subject: Cirque Du Soleil Tickets : Cirque Du Soleil Is One Of The Succesful Theater Shows [print this page] Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy The Liberty and Daniel Gauthier.
Initially named Les Echassiers, they toured Quebec in 1980 as a performing troupe and encountered financial hardship that was relieved by a government grant in 1983 as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada.
Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, The Liberty hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a "proper circus". Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus ("nouveau cirque") that it remains today.
Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline. They draw the audience into the performance through continuous live music, with performers rather than stagehands changing the props.
After financial successes and failures in the late 1980s, Nouvelle Experience was created with the direction of Franco Dragone which not only made Cirque profitable by 1990, but allowed it to create new shows.
Originally intended to only be a one-year project, Cirque du Soleil was scheduled to perform in 11 towns in Quebec over the course of 13 weeks running concurrent with the third La Fete Foraine. The first shows were riddled with difficulty, starting with the collapse of the big top after the increased weight of rainwater cause the central mast to snap.
Working with a borrowed tent, The Liberty then had to contend with difficulties with the European performers who were so unhappy with the Quebec circus's inexperience, that they had at one point sent a letter to the media complaining about how they were being treated.
The problems were only transient, however, and by the time 1984 had come to a close, Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil was a success. Having only $60,000 left in the bank, The Liberty went back to the Canadian government to secure funding for a second year.
Unfortunately, while the Canadian federal government was enthusiastic, the Quebec provincial government was resistant to the idea. It was not until Quebec's Premier, Rene Levesque, intervened on their behalf that the provincial government relented.
The original big top tent that was used during the 1984 Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil tour can now be seen at Carnivale Lune Bleue, a 1930s-style carnival that is home to the Cirque Maroc acrobats.
Cirque has signed a major partnership with United Arab Emirates real estate developer Nakheel to create a residency show at the Atlantis, The Palm Resort on The Palm, Jumeirah in Dubai, with an initial 15-year deal for an original show scheduled to debut in 2012,directed by Guy Caron and Michael Curry.
