Dragone is a Las Vegas and Luxembourg based creative company specializing in the creation of large scale theater shows.Profile of Franco Dragone, "Franco Dragone at the Limits of Las Vegas"
, by Chris Jones, from ''Democratic Vistas Profiles'': Essays in the Arts and Democracy. It was founded in 2000 by

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. According to ...

. Formerly known as ''Franco Dragone Entertainment Group (FDEG)'', the company became Dragone in 2014. The company, previously based in

La Louvière La Louvière (; ) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pie ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, has created in excess of forty "permanent shows", in addition to events in more than 12 countries across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

History

Origins

The company was founded in 2000 by

, who had acquired experience in the circus industry in the ’80s and ‘90s, creating many shows with the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

. Since its foundation, Dragone has been responsible for the creation and production of dozens of shows and original events.

Local anchorage

The company was based in the Belgian city of La Louvière, the region where Franco Dragone moved to with his family when he was a young child in the 1950s. The presence of the company has showcased the city internationally, through local actions and events. Dragone has also captured attention due to the visits and participation of celebrities in their shows, such as

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg ( ; born December 21, 1950) is an American media proprietor and film producer. He served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, a position in which he oversaw production and busin ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

Décrocher la lune

"Décrocher la lune" is an event organised by Dragone, which seeks to combine entertainment and social concerns in a manner which includes participatory action by the community. In March 2000, the first such “Décrocher la lune” was held in March 2000, in La Louvière. Other iterations of the festival took place in 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015. Since 2014, the scheme has been renamed to the “Agence Lunaire”, which is now responsible for the project.

5 sur 5

Created in 2004, the Festival 5 sur 5 offered young directors from around the world to express their point of view on La Louvière through

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s. The project was managed by the non-profit organization Espace Dragone, which represented the company's citizen base. The project successfully ran for thirteen consecutive years.

Economic issues and judicial difficulties

In October 2012, the company premises were searched. Franco Dragone faced charges for tax evasion; the case is still under investigation and the judicial investigation is not complete. Between 2016 and 2017, an unfavorable economic environment resulted in Dragone experiencing significant cash flow difficulties. To maintain the activity in its Belgian base, and to save the jobs of its employees, the company engaged itself in a procedure in judicial reorganization (PRJ), which will be ultimately approved by the Commercial Court of

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

, which will pronounce the sustainability of the activity.

Shows

The so-called permanent shows are the hallmarks of the company. They are intended to be performed for a minimum period of 10 years, typically in theaters specifically built for Dragone shows. The shows heavily incorporate technology and special effects. These shows include several types of performances inspired by traditional and contemporary circus. Dragone has specialized in the development of aquatic theater, under the stage of which hides a swimming pool of several million liters, allowing the use of a third play area, in addition to the aerial and aquatic ones. The shows are intricately developed by various teams within the company, including the following units: Casting, Talents & Trends, Architecture & Design, Illustration and Video, Costumes. Shows organised by the company include the following that can be broadly categorized into three divisions:

From Las Vegas to Dubai

A New Day...

In March 2003, the new Colosseum at Caesars Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

held the premiere of

’s A New Day..., a show created and directed by Franco Dragone. Celine Dion had previously seen and loved '' O'' and she even temporarily moved to Belgium so the two could closely collaborate on the show she dreamed of... In this show, says the artistic director, “I see Celine as a satellite that captures the images of another world and sends them back to the audience. The stage becomes a secret universe that she shares very intimately with the audience”; while Celine Dion thinks the world of its “magician”. The show was performed every night for five years in front of a full house.

Le Rêve

In 2005, Le Rêve, entirely conceived in the workshops of La Louvière, took place in the setting of

Steve Wynn Stephen Alan Wynn ( Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He was known for his involvement in the luxury casino and hotel industry, prior to being forced to step down in 2018. Early in his care ...

’s casino hotel, the

Wynn Las Vegas Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn re ...

. The aquatic scene is surrounded by more than 2000 seats and contains over 3500m³ of water. The dome rises 25m from the stage. This show is very intimate despite the technical means implemented, since the farthest of the two thousand spectators, in the fourteenth row, is only twelve meters from the stage.

Lido - Paris Merveilles

Among the projects, contacts were gradually established with the owners of the

Lido Lido may refer to: Geography * Lido (Belgrade), a river beach on the Danube in Belgrade, Serbia * Venice Lido, an 11-kilometre-long barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, Venice, Italy * Ruislip Lido, a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruisl ...

, a famous cabaret located on the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

and the service company

Sodexo Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance) is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 522,000 employees as of 2023, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million custome ...

. And in the beginning of 2013, the first auditions were held in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The new performers of the troupe were selected during a rigorous casting process while the Lido transformation work started. In March 2015, the day before the premier, the costumes created by Nicolas Vaudelet were transported to Paris for the final fittings. When the curtain rose a completely new show was presented to the audience; a revue of a new kind, very rock, leading the audience to discover an eternal Paris to the music of Saule and Yvan Cassar, other faithful accomplices of Franco Dragone.

La Perle

The premiere of “La Perle” took place on September 13, 2017 in the heart of the Al Habtoor City Resort. La Perle is the first Las Vegas style permanent show of this scale in the UAE, performed in an aquatic theater, designed by Jean Rabasse and the Dragone Studio, with 1300 seats and 450 performances a year. For the artistic director Franco Dragone, La Perle is intended to present Dubai as “a laboratory of the future where people of diverse cultures create something spectacular together”. Several celebrities like Sheikh Mohammed bin Rachid Al Maktoum,

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

and

Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...

attended the show.

Asian adventure

The House of Dancing Water

In the fall of 2010 in the theater of extraordinary dimensions of the complex “ City of Dreams”,

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, the premier of, “

The House of Dancing Water ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

” (THODW), a permanent water show, took place. Created, designed and developed in La Louvière and rehearsed in Alfacam's studios, near

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium, marked the beginning of a new milestone in the history of Dragone: the entry into Asia. This first show on Chinese soil came about after a meeting between Franco Dragone and Lawrence Ho, co-chairman and CEO of Melco Crown Entertainment, which will open a new resort “City of Dreams”. During the first five years of its operation, THODW welcomed more than 3 million spectators and won four prestigious awards in the world of design and international marketing. The Macau experience confirmed the international vocation of the Company. In the process, the company is implementing a completely new type of contract and of an unprecedented scale with the powerful

Dalian Wanda Group Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning, and headquartered in Beijing. The conglomerate's core businesses are a private property developer and an entertainment compan ...

, the Chinese leader in commercial real estate development, luxury hotels and cultural industry, and chaired by

Wang Jianlin Wang Jianlin (; born 24 October 1954) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the chairman, founder, and majority shareholder of the Dalian Wanda Group, one of China's foremost conglomerate companies, which is also well ...

. This contract covers the design, creation, production and operation of several unique shows in different Chinese cities, for a minimum of ten years

The Han Show

The Han show has been paying tribute to the essence of Han culture since opening in December, 2014. The lantern-shaped theater that houses the show has forever changed the urban landscape of

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

, capital of the

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

Province. Inspired by the typical lines of the so-called “red lanterns”, the theater was designed by world-renowned architect

Mark Fisher Mark Fisher (11 July 1968 – 13 January 2017), also known under his blogging alias k-punk, was an English writer, music critic, political and cultural theorist, philosopher, and teacher based in the Department of Visual Cultures at Golds ...

and his team at Stufish. The theater is more than 70 meters high and 100 meters wide on each side offers pedestrians and spectators a real outdoor show with the ballet of lights illuminating its facade. At the beginning of each performance the 2000 spectators discover the swimming pool, which holds 10 million liters of water, hidden under the stage thanks to a unique system that allows the seats to move, modifying the configuration of the room. The 95 artists, from all disciplines, selected by the casting department at Dragone, perform 10 shows per week. Now, in

Langfang Langfang is a prefecture-level city of Hebei Province of China, Province, China, and was known as Tianjin Prefecture until 1973. It was renamed Langfang Prefecture after Tianjin became a Direct-controlled municipalities of China, municipality ...

, near

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, in a studio built to train the artists for the show, training and formation is being developed with the support of a Beijing's university, on a model that should extend to other regions of the globe.

The Dai Show

In 2015, Dragone created and produced the second show commissioned by the Wanda Group. The Dai Show is a tribute to a world where man still lives in harmony with nature: that of the Dai people. This is the traditional beneficial energy that fueled the show and inspired the construction of its theater in

Xishuangbanna Xishuangbanna, sometimes shortened to Banna, is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of Yunnan Province. The autonomous prefecture for Dai people is in the extreme south of Yunnan province, China, bordering both Myanmar and Laos. Xishuangbanna ...

, southwest

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, on the border with

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

and

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Time for diversification

Over time, the company progressed in the diversification of its activities. Departments within the company, such as the illustration department or Dragone Costumes can take on contracts independently of the parent company. For example, for Holliday on Ice - Ice Age and Peter Pan - The Never Ending Story, in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. While the main company is venturing into new challenges such as cabaret, touring shows with singers, lyrical art (training, opera creation) or the artistic direction of theme parks.

Taboo

Between 2012 and 2015, Dragone invested in the world of traditional cabaret with the show Taboo. Mixing sophisticated and sensual choreography with sexy acrobatic performances, Taboo invited the audience to a mischievous trip to “Cubic”, the

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

set up in the heart of Macau's City of Dreams complex. Audiences could witness pole dancing, striptease, hand-to-hand, dance and performances involving fire highlighted by an important work on sound, light and especially video projections. The biggest names in Cabaret and

Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

contributed to the fame of Taboo, such as Dita Von Teese and the Bluebell Girls from the Lido in Paris.

Me

For the second time in more than a decade, Dragone created a show for the popstar:

Philip Kirkorov Philipp Bedros Kirkorov (, ; ; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. Kirkorov's career began in 1985 with participation in the Soviet musical TV show " Wider Circle". Since 2000, he has maintained public interest in his p ...

, a Russian artist who has won 5

World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...

. For this creation entitled “Я” (Me), the 30 songs of the show were all revisited to breathe new life into Kirkorov's popular hits, without betraying their original spirit, deeply rooted in the Russian soul. The premiere of the Kirkorov's international tour took place on March 18, 2016, in the prestigious theater of the

Grand Kremlin Palace The Grand Kremlin Palace () is a building in the Moscow Kremlin. For much of the 19th century, it served as the official residence of the Russian emperor in Moscow, which was not then the capital of the Russian Empire. Designed by a team of arc ...

The Land of Legends

Franco Dragone managed the artistic direction of an innovative theme park, in a partnership with the Rixos Hotels group. The Land of Legends,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

’s largest theme park, opened during the summer of 2016 in the city of

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

. For Dragone, this opportunity allowed him to develop a creative concept, characters, performances and a world where the visitor, as the viewer on other stages, is invited to enter the park and experience their own legend.

List of shows and events

Permanent shows

* 2003-2007: '' A New Day..''. (

). Celine Dion show. * 2005-2020: '' Le Rêve'' (

). Permanent show in Steve Wynn's casino hotel. * 2010-2020: ''

'' (

). Permanent show of a 2000-seat theater created for the occasion. * 2012-2016: ''Taboo'' (

). Cabaret show. * 2014-...: ''The Han Show'' (

). Permanent show in a theater filled with innovative technology. * 2015-2022: ''Lido - Paris Merveilles'' (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

). New revue of the legendary Parisian cabaret: The Lido. * 2015-...: ''The Dai Show'' (

). Permanent show, inspired by the traditional Chinese Dai culture. * 2016-... : ''The Land of Legends'' (

). Theme park in a large Rixos Hotels complex. * 2017-...: ''La Perle'' (

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

). Las Vegas style permanent show integrated into the real estate site of Habtoor City.

Events

* 2000-...: ''Décrocher la lune'' (

). Urban opera. * 2000: ''Kick Off Euro 2000'' (

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

). Opening ceremony of the

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

Football European Championship. * 2001: ''Chapeau Europa'' (

). Opening performance of the Belgian Presidency of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. * 2002: ''Disney Cinema Parade'' (

Marne-la-Vallée Marne-la-Vallée () (English language, English: Marne Valley) is a new town located near Paris, France. Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, Val d'Europe, University of Marne la Vallée, Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, ESIEE Par ...

). Dancing Parade of the new Parisian

Walt Disney Studios Park Walt Disney Studios Park ( French: ''Parc Walt Disney Studios'') is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 16 March 2002, and it is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company t ...

. * 2002: ''Gueules Noires'' (

Marcinelle Marcinelle (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. Until 1977, it was a municipality of its own. The town of Marcinelle is renowned as the home ...

). Memorial performance of the disaster that occurred in the

Bois du Cazier The Bois du Cazier () was a coal mine in what was then the town of Marcinelle, near Charleroi, in Belgium which today is preserved as an industrial heritage site. It is best known as the location of a major mining disaster that took place on Augu ...

’s coalmine in 1956. * 2002: ''Au fil de l'Homme'' (

). Inauguration show of the funicular boat lift of Strépy-Thieu. * 2004-2016: ''Festival 5 sur 5'' (

). Film festival where international directors make short films about La Louvière. * 2005: ''Zarabanda'' (

). Equestrian show of the Brussels International Jumping. * 2006-2009: ''Le Tailleur du Rêve'' (

). Exhibition of drawings, costumes and props of the show “Le Rêve” played in Las Vegas. * 2006: ''BelgacomXmas party'' (

). Corporate event for the Belgian company

Belgacom The Proximus Group is a provider of digital services and communication solutions operating in Belgium and international markets. In Belgium, the company offers its main products and services under the brands Proximus, Scarlet, and Mobile Viki ...

. * 2007: ''Crown Macau Opening'' (

). Opening performance of the Crown Macau hotel. * 2007: ''Fortissim'o'' (

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

). Event show performed at the

Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...

Palace in

. * 2008: ''Celestial Urban Opera'' (

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). Urban Opera made for the city of

. * 2008: ''Le Potager des Visionnaires'' (

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

). Vegetal type of event on the roof of the

Musée de la Civilisation The Musée de la civilisation, often directly translated in English-language media outside Quebec as the Museum of Civilization, is a museum located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is situated in the historic Old Quebec area near the Saint L ...

, as part of the 400th anniversary of the city. * 2008-2009: '' Cuty Sark Spain'' (

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

). 3 corporate events for the whiskey brand. * 2009: ''Gare à vous!'' (

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

). Opening performance of the Liège-Guillemins new railway station by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava Valls. * 2009: ''KDO!'' (

).End of year show played at

Forest National Forest National (French language, French) or Vorst Nationaal (Dutch language, Dutch) is a multi-purpose arena located in the municipality of Forest, Belgium, Forest in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold more than 8,000 people. It hosts indoo ...

. * 2010: ''ECOS'' (

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

). Inauguration of the

South American Games The South American Games (also known as ODESUR Games; Spanish: ''Juegos Suramericanos''; Portuguese: ''Jogos Sul-Americanos''), formerly the Southern Cross Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Cruz del Sur'') is a regional multi-sport event held between nat ...

. * 2010: ''Zain'' (

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

). Show celebrating the “

Seven Natural Wonders ''Seven Natural Wonders'' is a television series that was broadcast on BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is t ...

” in Portugal. * 2011: ''Venice'' (

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

). Private ceremony. * 2012: ''Odyseo'' (

). Video show celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Belgian company

Solvay Solvay may refer to: Companies and organizations * Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Brussels, Belgium * Solvay Institute of Sociology, Brussels, Belgium, part of the Université Libre de Bruxelles * Solvay Process Company (1880 ...

. * 2013: ''Story of a Fort, Legacy of a Nation'' (

). Visual poem created for the Qasr Al Hosn Festival in honor of

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

culture. * 2014: ''FIFA World Cup'' ( Säo Paulo -

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

). Opening and closing ceremonies of the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

. * 2015: ''Discovery of a New World'' (

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

). Winter show, presenting a "New World" to the public of Harbin. * 2015: ''Napoli Teatro Festival'' (

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

). Franco Dragone directed this edition of the Neapolitan theater festival. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2016: ''Catwalk to Rio'' (

). Gala dinner showcasing the best of Belgium for the Rio

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. * 2016: ''Я'' (

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and international). Show for the tour of pop singer Philip Kirkorov. *2023: ''Terhal'' (

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

). Terhal was created in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture. Franco was involved in the initial phases and it was co-directed by Filippo Ferraresi & Tiziana Pagliarulo

Ballets and operas

* 2013: ''Sorolla'' (

). Production performed by the Spanish National Ballet and inspired by the paintings of Joaquin Sorolla. * 2013-2017: ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' (

). Opera performed in 2013 at the San Carlo Theater in Italy and in 2017 in Belgium. * 2016: ''La Traviata'' (

Jesi Jesi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river, before its mouth on the Adria ...

). Franco Dragone directed

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

’s opera with the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation. * 2017: ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' (

). The latest adaptation of the famous ballet by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

staged and choreographed by Giuliano Peparini

References

External links

Dragone official website

City of Dream - The House of Dancing Water

Stufish - Han Show Theatre
{{authority control Entertainment companies of Belgium Companies based in Hainaut (province) Theatre companies in Belgium Belgian companies established in 2000 Entertainment companies established in 2000

History

Origins

Local anchorage

Décrocher la lune

5 sur 5

Economic issues and judicial difficulties

Shows

From Las Vegas to Dubai

A New Day...

Le Rêve

Lido - Paris Merveilles

La Perle

Asian adventure

The House of Dancing Water

The Han Show

The Dai Show

Time for diversification

Taboo

Me

The Land of Legends

List of shows and events

Permanent shows

Events

Ballets and operas

Further reading

References

External links