Cirque du Soleil
Entertainment companies of Canada
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has almost 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries, including more than a 1,000 artists. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to close to 80 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents. In 2008, Cirque du Soleil will present 17 shows simultaneously throughout the world.
The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d’Or de Montreux. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.
The mission
Cirque du Soleil’s mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and
evoke the emotions of people around the world.
The Creation of Cirque du Soleil
It all started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Quebec City, in Canada. There,
in the early eighties, a band of colourful characters roamed the streets, striding
on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music. They were Les
Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre
group founded by Gilles Ste-Croix. Already, the townsfolk were impressed and
intrigued by the young performers – who included one Guy Laliberté who
became founder of Cirque du Soleil.
The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), and
then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, a cultural event in
which street performers from all over met to exchange ideas and enliven the
streets of the town for a few days. La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and
1984. Le Club des talons hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste-
Croix and their cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Quebec
circus and take the troupe travelling around the world.
In 1984, Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of Canada’s
discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show that would carry the
festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté presented a proposal for a show
called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the
organizers. And Cirque du Soleil hasn’t stopped since!
A Few statistics
• In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil. Today, the business has almost
4,000 employees worldwide, including more than 1,000 artists.
• At the Montreal International Headquarters alone, there are 1,800
employees.
• The average age of employees is 35.
• Cirque’s employees and artists represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25
different languages.
• Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil’s touring shows have visited over 200 cities
around the world.
• Close to 80 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show since 1984.
• More than 10 million people have seen a Cirque du Soleil show in 2008.
• Cirque du Soleil hasn’t received any grants from the public or private sectors
since 1992.
A Fantastic Journey
The story begins in 1982, in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec. In this haven of creativity whose rural charm attracts artists, art collectors and tourists alike, a group of young street performers mix with the crowd, walking on stilts, juggling and eating fire. They are the Club des Talons Hauts (the High Heels Club). Inspired by the spectators’ obvious delight, the performers hatch the idea of organizing an entertainers’ festival, the Fête Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul—the precursor of what is to become Cirque du Soleil.
1984 Cirque du Soleil is born with the assistance of the Quebec government, as part of the celebrations surrounding the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s arrival in Canada. Cirque is based on a totally new concept: a striking, dramatic mix of the circus arts and street entertainment, featuring wild, outrageous costumes, staged under magical lighting and set to original music. With not a single animal in the ring, Cirque’s difference is clear from the very start. The show debuts in the small Quebec town of Gaspé, and is then performed in 10 other cities throughout the province. The first blue-and-yellow big top seats 800.
1985 After performing in Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec City, Cirque du Soleil leaves its home province for the first time to take its show to neighbouring Ontario. It performs in Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls.
1986 Cirque du Soleil takes La Magie Continue to eight other cities across Canada, including Vancouver, where it puts on several performances at the Children’s Festival and Expo 86. Cirque makes its name on the international stage too, as acts are awarded top honours at competitions and festivals around the world. As interest in Cirque grows, so does the big top, which now has room for 1,500 spectators.
1987 Cirque du Soleil visits its American neighbours for the first time. Having triumphed in five cities in Quebec, We Reinvent the Circus is performed at the Los Angeles Festival, and then moves on to San Diego and Santa Monica. Exhilarated by the Californian public’s response, Cirque du Soleil is an overnight success.
1988 We Reinvent the Circus continues its North American tour, after a brief appearance at the Calgary Winter Olympics. It stops in San Francisco, New York and Washington, and spends several weeks dazzling Toronto. Wherever it goes, the result is the same: the performances sell out, and the critics rave.
1989 Miami, Chicago and Phoenix are added to the We Reinvent the Circus tour.
1990 Montreal is the setting for the world premiere of a brand-new production, Nouvelle Expérience, in a new, 2,500-seat big top. The show then hits the road for an extensive run in California. With this new production, Cirque du Soleil shatters all previous records for ticket sales, and it decides to make its first foray into Europe, staging We Reinvent the Circus in London and Paris. The overseas excursions have just begun.
1991 Nouvelle Expérience continues on its travels across North America, visiting Atlanta for the first time. By the end of an extensive 19-month tour of Canada and the United States, 1.3 million spectators have cheered the show.
1992 Cirque du Soleil crosses the Pacific and makes a name for itself in the Land of the Rising Sun with Fascination, a collage of the best acts from past shows. The show opens in Tokyo and then moves on to seven other cities, for a total of 118 performances in four months. Meanwhile, in Europe, Cirque du Soleil joins forces with Switzerland’s Circus Knie and stages a show in over 60 towns throughout the country.
In North America, 1992 sees Cirque du Soleil make its Las Vegas debut when Nouvelle Expérience kicks off a year-long engagement under a big top at the Mirage Hotel. Already juggling several productions, Cirque du Soleil adds a monument to its repertoire of shows: Saltimbanco. Premiering in Montreal, this latest production begins a lengthy tour of North America.
1993 Following the successful Las Vegas run of Nouvelle Expérience, Cirque du Soleil moves into a theatre built to its specifications at the new Treasure Island Hotel. A 10-year contract is signed with Mirage Resorts to stage Mystère, a gigantic production befitting this show business capital. Saltimbanco completes its 19-month North American tour of a dozen cities, receiving resounding ovations from 1.4 million spectators.
1994 Saltimbanco embarks on a six-month run in Tokyo in 1994 that attracts a great deal of attention. The same year, Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 10th anniversary with another production, Alegría. True to tradition, the two-year North American tour is launched in Montreal. Meanwhile, Mystère continues to create a sensation in Las Vegas, and Saltimbanco returns to Montreal for a brief run.
1995 While Alegría pursues its triumphant North American tour, Cirque du Soleil responds to a request from the Canadian government and creates a show for the heads of state gathered at the G7 Summit in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Also in 1995, Saltimbanco sets out to conquer Europe. Cirque’s spectacular white big top with seating for 2,500 spectators makes its first stop in Amsterdam, followed by Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Vienna. Amsterdam becomes the site of the Cirque du Soleil European Headquarters.
1996 In April, Cirque launches Quidam in Montreal. After finishing its hometown run, Quidam heads off on a three-year North American tour. Meanwhile, Saltimbanco continues its European tour, with stops in London, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Antwerp, Zurich and Frankfurt, while Alegría sets out to tour Japan for a few months.
1997 Quidam continues to capture the hearts of North American spectators, adding two new cities, Denver and Houston, to the tour. On the other side of the Atlantic, the curtain falls on Saltimbanco at London’s Royal Albert Hall, marking the end of a two-year European tour. Alegría kicks off its own tour of Europe a few weeks later. But the adventures of Cirque du Soleil do not end there. The year 1997 begins with the inauguration of the brand new International Headquarters in Montreal: the Studio, where all of Cirque’s shows will be created and produced.
1998 While Alegría pursues its journey across Europe, Quidam finishes up its North American tour, which includes a stopover in Dallas, a first for Cirque du Soleil. During its three-year tour, almost 1,000 performances have been held under the blue-and-yellow big top. All in all, over 2.5 million North American spectators have applauded Quidam. Furthermore, in October 1998, the second resident show for Cirque du Soleil, “O”, takes to the stage of a new theatre at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. This production is Cirque’s first aquatic show. In December of the same year, Cirque inaugurates yet another permanent show, La Nouba, at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. Cirque du Soleil also restages Saltimbanco in Ottawa for a few weeks before sending it off on an Asia-Pacific tour scheduled to last three years.
1999 Saltimbanco sets up shop in Asia and the Pacific and begins a three-year tour of the region in Sydney. In March, Quidam embarks on a three-year European tour in Amsterdam. In addition, a brand-new Cirque du Soleil production, Dralion, launches its North American tour in Montreal. To top it all off, the Multimedia Division, Cirque du Soleil Images, releases its first feature film, Alegria, inspired by the show of the same name. Its dynamic team also produces Cirque du Soleil Presents Quidam, a spectacular television version of the show to be aired around the globe.
2000 Movie fans come out in droves to see Cirque du Soleil on the IMAX screen for the first time ever, as its large-format film production Journey of Man (Passages in French), distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, premieres worldwide.
2001 In Auckland, New Zealand, Alegría kicks off a tour through the immense Asia-Pacific region. In addition, Cirque du Soleil keeps on growing with the inauguration of a 15,000-square-metre addition to its International Headquarters in Montreal. Audiences on four continents continue to marvel at the three Cirque du Soleil resident shows (La Nouba, Mystère, and “O”) and four touring productions (Quidam, Saltimbanco, Alegría and Dralion). Cirque du Soleil Images films the Alegría show for television, and the special Cirque du Soleil Presents Alegría is broadcast in the fall.
2002 In April, a fifth touring show is added to the seven Cirque du Soleil shows already performing simultaneously in 2002. Varekai premieres in Montreal, and from there begins a tour of North America. Quidam and Alegría (Cirque du Soleil made its first stop in Mexico this year with this show) come to North America as well, and Dralion continues its tour of the United States.
The Cirque du Soleil website is entirely redone, giving Internet surfers an extension of the show experience. The new site wins several awards. Cirque’s Multimedia Division, Cirque du Soleil Images, produces its first television series, Cirque du Soleil Fire Within, for the Canadian and American television market. Cirque du Soleil Images also produced Cirque du Soleil Presents Alegría, a high-quality production for small-screen broadcasting across the world.
2003 Quidam begins a one-year-plus tour in Japan, and two new resident shows are being created for the Las Vegas market. Zumanity is born in August—the newest addition to the Cirque family. It is an adults-only resident show at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The filming of a new television series—the first to be produced entirely by Cirque du Soleil Images—is wrapped up in the late summer. This unique family TV series brings together acrobatic acts within a dramatic comedy framework. The series is aimed at international television markets, including Canada and the United States.
2004 Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004. A number of events mark the occasion: among other things, a book is launched, entitled 20 Years Under the Sun, which recounts the unusual history of Cirque du Soleil step by step, and Cirque sets the first Guinness World Record for the largest number of stilt-walkers (544) at the same time and place.
Cirque du Soleil launches a new resident show, KÀ, in the fall at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and is preparing two additional productions: a new touring show for April 2005 and a resident show inspired by the music of the Beatles, slated to premiere in 2006 at the Mirage in Las Vegas. In September, Cirque du Soleil Musique is launched: it is a record company dedicated to the creation, production, and marketing of the music associated with current and future Cirque du Soleil shows, and to the career development of emerging artists from around the world.
2005 Celebrity Cruises unveils a unique concept of on-board entertainment developed by Cirque du Soleil on two of its cruise ships. As a creative content provider, Cirque du Soleil explores a new creative platform for the first time. The year 2005 is also marked by the Montreal launch and world premiere of Corteo, Cirque’s latest touring show. In July, Montreal hosts the XI FINA World Aquatic Championships, for which Cirque du Soleil creates the opening ceremony show. Cirque also announces plans for a resident show at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, scheduled to open in 2008. In November, Cirque du Soleil announced its first-ever live arena event, DELIRIUM, which will kick off in Montreal on January 26, 2006, before setting off on a tour of the United States.
2006 DELIRIUM premiered in January as planned, and has begun its US tour. Cirque du Soleil is also preparing a fifth permanent show in Las Vegas: LOVE, which celebrates the musical legacy of the Beatles, premieres in June at The Mirage. After touring in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Cirque du Soleil has set out to make a name for itself in South America by presenting its show Saltimbanco in Chile, Argentina and Brazil in 2006.
In May, the company announced its intention to develop new markets in Asia, notably by creating a new permanent show in Macau in partnership with Las Vegas Sands. The new show is scheduled to debut in 2008. Cirque du Soleil has also entered into an exclusive agreement with CKX Inc.—through its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises—for the creation, development, production and promotion of Elvis Presley projects, featuring touring and resident shows, as well as multimedia interactive “Elvis experiences,” throughout the world.
The first Elvis Presley projects are expected to debut in 2008. In November, Cirque announced a new production specifically created for the Theater at Madison Square Garden which will run for 10 weeks each winter for four years starting in 2007. After touring the world over for 14 years, Saltimbanco will no longer be presented under the Grand Chapiteau.
2007 Cirque du Soleil is progressively increasing its licensing activities. Many partnerships have been created in this area, including with Itsus International (for the creation of a line of ladies’ wear) and Manhattan Toys (for the creation of a series of toys for toddlers). Cirque du Soleil has also launched a fiction/non-fiction book entitled The Spark, which invites readers to discover the power of creativity and imagination and apply it in their own lives. Written by John Bacon and based on an original idea by Lyn Heward, the book is distributed in several countries.
Cirque du Soleil puts on a pre-game show performance for Super Bowl XLI in Miami. The show is broadcast live on CBS on February 4.
KOOZA, a new touring show, is launched in Montreal in April 2007. This show is Cirque’s 20th production since its inception in 1984. In July, after having toured for 14 years and being performed before more than 9.5 million spectators, Saltimbanco is reborn as it takes off on an arena tour of more than 40 cities in Canada and the U.S. Cirque du Soleil announces that it is partnering with Nakheel (the world’s top private property developer) with a view to creating a resident show on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, in 2010. Starting in November, Wintuk will be performed for 10 weeks at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York; this seasonal show will run for at least four years.
2008 Cirque du Soleil will launch three new permanent shows this year: ZAIA at The Venetian Hotel in Macau (China), ZED at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Tokyo (Japan) and CRISS ANGEL Believe at The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas (United States).
The international success story known as Cirque du Soleil is, above all, the story of a remarkable bond between performers and spectators the world over. For at the end of the day, it is the spectators who spark the creative passions of Cirque du Soleil.
Canada Business Directory @ January 17, 2009