If you think that I did not write and do much at my blog then you are mistaken. Instead of writing some new posts I did update some existing ones instead.
My Cirque du Soleil Primer was extensively expanded for example. I did learn a lot about the Cirque during the past few weeks and had contact with several people like me who are Cirque du Soleil fans like me (some even more crazy than I am, can you believe that?! :) )
I submit the primer to Digg.com myself, which is never such a splendit idea, but I thought "what the heck." and just did it. Nobody else seems to agree with me that it is actually great content. I hope that I am not wrong about this and would appreciate, if you could show me, if you like it by adding a comment to this post or at the primer itself and/or Digg the Primer post, if you have a Digg.com user account.
I also worked on more video content. I don't write a post here at my blog for every video that I upload to my two YouTube accounts and elsewhere on the Internet. Here you only get some of the highlights :).
If you like what I publish, I suggest to subscribe to my channel(s) directly after you created your own account at the video sharing website.
I upload all my videos to either my SACRELEASES channel or my CARSTENSVLOGCirqueDuSoleilGuru channel on YouTube.com. You can find links to the profiles and feeds at other video sharing websites on this page, among the links to other social networks and webmaster forums where I have an account.
I do not publish ALL of my videos to the other online video sites. I try as much as I can, but there are several problems that make this task not as easy as I would like to plus some videos are taken down (or not up in the first place) by some of the sites. I don't want to get into this debate about those problems here and now. I plan to deal with the subject in great detail one other day and at another blog.
Here is one video that I recently published and believe to be worthwhile to write about here at my blog. It contains Hoola Hoops circus performaces by various performers, some from Cirque du Soleil and others who are not involved with the Cirque at all. I edited it together from over a dozen individual video sources, which I also re-edited and cut prior putting them together again for this video.
The background music is the song "ANSI" by Logic Bomb from the DefCon 15 (Hacker Conference) Sampler "Extra Nanosecond" mixed by DJ Shadowvex, where I created the cover for last year. The song does not only have a cool name (ANSI hehe), but also fits the visuals very nicely.
I hope you like and enjoy the video. Just as a heads up. I did spend some time on the legacy of Dytec (Dynamic Technologies).
I created a tribute video, which is a remix of a lot of things about the German games cracking group where I had the pleasure to be its leader for the PC section for a while. There is more to come, so keep your eyes open :)
This video was a heck of a lot of work and consists of over 60 individual pieces of video, audio and images. The inspiration came from the dancing Lemmings animation and the background music by Pitty/Dytec.
This was actually the beta for a Dytec PC Intro/Demo project, which was never finished and never released. The Lemmings that dance to the techno beats of Pitty's oldskool Amiga Pro-Tracker module titled "Pitty in Concert" were very cool and funny and it is sad that nothing of it was released back in those old days. I hope that my tribute video will make up for this oversight a little bit.
I produced a number of new Cirque du Soleil videos in the past few weeks, but did not get around until now to write another post.
I found some parts of the special Cirque performance titled "Reflections in Blue" (Réflexions de bleu), which was performed as part of the opening ceremonies for the XI. World Aquatics Championships FINA in Montreal, Canada on June 15, 2005.
I found recordings of two of the seven or eight parts (I am not sure about the actual number), the acts "The Mermaid" (La sirène) with Bolormaa Zorigtkhuyag that is similar to the water bowl contortion act in the Las Vegas Cirque show “Zumanity” and the act titled "Midnight Dancer" (Danseur de la nuit) with Anatoly Zalievsky, a very acrobatic act to the timeless music by Yanni.
Here are some interesting quick stats for this one-time performance:
The venue was three times the size of the KÀ theatre.
The swimming pool was made to look like the sea by lining it with a giant blue sheet that covered the bottom and the perimeter of the pool.
The projection screen at the back of the pool was 18 m (60') wide by 7 m (24') tall.
Over 200 volunteer performers took part in the show.
Three quarters of the participants were women.
The performers ranged in age from under 10 years old to over 50 years old.
Twenty-three cameras were used to shoot the performance for television.
Spectators played a role in the show by launching paper birds.
For the bungee (flying fish) act, a 53-metre (175-foot) crane extended out over the basin.
Some of the music for the show was taken from We Reinvent the Circus, Nouvelle Expérience, Alegría, La Nouba and "O".
Some Credits for the Creators and Featured Performers:
Director: Guy Caron and Fernand Rainville
Creator and Director of Creation: Lyn Heward
Costume Designer: François Barbeau
Set Designer: Jean-François Bouchard
Acrobatic Rigging Designer: Jacque Paquin
Music Composers: René Dupéré, Benoît Jutras, Violaine Corradi, Martin Lord Ferguson, Ella, Créations Méandres
Musical Directors: Martin Lord Ferguson and Ella
Choerographers: Denise Sauvé, Debbie Brown and Catherine Archambault
Projections Designer: Erick Villeneuve
Lighting Designer: Alain Lortie
Puppeteer: Michael Curry
Makeup Designer: Eleni Uarnis
Props Designer: Patricia Ruel
Featured performers : Sébastien Allard, Sam Alvarez, Zorigtkhuyag Bolormaa, Eliane Bonin, Mason Davis, Dessy Di Lauro, Sébastien Duval, Chantale Gallant, Akian Gaudette, Manon Gauthier, Charlyne Guay, Reda Guérinik, Ronnie le Grand, Isabelle Michon-Campbell, Isabela Moraes, Carolina Moraes, Patrick Paquette, Didier Pasquette, Laurence Racine-Choinière, Karl Sanft, Stéphane Verdie, Anatoly Zalievsky
I am currently searching for video recordings of the missing parts to create a video with the whole performance as I did in the past for several other special event performances by the Cirque. If you happen to know anybody who has a recording, please let me know.
Another Special Performance
I also found some snippets of the Cirque’s special performance on August 28, 2007 for the opening ceremony of the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau, China by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation (Sheldon Adelson), which will be the home of a new Cirque show later this year.
The Grand Opening for this new Cirque Du Soleil with the working title "Cosmos" or “Macau I” is scheduled for August 29, 2008. Here is an one minute clip of the performance.
Cirque du Soleil's tribute to The Beatles "A Day In The Life" and Carol Wood and Timmy Mitchum (from "Across the Universe") performed "Let It Be" at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California on February 10th, 2008.
The performance includes music and artists from the popular Cirque du Soleil show The Beatles "Love", which is currently running at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can see the whole video recording of the performance here.
And last but not least the Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Circus Act ever performed.
Natasha Patterson, Julie Bergez and Dasha Sovik, the tree teenage contortion artist of Cirque du Soleil's latest touring show "Kooza" set in September, 2007 a new Guinness World Record for the Highest Circus Act ever performed. I created a special video for that, which includes the performance by the three girls.
That's it for now, enough videos already. Four videos might cause already a problem for the browser of one or the other reader of this post. Make sure that you check out my fresh updated Cirque du Soleil Primer with even more videos and other goodies.
About "Believe" CRISS ANGEL Believe™ will be a haunting exploration deep inside the inventive mind of mystifier Criss Angel as he hovers between the land of the living and a surreal world uniquely woven together by the distinctive imaginations of Criss Angel and Cirque du Soleil.
Unlike traditional magic-themed shows, CRISS ANGEL Believe™ transcends any preconceived notion of what it means to be emotionally engaged by the arts of mysticism and illusion. Imagine a fantasy, an allegory, a highly theatrical tableau of mood, reverie and emotion set against a backdrop of dreamlike darkness and light.
Criss Angel stars as a surreal, enigmatic Victorian Noble. Along a path of imaginative exploration, he encounters Kayala and Crimson, two women who represent different aspects of femininity, four bizarre Ushers, who will introduce the audience to the baroque theater of Criss’s mind and a high-energy troupe of characters and dancers who mix a multitude of styles into a high-energy visual feast, punctuated by moments of grace and sensuality.
The stunning illusions in CRISS ANGEL Believe™ will not be presented as standalone elements, but as interdependent components using heightened imagery, fantastical creatures and impossible feats of legerdemain, all of which will be integrated into the dazzling, colorful fabric of the story.
Remarks If you don't know who Criss Angel is, check out the videos here.
I was mentioning the upcoming show already several months ago and I am really looking forward to this new show. The mix of magic and arcobatic will be interesting to watch. If you are not familar with Cirque du Soleil, check out my Cirque primer.
The audio for this video was taken mostly from the official soundtrack of "KA", which is like the DVD "KA Extreme", available at the Cirque du Soleil stores online and offline.
While the following video for the Cirque du Soleil arena show "Delirium" is not based on a DVD (because there is none), so is it still over 6 minutes in length and consists of various snippets of content that I found at various places on the internet. Some sources were official Cirque ones, others were not.
That's it, now I have to wait for new releases on DVD or other sources of quality video footage from Cirque du Soleil shows. Well, there are a few more shows coming this year, so I probably do not have to worry too much :).
Btw. If you like the videos, but never watched a Cirque du Soleil show live, I can only encourage you to spend the money at least once and watch a Cirque du Soleil show in person.
No video can capture the actual show experience. This is no joke, Cirque du Soleil shows are infamous for having several things going on at the same time. Even a very good multi angle DVD recording of one of their shows does not (for the once where they have multi angle recordings of the show on DVD, see my Cirque primer) and will never not get the same experience across as if you would be sitting in the venue with all the others to enjoy (and maybe even interact with) the show.
For more content and information to Cirque du Soleil, visit http://RoySAC.com/cirque, which redirects to my very comprehensive Cirque du Soleil primer article that I wrote not very long ago. I created the alternative URL, because it is easier to remember than the full URL to the actual blog post.
I mentioned in a post of mine from January, where I posted special Cirque du Soleil videos for the shows "O", "Mystere" and "Kooza" that I am going to create some special videos for "KA" and "Zumanity" as well.
I have not been able to get around yet to work on the video for "KA", but finished the two (yep, not one) videos for Zumanity based on the DVD documentary "Love Sick". I decided to make two videos out of it, because I though that it would not make sense to mix the two togther. It would have been hard and probably not create a video that would have been better than the individual two.
The first preview required the most editing work on my part and uses for some sections music from the official Zumanity soundtrack in order to be able to connect several video snippets together and still make them seem like a whole. It's still almost 8 1/2 minutes long and is the video that contains the most live action from the show itself.
The second video is almost 8 minutes long and consists of a long trailer by the Cirque itself and a nice slideshow, that was part of the bounus features of the "Love Sick" DVD.
I have seen the show twice already. The second time was slightly different than the first time, because many of the performers were replaced. I guess the main crew had vacation or something like that hehe. Although any Cirque du Soleil show has repeat view qualities, were those changes to my first experience very exciting for me, because I was not able to predict what will happen next in the show.
To watch the show yourself, life at the New York, New York hotel and casino, get tickets online here. The documentary DVD "Love Sick" is very good as well and interesting not only because of its snapshots of the actual show. You can get the DVD from Amazon here.
For more stuff Cirque du Soleil, make sure to check out my Cirque du Soleil primer and my old post that describes in greater detail most of the available DVDs that are available for purchase at large retailers.
The Cirque Goes Rock'n Roll Another quick note on the side. I just stumbled a few days ago over a performance of the Cirque that I have not even heard of before. It was not publicized very much. It was also not posted at the Cirque's website (including the Cirque Club Member section or Press Section (where I do have access to as well) for that matter). They had a short performance together with the rock band Apocaliptica last November in Buenos Aires, Argentina for Eurovision. It's odd that they never mentioned it, but then, the performance might not be perfect for everybody. If you don't like Metal and Hard Rock at all, you will NOT like this video.
Here is the full video of that 8 1/2 minutes performance.
I wrote over one year ago already a pretty long post about the various Cirque du Soleil shows. However, I missed a number of interesting information, including some shows. Some other stuff was also simply not available back then. I have a lot of nice little gems in this new post about the Cirque.
Note: I am keeping the post updated with new developments and show updates. Bookmark this page and check back from time to time.
I have for example a lot more videos with actual show footage from shows where no DVD is available yet. I also not talking about short teasers that are 1-3 minutes long, no no, this time I have much better stuff.
If you read my blog in the past you would already know about them, because I was mention those special videos on a couple occasions already, like here and here. I provided in those posts a bit more background information about the videos itself, so it is worthwhile to check them out too.
Okay, let's get rolling. Here is a little video for starters. It is only a few minutes long and titled "Cirque Du Soleil Now and Then - 1984 to 2007". It is a brief history of Cirque Du Soleil, its very compressed, no talking. Well, if you have to cover 23 years of history in about 3 1/2 minutes time, you have to stick to the stuff that is most important ;).
From the humble beginnings in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec (Canada) in 1984 to the world wide fame and multi-billion dollars enterprise of today in 2007, the shows, the people and the entertainment.
Many of the Cirque's shows are available on DVD, especially the older touring shows. They also created some stuff for television and for IMAX theaters, which is also available on DVD today.
The DVDs are not a substitute for a real life show experience, but some folks did not have the opportunity to see the Cirque at all and the DVDs do a good job to give you an idea of what to expect.
I added links to online stores next to each show or special performance if there are DVD recordings, soundtracks on Compact Disc (CD) and/or tickets to the live show available. Some of those links are affiliate links, which means that I will earn a few cents if you ue my link to purchase the item. If you like my content and want to show your appreciation, just use the links provided here, if you decide to buy anything that I mentioned.
I also included links to online videos on video sharing websites, such as YouTube and Google Video, especially for the shows and special one-time performances where no DVD recording exists.
Here is a video trailer for the Cirque du Soleil DVDs. Very short and nicely edited. If you are not familar with the Cirque at all, I promise that you will enjoy the videos. Cheers!
Almost the entire Cirque du Soleil show collection in one set for a price of just a bit over $10 per DVD, that's less than half the price of what you would pay for the included DVDs, if you would purchase each of them individually. A great gift for a friend and a perfect starter kit for your own Cirque collection.
12 DVDs, Region Code 1 (USA and Canada), Note: some of the DVDs are RCE encoded, which means that they do not work with region code free DVD players.
Included in this package are the following Cirque du Soleil shows, special performances and documentaries: La Magie Continue (1986); Cirque Reinvente (1989); Nouvelle Experience (1991); Saltimbanco (1994), the 1994 documentary retrospective A Baroque Odyssey; the Amsterdam-set Quidam (1999); Allegria (1999), the live Sydney show; the Chinese-influenced Dralion (2000), in its standard, non-Superbit release; the relatively short IMAX film Journey of Man (2002); Varekai (2002), from Toronto; La Nouba (2003), from Walt Disney World; and Midnight Sun, strikingly staged outdoors at the 2004 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
The only Show available on DVD that is not included in this collection is the "Corteo" DVD, which was released after this anniversary collection.
LeGrand Tour du Cirque du Soleil (1984-85, 16.Jun 1984, Gaspe, 14.May 1985, Montreal) - Director: Franco Dragone This show was more like classic circus. I am not aware of any recordings of it.
La Magie Continue/The Magic Continues (1986, 20.Apr 1986/18.May 1986, Sherebrook) - Director: Franco Dragone Buy the DVD
Cirque Reinvente/We Reinvent the Circus (1987-1990, 07.May 1987, La Salle) - Director: Franco Dragone Buy it on DVD - soundtrack
Nouvelle Expérience/A New Experience (1990-93, 8.May 1990, Montreal) - Director: Franco Dragone Buy it on DVD or here - soundtrack
Saltimbanco (1992-2006, 23.Apr 1992, Montreal) - Director: Franco Dragone Buy it on DVD - soundtrack
Fascination (1992, 22.May 1992, Tokyo) - Director: Roger Parent Only toured in Japan. Acts were a mix of Le Cirque Réinventé and Nouvelle Expérience, but all new costumes and arranged by a new director. It ran 118 times between May and September of 1992 and no video recording was ever published publically.
La Nouba (1998-..., 23.Dec 1998/28.Jan 1999, Orlando) - Director: Franco Dragone Buy it on DVD - soundtrack - Get Tickets Location: Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL
Zumanity (2003-..., 31.Jul 2003/20.Sep 2003, Las Vegas) - Directors: Dominic Champagne & René Richard Cyr 9 min teaser video - soundtrack - Get Tickets Location: New York, New York hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV
WINTUK (2007-..., 01.Nov 2007, New York City) - Director: Robert Lepage See 9 Minutes Teaser Video - Get Tickets Location: WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
Believe (2008-..., 12.Sep.2008 Las Vegas) - Director: Serge Denoncourt Get Tickets Location: The Luxor hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV
Zaia (2008-...,26.July.2008 Macao) - Director: Gilles Maheu Working titles "Cosmos" or "Macau I". Resident show at the COTAI ARENA® at the Sands Venecian Macao Hotel and Casino Resort at THE COTAI STRIP® in Macao, China Get Tickets48
Zed (2008-...,01.Oct.2008 Tokyo) - Director: François Girard Resident show at the "Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo" at Tokyo Disney Resort, Japan Get Tickets48
Cirque du Soleil Arena Shows
Arena shows are touring shows, but without the Big-Top. They are performed in existing venues, just like rock concerts and similar events.
The Truth of Illusion (1994) - (Documentary about the production Alegria)
Full Circle: The Making of Quidam (1996)
Inside La Nouba: From Conception to Perception (2000), a making of documentary for the Orlando show La Nouba, playing at Disney World Resort, Florida.
Whatever 'Stie (2003) (a Parody of Varekai show acted by the technical crew only for the actual artists)
KÀ Extreme (2005) - Buy the DVD A look behind the scenes of the epic Cirque du Soleil show "KA", it's challenges and accomplishments. KA is running at the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Vegas.
Corteo - Through the Curtain (2005) a 25 min Documentary released on Cirque du Soleil's - Corteo official soundtrack double disc special edition (1 audio CD and 1 DVD)
Imagine the Beatles in Love (2006) - Buy the DVD A BBC documentary, 51 min in length
Lovesick (2006) - Buy the DVD A documentary about the artists and the creation of the Cirque show "Zumanity", which is still performed over 10 times per week at the New York, New York hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
FLOW (2007) - Buy the DVD A tribute to the artists of the popular Cirque du Soleil show "O", shown at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas.
The Mystery of Mystère (2007) - Buy the DVD A film about the idea behind the subject of the show, featuring great interlectual and scientific minds of this century and the artists of Mystere, the oldest permanent Cirque du Soleil show and still running at the Treasure Island hotel and casino in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.
A Thrilling Ride through KOOZA (2007) - Buy the DVD A short documentary about the creation of the latest Cirque du Soleil touring show "Kooza", which debuted in Spring 2007.
Other Performances of the Cirque
March 24, 2002 - Cirque du Soleil performs at the awards show for the 74th Academy Awards (Oscars) at the old Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (Los Angeles, California)(2002-03-24) see full video (5 min)
July 11, 2004 - Soleil de Minuit/Midnight Sun (2004-07-11). Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 20th birthday with the people of Montreal in the streets of their hometown and location of their corporate headquarters. Buy the DVD
28. October, 2004 - Zink Magazine November, 2004 Issue Celebration With Artists From the Cirque Du Soleil show Zumanity (10/28/2004)
June 15, 2005 - "Reflections in Blue" (Réflexions de bleu), a unique one-night water show as part of the opening ceremonies for the XI. World Aquatics Championships (FINA) in Montreal, Canada (2005-07-16). see video (10 min) (not the whole show)
September 1, 2006 IFA 2006 Opening Gala - Cirque du Soleil as the new the marketing partner of IFA 2006 (Internationale Funk Ausstellung) presents exclusive show acts of the Special Event Department Montreal at the IFA Opening Gala in Berlin, Germany (09/01/2006)
February 4, 2007 - Pre-Game Show at Super Bowl XLI (41.), the American football game to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2006 season at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts (16-4) defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears (15-4), 29-17. This performance was produced by David Saltz (2007-02-04) see full video (9 min)
August 28, 2007 - Surprise Cirque du Soleil performance for the the Grand Opening show of the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau, China by the Las Vegas Sands corporation (Sheldon Adelson) (2007-08-28). see 1 min video excerpt
November 2007 - Apocalyptica and Cirque du Soleil - an Eurovision Live Rock Concert Performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina. see full video (8:21 min)
29 January, 2008 - UMW Re-Brands, Unveils New Identity - United Motor Works (UMW Holdings Berhad), a Malaysian Business in Automotive, Equipment, Manufacturing & Engineering and Oil & Gas unveiled their new identity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The show included an extensive performance by the performers of Cirque du Soleil's Alegria touring show (01/29/2008). see full video (26 min)
February 10th, 2008 - Cirque du Soleils tribute to The Beatles ”A Day In The Life” and Carol Woods & Timmy Mitchums (from "Across the Universe") performance of "Let It Be" at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California (2008-02-10) See full video (7:45 min)
Note: The Cirque did more special performances than I listed here. I learn about other perfomances every now and then and update my list. Nobody else seems to keep a record of this, including the Cirque itself.
Okay, that covered the IS, but what about the future? Well, the Cirque has a lot of plans, so much I can already tell you. Several new shows are planned, touring shows as well as resident shows. The difference to what that did to-date is that the resident shows will not be limited to the United States anymore. New shows are being created for locations in Asia, Europe and Middle East.
Las Vegas has the lion share of resident shows and that will not change in the future. Two more shows who will call "Sin City" their home are in the making and add to the FIVE resident shows Las Vegas has already today. The Cirque will also continue to create smaller scale one-time events in the years to come. Okay, here are the details for what is known today already.
Planned Upcoming Special Events of the Cirque
June–September 2008: Cirque du Soleil will have a daily parade spectacle called The Awakening of the Serpent to be performed for the duration of Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain
October 19, 2008: Cirque will perform a special one-night, one-time event as a closing ceremony performance for the La Francophonie Summit and part of the celebrations marking Quebec City's 400th anniversary at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada.
Upcoming/Planned Special Projects
A Taste of Cirque du Soleil, a special 30 min performance on the Constellation & Summit Celebrity Cruises
Cirque du Monde, a social action project designed to reach marginalized youth
Revolution, a lounge concept designed for The Mirage resort in Las Vegas in which the Cirque cast members perform to the music of The Beatles
Upcoming/Planned Cirque du Soleil Shows
August 29, 2008 - Scheduled Grand Opening for Cirque Du Soleil's new resident show "Zaia" (working titles "Cosmos" or "Macau I") at the Sands Venetian Macau hotel and casino on the Cotai Strip in Macau, China (Director: Gilles Maheu).
September 12, 2008 - permanent show at the Luxor Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, called "Believe", featuring the increddible street performing magician Criss Angel. The director is Serge Denoncourt. You should search for Criss Angel on the Internet and watch some movies with his performances. The show will premiere on September 12, 2008. Learn more about the show at CirqueDuSoleil.com/CrissAngel or at this URL. Also see my recent blog post about Criss Angel's Believe.
On October 1, 2008, "Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo" will open in Tokyo Disney Resort, Japan. Director: François Girard. To commemorate the Grand Opening of this theatre, "The World of Cirque du Soleil" will be held. Some key elements from internationally acclaimed shows will be unveiled at Omotesando Hills (Main building B3F 'Space O'). "The world of Cirque du Soleil" opening hours: 4/26(Sat)- 5/6(Tue), 11:00-21:00, Closed at 20:00 on 4/27(Sun), 18:00 on 5/6(Tue)
Tickets for individual visitors are scheduled to become available in early July 2008.
Short facts: 2,170 seats venue, 380 shows or more per year, 1-2 shows per day, performance time: about 135 minutes, including a 30-minute intermission, Creators: François Girard & Line Tremblay
About the show: The show follows the journey of a character who ultimately brings two completely opposing worlds, the sky and the earth, together in reconciliation and harmony. This dramatic production will feature a colourful array of unique and lively characters in vibrant costumes for a truly dynamic performance.
April 2009 - a new touring show will be coming (working title: "Cirque 2009") to be directed by renowned Brazilian choreographer/dancer Deborah Colker.
2008, 2009-2015 - the Elvis Presley Projects for Las Vegas' Project CityCenter. One touring Elvis show is planned for Europe/Asia in 2008, with one "Elvis Experience" outside the United States. One new Elvis Presley Project will open each year from 2009-2015. Director: Vincent Paterson.
There are rumors about another Cirque show for Las Vegas in 2009 for the Mandalay Bay Theater at the Mandalay Bay resport and casino (next to the Luxor).
... and more for the year 2010 and beyond.
Movie themed show at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California, planned to run for 10 years
A residency show at one of the hotels on The Palm, Jumeirah in Dubai with an initial 15-year deal is being created by Guy Caron (Dralion) and Micheal Curry
Second resident show on Macao's Cotai Strip at a yet-to-be constructed hotel will premiere. I heard that the new show will be directed by René Simard, a famous Quebec artist (from such works as Elvis Story and Génération Motown, both produced in Quebec). Serge Roy will be the show’s Director of Creation and Robert Lemoyne the Production Manager.
Cirque will co-create the Canada Pavillion in association with the Government of Canada at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China
Date Unknown - Cirque du Soleil has proposed a theme park near Oropesa del Mar/Orpesa, Spain to act as a permanent location. The theme is "Illusion World", and it would be located in Castellon.
That's it and all there is at the moment. Not bad eh? If you did not see a Cirque show yet, go and make it an item on your "must see before I die list". The videos and DVDs are nice, but never replace the actual atmosphere and visuals of a live performed show. I watched a few Cirque shows twice already and it was never boring, because you can't notice everything at once that is going on live. Cirque shows are "notorious" for stuff happening in parallel to the main story and acts.
Additional Cirque du Soleil Stuff See the Global Citizenship website of Cirque du Soleil for more information about the Cirque's community and environmental projects around the world.
World Record by Three Cirque du Soleil Teenage Performers
Did you know that three of Cirque du Soleil's contortionists, Natasha Patterson, 10, born in San Francisco, Julie Bergez, 14, from France and Dasha Sovik, 15, from Russia, who perform in KOOZA, the Cirque's latest touring show, attempted to and actually set a new Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Circus Act ever performed?
Well, they did just that on September 25, 2007 at the top of Toronto's CN Tower, the World's Tallest Freestanding Tower. This feat was performed in the Glass Floor observation deck, 342 meters (1,122 feet) above the ground and as high up on Toronto's CN Tower as you can get as a human without getting into serious trouble.
The CN Tower-Canada's National Tower- is standing tall as the defining landmark of Toronto with a total height of 553.33 meters (1,815 feet, 5 inches). This means that the record by the three teenage girls from Cirque du Soleil can be broken, but it would have to be a much windier and chilling performance in lofty heights and exposed to the elements, or somebody has to build a higher tower. Not an easy task obviously, because the tower was already built in 1976 and nobody built a higher one in over 30 years yet.
*Note: Natasha might have been 11 and Dasha 16 already when they made the performance on September 25, 2007. I don't have their exact birthdates to say for sure.
Something Else
Okay, something else. I know that some people will give lectures for this (again), but I don't care.
Franco Dragone (the creator of the Cirque du Soleil shows Cirque Reinvente, Cirque Reinvente, Saltimbanco, Mystere, Alegria, Quidam, O and La Nouba) and Michel Crête left the Cirque in 1998 after finishing the resident show La Nouba for the Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Dragone created, much to the dislike of the Cirque, a Cirque du Soleil-like show for Steve Wynn's new propery in Las Vegas, the 2.5+ billion Dollars Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino mega resort (which has it's very own golf course right next to the hotel). The name of the new show is "Le Rêve" (The Dream in French) and it premiered on May 6th, 2005.
The main difference to traditional Cirque shows is that rather than relying on few high profile acrobatics act that are hard to impossible to replace, does the show compensate for the lack of those acts with very elaborate acts with many performers at the same time, enriched with even more elaborate visual effects.
The side effect of this is that the show feels more like a real show with a theme that was not artificially added to existing circus acts. This also means that the circus aspect of the show falls very short of the expectations of those who expected to see a classic Cirque show.
Interestingly did I noticed that the much youger show by the real Cirque, "Love, which has the Beatles music and time era as basis, follows a pattern that is very similar to the one of Le Reve.
If "Kooza" in 2007 wouldn't have proven otherwise, I would have thought that this would be the "new" Cirque du Soleil trend. Kooza is a very traditional Circus experience, just FYI.
* The CD on Amazon is overpriced. Its not official anyway. You can only buy the CD officially at the Le Reve Boutique at the Wynn in Las Vegas. They have no website, but you can order via phone, just dial (702) 770-3541.
Did you know? Steve Wynn sold his other Las Vegas properties The Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio to MGM, who also happens to own the New York, New York and the MGM Grand, all the hotels & casinos where the current resident shows of the Cirque are being performed. And how about this? .... The two planned shows for Las Vegas will also be for properties that are owned by MGM, the Luxor and the, currently under construction, CityCenter. If rumors are true and another show is being planned for Mandalay Bay, then it would be three new shows for three of MGM's properties. Funny, isn't it? A coincidence? I don't think so.
So why this long write-up all of the sudden, you might ask? Well, I spent a lot of time on creating Cirque du Soleil videos. I referred to a large number of them from this post. I also created just recently groups for fans of the Cirque at popuar video sharing sites and networks. I also learned a lot more about the Cirque since the last time I wrote extensively about it. I saw all shows so far, with the exception of "Wintuk", but I guess that it is a reason to go to New York City one of these days to be able to watch it, right?
If you are a fan like me and to get access to additional goodies (wallpapers, greeting cards, articles, news) and tickets before anybody else, join the official Cirque du Soleil Club. It's free and anybody can join!
p.s. The Cirque is now heavily recruiting new and old talents. They created a special section on their website just for this purpose. It was very well done and is very elaborate and rich on multimedia content, including tons of small videos and more. Here is the URL to their new Casting/Recruitment website and to their open positions listings via Taleo.net. Here is the intro video from the site. Check it out!
The folks over at the Wynn in Las Vegas are also looking for performers for their show Le Reve. Their casting efforts are just as serious as the Cirque's. They even but their casting website for the show up on it's own domain, LeReveCasting.com.
More Cirque du Soleil Resources
Cirque du Soleil Database at CirqueTribune.com has details and background information about artists and creators of Cirque du Soleil shows. CirqueTrubune.com also has a Wiki, Forums, Image Galery and a Chat Room, which is only open in the evenings from 5p-2a Pacific seven days a week.
Various articles to Cirque du Soleil at the English language Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia that everybody can edit. See article index for the Category "Cirque du Soleil".
YouTube video play lists with my Cirque du Soleil Videos and my playlist with a listing of numerous Cirque du Soleil videos from various contributors.
The official Cirque Club site at CirqueDuSolei.com. Remember, membership is absolutely free! (Note: CirqueClub.com redirects to the same page at CirqueDuSoleil.com)
Le Grand Chapiteau by Ricky "Richasi" Russo from Orlando, Florida. Cirque fan site with many information to the shows and Cirque.
The Cirque du Soleil FAQ (TXT file) is a very detailed FAQ about the Cirque and its shows, videos, music and more, maintained by Ricky "Richasi" Russo.
Because I am a fan of Cirque Du Soleil, am I spending not only a significant amount of money on show tickets, but on merchandizing as well, such as T-Shirts, Show DVDs, Music CDs and also Documentary DVDs.
I own the documentary DVDs KA Extreme, The Mystery of Mystere, Flow – A Tribute to the Artists of "O", A Thrilling Ride through Kooza and Lovesick (a behind the scenes of the show Zumanity).
I used material from three of those DVDs in combination with music from the corresponding soundtrack CDs to create special promo-videos with often unseen footage. I made those videos available on the Internet for the public to see.
22 Minutes Video of Cirque Du Soleil's "O" This is the first video that I created this way. I was able to get an astonishing 22 minutes of show footage from the documentary DVD. By working on that video did I learn a great deal about video editing and how much of a pain and time consuming it actually is.
7 Minutes Video of Cirque Du Soleil's "Kooza" I was a bit disappointed about the amount of actual show footage on the DVD. I was able to extract a mere seven minutes from the DVD and even those seven minutes contain about 1-2 minutes of footage from rehearsals.
21 Minutes Video of Cirque Du Soleil's "Mystere" This is the latest video that I created so far. It contains a fair amount of actual show footage. I was thinking about adding several minutes of content that show the clowns of the show and how they make fun of and with the audience, but then decided against it. One reason why I left those pieces out was the problem with the audio, which would have required me to spend a considerable amount of time on it. I don’t believe that they would have been worth the effort.
Next one on my to-do list is the video for "KA". I have to see, when I will get around doing it. I have not looked at the details of the Lovesick documentary to create a video for Zumanity. I also don’t have the soundtrack CD for the show, which would create a problem regarding the audio for the video. I will have to see about that. Until then, enjoy the three existing Cirque Du Soleil videos. I hope that you like them.
I discovered an extended 30 minutes press conference for the new Cirque Du Soleil show "Kooza", which started touring in 2007.
It includes presentations of some of the acts from the show. Some of the artists need obviously still some training, because some errors were made. I am sure that they are now pretty much flawless. After almost every day one or two shows for the last 4 months, should they be able to perform their routines in their sleeps.
The juggler (biggest part) was doing his routine flawless, and boy, what a routine. I saw him before (not the same performance) on Cirque Du Soleil Solstrom DVDs and noticed how good he was, but he topped that performance and then some.
Next to the intro part are also two additional parts (next to the juggler) in the video. They are performed by the Cirque Du Soleil "House Troupe" and are the acts they perform are called "Charivari" and include acrobatics, human pyramids and rebounds from three miniature trampolines.
However, the video will give you a pretty good idea of what the final show does actually look like. Got your tickets? I got mine for November in San Francisco.
I watched "Le Reve" a second time, last month, when I was in Las Vegas again. I got the premium VIP package, with champaigne, strawberries and video monitor that showed some of the underwater action or shots from the top straight down.
I noticed a bunch of changes to the show, since I saw it over a year ago in April, 2006 and I am not sure, if I like them.
The show was this time not as impressive as when I watched it for the first time and became a hardcore Cirque Du Soleil fan and started watching as much of their shows as I could.
I also have to say that I don't think that the VIP package is the best deal in the house. I was sitting at the very top row and most of the action was actually happening beneith rather than in front or above me. I know why they put the VIP seats up there. That made it easier for the servants to refill your champaigne glass and ask you, if everything is fine.
However, I think that the seats further down, right after the "splash zone", where you get wet, are the best seats. I guess I will have to watch the show once more and this time really go for the lower seats. I was sitting more towards the top rows when I watched it the first time, although it was not as high as this time.
I will revise my top Cirque Du Soleil show list for now and change it to:
You might noticed "Love" on the number 2. spot. Yeah, I watched it also when I was in Vegas last month. It's a great show and from the overall style much similar to "Le Reve", rather than "classic" Cirque style. The question is: Who copied who? Dragone, the creator of "Le Reve", from the creator of "Love" or vice versa? mmh...
Anyway, I still love the music from "Le Reve" the most. Music does a lot to the overall impression of a show. I guess a Cirque fan who also loves the Beatles will be in heaven, if he watches the show at the MGM Mirrage.
While I am in Las Vegas to DefCon 15 in less than two weeks, will I also use my time in Vegas to watch the Cirque Du Soleil shows, which I have not seen yet.
First show on my list is Cirque du Soleil - The Beatles Love - at The Mirage on Friday. The online reservation system was a pain in the neck and did not work. I had to order the tickets over the phone eventually. They are lucky that I am a hard core fan of the Cirque to jump through all those hoops to get my ticket.
Cirque Du Soleil - "Love" Video
What's Left? I tried to get a ticket for the Cirque du Soleil show – "Zumanity" at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. Its a Cirque show with sexual flavor, but that did not work out the way I wanted it to.
So, that means that I will not be able to see "Zumanity" when I am in Vegas. They have vacation that week(end). After "Love" will only be "Zumanity" and the new Cirque show "Kooza" be missing on my list of shows to see. Then I got them all. I booked already a ticket for Kooza, when the show will be in San Francisco, CA in November, later this year. Here is a little teaser for the new show.
Cirque Du Soleil - "Kooza" Video
Cirque Du Soleil - "Zumanity" Video (Beta*)
*read the video description for an explaination ;)
I have to see when I get to see "Zumanity". I will be in Las Vegas the next time in September. I learned that I am going to see "Love" once more, free. I am sure that the seats will not be the best in the house. It's a group reservation. It will be the 7:00 pm show, so I will make sure that I will get tickets for the late show of "Zumanity" for that day then. That would be it. Done before the year is over hehe.
I hope you will enjoy the movies. They can give you a small taste of what the shows are like and might "convert" the one or the other to a Cirque evangelist :).
What Will Be Left for Me to See? Even when I saw the three shows, does it not mean that I am done. First of all would I like to see "Cirque du Soleil - Ka - at MGM Grand" and "Le Reve" again. "KA" with better seats than last time and "Le Reve", because it was my first show and I want to see it now again, after seeing much more Cirque shows.
I want to know, if it will remain my favority show after that or not.
Cirque Du Soleil Channel at Magnify.net Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I created a Cirque Du Soleil channel at Magnify.net. The URK is simply: cirquedusoleil.magnify.net. I will write more about the channel in the near future.
New Cirque Show Announced When I heard the news, did it almost sound like a joke for April Fools Day, without being April Fools Day of course. Cirque Du Soleil, the famous street magician Criss Angel and MGM announced the collaboration on a new Cirque Du Soleil show for the MGM property Luxor Las Vegas.
The show is planned to open to the public in summer 2008. Criss Angel is a great magician and the mix with Cirque Du Soleils greatness promisses almost certain success and a show that will be a running hit. I can't wait to see it. Maybe I will make it one day to a Cirque premiere. That would be the coolest thing on earth. Well, dreaming is allowed, right? :)
Here is the public video of the announcement of the new Cirque Du Soleil show at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That's it for news from the Cirque Du Soleil front. If you got a bit appetite for "Cirus", music and great entertainment from the french Canadian troup, check out my Cirque Du Soleil Shows DVD list at Amazon.com. All shows that are available on DVD in one place for your convenience (not for me, I have them all myself already)
If you read my blog in the past you would already know about them, because I was mention those special videos on a couple occasions already, 
Did you know that three of Cirque du Soleil's contortionists, Natasha Patterson, 10, born in San Francisco, Julie Bergez, 14, from France and Dasha Sovik, 15, from Russia, who perform in KOOZA, the Cirque's latest touring show, attempted to and actually set a new Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Circus Act ever performed? 
Franco Dragone (the creator of the Cirque du Soleil shows Cirque Reinvente, Cirque Reinvente, Saltimbanco, Mystere, Alegria, Quidam, O and La Nouba) and Michel Crête left the Cirque in 1998 after finishing the resident show La Nouba for the Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
