONE pushes
the envelope of artistic performance and technology. The show is
a melding of concert, theatrical, and circus disciplines. It has
the amazing acrobatics that Cirque du Soleil is known for, but
also has an incredible cast of dancers performing all of
Michael's signature choreography. From a sound standpoint, the
show feels more like a concert compared to other Cirque du
Soleil shows. For instance, we don't have any artists on
theatrical body mic set-ups. The show is mixed like a Michael
Jackson concert would be mixed, but with added system components
like surrounds and seat speakers to provide a unique way of
experiencing Michael's music that can only be heard in our
theater.
Q. What are the biggest challenges in running the show?
I would say the biggest challenge in running the show is that
the majority of the audience already knows Michael's music.
They've heard these songs countless times and have an
expectation of how each one should sound. It has to be perfect,
and it should be for Michael's legacy. He was an amazing artist.
We have to make sure our system is performing flawlessly every
show, so we can make sure we give the audience a unique
experience. We have a fairly large and complex audio system, and
each member of our crew works hard to make sure everything runs
smoothly. As a side note, readers might normally expect RF on a
show this size to be a challenge. But thanks to James Stoffo's
RF system design we have had very few wireless issues.
Q. How does the system work since there is mostly playback, and
very little live (one singer and one guitar)?
The FOH console, a Meyer Sound Dmitri system, is locked to time
code generated by the playback computer. This ensures that the
Space Maps and other routings handled by DMitri line up
precisely with the studio tracks. The live performances are then
mixed with the tracks. Our guitarist plays three separate custom
guitars on several songs throughout the show, and our singer
uses both a headset and handheld vocal microphone at different
points.
Q. What do you hear in the seats/speakers VS the surround
system?
One way that Cirque du Soleil describes the show in its
marketing is "immersive." The speakers in each seat definitely
help to create that immersive experience for each audience
member by placing Michael's music right next to you. The rear
seat speakers support the other surround systems at times by
helping to lower the image, and at other times they stand
completely on their own with unique content like thickly layered
background vocals or sound effects. One of my favorite things
you can hear in the seats is this really great guitar riff
throughout "Scream," which is actually a sample Michael used
from a Sly Stone song. There is also a center seat speaker in
the back of the seat in front of the audience member. This is
primarily used to lower the image of Michael's voice and make it
sound like he is singing right in front of you.
{ SOURCE: Live Design | http://goo.gl/Y9EjDq }
MJ Immortal Tour to South Africa CANCELED
{Oct.02.2013}
----------------------------------------------
Due to complicated routing developments, the estate of Michael
Jackson and Cirque du Soleil announced on Friday, 4 October that
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour is unable to play in
South Africa as planned during March 2014.
Cirque du Soleil commented, "Due to touring logistical reasons
we are no longer able to bring The Michael Jackson Immortal
World Tour to every market we had scheduled for 2014 and
regretfully, South Africa is one of these markets which is very
sad indeed. We will however look at re-routing this tour to
bring the show back in the future and appreciate our fans
understanding and continued support."
Big Concerts is disappointed by the news and will communicate to
fans regarding a new tour date.
Fans that have already bought tickets to one of the performances
can get a full refund,
Computicket Refund:
If a patron has purchased their tickets online or through the
call centre and have not collected their tickets, they will be
eligible for an automatic refund into their credit card. If a
patron has purchased through one of the Computicket outlets
and/or has collected their tickets they will have to go to one
of the Computicket outlets in order for the refund to be
processed.
Please note: Tickets that have been collected need to be
presented to the outlet operator before the refund can be
administered (this only applies to tickets that have already
been collected).
Big Concerts Refund:
All Big Concerts tickets will be reimbursed in full from Monday,
7 October to the credit card with which the tickets were
purchased. Contact the call centre if one has not received one's
refund by Monday, 14 October.
{ SOURCE: Media Update | http://goo.gl/wr2dHJ }
Wassa Leaving Zumanity to Run Baobab Full Time
{Oct.09.2013}
------------------------------------------------
We talk a lot in these parts about rushing the stage, which is
always a benign threat, or promise, depending on the stage and
the performance.
Wassa Coulilaby says it is OK to rush the stage at her Baobab
Stage theater on Thursday night. In fact, she is inviting such
invasive behavior.
But Coulilaby, donning a loose-sleeved green dress of her own
design and crimson-died hair, subs "rush" for her own term.
"I hope that people will swarm the stage," Coulilaby says. "We
want them to come up and be inspired by the music and dance with
us for as long as they want."
Long known for her role in the Cirque du Soleil production
"Zumanity" at New York-New York, Coulibaly speaks of the show
she is directing Thursday night at Baobab Stage. The nondescript
theater named for an African, gourd-bearing tree favored by
Coulibaly is located in Town Square just across from the
entrance of Yard House.
The new production is "Tribal Night 360," a night of tribal
drums and dance beginning at 9:30 p.m. Tickets in the 250-seat
theater are $20 (including handling fees) and available at 369-
6649 or at the Baobab Stage website.
Coulilaby says the night is an international celebration of
rhythmic music and dance, a traipse around the globe to
experience the tribal beats "from Africa to Cuba, Haiti to
Tahiti, Brazil to Japan."
Before the "Tribal" performance, longtime Las Vegas performer
and yoga and dance instructor Jada Fire is leading a dance
workshop at 7 p.m. (cost is $10). It is a fully immersive
evening of tribal culture.
"I want people to feel a real connection to what is happening
onstage, to jump in and feel a part of it. We want them to get
up on their feet and feel the music," says Coulilaby, an
athletic and precision performer who leaps high and long across
the stage and also away from it.
In November, Coulilaby leaped into management of Baobab Stage,
envisioning an intimate, international enclave drawing from her
own singularly inspiring biography, which is played out in the
play "Red Dress" performed Sundays at 2 p.m. at Baobab and
written by Coulibaly and directed by her partner, Loppo
Martinez.
Coulibaly is from Dakar, Senegal. As a teenager, she bolted for
Hawaii with an American percussionist she'd heard as a street
performer in Dakar. The two married, but she soon left or
rather fled that relationship after her husband coerced her
into working as a stripper, threatening to have her deported if
she did not work as an adult dancer. She wound up at Santa
Monica College, studying dance and theater, and auditioned for
"Zumanity" a little more than a decade ago.
To the surprise of no one who has ever seen the tirelessly
gyrating Coulibaly perform, she earned a spot in the show's
original cast and has been a regular performer in "Zumanity"
since it opened in 2003. Since July, she has planned to leave
the Cirque show to devote all of her time to the theater and her
adjoining clothing boutique, which is filled with her own
fashion designs. She is finally making that move, leaving
"Zumanity" for good after Sunday's show.
Why would Coulibaly walk away from such a steady gig as
performing in a Cirque show on the Strip? It makes sense when
she explains her passion for the theater, where she spends
almost double a 40-hour work week, and her own expansive
approach to her art.
"I've learned a lot, I've done a lot, and I've been inspired,"
Coulibaly says of her time with Cirque. "But I am ready for
something new. As an artist, there is always room to grow. I
feel a strong calling in me that it is time to flip the page."
Coulibaly has spent tens of thousands of dollars on the upkeep
and operations of the theater. She talks of "a couple of
investors being interested" in supporting Baobab Square. But for
now she is putting on shows and selling clothes. Along with
"Tribal Night 360," she regularly stages "Red Dress," "Cabaret"
and "Burlesque" late-night shows at the theater.
As do so many Cirque performers, Coulibaly likens performing in
the company to being in a family.
"For 10 years, we've been together, and that is why I am here
for the show," Coulibaly says. "My Cirque family will still
perform with me here. We have a real connection."
As for how she envisions her final night with the "Zu" crew,
Coulibaly smiles and says, "We want it to be with huge, loud
drumming and dancing."
If you're an artist who wants to dance with the world, there is
no other way to go out.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/Xl8qnK }
Cirque slackliners plan stunt over the Strip
{Oct.10.2013}
----------------------------------------------
Whatever you do, don't call them slackers. The slackliners in
Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE who bound up and down on
the narrow bands to Jackson's iconic song Bad may not
necessarily be defying death (because their lines are not that
high off the ground), but the high-energy performance still
requires great balance, core strength, timing and skill, and has
become one of the post popular acts in the show.
Wednesday, October 16, all that changes however, when Cirque du
Soleil commences a partnership with Gibbon Slacklines. The act
will take to the sky for a daredevil stunt, stretched between
the two towers of Mandalay Bay to kick off the World Slackline
Federation's World Cup Finals high above the Las Vegas Strip.
Andy Lewis, the slackline athlete famous for his Super Bowl XLVI
halftime show appearance with Madonna, will attempt to set the
world record for walking the longest urban highline: 360 feet
across and 480 feet in the air. While Lewis traverses his line,
three of the world's best professional slackliners Hayden
Nickell, Josh Beaudoin and Mickey Wilson will be doing their
own stunts and tricks on individual slacklines rigged at the
same height.
The slack line itself is a band no wider than two inches, and
athletes don't simply walk across it like a tightrope, but
bounce, jump and flip, landing on the narrow band each time. Now
imagine catapulting yourself into the air and planting your feet
firmly on the line, nearly 500 feet above the ground.
Spectators are welcome to watch Lewis' world record attempt on
October 16 at 2 p.m., but if you'd like to check slacklining out
a little closer to the action, you're invited to watch the
finals Thursday, October 17 inside the Michael Jackson ONE
theater at 1 p.m. Pop into this viewing and you'll be treated to
a special performance by slackline athletes Igor Zambelli and
Gabriel Amaral, as choreographed in the new, highly-acclaimed
Cirque du Soleil show.
The world-record attempt and the 2013 World Slackline Federation
World Cup Finals are open to fans of all ages and offer
complimentary admission. Details regarding spectator viewing for
both events can be found at gibbonslacklines.com/vegas.
{ SOURCE: USA Today | http://goo.gl/nWhNIZ }
Cirque 2014 Stage: First Look
{Oct.15.2013}
----------------------------------------------
Though our title is a little misleading, it is arguably the
first look we've gotten of Cirque 2014's stage configuration
thanks to the show's pre-sale going on right now through
CirqueClub. What do you think??
LINK /// < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=4223 >
Of course, with the stage rendering we also get a peek at the
price structure for the preview shows in Montreal, which is as
follows:
Category 4: CAD $40.00 Adult / CAD $30.00 Child
Category 3: CAD $60.00 Adult / CAD $50.00 Child
Category 2: CAD $85.00 Adult / CAD $75.00 Child
Category 1: CAD $125.00 Adult / CAD $115.00 Child
Category Premium: CAD $165.00 Adult / CAD $155 Child
o) Premium consists of all of section 101 and 102 (Front and
Center) and the lower rows of section 200.
o) Category 1 consists of Sections 103, 104, 201, 202 and the
upper rows of section 200.
o) Category 2 consists of Sections 203 and 204.
o) Category 3 consists of the lower half of Sections 205 and 206
(the extreme sides).
o) Category 4 consists of the upper half of Sections 205 & 206.
And, of course, there's VIP Rouge (previously known as Tapis
Rouge) for CAD $290.00 for adults and CAD $280.00 for children
(2-12).
{ SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil }
Cirque du Soleil producers Ink Qatar deal
{Oct.16.2013}
----------------------------------------------
The producers behind Cirque du Soleil, the famous Canadian-based
circus dance troupe which is part owned by Dubai World, have
been signed on to create daily shows in the under construction
Mall of Qatar, in what is believed to be a world first for a
retail facility.
Mall of Qatar deputy managing director Shem Krey revealed the
deal with the makers of the world's most famous circus troupe as
he discussed ambitions for Qatar to be a rival to Dubai for
destination shopping.
He said under the deal, they would provide about 25 shows that
would happen as "vignettes" throughout the day with 30-40 minute
performances staged at the Oasis four-storey domed roof space,
with shorter shows on eight separate "rotundas" throughout the
mall.
The performances could also be customized for retailers who may
want to put on events, he said.
"Instead of building a large aquarium or a large fountain or a
very large wow factor within the forum, which is about half the
size of a football pitch, were going to have actual stage
productions," he said.
"There's a complete family entertainment plan and complete
family adaptation so that the mall isn't just for the shopping
that you wish to do, but that there's also an attempt to
entertain everyone within the family," he said.
"That requires a very specific mix and a very specific blend of
both entertainment as well as shopping."
He added: "It's the first time to be done in a mall. But, if you
go to some of the big outside boulevards in the world you'll see
how the retail experience, especially in Europe and the United
States, you'll see how the real experience is enhanced by the
professional performers that are happening on an unregulated
basis on the street and how that adds excitement for everybody.
"Well, this will be the same thing except it will be done
professionally and organized."
In August 2009, Dubai World subsidiaries Nakheel and Istithmar
World acquired a 20 percent stake in Cirque du Soleil, in a deal
reportedly worth $600m.
{ SOURCE: Arabian Business | http://goo.gl/W35BqD }
SPEAKER PREVIEW: Marketing lessons from Cirque
{Oct.22.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
How is Cirque du Soleil selling 140,000 tickets a week in the
entertainment hub of the world, Las Vegas?
In a completely dynamic market with rapidly changing
demographics and trends, industry leader Jerry Nadal, SVP
Resident Shows Division, Cirque du Soleil will be discussing at
The Level Summit 2013 how the entertainment group listen, engage
and respond to its customers by utilizing business and
behavioural analytics.
We caught up with Jerry to gain an insight into his forthcoming
presentation at The LEVEL Summit 2013:
LVL: Can you tell us how Cirque du Soleil's marketing strategies
have changed over time?
JN: With the increase of our productions and the changing
customer purchasing trends, we have had to literally change with
the times, most significantly from primarily traditional media
to new media with the trends towards digital and social
platforms. We have also had to change our messaging as the
demographics of the markets keep changing, all this in light of
the recession that began in late 2008 and transformed the Las
Vegas market overnight.
LVL: How many team members do you have within your marketing
team?
JN: We currently have 41 members within our marketing team, not
including our agency, hotel partners or third party contractual
promotional partners.
LVL: What would you describe as your key marketing challenges?
JN: Cutting through the clutter of the overall messaging in Las
Vegas, the competition for the tourist dollar is tough, with a
changing visitor demographic. Also, attracting new audiences in
the 21-30 year old demographic.
LVL: How is your global marketing structured?
JN: We have a corporate marketing department that works
collaboratively with our business units to help create best
business practices that allow us to learn from the past to allow
us to be better prepared for the future. We essentially work
locally with our partners on direct sales and marketing programs
and our corporate headquarters focuses on our brand, brand
hierarchy and company-wide messaging.
Best practice
LVL: Which platforms do you use to measure business and
analytics?
JN: We work with many different analytical tools to help measure
our business including real time information, industry trades
and trends, digital platforms, research whitepapers and case
studies. In terms of social media, we use Radian 6, Native
Insights built into each platform (Facebook, Google, Twitter,
Website, etc.) and for our Website Traffic we use Google
Analytics and Omniture.
LVL: Aside from sales, how have you measured marketing success?
JN: The best way we measure success is from word of mouth and
what we hear from our patrons, the social media growth within
the last few years has allowed us to hear from our community in
a real time setting and this has allowed us to strengthen our
marketing voice.
LVL: What do you expect to take from The LEVEL Summit 2013?
JN: To share our best practices and hear more from our peers and
get new insights into trends and analysis.
LVL: What is the biggest lesson you have learnt from working in
your role?
JN: To always be able to adapt to new realities and overcome
challenges, you have to be agile in this business.
LVL: Can you give us one interesting fact about Cirque du Soleil
that people might not know?
JN: The ultimate goal of the creation process is to craft
productions that invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and
evoke emotions in the audience. Additionally we have a
philanthropic side of the company that is not advertised and our
programs are targeted at Youth at Risk around the world.
Publicly our founder has started the One Drop Foundation which
aims to provide access to clean drinking water in areas of the
world that do not have it and to shine a light on the worldwide
water crisis.
JOIN JERRY NADAL AND LEADERS FROM VENUES AROUND WORLD AT THE
LEVEL SUMMIT 2013.
{ SOURCE: The Level Summit | http://goo.gl/jiRP71 }
MJ leads Forbes' list of top-earning dead celebrities
{Oct.24.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
"It's me. It's Michael." Those wordsspoken by the King of Pop's
disembodied voiceproclaim the beginning of One, the Las Vegas
spectacle that's the latest piece of Michael Jackson's lucrative
legacy.
Indeed, there's plenty of Michael. As One unfurls, the hard-
rocking riffs of "Beat It" blare out across the show's permanent
home at the 1,804-seat theater at Mandalay Bay as ersatz
paparazzi, sporting oversized cameras and red trench-coats, zip-
line overhead en route to the stage (the characters return
throughout the show, a reminder of Jackson's under-the-
microscope life).
What follows is a 90-minute extravaganza that pairs some of
Jackson's most popular songs with Cirque du Soleil's signature
touchesacrobats performing feats in midair that would seem
impossible even on the ground while contorting their bodies like
human Gumby toys.
Jackson tops FORBES' annual Halloween-spooky list of the top-
earning dead celebrities with $160 million, better than any
living musician. One is quickly becoming a key part of that
financial picture, and not just because of its direct impact on
the Jackson estate's bottom line.
"The most important thing for the estate of a deceased performer
is keeping his or her name or persona in front of the public,"
says entertainment attorney Donald David, whose résumé includes
representing the postmortem interests of late rapper Tupac
Shakur. "They are no longer here to give performances or
interviews
thus, the secret is to keep the deceased star in
the public's mind."
With its posters plastered all over Las Vegas, One seems to be
doing exactly that. The show should also play a major role in
generating income for the estate in the coming years. How much,
exactly, is difficult to pinpointdata provider Pollstar doesn't
track the grosses of Vegas shows. ("Casinos frequently comp
significant parts of the house to high-rollers and that distorts
sales stats," says Gary Bongiovanni, the outfit's president and
editor-in-chief.)
Even so, FORBES estimates that One is capable of grossing
between $150,000 and $250,000 for a sold-out show; that figure
doubles on nights with two performances. And when the show made
its official Vegas debut this summer, it gave Jackson the
remarkable ability to tour in two places at the same time.
The other half of Jackson's postmortem performance empire is the
Michael Jackson Immortal world tour, also a joint venture
between the estate and Cirque. The show has been crisscrossing
the globe since late 2011 and recently topped the $300 million
mark for gross tickets sales, winning the Creative Content honor
at last year's Billboard Touring Awards as well.
One and Immortal were conceived at the same time, the product of
conversations between Jackson's estate and Cirque du Soleil
founder Guy Laliberté, who pushed to launch the traveling show
first and follow with the Vegas show. He and Jackson estate co-
executor John Branca tapped Jamie King, who got his start as a
dancer on Jackson's Dangerous tour, to write and direct both
productions.
Unlike Immortal, however, One got its own permanent home in
Vegas. That meant a chance for additional overhead daredevilry
acrobats moonwalking up the walls, for exampleand opened the
door for audiovisual extravagances including floor-to-ceiling
video screens on either side of the stage and speakers in and
around every single seat.
"There's nothing better than being handed the keys to a brand-
new Bentley, right?" says King. "This was a perfect opportunity
for me to work with my design team and craft a show for a
theater designed for this show."
The "Stranger in Moscow" sequence toward the beginning of the
show is among the best examples of this. A single acrobat climbs
a silk rope and performs a lengthy series of twists and flips,
his movements so effortless it seems he's surrounded by water
rather than air. Meanwhile, snowflakes improbably descend from
the ceiling, seemingly evaporating before they hit the ground.
There are plenty of other jaw droppers: a "Thriller" sequence
where performers in zombie costumes bounce back and forth
between a trampoline on the ground and another 20 feet above it
(or up to an even higher ledge); and later, to the tune of
"Dirty Diana," a dance routine where a lady in red gyrates up
and down a 30-foot pole.
Though the storyline stringing the sequences together can be
tenuous at timesthe show follows four youngsters as they zip
from scene to disparate scene, imbued with mystical powers from
Jackson's shoes, sunglasses, fedora and trademark white glove
the plot isn't the point.
At its core, One is a flying, twisting, twirling rock concert.
Each scene brings yet another feat of eye-popping physical
prowess, another classic Jackson song, another set of oohs and
ahhs from the crowd. Ultimately, that means more cash for his
estate's coffers. Says David: "I can virtually guarantee you
that every guest [at One] is going to buy a Michael Jackson
album at the very least."
Having a permanent theater also enables the inclusion of the
show's most crucial performer: Michael Jackson. More accurately,
a hologram-like illusion that looks and moves like the King of
Pop appears and performs "Man In The Mirror" right there with
the rest of the show's dancers toward the end of the show.
"The cool thing is that kids who didn't grow up with Michael are
now discovering his genius and legacy
his spirit is with us,"
says King. "And his music will live forever."
It seems his hefty earnings will, too.
{ SOURCE: Forbes | http://goo.gl/wik0Jz }
BELIEVE to Close Temporarily; Angel to Undergo Surgery
{Oct.25.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
Criss Angel will undergo surgery in January 2014 to repair a
shoulder injury.
Criss was initially diagnosed with a Supraspinatus tendon tear,
superior labral anterior posterior tear and subscapularis
strain, which took place over a year ago. He continued to
perform throughout 2013 despite the trauma; in fact, he has not
missed a show over 2100 since BeLIEves premiere 5 years
ago.
However, Criss exacerbated the injury during his recent double
straightjacket escape in Times Square in New York City. He now
has no choice but to have surgery to repair his shoulder and
avoid permanent damage.
Thus, BeLIEve will not be performed in January 2014 in order to
allow Criss to have the necessary procedure and begin his
recovery.
In the coming weeks, we will announce a new twist on the world
of BeLIEve which will occupy the theater during the months of
February and March on an interim basis while Criss continues his
rehabilitation.
Despite the surgery, and because of Criss dedication to his
fans, he will be on stage performing as part of the limited
engagement show which will feature performers from his new
SPIKE TV series.
The current BeLIEve show, which is celebrating its 5th
anniversary this month, will return to the Luxor in full force
this coming April, after Criss has completed his recovery.
{ SOURCE: BELIEVE Facebook }
Quincy Jones Files $10M Lawsuit Over MJ Music
{Oct.28.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
Quincy Jones has filed a $10 million breach-of-contract lawsuit
in connection with Michael Jackson projects released after the
singers death.
The legendary producer who has won 27 Grammy Awards and
produced the King of Pops best-selling albums including Off the
Wall, Thriller and Bad is going to war with Sony Music
Entertainment and MJJ Productions, a song company controlled by
the icons estate. At issue are works including the This Is It
film and soundtrack album, the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil
productions and the 25th anniversary edition of the Bad album.
In a complaint filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court and
obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Jones alleges that master
recordings he worked on were wrongfully edited and remixed so as
to deprive him of backend profit participation. Jones also
asserts that he has been denied credit for his work on the
singers posthumous releases and that MJJ and Sony have entered
into side deals taking profits that should have been included in
the calculation of royalties.
Read the Complaint Here: http://goo.gl/4hEusp
Quincy has been frustrated with these matters for a number of
years, felt he was not making any progress and needed to take
more formal action, says Henry Gradstein, his attorney.
Jones made agreements with Jackson in 1978 and 1985 for work on
the singers solo albums. The contracts are said to have
stipulated that Jones be given the first opportunity to re-edit
or remix any of the master recordings, that the coupling of
master recordings with other recordings required his prior
written consent, and that he be given producer credit for each
of the master recordings. The deal also entitled the producer to
additional compensation including upfront payment and a
backend percentage in the event of remixed masters.
After the producer was hired, Jackson signed a recording
agreement with Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony. The record
deal entitled Jones to payments, credit, the approval of
biographical material and regular accounting. Jones contends
that he is a third-party beneficiary of this recording
agreement.
After Jacksons death on June 25, 2009, the King of Pop had a
resurgence of popularity, and the executors of his estate and
those who had control over his work attempted to exploit the
publics appetite for new works. That October, Columbia Pictures
released This Is It, from AEG Live and The Michael Jackson
Company, which showed preparations for what would have been the
singers last concert tour. Two years later, Cirque du Soleil
premiered a traveling theatrical show entitled Michael Jackson:
The Immortal Tour, which has grossed an estimated $300 million
to date. This past May, Cirque du Soleil came out with a new
production entitled Michael Jackson: One. Soundtracks for both
the film and the Cirque du Soleil productions have also been
released.
The film and its soundtrack included re-edits of songs like
Dont Stop Til You Get Enough, Shes Out of My Life,
Thriller, Beat It, Wanna Be Startin Somethin, and Billy
Jean. The Cirque du Soleil production and album included re-
edits of many of those songs as well as Burn the Disco Out,
Workin Day and Night, Baby Be Mine and more.
Jones says the terms of his deal were breached when MJJ allowed
third parties to exploit these works without first providing a
reasonable opportunity to Jones to perform such remixes and/or
re-edits.
Then, the complaint goes into clandestine agreements allegedly
made that had the effect of reducing Jones royalties.
The lawsuit states Jones belief that the Jackson parties
secretly entered into a venture agreement with Sony where Sony
and the Jackson Label would share profits. But Jones also
alleges that rights to the master recordings reverted from Sony
to MJJ and albums featuring the performances of Jackson were
distributed by the Jackson Label, instead of Sony, including
albums embodying one or more of the Masters.
Thus, the defendants are charged with an effort to divert
revenues to MJJ and disguise the revenues as profits instead
of royalties.
According to the lawsuit, By removing such Disguised Royalties
from the pool of revenues upon which Jones royalties are
calculated, MJJ purposely reduces the royalties
payable to
Jones under both of the Agreements.
The lawsuit alleges another secret agreement between Sony and
producers of the This Is It film. Sony-owned master recordings
were licensed, but the deal allegedly divides the compensation
payable to Sony into one portion designated for the master use
licenses (the Master Use License Fees) and another portion
paid directly to MJJ (the Additional Fees).
This is another way that Jones figures hes been deprived of
royalties due to him, and its further said that the Master Use
License Fees do not represent the fair market value, negotiated
in good faith, to license the masters used in the Film.
Jones is seeking at least $10 million in damages for breach of
contract, and less specifically, he wants unpaid royalties due
to him, remixing fees that would otherwise have been paid, and
compensation for the loss of the value of credit he would have
received. Hes also demanding an accounting.
In a statement to THR, Howard Weitzman, lawyer for the Michael
Jackson Estate, says the estate was saddened to learn that
Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking money from Michaels
estate. To the best of its knowledge, Mr. Jones has been
appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his
work with Michael.
{ SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter | http://goo.gl/HAKU97 }
Amaluna Inspires New Ice Cream Flavor: Tempest
{Oct.29.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil and Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream have
joined forces to create Tempest a one-of-a-kind limited
edition ice cream flavor to be sold at Humphry Slocombe during
the San Francisco engagement of Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil
November 13 December 31, 2013 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. A
crème fraîche ice cream with blueberry compote swirls, Tempest
pays homage to the story of Amaluna, which puts a female twist
on William Shakespeares The Tempest. Tempest will be available
in-store at Humphry Slocombe (2790 Harrison Street, San
Francisco) beginning November 13, 2013 (while supplies last).
Says Jamie Reilly, Company Manager for Amaluna: Cirque du
Soleil and Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream are both known
internationally for their originality. Tempest is the perfect
marriage of these two creative worlds. Everyone at Amaluna is
thrilled to be represented as an ice cream flavor!
The idea of doing a swirled ice cream came to me naturally,
said Jake Godby, founder of Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream. The
images of the performers graceful athleticism in addition to
the shows blue color palate led me to something that was strong
and smooth and sweet and tart: crème fraîche-blueberry swirl.
For more information on Humphry Slocombe, visit
http://www.humphryslocombe.com.
{ SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/bAZC6g }
OSHA Fines Cirque/MGM Grand in KÀ Performers Death
{Oct.30.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
State occupational inspectors have concluded their investigation
into the death of Cirque du Soleil Ka artist Sarah Guillot-
Guyard, who fell more than 90 feet to her death during a
performance June 29.
After a nearly four-month investigation, Nevada OSHA has
concluded that Guillot-Guyard fell after the wire rope
suspending her during the shows Final Battle scene broke,
causing her to fall a reported 94 feet to the floor. The 31-
year-old Guillot-Guyard, who had two young children, was
transported to University Medical Centers trauma unit and was
pronounced dead from multiple blunt force trauma.
OSHAs findings, issued this morning, were that the wire rope
suspending Guillot-Guyard was severed due to the rapid ascent
of the performer, ultimately causing the rope to be freed from
the sheave/pulley and scraping against a shear point.
In other words, the wire had shifted out of the disk in the
pulley housing and was cut as a result of the combined tension
of Guillot-Guyards weight and the torque from the electric
motor pulling her up the shows moveable stage, which was set in
a vertical position. Guillot-Guyard fell unimpeded to the floor
below the opening in the stage. Her death was the first during a
performance in Cirques 29-year history.
As a result of the OSHA investigation, inspectors issued six
citations against Cirque and three against MGM Grand. Cirques
citations included a failure to protect or prevent Ka
employees from striking an overhead grid during the Ka show at
the Ka Theater. This matches reports from those familiar with
the Ka staging and fatal incident that Guillot-Guyard did hit
the metal grid over the stage as she ascended high above the
Final Battle scene, which jarred the rope connecting her to her
harness.
The report also cited Cirque for failing to provide proper
training for the Ka Battle Spearman Warrior employee involved
in the accident in the use of equipment and tasks used in the
Ka Show battle scene and also for removing equipment from a
fatality site before Nevada OSHA authorized the dismantling and
removal of the equipment (38 feet of wire rope that was attached
to the victim at the time of the accident). The monetary
penalties issued to Cirque were $25,235. Those against MGM Grand
were $7,000.
Cirque du Soleil and MGM Grand are allowed to appeal the
rulings. Cirque spokeswoman Rene-Claude Menard said the Strips
predominant production company would do just that.
In a statement that also referenced Cirques internal review of
the incident, she said: Cirque du Soleil completed an
exhaustive review of its safety policies and procedures in the
wake of the tragic accident involving Sarah. We have redoubled
our efforts to ensure the overall diligence and safety of our
performers and crew. We have received and reviewed the OSHA
citations. We have initiated the appeal process as part of
OSHAs administrative protocol. Safety always has been the top
priority for Cirque du Soleil, its performers and crew members.
MGM Resorts also is appealing the OSHA findings. We have
received and reviewed the OSHA citations and will initiate the
appeal process as part of OSHAs administrative protocol. Safety
always has been the top priority for MGM Resorts and Cirque du
Soleil, and we continue to work to ensure the safety of our cast
and crew, said Alan Feldman, executive vice president of MGM
Resorts International.
In such instances, an employer (Cirque and MGM Grand in this
case) has an option for an information conference or formal
appeal. Formal appeals are heard by the OSHA Review Board, and
if that panel is involved, it could be a number of months
before the final citations are issued, OSHA spokeswoman Teri
Williams explained today.
Apart from the OSHA investigation, Menard has previously said
Cirque officials are in contact with Guillot-Guyards family to
arrange financial support for the artists children. She added
today: We are still working with the family on the details
surrounding the childrens fund. I will confirm once that is
finalized. In July, former Zumanity artist Wassa Coulilaby
hosted a fundraising show for the Guillot-Guyard children, which
was filled with Cirque performers and those from assorted Las
Vegas productions. The event raised nearly $4,000 for the
family.
Guillot-Guyard was born in Paris and had spent more than 22
years as an acrobatic performer. She was a graduate of Annie
Fratellini Art & Circus Academy, named for the French circus
clown and actress. Guillot-Guyard joined the cast of Ka when
the show opened at MGM Grand in 2006. She was once married to
Ka performer Mathieu Guyard, and the couple had two children,
ages 8 and 5 at the time of the tragedy.
Guillot-Guyard also was a well-liked teacher in the CirqueFit
acrobatic program at Fit Labs and the adjoining Studio 222 on
West Flamingo Road. On the day of her death, the children in
Guillot-Guyards class performed their final spring performance
for their families.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/rLG972 }
Criss Angel Reflects on 5 Years of BELIEVE
{Oct.31.2013}
------------------------------------------------------
Despite serious injuries and an around-the-clock work schedule,
including two TV series, magician Criss Angel has never missed
one of his more than 2,100 shows in the five years since he
launched Cirque du Soleils Believe at the Luxor. In advance
of tonights fifth-anniversary celebration, Robin Leach sat with
Criss and talked with him about his milestone Believe show and
his future plans.
Q. Does it feel like five years already?
Yes and no at the same time. Its kind of an interesting
dichotomy because in some ways I cant believe its only been
five years and in other ways it feels like an eternity.
Q. It got off to a rocky start, but its now the most successful
magic show in the world. You had your hand in all of it from
start to finish. Why is it still going strong, and why is it
getting stronger?
In the beginning, there was a director that Cirque employed who
drove a very different vision of the show. While there were a
lot of great elements in the show, it didnt connect with my
fans or Cirque fans. Cirque then gave me the opportunity to
rewrite and redirect the show and allowed me to build a new show
around my original vision. Its been very rewarding to see it
turn into such a big success. The new show is a testament to my
cast, crew, Cirque, Luxor and, of course, my incredible manager
who supported my vision and helped bring it to fruition.
Q. And with Cirques blessing to allow you to completely change
the show?
We got to a point where we both could have walked away from the
show. But with their support, I choose to work my ass off and
create the show I originally wanted.
Q. Doubling down, right?
Yes, and Cirque and Luxor did, as well.
Q. What do you change for the next five years? I understand the
show is changing all the time, and you constantly give it a new
look, a new feel. But how are you going to do that over the next
five years?
In several ways. Im never completely satisfied with anything
that I do whether its on television or live onstage. Im always
striving to be better as a person and in everything I do, and
the live show is no different. Its a living organism, and I
always want to keep it new and fresh. For example, I will have
new costumes, new illusions and new video content in the show by
the first half of next year. And we just completed the new
lighting design in time for the fifth anniversary. Also, youll
never see the same show twice because I dont read off a
TelePrompTer; I dont have a rigid script. We do what we feel is
right for the audience in front of us, and no two shows are the
same. Were honored and flattered, especially in these trying
economic times, for our huge turnouts, and we give 110 percent
in every performance because we understand that were never
going to have this audience ever again. Its their first time,
its our first time, and together we want to create an
experience theyll never forget.
Q. So you added in the last go-round the motorcycle illusion?
Yes, and we also are adding a brand new opening
Q. When will that be added?
Its almost completed and will be in the show in 2014. In the
meantime, we have other exciting, new and original illusions
going in, and were constantly rotating stuff.
Q. Do you have anything specific that youve changed starting
for the fifth?
If you saw the show six months ago, youll see a different show
today. And if you see it six months from now, youll see even
more exciting, dramatic changes. And, as always, theres more
magic in this show than any magic show in the world.
Q. Youre in the final five of a 10-year deal. Can this become
the first five of a new 10? Would you be willing to extend?
I honestly dont know the answer to that. I have so many
different projects and opportunities right now that I barely
know whats happening two weeks from now, never mind five years
from now. I just take each show one at a time.
Check the source for more of the Interview!
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/lebSDw }
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Corteo, Koozå, OVO, Totem & Tour 2014}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Quidam, Dralion, MJ Immortal & Varekai}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
Believe, Zarkana & Michael Jackson ONE}
NOTE:
.) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate
touring dates and locations available, the information in
this section is subject to change without notice. As such,
the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility
for the accuracy of these listings.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
San Francisco, CA -- Nov 13, 2013 to Jan 12, 2014
San Jose, CA -- Jan 22, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014
New York, NY -- Mar 20, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Boston, MA -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jul 13, 2014
Washington, DC -- Jul 31, 2014 to Sep 21, 2014
Cirque 2014:
Montreal, QC -- Apr 24, 2014 to Jun 6, 2014
Toronto, ON -- Aug 27, 2014 to Oct 26, 2014
Corteo:
Curitiba, BR -- Nov 8, 2013 to Dec 15, 2013
Rio de Janeiro -- Dec 26, 2013 to Feb 23, 2014
Porto Alegre, BR -- Mar 6, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014
Koozå:
Moscow, RU -- Sep 7, 2013 to Oct 31, 2013
Paris, FR -- Nov 23, 2013 to Dec 23, 2013
Munich, DE -- Jan 31,2014 to Feb 16, 2014
Amsterdam, NL -- Mar 13, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014
Vienna, AT -- May 9, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014
Ovo:
Taipei, TW -- Nov 19, 2013 to Jan 5, 2014
Tokyo, JP -- Feb 12, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014
Sendai, JP -- Apr 23, 2014 to Jun 7, 2014
Osaka, JP -- Jul, 17, 2014 to Nov 2, 2014
Nagoya, JP -- Nov 20, 2014 to Feb 1, 2015
Fukuoka, JP -- Feb 21, 2015 to TBA
Totem:
Long Beach, CA -- Oct 11, 2013 to Nov 10, 2013
Irvine, CA -- Nov 21, 2013 to Dec 29, 2013
Santa Monica, CA -- Jan 17, 2014 to Feb 9, 2014
Portland, OR -- Mar 27, 2014 to May 4, 2014
Vancouver, BC -- May 15, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Varekai:
Mexico City, MX -- Sep 19, 2013 to Nov 24, 2013
(Going Arena: December 2013)
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Alegría:
Liverpool, UK -- Oct 30, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Nottingham, UK -- Nov 6, 2013 to Nov 10, 2013
Lille, FR -- Nov 13, 2013 to Nov 17, 2013
Bordeaux, FR -- Nov 20, 2013 to Nov 24, 2013
Valencia, ES -- Nov 28, 2013 to Dec 1, 2013
Gijon, ES -- Dec 4, 2013 to Dec 8, 2013
Santander, ES -- Dec 11, 2013 to Dec 15, 2013
Madrid, ES -- Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 22, 2013
Antwerp, BE -- Dec 26, 2013 to Dec 29, 2013
(Closing in Antwerp, Dec 29, 2013)
Quidam:
Frankfurt, DE -- Oct 30, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Dortmund, DE -- Nov 6, 2013 to Nov 10, 2013
Mannheim, DE -- Nov 13, 2013 to Nov 17, 2013
Malaga, ES -- Dec 5, 2013 to Dec 8, 2013
Zaragoza, ES -- Dec 11, 2013 to Dec 15, 2013
Sevilla, ES -- Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 22, 2013
A Coruña, ES -- Dec 25, 2013 to Dec 29, 2013
London, UK -- Jan 4, 2014 to Feb 9, 2014
Toulouse, FR -- Mar 5, 2014 to Mar 9, 2014
Strasbourg, FR -- Mar 12, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014
Toulon, FR -- Mar 19, 2014 to Mar 23, 2014
Montpellier, FR -- Mar 26, 2014 to Mar 30, 2014
Lyon, FR -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014
Berlin, DE -- May 7, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Nuremberg, DE -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Hanover, DE -- May 21, 2014 to May 25, 2014
Bremen, DE -- May 29, 2014 to Jun 1, 2014
Hamburg, DE -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014
Luxembourg, LU -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Dralion:
Athens, GR -- Oct 29, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Rome, IT -- Nov 8, 2013 to Nov 17, 2013
Turin, IT -- Nov 21, 2013 to Nov 24, 2013
Milan, IT -- Nov 27, 2013 to Dec 1, 2013
Geneva, CH -- Dec 4, 2013 to Dec 8, 2013
Basel, CH -- Dec 11, 2013 to Dec 15, 2013
Barcelona, ES -- Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 29, 2013
Lisbon, PT -- Jan 1, 2014 to Jan 12, 2014
St. Petersburg, RU -- Jan 22, 2014 to Feb 2, 2014
Chelyabinsk, RU -- Feb 7, 2014 to Feb 16, 2014
Kazan, RU -- Feb 21, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014
Moscow, RU -- Mar 6, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014
Glasgow, UK -- May 8, 2014 to May 11, 2014
Sheffield, UK -- May 14, 2014 to May 18, 2014
Birmingham, UK -- May 22, 2014 to May 25, 2014
London, UK -- Jun 4, 2014 to Jun 8, 2014
Manchester, UK -- Jun 11, 2014 to Jun 15, 2014
Granada, ES -- Jul 23, 2014 to Jul 27, 2014
Bilbao, ES -- Aug 16, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014
Palma de Mallorca, ES -- Aug 28, 2014 to Sep 6, 2014
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour:
Auclkand, NZ -- Oct 30, 2013 to Nov 3, 2013
Dubai, UAE -- Dec 20, 2013 to Jan 14, 2014
Varekai:
Bossier City, LA -- Dec 13, 2013 to Dec 14, 2013
Montreal, QC -- Dec 20, 2013 to Dec 30, 2013
Kingston, ON -- Jan 17, 2014 to Jan 20, 2014
Windsor, ON -- Jan 23, 2014 to Jan 26, 2014
Hamilton, ON -- Jan 29, 2014 to Feb 2, 2014
Detroit, MI -- Feb 5, 2014 to Feb 9, 2014
Youngstown, OH -- Feb 12, 2014 to Feb 16, 2014
Frisco, TX -- Feb 19, 2014 to Feb 23, 2014
Cedark Park, TX -- Feb 26, 2014 to Mar 2, 2014
Beaumont, TX -- Mar 5, 2014 to Mar 9, 2014
Baton Rouge, LA -- Mar 12, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014
Pensacola, FL -- Mar 19, 2014 to Mar 23, 2014
East Lansing, MI -- Apr 2, 2014 to Apr 6, 2014
Knoxville, TN -- Apr 9, 2014 to Apr 13, 2014
Providence, RI -- Jul 2, 2014 to Jul 6, 2014
---------------------------------
RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre
---------------------------------
Mystère:
Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o November 6
2013 Added Performances:
o December 27
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o December 3 - 17
2013 Added Performances:
o December 24
o December 31
La Nouba:
Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o November 5-6
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o TBA
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2013 Dark Dates:
2013 Added Performances:
o December 30
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o October 10
o December 11-26
2013 Added Performances:
o December 10
BELIEVE:
Location: Luxor, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 10:00pm
NOTE: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by
an adult. Children under the age of five are not permitted
into the theater.
2013 Dark Dates:
o November 26 - 30
o December 17 - 24
2013 Added Performances:
o December 25 & 26
ZARKANA:
Location: Aria, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o November 5
2013 Added Performances:
o December 26
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly: 7:00pm and 10:00pm
2013 Dark Dates:
o December 5 - 20
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) Cirque Week -- 2013 Event Schedule
o) Networking -- Posts on Facebook, G+, & YouTube
---------------------------------------
CIRQUE WEEK: 2013 EVENT SCHEDULE
---------------------------------------
CIRQUE WEEK returns to Las Vegas November 9-16, 2013.
Cirque Club members are among the first to find out about
specially priced show packages including Michael Jackson ONE,
the latest Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas and Mystère,
the show that started it all.
CIRQUE WEEK guests will journey beyond the curtain for once-in-
a-lifetime opportunities to experience the music, mystical
characters and state-of-the art technology that have made Cirque
du Soleil a Las Vegas icon.
Be sure to purchase your tickets early and register for the
exclusive CIRQUE WEEK events.*
Choose your Cirque Week package to Las Vegas' most popular
shows: > Browse & book packages: http://goo.gl/xvENLb
et access to unique events such Q&A sessions, demonstrations and
much more: > View event schedule: http://goo.gl/foMqvt
Take advantage of special room rates from Treasure Island or MGM
Resorts: > Browse & book a room: http://goo.gl/02UdZv
SCHEDULE:
o) Treasure Island - TI Las Vegas
CIRQUE WEEK Headquarters
11:00 am - 1:00 pm Daily
Treasure Island - TI Las Vegas will be the host hotel for
this year's headquarters where attendees can pick up their
CIRQUE WEEK gift and credential. *The headquarters will be
located at the registration desk on the second floor
(convention/wedding level) which can be accessed by using the
hotel guest elevators.
o) November 9, 2013 - Zumanity
Zumanity Theatre at New York - New York
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Guests will experience a rehearsal featuring all of the
beautiful costumes, custom-designed by famed designer Thierry
Mugler, and characters from Zumanity's finale act,
Extravaganza. Following the rehearsal, there will be a Q&A
with select artists and representatives from Wardrobe who
will talk about the fashions of Zumanity.
o) November 10, 2013 - "O"
"O" Theatre at Bellagio
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Fire! Learn what it takes for the performers and technicians
to deal with the intense inferno acts night after night. The
live fire demonstration will be followed by an in-depth Q&A.
o) November 11, 2013 - Zarkana
Zarkana Theater at ARIA Resort & Casino
Zarkana cast & crew will put on their teaching caps to give
attendees a hands on class in some of the essential parts of
the show, both on stage and off. Courses may include Rigging,
Clowning, Wardrobe, Music, Juggling/Body Percussion.
Class times are:
- 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- 2:45 pm - 3:15 pm
- 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
* Each time slot is limited to 100 attendees. Attendees will
only be able to sign up for one time slot. Courses are
subject to change and will be selected at random.
o) November 12, 2013 - One Night for One Drop
Mystère Theatre at Treasure Island
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Guests will see footage of the inaugural One Night for ONE
DROP, a one-night-only performance in Las Vegas benefitting
ONE DROP, the non-profit organization created by Cirque du
Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, that strives to ensure that
water is accessible to all, today and forever. The show
featured more than 230 Cirque du Soleil artists and guest
performers such as Jackie Evancho, David Garibaldi, a dance
piece choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and an original
composition by award-winning composer Danny Elfman. Guests
will also have a chance to meet the newly appointed director
of One Night for ONE DROP 2014 and get to attend a rehearsal
and a sneak preview of next year's performance.
o) November 12, 2013 - Mystère
Mystère Theatre at Treasure Island
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
The characters of Mystère revealed. Meet the fantastical
characters of Mystère and learn about the inspiration and
story behind some of Cirque's most beloved characters.
o) November 13, 2013 - Michael Jackson ONE
Michael Jackson ONE Theatre at Mandalay Bay Resort
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Guests will have the unprecedented opportunity to learn
"Thriller" choreography with cast from the show. Please note
that no filming or photography will be allowed. Due to the
interactive nature of this event, release forms will need to
be signed in advance. Please wear comfortable shoes. *Event
capacity capped at 200.
o) November 14, 2013 - KÀ
KÀ Theatre at MGM Grand
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
See a special demonstration of the "Wash-Up" act followed by
the chance to get up close and personal with some of KÀ's
puppets. Guests will receive a special gift inspired by the
act.
o) November 15, 2013 - CRISS ANGEL Believe
CRISS ANGEL Believe Theatre at Luxor
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Fans will have the opportunity to see an episode of the new
Spike TV series "Criss Angel Believe" featuring Criss' crazy
stunts and illusions taped live here in Las Vegas! The
screening will be followed by a Q&A with select members of
the show production team.
o) November 16, 2013 - The Beatles LOVE
LOVE Theatre at The Mirage
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm & 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
At LOVE, a dance workshop will be hosted by Dance Master Katy
Tate and LOVE's Dance Captains. Fans will be able to learn a
special routine to their favorite music that is exclusive to
The Beatles LOVE production. Release forms will need to be
signed in advance. Due to the interactive nature of this
event, release forms will need to be signed in advance.
Please wear comfortable shoes. *Capacity capped at 50 people
/ session. 45 minute sessions will be held at 2:00 pm and
3:00 pm.
{SOURCE: Cirque du Soleil}
---------------------------------------------------
NETWORKING: Cirque on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
---------------------------------------------------
{Compiled by Keith Johnson}
---[ ALEGRIA ]---
{Oct.17}
Alegria is preparing to premiere in Newcastle, UK for the last
leg of its history! What will you miss most about the show?
Share your memories here.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/e37pAo >
{Oct.23}
Hello Alegria fans! We have a special request in lieu of Alegria
closing. We are asking you to submit a letter that we are going
to include in a final Alegria memory book that will be
distributed to all the cast & crew at the end of the tour. This
letter should talk about what Alegria has meant to you, how it
has inspired you, and/or how you felt when you first saw it. We
want to know how our amazing cast has moved you so they can be
reminded of the wonderful work they have done throughout the
years! The letter we do select that will make the book will
receive a package of fun merchandise! Please submit your letters
via private message!
{Oct.23}
Alegria is premiering in Leeds, UK tonight and our Barnsley
sisters (Zoe and Zara McLean) are excited to be bringing this
show back home! Wish them and the entire crew luck!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sJprFC >
{Oct.31}
Today, our kitchen staff prepared us some gruesome (yet
delicious) #Halloween #Treats; Ghost Merengues, Day of the Death
Sponge Cake, Zombie Chocolate Chip cookies (and marzipan
fingers), Necrophilian Flapjacks and more! Happy Halloween to
all!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/6R0Jjn >
---[ AMALUNA ]---
{Oct.08}
Amaluna literally dove into new territory here in Minneapolis
with Waterbowl Artist, Iuliia Mykhailova; free-diving with
hundreds of beautiful, tropical sea creatures at SEA LIFE
Minnesota Aquarium!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzk70sXUOb0 >
---[ CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ]---
{Oct.07}
Each year, Cirque du Soleil and Nevada Ballet put on "A
Choreographer's Showcase" go behind the scenes of this unique
performance with the video below and, if you're near Las Vegas,
see it live this weekend at the Mystère Theatre!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAIdrJdDmnc >
{Oct.22}
Watch this exclusive view from the top... of the Big Top!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EmhY0C786Q >
{Oct.25}
Halloween Spirit Week at our Vegas offices wrapped up today!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/A5IPHo >
{Oct.31}
We love to celebrate Halloween at our International Headquarters
in Montreal!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/moFvnn >
---[ CORTEO ]---
{Oct.09}
Did you know? The two enormous baroque-style Roll Drop
curtains (58 feet wide and almost 40 feet high), and the four
sideways-opening Italian-style curtains are among the most
striking scenic elements in the show. They were sewn in Canada
and sent to France to be painted.
{Oct.18}
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of "O", we've put together a
small exhibition for our employees. Have you ever seen O?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/01BiJr >
{Oct.23}
Our costume designer, Dominique Lemieux, used more than 900
different fabrics, concentrating on natural fibers such as
silks, linens, cottons and lace in a subtle color palette that
includes blues, pinks, fuchsia and gold with appliquéd spangles
and jewels.
{Oct.25}
Halloween das crianças do Corteo! Doces ou travessuras?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/RH9Qof >
{Oct.27}
Hoje é nosso último show em Belo Hotizonte e queremos agradecer
a todos pelo carinho. Nossa próxima parada: Curitiba!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/uAbEOG >
{Oct.29}
Site do Corteo em Curitiba visto do céu! A montagem vai começar
logo!!! Esperamos ver vocês logo!!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/OVbS2W >
---[ CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE ]---
{Oct.11}
Check out the new Criss Angel Believe lobby display inside Luxor
Hotel and Casino!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/4aeQhf >
{Oct.29}
Check out our 5th anniversary cake! We celebrate 5 years
Wednesday at 7 p.m.!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/fQP86k >
---[ DRALION ]---
{Oct.03}
Members of our casts are doing a Parade and a story telling at
City Center in Beirut, Lebanon between 5 & 8 pm on Oct. 4 & 5.
Come see cast members up close! Dralion at the Forum de Beirut
opens on Oct. 10.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/JAxhkq >
{Oct.11}
Watch this cool video of Josue becoming the countertenor
(singer) for Dralion by Cirque du Soleil!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/q2PN1a >
{Oct.19}
Our clowns are about to go on stage at the Forum de Beyrouth!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/T3qcjZ >
{Oct.21}
We are celebrating our 3rd year of touring in Arenas. Our 1st
Arena tour performance was on Oct. 21st 2010!
{Oct.23}
Dralion's score draws its inspiration from classic Indian
melodies, weaving in influences from Andalusia, Africas as well
as Central and Western Europe. Our band is composed of 6
musicians and 2 singers.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/pz2m99 >
{Oct.25}
Tune In Dancing with the Stars Greece for special presentation
of our Hoop diving act!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/N6CZ5e >
{Oct.27}
Final run through for cameras before tonights live show! Very
excited......Will you be watching?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/8Pxn0M >
{Oct.30}
Meet Petros - our Bass & keyboard player. Petros is really
excited to perform in his hometown this week. Take a look to
this article where he shares his touring experience with Cirque
du Soleil!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/br2xne >
{Oct.31}
Melody & Rob worked hard carving our pumpkins for tonight's very
unique Halloween Dralion party! Happy Halloween!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/5C3oIk >
---[ KOOZA ]---
{Oct.03}
Here's how the photo shoot we did for HELLO MAGAZINE in Russia
looked like...stunning!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/i7JZ9t >
{Oct.09}
Kooza featured in The Moscow Times
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/x69MVb >
{Oct.20}
Allure Magazine photo shoot - behind the scenes! (10 photos)
We just finished a photo shoot for Allure Magazine in Russia.
Fashion and celebrity photographer Morgan Norman
(www.morgannorman.com) spent 2 days with us in Moscow for this.
Here are some pictures we took during the shoot! We can't wait
to see the result!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/bqZcLw >
{Oct.24}
Kooza at the Circus Y. Nikulin orphanage - Moscow 2013 (7
photos) - This morning, more than 30 members of our cast and
crew, visited the Circus Y. Nikulin orphanage in Moscow. We
spent a few hours with the kids, circus workshops were
organized...a great day for all!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NfeIml >
{Oct.24}
Added 9 photos to the album Allure Magazine photo shoot - behind
the scenes!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/AICLZ8 >
{Oct.25}
We're very proud of our Unicycle's duo performance on Le Plus
Grand Cabaret du Monde on France 2 (National French TV). KOOZA
by Cirque du Soleil opens in Paris on November 24!!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sqFSs9 >
---[ MJ IMMORTAL ]---
{Oct.01}
381 shows - 114 cities - 25 countries - 3 continents - 2 YEARS!
Today marks the 2 year anniversary of Michael Jackson THE
IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil! Congratulations to the
entire IMMORTAL family!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/KrusJe >
{Oct.07}
Check out a great behind the scenes look into IMMORTAL! This
time with Australia's Channel 7 Morning Show.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/YrkAOX >
{Oct.16}
1500 pieces make up one set of costumes, which means there's a
lot of laundry to be done!
{Oct.30}
Happy Halloween to all of our fans from a few of our own
disguised as OLD LADIES and the entire cast and crew! What's
YOUR costume this year?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0t6AxR >
{Oct.30}
Vocalist Stevvi Alexander was nominated to blow out the candles
on the cake marking our 400TH SHOW - TONIGHT! Congratulations to
the entire IMMORTAL family and thank you to all our fans around
the world!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/I4JtWS >
---[ MJ ONE ]---
{Oct.08}
A week from tomorrow Michael Jackson ONE and Gibbon Slacklines
will showcase a slackline megastunt on the 63rd floor of
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino! The stunt will kick off the 2013
Slackline World Cup Finals taking place inside our theatre on
Oct. 17!
LINK /// < http://www.gibbonslacklines.com/Vegas/ >
{Oct.16}
The slackline #vegasmegastunt with Gibbon Slacklines is underway
on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/OeEDnv >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/B0dIjw >
{Oct.17}
Following a world record-setting highline walk outside of
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, slackline athlete Andy Lewis
caught the early performance of our show last night! (If you
can't get enough slackline, check out the World Slackline
Federation World Cup Finals, happening inside our theatre right
now!)
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/uxOcrG >
{Oct.17}
Lots of slacking in a good way! happening at our theatre
right now with the Slackline World Cup Finals!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1guIt3 >
{Oct.17}
Michael Jackson ONE slackline artist Gabriel Amaral presents the
crystal trophy to Slackline World Cup Final winner Carlos Neto
at our theatre!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/EqwhZD >
{Oct.234}
Get an inside, in-depth look at our show from The Wall Street
Journal with the video below!
LINK /// < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ngBGH2uVo >
{Oct.31}
Michael Jackson ONE at Life is Beautiful (4 photos) - Michael
Jackson ONE performed at Life is Beautiful Festival in Vegas on
October 27!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Vg8CqT >
---[ MYSTERE ]---
{Oct.07}
There's still one more weekend to see A Choreographer's Showcase
with Nevada Ballet at our theatre! Check out the album below for
photos from this weekend's performance!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/CVZVce >
{Oct.22}
We love a good action shot!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/VwNfrS >
{Oct.27}
Last night at #lifeisbeautiful, we helped Imagine Dragons close
out their set, and our drummer Carlos Lopez this amazing
viewpoint!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/3X9y7V >
---[ "O" ]---
{Oct.16}
We're celebrating our 15th anniversary and guests at tonight's
early performance get a special commemorative pin!
LINK /// < http://instagram.com/p/fiPhZVxI7j/ >
{Oct.27}
We took a little bit of "O" on the road today! Down the street
to downtown Las Vegas for #lifeisbeautiful!
LINK /// < http://instagram.com/p/f_Jy2uRI4u/ >
---[ QUIDAM ]---
{Oct.05}
Quidam @ London Eye behind the scenes
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/b3Lnyy >
{Oct.06}
Here are the behind the scenes photos!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/B9e3AG >
{Oct.10}
One hour before opening Quidam in Salzburg yesterday we were
going LIVE on ORF Salzburg Heute ~ check out the result here:
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/BgdxsP >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/t53xzc >
{Oct.13}
Did you know that the crowds in Europe have been clapping so
much at the end of Quidam that we had to add an extra bow to
thank them!?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/mofaIO >
{Oct.17}
Quidam is so proud of the Diabolo act representing Cirque du
Soleil at the International Circus Festival "City of Latina"
this week. What they say about Will: In his diabolo
performance, William Lin combines superb technical skill with
the excellence of style, musicality and choreographic brilliance
that epitomizes all of Cirque du Soleils productions. Best of
luck William!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/wXvm9t >
---[ THE BEATLES LOVE ]---
{Oct.07}
Keep an eye on the Life is Beautiful Festival page to see what
happens Zedd goes backstage at our show! What happens when Zedd
goes backstage of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil? Video
footage coming soon!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/bxYATb >
{Oct.08}
Life is Beautiful Festival is coming up at the end of October in
Vegas and to celebrate, Zedd stopped by backstage at our show!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/Brv1K6 >
{Oct.14}
We're getting excited for our upcoming street performance at
Life is Beautiful Festival!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/q95qJy >
{Oct.26}
It's a gorgeous day to perform at Life is Beautiful!
LINK /// < http://instagram.com/p/f80XTuRI55/ >
---[ TOTEM ]---
{Oct.16}
We are in full photo shoot mode with Coast Magazine for their
upcoming November issue!!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/ogF5C4 >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/M0bWR4 >
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0ndbDM >
{Oct.19}
The Los Angeles Times published an all-star review of TOTEM! We
are extremely happy to be delivering the best show possible
every day and perform for the amazing Los Angeles crowds!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/sHM8AI >
{Oct.23}
It is the first day of the week at TOTEM and our 750 custom-made
costume pieces are drying to be ready for tonight's performance!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/gIJXYN >
{Oct.27}
There is creativity everywhere at TOTEM! School students Sophia
and Anthony are all dressed up for our Halloween celebrations
today! What will your Halloween costume be this year!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/w9rbW2 >
{Oct.31}
We celebrated Halloween on Sunday at the Queen Marys Dark Harbor
in Long Beach, CA! Everybody dressed up, even our tour directors
Jeff, Tara and Tim!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/0ieeAf >
---[ VAREKAI ]---
{Oct.08}
Starting a week of shows here in Mexico City in 10 minutes we
are going on stage.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/1ZWQ1O >
{Oct.09}
The show has over 600 costumes, shoes, wigs, hats and
accessories.
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/crAxGW >
{Oct.27}
Today we are celebrating 4000 shows!
---[ ZARKANA ]---
{Oct.15}
Walk the Wardrobe 2013 (23 photos) - Last week, the Zarkana
theatre played host to "Walk the Wardrobe," an event put on
internally at Zarkana showcasing the talents of our cast & crew!
Although only Cirque family and friends attended the actual
show, we thought we'd give you a peek at some of the amazing
creations on display!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/tuLHmE >
{Oct.23}
Just another normal day at Zarkana!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/8sQdwj >
{Oct.26}
We had a blast performing at Life is Beautiful today!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/VBBVja >
{Oct.31}
Halloween at Zarkana is a family affair!
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/DGqqYP >
---[ ZUMANITY ]---
{Oct.22}
This is exactly what it looked like when you went to the gym
this morning, right?
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/NqrBps >
{Oct.27}
Elena and her hoops act out at #lifeisbeautiful in downtown Las
Vegas today!
LINK /// < http://instagram.com/p/f_WmyjxI-f/ >
{Oct.29}
Still looking for a Halloween costume? May we suggest "Scottish
Fantasy?" Here's the details on making that work! (It's worth a
watch even if you don't need a Halloween costume, trust us. Or
trust the words: "Scottish Fantasy.")
LINK /// < http://goo.gl/980UL6 >
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------
"DELIRIUM: The Great Experiment"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
----------------------------------------------------------
"If someone put together a Cirque du Soleil Cover Band that only
played the Cirque's music, do you think it would be popular to the
general public?"
A fan of Cirque du Soleil posed such a question in early 2004 and the
response provoked was rather negative. Who would want to listen to a
cover band play Cirque music, some asked? And why would you want to
hear it out of context, others inquired. Cirque fans had been
listening to songs out of context through the company's CD releases,
how would this be any different? For starters, it would be a different
group of people attempting to play the music in different genres than
it was intended. But that didn't mean everyone found the idea tough to
swallow including Cirque itself.
Although we can't say that fans helped give birth to the idea of a
Cirque du Soleil concert-type show, it wasn't long after that Cirque
du Soleil announced something similar...
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT
--------------------
"We will be celebrating the music of Cirque!"
If the U.S.S. Excelsior (NX-2000) was considered "the great
experiment" of Star Trek lore for new Trans-warp drive technology, (a
drastic improvement in propulsion over the Federation's standard warp
technology by the way), then the equivalent for Cirque du Soleil has
to be DELIRIUM, its "in concert" arena production celebrating the
company's music catalog, remixed into something "explosive."
The first test of this hypothesis can be traced back to 2003 and the
company's flirtation with remixing their music catalog. "As Cirque du
Soleil ventures towards new creative grounds, its music is doing the
same!" a release from CirqueClub advised. "A new music project, called
TAPIS ROUGE, unites our music with the talent of some of the best
producers in electronic music today. The result is the innovative
remix CD: Solarium. The first CD to feature this new chill mix'
approach to Cirque du Soleil's music is now available!"
Later on came a separate, more up-beat dance music urban concept known
as DELIRIUM (named after the break room at Cirque du Soleil's
Headquarters in Montreal). By May 2005, the two CDs were released as a
set SOLARIUM/DELIRIUM. "This 2-disc compilation is packed with
chilled-out rhythms (SOLARIUM)) and hot, sparkling beats (DELIRIUM)
a celebration of 20 years of Cirque du Soleil's creative excellence.
The SOLARIUM disc is a cool, ambient, chill-out collection, and
includes remixes by Ibizarre, A Man Called Adam, Cottonbelly,
Christophe Goze and Thievery Corporation. The DELIRIUM disc captures
the hot, sparkling energy of a festive dance party, and features
innovative remixes by noteworthy DJs and producers, such as Louie Vega
(featuring Jaffa), Julien Jabre, Roger Sanchez, Sasha, François K,
Eric Kupper and many more!"
Both concepts proved popular. Would Cirque take the next step?
CIRQUE DU CONCERTS?
-------------------
On February 7, 2005, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel
Entertainment Theatrical, Scott Zeiger and President and Chief
Operating Officer of Cirque du Soleil, Daniel Lamarre, announced that
Clear Channel Entertainment and Cirque du Soleil had formed a
partnership to develop and produce a 100-date nationwide North
American arena tour, beginning in November 2005. From the press
release:
For the first time ever, Cirque du Soleil will perform principally
one-night concert engagements in major arenas across North America.
The new show will feature the music catalog of Cirque du Soleil and
will re-define the concert experience, incorporating Cirque du
Soleil's unique brand of innovative staging and its imaginative use of
video projections and music. Cirque du Soleil Musique, the music
division of Cirque du Soleil, will manage the creative and artistic
production of this new venture. Production and promotional aspects
will be managed by Clear Channel Entertainment.
Scott Zeiger said, "We are very excited about presenting this new
joint venture, and are thrilled to collaborate with a creative team of
this caliber. We have always had great admiration for Cirque du
Soleil's artistic achievements, and are looking forward to bringing
their innovative vision to a much larger audience across North America
with this newly configured tour presentation."
"This new collaboration clearly demonstrates what Cirque du Soleil is
looking for in building partnerships leadership, open-mindedness and
the willingness to develop creative-driven quality projects. Clear
Channel Entertainment is most certainly one of those partners", Daniel
Lamarre said.
Overseeing the project for Clear Channel Entertainment will be
Executive Vice President, Creative Development, Jonathan Hochwald, and
for Cirque du Soleil, Senior Vice President, New Ventures, Eric
Fournier. Hochwald said, "This is a dream project for us an
opportunity to reinvent and re-imagine the arena experience and to
introduce the genius of Cirque du Soleil's artistic vision to new
audiences who will discover the music of Cirque as they have never
seen it."
"This new creative platform is the first step to a long-term
relationship with Clear Channel Entertainment," added Fournier.
"Cirque du Soleil is truly expanding its creative force to other types
of ventures with the simple objective of redefining existing
entertainment formats with a Cirque du Soleil creative perspective."
On January 26, 2006, Delirium premiered at the Bell Center Arena in
Montreal, ushering in a new type of Cirque du Soleil show. Not only
would DELIRIUM be the first show outside Cirque's normal acrobatic
melieu, it was an experiment to see if the company could penetrate
new, smaller markets simply by adopting a new way of touring. It was
also a clever way to develop a knowledge based for an arena-based
touring model without jeopardizing the brand value of Cirque's current
touring production assets. This would eventually give way to
Saltimbanco's, Alegría's, Quidam's and Dralion's arena tours.
THE QUEST FOR BALANCE
---------------------
Delirium was marketed as the quest for balance in a world that was
"increasingly out of sync with reality, pushing the limits of arena
performance through technical magnitude, human introspection and
creative prowess." It was an urban tale, a state-of-the-art mix of
music, dance, theatre, and multimedia. Pumped by this re-energized
Cirque du Soleil rhythm, the DELIRIUM tour transported audiences into
a universe of delirious sensory folly.
For the first time in Cirque du Soleil history, lyrics had been
created for the instrumental tracks and real words integrated in place
of invented language, bringing to the music a fresh poetic dimension.
The texts were in English, French, Spanish, Wolof and Portuguese.
Robbie Dillon, who contributed texts for Cirque du Soleil's ZUMANITY,
composed the English lyrics for DELIRIUM. In all, 20 of Cirque du
Soleil's most memorable musical moments originally created by René
Dupéré, Benoît Jutras and Violaine Corradi were re-mixed by Quebec
producer, composer and arranger Francis Collard, who "deftly injected
new life into these powerful classics." The result was a hyper-
energizing urban tribal beat that "exploded with electronic sounds,
percussions and world rhythms."
And it seemed to be catching on.
The show itself was an interesting hybrid; songs from Cirque shows
played in a more "modern" fashion with English lyrics, a huge stage
bisecting the arena (a la Corteo) on which the show played, multiple
projections on the tall curtain screens on either side of the stage,
mixed with a nebulous "plot" of a man searching for meaning. It was
also the first time a Cirque show had an opening act, Canadian singer
Nitza (later the vocalist for BELIEVE) who would play a 20-minute set
of her own originals before DELIRIUM began.
The show was also notable for its appearance on the charts! The
Billboard Top Tours charts that is. DELIRIUM made it to #6 for 2006
and 2007. But in both cases it was not due to popularity or high
ticket price but repetition Delirium played many more performances
during the year than any other show. So, though they had lower
attendance per show at a reasonable ticket price, they made up for it
in number of performances.
On January 26, 2007, DELIRIUM celebrated its first birthday. Over that
year the show's 45 artists put on 162 performances for nearly a
million spectators. They traveled across Canada and the United States
with 22 tractor-trailers and 13 busses, making a total of 64 stops in
62 towns. Yes, DELIRIUM found success, but that didn't mean it was
immune to changes. In fact, it needed a little stream-lining. To make
the show more flexible in terms of overall logistics, Cirque du
Soleil's Show Quality Service reviewed its format and changed its
staging.
Beginning January 27th, DELIRIUM presented itself on a slightly
smaller stage (104 feet long instead of 130 feet) situated at one side
of the venue in a more traditional theatre-style arrangement rather
than long-ways, down the middle, splitting the audience in half. Other
than allowing for a better seating arrangement, the new configuration
also helped improve projection quality as images were projected from
behind the screen rather than from in front as before. Since
projections were an important part of the show, it was an undeniable
improvement. The images were clearer, more intense and richer in
color. With some of the acts having been modified as well, DELIRIUM
re-configured itself to give spectators a more accessible, intimate
experience, to ensure the show's continued success (as well as
preserve its artistic integrity).
The new configuration would also help Cirque to present the show in
Europe, making it easier to adapt to their smaller arena venues. After
playing to North American audiences for more than a year, on September
13, 2007, DELIRUM opened in the Netherlands, kicking off its European
tour. But after six and a half months, the tour seemed to run out of
steam.
DELIRIUM UNPLUGGED
------------------
"After having entertained millions of spectators, DELIRIUM began its
final series of performances this week. DELIRIUM will be performed for
the last time on the weekend of April 20, 2008, in London, UK. For two
years, DELIRIUM visited dozens of cities across approximately 20
countries, and on two continents." (Fascination! Newsletter)
Why would Cirque du Soleil give up on their great experiment?
According to them it was becoming increasingly challenging to find
markets where the show could be presented.
"The technical complexity of the show represented a significant
challenge, particularly in Europe," said Jacques Marois, Senior Vice-
President of Touring Shows. With many European venues not necessarily
suited for a show of DELIRIUM's scale, Cirque was forced to make a
decision: try and press on or close and call the experiment a success.
"DELIRIUM gave us the chance to explore a world that was previously
unknown to us and to visit markets that we could not have covered
before," Marois added. "In many ways, the DELIRIUM experience opened
doors for Cirque and paved the way for our touring shows in this type
of venue. Hats off to all the artists, artisans and employees who
contributed to the success of this show!"
After nearly 400 shows played across 90 North American and 34 European
cities, in front of some two million spectators in eighteen different
countries, Cirque du Soleil pulled the plug on DELIRIUM.
THE HOT TICKET?
---------------
DELIRIUM didn't go without a fight.
"According to the New York Times, SONY Pictures is tapping into the
motion-picture theater exhibitions niche, currently serviced by Fathom
Events, by creating a competing line of business. Cirque du Soleil
fans may want to take notice, as this new unit will beam DELIRIUM,
Cirque du Soleil's musical experience, to movie theaters! DELIRUM's
final curtain was filmed in London and will also be released to DVD in
the near future." (Fascination! Newsletter)
"We couldn't be more delighted and proud to kick off our inaugural
slate of Hot Ticket programming with Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM,"
said Rory Bruer, President of Domestic Distribution for Sony Pictures
Releasing. "It's the perfect marriage to have such a visually exciting
multimedia show as DELIRIUM showcased in theaters in state-of-the-art
high definition presentation. It is stunning to experience the show in
this way and it sounds amazing. It's truly the next best thing to
being there and experiencing the show "live" and I believe audiences
will be blown away by the incredibly creative and talented artists,
acrobats and performers that make up the world renowned Cirque du
Soleil troupe."
With visually stunning tableaux in which music and projections meld
together, DELIRIUM is a mesmerizing production. "We are happy to take
this opportunity to bring the Cirque du Soleil experience to a new
entertainment environment," explained Jacques Methe, Executive
Producer at Cirque du Soleil Images. "We believe that DELIRIUM in HD
will offer audiences a memorable experience in movie theaters because
of its magnitude, the energy of the performers and the diversity of
its music going from percussion to electronic music."
Audiences throughout North America will discover or rediscover the
journey of Bill, the main character who is searching for balance in a
world increasingly out of sync with reality. This incandescent journey
filmed under the highest standards will be seen with a state-of-the-
art digital projection and surround sound.
Said David Mallet, director of the film, "I am really happy with this
one-of-a-kind production since the use of twenty cameras allowed us to
both capture the spectacular scale and nature of the show along with
the incredible skill and intimate interaction of the fabulous Cirque
du Soleil artists. This unique cinema experience will be a delight for
the viewers."
# # #
DELIRIUM was filmed during its last stop at the London O2 Arena, and
though plans were to release a DVD of the performance some time
thereafter, they never came to pass. Why? We asked Daniel Lamarre that
in an <a href=" http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=1923"
target="_blank">interview in 2010 (which you can read here)</a>.
"There's no plan for that now," Mr. Lamarre responded. "The problem is
that we are creating and producing so many shows at such a rapid pace
that we don't want to have too many DVDs in a market where DVDs are
getting tougher and tougher to sell. The DVD market is decreasing at a
very rapid pace, so it's a business decision to not bring out too many
DVD's. And if I'm bringing [out a] DVD, I want the DVD [to be] of an
actual [current] show, to help promote the show. And since Delirium is
no longer in presentation it isn't a priority of ours."
So DELIRIUM had quietly faded away... until now.
In August 2013, Gravitas Ventures struck a deal to become the
exclusive Video-on-Demand (VOD) distributor of a variety of Cirque du
Soleil programs, which include performance specials featuring the live
shows as well as behind-the-scenes documentaries. One of those titles
happens to be DELIRIUM as filmed at the London O2 Arena and
distributed theatrically via Sony's Hot Ticket network. See Delirium
performed on stage for only $9.99 USD!
DELIRIUM is available on iTunes, here:
http://goo.gl/PWodb8
And for more Cirque du Soleil VOD titles, check this link:
http://goo.gl/D4LS5C
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
=======================================================================
Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 13, Number 11 (Issue #1187) - November 2013
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2013 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter
can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or
translated without the consent of the "Fascination!
Newsletter." By sending us correspondence, you give us permission
(unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without
remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination!
Newsletter." "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way
with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are
Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil,
Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright
infringement intended.
{ Nov.06.2013 }
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