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The mission of Cirque du Soleil is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world.
Cast of Characters
Guy Lalibert: a Rising Star!
Born in Qubec City in 1959, Laliberts talents as an accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-eater provided the foundation for what would be a remarkable career. His father a PR executive and mother a nurse, Lalibert once remarked that he grew up in a typical French-Canadian home. "There was always a reason for a party, always music in the house." As a child he was interested in performing and took martial arts, folk dancing and sang in choirs. (4) By 16 he had produced several high school events and had decided on a performance arts career. Lalibert dropped out of college to tour Europe as a busker and folk musician returning to Canada in 1979 with a new set of performance skills but also needed to find a real job. (3) After only 3 days employed at a dam in James Bay a strike ended the job and Lalibert, living off of unemployment insurance, joined the stilt-walking troupe Les chassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul; this would be a predecessor to Cirque. (5) The life of billionaire Lalibert has not been without controversy. Much has been rumored about the sex, drug and alcohol fueled lifestyle of not only the founder but many under the Cirque umbrella. Due to the wild success of Cirque Lalibert has received many honours including the Order of Quebec, Order Of Canada, and the Humanitarian Award in 2007 for his social commitment with his ONE DROP Foundation. While Cirque officially supports a few community programs involving youth at risk and extending art workshops and culture activities to children ONE DROP was the primary reason Laliberte went to space to send the message that safe, clean water must be accessible to all peoples. Quite a character!
Abstract
From the Streets to the Stars
From its humble beginnings as a small group of Quebec street performers in 1984, Cirque du Soleil (Cirque) has grown into a global phenomenon over the past 25 years. Cirque was formed by Guy Lalibert, a street-performer himself, who currently remains with the organization as CEO. While its early years were distinctly marked with traditional circus attractions such as clowns, stilt walkers, jugglers and fire breathers, Cirque has evolved from its traditional circus origins into a distinguished melange of theatre, dance, acrobatics and opera. Quite frankly Cirque entertainment captures many elements of the aforementioned genres, but yet occupies a space on the entertainment spectrum that it created and arguably solely occupies. With its unique offering, Cirque has gone on to entertain 100 million people in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America & South America and now employs 4,000 people from over 40 countries, including 1,000 artists. (1) Cirque has navigated its way through 3 global recessions, a sovereignty referendum in Quebec, and the burst of entertainment options available to the consumer to remain decidedly private and generate estimated revenues of approximately $800 million in 2009. (2) The core of Cirques business is from its touring (tent) shows, arena shows, and residents shows with the balance consisting of merchandising, production and hospitality. Their philanthropic efforts have focused on youth and clean water issues. In October 2009 Lalibert paid the $35 million to spend nearly two weeks in space to raise awareness of global water access; becoming the first clown in space. From the Streets to the Stars documents the history of Cirque du Soleil and how they have identified, explored, conceptualized and realized the opportunity to bring the new circus to the people of the world.
Cirque du Soleil began with a very simple dream. A group of young entertainers got together to amuse audiences, see the world, and have fun doing it.
QUEBEC
CAST
Unlike the traditional circus, the ensemble, as opposed to any single performer, is the central attraction of any Cirque production. Acrobats, dancers and other wonderful performers make up the cast who are given elegant and artistic roles to embody as part of a storyline to draw in the audience.
Cirques differentiation is largely due its ever active creativity and strong design ethic. Cirque lives by the show is the star concept; and it applies not only to the performers but creators and designers. This perspective is enabled by Cirques strong collaborative team approach that allows them to take risks.
Cirque was founded with the funding of the Quebec government in 1984. Montreal not only houses the company headquarters, but is where all show ideas are developed, produced and premiered. Not only does this ensure that Cirque does not forget their roots; but helps control the quality of the productions.
1|Humble Beginnings
1980-1983
The first production, Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil debuted in the small town of Gasp, and spread to 10 other cities throughout the province. Lalibert decided upon the name while vacationing in Hawaii and chose the sun because it symbolized energy and youth. Le Grand Tour was certainly more ambitious than other efforts by Lalibert; a key first was performing under the big top tent to audiences of up to 800. Of course this was fraught with folly! The group, inexperienced in staging a circus, faced technical difficulties with the tent collapsing under the weight of rain and a mutiny from European performers used to working with a higher caliber of expertise. But that seemed to be the Cirque way even until this day trial and error, exploration and risk. (7) After touring major Quebec cities Le Grand Tour left the province for the first time taking on the now famous moniker Cirque du Soleil. Audiences in Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls got their first sampling of Cirque and showed little interest. In Toronto the group performed to audiences of 25% capacity, in Niagara Falls the response was equally unfavourable. Given the entertainment options in major cities Cirque needed the impact of a marketing campaign to attract audiences; but had not money to do so. It is reported that Gilles Ste-Croix dawned a monkey suit and walked the streets of Toronto in a desperate act to garner interest in the show. Needless to say the stunt didnt work; although this personal marketing technique would be used by Cirque more successfully in the future. The group had graduated from being buskers to circus performers following what is the natural trajectory in the industry. While Lalibert and his partners had great dreams of taking the circus to the world; the obvious question in light of its lukewarm response from audiences was: is the world interested in yet another circus?
Taking a step back, the trio and their troupe were engaging in one of the oldest occupations busking. Simply put they were performing for money. While Im sure like most buskers, Ste-Croix et al. performed for the fun or love of their art; quite frankly it would be hard to envision such an act entertaining the world; simply because major cities in almost every continent had century old traditions of such acts was Les chassier really any different?
Alternatives
Nothing to Laugh At
Overview
A rational look at the circus industry, at least in North America, would have caused most rational business people or even visionaries to choose another path. The modern circus was already a century old and in decline when Cirque formed. Circus popularity had been dwindling since the sixties as a plethora of alternate forms of entertainment including movies, television and theatre were wooing audiences. While brand names such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey still held some sway; other companies in North America were merging to stay afloat or simply just existed as small entities. Internationally the situation was no less grim; although the circus tradition was centuries old in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa new audiences were not attracted to the big top. (7) The circus industry faced trouble from every angle (see Figure 1). Attracting audiences depended heavily on drawing new acts; as a result the talent or stars held increasingly larger power of the circus owners. Not in itself a problem if revenue is growing to offset the increased demand; but this was not the case. Additionally, the animals that were a key component to the attraction of the circus were causing ethical headaches for the industry also. By the eighties the cry from animal rights groups was gaining greater traction; further hurting the lustre of the industry in the eyes of the general population. (8)
In the wider scope of things Cirque was competing against a variety of entertainment forms closely related to performing arts and further removed. The most prominent being: Broadway/Theatre Dance Opera Sporting Events Music Concerts Movies
Industry Overview
This classic framework on industry attractiveness clearly indicates that in all material respects the circus industry was not one that newcomers should enter and expect to achieve any significant level of success.
Competition
Depending on how wide one casts the net, Cirque was competing for the entertainment dollar on many fronts. In the circus industry Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey (RBBB) were by far the biggest company globally when Cirque was founded in 1984. RBBB traces its combined origins to 1907 and has changed ownership several times over its century plus of existence. RBBB is currently part of Feld Entertainment (producers of Disney on Ice) who generates about $US675 million across all of their properties. RBBB currently offers 4 simultaneous productions that it tours in the United States and occasionally in Canada and parts of Europe. Although at its inception Cirque was similar in narrative and show elements to the Moscow Circus it is now much wider in scope of productions, size and global footprint. The success of Cirque has led to many imitators; even some spawned from former Cirque employees. These imitators tend to have French sounding names and sub-specialize to differentiate themselves. Over time as Cirque grew to dominate the industry its competitive threats came from outside of the industry in the likes of other live productions and alternate forms of entertainment.
Elements Kept
Clowns, Acrobats and Big Top
When one thinks of the circus they inevitably think of the clown; for this very reason Cirque has maintained a clown-type character in many of its productions. By keeping the clown what is maintained is the silliness, the interaction with the crowd, the improvisation and a connection to circus heritage. The wow factor in a circus in Cirque shows is more often than not provided by the acrobats. However, like all other elements of a performance the acrobatics are weaved into the storyline and dont stand out as a spectacle separate unto itself. While the majority of shows Cirque offers are resident shows and arena shows (discussed further in Expansion below) touring (or big top) shows are still an essential element of the experience and like the clown keep Cirque tied to its roots.
Elements Added
Storyline, Music and Dance
Cirque has borrowed heavily from theatre and Broadway to bring a refreshing artistic flair to the circus. For instance, instead of featuring a series of unrelated acts, like in a traditional circus, each Cirque creation is more akin to a theatre performance in that there is a theme or story line. Granted the stories can be noticeably broad or vague to provide flexibility for the artists while still bringing harmony and a level of intellect to the acts. Similar to Broadway productions, each Cirque show has an original musical score. This is remarkable considering the number of shows that Cirque mounts. The score integrates perfectly into each each scene, driving the performance and coordinating the timing of acts and other elements such as lighting. (8) The music is played live and the musicians are dressed in costume in order to blend into the performance and remove the lines of separation. To add further distinction to its shows, each Cirque production features abstract, spiritual and formal dance.
The first 50 bankers who we went to see just laughed at our face. You know, we didn't even have a clown nose on our nose, trying to get a loan, and everybody laughed at us.
Cirque literally did not have the money to transport the production back to Canada! After opening in Quebec to rave reviews, We Reinvent the Circus, Cirques third production, heads to festivals in Southern California wins the praise of both audiences and critics and becomes an overnight success. (9) This was an important milestone in the companys history and helped define Cirque as the innovator of the industry. La Magie already signalled how Cirque chose to differentiate itself, but with such a bold title as We Reinvent the Circus, the question remainshow?
4|The Backdrop
We've gone through three recessions in Cirque history and they've all been growth periods for us. Separate and Distinct
Given its lifespan, Cirque has faced other global recessions. The first, in 1990-91 precipitated by the Gulf war. During this period Cirque opened bigger shows in North America and made its first steps into the European market; Japan was to follow. The second, in 2001 following the dot-com bust and the September 11th attacks. During this period Cirque expanded its Montreal headquarters in preparation for its entry into Mexico and also extending the brand into other mediums (more below in Expansion)
We didn't reinvent the circus: We packaged it in a much more modern way, but basically we took an art form which is known, with a lot of dust on it, where people had basically forgot that it could be something else than what they knew about, and we basically organized for ourselves a creative platform.
Perhaps an argument of semantics, but the fact remains under the leadership of Lalibert, Cirque innovated in an industry that was in steady decline and has managed to not only sustain but gain momentum over its 25 year life span.
In 1995 the province of Quebec sought secession from Canada via a national referendum. Regardless of a yes or no decision, this pivotal moment in Canadian history could have served to scale back the growth of Cirque with its very strong ties to the people of Quebec and its government. Instead Cirque was invited by the Canadian government to create a show for the opening ceremonies of the G7 summit held in Halifax softening the tense national environment, and showing off the talent of Canada to the world. Interestingly enough this special performance, before global leaders, spoke to another trend: globalization.
Do you agree that Qubec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for new economic and political partnership
Driving Growth
Global Village
Arguably Cirques decidedly multicultural company and appeal has given it resilience against political turmoil and economic difficulty. Geographical diversification has been central to Cirques business strategy and has been at the centre of its plan to grow the brand. Paradoxically the shows have evolved to include little to no dialogue (i.e. language) to allow them to cater to diversified audiences. They infact speak a made up language Cirquish to convey their message. The vision of Lalibert and the Cirque founders could be captured in a single world: global. In realizing this dream the touring show has expanding from 70 cities to 250 around the world. Permanent shows are no longer just the privilege of Las Vegas, but Asia and the Middle East. All this growth in just the past few years.
Entertainment Everywhere
The Internet Age
The establishment of the internet age has posed a threat to industries such as retail, news, and perhaps most acutely the entertainment industry in all its forms. Certainly as the speed of the internet improved and homes around the globe were equipped consumers became empowered and could choose what to watch and when to watch it. An offering like Cirque is obviously best enjoyed (and for the most part only offered) live. How is it that Cirque was able to not only survive; but flourish against the tide of growing entertainment options and fragmented audiences? The obvious is that it has used the internet as quite an effective platform to market its shows; this has been of particular importance as the number of simultaneous shows offered increased. This has included live broadcasts streamed online; and information and sales on their website. CirqueduSoleil.com provides a platform for consumers to research and preview productions; plan outings and purchase trips. The site aesthetic and experience aligns with what one would expect from Cirque: colour, beauty and entertainment. It could be argued that the digital age has only assisted Cirque in growing the business.
Development Process
Creation and Evolution
Naturally the Cirque creative process is proprietary; but what is known about the development process is that it is intense, lengthy and committed; as a consequence a consistent, innovative, and quality production is generated. From the perspective of a single show, the development process is detailed in the next section at a high level if only to provide some insight into how Cirque generates its ideas and takes them to market. (Courtesy: How Stuff Works (15) ) After the lengthy creation process is complete and a production is ready to go live without exception it will be first debuted in Montreal as homage to Quebecs integral part in Cirques genesis.
The Cirque creation process is something so unique that its difficult to describe. It is gut wrenching and a child.
to
Pain
and
joy (13)
50 scouts
travelling
around the world at any given time to recruit talent for new shows, and that there is a trend
group
three years
to develop that show and three now we find (them) a new challenge. (11)
years
from
Brainstorm | Theme
While ideas are generated from an accumulation of sources globally, including the performers themselves all ideation is essentially centered in Cirques Montreal headquarters A creative team including Lalibert, directors, artistic directors, costume and set designers and choreographers gather to brainstorm concepts and ideas for new shows The first thing the team determines is the show's theme. The theme is a delicate balance, because it must tie the acts together without adding up to a narrative. The Cirque team avoids straight narrative in order to allow room for the audience to interpret the show any way they want
Soundtrack
After deciding on a theme an original soundtrack is created by members of Cirques composer-led creative team The soundtrack serves as a cue to the performers, guiding them through the show and each act. To ensure that the musicians follow the pace of the performers, all Cirque shows use live music. In the event an act fails, the musicians adjust tempo and volume and improvise if necessary
Casting
The heart of all Cirque shows is the performers and their unique acts. As a starting point for all casting needs Cirque has created a database called Cirque Memory where amongst the many pieces of information it catalogues is a 20,000 member list of performers to draw upon Casting agents and scouts scour cities and remote areas looking for new talent to add to new and existing Cirque shows. Additionally, the casting agents hold auditions twice a year at the Montreal headquarters. If a live performance is not possible candidates can also submit video auditions All Cirque performers must complete training before they can perform with a show. Each performer is sent to headquarters where they will train for one to four months. More than 50 percent of Cirque's acts come from the gymnastic arts; the rest come from a mix of circus arts and theatre backgrounds. During this training period, performers learn the skills
Costume and Makeup Cirque performances are experiential and artists interact with the audience so it is imperative that great attention is paid to make up and costumes (16)
The costume designer's goal is to design a costume that creates a character and allows the cast member to perform unconstrained, all while blending aesthetic elements and safety concerns It is not uncommon for nearly 100 designers to work on a single production
6|Expansion
SHOWS TOURING UNDER THE BIG TOP Corteo (Japan) Dralion (Mexico) KOOZA (North America) OVO (North America) Quidam (South America) Varekai (Europe) SHOWS TOURING IN ARENAS Alegra (North America) Saltimbanco (Europe) TOURING THEATRE SHOW Banana Shpeel (Chicago, New York) RESIDENT SHOWS ARIA (Las Vegas)
Event Planning
While expanding into the organization of events may not be an intuitive extension the fact remains that Cirque has gathered 25 years of experience of event planning. Through the Events team Cirque has provided planning services for both public and private clients.
Merchandising
Cirque offers a wide range of products (bags, jackets, key chains, etc.) at all of its shows and online. Through its Merchandising division the company wants to offer the Cirque experience through high quality products. Products are developed through the use partners with the goal of bringing artful living into the lives of Cirque fans.
Licensing
With its licensing division Cirque is endeavouring to apply its talents to other areas not connecting to the core product in any direct way. Through its own initiatives and with partners Cirque is exploring the hospitality field bars, lounges, restaurants, spas and has already launched a women fitness program in Las Vegas JUKARI.
K (Las Vegas) La Nouba (Orlando) Mystre (Las Vegas) O (Las Vegas) The Beatles LOVE (Las Vegas) Zumanity (Las Vegas New York) ZAIA (Macau SAR, China) ZED (Japan) SEASONAL SHOW Wintuk (New York)
7|Summary
OVO
A Treat for the Senses
As an enjoyable part of our research we went to watch OVO staged in the Portlands in downtown Toronto. OVO (meaning egg) is a dive into the colourful, busy and energetic ecosystem of insects. When the mysterious egg arrives along with its awkward owner, a mystery and love story ensues.
The site of the production was under the big top. Cirque creates a mini-city that travels with the show and presents OVO in what is a very organic, customized and intimate environment.
Before the show began characters from the production interacted with the crow in costume. During the show we were entertained with incredible acrobatics, humour and music.
During the intermission Da went shopping. Cirque has quite an array of merchandise to help the audience extend their experience beyond the big top.
Quite unexpectedly is the show was drawing to a close the scent of lily was dispersed throughout to draw us into the world that Cirque had created. With the wonderful
Bibliography
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