This article is part of my Cirque du Soleil Information Primer Articles Series.
Resident Shows of Cirque du Soleil
Resident shows are in contradiction to the Cirque du Soleil touring show, performed at one specific location/venue throughout it’s run. A resident show does not come to visit people around the world, you have to pay it a visit yourself and travel to the location of the resident show, if you want to see it live. The venue is usually specially constructed and build from scratch for the Cirque du Soleil show and only that show is performed at that venue location.
This allows Cirque to do things that are impossible with a touring show on the road that need to be packed up and moved to another city every couple months. Good examples of resident shows that take special advantage of their fix location are “O” with the big swimming pool as the stage and “KA” with the stage that is vertical and capable of rotating 360 degrees.
Last Updated in July 2014.
Myst??re (1993-…, 25.December 1994, Las Vegas)Location: Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 20+ min teaser video Myst??re is French and means “Mystery“ Spelling of the name: |
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“O” (1998-…, 19.October 1998, Las Vegas)Location: Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 3 min video – 22 min video ???O??? is inspired by the concept of infinity and the elegance of water’s pure form. The name ???O??? also represents the expression ???Oh??? that humans use when they are struck with awe, excitement, surprise or pleasure. |
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La Nouba (1998-…, 23.December 1998/28.January 1999, Orlando)Location: Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL watch 4:26 min teaser video The show name La Nouba originates from the French phrase ???faire la nouba,??? which means to party, to live it up. It is a world where dreams and reality intertwine as the urban and circus worlds meet on stage. Blending acrobatics, dazzling choreography, whimsical characters and live music, La Nouba stimulates our imagination from beginning to end. |
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Zumanity (2003-…, 31.July 2003/20.September 2003, Las Vegas)Location: New York, New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 9 min teaser video – 8 min promo Zumanity explores the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil and is the first and only Cirque du Soleil show that is designed for mature audiences only. It is provocative, sexual, esthetic, beautiful, lustful and emotional, touching every aspect of human sexuality that each of us wants to experience, but often does not, due to social codes that do not allow the free expression of your inner feelings and desires. Zumanity deals with this conflict in a cabaret-like way and lets people forget about the codes, at least for the duration of the show itself. |
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K?? (2004-…, 26.November 2004/03.February 2005, Las Vegas)Location: MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 57 min Promo Video – 30 sec trailer – 90 min show K?? is the story of two imperial twins who lost their parents, discover life and love on their journey to regain back their kingdom from the evil counselor and his son who invented a magic super weapon. They used this magic weapon to assume power of the people who helped them to take control over the kingdom of the twins. It is about the duality of KA, the power that has the ability to destroy and to create, war, love and the struggle in life itself. K?? stands for ???Life Force??? in Egyptian mythology and is one of the five parts that make up a human soul. The other four parts are LB = heart, Sheut = Shadow, REN = Name and BA = Personality. Spelling the name: |
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LOVE (2006-…, 02.June 2006/30.June 2006, Las Vegas)Location: The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 10 min gala – watch 50 min preview The Beatles ???Love??? starts with the last live performance of The Beatles on the roof at the Apple Studios in London on January 30, 1969. The Beatles songs itself inspired the acts of the Cirque performances, particularly their lyrics and their historic backgrounds or meanings to the individual members of the band. The title ??? Love ??? is derived from The Beatles single ???All you need is Love???, which is also the song for the shows final and closing. |
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WINTUK (01.November 2007 – 02.January 2011, New York City)Location: WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY watch 9 Minutes Teaser Video Wintuk is a whirlwind winter adventure about a boy-Jamie-and his quest to find snow.Jamie lives in an imaginary city where the arrival of winter has brought intense cold, but no snow! He interacts with a cast of high-energy urban street characters, including acrobats, dancers and talking lampposts. Jamie embarks on a journey to an imaginary North called Wintuk. He is joined by three companions-a female Shaman with magical powers, the girl he has fallen head over heels for and a timid young man called Wimpy, destined to discover his own courage. Jamie’s goal: bring the snow back to where it belongs. |
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Zaia (2008-…,26.July./28.August.2008 Macao)Location: Venetian hotel and Casino in Macao, China
Director: Gilles Maheu watch 9 Minutes Teaser Video – watch 2:56 min Promo ZAIA is the dream of a young girl who journeys into space on a strange, yet familiar voyage of self-discovery. As she travels, she encounters the beauty of humanity and eventually brings it back with her to share with the inhabitants of earth. The title of the show, ???ZAIA???, comes from a Greek name meaning ???life???. It also sounds close to ???Gaia???, which is the name of the living and self-aware, spirit of the earth. |
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Zed (2008-…,01.October.2008 Tokyo)Location: Cirque du Soleil Theatre @ Disney Tokyo Resort in Tokyo, Japan watch 4:20 Minutes Snippet–watch 2:52 min of Premiere The name ZED is the name of the lead character of the show, the white fool called Zed. The inspiration for the show comes from the world of Tao, symbols, elements and also various characters, such as Zed. |
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Believe (2008-…, 10.October. 2008 Las Vegas)Location: The Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV watch 7 min Video – watch 2:47 min trailer Believe is the dark and gothic style magic show of Criss Angel in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil that is not like a traditional magic show that people are used to. It is also not like a traditional Cirque du Soleil show either. It is also not like Criss Angel???s TV show ???Mindfreak???. ???Believe??? is the secret word that the legendary magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was giving to his wife at his death-bed before he died in 1926 to enable her to expose charlatans claiming to be able to communicate with the people in the afterlife. Only he and she knew the code word and the self proclaimed mediums did not. |
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Banana Shpeel aka VAUDEVILLE in Chicago
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Viva Elvis (18.December 2009 – 31.August 2012)Location: Aria CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nevada From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
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Iris (22.July 2010 – 19.January 2013, Los Angeles)Location: Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles, California From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
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Zarkana (9.Juny 2011, New York City)Location: Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
watch 1:20 min extended trailer – watch 1:30 min trailer The name Zarkana is a fusion of the words “bizarre” and “arcana” (arcana means “mystery” or “secret“). The twisted fictional world of Zarkana is an elusive destination that is fantastic yet bizarre. The name refers to the irresistibly odd and delightfully strange aura of this place and its inhabitants. |
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Michael Jackson – ONE (29.Juny 2013, Las Vegas)Location: Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
watch trailer – watch 2:30 min preview ONE is heartfelt tribute to the work, innovative spirit, and legacy of Michael Jackson ??? the King of Pop, the genius, the visionary, the One. |
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JOY?? (08.November 2014, Riviera Maya, MX)Location: Cirque du Soleil Theatre, Riviera Maya, MX From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
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Return to the Cirque du Soleil Primer article.
Cirque du Soleil Articles in this Series
- Main Cirque du Soleil Primer Article
- Cirque du Soleil ??? Historic Time-Line 1984 to Present
- The Cirque du Soleil Story ??? Odyssea ??? The dreamer???s Odyssey
- Cirque du Soleil Show Names and their Meanings
- Cirque du Soleil Touring Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Resident Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Arena Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Special Events & Performances
- Cirque du Soleil Releases for TV and IMAX
- Cirque du Soleil Documentaries (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil DVD Releases (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Music Releases (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil File Archive (Videos, Audio and Images)
Cheers!
Carsten aka Roy/SAC
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