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Saltimbanco
''Saltimbanco'' was a touring show by Cirque du Soleil. ''Saltimbanco'' ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10, 2006. A new adaptation of the show started touring North America on July 31, 2007, with its first stop in London, Ontario, Canada. The new version was staged in arenas with fewer performances in each city it visited. The new version closed at the end of 2012. The show was described by Cirque du Soleil as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it as an antidote to the violence and despair prevalent in the 20th century. Etymology English has lost the word ''saltimbank'' from current usage; but it is still familiar in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian as ''saltimbanco'', and in French as ''saltimbanque'', meaning ''street acrobat'' or ''entertainer''. According to the company's site, the word "saltimbanco" co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cirque Du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix. Originating as a performing troupe called ''Les Échassiers'' (; "The Stilt Walkers"), they toured Quebec in various forms between 1979 and 1983. Their initial financial hardship was relieved in 1983 by a government grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to perform as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada. Their first official production ''Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil'' was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to recreate it as a "proper circus". Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
René Bazinet
René Bazinet (born 1955) is a German-Canadian clown, mime, and stage and film actor. He is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, first as a performing artist touring extensively with ''Saltimbanco'', and later as the clown act creator and acting consultant for the show as well as for Cirque du Soleil's 2011 production '' Zarkana''. He has also starred in shows at the Berlin Wintergarten and the Circus Roncalli. Life and career Bazinet was born René Fiener (his mother's surname) in Bochum, West Germany. His father was Willy Dege, a cabaret and variety artist. When he was 14, his mother married a Canadian military police officer, Sgt. Major Bazinet, who adopted him, and the family emigrated to Canada. After completing high school in Montreal, Bazinet studied theatre at John Abbott College in Quebec. One of his teachers there, who had studied with Jacques Lecoq, recognized Bazinet's talent for mime and devised a one-man show for him.LeBank, Ezra and Bridel, David (2015)''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
René Dupéré
René Dupéré (born 1946) is a Canadian composer from Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada. Biography Dupéré is best known as the composer and arranger of music for contemporary circus productions by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. Among the Cirque du Soleil stage shows he has scored are: ''Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil'' (1984), ''La Magie Continue'' (1986), '' Le Cirque Réinventé'' (1987), '' Nouvelle Expérience'' (1990), ''Saltimbanco'' (1992), '' Mystère'' (1993), '' Alegría'' (1994), '' Kà'' (2004), and ''Zed'' (2009). According to press releases from Cirque du Soleil, "René Dupéré played a key role in shaping the artistic universe of Cirque du Soleil during its first ten years.""Cirque d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luc Lafortune
Luc Lafortune (born September 1958) is a Canadian lighting designer for the entertainment industry as well as one of the original designers of the Cirque du Soleil. Career Lafortune studied at Dawson College, and then McGill University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Arts. He later obtained a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Concordia University. Upon graduation, he went to work for Cirque du Soleil, embarking on their first tour, '' Le Grand Tour'', a 13-week stint across rural Quebec, organized in conjunction with the celebrations marking the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada by French explorer, Jacques Cartier. Since then, Lafortune has designed numerous Cirque du Soleil shows, including "Le Cirque Réinventé (We Reinvent the Circus)'', ''Fascination'', ''Nouvelle Expérience'', ''Saltimbanco'', '' Mystère'', '' Alegría'', '' Quidam'', '' O'', '' La Nouba'', '' Dralion'', '' Varekai'' (co-designer), ''Zumanity'' and '' Kà''. In 2010, Lafortune c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mystère (Cirque Du Soleil)
''Mystère'' (my-steer) is one of six resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Held in a custom theatre at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, the show was first performed on 25 December 1993, making it the company's longest running show. As with many Cirque du Soleil productions, ''Mystère'' features a mixture of circus skills, dance, elaborate sets, opera, worldbeat music, and street theatre-style comedy. Featuring a musical score composed by René Dupéré and Benoît Jutras, the show was created under the direction of Franco Dragone. The word "mystère" comes from a French word meaning mystery. History The idea for ''Mystère'' started around 1990. It was originally planned for Caesars Palace with a theme based on Greek and Roman mythology. The plan, however, was scrapped by the casino executives, who thought the project would be too financially risky. ''Mystère'' was very different from the typical material they were used to in a Las Vegas show. Accordi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franco Dragone
Franco Dragone (12 December 1952 – 30 September 2022) was an Italian-born Belgian theatre director. He was the founder and artistic director of Dragone, a creative company specializing in the creation of large-scale theatre shows. He was also known for his work with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion. CNN said that Dragone was "one of the key architects of Cirque du Soleil's theatrical style", and that "while Cirque du Soleil's signature was contemporary circus, Dragone's solo work embodies more theater, dance -- and, of course, water" through the use of his "trademark" aquatic stages. Dragone died from a heart attack in Cairo, Egypt, on 30 September 2022 at the age of 69. Early life Dragone was born in 1952 in Cairano, a small town in southern Italy. At the age of seven, he moved to the mining region of La Louvière in Belgium with his family so his parents could work in Belgium's coal mines. He remembers that being an "artist" was not treated seriously by the mining c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Pole
Chinese poles are vertical poles on which circus performers climb, slide down and hold poses. The poles are generally between in height and approximately in diameter. Some poles have a slightly larger pole that rotates around the static central pole using ball bearings. This rotating pole allows a performer to spin on the vertical axis, giving a performer the ability to incorporate rate of spin into a performance. Bringing the body closer into the pole causes the performer to spin faster. A few Chinese pole tricks have been incorporated with pole dancing techniques. The poles are sometimes covered with rubber to improve grip. However, the rubber can cause friction burns on parts of the Chinese pole artists' bodies. Acrobats often wear multiple layers of clothing to prevent such burns and bruises. The most famous trick is " the flag", where the artist hangs straight out from the pole with his or her hands. This requires a very strong upper body. A few people are able to do pushu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russian Swing
A Russian swing is a large, floor-mounted swing which is sometimes used in circus performances to make impressive high acrobatic jumps. Unlike ordinary playground swings, a Russian swing has steel bars instead of ropes, and its swinging platform is able to rotate 360 degrees around the horizontal bar from which it is suspended. Two or more acrobats stand on the swing platform, pumping it back and forth until it is swinging in high arcs. This motion increases the centrifugal force of the flyer (the acrobat who is going to jump). The flyer then lets go of the swing at the peak of its arc, gaining enough altitude to execute one of various aerial flips before landing at a distance from the swing. The flyer may land on a crash mat, in a vertically slanted net, in the arms of other acrobats (referred to as catchers), in a pool of water, or even on the platform of another Russian swing. Performing companies whose shows have used the Russian swing include: * Cirque du Soleil (''Saltimban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea Conway
Andrea Conway, also known as Andrea Conway-Doba (born September 15, 1971), is a former Canadian gymnast, acrobat, actor, tap dancer and clown from Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Gymnastics Conway competed in artistic gymnastics on a national level, representing Quebec. In 1987, she represented Canada at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, winning a bronze medal for team Canada. Stage career Conway toured with Cirque du Soleil from 1992–2000, performing on the Chinese poles and Russian swing. She was an original cast member in Cirque du Soleil's ''Saltimbanco''. In 2001, she was cast in Teatro Zinzanni. She went on to collaborate in 18 Teatro Zinzanni productions in San Francisco and Seattle. She also co-wrote and co-directed two Teatro Zinzanni productions. Conway appeared in several Teatro Zinzanni shows with her husband, Wayne Doba, as the tap dancing comedy duo “Dik and Mitzi”. The couple perform two-person shows in small theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Personal li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nouvelle Expérience
''Nouvelle Expérience'' was Cirque du Soleil's fourth touring circus show, which premiered in 1990. Before the show's conception, Cirque du Soleil attempted to revive one of its previous shows, ''Le Cirque Réinventé''. The attempt was abandoned after a weak critical reception. Laliberté and Ste-Croix instead created a new show based on the plans that had originally been drawn up by Caron before his departure. Originally intended to be called ''Eclipse'', they renamed the show ''Nouvelle Expérience'' and launched it in 1990. Franco Dragone agreed to return—albeit reluctantly—but only if he had full creative control of the show's environment. One of the first things he did was to remove the curtain that separated the artist from the audience, so that they would both feel part of a larger show. Whereas in a traditional circus the artist could go past the curtain and drop his role, Dragone had created an environment where the artist had to remain in character for the full le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Straps
Straps, also known as aerial straps, are a type of aerial apparatus on which various feats of strength and flexibility may be performed, often in the context of a circus performance. It is a cotton or nylon web apparatus that looks like two suspended ribbons. Wrapping the strap ends around hands and wrists, the performer performs holds, twists, rolls and manoeuvres, requiring extreme strength and precision similar to men’s rings in gymnastics. Straps are available in various configurations, including those with various types of loops at the ends and those without loops. A straps act usually includes held poses and postures done on the straps, dance moves performed on the floor away from the straps, partner acrobatics done on and off the straps, as well as having the straps pulled up and let down during the act. . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, and may be performed solo, double, triple or as a group act. The name of the apparatus reflects the trapezoid shape made by the horizontal bar, ropes and ceiling support. History The art of trapeze performance is reported to have been developed by Jules Léotard, a young French acrobat and aerialist, in Toulouse in the mid-1800s. He is said to have used his father's swimming pool to practice. However, the name "trapeze" can be found in books dating as far back as twenty years earlier, before Léotard was born. One such example is George Roland’s “An Introductory Course of Modern Gymnastic Exercises”, published in 1832. Roland proposes the idea that the trapeze might owe its origin to Colonel Amoros, but ultimately deems the questio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
