TToward a Committed Cirque

TToward a Committed Cirque
2005 REVIEW
CCirque du Soleil is 22 years young
It is an ever-evolving and vibrant company with endless possibilities. Within a few years,
there will be more than 4,000 of us sharing the dream and working together towards
making it a reality. More than ever, our business methods and decisions must remain true
to our commitment to creating artistic works of great quality, to making the world a better
place, and to upholding our values.
We are very proud to share with you this first Toward a Committed Cirque review. We hope
it will testify of the concrete actions through which we uphold our pledge, and of our desire
to reach further still, to do more to meet and exceed our goals. This review is meant to
inspire cirquesters and to provide a new tool allowing, in our own way, to continually renew
our commitment to changing the world for the better.
Happy reading!
DANIEL LAMARRE
GAÉTAN MORENCY
President and CEO
Vice-President of Public,
Social and Cultural Affairs
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Invoke the imagination, provoke the senses
and evoke the emotions of people around the world:
SUCH IS CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S MISSION. IN PURSUING ITS DREAMS AND CONDUCTING
ITS AFFAIRS, CIRQUE STRIVES TO BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY
AND A WORTHY NEIGHBOUR.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer Guy Laliberté reaffirmed Cirque du Soleil’s desire to
be a committed citizen in the fall of 2005. At this time, a period of reflection on Cirque’s
identity on the eve of its 25th anniversary (in 2009) was initiated, and unifying growth
objectives were established for the organization as a whole. Targeted growth and a committed Cirque – such are the goals that will drive the organization’s development in the
years ahead.
A socially committed organization must not only seek to balance its social, economic and
environmental interests, it must also propose original and innovative ways of transforming
the world around it. Thus, not only does Cirque believe that within society, the arts, business activity and social initiatives are together capable of contributing to a better world,
but it also acts accordingly.
Along with this desire for social involvement comes the publication of a first review that
will focus primarily on community relations, social and cultural action, and environmental
initiatives in 2005, as well as prospects and challenges for 2006.
Until recently, Cirque du Soleil pursued its community action efforts in a relatively discreet manner, preferring to turn the spotlight on its partners’ accomplishments. But in a
bid to inspire local companies and individuals, Cirque has decided to share, through the
publication of this review, details surrounding its commitment to social involvement. This
review, to be prepared on an annual basis, will also meet public expectations of greater
transparency when it comes to the social and environmental impacts of companies and
their activities.
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1
1984-2005: A Look Back
SINCE 1989, CIRQUE HAS DEDICATED 1% OF ITS ANNUAL TURNOVER TO THE ORGANIZATION’S OUTREACH
AND CULTURAL ACTION PROGRAMS, WHICH REFLECT A SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT THAT GOES FAR BEYOND THE
BOUNDARIES OF ITS BUSINESS MARKETS. YET THE FORGING OF CLOSE TIES WITH THE COMMUNITY IS PART
OF CIRQUE’S “GENETIC MAKE-UP,” IT GOES BACK TO ITS DEEPEST ROOTS: THE BAND OF STREET PERFORMERS THAT WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL HAD, FROM THE VERY OUTSET, TO CAPTURE
THE ATTENTION AND ROUSE THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM. LATER ON, WHILE ORGANIZING
THE BAIE-SAINT-PAUL ENTERTAINERS’ FESTIVAL, THIS SAME GROUP HAD TO DEVELOP CLOSE-KNIT RELATIONS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO SECURE ITS SUPPORT FOR THEIR PROJECT.
When, in 1984, Cirque du Soleil, then in the midst of its
very first Quebec tour, was asked to spark celebrations
surrounding the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s
arrival in Canada, which had been organized throughout
the province, it had to do much more than simply put
on a show: it had to work in true partnership with each
of the communities it visited. Finally, when it comes to
the presentation of a touring show—always one of
Cirque du Soleil’s main activities—community relations
must be forged months in advance through preparatory
work with public entities, which allows Cirque to make
a tour stop in the community concerned.
A similar logic underlay Cirque du Soleil’s plan to set
up shop in the district of Saint-Michel. Even before the
ground was broken on this project, i.e. the building of
its headquarters, Cirque took the time to implant itself
as a citizen of the neighbourhood by, among other
things, participating in local issue tables.
While Cirque du Soleil positions itself as a full-fledged
member of the community, the community, for its part,
displays a multi-faceted identity. Its members are our
employees, our partners—such as Oxfam and Jeunesse
du Monde (in social and cultural action)—and our suppliers. We’re also talking about the communities surrounding our workplaces, whether at International
Headquarters (IHQ), the Resident Shows Division (RSD)
in Las Vegas or in each of the 140 cities that host our
touring shows. This community is also made up of the
social organizations and cultural, sports and business
associations we choose to support development-wise,
to say nothing of all those groups and all those citizens
who, year in, year out, solicit our financial, technical,
and human or other assistance.
Moreover, at an environmental level, the organization,
since 2002, has been implementing measures designed
to protect the environment, including a recycling program accredited by the Quebec government.
Aligning actions and values = civic synergy
ACTIONS
Creation
Business
Management
Marketing
COMMITTED
CIRQUE
VALUES
Creativity
Commitment
Citizenship
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OUR COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL ACTION DERIVES FROM OUR ROOTS,
WHERE YOUTH, CREATION AND MARGINALITY MELDED TOGETHER TO
CREATE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. SINCE THEN:
$30 million
or 1% of our revenues, have been dedicated
to social and cultural action (1989 to 2005)
7,000 youths
have participated in the Cirque
du Monde program between 1986
and 2005
650 artists
have taken part in 30 social circus
instructor training sessions
2005: some highlights
$6.2 million
240 benefit shows
or 1% of our revenues, dedicated primarily to the cause
of youth in difficulty, through outreach and cultural
action programs
have been staged between 1996 and 2005.
3,200 requests and applications
received by the Public, Social and Cultural Affairs
Service, half of which met with a positive response
800 young participants
in the Cirque du Monde program
120 artists
took part in seven social circus instructor
training sessions
15,000 preview tickets
distributed to underprivileged youths
40 benefit shows
10 art exhibitions
at the Studio
17 conferences
Nearly $194,000
raised, in tandem with employees, to help victims
of natural disasters, especially victims of the tsunami
in Southeast Asia and of Hurricane Katrina
30% increase
in IHQ’s recycling rate from 2004 to 2005
1 new parking lot
at IHQ, built with a view to limiting
environmental impacts
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SSocial Action
INSTEAD OF ESPOUSING ALL CAUSES, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS CHOSEN TO COMMIT ITSELF TO TODAY’S YOUTH,
PARTICULARLY STREET YOUTH. THIS CAUSE LIES VERY CLOSE TO CIRQUE’S HEART, AND THE ORGANIZATION
HOPES TO GIVE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD NEW BRIDGES WITH THE COMMUNITY
THROUGH THEIR MARGINAL STATUS. INDEED, DOES CIRQUE DU SOLEIL NOT OWE ITS EXISTENCE TO THE FACT
THAT ONE DAY, OLDER PEOPLE FIRMLY BELIEVED IN THE POTENTIAL OF A GROUP OF YOUNG STREET PERFORMERS, THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL? NOW THAT IT HAS THE MEANS TO FULFILL ITS DREAMS,
IT IS CIRQUE’S TURN TO GIVE BACK TO YOUNG PEOPLE. IN TANDEM WITH ITS PARTNERS, JEUNESSE DU MONDE,
OXFAM INTERNATIONAL AND MANY LOCAL YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS DEVELOPED
PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO HELP YOUTHS IN NEARLY 80 COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE AND THROUGHOUT SOME
TWENTY COUNTRIES SPANNING FIVE CONTINENTS.
Travellers that reach out to communities:
touring show initiatives
Benefit shows have long been a tradition at Cirque du
Soleil. Cirque donates touring show tickets to various
organizations, which then resell them in aid of their
cause. The funds raised go toward sponsoring programs
and services for youth at risk. In 2005, some 40 organizations held benefit shows that raised a total of nearly
$2 million. Benefit shows staged as part of the launch
of Corteo, a much-anticipated new production in Canada,
enabled organizations in Montreal, Quebec City and
Toronto to amass almost $600,000.
Despite their itinerant existence, our touring shows
and their staff contribute just as significantly to the
lives of the communities they visit. For example, touring
show artists and personnel often play host to youths at
performance sites, giving them a small taste of daily
life at Cirque du Soleil. This simple gesture leaves a
particularly strong impression on these marginalized
young people, so used to being ignored and shunted
aside. Similar activities took place on the tours of
Saltimbanco (Paris and Mexico), Quidam (Melbourne
and Hong Kong), Dralion (Ostend and Barcelona) and
Varekai (St. Petersburg, USA).
In Ostend, Belgium, 17 members of Dralion hosted some
twenty youths at the tour site. Performers offered circus
workshops at the training facilities while technicians
and other staff members served as chaperones for the
occasion, taking their young guests on a tour of the
premises and offering them a meal in the cafeteria.
Las Vegas and Orlando: resident show initiatives
Since late 2004, benefit shows have also been held in
Las Vegas and Orlando. On the initiative of performers,
Cirque decided to hold annual rehearsals of each benefit gala show. Since tickets are sold at a modest price,
these benefit galas allow hotel and casino employees
to attend the performances. In addition, proceeds from
ticket sales are donated to partners in the community
sector. In 2005, proceeds from benefit galas totalled
almost CDN $300,000.
Cirque du Soleil is not alone in having chosen to support the cause of youth in difficulty. Las Vegas plays
host to two major fundraising events in support of youth
in difficulty, the Tiger Jam (sponsored by Tiger Woods)
and the Andre Agassi Grand Slam, which Cirque takes
part in every year.
In fact, a five-year cooperative agreement was signed
with the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy.
Founded by Andre Agassi, this school is designed for
underprivileged students. It promotes self-discipline
and respect, and provides its students with personalized
attention in an effort to prepare them for college. The
partnership calls for various actions (some of which
were undertaken in 2005), including funding the building of an auditorium, to be named after Cirque du
Soleil, and incorporating a social circus program into
the school’s curriculum.
Every year for the past five years, employees of the Las Vegas office have organized
a fundraising event that has established itself as a mainstay in the community: the
5K Run. The event consists of a full day of activities bringing together artists and
employees and is highlighted by a 5-km run and a 1-km walk. This year the money
raised through the sponsorship of the runner/participants amounted to $38,000,
with the funds going to partners of the Cirque du Monde program in Las Vegas.
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International Headquarters: at the heart
of the Saint-Michel district
A first this year at Montreal’s IHQ: the collection of
school materials for youths of the Saint-Michel district.
The start of the school year involves heavy expenses
that have serious consequences for the budgets of
underprivileged families. IHQ employees therefore got
together and donated school supplies as well as money,
thus enabling some 125 children and three young mothers to start the school year equipped with all the materials necessary to be successful. This initiative was in
addition to the organization’s annual Christmas basket drive.
Cirque du Monde: the circus arts reach out
to youth in difficulty
Cirque du Monde, Cirque du Soleil’s flagship outreach program, celebrated its 10th anniversary in
2005. The fruit of a partnership between Cirque du
Soleil and Jeunesse du Monde, a non-government international cooperation program, the Cirque du Monde
program consists in using the circus arts as an educational alternative for youth in difficulty. In 2005, more
than 800 youths from 35 communities around the world
and nearly 60 partner organizations participated in the
program.
This anniversary was a celebration of what has become
a planet-wide movement, the social circus, which uses
the circus arts as a privileged tool to reach excluded
youth. Through its ties with numerous circus artists and
social circus organizations, Cirque du Soleil plays an
active role in this movement.
The social circus: training and networking
Above and beyond the Cirque du Monde program,
Cirque du Soleil, driven by a desire to develop,
strengthen and ensure the longevity of this movement,
has implemented programs designed to train social circus instructors. To this end, it created the International
Network for Social Circus Instructor Training, a social
circus exchange and cooperation platform.
Still with a view to ensuring the longevity and transmission of knowledge, Cirque has begun documenting particularly successful social circus experiences. This will
make it possible to develop tools that will be passed on
to organizations interested in implementing social circus
programs. This documentation work is done in concert
with the partners, circus instructors and stakeholders
involved in the experiences concerned. For instance, in
2005, Cirque du Soleil and Circo social Machinchuepa,
its Mexican partner, prepared a document relating the
Cirque du Monde experience in an economically
depressed district in Mexico.
Members of the International Network
for Social Circus Instructor Training:
On May 14, 2005, 150 youths, instructors and social
workers from Cirque du Monde’s various sites in Quebec
celebrated Cirque du Monde’s 10th anniversary at TOHU,
la Cité des arts du cirque. The young participants, who
lead a marginal existence, used this cultural space to
present a show reflecting their hopes and concerns
to an audience of 350 people.
• National Circus School (Canada)
• Jeunesse du Monde (Canada and Burkina Faso)
• Cirque du Soleil (Canada)
• Circo del Mundo (Chile)
• Zip Zap Circus School (South Africa)
• National Institute of Circus Arts (Australia)
• Circo Para Todos (Colombia)
• Rio de Janeiro National Circus School (Brazil)
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Cirquesters Do Their Part: acknowledgement
of employee volunteerism program
Cirque du Soleil boasts a number of employees who do
volunteer work in their communities. Cirque makes it a
point of honour to underline and support such commitment through the Cirquesters Do their Part program,
created in 2000. In 2005, eight bursaries, each worth
$2,500, were given to organizations for which particularly devoted Cirquesters perform volunteer work.
Organizations recipient of
bursaries in 2005
Employees doing volunteer
work for these organizations
Fair trade: beyond coffee
Cirque du Soleil has been a true pioneer in promoting
fair trade in Quebec, having undertaken to consume
only fair trade coffee as early as 1999. Through awareness activities organized from time to time, Cirque
employees have come to realize the effect of their
action when they pour themselves a cup of coffee. In
2005, a fair trade blitz was held throughout the organization. Some 350 employees actively participated by
attending conferences and taking part in the tasting of
fair products. On tours, similar activities were organized
thanks to the enthusiastic participation of school students and teachers.
Natural disasters: supportive employees
Maison La Botte de Foin
Marie-Denise Bain
Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club
Jason Creager
Conservatoire de danse de Montréal
Lise Dubois
Carrefour Lusophone
Sandy Gonçalves
Arco-Iris
Victoria Munoz
Sierra Club of Canada – Quebec chapter
Johanne Roberge
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (SPCA)
Sylvie Robidoux
Jewish General Hospital Foundation –
Segal Comprehensive Cancer Centre:
The Weekend to End Breast Cancer
The Wonderbras: Ines Lenzi,
Carole Di Filippo, Sophie Lemieux,
Linda Maffei, Christine Mariano,
Linda Sanders, Suzanne Slobodian
In addition to its long-term commitment to partners,
Cirque du Soleil and its employees mobilized in the face
of the two most momentous events of 2005, the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina. Employees
raised $44,775 in aid of the tsunami victims, a figure
Cirque doubled, thus making for a total of $134,325 in
aid relief. The money collected was donated to Oxfam
and the Red Cross.
In addition, Cirque employees contributed $30,000
toward Hurricane Katrina relief. With Cirque doubling
the amount, a total of $60,000 in aid money was raised.
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CCultural Action
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S CULTURAL ACTION SEEKS TO STIMULATE THE PROLIFERATION OF CREATIVE ACTIVITY
AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE, MAINLY BY SUPPORTING THE CULTURAL SECTOR AND
INTEGRATING THE ARTS INTO DAILY LIFE—THAT OF ITS EMPLOYEES AND THAT OF THE COMMUNITY. NEVER
FORGETTING ITS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS A BAND OF STREET ENTERTAINERS WHO USED PUBLIC AREAS AS
THEIR STAGE, CIRQUE FOCUSES ITS CULTURAL ACTION PROGRAMS PRIMARILY ON EMERGING ARTISTS AND
ALTERNATIVE COMPANIES.
Supporting the cultural scene
The support Cirque du Soleil offers to the innovative
and avant-garde projects of emerging artists and organizations, which often operate on the periphery of the
artistic world, is often the nudge in the right direction
these projects need to see the light of day. Cirque also,
and particularly, encourages multidisciplinary creators
whose works constitute singular amalgamations. For
instance, in 2005 Cirque sponsored multimedia artist
Isabelle Choinière and her company Corps Indice in
their creation of Étude chorégraphique # 1 pour corps
électrique. This work has the bodies of dancers interacting with a carpet composed of electronic sensors and
which thereby emit various sounds. Isabelle Choinière’s
works have been showcased in Montreal and in Europe.
Cirque is also a founding member of Culture Montréal,
an independent, non-profit civic organization that
defends the right and access to culture, as well as cultural participation for all citizens. Culture Montréal
seeks to affirm the role of culture in the city’s development, in particular by encouraging the participation of
the professional cultural sector in the life of the community. In addition, Culture Montréal aims to contribute to
Montreal’s positioning as a cultural metropolis by developing its creativity, cultural diversity and national and
international influence.
What’s more, Cirque du Soleil is involved with a number
of groups in the cultural sector and circus arts field. Our
involvement with the Bourse RIDEAU (Réseau Indépendant des Diffuseurs d’Événements Artistiques Unis) event
is just one example. RIDEAU’s mission is to foster the
blossoming and influence of the performing arts, principally in Quebec but also in Ontario and New Brunswick.
Each year RIDEAU grants awards that recognize the
exceptional work of artists and cultural presenters.
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Accomplishing two objectives with a single
action: integrating the arts into the lives of
employees
The support program for the cultural sector also makes it
possible for Cirque to integrate the arts into the lives of
its employees, as in those of youth in difficulty. Indeed,
Cirque purchases tickets for shows presented on the
alternative circuit and distributes them to employees via
draws, and to youths via its social action partners. In
2005, we gave away 1,600 tickets for 117 shows, including
the Festival Voix d’Amérique (oral literature and music),
Le Feuilleton (multimedia theatre improv) and Full
Subluna (multidisciplinary music nights).
The Support Program for Employees’ Artistic Projects
(PARADE) aims to support and encourage the artistic
activities employees engage in outside of their work at
Cirque du Soleil. Each year, a group exhibition allows
Cirque employees who practice a visual art to show
their artistic productions to co-workers. It also serves as
a meeting place for employees from various divisions
within the organization. In 2005, the works of RSD and
IHQ employees were for the first time incorporated into
the same exhibition.
Exhibitions at IHQ
in 2005 featured:
Geneviève Oligny & Marilyne Lemaître
Pierre Dumont
Heidi Taillefer
Expo collective de la Galerie SAS
Yuri Maiorov & Jean-François Bédard
Michel Pilon (Expo Pilon Jacintho)
Expo collective PARADE
Cirque also actively collects works from artists and art
galleries. Displayed in offices and workshops, Cirque’s
collection, which comprises several hundred works
(80 new acquisitions were made this year
alone), is another way of bringing art into the
everyday lives of employees. In 2005, 10 exhibitions of works by emerging artists were organized at IHQ.
Integrating the arts into the community:
public art project in Las Vegas
In Las Vegas, Cirque artists and staff, as well as
young outreach program participants, took part
in a public art project initiated by the city to
underline the 100th anniversary of its foundation. The initiative called for members of the
community to produce one hundred murals
recounting the city’s history.
Journées de la culture: spend a day
at the circus
This year, as in every other year, Cirque du Soleil welcomed some 5,000 visitors during the Journées de la
culture, a weekend during which hundreds of Quebec
cultural institutions open their doors to the public with
a view to improving access to culture and the arts.
Navigating a circuit in the company of Cirque artists
and artisans serving as guides, the public gets to see
creation sites from up close. These open days are
organized jointly with TOHU, the National Circus School
and En piste.
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CCivic Synergy: Beyond 1%
OUR COMMITMENT IS LIKE A DOOR OPENING ONTO THE WORLD; IT ALLOWS US TO FORGE AND MAINTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL SPHERES OF SOCIETY: THE ARTISTIC, SPORTS AND BUSINESS INDUSTRIES,
CIRQUE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE, POLITICIANS, ACADEMICS, DIPLOMATS AND COMMUNITY
STAKEHOLDERS. THIS NETWORK OF RELATIONS AND COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES IS AT THE CORE
OF CIRQUE’S COMMITMENT. AND THE MEANS OF ACTION ARE AS VARIED AND DIVERSE AS THE STAKEHOLDERS: CONFERENCES, PARTICIPATION IN BOARDS OF DIRECTORS’ MEETINGS AND BENEFIT EVENTS,
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS, ETC.
The circus arts: one big family
In 2005, Cirque threw its support behind the organization of the European Circus Association Annual
Symposium by sponsoring the simultaneous translation
of presentations into five different languages, thereby
ensuring the success of the event.
The experience of Saltimbanco’s 2004-2005 European
tour perfectly illustrates this desire to be part of the
Cirque community. The show’s artistic director organized exchanges with schools, troupes and circus groups
in various cities, in the form of workshops, visits or
informal get-togethers. These exchanges provided an
opportunity for learning and discussion, self-awareness
and mutual enrichment, as much for Cirque as for local
organizations.
Conferences: assuring the reach of Cirque and
its values
Cirque du Soleil receives frequent invitations to participate in conferences in various places. During
Saltimbanco’s run in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Senior
Vice-President of Shows, at the invitation of ITESCO
University’s Cultural Promotion Centre (Guadalajara),
gave a conference on the history of Cirque du Soleil,
including its strategies for developing new markets and
its social involvement programs. The event drew a
capacity crowd of 1,300 students in administration,
communication and design at ITESCO University.
In keeping with this logic, in 2005 Cirque du Soleil
concluded a five-year agreement with the Fondation
de l’athlète d’excellence du Québec (FAEQ). At the
first Cirque du Soleil Bursaries presentation, a total of
$20,000 was awarded to 14 young promising athletes
in gymnastics, synchronized swimming, trampoline
and diving.
Each year Cirque also awards a bursary as part of the
Québec Entrepreneurship Contest, in an effort to support small businesses that, upon their creation, include
in their mandate the desire to enhance the well-being
of the community they work in by way of an integrated
approach. In 2005, Coopérative Paradis (which provides
individuals and organizations working in the Lower St.
Lawrence region’s cultural sector with access to fully
equipped production and presentation space according
to specific needs) was awarded a $5,000 bursary.
Preservation of heritage: the sharing of wealth
Cirque du Soleil perpetuates the memory of its shows
by preserving its heritage, which it has every intention
of sharing. Thus, props and costumes are often showcased as part of exhibitions or events related to the
circus arts.
Supporting the next generation:
a long-term vision
Cirque du Soleil also supports various sectors of activity, from which it recruits the future members of its
organization who are so essential to its longevity:
sports, business, the arts, etc.
The majority of Cirque acrobats were initially trained in
other disciplines. If we have chosen to invest in future
generations of athletes, it is precisely because we recognize the close connection between the circus arts
and the world of sports.
Among the 15 or so exhibitions held in 2005, the one involving
the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida,
deserves special mention. The museum has set up a permanent
exhibition on the history of the circus in America, which features
a section on the contemporary circus arts. It also includes a
section dedicated to Cirque du Soleil featuring props and
costumes on loan from the organization.
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EEnvironmental Action: Toward a Green Cirque!
IN 2002, CIRQUE INCLUDED IN ITS 2002-2007 BUSINESS PLAN A KEY PRIORITY: MANAGING ITS IMPACT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT. EMPLOYEES SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
NEW FOCUS. THE ORGANIZATION QUICKLY SET UP AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE WITHIN
THE PROCUREMENT AND BUILDING SERVICES SERVICE.
Cirque’s environmental initiatives are often carried out
in concert with community and government organizations. For example, residual waste management practices include donating scraps from the manufacturing of
props, shoes and costumes to Productions Jeune’Est,
which uses them for courses on the production of sets
and props. Also, computers which no longer meet the
organization’s needs are given to a social economy
company called Insertech, which recycles and resells
them.
Initiatives at IHQ
Residual and hazardous waste management
In June 2005, Recyc-Québec, a Quebec government
agency, awarded Cirque du Soleil a recycling performance attestation for its residual waste management
practices at IHQ in Montreal. Through its waste reduction at source, reuse and recycling activities, Cirque has
gone from a 38% recycling rate in 2004 to a 70% recycling rate in 2005. Decorated by a young graffiti artist,
the organization’s recycling bins also sport Cirque’s
trademark artistic touch.
Corrective measures have also been taken to reduce
environmental risks associated with the management of
hazardous waste. These measures have had the positive
effect of simplifying the processing of waste by workshop employees.
New measures
In addition to the managing of residual and hazardous
waste, further measures were implemented in 2005. For
example, the employee and visitor parking lot at IHQ
was refurbished in order to limit its environmental
impacts as much as possible. During renovation work in
fall 2005, recycled materials such as asphalt and concrete were used. When renovation work resumes in
spring 2006, non-polluting materials (e.g. vegetable oil)
will be used for surfacing, and runoff will be drained
into a ditch filled with hydrocarbon-absorbing plants
before being discharged to a sewer system.
And not only has nighttime lighting at IHQ been significantly reduced, but bicycles are now made available to
employees who travel between IHQ and the ING building (a 10-minute trip).
Touring and resident show initiatives
For touring shows, the environmental challenge is that
much bigger, because of the temporary nature of their
installations. In 2005, a waste management pilot project
was implemented in conjunction with the tour stops of
the new production Corteo in Montreal, Quebec City
and Toronto. Despite the logistical hurdles, the organization hopes to move forward and is currently preparing
to implement waste management measures on the various touring shows on a gradual basis.
Reuse and recycling measures have also been implemented at Cirque’s permanent installations in Las Vegas
and Orlando.
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PProspects and Challenges for 2006
FOR CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, IT’S THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION—WITH ITS SHOWS, ITS CREATION AND PERFORMANCE SITES, ITS REPUTATION, ITS FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND, ABOVE ALL, ITS EMPLOYEES, ARTISTS AND
MANAGERS—THAT EXEMPLIFIES SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES CIRQUE A FULL-FLEDGED
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY.
A new adventure: Arts nomades
In 2005, Cirque du Soleil set to work on a new project slated for full deployment in
2006. This is a pilot project whose aim is to contribute through the arts to the education of children and youths of public elementary schools in the Saint-Michel district.
The initiative was developed in concert with the local community and neighbourhood
schools, and will be carried out in partnership with École Buissonnière. The originality
of Arts nomades lies in its ambition to initiate kids into the arts and cultural action
by means of a personalized educational approach – one that aims to give students
access to a creative environment that fosters their personal and social development.
Arts nomades will take to the road at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year,
with stops at the Bienville and Saint-Mathieu elementary schools.
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New environmental challenges
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES WILL COUNT AMONG CIRQUE’S PRIORITIES FOR 2006.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE ORGANIZATION WILL FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
adoption of an environmental policy
adherence to the City of Montreal’s strategic
plan for sustainable development and progressive
implementation of the measures prescribed in it
implementation of a tour waste
management program
air pollution
• assessing greenhouse gas emissions
• assessing the energy efficiency of tour sites
• assessing the use of biodiesel for tour generators
• additional measures for controlling Studio lighting
water management
• feasibility study of various measures to implement
more environment-friendly water consumption
practices
• employee awareness campaign aimed at reducing
consumption of drinkable water
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2
2006: Bound for 2009
AS DEMONSTRATED IN THIS REVIEW, FOR CIRQUE DU SOLEIL THERE IS MORE TO COMMUNITY RELATIONS
THAN SIMPLY PERFORMING GOOD DEEDS. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TRUSTS THAT ITS SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT WILL
DISTINGUISH ITSELF BY ITS UNIQUENESS AND DEPTH, JUST AS EACH OF ITS NEW SHOWS STRETCH THE
LIMITS OF INNOVATION AND IMAGINATION.
As of 2006, Cirque will be turning its attention to other aspects of its impact on society
and the environment. The organization will determine what it has to do over the next few
years to ensure that its actions are aligned with its community involvement values. These
efforts will aim to create a synergy of civic responsibility, that is, a mobilization effort
among all the Services to build a socially committed organization that will take into
account social and environmental factors in all of its decisions.
The 2006 Review will outline the established action plan as well as achievements in the
areas of community relations and environmental performance. With its 25th anniversary
coming up, Cirque du Soleil wishes that each of its services and each of its members
feels called upon and invested with the responsibility to embody Cirque’s commitment
to creating a better world.
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