Mathieu Laplante is a producer,

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

, and former

circus performer A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

. He was a world-renowned

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

from the age of 8 through 15 before joining

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 ...

. He has worked on stage with artists such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

, and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

. He is best known for his work with Cirque-style shows. He began performing with

at the age of 16 and directed his first Cirque-style show at the age of 26.

Early life and career

Laplante is originally from

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 ...

and was a gymnast at the age of 6 years old. Before the age of 8, he had won numerous medals, many trophies and awards from various gymnastic and Judo competitions and events he participated in. He attended Herbert School in St. Francois; a sports and high school program designed for the Canadian Gymnastic Team at Polyvalent de Mortagne in

Boucherville Boucherville () is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and the Montreal Metropolitan ...

, and also had an orange belt in Judo. He trained in numerous circus disciplines including teeter board, bungee,

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 ...

Aerial hoop The aerial hoop (also known as the lyra, aerial ring or cerceau/cerceaux) is a circular steel apparatus (resembling a hula hoop) suspended from the ceiling, on which contemporary circus, circus artists may perform aerial acrobatics. It can be us ...

Russian swing A Russian swing is a large, floor-mounted Swing (seat), 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 swing ...

flying trapeze The flying trapeze is a specific form of the trapeze in which a performer jumps from a platform with the trapeze so that gravity makes the trapeze swing. The performance was invented in 1859 by a Frenchman named Jules Léotard, who connect ...

, and more. He was recruited by Cirque du Soleil when he was 16 years of age. He was with them for more than 10 years, performing around the world in shows such as

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, ...

in Tokyo and the European Tour and O at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. In 2005, he was hired to create the show concept for Cirque Hawaii, with part of his duties including making the final decisions on casting, music, and scenery creation. He also worked as the acrobat consultant and head coach on House of Dancing Water directed by Franco Dragone which won a Thea Award in 2012 from the

Themed Entertainment Association The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its Thea Awards, which were founded in 1995 and a ...

. Laplante was the president and owner of ''Utmost Entertainment Production'', a company he founded in 1998. He has performed work such as Special Event Artistic Coordinator for Cirque Du Soleil and Head of Acrobatic Training for the World Newest most Spectacular Show in Macau called House of Dancing Water for Dragone, Inc.. He was also the Acrobatic Choreographer for Dolly Parton theater in Dollywood,

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 ...

, and

SeaWorld SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by United Parks & Resorts. The parks host shows st ...

. Laplante was also the production assistant on Celine Dion's DVD ''The Last Show of Celine''.

Production shows

* 2013, ''LE NOIR, The Intimate Side of Cirque'', (Singapore), Resident Director & Manager * 2012, ''LE NOIR, The Dark Side of Cirque'', (Tokyo, Japan), Resident Director & Manager * 2010-2012, ''The International All Star Circus'' (Bahamas), Producer, Creative Designer, & Director * 2010-2012, ''Great American Circus'' (Atlantic City, NJ), Creative Director * 2010-2012, ''Cirque Polynesian'' (Atlantic City, NJ / Alaska Tour), Owner, Creative Designer & Director * 2010-2012, ''Cirque Risque'' (Atlantic City, NJ), Producer, Creative Designer, & Director * 2010-2012, ''Cirque Ultra Lounge'' (Atlantic City, NJ), Creative Designer & Director * 2010, ''Sha-Kon-O Hey'' -

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pig ...

(Tennessee), Acrobat Choreographer * 2008, ''Seas World'' (San Antonio, TX), Russian Swing Coach * 2009-2010, House of Dancing Water (Belgium / Paris, France), Acrobat Consultant, Head Coach (casting, research and development, training and formation) * 2005, ''Cirque Hawaii'' (Hawaii), Creative Director

Television, theater, and movie credits

* 2007, ''Last Show of Celine'' (Celine Dion DVD), Production Assistant * 2004, ''World's Finest'' (Movie Pilot), Acrobat Instructor * 2000,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, Stunt Acrobat * 1998 - 2003, ''Cirque Du Soleil "O"'' Las Vegas, Acrobat, Dancer, and Actor * 1994 - 1997, ''Cirque Du Soleil'', (Saltimbanco, Tokyo, Japan, and European Tour), Acrobat & Actor

References

External links

Mathieu Laplante on IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laplante, Mathieu Living people Cirque du Soleil performers 21st-century circus performers Year of birth missing (living people)