press kit - Cirque du Soleil

PRESS KIT
OVERVIEW
Dralion™ is a signature Cirque du Soleil®
production acclaimed by more than seven million
people worldwide since it premiered in 1999 in
Montreal,Canada. After many years performing
under the big top, Dralion will now be presented
in arenas throughout the United States and
Canada, with the same quality performance.
Dralion is the fusion of ancient Chinese circus
traditions and the avant-garde style of Cirque
du Soleil. The name Dralion is drawn from two
primary symbols — the dragon, representing the
East, and the lion, representing the West. The
show pays homage to the four elements — Earth,
Air, Fire and Water — which take on human forms
and rule worlds defined by their individual colors.
Dralion is an extraordinary voyage through a
futuristic dimension — a place without time, ruled
by magical laws. Here, the iridescent colors of
the costumes are reflected in the metallic glints
of a decor reminiscent of the cinema
fantastique. The musical score simultaneously
borrows from traditional sources while entering
an electro-symphonic realm of a new world.
Bearing the unmistakable signature of
Cirque du Soleil and featuring 50
international acrobats, gymnasts,
musicians and singers, Dralion soars
to new heights as it defies the
laws of nature.
ACTS
Aerial Hoop
Aerial Pas de Deux
Bamboo Poles
An awe-inspiring creation of strength
and agility, this exotic aerial ballet
captures the passion and energy of its
signature element, fire. Suspended from
a hoop high above the stage, the artist
presents an evocative choreography in
which the hoop and body become one in
a dance of acrobatic precision.
Pas de deux is a languorous aerial dance. An
intertwined couple flies over the stage in a
long band of blue cloth. Within the cloth,
they perform various acrobatic figures that
demand great feats of strength and
flexibility.
In Bamboo Poles, six men balance long
decorative poles symbolizing fire. A
traditional act of the Chinese acrobatic
arts, the performers keep the poles
‘in flight’ overhead while performing
acrobatic feats on the ground.
Dralions
Handbalancing
Hoop Diving
A blend of the traditional Chinese dragon
and lion dances takes on new scope when
reimagined by Cirque du Soleil. In a
dynamic and energetic tumbling
sequence, the artists perform acrobatic
moves while balancing on large wooden
balls as the dralion characters surround
them with a spirited dance.
This act requires great strength and
flexibility. Displaying impressive control,
the artist balances on canes of various
heights, slowly executing a series of
astounding figures while maintaining a
delicate equilibrium.
Derived from Chinese acrobatic tradition,
the Hoop Diving act takes on a tribal flavor
from the African-influenced music to
which it is performed. Ten male artists
dive and throw themselves like arrows
through small wooden hoops. The hoops
are stacked on top of each other; some
are stationary while others rotate.
Juggling
medusa
Skipping Ropes
With stylized choreography that makes
the most of his incredible flexibility,
the artist incorporates a fast-paced
performance with hints of modern
dance. His incredible precision and
mastery of his art are evident as he
juggles up to seven balls simultaneously.
The artists execute graceful and lithe
movements which emphasize their extreme
flexibility and balance. Together, they
create extraordinary and harmonious
figures.
A children’s game familiar to everyone,
the skipping rope takes on a new
dimension in Dralion with a heightened
level of acrobatic prowess. As the artists
keep time with the long skipping ropes,
they perform flips, make pyramids and
even form a human column.
Trampoline
Chairs (Act in rotation)
Diabolo (Act in rotation)
Defying the laws of gravity, fearless
aerialists bounce off trampolines using
the futuristic backdrop both as a
diving board and landing pad. They
cascade perilously through the air
performing spectacular stunts at a
dizzying pace.
In the Chairs act, the artist delicately
stacks chairs to create a tower on
which to perform a balancing act that
displays the human body at the very
peak of condition and muscular control.
The diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, is a children’s
game which involves holding two sticks linked
by a string while sliding, juggling and tossing
a wooden spool. With increasingly difficult
maneuvers, the artists attempt to outdo
each other in dexterity and ingenuity.
CHARACTERS
AZALA (AIR)
GAYA (EARTH)
OCEANE (WATER)
Azala is the goddess of Air. She is the
guardian of the sun and immortality,
floating above timeless space in hues
of blue.
Gaya is the goddess of Earth. She
possesses within her human warmth
(fire) and the cool, fresh vitality of
life (water). She adorns herself in
ochre.
Oceane is the goddess of Water. As queen
of movement she controls, through the
art of dance, the movement of the
oceans. Her universe is green.
YAO (FIRE)
THE CLOWNS
LITTLE BUDDHA
The guide to the fiery demons; Yao
commands the rhythm of the show. He
symbolizes both good and evil. He sees life
in vivid red.
All is well in the best of worlds.However,
these clever clowns manage to push this
otherwise harmonious universe just
slightly off-kilter.
The Little Buddha is the chosen child.
Although it possesses special powers
that will allow it to eventually become
an Âme-Force, it dreams of being just a
regular child.
COstUMES
The primary sources of inspiration for the costumes
of Dralion come from China, India and Africa. The
palette favors vibrant solid colors, while the
shapes are guided by the artists’ movements and
choreography.
Each of the four elements and its associated
family are represented by their own unique color.
Blue is identified with air, green symbolizes water,
red is for fire, and ochre represents the earth.
Facts
•O
ver 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) of fabric were
used in creating the costumes;
•T
he fabrics come from regions around the globe,
including China, the United States, Italy, France,
England and Quebec;
•M
aterials that might be considered unusual were
used in creating costumes and accessories:
horse hair, raffia, metal, window screen, emu
feathers, crystals, styrofoam, plastic, bubble
wrap, fun fur, springs and an array of
hardware items;
•T
o create the texture on the chest plate of the
singer’s costume, bugs were glued on and then
molded into different shapes;
•T
he artisans at the Cirque du Soleil costume
workshop in Montreal worked for over three
months fabricating the original costumes,
hats, wigs and footwear required for Dralion.
New costumes are continuously made.
•T
he majority of the Dralion costumes are
custom-made for each artist, including shoes
and head pieces.
•D
ralion has close to 1,500 costume pieces
including shoes, hats and accessories.
•T
he Dralion wardrobe team includes 4 permanent
touring staff and 3 local wardrobe employees in
each city. The wardrobe team is responsible for
maintaining and repairing all costumes.
•T
he Dralion tour travels with washers and dryers
because most costume pieces are machine
washable and then hung to dry.
•O
ver 300 pairs of shoes are cleaned and painted
by hand every week.
MUSIC
Blending Eastern and Western sounds to create
rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the electric and acoustic
Dralion score draws its inspiration from classic Indian
melodies, weaving in influences from Andalusia,
Africa as well as Central and Western Europe.
The band is composed of six musicians and two
singers who perform live for every performance.
SET DESIGN
A mammoth structure creates the huge backdrop
that dominates the stage. This metallic set piece
is 60 feet wide and 26 feet tall and is suggestive
of a futuristic Chinese temple or a giant plate of
medieval armor.
The most imposing feature is the wall which spans
the full length of the stage. Covered with
perforated aluminum tiles, the wall is strong and
resilient while giving the impression of being light
and flexible. The six giant claws attached to the
structure allow artists to climb and suspend
themselves from the wall.
Three concentric aluminum rings are suspended
high above the stage. The first serves as a
catwalk for performers and technicians. The
second is used to support technical and acrobatic
equipment, including the enormous lantern that
descends at the end of the first half of the show.
The third ring is used to move performers up, down
and through the world of Dralion.
CREATORS
Guy Laliberté
Guy Caron
Gilles Ste-Croix
Guide and Founder
Director
Director of Creation
Stéphane Roy
François Barbeau Violaine Corradi Julie Lachance
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Composer
and Musical Director
Luc Lafortune
Guy Desrochers
Li Xining
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Designer
of Acrobatic Arts
Choreographer
AT A GLANCE
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque
du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality
artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including
more than 1,200 artists from close to 50 different countries.
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100
million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. Cirque du Soleil
International Headquarters are in Montreal, Canada. The company
has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk,
Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d’Or de Montreux.
For more information about Cirque du Soleil,
visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
THE MISSION
The mission of Cirque du Soleil is to invoke the imagination, provoke
the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world.
THE CREATION OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
It all started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Quebec City in
Canada. There, in the early eighties, a band of colourful characters
roamed the streets, striding on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing
fire, and playing music. They were Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul
(the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre group founded
by Gilles Ste-Croix. Already, the townsfolk were impressed and
intrigued by the young performers – including Guy Laliberté who
founded Cirque du Soleil.
The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels
Club), and then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul,
a cultural event in which street performers from all over met to
exchange ideas and enliven the streets of the town for a few days.
La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and 1984. Le Club des talons
hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste-Croix and their
cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Quebec circus
and take the troupe travelling around the world.
In 1984, Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of
Canada’s discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show
that would carry the festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté
presented a proposal for a show called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of
the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the organizers. And Cirque
du Soleil hasn’t stopped since!
A FEW STATISTICS
• In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil. Today,
the business has 5,000 employees worldwide, including
more than 1,200 artists.
• At the Montreal International Headquarters, there
are close to 2,000 employees.
• More than 100 types of occupations can be found
at Cirque.
• The average age of employees is 37.
• The company’s employees and artists represent close
to 50 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.
• More than 100 million spectators have seen a Cirque
du Soleil show since 1984.
• Close to 15 million people will see a Cirque du Soleil
show in 2010.
• Cirque du Soleil hasn’t received any grants from
the public or private sectors since 1992.
Cirque du Soleil’s Areas of Activity
Cirque du Soleil presents simultaneously twenty-one different
shows around the world. Its challenge is to continue to grow while
offering its creators the freedom to dream the wildest dreams and
make them come true. The heart of Cirque du Soleil’s activity
remains creating live shows and presenting them under big tops
or in theatres. Since 1984 close to 200 creators from the four
corners of the globe have contributed their talents to this end.
In the past few years Cirque du Soleil has been developing business
initiatives based on its shows. Through its Events and Images
division:
1. Cirque du Soleil creates original and innovative content for
television and DVD. Its creations have been awarded numerous
prizes and distinctions: among them are Cirque du Soleil presents
Corteo (Emmy and Gémeaux in 2007); Midnight Sun (DVD
Excellence Award in 2006 and a Gemini Award in 2005); Cirque
du Soleil Fire Within (DVD Excellence Award in 2005, a Primetime
Emmy Award and two Gemini Awards in 2003); and Cirque du
Soleil presents Dralion (three Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001).
2. Cirque du Soleil has acquired extensive experience in organizing
unforgettable private gatherings as well as major public events
(Shanghai World Exposition 2010, Expo Zaragoza 2008, the showevent for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City). For the past few
years the Cirque du Soleil Events team has brought its creativity to
a most discriminating clientele with the same energy and spirit
that characterizes each of the company’s shows.
TOURING SHOWS IN ARENAS
In 2010,
Cirque du
Soleil
will present
21 different
shows around
the world:
Europe
North America
North America
TOURING SHOWS UNDER THE BIG TOP
Europe
North America
South America
North America
Japan
North America
TOURING SHOW
IN THEATRE
SEASONAL SHOW
Theater at Madison Square
Garden in New York City
(from November to January,
each year until 2010)
RESIDENT SHOWS
Treasure Island
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Bellagio
in Las Vegas, Nevada
New York-New York
Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Mirage
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Luxor
in Las Vegas, Nevada
ARIA Resort & Casino
at CityCenter,
in Las Vegas, Nevada
MGM Grand
in Las Vegas, Nevada
The trademarks Cirque du Soleil, Nouvelle
Expérience, Saltimbanco, Alegría, Mystère,
Quidam, La Nouba, “O”, Dralion, Fascination,
OVO, Zumanity, The Sensual Side of Cirque du
Soleil, KÀ, Corteo, KOOZA, ZAIA, ZED, Varekai,
TOTEM, Banana Shpeel and Wintuk are owned by
Cirque du Soleil and used under licence.
The trademark LOVE is owned by The Cirque
Apple Creation Partnership and used under licence.
The trademark The Beatles is owned by Apple
Corps Limited.
The trademarks CRISS ANGEL and Believe are
owned by Criss Angel and used under licence.
Viva ELVIS is a trademark owned by Elvis Presley
Enterprises, Inc. © The Cirque EPE Partnership.
Elvis name and likeness used under licence.
Walt Disney World® Resort
in Orlando, Florida
The Cirque du Soleil
Theatre Tokyo
in Japan
The Venetian
Macao-Resort-Hotel
in Macau SAR, China
ON STAGE OR BACKSTAGE
IT’S YOUR TURN TO BE PART OF THE SHOW
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